Andrew Christian Zabriskie (May 30, 1853 – September 15, 1916) was an American heir and real estate investor.

Early life

Zabriskie was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on May 30, 1853. He was the son of Sarah Jane (

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 ...

Titus) Zabriskie (1822–1892) and Christian Andrew Zabriskie (1806–1879), who was prominent in Episcopal church circles in

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. His father never engaged in business, instead preferring the "quiet enjoyments of county life." His paternal grandparents were Mary (née Ryerson) Zabriskie, a direct descendant of

Joris Jansen Rapelje Joris Jansen Rapelje (28 April 1604 – 21 February 1662/63) was a member of the Council of Twelve Men in the Dutch West India Company colony of New Netherland. He and his wife Catalina (Catalyntje) Trico (1605–1689) were among the earliest se ...

, and Andrew Christian Zabriskie, who was born in

Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H, ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

at the ancestral homestead. Besides his father, his paternal uncles were Martin, John, and John Jacob Zabriskie, all descended from

Albrycht Zaborowski Albrecht Zaborowski (also rendered Saborowski; anglicized as Albert Zabriskie; 1638–1711) of Grudziądz, was a Polish emigrant, one of the pioneers of European colonization in what is now New Jersey, who settled there on August 31, 1662. Early ...

, who left

Ducal Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

after the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, and came to

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

on the Dutch ship ''De Vos'' ship in 1662. Through his paternal aunt, Matilda Mary (née Zabriskie) Greene, he was a first cousin of Alister Greene, who served as Zabriskie's best man at his 1895 wedding. Through his uncle Martin, he was also a first cousin of

Eliot Zborowski William Elliott Morris Zborowski (1858 – April 1, 1903) was an American Auto_racing#Racing_drivers, racing driver and father of racing driver Louis Zborowski. Early life and change of name Martin Zabriskie, Elliott's father, left the Unite ...

, who married Margaret

Astor Astor or ASTOR may refer to: Companies * Astor Pictures, a New York-based motion picture releasing company * Astor Radio Corporation, an Australian consumer electronics manufacturer from 1926 onwards, which also owned the Astor Records label * ...

Carey, a granddaughter of William Backhouse Astor, Sr. His maternal grandparents were Captain William M. Titus, who served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, and Maria (née Gardner) Titus. Zabriskie was educated in private schools and, later, graduated from the School of Mines at Columbia University.

Career

Zabriskie was one of the largest real estate owners in New York City and devoted much of his time to managing the estate. His office was located at 52 Beaver Street in a building built by his grandfather, William M. Titus, on land once owned by his great-grandfather, Thomas Gardner, "a wealthy resident of Paramus, and who was somewhat eccentric in disposition." He also served as president of the

Bergen Turnpike Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

, which was originally incorporated in 1802 with Colonel John Stevens as its first president. After joining the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society in 1874, he became a life member in 1894, served as third vice-president from 1880 to 1883 and then as first vice-president from 1884 to 1896, and lastly, the president for ten years beginning in 1896. He resigned in protest in December 1904 (and was succeeded by

Archer M. Huntington Archer Milton Huntington (March 10, 1870 – December 11, 1955) was an American philanthropist and scholar, primarily known for his contributions to the field of Hispanic studies. He founded the Hispanic Society of America in New York City, an ...

) following a financial crisis where he advocated for the merger of the Society with the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

, but was rejected by the membership.

Military service

In 1873, he joined Company B of the 7th Regiment, N.Y.N.G. and served as Inspector of Rifle Practice for the 71st Regiment, where he served as Captain of Company C until his resignation in 1897. He was known as Captain Zabriskie for the rest of his life. Zabriskie donated a bronze trophy, known as the Zabriskie Trophy, "which is annually shot for by the various companies of the 71st Regiment."

Political career

In Duchess County, he was a member of the Democratic State Executive Committee and chairman of the Duchess County Board of Supervisors. In 1879, he served as treasurer of the Independent Republicans in the "revolt against Governor

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

's reelection." In

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

, he was nominated as the Democratic candidate to represent the 21st District of New York in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

. He ran against the sitting Assistant Treasurer of the United States,

Hamilton Fish II Hamilton Fish II (April 17, 1849 – January 15, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life Fish was born in Albany, Ne ...

, who was a son of former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and Secretary of State

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American statesman who served as the sixteenth governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States senator from New York from 1851 to 1857, and the 26th U.S. secretary of state from ...

. Also from his district was neighbor and the incumbent Democratic Lt. Gov.,

Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler (September 24, 1869, in Newport, Rhode Island – February 28, 1942, in New York City) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1907 to 1908. Early life He was the ...

, who was running for Governor against the incumbent Republican,

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

(later the Secretary of State and

Chief Justice of the United States The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...

). Both Zabriskie and Chanler lost in their bids. Fish received 22,832 votes to Zabriskie's 19,725 votes.

