John Barnard Gest (November 4, 1823 – March 1, 1907) was a banker and lawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gest was born in Philadelphia on November 4, 1823, to merchant John Gest and Ann Barnard, and was educated at various private schools.
He attended the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, where he became a member of the university's chapter of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
and president
of the Zelosophic Society, a knowledge and debating club. He graduated in 1844, studied law under
Charles Ingersoll, and was admitted to practice law in 1847. He ran a private practice, becoming "widely known because of his large practice in real estate, patent, and insurance law," as his ''New York Times'' obituary put it.
In 1852, after the University of Pennsylvania added a
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
, he re-enrolled and earned an
LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
Gest married Elizabeth Purves in 1852. They had four children together: John Marshall, William P., Alexander, and Lydia.
Gest was an active alumnus of his ''
alma mater''; he helped found its alumni association and chaired the committees that compiled the first three editions of the alumni list.
In 1877, he was made a
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
of the university, in which post he served for more than a decade.
In 1872, Gest was appointed vice president of the
Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company. In 1890, he became president of the company,
which went on to "a foremost place among the
trust companies
A trust company is a corporation that acts as a fiduciary, trustee or agent of trusts and agencies. A professional trust company may be independently owned or owned by, for example, a bank or a law firm, and which specializes in being a trus ...
of the country"
and became part of the largest bank merger of its time.
He was also a director of the Mortgage Trust Company of Pennsylvania.
Gest was a leader of several nonprofit organizations that survive to this day. He served as president
of the Union Benevolent Association, a charity organization founded in 1831; a council member of the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...
; and a trustee of
Presbyterian Hospital.
He became an elder
of Overbrook Presbyterian Church after its founding in 1888.
In 1895, Gest oversaw the creation of
Smith Memorial Arch
Smith Memorial Arch is an American Civil War monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to Fairmount Park, West Fairmount Pa ...
in Philadelphia as executor of the will of wealthy Philadelphia printer Richard Smith. His bust appears alongside those of prominent Union admirals and generals and the inscription dedicating the arch "in memory of Pennsylvanians who took part in the Civil War."
In 1902, Gest was one of 1,560 "notable Philadelphians" whose portrait appeared in
Moses King
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
's ''Philadelphia and Notable Philadelphians.''
He died of bronchitis at 83.
His family's papers are held by the University of Pennsylvania archives.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gest, John B.
1823 births
1907 deaths
University of Pennsylvania alumni
People from Philadelphia