Benjamin Nathan (December 20, 1813 – July 28, 1870) was an American investor and philanthropist. He was bludgeoned 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, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

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

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, 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 t ...

and the Ninth Avenue Street Railway. He also served on the first Board of Directors for Jews' Hospital. 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 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 ...

.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 In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Judge

Benjamin Nathan Cardozo Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (May 24, 1870 – July 9, 1938) was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals from 1914 to 1932 and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 until his deat ...

, 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 an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN radio and WGN tel ...

'' They had seven children, including Frederick Nathan and Washington Nathan.Nathan-Kazis, Josh (January 13, 2010)
A Death in the Family.
'' Tablet''

Death

In July 1870, the weather was very hot 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 ...

and the Nathan family were staying at their country home in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

. Benjamin Nathan regularly commuted from New Jersey to New York City and on occasion would spend the night at his townhouse on 23rd Street. Benjamin Nathan, along with two of his sons, Frederick and Washington, arrived unannounced to the townhouse on the night of July 28. The house was in the process of redecoration, so Nathan had to sleep on a makeshift bed made of mattresses. Both of his sons went out that night, with Frederick returning home at around 11:15 pm, and Washington returning home later than anticipated between midnight and 1:00 am due to a violent thunderstorm. Washington woke up the next morning early, as plans were made to accompany their father to the synagogue for a memorial. Around 6:00 am he discovered the body of his father lying on the floor. Washington called for his brother Frederick and they eventually ran out to the street to call for a police officer. It appeared that Benjamin Nathan died from

blunt force trauma A blunt trauma, also known as a blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is a physical trauma due to a forceful impact without penetration of the body's surface. Blunt trauma stands in contrast with penetrating trauma, which occurs when an ...

. The announcement of the murder caused a great sensation in

. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and Nathan's widow offered a reward and the

opened that day with the flag flying at half-mast. The press and the public largely considered his son Washington Nathan as the prime suspect, though his motive would have been unclear. The case remains unsolved. Aaron B. Rollins was the coroner who investigated the death.

Legacy

''Studies in Murder'', a 1924

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

book of essays by Edmund Pearson, is about the murder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan, Benjamin 1813 births 1870 deaths Businesspeople from New York City American people of Portuguese-Jewish descent 19th-century 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 Burials at Beth Olom Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople People murdered in 1870

Biography

Death

Legacy

See also

References