George I. Seney
George Ingraham Seney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Newtown, Queens County, New York (present-day Elmhurst, Queens) |
| Died | April 7, 1893 (aged 66) New York City |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, art collector, philanthropist |
| Known for | President of Metropolitan Bank; art collection donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; founder and supporter of NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital |
George Ingraham Seney (May 12, 1826 – April 7, 1893) was a prominent banker based in New York City, as well as an art collector and philanthropist. He was the father of Mary Seney Sheldon, a notable figure in symphonic music administration.
Seney is recognized for assembling an extensive collection of 19th-century European and American paintings from the pre-Impressionist period. Several pieces from his collection, including works by George Inness and Francis Davis Millet, were gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Early life
Born in 1826 in Newtown—present-day Elmhurst, Queens, then part of Queens County on Long Island—Seney was the son of Jane Augusta (Ingraham) Seney (1800–1871) and Robert Seney (1797–1854). His father, a Columbia College alumnus, served as a Methodist minister in Astoria.
His lineage included distinguished individuals such as Joshua Seney, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Maryland, and Frances "Fanny" (Nicholson) Seney, daughter of early U.S. Navy Commodore James W. Nicholson. His uncle Joshua Seney Jr. fathered Judge Henry William Seney.
Seney began his higher education at Wesleyan University before graduating from New York University in 1846. He spent much of his adult life residing in Brooklyn.
Career
During his tenure as president of the Metropolitan Bank, Seney provided financial support for emerging railroad enterprises. The bank's collapse in 1884 marked a major downturn in his professional life. Following this event, he auctioned off the majority of his art holdings in sales conducted in 1885 and again in 1891.
Railroads
Seney led the Seney Syndicate, which was instrumental in organizing or financing several important railroads, such as the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway and the Nickel Plate Road. The Syndicate reached its financial zenith in October 1882 with the sale of the Nickel Plate to New York Central interests for $7.2 million in gold.
Under Seney’s bank’s patronage, the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad developed land holdings across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A depot named after him catalyzed the founding of the logging community and resort area known as Seney, Michigan, which also lent its name to the nearby Seney National Wildlife Refuge.
Bernardsville, New Jersey
In 1871, Seney purchased the Hampton House boarding establishment located in Bernardsville, New Jersey. He renamed it Highland House and transformed it into an upscale hotel destination. This property eventually became known as the Somerset Inn, encompassing over 850 acres and capable of hosting up to 500 guests. The main five-story structure was equipped with steam heating, elevators, and gas lighting. A fire destroyed the Inn shortly before its May 1908 opening; afterward, the land was divided and sold off.
Seney played a key role in founding several local organizations including the Somerset Hills Country Club, facilitating the relocation of Essex Hunt Club, and establishing the Somerset Hills Bridal Path Association. Additionally, he was a founding member of St. Bernard's Church, donating both land and a wooden church building valued at $10,000 to the Methodist congregation in 1880.
Personal life
In 1849, Seney wed Phoebe Augusta Moser (1833–1904). The couple resided in Brooklyn and raised ten children, among them:
- Robert Seney (1850–1923), who pursued a career in banking.
- Jane Augusta Seney (1852–1926), who became the wife of Albert Turner Plummer.
- George Ingraham Seney Jr. (1860–1916), married to Grace Tappen.
- Mary Robinson Seney (1863–1913), who married banker George Rumsey Sheldon.
- Kate Seney (1868–1943), spouse of John Woodruff Simpson, an attorney and art collector.
Seney passed away from heart disease on April 7, 1893, at the Grand Hotel in New York City.
Descendants
Through his daughter Jane, Seney was the grandfather of Jane Seney Plummer, who married Grant Barney Schley Jr., son of Grant B. Schley, in 1902; their marriage ended in divorce in 1922.
Via his daughter Mary, he was grandfather to Gertrude Alison Sheldon (1888–1969), who wedded Samuel Stevens Sands of S.S. Sands & Co. in 1910. Following Sands' death in 1913, she remarried financier Richard Whitney in 1916.
Legacy
Seney provided financial support for the Queen Bee mill located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after being approached by Dakota Territory representative Richard F. Pettigrew during the late 1870s. The remnants of the mill now serve as a historic landmark. An adjacent island was renamed Seney Island but eventually vanished due to modifications in river channels for a hydroelectric facility.
In 1881, Seney funded the erection of Seney Hall at Oxford College of Emory University and played a pivotal role as both founder and supporter of the NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital situated in Park Slope. Additionally, he contributed $10,000 toward the construction of the Seney–Stovall Chapel at the University of Georgia in Athens.