George Gosman DeWitt

George Gosman DeWitt Jr. (April 9, 1845 – January 12, 1912)[1] was a prominent American lawyer and philanthropist.

George Gosman DeWitt
38th President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York
In office
1904–1905
Preceded byStuyvesant Fish
Succeeded byAusten George Fox
Personal details
Born(1845-04-09)April 9, 1845
Callicoon, New York
DiedJanuary 12, 1912(1912-01-12) (aged 66)
Manhattan
Spouse
Ellen Reed Flagg
​
​
(m. 1877)​
Parent(s)George Gosman DeWitt Sr.
Julia Foster DeWitt
EducationColumbia Grammar School
Alma materColumbia University
Columbia Law School

Early life

DeWitt was born in Callicoon in New York's Sullivan County on April 9, 1845. He was one of seven children born to George Gosman DeWitt Sr. and Julia (née Foster in Lansingburg, New York) DeWitt, who married in 1836. Among his siblings were Jeanette DeWitt; Peter DeWitt, a merchant;[2] Julian Foster DeWitt, who married Ellen Tiffany;[3] William Gillespie DeWitt; Theodore DeWitt;[2] and Susan Caroline DeWitt.[4]

His paternal grandparents were Jenat (née Gosman) DeWitt and Peter DeWitt,[2] the "attorney for the New York City Mayor's Court", and "a man of considerable and varied accomplishments."[4] Among his great-grandparents were Johannes Radcliff DeWitt,[2] a mill-owning Revolutionary War soldier who served as Sheriff of Dutchess County, New York.[5] Among his extended family was Charles DeWitt, a delegate to the Continental Congress; and Charles G. DeWitt, a U.S. Representative and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, Guatemala.[4]

His father graduated from Yale University in 1826 and worked in a mercantile office in New York City. When his "health became impaired,"[6] he moved to Callicoon, where George Jr. was born.[6] Young George attended Dr. Charles Anthon's Columbia Grammar School, followed by Columbia University, earning an A.B. degree in 1867 and an A.M. degree in 1869, and Columbia Law School, where he earned an LL.B. degree in 1870.[6][7]

Career

DeWitt followed in his grandfather's footsteps and began practicing law. He joined the law firm of DeWitt, Lockman & Kip,[8] whose partners included his uncles C. J. and E. DeWitt and John Thomas Lockman and George Goelet Kip. Based in his grandfather's former office at 88 Nassau Street and later renamed DeWitt, Lockman & DeWitt,[9][10] the firm was known for its work defending the estates of New York's old Dutch families.[11]

He was a trustee of his alma mater, Columbia University (beginning in 1890), the Fulton Trust Company, the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company, the Greenwich Savings Bank. He was also a director of the Chemical National Bank.[1]

DeWitt was a governor of New York Hospital and Roosevelt Hospital, and a vice-president of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.[9] He was elected a member of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York on March 4, 1889, and, in 1904, served two terms as the Society's 42nd President, succeeding Stuyvesant Fish.[9]

Personal life

On May 23, 1877, DeWitt was married to Ellen "Ella" Reed Flagg (1852–1933).[12][13][5]

DeWitt died of heart disease on January 12, 1912, at his home, 39 West 51st Street in New York City.[14] He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.[1]

References
  1. "GEORGE G. DE WITT, LAWYER, DEAD AT 66; Head of Firm of De Witt, Lockman & De Witt Dies at His Home of Heart Disease" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 January 1912. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York: History, Customs, Record of Events, Constitution, Certain Genealogies, and Other Matters of Interest. V. 1-. Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. 1905. p. 49. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  3. Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York: Organized February 28, 1835, Incorporated April 17, 1841 ... Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. 1923. p. 31. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  4. "DeWitt Family Papers, 1750-1890: New York State Library". www.nysl.nysed.gov. New York State Library. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. York, Holland Society of New; Banta, Theodore Melvin; Winkle, Edward Van; Bogert, Henry Lawrence (1916). Year Book of the Holland Society of New York ... pp. 186, 201. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  6. The University Magazine. The University Magazine Company. 1891. p. 1085. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  7. N.Y.), Columbia College (New York) (1864). Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, for the Year ... D. Van Nostrand.
  8. New York State Bar Association (1912). Proceedings of the New York State Bar Annual Meeting. Boyd Printing Company. p. 571. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  9. Youngs, Florence Evelyn Pratt; Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1914). Portraits of the Presidents of The Society, 1835-1914. New York, NY: Order of the Society. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  10. "Two Hundred Thousand Dollars as a Professional Executor". Democrat and Chronicle. 14 Apr 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  11. Famous Families of New York. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  12. Columbia Alumni News. Alumni Council of Columbia University. January 19, 1912. pp. 301–302. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  13. Who's Who in Finance, Banking, and Insurance. Who's Who in Finance, Incorporated (N.Y.). 1911. p. 558. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  14. "George Gosman DeWitt". npg.si.edu. National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
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