Herman D. Aldrich

Herman Daggett Aldrich (July 6, 1801 – April 5, 1880) was an American businessman and philanthropist in the Gilded Age.[1]

Herman D. Aldrich
Born
Herman Daggett Aldrich

July 6, 1801
Mattituck, Suffolk County, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 5, 1880(1880-04-05) (aged 78)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeGreen-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
Elizabeth Wyman
​
​
(after 1840)​
Children5
ParentJames Aldrich
RelativesThomas Underwood Dudley (son-in-law)

Early life

Herman Daggett Aldrich was born on July 6, 1801, in Mattituck, New York.[2] His father, James Aldrich, was of English descent.[2] His nephew, Herman D. Aldrich Jr. married in 1860.[3][4]

Career

Aldrich moved to New York City, where he worked for Stephen Lockwood, a merchant.[2]

In 1820, Aldrich co-founded McCurdy and Aldrich, a dry goods commission firm, with Robert Henry McCurdy.[5] It later became known as McCurdy, Aldrich and Spencer.[5][6] The three partners retired c. 1860, when it became Low, Harriman & Co.,[7] founded by Oliver Harriman and his father-in-law, James Low.[8]

Aldrich made charitable contributions to St. Luke's Hospital Center.[2]

Personal life

In 1840, Aldrich married Elizabeth Wyman (1821–1904), the daughter of Hannah D. Mayo and Samuel Wyman,[2] who donated Wyman Park to Johns Hopkins University.[9][4] They resided on 14th Street, until they moved to 200 Madison Avenue, both of which are located in Manhattan, New York City.[7] In addition to three children who died in childhood, they had three sons and two daughters:[10]

  • Mary Elizabeth Aldrich (d. 1919), who married Thomas Underwood Dudley (1837–1904), the second Episcopal Bishop of Kentucky.[2][11]
  • James Herman Aldrich (1843–1917), who married Mary Gertrude Edson (1850–1924).[12][13]
  • William Wyman Aldrich (1849–1891)
  • Helen Hudson Aldrich (1851–1926), who married Rev. Dr. James Nevett Steele (1850–1916) of the Trinity Church. He was the nephew of Rep. John Nevett Steele.[14][15]
  • Spencer Aldrich (1854–1936), who married Harriet Dall Hall (1855–1937) in 1878.[9]

Aldrich died on April 5, 1880, at his Madison Avenue residence.[7][16] His funeral was held as a joint ceremony with Robert Henry McCurdy, who died on the same day, at the Calvary Church[16] on Wednesday morning.[17] The funeral was attended by Peter Cooper, William E. Dodge, Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, James Watson Webb, Thurlow Weed, etc.[18][19] His sermon was given by Bishop Henry C. Potter and Reverend E. A. Washburne of the Episcopal Church.[20] He was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery, next to McCurdy.[16]

His estate built Aldrich Court, a skyscraper located at 41-45 Broadway in Manhattan, between 1886 and 1887.[21] By September 1905, his extensive real estate holdings, inherited by his widow and valued at US$5 million, were auctioned off.[22]

Descendants

His granddaughter through his on William, Elizabeth Wyman Aldrich, was married to Jacob Berry Underhill, son of Edward B. Underhil in 1892. The Wedding was performed by Aldrich's son-in-law, Bishop Dudley and the reception was hosted by his widow at their home at 200 Madison Avenue.[23]

References
  1. New York Star Almanac. Knox. 1879. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  2. Hall, Henry (1895). America's Successful Men of Affairs: An Encyclopedia of Contemporaneous Biography. New York City: The New York Tribune. p. 13.
  3. "MARRIED". The New York Times. 1 November 1860. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. Howard, Nathan; Stover, Rowland M. (1872). Practice Reports in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Joel Munsell. p. 65. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. Ingham, John N. (1983). Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 896. ISBN 9780313213625.
  6. "Hubbard family papers, 1639-1925". loc.gov/. Library of Congress. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. "Herman D. Aldrich". The New York Times. 6 April 1880. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  8. "Death of Oliver Harriman" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, New York. March 13, 1904. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  9. Times, Special To The New York (9 July 1936). "SPENCER ALDRICH, 82, DIES AT BAY SHORE; Retired Lawyer Also ungaged in Real Estate -- Built Aldrich Court in 1886". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  10. Who's Who in New York City and State. L.R. Hamersly Company. 1909. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. "A Bishop Married. At Calvary Church". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 3, 1881. p. 2. Retrieved December 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  12. "DIED. Aldrich". The New York Times. January 4, 1917. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  13. "DIED Aldrich". The New York Times. 11 August 1924. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  14. "DIED. Steele". The New York Times. 25 August 1916.
  15. "REV. DR. J. N. STEELE DIES.; Former Vicar of Old Trlnity Church Was a Patron of Music". The New York Times. 24 August 1916. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  16. "The Scythe of Death. Two of New York's Oldest and Most Esteemed Citizens Laid Side By Side". Record of the Times. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. April 8, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved December 3, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. "DIED. Aldrich". The New York Times. April 6, 1880. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  18. "New York Notes". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. April 11, 1880. p. 16. Retrieved December 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  19. "THE TWO DEAD PARTNERS.; FUNERAL SERVICES THAT ATTRACTED A NOTABLE GATHERING". The New York Times. 8 April 1880. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  20. "Current Events". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. April 8, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved December 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  21. Landau, Sarah; Condit, Carl W. (1996). Rise of the New York Skyscraper, 1865–1913. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-300-07739-1. OCLC 32819286.
  22. "BROADWAY BUILDINGS TO GO AT AUCTION; Aldrich Estate Holdings, Valued at $5,000,000, to be Sold. ALDRICH COURT IN THE LIST The Columbia Building, Several Other Broadway Structures, and 500 Oyster Bay Lots Included". The New York Times. September 14, 1905. Retrieved December 5, 2015. Announcement has just been made that one of the largest auction sales of real estate ever held in this city will take place on Oct. 25 at the Vesey Street salesroom. The properties involved belong to the estate of the late Elizabeth W. Aldrich, and their value has been estimated at $5,000,000.
  23. "YESTERDAY'S WEDDINGS.; UNDERHILL -- ALDRICH". The New York Times. November 3, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
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