Robert Goelet Sr.
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Robert Goelet | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1809 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 1879 (aged 70) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Columbia College |
| Spouse |
Sarah Ogden
(m. 1839) |
| Children | Robert Goelet Helen Goelet Ogden Goelet |
| Parent(s) | Peter P. Goelet Almy Buchanan Goelet |
| Relatives | See Goelet family |
Robert Goelet Sr. (September 19, 1809 – September 22, 1879) was an American businessman and co-founder of the Chemical Bank of New York.
Goelet was born on September 19, 1809, to "one of the oldest and most respected [families] in the City." He was the youngest of four children born to Almy (née Buchanan) Goelet (1768–1848) and Peter P. Goelet (1764–1828).[1] His siblings were Peter Goelet, who was named after their grandfather Peter Goelet;[2] Jean Buchanan Goelet;[3] and Hannah Green Goelet, who married Thomas Russell Gerry, son of U.S. Vice President Elbridge Gerry and parents to Elbridge Thomas Gerry.[4] His father, a hardware merchant based at 48 Hanover Square (later known as 113 and 115 Pearl Streets), was a large land-owner, including the "Goelet farm" which Robert's elder brother Peter inherited at Broadway and 19th Street.[5][6]
His maternal grandparents were Almy (née Townsend) Buchanan and Thomas Buchanan, a merchant with Thomas Buchanan & Son at 44 Wall Street.[7] Goelet's maternal aunt, Margaret Buchanan, was married to his paternal uncle, Robert Ratsey Goelet.[7] His paternal grandparents were Elizabeth (née Ratsey) Goelet and Peter Goelet,[8] a prominent merchant and landowner who was a descendant of Huguenots from La Rochelle in France, who escaped to Amsterdam.[9] During the Revolutionary War, his grandfather was a member of the Sons of Liberty, the Committee of Correspondence, and the Committee of One Hundred.[1]
He graduated from Columbia College in 1828.[10]
Career
Goelet was a prominent landowner and landlord in New York and generally followed his brothers real estate rule, which was to "never to part with a foot of land the title of which had been once vested in the Goelet family."[2]
Robert, along with his brother, were instrumental in founding the Chemical Bank and Trust Company.[1] While neither of them were directors (Robert's son Robert became a director in 1878), both Robert and Peter were among the largest stockholders of the bank when it was rechartered as a state bank in 1844.[11] Today, through various mergers, the bank is known as JPMorgan Chase.[12]