Frederic de Peyster Foster (February 20, 1849 – May 25, 1929) was a prominent American lawyer and philanthropist.

Early life

Foster was born in Manhattan on February 20, 1849. He was the eldest surviving son of Frederic Giraud Foster (1809–1879) and Emily (

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 ...

Hone) Foster (1818–1875) who married in 1844. Among his siblings was Clara Foster (wife of Richard Delafield),

Giraud Foster Giraud Foster (8 November 1850 – 22 September 1945) was a businessman and socialite notable during America's gilded age. An avid bridge player, equestrian and sailor, Foster accumulated a large fortune from coal and shipping. Like his wife t ...

(who accumulated a large fortune from coal and shipping), Marie Antoinette Foster (sister-in-law of

William Watts Sherman William Watts Sherman (August 4, 1842 – January 22, 1912) was a New York City businessman and the treasurer of the Newport Casino. In 1875–1876 he had the William Watts Sherman House constructed in Newport, Rhode Island. Early life ...

), Emily Hone Foster (wife of Charles de Rham), and Albert Edward Foster. His father was a successful merchant with Foster & Giraud, later Andrew Foster & Sons. His paternal grandparents were Ann (née Giraud) Foster and Andrew Foster, one of New York's foremost merchants. His maternal grandparents were John Hone Jr. and Maria Antoinette (née Kane) Hone (a direct descendant of

Gerardus Beekman Gerardus Willemse Beekman (c. August 1653 – October 10, 1723) was a wealthy physician, land owner, and colonial governor of the Province of New York. Early life He was christened August 17, 1653 at Corlaer's Hook Plantation, New York, the seco ...

and Wilhelmus Beekman). After his grandfather's death in 1829, his grandmother remarried to

Frederic de Peyster Frederic de Peyster II (November 11, 1796 in New York City – August 17, 1882 in Tivoli, New York) was a New York City lawyer and prominent member of the De Peyster family. Early life De Peyster was born in Hanover Square in New York City ...

, his namesake, in 1839. Foster attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, earning an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1868. Following his graduation from Columbia, he studied law in Paris from 1869 to 1870. He returned to the United States and obtained an A.M. degree from Columbia in 1871, and an LL.B. degree from Columbia Law School in 1872.

Career

After being admitted to the bar in New York, Foster began practicing law in 1872, with an office at 44

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

in Lower Manhattan. He later went into partnership with his brother-in-law, George Herbert Carey, under the name Carey & Foster. He was a trustee of White Deer Lands in

Carson County, Texas Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807. The county seat is Panhandle. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888. It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the f ...

, a company created after the foreclosure of the Francklyn Land and Cattle Company. Along with Cornelius C. Cuyler, he hired George Tyng to manage the lands (who hired

Timothy Dwight Hobart Timothy Dwight Hobart (October 6, 1855 – May 19, 1935) was an American businessman, best known as the manager of the JA Ranch. He was also mayor of Pampa, Texas Pampa (from the Quechua: ''pampa'', meaning "plain") is a city in Gray Count ...

). He also served as a trustee of the

Central Hanover Bank & Trust Manufacturers Hanover Corporation was the bank holding company formed as parent of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, a large New York bank formed by a merger in 1961. After 1969, Manufacturers Hanover Trust became a subsidiary of Manufa ...

Company. He was elected a member of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, an organization in New York City of men descended from early inhabitants of the State of New York, and, in 1900, served two terms as the Society's 42nd President. He also served as a chairman of the Board of Trustees of the

New York Society Library The New York Society Library (NYSL) is the oldest cultural institution in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the New York Society as a subscription library. During the time when New York was the capital of the United States, it was the de ...

in 1907 (and Treasurer in 1899).

Personal life

In 1893, Foster was married to Julia Marshall Talbot (1849–1937). They lived at 721 Fifth Avenue, were listed on the Social Register, and together, were the parents of one son: Richmond Talbot Foster, who died in 1932. Foster died on May 25, 1929, in

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 623 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the la ...

, where he maintained a home. He was buried at

St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Episcopal Church, otherwise simply referred to as St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo, is an active Episcopal church in Tuxedo, New York, located within the historic village of Tuxedo Park. Constructed in 1888 according to designs by a ...

Church Cemetery in Tuxedo Park. His wife died in September 1937.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Frederic de Peyster 1849 births 1929 deaths American people of Dutch descent Columbia University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Lawyers from New York City Presidents of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York 19th-century American lawyers