Robert Livingston Cutting Jr. (July 2, 1836 – January 13, 1894) was an American banker and clubman who was prominent in 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 ...

. He was also prominent as a municipal reformer who tried to clean New York up from

Boss Tweed William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below), and widely known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany ...

's corrupt influence.

Early life

Cutting was born 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 ...

on July 2, 1836, and was known as Bob Cutting. He was the oldest of four children born to Robert Livingston Cutting (1812–1887) and Julianna (''

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 ...

'' DeWolf) Cutting (1816–1891). His father was a past 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 ...

and 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 ...

. His siblings included James DeWolf Cutting, 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, a broker who married Maria Center Pomeroy; and Julia Cutting who did not marry. His mother was 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 ...

. His paternal grandparents were William Cutting (1773–1820) and Gertrude (''née''

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

) Cutting (1779–1864). Among his uncles were

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, and Robert Fulton Cutting, who married the poet

Elise Justine Bayard Elise Justine Bayard Cutting (August 16, 1823 – 1853) was an American poet. Early life Elise Justine Bayard was born in Fishkill, New York, Bayard was the daughter of Robert Bayard (1797–1878) and Elizabeth McEvers, both members of old New Yo ...

. His great-grandfather was

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, and his great-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 ...

Career

In 1862, Cutting became a special partner in the brokerage firm of Lee, Lyon & Co., with an office located at 19 William Street. The firm name was changed to John Benjamin Lee & Co., and later to Lee, Livingston & Co. In 1864, he became a member of the

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and a municipal reformer, Cutting served on the Committee of Seventy in 1871 which sought to oust the

and his cohorts from city government.

Society life

In 1892, Cutting was included in Ward McAllister'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 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 The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...

's ballroom. Cutting was a member of the Manhattan Club, the Knickerbocker Club, the Union Club of the City of New York, the Metropolitan Club, the Racquet Club, and the Tuxedo Club.

Personal life

On October 24, 1867, Cutting was married to Judith Carter Moale (1847–1915), a "celebrated Baltimore belle" who was the daughter of William Armistead Moale of Baltimore, a direct descendant of the

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

and Byrd families of Virginia. Judith's sister, Evelyn Byrd Moale, was married to

I. Townsend Burden Isaiah Townsend Burden (February 21, 1838 – April 23, 1913) was prominent American member of New York Society during the Gilded Age. Early life Burden was born February 21, 1838, in Troy, New York, the fifth son of Helen ( née McOuat) (180 ...

of the

Burden Iron Works The Burden Iron Works was an iron works and industrial complex on the Hudson River and Wynantskill Creek in Troy, New York. It once housed the Burden Water Wheel, the most powerful vertical water wheel in history. It is widely believed that George ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Robert Livingston Cutting III (1868–1910), who married Minnie Seligman, an actress, in 1892. He was disinherited by his parents after this marriage, and was eventually sued by his mother for allegedly embezzling part of her fortune. * John Carter Cutting (1870–1870), who died young. * William Armistead Moale Cutting (1871–1878), who died young. * James DeWolf Cutting (1875–1917), who was attending

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

at the time of his father's death. He later became a broker and inherited his mother's entire estate upon her death in 1915. He never married. Cutting resided 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 ...

in Manhattan. Around 1885, his wife who was an invalid for many years, moved to Paris, where she lived for the rest of her life. Cutting died unexpectedly of Bright's disease while traveling in a Broadway cable car on January 13, 1894, at the age of 57. After a service at

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disam ...

, he was buried in the family fault in Green-Wood Cemetery. His funeral was attended by many prominent New Yorkers, including Cornelius Vanderbilt II,

Chauncey M. Depew Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834April 5, 1928) was an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician. He is best remembered for his two terms as United States Senator from New York and for his work for Cornelius Vanderbilt, as ...

J. Pierpont Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

Henry Clews Henry Clews (August 14, 1834 – January 31, 1923) was a British-American financier and author. Early life Clews was born on August 14, 1834, in Staffordshire, England.Ingham, John N. "Clews, Henry." 'Biographical Dictionary of American Business ...

, Judge Charles A. Peabody, Col. Stephen Van Rensselaer Cruger, and many others.

References

External links

*
1886 Portrait of Robert Livingston Cutting, Jr.
by

Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta (24 July 1841 – 15 September 1920) was a Spanish painter from the Madrazo family of artists who worked in the Realistic style, although his later work shows signs of Rococo and Japanese influence. He was known pr ...

at the New-York Historical Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutting Jr., Robert Livingston 1836 births 1894 deaths Robert Livingston Cutting Jr. Robert Livingston Cutting Jr. Businesspeople from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni Cutting family Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery