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Robert Morrison Olyphant (September9, 1824May3, 1918) was an American businessman active 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 ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in the late 19th century. He served as president of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad for 20 years.


Life and career

Olyphant was born on September 9, 1824, in
Manhattan, New York City Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
, to David Olyphant and Ann Archer (McKenzie) Olyphant. After graduating from Columbia College in 1842, he entered his father's firm, Olyphant & Co., in 1842. Olyphant was named for the Scottish missionary Robert Morrison, who was a friend of his father from Canton (now
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
), China. Olyphant was in China between 18441845 and later, from 1858, reorganized Olyphant and Co. in Canton. He retired from the China trade in 1873. On his return from China, he was appointed to the board of managers of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company (later the Delaware and Hudson Railroad) and subsequently served as the company's assistant president and vice president followed by a twenty-year stint as president. He died on May 3, 1918, at his home at 160 West Fifty-ninth Street in
Manhattan, New York City Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
. Olyphant is the great-great-grandfather of actor
Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' ''Th ...
.


References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olyphant, Robert 1824 births 1918 deaths People from Manhattan Robert Morrison American people of Scottish descent Columbia College (New York) alumni 19th-century American businesspeople