John Jay Pierrepont

John Jay Pierrepont (September 2, 1849 – September 25, 1923) was a Brooklyn businessman, financier, and amateur photographer.

Early life

Pierrepont was born on September 2, 1849, in Rye, New York into a prominent Brooklyn family that helped found Green-Wood Cemetery. He was the second son of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont (1808–1888)[1] and Anna Maria (née Jay) Pierrepont (1819–1902).[2] His elder brother was Henry Evelyn Pierrepont II and his sister, Mary Pierrepont, married Rutherfurd Stuyvesant.[3] His father, together with Jacob R. Leroy organized Union Ferry Company.[4] Upon her death in 1880, John and his wife jointly inherited $10,000 (equivalent to $303,000 in 2022).[5]

His paternal grandparents were the merchant, farmer, landowner and land developer Hezekiah Pierrepont and Anna Maria Constable (a daughter of Anna White and William Constable of Philadelphia).[4] His maternal grandparents were Peter Augustus Jay (eldest son of Gov. John Jay) and Mary Rutherford Clarkson (a daughter of General Matthew Clarkson).[6]

Career

Pierrepont was educated at the Columbia Grammar School before attending the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (the predecessor to the New York University Tandon School of Engineering).[7]

He was a member of the firm of Pierrepont Brothers & Co. Following his father's retirement, John with his elder brother Henry took over Pierrepont Stores, the family import-export and warehouse business. Following the death of their father in 1888, the company was leased to the Empire Warehouse Company. In 1895, the brothers sold Pierrepont Stores sold to Brooklyn Wharf and Warehouse Company.[4]

From 1869 to 1888, he was Second Vice President of the South Brooklyn Savings Association (founded in 1850,[8] later renamed Independence Savings Bank,[9] before it was acquired by Santander in 2006).[10] He also served as a director of the All-American Cables Company and the Mexican Telephone Company.[7]

Personal life

Pierrepont was a member of the Brooklyn Institute, the New York Zoological Society, the Audubon Society, the Hamilton Club, the New York Yacht Club, and the Down Town Association. He was also a noted amateur photographer.[11] On October 26, 1876, Pierrepont married Elise de Rham (1850–1879), a daughter of Laura Friedrich (née Schmidt) de Rham and Charles de Rham (the son of Swiss American diplomat Henry Casimir de Rham).[12] Together, they were the parents of one son who died in infancy.[4] Elise died in 1879, and Pierrepont never remarried.[4] He died on September 25, 1923, while aboard a train from Bar Harbor, Maine. He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery.[13]

References
  1. "H.E. PIERREPONT'S FUNERAL". The New York Times. April 1, 1888. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  2. "MRS. A. M. PIERREPONT DEAD.; Was a Granddaughter of John Jay, First Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court". The New York Times. January 3, 1902. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  3. "HENRY E. PIERREPONT DEAD.; Retired Merchant Was One of the Brooklyn Family of Pierreponts". The New York Times. November 5, 1911. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  4. "Pierrepont, John Jay, 1849-1923". snaccooperative.org. Social Networks and Archival Context. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. "MRS. STUYVESANT'S WILL". The New York Times. 10 January 1880. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  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. p. 768. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. Leonard, John William, ed. (1922). Who's Who in Finance and Banking. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Who's Who in Finance, Incorporated. p. 539. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  8. "BANK IS 90 YEARS OLD; South Brooklyn Savings Will Celebrate on Thursday". The New York Times. 9 April 1940. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  9. Dougherty, Philip H. (30 May 1975). "Advertising". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  10. "Order Approving the Acquisition of Shares of Savings Associations" (PDF). federalreserve.gov. The Federal Reserve. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  11. "Guide to the John Jay Pierrepont photograph collection ARC.197". dlib.nyu.edu. Brooklyn Historical Society. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  12. Browning, Charles Henry (1891). Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legimate Issue of Kings. Porter & Costes. p. 380. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  13. "PIERREPONT". The New York Times. 27 September 1923. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
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