Henry Asher Robbins (1829 – January 21, 1914) was an American manufacturer who was prominent member of New York society during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Early life

Robbins was born in 1829 in

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, ...

. His father was the pastor of the Kensington Congregational Church in

Kensington, Connecticut Kensington is a census-designated place (CDP) and section of the town of Berlin in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The Berlin town offices are located in Kensington. The population was 8,459 at the 2010 census. The Henry Hooker House ...

for forty-three years. Robbins was a direct descendant of

Asher Robbins Asher Robbins (October 26, 1761February 25, 1845) (also known as Ashur Robbins) was a United States senator from Rhode Island. Early life Born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, he graduated from Yale College in 1782, was a tutor in Rhode Island Co ...

, the

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Career

Together with his brother Royal E. Robbins, he founded the

Waltham Watch Company The Waltham Watch Company, also known as the American Waltham Watch Co. and the American Watch Co., was a company that produced about 40 million watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time delay fuses, and other precision instruments in the Un ...

, which merged with Robbins, Appleton & Co., a watch importing company based out of Boston that owned the

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...

based American Watch Company.

Society life

In 1892, both Robins and his wife were both included in

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of late 19th-century America. He was widely accepted as the authority as to which families could be classified as the cream o ...

's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties 400 is the square of 20. 400 is the sum of the powers of 7 from 0 to 3, thus making it a repdigit in base 7 (1111). A circle is divided into ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.

Personal life

In 1866, Robbins married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Pelham Bend (–1933). Lizzie was the sister of prominent banker George H. Bend. Together, they were the parents of two children, a son and a daughter: * Maud Robbins (d. 1955), who married

Harry Whitney McVickar Harry Whitney McVickar (September 2, 1860 – July 4, 1905) was an American artist, illustrator, and real estate investor who was prominent member of New York society during the Gilded Age. Early life McVickar was born on September 2, 1860, in Ir ...

(1860–1905), in 1891. * Henry "Harry" Pelham Robbins (1874–1946), who graduated from

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 ...

in 1893 and became an architect. He married Emily Frances Welles (1888–1962), the daughter of Benjamin Welles and sister of

Sumner Welles Benjamin Sumner Welles (October 14, 1892September 24, 1961) was an American government official and diplomat in the Foreign Service. He was a major foreign policy adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as Under Secretary of State ...

, the

Undersecretary of State Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

in the

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

administration. Emily and Sumner were grand-nieces and grand-nephews of

Caroline Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later in life as "the Mrs. Asto ...

. The Robbins built "Asher House" in

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...

Grosvenor Atterbury Grosvenor Atterbury (July 7, 1869 in Detroit, MI – October 18, 1956 in Southampton, NY) was an American architect, urban planner and writer. He studied at Yale University, where he was an editor of campus humor magazine ''The Yale Record'' After ...

. Robbins died of pneumonia at his apartment in the

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultze ...

in New York City on January 21, 1914. His widow died at her residence, 540

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Av ...

in New York, in July 1933. Her funeral was held at St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southampton.

References

External links

*
Lizzie at the Vanderbilt Ball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robins, Henry Asher 1829 births 1914 deaths People included in New York Society's Four Hundred Businesspeople from Connecticut People from Berlin, Connecticut American manufacturing businesspeople American company founders American watchmakers (people) Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Date of birth missing 19th-century American businesspeople Bend family