Benjamin Brewster (financier)
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Brewster was an American
industrialist, financier, and one of the original trustees of Standard Oil
.
to Patrick Brewster (fourth great-grandson of Mayflower
Pilgrim
William Brewster
) and Catharine Fanny Roath. He attended public schools in Norwich and went to work as a clerk in New York City
.
, establishing a general mercantile store in San Francisco soon after his arrival. His partner in this enterprise was Oliver Burr Jennings
, and together they amassed a considerable fortune.
Brewster returned East in 1874 and settled permanently in New York City. Following his former partner Oliver Burr Jennings, who had married the sister of William Rockefeller
's wife, he became involved with John D. Rockefeller
in organizing the Standard Oil
Company. When the Standard Oil Trust was formed in 1882 he served as a trustee.
Brewster was prominently associated with the building of the Manhattan Elevated Railway and was also a financial leader in many large railroad transactions, particularly the reorganization of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
. He served as vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
and was a director of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
and the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company
. He was also a director of the International Navigation Company
, owner of the American Line
of steamers.
In 1890 Brewster built a summer home in Cazenovia, New York
, which he named "Scrooby" after the English manor house
where his ancestor William Brewster
lived before setting sail on the Mayflower
. The building now houses The Brewster Inn.
Brewster died at his home in Cazenovia in 1897 at the age of 69. The pallbearers were: John D. Rockefeller
, Ransom Reed Cable, Charles S. Fairchild
, Roswell P. Flower
, Clement Griscom
, Walter Jennings, Charles A. Peabody, Henry H. Rogers
, Henry W. Curtis, William M. Burr, and Henry H. Porter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist, financier, and one of the original trustees of Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
.
Early life
Brewster was born in 1828 in Norwich, ConnecticutNorwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
to Patrick Brewster (fourth great-grandson of Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
Pilgrim
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
) and Catharine Fanny Roath. He attended public schools in Norwich and went to work as a clerk in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Business career
In 1849 he headed West to join the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, establishing a general mercantile store in San Francisco soon after his arrival. His partner in this enterprise was Oliver Burr Jennings
Oliver Burr Jennings
Oliver Burr Jennings was an American businessman and one of the original stockholders in Standard Oil.-Early life and family:...
, and together they amassed a considerable fortune.
Brewster returned East in 1874 and settled permanently in New York City. Following his former partner Oliver Burr Jennings, who had married the sister of William Rockefeller
William Rockefeller
William Avery Rockefeller, Jr. , American financier, was a co-founder with his older brother John D. Rockefeller of the prominent United States Rockefeller family. He was the son of William Avery Rockefeller, Sr. and Eliza Rockefeller.-Youth, education:Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York,...
's wife, he became involved with John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
in organizing the Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
Company. When the Standard Oil Trust was formed in 1882 he served as a trustee.
Brewster was prominently associated with the building of the Manhattan Elevated Railway and was also a financial leader in many large railroad transactions, particularly the reorganization of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The...
. He served as vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
and was a director of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two World Wars before being purchased by the Missouri Pacific...
and the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company
Delaware and Hudson Railway
The Delaware and Hudson Railway is a railroad that operates in the northeastern United States. Since 1991 it has been a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, although CPR has assumed all operations and the D&H does not maintain any locomotives or rolling stock.It was formerly an important...
. He was also a director of the International Navigation Company
International Navigation Company
The International Navigation Company was a Philadelphia based holding company owning 26 ships totaling 181,000 tons and carried more passengers than either Cunard or White Star, when the company was reorganized as International Mercantile Marine in 1902...
, owner of the American Line
American Line
The American Line was a shipping company based in Philadelphia that was founded in 1871. It began as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, although the railroad got out of the shipping business soon after founding the company...
of steamers.
Family and death
On June 9, 1863, Brewster married Elmina Hersey Dows, daughter of James Dows, in San Francisco. They had seven children:- James Dows Brewster (March 24, 1864 – August 29, 1864)
- Catherine Elmina Brewster (August 16, 1865 – June 6, 1866)
- William Brewster (January 25, 1867 – October 27, 1867)
- George Stephenson Brewster (b. September 15, 1868)
- Mary Dows Brewster (b. January 2, 1871, married Oliver Gould JenningsOliver Gould JenningsOliver Gould Jennings was a financier. He served in Connecticut House of Representatives. He was on the boards of Bethlehem Steel, United States Industrial Alcohol Company, McKesson & Robbins, Kingsport Press, Signature Company, National Fuel Gas, and Grocery Store Products.-Biography:He was born...
, son of Oliver Burr JenningsOliver Burr JenningsOliver Burr Jennings was an American businessman and one of the original stockholders in Standard Oil.-Early life and family:...
; mother of Brewster JenningsBrewster JenningsBenjamin Brewster Jennings was a founder and president of the Socony-Vacuum company, which became, in 1955, the Standard Oil Company of New York , which would later become Mobil Oil, and then merged to become part of ExxonMobil.-Early life and family:Jennings was born in 1898 to Oliver Gould...
) - Frederick Foster Brewster (b. August 13, 1872)
- Robert Stanton Brewster (b. September 27, 1875)
In 1890 Brewster built a summer home in Cazenovia, New York
Cazenovia (village), New York
Cazenovia is a village located in the Town of Cazenovia in Madison County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,614. The village lies on the southeast shore of Cazenovia Lake, which is approximately long and .5 miles across...
, which he named "Scrooby" after the English manor house
Scrooby
Scrooby is a small village, on the River Ryton and near Bawtry, in the northern part of the English county of Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 329. Until 1766, it was on the Great North Road so became a stopping-off point for numerous important figures...
where his ancestor William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
lived before setting sail on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
. The building now houses The Brewster Inn.
Brewster died at his home in Cazenovia in 1897 at the age of 69. The pallbearers were: John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
, Ransom Reed Cable, Charles S. Fairchild
Charles S. Fairchild
Charles Stebbins Fairchild was a New York businessman and politician.-Biography:Born in Cazenovia, New York, to Sidney and Helen Fairchild, he graduated from Harvard College in 1863 and Harvard Law School in 1865. He was married to Helen Lincklaen in 1871...
, Roswell P. Flower
Roswell P. Flower
Roswell Pettibone Flower was Governor of New York from 1892 to 1894.-Biography:He was a son of Nathan Monroe Flower and Mary Ann Flower, the sixth of nine children....
, Clement Griscom
Clement Griscom
Clement Acton Griscom was a prominent American Quaker businessman and nineteenth century shipping magnate.-Biography:...
, Walter Jennings, Charles A. Peabody, Henry H. Rogers
Henry H. Rogers
Henry Huttleston Rogers was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the oil refinery business, becoming a leader at Standard Oil....
, Henry W. Curtis, William M. Burr, and Henry H. Porter.