Residences

In New York City, the Zabriskies variously lived at 12 East 30th Street, 2 West 56th Street and 34 West 53rd Street. In addition, the Zabriskie's owned two country estates,

Province Island Province Island () is an island mostly in the Canadian province of Québec, but partly in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is situated in Lake Memphremagog. The island's area is . Although (9%) at its southern point is part of the United Stat ...

on Lake Memphramagog and Blithewood at

Annandale-on-Hudson, New York Annandale-on-Hudson is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States, located in the Hudson Valley town of Red Hook, New York, Red Hook, across the Hudson River from Kingston, New York, Kingston. The hamlet consists main ...

. Province Island, at 77 plus acres, is the largest island on Lake Memphremagog and is located mostly in

Magog, Quebec Magog ( , ) is a city in southeastern Quebec, Canada, about east of Montreal at the confluence of Lake Memphremagog—after which the city was named—with the Rivière aux Cerises and the Magog River. It is a major centre and industrial city ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with 7 acres at the southern tip located in Newport, Vermont. Around 1886, Zabriskie built a large mansion, a boathouse, and wharf on the Canadian side and the island was known as Zabriskie's Island. Zabriskie kept his

steam yacht A steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts. Origin of the name The English steamboat entrepreneur George Dodd (1783–1827) used the term ...

''Dodo'' docked at the island. In 1917, after his death, the island was bought by Benjamin Howard, father of Canadian Senator

Charles Benjamin Howard Charles Benjamin Howard (27 September 1885 – 25 March 1964) was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Smith's Mills, Quebec in Stanstead County and became a businessman, industrialist and lumber mercha ...

and was renamed Howard's Island. Around 1968, the residence built by Zabriskie was demolished due to the cost of its maintenance. In 1899, Zabriskie purchased Blithewood from John Bard's 1,000-acre estate and commissioned Francis L. V. Hoppin, a

McKim, Mead and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

alumnus, to tear down the old home and build a new 42-room

Georgian-style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

manor house in the Beaux-Arts style. Bard had purchased Blithewood in 1853 from Robert Donaldson Jr., who had hired landscape designer

Andrew Jackson Downing Andrew Jackson Downing (October 31, 1815 – July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer, horticulturist, writer, prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of ''The Horticulturist'' magazine (1846–1852). ...

to transform the grounds upon his 1835 purchase of the 92-acre estate, then known as Annandale (owned by John Church Cruger, the father of Stephen Van Rensselaer Cruger and son-in-law of Stephen Van Rensselaer).

Personal life

In June 1895, Zabriskie was married to Frances Hunter (1866–1951) at the Madison Square Presbyterian Church. Frances was the daughter of Juliana M. W. (née Zabriskie) Hunter and Charles Frederick Hunter, former president of the People's Bank of New York. Frances' maternal grandparents were George Zabriskie and Susan Van Campen (née Romeyn) Zabriskie. Together, were the parents of two children: * Julia Romeyn Zabriskie (1897–1931), a débutante who married Edward Powis Jones (1880–1927), a

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

educated lawyer, in 1918. * Christian Andrew Zabriskie (1899–1970), a noted bibliophile and collector of art. In 1937, he donated a Mortlake tapestry known as "The Seizure of Cassandra by Ajax from a set of The Horses", to the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. He was a noted collector of medals, giving speeches and writing a book on the topic. He was "particularly proud of his collection of medallions of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

." Zabriskie was a member of the St. Nicholas Society, the Holland Society, the

Society of Colonial Wars The General Society of Colonial Wars is a patriotic society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, d ...

, the Military Society of the War of 1812, the

Union Club of the City of New York The Union Club of the City of New York (commonly known as the Union Club) is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City that was founded in 1836. The clubhouse is located at 101 East 69th Street on the corner of ...

, the Army and Navy Club, the Riding Club the

Aero Club of America The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New E ...

, and the

Metropolitan Club Metropolitan Club may refer to: *Metropolitan Club (New York City), a private social club in Manhattan, New York, United States * Metropolitan Club (San Francisco), a women's club in San Francisco, California, United States * Metropolitan Club (Was ...

. On September 15, 1916, Zabriskie died at Blithewood, his country home in

. He was buried at

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

in the Bronx. His estate, consisting mainly of an estimated $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 of real estate, was left entirely to his widow. After the death of his widow in 1951, Zabriskie's son donated 825 acres of the Blithewood estate, including its manor house, seven other houses, three barns, and two garages on the property, to

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

, in exchange for $1. Today Blithewood is home to the

Levy Economics Institute Founded in 1986 as the Jerome Levy Economics Institute, the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy think tank. The purpose of its research and other activities is to enable scholars and leaders in busin ...

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

* *
The Seizure of Cassandra by Ajax from a set of The Horses
', , at the

(gifted by his son in 1937). *
Snap the Whip
', 1872 by

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters of 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

, at the

(gifted by his son in 1950). {{DEFAULTSORT:Zabriskie, Andrew C. 1853 births 1916 deaths American people of Dutch descent American people of Polish descent Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni