Robert Livingston Cutting (January 19, 1812 – February 25, 1887) was an American businessperson based in New York City. At one point president 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 c ...

, he was a co-founder of the

Continental Bank of New York The Continental Bank and Trust Company of New York was a financial institution based in New York City, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 as the German-American Bank, which became the Continental Bank of New York. Originally in th ...

in August 1870.

Early life

Cutting was born on January 19, 1812, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was the son of William Cutting (1773–1820) and Gertrude (''

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) Cutting (1779–1864). His siblings included William Leonard Cutting;

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Francis Brockholst Cutting; Henry Livingston Cutting; Charles Grenville Cutting; Julia Gertrude Cutting; Anne Frances Cutting, who married Baron Alfred Ruebell; and Robert Fulton Cutting, who married poet Elise Justine Bayard; and Walter Livingston Cutting. His maternal grandparents were

Walter Livingston Walter Livingston (November 27, 1740 – May 14, 1797) was an American merchant, lawyer and politician. Early life He was a son of Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor, and Maria Thong Livingston (1711–1765), a grand ...

, the first

Speaker of the New York State Assembly The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the lower hous ...

, and Cornelia (''née'' Schuyler) Livingston. His uncle was U.S. Representative

Henry Walter Livingston Henry Walter Livingston (June 12, 1768 – December 22, 1810) was a United States Representative from the state of New York. Early life Livingston was born in Livingston, Columbia County, New York to Continental Congressman Walter Livingston (1 ...

, and through the

Livingston family The Livingston family of New York is a prominent family that migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic, and then to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from the 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the Unite ...

, he was a descendant of

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

Robert Livingston and indirectly of

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

, the inventor of the

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

. He was educated at Columbia College.

Career

After his schooling, he began business on

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 ...

, and joined the

on June 7, 1844. Cutting was at one point president of the New York Stock Exchange, and he remained with the organization until February 1881, when he retired from active business. He was succeeded in business by his sons James and Robert Jr. Along with Jacob H. Schiff,

Marcellus Hartley Marcellus Hartley (1827 – January 8, 1902) was an American arms dealer and merchant. He was appointed as an agent by the Union Army to purchase guns from Europe during the American Civil War. He later manufactured cartridges for breech-loading ...

Horace Brigham Claflin Horace Brigham Claflin (December 18, 1811 – November 14, 1885) was an American merchant. Early life and education Born in Milford, Massachusetts on December 18, 1811, Horace Brigham Claflin was educated at the Milford Academy. He is a membe ...

, and

Joseph Seligman Joseph Seligman (November 22, 1819 – April 25, 1880) was an American banker and businessman who founded J. & W. Seligman & Co. He was the patriarch of what became known as the Seligman family in USA and was subsequently related to the wealthy ...

, he was a founder of the

in August 1870. On October 17, 1878, the

Edison Electric Light Company General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energy ...

was incorporated in New York with capital of $300,000 and incorporators including Tracy R. Edison, James H. Banker, Norvin Green, Robert L. Cutting, Jr., Thomas A. Edison, and others not including the elder Cutting. On May 19, 1879, the Edison Telephone Company of Europe Ltd. filed articles of incorporation, with Cutting and his son included among the incorporators and trustees. As of September 1891, Cutting was a director in the newly incorporated Westchester and Putnam Railroad Company, with a starting capital of $100,000. Thomas Edison was another director, with 520 shares, and Cutting with 100 shares.

Society life

He joined the Union Club in 1852, and was a prominent member. He also was a supporter and stockholders in the Academy of Music.

Personal life

On October 25, 1836, Cutting was married to Julianna DeWolf (1816–1891) of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. Julianna was the daughter of James DeWolf and Julia Lynch (née Post) DeWolf and the granddaughter of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

James DeWolf James DeWolf (March 18, 1764December 21, 1837) was a slave trader, a privateer during the War of 1812, and a state and national politician. He served as a state legislator for a total of nearly 25 years, and in the 1820s as a United States senat ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Robert Livingston Cutting Jr. (1836–1894), a member of the

* James DeWolf Cutting (1839–1885), a

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

graduate. * Walter Cutting (1841–1907), a broker who married Maria Center Pomeroy (1845–1925). * Julia Cutting (1843–1885), who died unmarried. He died on February 25, 1887, at his home in New York at 141

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

, after being ill for several weeks. During that time, he had not visited the office of Lee & Warren, his partner Lee Warren and his son. His funeral was held on April 31, 1887. Family present included his widow, his son Robert, General William Cutting, and R. Fulton Cutting. Delegations from the Union Club and the New York Stock Exchange were also present. He was buried in the family fault in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutting, Robert L. 1812 births 1887 deaths Robert Livingston Cutting Robert Livingston Cutting Businesspeople from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni Presidents of the New York Stock Exchange Cutting family Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery