Rudolph Keppler (February 27, 1845 – June 4, 1923) was a German-American banker who served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

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 ...

Early life

Keppler was born in

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was th ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on February 27, 1845. He was a son of Carl Friedrich Keppler and the former Anna Maria Zogelmann. He came to New York City in the 1850s as a boy, and was educated in New York.

Career

A banker for many years, he was head of the firm of Keppler & Co. until his retirement in 1914, at which time his son took over the business. The firm was later bought and renamed Hellwig & Reutter. In 1875, he joined the

and remained a member for forty-four years. He served as president of the Exchange for five years from 1898 through 1902. While he was president of the Exchange, much of his time was devoted to the supervising the construction of the building at 11 Wall Street. When President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

in 1901 in Buffalo during the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

, "it was said that Mr. Keppler's conservative judgment and the trust in which he was held by

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 ...

were important factors in preventing a panic and allaying nervous fears." In 1913, he was questioned by

Samuel Untermyer Samuel J. Untermyer (March 6, 1858 – March 16, 1940) was a prominent American lawyer and civic leader. He is also remembered for bequeathing his Yonkers, New York estate, now known as Untermyer Park, to the people of New York State. Life S ...

during the so-called Pujo Money Trust Investigation. Keppler was succeeded in the presidency by Ransom H. Thomas. Upon his retirement from business in 1914, Keppler resigned from the board of governors of the Exchange, on which he had served for thirty-two years, and was succeeded by Arthur Turnbull.

Personal life

In 1868, Keppler was married to Elise Augusta Gramm (1847–1917), a daughter of Ferdinand Gramm and Emilie (

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 ...

Lubke) Gramm. Together, they were the parents of: * Emil Alexander Carl Keppler (1872–1942), who succeeded his father as senior member of Keppler & Co. Keppler died at his home, 11 West 84th Street in Manhattan, on June 4, 1923. He was buried at

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city. Initially , it was ...

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

. In his will, Keppler left a total of $85,000 to seven hospitals and welfare institutions. His son Emil received $250,000 cash, his country home at Twin Lakes, Connecticut, and his personal effects which were valued at $30,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keppler, Rudolph 1845 births 1923 deaths People from Konstanz Presidents of the New York Stock Exchange German emigrants to the United States German bankers American bankers Burials at Kensico Cemetery