Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (September 26, 1851 – November 11, 1933) was an American financier and philanthropist who was prominent in New York Society during the
Gilded Age.
Early life
Iselin was born in
New York City on September 26, 1851. He was fourth of seven children born to
Adrian Georg Iselin (1818–1905)
and
Eleanora (née O'Donnell) Iselin (1821–1897).
His siblings were Adrian Iselin Jr.,
who married Louise Caylus,
and
Sarah Gracie King Bronson
Frederic D. Bronson, Jr. (July 20, 1851 – March 29, 1900) was a prominent American lawyer during the Gilded Age in New York City.
Early life
Bronson was born on July 20, 1851 in New York City. He was the son of Frederic Bronson (1802–1868), ...
,
the widow of
Frederic Bronson
Frederic D. Bronson, Jr. (July 20, 1851 – March 29, 1900) was a prominent American lawyer during the Gilded Age in New York City.
Early life
Bronson was born on July 20, 1851 in New York City. He was the son of Frederic Bronson (1802–1868), ...
;
William Emil Iselin,
who married Alice Rogers Jones;
Eleanora Iselin,
who married
DeLancey Astor Kane,
brother of
Woodbury Kane and great-grandson of
John Jacob Astor;
,
who married Fannie Garner, and later,
Edith Hope Goddard;
Georgine Iselin,
a
Papal Countess who did not marry;
and Emilie Eleanora Iselin,
who married John George Beresford,
a cousin of
Lord Charles Beresford
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 was the second son of J ...
and grandson of
Henry Beresford, 2nd Marquess of Waterford.
in 1898.
His paternal grandparents were Isaac Iselin, who was born in
Basel, Switzerland, and emigrated to the United States in 1801, and Aimee Jeanne (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Roulet) Iselin.
In Switzerland, the Iselin family had been merchants, public officials, and military and professional men since the 14th century.
His maternal grandparents were General
Columbus O'Donnell
Christopher Columbus O'Donnell (October 1, 1792 – Mary 26, 1873) was an American businessman who served as president of Baltimore's Gas and Light Company.
Early life
O'Donnell was born on October 1, 1792 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of ...
, who was connected with the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and his wife Eleanora (née Pascault) O'Donnell of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
.
His mother was related to
John Carroll, the first
Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and the founder of
Georgetown University.
Career
Iselin's father, a former dry goods merchant, founded the investment bank of A. Iselin and Co., located at 36
Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
, in 1854.
Columbus continued his father's work at the firm following their father's retirement in 1878.
After his father's death in 1905,
he and his elder brother Adrian Iselin Jr. took control of the firm.
His nephew, Ernest Iselin, 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.
Iselin was a director of the
New Rochelle Water Company, the New Rochelle Homestead Company, the
New York Dock Company
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, a trustee of the
New York Life and Insurance Company, a treasurer and director of the
Allegheny and Western Railroad Company, the
Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway, the
Clearfield and Mahoning Railway Company, the Helvetia Realty Company, the
Jefferson & Clearfield Coal & Iron Company, the
Johnsonburg & Bradford Railroad Company, the
Mahoning Valley Railroad Company, the Manhattan Storage & Warehouse Company, the
Reynoldsville & Falls Creek Railroad Company.
With his family, he owned a significant portion of the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company, of which he began serving as president in 1885 and later as the secretary-treasurer.
Society life
In 1892, both Iselin and his wife Edith were included in
Ward McAllister's "
Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''
The New York Times''.
Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into
Mrs. Astor
Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...
's ballroom.
He was also a member of the
Union Club, the
Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, the
Downtown Club
The Downtown Athletic Club, also known as the Downtown Club, was a private social and athletic club that operated from 1926 to 2002 at 20 West Street, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Downtown Athletic Clu ...
, the
University Club, the
Knickerbocker Club,
Metropolitan Club, the Country Club of New York, the
Larchmont Yacht Club and the
New York Yacht Club.
His father had purchased extensive property along
Davenport Neck, the
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a 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 to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
shore community in
New Rochelle where he built a country estate for himself,
All View, and for Columbus and his siblings.
Personal life
Iselin was married to
Edith Colford Jones (1854–1930).
In addition to their country estate in New Rochelle, the Iselin's lived at 3
West 52nd Street in Manhattan.
Together, they were the parents of:
* Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1877–1877), who died as an infant.
* Lewis Iselin (1879–1928), who married Marie de Neufville (1883–1979)
* O'Donnell Iselin (1884–1971),
who married Margaret Urling Sibley (1893–1951) in 1919.
Iselin died at his estate in
New Rochelle on November 11, 1933.
His estate was left to his children and grandchildren.
By 1937, his estate was valued at $4,833,550.
Descendants
Through his son Lewis, he was the grandfather of
Columbus O'Donnell Iselin
Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1904–1971) was an American oceanographer. He was the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1940 to 1950, and from 1956 to 1960. He was Professor of Physical Oceanography at Harvard University and the ...
(1904-1971),
the
oceanographer who was the director of the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a Professor of Physical Oceanography at
Harvard University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Through his son O'Donnell,
he was the grandfather of Peter Iselin (1920–2010), who was married to Margaretta Sargeant Large Duane (1928–2015), the daughter of
Morris Duane (d. 1992),
in 1952.
References
;Notes
;Sources
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iselin, Columbus O'Donnell
1851 births
1933 deaths
Philanthropists from New York (state)
Businesspeople from New York City
Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York
Iselin family