Edward Marshall Grout (October 27, 1861 – November 9, 1931) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as first Borough President of Brooklyn, and later as New York City Comptroller.

Life

Grout was born on October 27, 1861 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the son of Edward Grout and Fanny Marshall. His paternal grandfather was assemblyman Paul Grout, and he was a descendant of

Jonathan Grout Jonathan Grout (July 23, 1737 – September 8, 1807) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Grout was born in Lunenburg in the Province of Massachusetts Bay and served in the First United States Congres ...

. Grout studied at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, graduating from there in 1884. After he graduated, he studied law in the office of

Stewart L. Woodford Stewart Lyndon Woodford (September 3, 1835 – February 14, 1913) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Born in New York City, Woodf ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1885 and stayed in Woodford's firm for the next seven years. He then formed a partnership with future New York City mayor

William Jay Gaynor William Jay Gaynor (February 2, 1849 – September 10, 1913) was an American politician from New York City, associated with the Tammany Hall political machine. He served as the 94th mayor of the City of New York from 1910 to 1913, and previously ...

under the name Gaynor, Grout & De Fere. When Gaynor became a judge a year later, the firm became Grout, De Fere & Mayer. Almet Francis Jenks later joined the firm. Grout served as a private in the 23rd Regiment of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

from 1887 to 1892. In 1894, he was appointed

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that provi ...

, with the rank of major, of the Second Brigade. In 1895, Grout was the Democratic candidate for

Mayor of Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

, but he lost to Charles A. Schieren. A prominent advocate for the

City of Greater New York The City of Greater New York was the term used by many politicians and scholars for the expanded City of New York created on January 1, 1898, by consolidating the existing City of New York with Brooklyn, western Queens County, and Staten Is ...

, he was elected the first Borough President of Brooklyn, serving from 1897 to 1901. He was elected

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

in 1901, serving until 1905. He was a delegate to the 1904 Democratic National Convention. Grout was president of the Brooklyn bank. When the bank closed in 1911, he was indicted on the charge he swore to a false report on the bank's financial condition. Three and a half years later, he was found guilty after a nine-week trial and sentenced to a year in prison. He was released on bail and the Appellate Division ordered a new trial. The indictment was then dismissed by the District Attorney. He then returned to law, practicing law with his brother Paul on 115 Broadway. In 1924, he moved to

Greens Farms, Connecticut Green's Farms is the oldest neighborhood in the town of Westport in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. Geography Boundary The boundaries of the neighborhood, like ...

and was admitted to the Connecticut state bar. In 1899, Grout married Ida L. Loeschigk. They had two children, Jonathan (judge of the Fairfield town court) and Catherine. He was a member of the

Montauk Club The Montauk Club is a social club located in a Francis Kimball-designed building in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The Club provides dining and drinking services and offers an extensive schedule of events including a Book Club, a Beer Club, Murder Mystery ...

and the New York County Lawyers Association. He was a trustee of Colgate University since 1895. Grout died at his home in Greens Farms on November 9, 1931. He was buried in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...

in Brooklyn.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grout, Edward M. 1861 births 1931 deaths New York City Comptrollers Lawyers from Brooklyn Brooklyn borough presidents Colgate University alumni New York National Guard personnel 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Connecticut lawyers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians New York (state) Democrats People from Westport, Connecticut American bank presidents Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery