David Clarkson (banker)
David Clarkson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | June 3, 1867 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Financier |
| Known for | President of the New York Stock Exchange (1837–1851) |
David Clarkson (March 27, 1795 – June 3, 1867) was a prominent American financier who held the position of president at the New York Stock Exchange from 1837 through 1851.
Early life
As the firstborn among eight siblings, he was the son of General Matthew Clarkson and his second wife, Sally (née Cornell) Clarkson. From his father's initial marriage to Mary Rutherfurd—daughter of Walter Rutherfurd and sibling to U.S. Senator John Rutherfurd—Clarkson had a half-sister, Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson, who wed their cousin Peter Augustus Jay, eldest offspring of Chief Justice John Jay. His father distinguished himself as a Revolutionary War officer, served terms in both the New York State Assembly and Senate, and was appointed the sixth president of the Bank of New York.
On his paternal side, his grandparents were David Clarkson, a descendant of the English Puritan minister Rev. David Clarkson, and Elisabeth (née French) Clarkson, whose lineage traced back to Phillip French, the 27th Mayor of New York City. His uncle Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson was the grandfather of Thomas S. Clarkson, in whose honor Clarkson University is named. His maternal grandparents were Samuel Cornell and Susan (née Mabson) Cornell.
Career
Clarkson's tenure as president of the New York Stock Exchange spanned from 1837 until 1851, after which he was succeeded by vice president Henry G. Stebbins, who later represented New York's 1st district in Congress. During Clarkson’s leadership, individuals such as Edward Prime—son of Nathaniel Prime and partner at Prime, Ward & King—served as vice presidents. Following his NYSE presidency, Clarkson assumed leadership of the Gallatin Fire Insurance Company, holding this role nearly until his passing in 1867.
In keeping with family legacy, he also acted as governor of the New York Hospital, thereby continuing the Clarkson family's century-long governance on its board spanning from 1770 to 1870.
Personal life
On March 27, 1822, David Clarkson married his cousin Elizabeth Streatfield Clarkson, daughter of Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson and Elizabeth (née Van Horne) Clarkson. Together they had eleven children, among them:
- Matthew Clarkson (1823–1913), who wed Susan Matilda Jay—the daughter of David’s half-sister Mary and Peter Augustus Jay—in 1852.
- Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson (1824–1902), husband to Ann Mary Clarkson.
- David Clarkson (1826–1904), the eldest among five brothers residing with their sister at the family home on East 23rd Street.
- Augustus Vallete Clarkson (1829–1907), an Episcopal clergyman serving as Rector at the Church of St. Augustine in Croton, New York.
- Frederick Clarkson (1830–1901), affiliated with multiple hereditary organizations and a patron of the American Museum of Natural History.
- William Clarkson (1832–1895), who remained single.
- Frances Selina Clarkson (1834–1835), who died during infancy.
- Augustus Levinus Clarkson (1835–1910), unmarried.
- Robert Clarkson (1837–1849), deceased in youth.
- Elizabeth Clarkson (1839–1856), died young.
- Catherine Goodhue Clarkson (d. 1918), who lived on West 48th Street and never married.
Clarkson passed away on June 3, 1867.