John Austin Stevens, Sr. (January 22, 1795 – October 19, 1874) was a prominent American banker who was the son of Revolutionary War General

Ebenezer Stevens Ebenezer Stevens (August 11, 1751 – September 2, 1823) was a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, a major general in the New York state militia, and a New York City merchant. Early life Stevens was ...

and father of

Sons of the Revolution The Sons of the Revolution (SR), formally the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR), is a patriotic organization headquartered at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. A nonprofit corporation, the Sons of the Revolution was foun ...

founder

John Austin Stevens John Austin Stevens Jr. (January 21, 1827 – June 16, 1910) was a leader of business, an adviser of government and a student of the American Revolution. While he was born to a prominent banking family with political connections, it was his inte ...

Early life

Stevens was born on January 22, 1795, 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 ...

. He was the youngest of four sons of

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

soldier and merchant

, and his father's second wife, Lucretia (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Ledyard) Sands Stevens (1756-1846), herself the widow of Richardson Sands (brother of

Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...

and

Comfort Sands Comfort Sands (February 26, 1748 – September 22, 1834) was an American merchant, banker and politician. Life Comfort Sands was born in Cow Neck, Long Island on February 26, 1748. He was one of eight children born to John Sands (1708–1760) ...

). His brother was Alexander Hodgdon Stevens, a surgeon who served as the second

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

from 1848 to 1849. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1813, where he was a member of

Brothers in Unity Brothers in Unity (formally, the Society of Brothers in Unity) is an undergraduate literary and debating society at Yale University. Founded in 1768 as a literary and debating society that encompassed nearly half the student body at its 19th-centu ...

and the

Linonian Society Linonia, founded in 1753, is the second-oldest society at Yale College and the oldest surviving literary and debating society, outlasting its short-lived predecessor, Crotonia. Today, Linonia operates as a secret senior society at Yale, contin ...

, one of the university's oldest secret societies.

Career

After graduating from college, Stevens entered mercantile life, and became a partner in his father's business in 1818. He was for many years secretary of the

New York Chamber of Commerce The New York Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants. As the first such commercial organization in the United States, it attracted the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, inc ...

, and one of the organizers and the first president of the Merchants' Exchange. From its first establishment in 1839 until 1866, he was president of the

Bank of Commerce Bank of Commerce (), commonly known as BankCom, is a universal bank in the Philippines and licensed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). BankCom is the banking arm of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC). It has a total ...

. He was a Whig in politics, but an earnest advocate of low tariffs. He was chairman of the committee of bankers of New York,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

which first met in August 1861, and decided to take $50,000,000 of the government 7.30 loan. They subsequently advanced $100,000,000 more, and the terms of the transactions were arranged chiefly by Stevens, as the head of the treasury note committee. His advice was frequently sought by the officers of the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. For many years, Stevens was a governor of the

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (; previously known as New York Hospital, Old New York Hospital, and City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is the teaching hospital for Cornell University's medical school and is part of NewYork-P ...

, and took an interest in other benevolent institutions.

Personal life

In 1824, Stevens was married to Abigail Perkins Weld (1799–1886), the daughter of Benjamin Weld of Boston (the namesake of

Weld, Maine Weld is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Maine, Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 376 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Set beside Webb Lake (Maine), Webb Lake and almost surrounded by mountains, W ...

). Together, they were the parents of: *

(1827–1910), a historian who founded the

. * Caroline Weld Stevens (1828–1904), who married Alfred Colvill (1810–1878) in 1860. * Lucretia Ledyard Stevens (1830–1907), who married Richard Heckscher (1822–1901). * Mary Emeline Stevens (1833–1895), who married Maurice Bonjour de Limoelan and Peter Remsen Strong. * Abigail Austin Stevens (1836–1913), who married Gen.

Robert Brown Potter Robert Brown Potter (July 16, 1829 – February 19, 1887) was a United States lawyer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 16, 1829. He was the third son of Alonzo P ...

(1829–1887), a son of Bishop

Alonzo Potter Alonzo Potter (July 6, 1800 – July 4, 1865) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Early life Potter was born on July 6, 1800, in Beekman, New York. H ...

, in 1865. Stevens died on October 19, 1874, in New York City.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, John Austin 1795 births 1874 deaths American bankers Yale University alumni Businesspeople from New York City 19th-century American businesspeople