Christopher Rhinelander Robert (March 23, 1802 – October 28, 1878) was an American philanthropist from

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 ...

, who founded

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, in 1863, arguably the oldest American school outside the United States.

Biography

Robert was born on March 23, 1802, in Brookhaven,

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 ...

, New York. His mother was Mary Tangier Smith (1763–1829) and his father, Dr. Daniel Robert III (1742–1804). He served five years as a shipping clerk in New York City before starting a business for himself in New Orleans. In about 1830 he returned to New York and started a partnership with Howell Lewis Williams (1792–1872). The company was Robert & Williams and they described their business as "Commissioning Business; the buying and selling of merchandise and the refining of sugar". Robert remained the senior partner until he retired in 1862. In 1830 he married Anna Maria Shaw (1802–1878); they had four children, Jane, Christopher, Frederick, and Howell. The children were christened at the Presbyterian Brainerd Church in Rivington Street, New York. This church was founded by Robert in 1835 and he recruited, Asa Dodge Smith to be the Pastor. Robert became the superintendent of the Sabbath School, and he was also a ruling elder in the Laight Street, New York, Presbyterian Church. Robert came into contact with the American Home Missionary Society in about 1829 when he asked them to provide a minister for a mining settlement in Galena. This began an association that lasted for nearly 40 years during which time he was a supporter, counselor, and treasurer. He also provided bursaries for many theological students and funded Beloit, Lookout Mountain, and Hamilton colleges and a seminary at Auburn. On 1856 Robert met Cyrus Hamlin when visiting

. From this meeting came the founding of the

with the financial backing of Robert and others. He also left provision in his will for the support of the college. Robert was a stockholder in the

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...

. In 1857 the then president, George Dwight Phelps, accused several of the managers and the treasurer of conflicts of interest. In particular, this concerned contract was made between them and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Robert was appointed to investigate the matter and came into conflict with Phelps who later resigned. In 1858 Robert was appointed the president of the railroad, and remained so until he retired in 1863. He died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, on October 28, 1878. In 1898, Robert's son, Christopher, died of a gunshot wound. It was assumed that he committed suicide but there were some unexplained circumstances. Christopher had been a junior partner in his father's firm and had married Margaret McCrea in about 1860. She was the sister of Mary McCrea, wife of sugar refiner Robert L. Stuart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Christopher 1802 births 1878 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American philanthropists Philanthropists from New York (state) Businesspeople from New York City Turkey–United States relations