Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. (October 3, 1854 – September 8, 1931) was an American banker, sportsman, and clubman who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age.

Early life

Livingston was born at 18 Washington Square North in New York City on October 3, 1854. He was the son of Henry Beekman Livingston Sr. (1818–1861) and Mary Lawrence (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Livingston) Livingston (1821–1883). His siblings included Walter L. Livingston and Margaret Lewis Livingston ("one of the five most beautiful debutantes of her time in society"), who married John Lawrence Lee. His father, who inherited the most valuable share of his grandmother's estate, 68-72 Leonard Street, went into business as Foster & Livingston, which sold Indian shawls among other goods. His paternal grandparents were Judge

Maturin Livingston Maturin Livingston (April 10, 1769 – November 7, 1847), a member of the prominent Livingston family, was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Maturin Livingston was born on April 10, 1769 in New York City. He was the son ...

and Margaret (née Lewis) Livingston, the only daughter and sole heiress of Gov. Morgan Lewis. His uncles included Robert James Livingston and

Maturin Livingston Jr. Maturin Livingston Jr. (March 4, 1816 – November 29, 1888), an American merchant who was a member of the prominent Livingston family. Early life Livingston was born on March 4, 1816 in Staatsburg, New York. He was the son of Maturin Living ...

His aunt, Angelica Livingston was married to Alexander Hamilton, Jr., son of

James Alexander Hamilton James Alexander Hamilton (April 14, 1788 – September 24, 1878) was an American soldier, acting Secretary of State, and the third son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He entered politics as a Democrat ...

and grandson of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, the first Secretary of the Treasury. His maternal grandparents were John Swift Livingston, a son of Robert "Cambridge" Livingston and grandson of Robert Livingston. Livingston attended boarding school at C. D. Morris' in Lake Mohegan, New York and then entered Yale University with the class of 1877. Due to his "being delicate", he left Yale and went to England where he attended Christ Church, Oxford University for two years.

Career

After returning to the United States, he joined the New York Stock Exchange in August 1882 and, for many years, ran a successful brokerage business. He remained a member of the Exchange for 40 years.

Society life

In 1892, Livingston and his second wife Frances were included in Ward McAllister's " Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in '' The New York Times''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. Livingston was related and close with many of the most prominent people in New York society as the guests at his second wedding attest, including Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Livingston, Mr. and Mrs.

, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Mr. Campbell Steward, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Schuyler, Mrs. William Morgan and the Misses Morgan. He was a member of the Union Club of the City of New York, the Knickerbocker Club, the Brook Club, the South Side Sportsmen's Club the Metropolitan Club, the Racquet and Tennis Club and the Turf and Field Club.

Personal life

Livingston was married twice. His first marriage was on September 27, 1876 to Stephanie Jacqueline Fox (1853–1878), the daughter of Samuel Fox and Marie Adelaide (née Livingston) Fox. Before her death in 1878, they were the parents of: * Mary Angelica Livingston (b. 1877), who was born in Dieppe, France and who resided at 164 East 72nd Street in New York City, a building memorialized in a poem by James Merrill. After his first wife's death, Livingston was remarried to Frances Redmond (1849–1916), the fifth daughter of William Redmond and Sabina Elizabeth (née Hoyt) Redmond, on March 1, 1881. Frances was a sister of Goold Hoyt Redmond and a grand-niece of Jesse Hoyt, a Collector of the Port of New York who was known for his role in the Swartwout-Hoyt scandal. In New York, his home was at 63 East 82nd Street and he had a country home in Islip on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Lilias Livingston (1882–1976), who married Henry Bowly Hollins Jr. (1882–1956), son of Henry Bowly Hollins and Evelina (née Knapp) Hollins and brother of golfer Marion Hollins, on June 28, 1904. * Mary Lawrence Livingston (1883–1898), who died aged 15. * Frances Lewis Livingston (b. 1886), Livingston's wife died in June 1916. He later resided at 47 East 64th Street in New York. He died at his home in New York City on Tuesday September 8, 1931. His funeral was held in Hyde Park, New York and he was buried at St. James Church Cemetery. His estate, estimated more than $500,000, was shared between his unmarried daughters Mary and Frances. His personal property was share between Mary and another daughter, Lilias, who received stock in the Amsterdam Investment Company and the Importers' Building Company. A great-grandson, Reginald Frost, received a $2,400 annuity until he was 21 years old at which point he received the principal of the fund.

Descendants

Through his daughter Lilias, he was the grandfather of Lilias Hollins (b. 1905), who married Reginald Radcliffe Frost (1897–1950) in 1929; Evelina Hollins (b. 1906); Hope Hollins (1907–1970), who was engaged to the English explorer Frank Bickerton in 1931 but broke the engagement in May before the June wedding; Henry Bowly "Harry" Hollins (1909–1991), who first married Elizabeth Wolcott Elkins (daughter of William M. Elkins) in 1931, and later married author Elizabeth Morgan Jay (1911–1991) in 1948, a descendant of

Edwin D. Morgan Edwin Denison Morgan (February 8, 1811February 14, 1883) was the 21st governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Comm ...

and John Jay and the former wife of artist

Stephen Etnier Stephen Morgan Etnier (September 11, 1903 – November 7, 1984) was an American realist painter, painting for six decades. His work is distinguished by a mixture of realism and luminism, favoring industrial and working scenes, but always ...

; Jean Hollins (b. 1910); and Robert Livingston Hollins (b. 1912).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Henry Beekman 1854 births 1931 deaths Yale University alumni Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Henry Beekman Livingston American socialites People included in New York Society's Four Hundred New York Stock Exchange people American stockbrokers Burials in New York (state)