Allan Aloysius Ryan (July 4, 1903 – October 13, 1981) was an American financier and politician from

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 * '' ...

Life

He was born on July 4, 1903, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Allan Aloysius Ryan (1880–1940) and Sarah (Tack) Ryan (1879–1957). Allan A. Ryan Sr. was a son of

Thomas Fortune Ryan Thomas Fortune Ryan (October 17, 1851 – November 23, 1928) was an American tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate. Although he lived in New York City for much of his adult career, Ryan was perhaps the greatest benefactor of the Roman Ca ...

(1851–1928), and was a stock broker like his father. Ryan Sr. speculated heavily on the stock exchange, went bankrupt in 1922, and was disinherited by his father. Ryan Jr. attended Canterbury School, and graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1924. Then he worked in

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 ...

, to learn the stock business from the bottom up. In 1928, he inherited a fortune from his grandfather, and opened an investment banking firm with Charles H. Sabin Jr. He got a seat on 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 ...

in 1930. On February 5, 1929, Ryan Jr. married Janet Newbold. They were divorced in June 1936. On January 19, 1937, he married Eleanor Barry, a fashion editor of ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

''. Ryan Jr. had a country estate in Rhinebeck and bred

Aberdeen Angus The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 17 ...

cattle in

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

, representing the 28th district (Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties) from 1939 to 1942, sitting in the 162nd and

163rd New York State Legislature The 163rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1941, to April 24, 1942, during the ninth and tenth years of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany. Backg ...

s. On May 29, 1941, Ryan was divorced from his wife Eleanor. On August 5, 1941, he married Priscilla (St. George) Duke, daughter of Congresswoman Katharine St. George (1894–1983) and ex-wife of

Angier Biddle Duke Angier Biddle Duke (November 30, 1915 – April 29, 1995) was an American diplomat who served as Chief of Protocol of the United States in the 1960s. Prior to that, at the age of 36, he became the youngest American ambassador in history when he w ...

(1915–1995). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he became a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the U.S. Army, and served with the

Allied Military Government The Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (originally abbreviated AMGOT, later AMG) was the form of military rule administered by Allied forces during and after World War II within European territories they occupied. Notable AMGOT ...

in Europe. After the war, he was Chairman of the Board of the

Royal Typewriter Company The Royal Typewriter Company is a manufacturer of typewriters founded in January 1904. It was headquartered in New York City with its factory in Hartford, Connecticut. History The Royal Typewriter Company was founded by Edward B. Hess and Lewis ...

and, after a merger in 1954, became Chairman of the Board of Royal McBee. On September 2, 1950, Ryan was divorced from his wife Priscilla. On December 13, 1950, he married Grace Amory, a noted amateur golfer. He died on October 13, 1981, in

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

in Manhattan.''Allan Ryan, Ex-State Senator''
in ''The New York Times'' on October 16, 1981

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Allan A Jr. 1903 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians American chairpersons of corporations American stockbrokers Animal breeders Businesspeople from New York City Canterbury School (Connecticut) alumni Military personnel from New York City New York Stock Exchange people People from Rhinebeck, New York Politicians from Manhattan Princeton University alumni Republican Party New York (state) state senators United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers