Samuel Stevens Sands I (November 18, 1827 – July 24, 1892) was an American banker who served as the head of S.S. Sands & Co.

Early life

Sands was born at 112 Chambers Street in New York City on November 18, 1827. He was the son of Austin Ledyard Sands (1779–1859), a merchant 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 ...

, and Anne Maria (

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 ...

Hodge) Sands (1794–1876). Among his siblings was brother Austin Ledyard Sands Jr. (1825–1877). His paternal grandparents were Richardson Sands (1754–1783) and Lucretia (née Ledyard) Sands (1756–1846). After his grandfather's death, his grandmother married

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 ...

(1751–1823), a Lt. Col. in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, a Maj. Gen. in the

New York State Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard ...

, and a merchant. She then became the mother of banker

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 ...

(1795–1874) and surgeon Alexander Hodgdon Stevens.) He was a graduate of the

University of the City of New York New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

with the Class of 1846.

Career

In 1854, he became a member of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

. He was a banker and broker in partnership with William Henry Reese. He acted as broker for a number of important financial interests, including the

Astor family The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...

. For many years, he was the president of S.S. Sands & Co. He have several partners throughout his career, including his brother, William Richardson Sands, his brother-in-law, Edmund Brandt Aymar, William Henry Reese, and his sons Samuel Jr. and Charles. Towards the end of his career, he became involved in the railroad business, financing

Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad The Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad (commonly known simply as The Air Line, known as the New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad before 1875) was a railroad in Connecticut. Envisioned as a direct route between New Haven and Boston, i ...

, the Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield Railway, the

Milwaukee Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financi ...

, the Lakeshore and Western Railway and the

Colorado Midland Railway The Colorado Midland Railway ,Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 786 incorporated in 1883, was the first standard gauge railroad built over the Continental Divide in Colorado. It ran fr ...

Country home

In 1865, Sands built "Elmhurst" at

New Hamburg, New York New Hamburg is a small Administrative divisions of New York#Hamlet, hamlet (and census-designated place) along the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located in the southern ...

, a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...

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

Personal life

On June 14, 1849, Sands was married to Eliza Dickson Aymar (1821–1850), the daughter of Benjamin Aymar, also a merchant, and Elizabeth (née Van Buren) Aymar. After her death, he married her sister, Mary Ellis Aymar (1828–1879) on April 15, 1852. Their elder sister was married to John D. Van Buren Jr., the

New York State Engineer and Surveyor The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities trans ...

. After his marriage he lived at 80

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

in New York City and, later, at 385 Fifth Avenue. Together, they were the parents of: * Benjamin Aymar Sands (1853–1917), who married Amy Kirby Akin, the daughter of William H. Akin. * Ledyard Sands (1854–1897), who married Sarah F. Thornton and died in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. *

Samuel Stevens Sands II Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venerated a ...

(1856–1889), who married Anne Harriman (1861–1940), the daughter of banker Oliver Harriman and Laura (née Low) Harriman. He died from a fall during a hunt at Meadow Brook in 1889. After his death, his widow remarried first to Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr., and after his death,

William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist, and horse breeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kissam Vand ...

in 1903. * Eliza Louise Sands (1858–1934), who was involved in the Social Service Committee of the Volunteer Hospital and did not marry. * Mary Emily Sands (1859–1863), who died young. * William Henry Sands (1861–1920), who married Frances Augusta Lorillard (8 AUG 1864–30 JAN 1931), daughter of Jacob Lorillard and granddaughter of

Pierre Lorillard III Pierre Lorillard III (October 20, 1796 – October 6, 1867) was the grandson of Pierre Abraham Lorillard, the founder of P. Lorillard and Company. Heir to a great tobacco fortune, Lorillard owned no less than of undeveloped land in New York's O ...

. * Anna Sands (1864–1932), a social leader in New York City and

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, who did not marry. * Charles Edward Sands (1865–1945), an Olympic tennis player who married Sarah Wilson Simonton in 1920. * Robert Cornell Sands (1867–1932), who did not marry. * Harold Cater Sands (1869–1881), who also died young. * Katharine Aymar Sands (1871–1951), who married Theodore Augustus Havemeyer, Jr. (1868–1936), son of

Theodore Havemeyer Theodore Augustus Havemeyer (May 17, 1839 – April 26, 1897) was an American businessman who was the first president of the U.S. Golf Association and co-founder of the Newport Country Club, host to both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. ...

, in 1893. He died on July 26, 1892, at his country home, "Elmhurst", near

. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Descendants

Through his son Samuel, he was the grandfather of George Winthrop Sands (1885–1908), who was married to Tayo Newton, daughter of Dr. B. Newton of New York, in 1905, and Samuel Stevens Sands III (1884–1913), who married Gertrude Sheldon, daughter of George R. Sheldon, in 1910.

References

External links

*
Photograph of his daughter, Anna Sands, in 1913
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Samuel Stevens, I 1827 births 1892 deaths New York Stock Exchange people People from Greenwich Village People from Dutchess County, New York Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery