Charles Oliver Iselin (June 8, 1854 – January 1, 1932) was an American

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

and yachtsman who was captain of racing yachts that won the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

three times.

Early life

Iselin was the son of Adrian Georg Iselin and Eleanora O Donnell Iselin. Eleanora O'Donnell was the great granddaughter of Columbus O'Donnell. His great-great-grandfather Isaac Iselin-Roulet came to America in 1801 from

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 ...

, where the Iselin's had been merchants, public officials, and military and professional men since the 14th century. Isaac amassed a large fortune in the importing business, and his descendants became private bankers and philanthropists 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

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 ...

Education

He was educated at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, graduating in 1874 with a LL.B.

Yachting

Oliver was considered to be one of the greatest American yachtsmen of his time, participating in and winning six consecutive

races: 1887, 1893, 1895, 1899, 1901 and 1903. He built a large ''breakwater'' next to his Premium Point, New Rochelle estate All View so that he could dock his yachts '' Defender'', '' Reliance'' and '' Columbia'' safely at home. In 1994 Oliver Iselin was inducted into the Herreshoff Marine Museum's

America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...

Personal life

Iselin was first married to Fannie Garner (1861–1890) with whom he had a son, C. Oliver Jr. (1890–1979), who named his son, C. Oliver III (1927–2017). After her death, he married Hope Goddard (1868–1970), who was the first woman ever to serve as part of the crew on an America's Cup yacht, in 1894. Iselin died on January 1, 1932, at Glen Head on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

Gallery

Jsj-750-Columbia Shamrock 1899.jpg, Columbia Defender(yacht).jpg, Defender YachtReliance.jpg, Reliance

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iselin, Charles Oliver 1854 births 1932 deaths American male sailors (sport) America's Cup sailors American bankers New York Yacht Club Sailors (sport) from New York City Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York People from Glen Head, New York American people of Swiss descent Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Columbia Law School alumni Iselin family