Benjamin Nathan (December 20, 1813 – July 28, 1870) was an American investor and philanthropist. He was

bludgeoned A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma cau ...

to death in his home in 1870, and the notorious murder case remains unsolved despite several trials in the years following his death.

Biography

He was elected a member of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

in 1836, and became its vice-president in 1851. He served as a director of the

Chicago and Northwestern Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states bef ...

and the

Ninth Avenue Street Railway The Ninth and Tenth Avenues Line or Ninth Avenue Line is a surface transit line in the New York City borough of Manhattan, running mostly along Ninth Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue from Lower Manhattan to Manhattanville. Originally a streetcar ...

. He also served on the first Board of Directors for

Jews' Hospital Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. It is located in East Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan, on the eastern border of Central Park stretching along Madi ...

. He was also President of Shearith Israel. In 1849, he was promoted to colonel and named aide-de-camp to New York State Governor

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of New York, 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New Y ...

.Adler, Cyrus (1912). ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day.''

Funk and Wagnalls Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including ''A Standard Dictionary of the English Language'' (1st ed. 1893–5), and the ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia'' (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).Funk & Wagnalls N ...

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Judge Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, his nephew, was born the year Nathan died and was named after him. Nathan's wife Emily G. Nathan died in 1879.Staff report (Jan 21, 1879) MRS. NATHAN'S DEATH. Recalling a Murder Whose Mystery Has Not Been Fathomed. ''

Chicago Daily Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' They had seven children, including Frederick Nathan and Washington Nathan.Nathan-Kazis, Josh (January 13, 2010)
A Death in the Family.
'' Tablet'' He was murdered on July 28, 1870, in

Manhattan, New York City Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. stat ...

Aaron B. Rollins Aaron B. Rollins (1818 – December 4, 1878) was a member of the New York State Assembly for the 9th district of Manhattan from 1851 to 1853. He was the deputy Sheriff of New York County, New York, from 1853 to 1859, and the Coroner of New York ...

was the coroner who investigated the death.

Legacy

''Studies in Murder'', a 1924

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

book of essays by

Edmund Pearson Edmund Lester Pearson (1880–1937) was an American librarian and writer. He was a writer of the "true crime" literary genre. He is best known for his account of the notorious Lizzie Borden murder case. Early life Pearson was born in Newburypo ...

, is about the murder.

References

External links

* 1813 births 1870 deaths Businesspeople from New York City American people of Portuguese-Jewish descent 19th-century Sephardi Jews 19th-century American Jews American Sephardic Jews American stockbrokers New York Stock Exchange people Murdered American Jews Unsolved murders in the United States Deaths by beating in the United States People murdered in New York City Male murder victims Burials at Beth Olom Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1810s-stub

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links