Francis Lynde Stetson (April 23, 1846 – December 5, 1920) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
. He was president of the
New York State Bar Association in 1909 and of the
New York City Bar Association from 1910 to 1911.
Early life and education
He was born in
Keeseville, New York, the son of
Lemuel Stetson who served in the New York state assembly and as a
representative in the 28th
U. S. Congress. He graduated from
Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...
in 1867 and from
Columbia Law School in 1869.
Career
He was admitted to the
bar in 1869 and practiced 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 ...
, where he worked chiefly in corporation and railway law, becoming eminent in those domains. He became general counsel of the
International Mercantile Marine Company, the
Northern Pacific Railway, the
Southern Railway, and the
United States Rubber Company. He was also a director in several railway companies and other corporations.
In 1894, he formed the firm of Stetson, Jennings & Russell (a predecessor to the modern-day
Davis Polk & Wardwell), which represented
J. P. Morgan's
United States Steel Corporation; he was also Morgan's personal attorney. President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
was a partner in the firm, between his two terms as U.S. President, and a close friend.
["FRANCIS L. STETSON, LAWYER, DIES AT 74", ''The New York Times'', December 6, 1920, page 15. Retrieved March 11, 2021.]
/ref>
Stetson served as counsel for Samuel J. Tilden in the Tilden-Hayes Affair regarding the 1876 presidential election.[
He was president of the New York State Bar Association in 1909, then president of the New York City Bar Association in 1910.
He lived at 4 East 74th Street, in a five-story house built for him in 1900.
]
Legacy
He established an estate in Ringwood, New Jersey from farm in the Ramapo Mountains that would become the New Jersey State Botanical Gardens in Ringwood State Park
Ringwood State Park is a state park in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County in northeastern New Jersey, United States, USA. The Park is located in the heart of the Ramapo Mountains in Ringwood, New Jersey, Ringwood. Its forests are part ...
.
Williams College offers a scholarship
A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
in his name.
The cactus Stetsonia coryne is named after him.
First President of The Stetson Kindred of America, founded in 1905 and still active today (www.theskoa.org)
Published work
* ''Was New York’s vote stolen?'' (New York: The North American review publishing co. 914
* "Preparation of corporate bonds, mortgages, collateral trusts, and debenture indentures" in ''Some legal phases of corporate financing, reorganization, and regulation'' (New York : Macmillan, 1917.)
References
External links
Fort Worth Public Library, Stetson Family PapersFrancis Lynde Stetson Correspondence
at Williams College Archives & Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stetson, Francis L.
1846 births
1920 deaths
Williams College alumni
Columbia Law School alumni
People from Ringwood, New Jersey
Presidents of the New York City Bar Association
Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers
19th-century American lawyers