Macrae Sykes (died October 13, 1996) was an American financier who served as chairman of the

American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was know ...

Biography

Sykes was born in

Bayside, Queens Bayside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Whitestone to the northwest, the Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay to the northeast, Douglaston to the east, Oakland Gardens to the south, and Fresh Meado ...

, and 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 1933. His grandfather was Major General

George Sykes George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842, and served in numerous conflicts, ...

, who commanded the

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

and fought in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

and he is also descendant of James Sykes, who represented the state of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in the Continental Congress and James Sykes, Jr., a former

Governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. He was captain of the varsity crew team at Columbia. A sailor, Sykes also partook in the 1937

Star World Championship The Star World Championship are international sailing regattas in the Star class organized by the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association sanctioned by International Sailing Federation. American sailor Lowell North has won the most ...

and helped financed the United States team in the

1970 America's Cup The 1970 America's Cup was held in September 1970 at Newport, Rhode Island. The US defender, ''Intrepid (yacht), Intrepid'', skippered by William P. Ficker, Bill Ficker, defeated the Australian challenger, ''Gretel II'', skippered by James Hardy ( ...

. He joined Halsey, Stuart & Co. in 1934 and was named a senior partner. In 1977, he became a director of Bache & Co. He was a governor of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

and a governor as well as chairman of the American Stock Exchange, a post he was named to in February 1968. A vice chairman of the American Stock Exchange, Sykes was the first non-floor member named to the post.

Personal life and family

Sykes was a resident of

East Hampton, New York The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a tot ...

, and

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

. He died in a nursing home 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 ...

on October 13, 1996. His brother, James Ware Sykes, was the chairman of the advertisement company, Sawyer Ferguson Walker. His grandson, Macrae Sykes, is a portfolio manager with

Gabelli Funds Mario Joseph Gabelli (born June 19, 1942) is an American stock investor, investment advisor, and financial analyst. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Gabelli Asset Management Company Investors (Gamco Investors), an investment firm headq ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Macrae 1996 deaths American financiers American investment bankers New York Stock Exchange people People from Bayside, Queens Columbia Lions rowers