Jabez A. Bostwick
Jabez Abel Bostwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Delhi, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 1892 (aged 61) Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, oil industry executive |
| Known for | One of the original partners behind Standard Oil; Secretary-Treasurer of Standard Oil Trust |
Jabez Abel Bostwick (September 23, 1830 – August 16, 1892) was a prominent American entrepreneur and one of the original partners behind Standard Oil.
Early life
Bostwick was born in Delhi, New York to parents Abel and Sally (née Fitch) Bostwick. During his childhood, his family relocated to a farm in Ohio. He began his career working at a hardware store before launching his own enterprise.
Career
Starting out in the cotton brokerage industry in Cincinnati, Bostwick later moved to New York City, where he ventured into oil production through the firm Tilford & Bostwick, founded in 1866. After acquiring Henry Morgan Tilford’s share, he formed a partnership in 1878 with Henry Flagler and the Rockefeller brothers, John and William. Bostwick held the position of Secretary-Treasurer within the Standard Oil Trust.
In addition, he was President and a principal shareholder of the New York and New England Railroad, held significant shares in the Housatonic Railroad, participated as a member of the New York Cotton Exchange, and occupied seats on various corporate boards. Known for his humility and integrity despite considerable wealth, Bostwick supported Baptist organizations and contributed generously to academic institutions such as Wake Forest College and Richmond College.
Personal life
He married Helen Celia Ford (1848–1920), daughter of Smith Reed Ford and Frances Lee Fox. Together they had three children:
- Nellie Ford Bostwick (1868–1906), who was married first to Francis Lee Morrell and subsequently to Hamilton Wilkes Cary.
- Frances Evelyn "Fannie" Bostwick (1872–1921), who wed Capt. Albert J. Carstairs, later Francis Francis, Count Roger Marie Felix Symon de Perigny, and finally Dr. Serge Abrahamovitch Voronoff.
- Albert Carlton Bostwick (1878–1911), who married Marie Lillian Stokes.
Bostwick passed away on August 16, 1892, in a fire at his summer home stable located in Mamaroneck, Westchester County, while attempting to rescue horses and carriages. Upon his widow’s death in 1920, her estate was valued at more than $29 million, which included nearly $20 million worth of Standard Oil shares.
Descendants
From his daughter Fannie came grandchildren such as Marion Barbara "Joe" Carstairs (1900–1993), a renowned power boat racer noted for her speed and unconventional lifestyle, along with Francis Francis (1906–1982), an aviator.
His son Albert fathered five grandchildren, among them philanthropist Dorothy Stokes Bostwick (1899–2001), recognized as the first woman licensed to pilot a helicopter; Albert C. Bostwick Jr. (1901–1980), a thoroughbred horse owner whose colt Mate claimed victory at the 1931 Preakness Stakes; Lillian Bostwick Phipps (1906–1987), an accomplished steeplechase horse owner with eight American Grand National wins who married Ogden Phipps; Dunbar Wright Bostwick (1908–2006), chairman of Aviation Instrument Manufacturing Corp. and breeder of standardbred horses; and George Herbert "Pete" Bostwick (1909–1982), inducted into the Hall of Fame as a polo player, steeplechase jockey, and horse trainer.