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Charles D. Lanier

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American banker and railroad executive (1837–1926)
Charles Lanier
Born(1837-01-19)January 19, 1837
Madison, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 1926(1926-03-06) (aged 89)
New York City, U.S.
EducationRussell Military Academy
Spouse Sarah E. Egleston ​ ​(m. 1857; died 1898)​
Children4
Parent(s)James F. D. Lanier
Elizabeth Gardner
RelativesCharles Lawrance (grandson)
John R. Cravens (brother-in-law)
William McKee Dunn (brother-in-law)

Charles Lanier (January 19, 1837 – March 6, 1926) was an American banker, and railroad executive who inherited the bulk of his father's fortune, who was a close friend of J.P. Morgan.

Early life

Lanier was born on January 19, 1837, in Madison, Indiana. He was the son of James Franklin Doughty Lanier (1800–1881) and Elizabeth (née Gardner) Lanier (1798–1846). He was the brother of Alexander Chalmers Lanier; Elizabeth Frances Lanier, who married Brig. Gen. William McKee Dunn; Drucilla Ann Lanier, who married John Robert Cravens, the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana; Mary Lanier, who married John Cameron Stone; Louisa Morris Lanier; and Katherine Howard Lanier.

In 1655, his ancestor, Thomas Lanier, a French Huguenot refugee, came to America accompanied by John Washington, the great-grandfather of President George Washington. Thomas, who settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia, married Washington's daughter, Anne Washington (1662–1697).

Career

In 1859, he joined his father in the family banking establishment, Winslow, Lanier & Co., that was founded in 1849 with Richard H. Winslow. He was given an interest in 1860, and later became head of the firm. The younger Lanier worked continuously at Winslow, Lanier & Co. for sixty-seven years, one of the longest careers in banking at that time.

He served on the boards of the Southern Railway, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway (of which he was president and his father was the first president), Massillon & Cleveland Railroad, and a trustee of the Central Union Trust Company. In addition, he was a director of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the West Shore Railroad, the Western Union Telegraph Co., The Central & South American Telegraph Co., the Madison Square Garden Co., and the National Bank of Commerce.

Lanier was a close friend of fellow banker J.P. Morgan, and the two worked together on many of the largest and most important transactions of the day. Lanier was part of the small group, known as the "Corsair Club," as it met on Morgan's yacht, the ‘’Corsair’’.

Social affiliations

He also served on the board of the American Museum of Natural History for forty-eight years, retiring in 1923. He was a member of the Metropolitan Club, The Union League Club, the Knickerbocker Club, the New York Yacht Club and the Pilgrim Club.

Personal life

On October 7, 1857, Lanier was married to Sarah E. Egleston (1837–1898), the daughter of Thomas Egleston. Together, they were the parents of:

In 1882, Lanier and his wife built an estate called "Allen Winden" in Lenox, Massachusetts. After Lanier’s death in 1926, the house was demolished, and replaced by a simpler home designed by Henry Seaver.

Lanier died on March 6, 1926, at his residence, 20 East Thirty-Sixth Street in Manhattan. He left an estate valued at $9,677,364.

Descendants

Through his daughter Sarah, he was the grandfather of engineer Charles Lawrance and Kitty Lanier Lawrance (1893-1936). Both Charles and Kitty were raised by their grandfather, as their parents died when she was still young. In 1915, Kitty married W. Averell Harriman (1891-1986), who later became the Governor of New York. They later divorced in 1928.

References

  1. ^ "CHARLES LANIER, BANKER, DIES AT 89; Senior Member of Winslow, Lanier & Co. for 63 Years Is Victim of Apoplexy. CAME OF A NOTED FAMILY Had a Common Ancestor With Washington -- In Many Big Transactions -- Funeral Tomorrow". The New York Times. 8 March 1926. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  2. "THE FUNERAL OF JAMES F.D. LANIER". The New York Times. 31 August 1881. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  3. "ALEXANDER C. LANIER DEAD; Was a Member of the Firm of Winslow, Lanier & Co., Bankers". The New York Times. 12 October 1895. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  4. "GEN. DUNN BURIED". The New York Times. 27 July 1887. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  5. "Obituary -- STONE". The New York Times. 9 June 1862. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  6. "MYLES STANDISH DIES AT 66.; Eighth Descendant of Pilgrim Soldier Was a Retired Lawyer". The New York Times. 2 July 1915. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  7. Warren, Kenneth (2007). Industrial Genius: The Working Life of Charles Michael Schwab. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 244. ISBN 9780822971146. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  8. ^ Hall, Henry (1895). America's Successful Men of Affairs: The City of New York. New York Tribune. p. 381. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  9. Cox, Terry (2003). Collectible Stocks and Bonds from North American Railroads: Guide with Prices. Terry Cox. p. 58. ISBN 9780974648507. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  10. Vincent P. Carosso, Rose C. Carosso, "The Morgans" (Harvard University Press, 1987) p. 248
  11. Welles, Albert (1879). The Pedigree and History of the Washington Family: Derived from Odin, the Founder of Scandinavia, B.C. 70, Involving a Period of Eighteen Centuries, and Including Fifty-five Generations, Down to General George Washington, First President of the United States. Society Library. p. 121. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  12. "DIED. Lanier". The New York Times. 19 April 1898. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  13. "NOTABLES MOURN MRS. H. B. LANIER; Artur Bodanzky Leads Chorus of Friends in Music From St. John Passion. ORCHESTRA MEN ATTEND figures in Music World Also Join Relatives in Tribute to the Founder of Group". The New York Times. 4 November 1931. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  14. "LANIER--BISHOP". The New York Times. November 25, 1885. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  15. ^ Kerstein, Bob. "Charles Lanier". smokershistory.com. Bank History, Central Trust Company of New York. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  16. Times, Special To The New York (5 June 1958). "Obituary -- APPLETON". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  17. "FRANCIS R. APPLETON DIES AT COUNTRY HOME; Retired New York Business Man and a Former Harvard Overseer". The New York Times. 3 January 1929. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  18. "MRS. ELIZABETH TURNURE; Her Ancestor and Washington's Came to America Together". The New York Times. 26 December 1935. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  19. "GEORGE E. TURNURE, BANKER, DIES AT 77; Was a Director of Insurance Companies -- Father of Avia- tor Killed in War". The New York Times. 26 December 1933. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  20. "Lenox as a Resort - Old Stockbridge Road - Lenox History". lenoxhistory.org. Lenox History. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  21. "LANIER'S WILL LEAVES GIFTS TO CHARITY; Banker's Will Gives Silver Zodiac Tray to J.P. Morgan -- Employes Remembered". The New York Times. 23 March 1926. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  22. "LANIER LEFT ESTATE OF $9,677,364 NET; Broker's Securities Appraised at $4,402,858 and His Interest in Firm $4,617,418. BULK GOES TO FAMILY His Secretary Gets $40,000 Bequest -- Memento to His Friend J.P. Morgan". The New York Times. 22 November 1927. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  23. "C.L. LAWRANCE, 67, AN INVENTOR, DIES; Developed Wright Whirlwind Engine That Powered Noted Distance Plane Flights". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  24. Staff (July 3, 1915). "MISS LAWRANCE TO WED W. A. HARRIMAN Romance in Match of Late Railroad Magnate's Son and C. Lanier's Granddaughter. FIANCEE A SPORTS DEVOTEE Just Recovered from Injury Received While Horseback Riding with the Young Financier". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  25. "Mrs. W. Averell Harriman Dies; Former Governor's Wife Was 67". New York Times. September 27, 1970. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
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