Nathaniel Prime (January 30, 1768 – November 26, 1840) was a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

broker and banker.

Early life

Prime was born in Rowley, Massachusetts on January 30, 1768. He was the son of Joshua Prime and Bridget Hammond Prime. In his early years, he was a coachman to a Boston merchant and moved to New York in 1795.

Career

In 1796, Prime organized "

Nathaniel Prime, Stock and Commission Broker Prime, Ward & King was a prominent American investment bank in the 18th and 19th Century based in New York City. History In 1796, Nathaniel Prime organized " Nathaniel Prime, Stock and Commission Broker" at 42 Wall Street where he bought and sold ...

" at 42

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 ...

. He made great wealth buying and selling bank stocks. After opening his own private bank, he allowed customers to deposit money and then loaned it out. In 1808, he brought in Samuel Ward III as a partner and the firm was renamed Prime & Ward. In 1816, Joseph Sands, Prime's brother-in-law, was made a partner and the firm became Prime, Ward & Sands. In 1824, the firm was again reorganized as

Prime, Ward, Sands & King Prime, Ward & King was a prominent American investment bank in the 18th and 19th Century based in New York City. History In 1796, Nathaniel Prime organized " Nathaniel Prime, Stock and Commission Broker" at 42 Wall Street where he bought and sold ...

when

James Gore King James Gore King (May 8, 1791 – October 3, 1853) was an American businessman and Whig Party politician who represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1849 to 1851. Earl ...

became a partner upon his return from England. King, a son of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

, had previously been affiliated with the firm of King & Gracie, founded in 1818 in Liverpool, England by King and his brother-in-law, Archibald Gracie Jr. (the son of Archibald Gracie). In 1826, after Joseph died the firm became Prime, Ward & King.

Residence

In 1807, Prime purchased the Nathaniel Prime Mansion in Hell Gate, New York near Yorkville, New York. The building stood on the block between First Avenue and York Avenue and 89th and 90th streets. John Frazee did a sculpture of Prime.

Personal life

On June 7, 1797, Prime was married to Cornelia Sands (1773–1852), the daughter of Comfort Sands (d. 1835), the celebrated merchant, banker and

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man, and Elizabeth (

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 ...

Cornell) Sands. Together, they were the parents of: * Cornelia Prime (1800–1874), who married Robert Ray (1794–1879), a brother-in-law of New York Gov. John Alsop King. *

Edward Prime Edward Prime (December 10, 1801 – August 21, 1883) was a New York banker who served as president of the New York Stock Exchange. Early life Prime was born on December 10, 1801 at 54 Wall Street in New York City. He was the eldest son of Natha ...

(1801–1883), a banker with Prime, Ward & King who married Charlotte Wilkins Hoffman (1808–1892). * Emily Prime (1804–1854), who married William Seton (1796–1868), a U.S. Navy captain and son of Elizabeth Ann Seton, in 1832. * Frederick Prime (1807–1887), who married Lydia Hare (1815–1883), a daughter of Robert Hare. * Matilda Prime (1810–1849), who married Gerard Holsman Coster (1808–1880) in 1831. * Laura Prime (1812–1887), who married

John Clarkson Jay John Clarkson Jay (September 11, 1808 – November 15, 1891) was an American physician and notable conchologist as well as one of the original founders of New York Yacht Club. He was the grandson of Founding Father John Jay. Early life and edu ...

(1808–1891), the son of

Peter A. Jay Peter Augustus Jay (January 24, 1776 – February 20, 1843) was a prominent New York lawyer, politician and the eldest son of Founding Father and first United States Chief Justice John Jay. Early life Peter Augustus Jay was born at Liberty ...

and grandson of John Jay. Prime committed suicide on November 26, 1840, by cutting his throat.

William H. Aspinwall William Henry Aspinwall (December 16, 1807 – January 18, 1875) was a prominent American businessman who was a partner in the merchant firm of Howland & Aspinwall and was a co-founder of both the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and Panama Cana ...

served on the coroner's jury, and Edgar Howland informed diarist George Templeton Strong that:

"Prime went to his room at two o'clock and appears to have taken up and read his prayer book, then went before the glass, cut his throat coolly and steadily from ear to ear, replaced the razor in its case, and then walked into the next room, and there fell. The jury found "insanity." He had been dyspeptic and nervous for some time; he was retired from active life and his mind, I suppose, preyed on itself for want of occupation ..."

He is buried at the cemetery of

Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The site was authorized in 1978 to protect Saint Paul's Church from ...

in Mount Vernon, Westchester County,

.Nathaniel Prime
Find a Grave

Descendants

Through his daughter Cornelia, he was the grandfather of Cornelia Ray (1829–1867), who married Gen. Schuyler Hamilton (1822–1903), a grandson of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

; Robert Ray (1832–1860), and Nathalie Elizabeth Ray (1837–1912), who married

Edmund Lincoln Baylies Edmund Lincoln Baylies, Jr. (December 2, 1857 – April 29, 1932) was a New York City lawyer, philanthropist, and member of New York Society during the Gilded Age. Early life Baylies was born in New York on December 2, 1857. He was the elde ...

(1829–1869), the parents of Edmund L. Baylies Jr. Through his daughter Emily, he was the grandfather of author, novelist and popular science writer William Seton III (1835–1905),

Robert Seton Robert Seton (August 28, 1839 – March 22, 1927) was a descendant of the New York "aristocratic" Seton and Bayley families, Seton was also a monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church and titular archbishop of Heliopolis. Biography Robert Seton w ...

(1839–1927), a monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church and titular archbishop of Heliopolis. Through his son Edward, he was the grandfather of William Hoffman Prime (1837–1881), who married Annie Rhodes Gilbert in 1879; Mary Catherine Prime (b. 1841), who married James A. Scrimper in 1868; and Henry Prime (b. 1847). William's children included Charlotte Hoffman Prime (1881–1969), who married William Massena Benjamin (1874–1928), the son of

Samuel Nicholl Benjamin Samuel Nicoll Benjamin (January 3, 1839 – May 15, 1886) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor. Early life Benjamin was born on January 3, 1839, in New York City. He was the son of William M ...

; and Charlotte Prime (b. 1838), who married Leonard J. Wyeth in 1858.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prime, Nathaniel 1768 births 1840 deaths People from Yorkville, Manhattan People from Rowley, Massachusetts American stockbrokers American bankers Businesspeople from New York City Businesspeople from Massachusetts 18th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople American investment bankers Suicides by sharp instrument in the United States Suicides in New York (state) 1840s suicides