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James Blanchard Clews (August 4, 1859 – December 17, 1934) was an American railroad executive and banker.

Early life

Clews was born in Dunkirk in Chautauqua County, New York on August 4, 1859. He was a son of John Clews (1826–1862) and Sabina (née Dayman) Clews (1830–1912). His older brother was John Henry Clews, who also became a banker.

His uncle was the prominent financier and author Henry Clews. Among his many cousins were Elsie Clews Parsons (wife of U.S. Representative Herbert Parsons) and artist Henry Clews Jr., who lived at the Château de la Napoule in France. His paternal grandparents were Bessie (née Kendrick) Clews and James Clews, a prosperous manufacturer of Staffordshire ware.

He graduated from Chamberlain College in Randolph, New York in 1888.

Career

He received his business training in the general offices of the Red Line Transit Company and of the Union Steamboat Company of Buffalo, New York where he learned the railroad and transportation business. He later became president of the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Railway Company during its reorganization. He served as chairman of the Ontario and Western Railroad Stockholder's Committee, which succeeded in dissolving the Voting Trust after years of failed attempts. He served as chairman of the board of the Standard Cordage, president of the Cannabis Manufacturing Company, director of the Irving Publishing Company and the New Amsterdam Casualty Company. He was also a trustee of the East River Savings Institution and a governor of the Northwest Dispensary.

He became a partner in his uncle's financial firm known as Henry Clews & Co. After the death of his uncle Henry in 1923, he succeeded as senior partner of Henry Clews & Co., located at 15 Broad Street in lower Manhattan.

Personal life

In November 1908, Clews was married to Leta Alicia (née Nichols) Livingston (1865–1919) at Bernardsville, New Jersey. Leta, the widow of Oscar Frederick Livingston (1824–1901), was a daughter of Washington Romaine Nichols and Alicia (née MacKay) Nichols and a great-granddaughter of General Benjamin Romaine of prison ship martyr fame. Together, James and Leta lived at 1039 Fifth Avenue, and were the parents of:

• Leta Clews (1912–1991), who married Seymour LeGrand Cromwell Jr. (1902–1965), a son of Seymour L. Cromwell (a former president of the New York Stock Exchange), in 1936. Leta Cromwell was a resident and philanthropist in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

After the death of his first wife, he married Mary Ann Payne (1890–1973), a daughter of Mrs. Edward Raphael Payne of Baltimore, in the White and Gold Room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on October 2, 1926. Mary Ann was a direct descendant of Sir Robert Payne, one of the first settlers of Virginia. They owned a summer home, La Lanterne in Brookville on Long Island.

Clews died at his home, 1 East 62nd Street in Manhattan on December 17, 1934. After a funeral at St. Bartholomew's in New York, he was buried at Locust Valley Cemetery in Locust Valley, New York. After his death, his widow married George Blumenthal, a banker and president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After Blumenthal died in 1941, she married Gen. Ralph K. Robertson. After Robertson died in 1964, she married Russian Baron Charles P. von Wrangell-Rokassowsky in 1968 before her death in 1973 at the age of 84.

References

1. ^ "JAMES B. CLEWS, BROKER, IS DEAD; Succeeded Uncle, Henry Clews, Noted in Wall Street, as Senior Partner in 1923. 'BOY' RAILROAD PRESIDENT Member of Boards of Several Corporations -- Helped Dissolve N. Y., O. & W. Voting Trust" (PDF). The New York Times. December 18, 1934. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
2. ^ Men and Women of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. L.R. Hamersly. 1909. p. 363. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
3. ^ "Henry Clews Dies in His 89th Year. Notable Wall Street Figure for More Than Sixty Years Succumbs to Bronchitis". The New York Times. February 1, 1923. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
4. "Miss Clews is Married". The New York Times. Newport, Massachusetts. September 2, 1900. p. 5. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
5. "MRS. ROBERT GOELET WEDS H. CLEWS, JR. Divorcees Are Married in Her Home a Few Hours After Obtaining License. A SURPRISE FOR FRIENDS Bridegroom, Son of Banker, Is an Artist, and Bride Studied Painting in His Newport Studio" (PDF). The New York Times. December 20, 1914. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
6. "MRS. META LIVINGSTON WEDS; Married to J. B. Clews, the Banker's Nephew, at Bernardsville, N. J." (PDF). The New York Times. November 19, 1908. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
7. "IN THE REAL ESTATE FIELD; James B. Clews Buys Fifth Avenue Corner -- Claremont Avenue Purchase -- Prominent Bronx Corner Sold -- Big Auction Announced" (PDF). The New York Times. April 23, 1908. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
8. "LETA CLEWS WED TO S. L. CROMLL; Ceremony Peormed by Chief Justice F. L. Kernochan of Special Sessions. A SURPRISE TO SOCIETY Bride's Father the Late James B. Clews, Prominent Broker-Bridegroom Princeton Man" (PDF). The New York Times. May 2, 1936. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
9. "MISS MARY A. PAYNE WEDS J. B. CLEWS; Bride Wears Costume of Bronze Colored Velvet at Afternoon Ceremony at the Plaza" (PDF). The New York Times. October 3, 1926. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
10. Lawrance, Gary (March 27, 2015). "The James Clews mansion, La Lanterne at Brookville, New York". Long Island Mansions of the Gilded Age. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
11. "Maj. Gen. Ralph K. Robertson, Lawyer and Soldier, Dies at 81". The New York Times. October 6, 1964. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
12. "Baroness, 84, Benefactor Of St. Vincent's Hospital" (PDF). The New York Times. September 19, 1973. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
13. "J. B. CLEWS'S ESTATE VALUED AT $1,690,064; Broker Was Worth $4,000,000 in 1929, the Transfer Tax Papers Disclose" (PDF). The New York Times. February 16, 1937. Retrieved December 13, 2019.

External links

• James Blanchard Clews at Find a Grave

• 1859 births
• 1934 deaths
• American bankers
• Burials at Locust Valley Cemetery
• Clews family