Charles Oliver Iselin (June 8, 1854 – January 1, 1932) was an American

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

and

yachtsman A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

who was captain of racing yachts that won the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one ...

three times.

Early life

Iselin was the son of Adrian Georg Iselin and Eleanora O Donnell Iselin. His great great-grandfather Isaac Iselin-Roulet came to America in 1801 from

Basel, Switzerland , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...

, where the Iselin's had been merchants, public officials, and military and professional men since the 14th century. Isaac amassed a large fortune in the importing business, and his descendants became private bankers and philanthropists 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

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Education

He was educated at

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 ...

, graduating in 1874 with a LL.B.

Yachting

Oliver was considered to be one of the greatest American yachtsmen of his time, participating in and winning six consecutive

races: 1887, 1893, 1895, 1899, 1901 and 1903. He built a large ''breakwater'' next to his Premium Point,

estate All View so that he could dock his yachts '' Defender'', '' Reliance'' and ''

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

'' safely at home. In 1994 Oliver Iselin was inducted into the Herreshoff Marine Museum's

America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...

Personal life

Iselin was first married to Fannie Garner (1861–1890) with whom he had a son, C. Oliver Jr. (1890-1979), who named his son, C. Oliver III (1927-2017). After her death, he married Hope Goddard (1868–1970), who was the first woman ever to serve as part of the crew on an America's Cup yacht, in 1894. Iselin died on January 1, 1932, at Glen Head on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

Gallery

Jsj-750-Columbia Shamrock 1899.jpg, Columbia Defender(yacht).jpg, Defender YachtReliance.jpg, Reliance

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iselin, Charles Oliver 1854 births 1932 deaths American male sailors (sport) America's Cup sailors American bankers New York Yacht Club Sportspeople from New York City Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York People from Glen Head, New York American people of Swiss descent Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Columbia Law School alumni Iselin family