Frederic Adrian Delano II (September 10, 1863 – March 28, 1953) was an American railroad president who served as the first vice chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1914 to 1916. After his term as vice chairman, Delano continued to serve as a member of the

Federal Reserve Board The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the mo ...

until 1918.

Early life

Delano was born in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

on September 10, 1863. He was a member of the

Delano family In the United States, members of the Delano family include U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant and Calvin Coolidge, astronaut Alan B. Shepard, and writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Its progenitor is Phili ...

as a son of Warren Delano Jr. and Catherine Robbins Lyman. He was a brother of Warren Delano IV and Sara Ann Delano, and uncle of U.S. President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. Like his older brother Warren, he graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1885.

Career

After his graduation from Harvard, Delano was employed by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad in various capacities, rising from the position of

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

to be general manager at

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. For a time he was consulting engineer to the

United States War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

in respect to the railroads of the

Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. In 1905, he became president of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, of the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, and of the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

. Delano was appointed one of the receivers for the Wabash in 1911, and in 1913, he was elected president of the

Monon Railroad The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville R ...

(succeeding Fairfax Harrison). He was vice president of the

American Unitarian Association The American Unitarian Association (AUA) was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it consolidated with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian ...

in 1907. His addresses were published under the titles ''Questions of the Hour'' (1911) and ''Are Our Railroads Fairly Treated?'' (1913). He was also the chairman of the influential National Capital Park and Planning Commission and helped approve and oversee the building of

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

. He held an informal role as an advisor during his nephew's presidency, particularly on issues of land conservation and regional planning.

Legacy

His

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

work through the

Commercial Club of Chicago The Commercial Club of Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1877 with a mission to promote the social and economic vitality of the metropolitan area of Chicago. History The Commercial Club was founded in 187 ...

, which has been said to have strongly impacted his nephew's presidential policies. Delano was Chairman of the Committee on the Regional Plan for New York and Its Environs, which released the regional plan for New York on May 27, 1929. He was also a member of the

which affected the development of Chicago in the 19th and 20th centuries. Delano was the first vice-chairman of the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...

and the National Resources Planning Board. His house on 2244 S Street NW in the Kalorama neighborhood of

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, designed by Waddy Butler Wood in 1924, survives as the Residence of the Irish Ambassador.

Personal life

In 1888, Frederic was married to Matilda Anne Peasley (1867–1953). Together, they were the parents of five children, all daughters, including: * Catherine Lyman Delano (1889–1951), who married Alexander Galt Grant. * Louise Delano (1891–1923), who married Sherwood Cheney (1873–1949), Commandant of the

U.S. Army Engineer School The United States Army Engineer School (USAES) is located at Fort Leonard Wood (military base), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was founded as a School of Engineering by General Headquarters Orders, Valley Forge on 9 June 1778. The U.S. Army Engin ...

. * Laura Delano (1893–1978), who married James Lawrence Houghteling (1883–1962). His sister Josephine Houghteling was married to financier Frank Gray Griswold. * Matilda Delano (1899–1911), who died young. * Alice Delano (1903–1904), who died young. Delano died in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...

on March 28, 1953.

References

External links

Statements and Speeches of Frederic A. DelanoCollection of various works and letters written by Adrian Delano
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delano, Frederic Adrian 1863 births 1953 deaths 20th-century American railroad executives American Unitarians Frederic Adrian Harvard University alumni People from Kalorama (Washington, D.C.) Progressive Era in the United States Vice chairs of the Federal Reserve Woodrow Wilson administration personnel