Nicholas Fish II
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Nicholas Fish II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to Belgium | |
| In office April 28, 1882 – July 3, 1885 | |
| Preceded by | James O. Putnam |
| Succeeded by | Lambert Tree |
| United States Ambassador to Switzerland | |
| In office June 20, 1877 – May 11, 1881 | |
| Preceded by | George Schneider |
| Succeeded by | Michael J. Cramer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 19, 1846 |
| Died | September 16, 1902 (aged 56) |
| Resting place | Saint Philip's Church Cemetery Garrison, New York |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Hamilton Fish II[2] |
| Parent(s) | Hamilton Fish (1808–1893)[3] Julia Ursin Niemcewiez (née Kean) Fish (1816–1887)[3] |
| Alma mater | Columbia University Harvard Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer, diplomat, banker |
Nicholas Fish II (February 19, 1846–September 16, 1902) was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland from 1877 to 1881 and the U.S. ambassador to Belgium from 1882 to 1885. In a widely reported crime of the time known as the "sensation of the day,"[4] Fish was murdered while leaving a New York City bar.[5][6]
Fish was a member of the long prominent, and wealthy, Fish family that was closely associated with politics from the Revolutionary War times through modern times with members serving as Lt. Governors and Governors of New York, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and many diplomats.[5]
Fish was born in New York City on February 19, 1846. He was the eldest son of six children born to Hamilton Fish (1808–1893) and Julia Ursin Niemcewiez (née Kean) Fish (1816–1887).[3] His father served as Governor of New York from 1849 to 1851, U.S. Senator from New York from 1851 to 1857 and the Secretary of State under Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes from 1869 until his retirement in 1877.[6] His siblings included Sarah Morris Fish, Julia Kean Fish, Susan Le Roy Fish, Hamilton Fish II, Stuyvesant Fish, and Edith Livingston Fish.[6]
His maternal uncle was U.S. Senator John Kean and he was a great-grandson of Continental Congressmen John Kean and Susan Livingston Kean (herself the daughter of New York State Treasurer Peter Van Brugh Livingston).[7] Her family was also associated with the Wadsworths, the Kings, and the Duers.[6] His paternal grandparents were American Revolutionary War soldier Nicholas Fish and Elizabeth (née Stuyvesant) Fish,[6] a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant and the daughter of Margaret (née Livingston) Stuyvesant.[7]
He was educated at Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1867 and a Master of Arts in 1871.[8] While there, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall).[9]
He also attended Harvard Law School earning a Bachelor of Laws in 1869.[10]
Career
Following his graduation from law school, he practiced law in New York City, then went into the diplomatic service.[5]
Appointed as the Second Secretary of Legation at Berlin (1871), he became Secretary (1874) and acted in the continued absence of his chief as chargé d'affaires, held the latter position in Switzerland (1877–81) and then served as minister to Belgium (1882–86). He returned to New York City in 1887 and became a member of the banking firm of Harriman & Co. at 120 Broadway, of which his brother Stuyvesant was the President.[5]
Following the death of his father, he became a member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati in 1894 and later served as president of the New York Society from 1901 until his death the next year.[5] He was also a member of the New-York Historical Society and the Union Club of the City of New York, beginning in 1873.[6]
In the 1896 presidential election, he was a presidential elector.[11]
