George R. Sheldon
Born
George Rumsey Sheldon

(1857-04-16)April 16, 1857
Brooklyn, New York
DiedJanuary 14, 1919(1919-01-14) (aged 61)
Carbondale, Illinois
EducationSt. Paul's School
Alma materHarvard College
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1881; died 1913)​
Parent(s)William Crawford Sheldon
Mary Eliza DeForest

George Rumsey Sheldon (April 16, 1857 – January 14, 1919) was an American banker who served as treasurer of the Republican National Committee.

Early life

Sheldon was born on April 16, 1857, in Brooklyn, New York. He was a son of William Crawford Sheldon and Mary Eliza (née DeForest) Sheldon. Among his siblings were Catherine "Kate" DeForest Sheldon (wife of Alfred Craven Harrison),[1] Ella Crawford Sheldon (wife of William Saterlee Packer Prentice),[2][3] and fellow banker William Crawford Sheldon.[4][5] His niece was Mildred, Countess von Holstein.[6]

Sheldon was a graduate of St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, before he attended Harvard College, graduating with the class of 1870.[7]

Career

Sheldon's yacht, later known as USS Admiral

Immediately after Harvard, Sheldon started in banking, and opened his own firm in New York City, gradually branching out into other enterprises and becoming closely associated with J. Pierpont Morgan. He also established the Franklin Sugar Company, which imported and refined sugar in Pennsylvania.[8] He was a leading force in the Trust Company of America.[9]

He was also part of what became known as the Grape Sugar Trust, along with Hiram Bond, Thomas C. Platt, and his brother-in-law, William W. Frazier.[10]

At the time of his death, he was a director of eighteen corporations including the American Locomotive Company, the Bethlehem Steel Company, the North American Company, the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company, the Electric Securities Company, the Detroit Edison Company, the Mechanics and Metals National Bank, the Union Electric Light Company of St. Louis, the Cincinnati Northern Railway Company, the West Kentucky Coal Company and the Wisconsin Edison Company.[7]

Republican politics

In 1908 Sheldon was chosen as treasurer of the Republican National Committee and served for eight years. He was credited with "the bringing about of the reconciliation between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft," which was considered "the greatest achievement on behalf of his party, as it disposed of the Progressive Party and brought into line all the Republican factions, making possible" the wins in 1918.[7]

Personal life

Photograph of his wife, Mary Seney Sheldon

In December 1881 Sheldon was married to Mary Robinson Seney (1863–1913), a daughter of George I. Seney, also of Brooklyn. Mary was the first female president of the New York Philharmonic and is credited with reorganizing the orchestra into a modern institution in 1909 and hiring Gustav Mahler. Together, they lived at 24 East 38th Street in Manhattan and were the parents of:[7]

He was president of the prestigious Union League Club in New York and, in 1903, purchased the 45-acre country estate of J. Harvey Ladew in Glen Cove, New York, on Hempstead Harbor.[20]

His wife died at their home on June 16, 1913.[21] Sheldon died on January 14, 1919, in Carbondale in Jackson County, Illinois, from injuries he suffered when inspecting a coal mine there.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "ALFRED CRAVEN HARRISON; Wealthy Retired Sugar Dealer of Philadelphia Dies at Age of 81". The New York Times. 31 July 1927. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "Died -- PRENTICE". The New York Times. 17 November 1923. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Furman, Robert (2015). Brooklyn Heights: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of America's First Suburb. Arcadia Publishing. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-62619-954-5. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "$75,000 LEFT TO SCHOOL.; St. Paul's Largest Beneficiary under Will of Mrs. B.T. Sheldon. Steiner Estate to Family". The New York Times. 14 January 1930. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "WILLIAM C. SHELDON.; Funeral of Retired Banker in Church of the Heavenly Rest Today". The New York Times. 17 December 1927. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  6. ↑ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (1 February 1942). "COUNTESS VON HOLSTEIN". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "GEO. R. SHELDON DIES OF MINE INJURIES; Financier and Ex-Republican National Treasurer Was Crushed by a Coal Car. CLOSE MORGAN ASSOCIATE Was Credited with Bringing About the Reconciliation Between ExPresidents Roosevelt and Taft". The New York Times. 15 January 1919. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  8. ↑ Leonard, John W., ed. (1909). Who's Who in New York City and State, Vol. 4, p. 1175. L. R. Hamersly & Co.
  9. ↑ "To Merge Trust Companies; Three Concerns with $50,000,000 in Deposits to Unite". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. April 12, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (26 August 1939). "W.W. FRAZIER JR., RETIRED EXECUTIVE; Vice President and General Manager of the Franklin Sugar Refinery Co. Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  11. ↑ Times, Special to The New York (8 September 1904). "G.R. SHELDON'S DAUGHTER WED; PARENTS ABSENT; Disparity in Ages of Couple Said to be Reason". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Times, Special to The New York (1 September 1910). "WIFE SUES WILLIAM FULLER.; Daughter of G.B. Sheldon Files Divorce Papers at Reno". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "MRS. FULLER TO BE MAGISTRATE'S BRIDE; Daughter of George R. Sheldon, Banker, Is Engaged to Daniel F. Murphy. BOTH IN WELFARE WORK Lawyer's Fiancee a Sister of Mrs. S.S. Sands, Whose Betrothal to Richard Whitney is Announced". The New York Times. 9 May 1916. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "DANIEL F. MURPHY, A RETIRED JURIST; Special Sessions Judge From 1917 Until Last September, Dies at the Age of 64". The New York Times. 24 May 1937. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "MRS. MARY MURPHY WED TO COL. LITTLE; Widow of New York Judge Is Bride of Printing: Firm's Head in Baltimore Ceremony". The New York Times. 18 February 1941. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Times, Special To The New York (3 July 1913). "S. STEVENS SANDS KILLED UNDER AUTO; Speeding to His Wife, as Was His Brother, Who Met the Same Fate in France". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  17. ↑ Krebs, Albin (6 December 1974). "Richard Whitney, 86, Dies; Headed Stock Exchange". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "WHITNEY INDICTED FOR THEFT OF $105,000 IN SECURITIES IN SURPRISE MOVE BY DEWEY; TRUST FUNDS USED Broker Is Charged With Borrowing on Estate of Father-in-Law OTHER DEALS ARE BARED State Inquiry Discloses More Accounts of Clients Tapped--Federal Officials Act Surrenders at Dewey Office Sheldon Bonds a Part WHITNEY INDICTED ON THEFT CHARGE Federal Investigations Begin Had Possession of Securities Whitney Waits for Lawyer Result of "Quiet" Inquiry". The New York Times. 11 March 1938. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "MRS. SANDS, BRIDE OF RICHARD WHITNEY; Daughter of George R. Sheldon Is Married in the Church of the Holy Communion. CEREMONY FOR RELATIVES George Whitney Is Brother's Best Man, and Bride Has No Attendants ;- Reception at the Ritz". The New York Times. 28 May 1916. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "George R. Sheldon's Country Home". The New York Times. March 5, 1903. p. 9. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Died -- SHELDON". The New York Times. 17 June 1913. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
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