Rufus King Delafield
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Rufus King Delafield | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | November 18, 1802 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1874 (aged 71) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Eliza Bard
(m. 1836) |
| Children | 7 |
| Parent(s) | Anne Hallett Delafield John Delafield |
| Relatives | Richard Delafield (brother) Edward Delafield (brother) Joseph Delafield (brother) Francis Delafield (nephew) |
Rufus King Delafield (November 18, 1802 – February 6, 1874) was an American banker and manufacturer.
Delafield was born at his father's residence, 16 Wall Street in New York City, on November 18, 1802,[1] and named after Rufus King, the first U.S. Senator from New York who was then serving as the U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom. His godfather was Alexander Hamilton.[2] He was the youngest of nine sons and four daughters born to Anne (née Hallett) Delafield (1766–1839) and John Delafield (1748–1824),[3] a merchant who emigrated to New York from England in 1788 and was a founder and director of the Mutual Insurance Company,[4] becoming one of the wealthiest men in the country.[5] His father's summer residence, built in 1791 on the East River opposite Blackwell's Island, was known as" Sunswick" and was one of the largest and best appointed private houses near New York City. Among his siblings were older brothers John Delafield,[a] Joseph Delafield,[b] Henry Delafield,[c] William Delafield, Maj. Gen. Richard Delafield, and Dr. Edward Delafield.[9] His younger sister, Susan Maria Delafield, was married to Henry Parish.[10] Rufus, his father, and his four brothers were painted by Morton H. Bly. The painting is currently owned by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.[3][11]
His maternal grandparents were Joseph Hallett and Elizabeth (née Hazard) Hallett and his aunt, Mary Hallett, was the second wife of U.S. Representative Benjamin Tallmadge.[12] His paternal grandparents were John Delafield and Martha (née Dell) Delafield, a daughter of John Dell of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England.[9] His nephew, Dr. Francis Delafield, was married to Katherine Van Rensselaer,[13] and was the father of Connecticut representative Edward Henry Delafield.[14]
Career
After an education in New York, Delafield engaged in "mercantile business" and served as an officer of the Phenix Bank from 1823 to 1835, and actuary and secretary of the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company (which later became Citibank) from 1835 to 1852.[1] He also served as a trustee of the State Agricultural College of New York.[15]
After his banking career, he was the founder and president of the Delafield & Baxter Hydraulic Cement Company,[8][16] located at the High Falls at Rondout Creek, which was previously Ogden & Delafield.[17] Delafield & Baxter, which was headquartered at 54 Pine Street,[18] produced Rosendale cement and their mill was driven by water-power and consisted of "three crackers, and four run of four and half feet stone" and three quarries.[17] His son Henry Parish Delafield was the secretary of the firm,[19] and after his death, his eldest son Edward assumed the presidency of Delafield & Baxter.[1]
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