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Adrian Georg Iselin (January 17, 1818March 28, 1905) was a New York
financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of property. Types of in ...
who invested in and developed real estate, railroads, and mining operations. For many years during his early business career he was engaged in importing with his brother, William Iselin, being one of the most successful merchants of New York in the middle of the century. After retiring from the importing trade, he established the banking house of Adrian Iselin & Co. He is considered the founder of the Iselin family in the United States.


Early life

Iselin was born in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
on January 17, 1818, while his parents were making a tour of the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
. He was fifth of eleven children born to Isaac Iselin (1783–1841), who was born in
Basel, Switzerland Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city (after Zurich and Geneva), with ...
, and emigrated to the United States in 1801, and Aimee Jeanne (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Roulet) Iselin (1792–1873), a Swiss-French daughter of John Roulet. In Switzerland, the Iselin family had been merchants, public officials, and military and professional men since the 14th century. Adrian's father Isaac, who began his career in New York at Gouverneur & Kemble and later at LeRoy, Bayard and McEvers, amassed a large fortune in the importing business which was passed down to him and his siblings. Iselin was educated abroad in Switzerland. However, he is also shown to have been matriculated at one point at Columbia College with the class of 1837 but did not graduate, according to official documents.


Career

Iselin first joined the New York dry goods company of Messers, Cattenet, Barbey and Co., shortly thereafter going independent and in 1840 forming Moran & Iselin, an imported dry goods firm that expanded to become involved with banking. When Moran retired in 1854, Iselin reorganized and continued the banking arm of the business under A. Iselin and Co. at his office located at 36
Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
. Iselin was one of the directors of the
Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iowa. The county seat of Woodbury County, Sioux City is the primar ...
and St. Paul Railroad Company in Minnesota. The town of Adrian, Minnesota, which developed after completion of the rail lines, was named after his mother, Mrs. Adrian Iselin. In 1881, Iselin formed the Pittsburgh and State Line Railroad after Rochester and State Line Railroad was put into receivership. Iselin eventually became the chief investor in the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company. At the outbreak of the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, his firm was so strong that it helped to finance the
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. In 1885, the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company constructed the world's longest string of coke ovens in Walston, Pennsylvania, with 475 ovens over a length of 2 km (1.25 miles). Their output reached 22,000 tons per month. At his death, he left the management of his investments and companies to two of his sons, Adrian Jr. and Columbus. Adrian Jr., who joined the firm in 1868, was responsible for the expansion of the Company into
Indiana County, Pennsylvania Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...
. Ernest Iselin, son of Adrian Jr., was director of the company from 1929 to 1934 and chairman of the board from 1936 to 1954. The firm was in existence until 1936 when it was merged with Dominick & Dominick, an investment and merchant banking firm that exists to this day.


Later life

An avid yachtsman, Adrian was drawn to the
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
shore community of
New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...
in 1858 as the site of his country estate All View. Over forty years he transformed the farms along the New Rochelle waterfront and
Davenport Neck Davenport Neck is a peninsula in New Rochelle, New York, extending southwesterly from the mainland into Long Island Sound, and running parallel to the main shore. It divides the city's waterfront into two, with New Rochelle Harbor to the south ...
peninsula into extraordinary waterfront estates for each of his children. When he retired from business in 1878, Iselin decided to focus much of his attention on improving conditions within his community of New Rochelle. Using the family's large expanses of farm land in the northern end of town, he constructed a reservoir system which became the area's first water company. He also established the first City Savings Bank and built a fully equipped "gymnasium" for the resident public to use. Adrian and his wife, and subsequently their daughters Miss Georgine and Mrs. Elenora (Delancey Kane) were major funders of Catholic causes, establishing Saint Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church and its parochial school, as well as New Rochelle Hospital. Sons Adrian, Jr., William E., Columbus O'Donnell, and Charles Oliver were all successful businessmen. Adrian and Columbus bought extensive property in the community and developed the Residence, Neptune, Homestead and Sycamore "residence park" neighborhoods.


