Robert L. Cutting

American businessperson
Robert L. Cutting
President of the
New York Stock Exchange
In office
1865–1866
Preceded byWilliam Seymour Jr.
Succeeded byWilliam Alexander Smith
Personal details
Born
Robert Livingston Cutting

(1812-01-19)January 19, 1812
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 25, 1887(1887-02-25) (aged 75)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting placeGreen-Wood Cemetery
Spouse
Julianna De Wolf
​
​
(m. 1836)​
Parent(s)William Cutting
Gertrude Livingston
RelativesFrancis Cutting (brother)
Walter Livingston (grandfather)
Henry W. Livingston (uncle)
Alma materColumbia College
OccupationBusinessperson, banker

Robert Livingston Cutting (January 19, 1812 – February 25, 1887)[1] was an American businessperson based in New York City.[2] At one point president of the New York Stock Exchange,[1] he was a co-founder of the Continental Bank of New York in August 1870.[3]

Early life

Cutting was born on January 19, 1812, in New York City. He was the son of William Cutting (1773–1820) and Gertrude (née Livingston) Cutting (1779–1864). His siblings included William Leonard Cutting; U.S. Representative Francis Brockholst Cutting; Henry Livingston Cutting; Charles Grenville Cutting; Julia Gertrude Cutting; Anne Frances Cutting, who married Baron Alfred Ruebell; and Robert Fulton Cutting, who married poet Elise Justine Bayard; and Walter Livingston Cutting.[4][5]

His maternal grandparents were Walter Livingston, the first Speaker of the New York State Assembly, and Cornelia (née Schuyler) Livingston.[6] His uncle was U.S. Representative Henry Walter Livingston,[7] [8] and through the Livingston family, he was a descendant of Judge Robert Livingston and indirectly of Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat.[1]

He was educated at Columbia College.[1]

Career

After his schooling, he began business on Wall Street, and joined the New York Stock Exchange on June 7, 1844.[1] Cutting was at one point president of the New York Stock Exchange, and he remained with the organization until February 1881, when he retired from active business. He was succeeded in business by his sons James and Robert Jr.[1]

Along with Jacob H. Schiff, Marcellus Hartley, Horace Brigham Claflin, and Joseph Seligman, he was a founder of the Continental Bank of New York in August 1870.[3]

On October 17, 1878, the Edison Electric Light Company was incorporated in New York with capital of $300,000 and incorporators including Tracy R. Edison, James H. Banker, Norvin Green, Robert L. Cutting, Jr., Thomas A. Edison, and others not including the elder Cutting.[9] On May 19, 1879, the Edison Telephone Company of Europe Ltd. filed articles of incorporation, with Cutting and his son included among the incorporators and trustees.[10]

As of September 1891, Cutting was a director in the newly incorporated Westchester and Putnam Railroad Company, with a starting capital of $100,000. Thomas Edison was another director, with 520 shares, and Cutting with 100 shares.[11]

Society life

He joined the Union Club in 1852, and was a prominent member. He also was a supporter and stockholders in the Academy of Music.[1]

Personal life

Julianna DeWolf Cutting, portrait by Alexandre Cabanel, 1888

On October 25, 1836, Cutting was married to Julianna DeWolf (1816–1891) of Bristol.[12] Julianna was the daughter of James DeWolf and Julia Lynch (née Post) DeWolf and the granddaughter of U.S. Senator James DeWolf.[12] Together, they were the parents of:[13]

He died on February 25, 1887, at his home in New York at 141 Fifth Avenue, after being ill for several weeks. During that time, he had not visited the office of Lee & Warren, his partner Lee Warren and his son.[1] His funeral was held on April 31, 1887. Family present included his widow, his son Robert, General William Cutting, and R. Fulton Cutting. Delegations from the Union Club and the New York Stock Exchange were also present. He was buried in the family fault in Green-Wood Cemetery.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Robert L. Cutting Dead; Close of a Long and Successful Business Career". The New York Times. February 26, 1887. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Funeral of Robert L. Cutting". The New York Times. March 1, 1887. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Continental Bank to Mark 70th Year; Institution Has 3,500 Depositors and 6,000 Stockholders". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. August 1, 1940. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Dunn, Elwood D.; Beyan, Amos J.; Burrowes, Carl Patrick (December 20, 2000). Historical Dictionary of Liberia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461659310. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Mrs. William Cutting (ca. 1776-1864)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  6. ^ Bergen, Tunis Garret (1915). Genealogies of the State of New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  7. ^ American Millionaires: The Tribune's List of Persons Reputed to Worth a Million Or More. Lines of Business in which the Fortunes Were Made. Tribune Association. 1892. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  8. ^ Family Magazine: Or Monthly Abstract of General Knowledge. Redfield and Lindsay. 1839. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  9. ^ "CITY AND SUBURBAN NEWS". The New York Times. The New York Times, New York City, United States. October 18, 1878. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  10. ^ "Edison Telephone Company". The New York Times. The New York Times, New York City, United States. May 20, 1879. Retrieved April 11, 2018. The Edison Telephone Company, of Europe, limited, filed articles of incorporation yesterday, the incorporaters being Thomas A. Edison, Robert L. Cutting, Robbert L. Cutting, Jr., S. S. White, and James H. Banker, who are also Trustees for the first year.
  11. ^ "EDISON AS A RAILROAD MAN". The New York Times. September 30, 1891. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c Perry, Calbraith Bourn (1902). Charles D'Wolf of Guadaloupe, his ancestors and descendants: being a complete genealogy of the "Rhode Island D'Wolfs," the descendants of Simon De Wolf, with their common descent from Balthasar De Wolf of Lyme, Conn. (1668): with a biographical introduction and appendices of the Nova Scotian de Wolfs and other allied families. Higginson Books Co. p. 160. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Robert Livingston Cutting, Jr. (1837-1894)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  14. ^ Yale University (1895). Catalogue. New Haven. p. 383. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  15. ^ Delta Phi (1907). Delta Phi catalogue [of the members of the fraternity] 1827-1907. Mason-Henry Press. p. 167. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  16. ^ Palmer, Henry L.; Codding, James H. (1907). Proceedings Scottish Rite (Masonic order) Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction. New York: Jack Kempster Printing Company. p. 319. Retrieved 4 May 2018.

External links