Adrian Iselin Jr.
Adrian Georg Iselin Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1935 (aged 88) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Senior partner at A. Iselin & Co., president and director of Iselin Corporation, City and Suburban Homes Company, and Astor Trust Company |
Adrian Georg Iselin Jr. (October 14, 1846 – January 29, 1935) was a prominent American banker.
Early life
Born in New York City on October 14, 1846, Iselin was the oldest of seven siblings. His parents were banker Adrian Georg Iselin (1818–1905) and Eleanora (née O'Donnell) Iselin (1821–1897). Among his brothers and sisters were William Emil Iselin, involved in the family’s wholesale dry goods enterprise; Eleanora Iselin, who married DeLancey Astor Kane; Columbus O'Donnell Iselin, a banker and corporate director; Charles Oliver Iselin, recognized as a banker and yachtsman; Georgine Iselin, a philanthropist honored as a Papal Countess; and Emilie Eleanora Iselin, who wed John George Beresford, grandson of the 2nd Marquess of Waterford.
From his youth, Adrian traveled with his father to various mining communities, experiences that shaped his future business interests.
Career
Starting in 1868, Iselin became involved in the banking enterprise established by his father. He eventually assumed the role of senior partner at the investment banking firm A. Iselin & Co., headquartered at 40 Wall Street. He also held leadership positions as president and director of the Iselin Corporation, City and Suburban Homes Company, and the Astor Trust Company. Additionally, he managed the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company, which was responsible for founding Adrian Mines and Yatesboro, Pennsylvania.
Iselin possessed substantial holdings in the New York Dock Company, which he sold to Gregori Benenson in 1923. Two years prior to this transaction, he organized a protective committee for preferred shareholders amid a proposed reorganization of the Reading Company. His past roles included serving as a director of the Southern Railway and participating on the finance committee of New York State’s Chamber of Commerce.
Philanthropy
In October 1914, commemorating his first wife Louise Caylus Iselin who passed away in 1909, Iselin contributed Indiana County’s General Hospital.
Personal life
On April 4, 1872, Iselin wed Louise Caylus (1848–1909). The couple resided in New York City and owned a home at Davenport Neck in New Rochelle. Their children were:
- Adrian Iselin III (1872–1885)
- Ernest Iselin (1876–1954), who married Pauline Whittier in 1904
- Therese Eleanor Iselin (1880–1958), wife of diplomat Irwin Boyle Laughlin
- Louise Marie Iselin (1888–1962), who remained unmarried
Following Louise’s death in 1909, Iselin remarried on February 18, 1914, to Sarah Gracie King Bronson (1850–1931), widow of Frederic Bronson and descendant of notable families including the Kings and Van Rensselaers. From her previous marriage, she had a daughter named Elizabeth Duer Bronson who married U.S. Ambassador Lloyd Carpenter Griscom.
Iselin served as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was affiliated with several prestigious clubs such as the Knickerbocker Club, Metropolitan Club, Union Club, New York Yacht Club, among others.
His second wife died in 1931. Adrian Georg Iselin Jr. passed away at his residence located at 820 Park Avenue in New York City on January 29, 1935. After a funeral held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, he was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery. His estate was appraised at over $20,000 and was primarily bequeathed to his son and two daughters.