Personal life

On December 11, 1845, married Eleanora O'Donnell (1821–1897), the daughter of General Columbus O'Donnell and his wife Eleanora (née Pascault) O'Donnell, in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. Eleanora was related to John Carroll, the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and the founder of
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
. Her father was at the head of one of the foremost families of that city, and was a leading financier of Maryland, being connected with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and other important corporations. Together, they were the parents of seven children, including: * Adrian Iselin Jr. (1846–1935), who married Louise Caylus (1862–1909) in 1872. After her death, he married Sarah Gracie King Bronson (1850–1931), the widow of Frederic Bronson in 1914. * William Emil Iselin (1848–1937), who married Alice Rogers Jones (1850–1932). * Eleanora Iselin (1849–1938), who married DeLancey Astor Kane (1848–1915), brother of
Woodbury Kane Woodbury Kane (February 8, 1859 – December 5, 1905) was a yachtsman and bon vivant, and member of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders. A director of the Metropolitan Register Company, Kane served aboard the ''Columbia'' in the 1899 America's ...
and great-grandson of
John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-born American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor. Astor made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by exporting History of opiu ...
, in 1872. * Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1851–1933), who married Edith Colford Jones (1854–1930). * Charles Oliver Iselin (1854–1932), who first married Fannie Garner (1861–1890). After her death, he married Edith Hope Goddard (1868–1970) in 1894. * Georgine Iselin (1857–1954), who was made a Papal Countess in 1912 and did not marry. * Emilie Eleanora Iselin (1860–1916), who married John George Beresford (1847–1925), a cousin of
Lord Charles Beresford Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford, (10 February 1846 – 6 September 1919), styled Lord Charles Beresford between 1859 and 1916, was a British admiral and Member of Parliament. Beresford w ...
and grandson of
Henry Beresford, 2nd Marquess of Waterford Henry de la Poer Beresford, 2nd Marquess of Waterford, Order of St Patrick, KP, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (23 May 1772 – 16 July 1826) styled Lord Le Poer from 1783 until 1789 and Earl of Tyrone from 1789 to 1800, was an Irish peer. E ...
, in 1898. Socially, Adrian Iselin and his family were among the wealthiest of New York high society. In New York City Iselin was a stockholder in the Metropolitan Opera House and Real Estate Company, along with other wealthy men that included
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
and
J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * '' Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Pa ...
. Iselin was one of the incorporators of the
American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
, the
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, and the
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. For many years he was the Consul of the Swiss Republic in New York. Iselin's wife died in 1897 and left her entire estate to him. He died at his residence in New York City, 23 East 26th Street, on March 28, 1905. His funeral service was held at his New York City home followed by a burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in the
Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. According to his obituary in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Iselin's wealth was estimated to be between $20 and $30 million. His estate was formally valued at $18,500,000 by the New York State Tax Appraiser later in 1905.


Descendants

Through his son Columbus, he was the great-grandfather of Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1904-1971), the
oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...
who was the director of the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...
and a professor of Physical Oceanography at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
. Through his son Charles, he was the grandfather of Eleanora "Nora" Iselin (1881–1939), who married Count Ferdinand von Colloredo-Mansfeld (1878–1967), an attache of the Austrian Embassy at Rome and a nephew of Prince Colloredo-Mansfeld, in 1909.


Family legacy

The coal-mining town of Iselin, one of the many company towns in Indiana county founded by the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company, was named after him. The Iselin family also controlled the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company, which transported coal from Pennsylvania to markets along the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
and Canada. He and his family were responsible for the building a number of Roman Catholic churches in his coal company towns, including St. Adrian's in Adrian, Pennsylvania, as well as several hospitals, including the Adrian Hospital in Punxsutawney, and the Indiana Hospital in Indiana, Pennsylvania. In the 1870s, Unionville, previously known at Perrytown, was renamed Iselin after Adrian Georg Iselin.Lurie, Maxine N.; and Mappen, Marc
"Iselin"
p. 414.
Encyclopedia of New Jersey ''The Encyclopedia of New Jersey'' is edited by Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen and contains around 3,000 original articles, along with 585 illustrations and 130 maps. It was published in 2004 by Rutgers University Press, with . The publication w ...
,
Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Pub ...
, 2004. . Accessed July 21, 2016.
Virginia Bergen Troeger, Robert J. McEwen (2002). ''Woodbridge: New Jersey's Oldest Township''
p. 113
/ref> The town of Adrian Mines, Pennsylvania, was named after the family as well. The town of Adrian, Minnesota, was also named after the family.


References

;Notes ;Sources


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iselin, Adrian Georg 1818 births 1905 deaths Philanthropists from New York (state) Businesspeople from New York City Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York Scottish emigrants to the United States 19th-century American philanthropists Columbia College (New York) alumni Iselin family 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)