Charles Steele (lawyer)
Charles Steele | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | August 5, 1939 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, Philanthropist |
| Known for | Partner at J.P. Morgan & Co. |
Charles Steele (May 5, 1857 – August 5, 1939) was a distinguished American attorney and philanthropist who dedicated 39 years to J.P. Morgan & Co..
Early life
Born to the eminent lawyer Isaac Nevett Steele (1809–1891), who was a leading figure in the Maryland Bar and served as U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Venezuela between 1850 and 1853, and Rosa Londonia (née Nelson) Steele (1825–1894), Charles Steele came from a family with notable public servants. His relatives included his uncle Rep. John Nevett Steele and his maternal grandfather John Nelson, who held positions as U.S. Attorney General and Ambassador to Italy.
Steele completed a Master of Arts degree at the University of Virginia in 1878, followed by earning his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1880.
Career
Upon graduating from Columbia, Steele was admitted to the New York bar through the endorsement of Theodore William Dwight. He began practicing law independently before joining the firm Field, Dorsheimer, Bacon & Deyo in 1880, which was later renamed Dorsheimer, Bacon & Steele. Subsequently, he partnered with James A. Buchanan—formerly chief of the legal department at the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad—in Buchanan & Steele, where he acted as general counsel for the Erie Railroad. By February 1, 1892, he became affiliated with Seward, Guthrie & Steele. During the 1890s, Morgan partner Charles H. Coster enlisted Steele’s expertise in railroad reorganizations, including work on the Erie Railroad.
After Coster passed away in 1900, J. Pierpont Morgan extended an invitation to Steele to join J.P. Morgan & Co. as a partner during Coster’s funeral service. Steele maintained a significant yet discreet presence at the firm until retiring from active responsibilities in 1934 due to age; however, he retained his partnership status until his death and gave up his corporate directorships upon retirement. At that period, a unified partnership agreement encompassed Morgan’s American and French branches, making Steele a partner not only in the New York office but also in Philadelphia’s (Drexel, Morgan & Co.) and Paris’s (Morgan, Harjes & Co.) establishments.
As a trusted confidant of Morgan, Steele held board memberships across prominent corporations such as the International Mercantile Marine Co., U.S. Steel Corporation, Southern Railroad Company, International Harvester Company, Cerro de Pasco, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
Personal life
In 1885, Steele married Ann "Nannie" Gordon French (1866–1932), originally from Richmond and daughter of Ellen Mercer Herndon French and Seth Barton French—a former Confederate soldier who transitioned into cotton brokerage and collaborated with J.P. Morgan. Nannie was a half-sister to Dr. John Herndon French through her father’s second marriage to Mary Walker Fearn; Mary later wed Russian émigré Prince Serge Wolkonsky. The Steeles resided in multiple homes: a Beaux-Arts mansion located at 11 East 62nd Street in New York City, an estate in Old Westbury, and an expansive English Tudor-style cottage in Southampton.
They were parents to three daughters:
- Eleanor Herndon Steele (1893–1977), who married Count Jean de la Greze in 1910 (divorced 1920), then Dr. Louis Debonnesset (divorced), followed by H. Hall Clovis in 1930 (divorced), and ultimately Emmet P. Reese in 1941.
- Nancy Gordon Steele (1894–1955), who wed Devereux Milburn in 1913.
- Kathryne Nevitt Steele (1896–1981), who married Francis Skiddy von Stade Sr. in 1915; she was the grandmother of opera singer Frederica von Stade.
Steele was an active director of the Metropolitan Opera Association and belonged to prestigious clubs such as the Racquet and Tennis Club, Metropolitan Club, Piping Rock Club, Meadow Brook Club, National Golf Links of America, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
He passed away at his residence in Westbury on August 5, 1939. His funeral at St. Thomas' Church included reserved seating for J.P. Morgan staff members like Junius S. Morgan and Thomas W. Lamont. Burial took place at Locust Valley Cemetery on Long Island. His estate was appraised at $29,498,373 (equivalent to $ today), with $23,122,904 invested in J.P. Morgan interests; each daughter inherited $1,500,000 plus shares of the remaining assets.
Philanthropy
Steele gained acknowledgment for his generous charitable contributions, amounting to $5,000,000 by the time of his passing (adjusted for current value). As a supporter of music and a former pupil of Dr. T. Tertius Noble, he contributed $100,000 in 1922 to St. Thomas' Church to help purchase properties for the choir school, which is now known as the Saint Thomas Choir School. In 1925, he provided an additional endowment of $300,000 to the school and bequeathed another $100,000 to the Church in his will.