Henry F. Dimock
Encyclopedia
Henry F. Dimock was a lawyer in New York City
who was closely associated with the Whitney family
business interests.
Dimock was born in South Coventry, Connecticut
, the son of Timothy and Laura F. (Booth) Dimock. The family were descended from Thomas Dimock, who came from England to Dorchester, Massachusetts
, in 1637, and later settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts
. Henry Dimock was a distant cousin of Ira Dimock (1827-1917), silk
manufacturer, and Dr. Susan Dimock
(1847-1875), early female physician who perished in the wreck of the SS Schiller
in the Scilly Islands.
He was graduated from Yale University
in 1863, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
, and from Harvard Law School
in 1865. In the latter year he commenced the practice of law in New York City.
He married Susan Collins Whitney, whose siblings included Henry Melville Whitney
, industrialist; William Collins Whitney, financier and Secretary of the Navy: and Lucy Collins "Lily" Whitney, wife of banker Charles T. Barney
. They resided in New York City at 25 60th Street, corner of Madison Avenue, and also had a summer home at Bar Harbor, Maine
. Henry and Susan Dimock were the parents of a daughter, Susan M. Dimock, whose marriage to Cary Talcott Hutchinson was solemnized at the Dimock residence on April 30, 1901.
From 1875 until 1881 he was dock commissioner for the Port of New York. In 1875 Governor Samuel J. Tilden
appointed Dimock to a committee to devise plans for the improvement of city government in the state. It was in this capacity that he took part in a debate on municipal finance reform in October 1877. In May 1881 he declined reappointment as dock commissioner by Mayor William R. Grace.
Dimock became interested in the Metropolitan Steamship Company
, serving as the line's New York agent. He was also a director and a large shareholder, and in 1884 the company honored him by naming its new 2,625-ton steamer H.F. Dimock.
In 1890 Dimock joined William C. Whitney, Charles T. Barney, W.E.D. Stokes, Francis W. Jenks, and others in forming the New York Loan and Improvement Company. He served on the board of directors of this concern, which was responsible for the development of the Washington Heights
section of New York City.
While on her customary voyage from New York to Boston
when on July 24, 1892, in the Vinyard Sound the H.F. Dimock collided with William K. Vanderbilt's yacht, the Alva, sinking her. Captain Morrison of the Alva filed suit against the H.F. Dimock, but both the United States District Court
for Massachusetts
and the United States Supreme Court ruled against him.
Dimock joined Henry Melville Whitney in establishing the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. in 1893 and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company Ltd. in 1899 to exploit the mineral resources of the Sydney district
of Cape Breton Island
. Dimock served on the boards of both companies.
He was also a director of the McCall Ferry Power Company, Boston & Maine Railroad, Knickerbocker Trust Company
, and the Metropolitan Steamship Company
. Dimock was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and of the University, Manhattan, Metropolitan, Down Town, Barnard, Lawyers, and Democratic clubs of New York City. He was also holder of box 19 at the Metropolitan Opera
.
Dimock was elected a director of the Yale Corporation
, the governing body of Yale University, in 1899 and reelected in 1905. His name had already been placed in nomination for another term when he suffered a heart attack on March 4, 1911. He suffered a paralytic stroke that affected his right side on April 1. After two days in a coma, he died at his residence on April 10, 1911.
Some five years after his death, the site of his home at Madison Avenue and 60th Street was leased to the Guaranty Trust Company for the construction of a new office building.
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...
who was closely associated with the Whitney family
Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635.-Rise to prominence:...
business interests.
Dimock was born in South Coventry, Connecticut
South Coventry, Connecticut
South Coventry is a census-designated place and part of the town of Coventry, Connecticut in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,381 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, the son of Timothy and Laura F. (Booth) Dimock. The family were descended from Thomas Dimock, who came from England to Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
, in 1637, and later settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
. Henry Dimock was a distant cousin of Ira Dimock (1827-1917), silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
manufacturer, and Dr. Susan Dimock
Susan Dimock
Susan Dimock M.D. was a pioneer in American Medicine who received her qualification as a doctor from the University of Zurich in 1871 and was subsequently appointed resident physician of the New England Hospital for Women and Children in 1872...
(1847-1875), early female physician who perished in the wreck of the SS Schiller
SS Schiller
SS Schiller was a 3,421 ton German ocean liner, one of the largest vessels of her time. She plied her trade across the Atlantic Ocean, carrying passengers between New York and Hamburg for the German Transatlantic Steam Navigation Line...
in the Scilly Islands.
He was graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1863, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
, and from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1865. In the latter year he commenced the practice of law in New York City.
He married Susan Collins Whitney, whose siblings included Henry Melville Whitney
Henry Melville Whitney
Henry Melville Whitney was an American industrialist, the founder of the West End Street Railway Company of Boston, Massachusetts, and later the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company Ltd. of Sydney, Nova Scotia...
, industrialist; William Collins Whitney, financier and Secretary of the Navy: and Lucy Collins "Lily" Whitney, wife of banker Charles T. Barney
Charles T. Barney
Charles Tracy Barney was the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney's death sparked the Panic of 1907.-Early life and marriage:...
. They resided in New York City at 25 60th Street, corner of Madison Avenue, and also had a summer home at Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
. Henry and Susan Dimock were the parents of a daughter, Susan M. Dimock, whose marriage to Cary Talcott Hutchinson was solemnized at the Dimock residence on April 30, 1901.
From 1875 until 1881 he was dock commissioner for the Port of New York. In 1875 Governor Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
appointed Dimock to a committee to devise plans for the improvement of city government in the state. It was in this capacity that he took part in a debate on municipal finance reform in October 1877. In May 1881 he declined reappointment as dock commissioner by Mayor William R. Grace.
Dimock became interested in the Metropolitan Steamship Company
Metropolitan Steamship Company
The Metropolitan Steamship Company was for 75 years one of the chief transportation links between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse in 1906...
, serving as the line's New York agent. He was also a director and a large shareholder, and in 1884 the company honored him by naming its new 2,625-ton steamer H.F. Dimock.
In 1890 Dimock joined William C. Whitney, Charles T. Barney, W.E.D. Stokes, Francis W. Jenks, and others in forming the New York Loan and Improvement Company. He served on the board of directors of this concern, which was responsible for the development of the Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
section of New York City.
While on her customary voyage from New York to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
when on July 24, 1892, in the Vinyard Sound the H.F. Dimock collided with William K. Vanderbilt's yacht, the Alva, sinking her. Captain Morrison of the Alva filed suit against the H.F. Dimock, but both the United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
for Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and the United States Supreme Court ruled against him.
Dimock joined Henry Melville Whitney in establishing the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. in 1893 and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company Ltd. in 1899 to exploit the mineral resources of the Sydney district
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
of Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
. Dimock served on the boards of both companies.
He was also a director of the McCall Ferry Power Company, Boston & Maine Railroad, Knickerbocker Trust Company
Knickerbocker Trust Company
The Knickerbocker Trust, chartered in 1884 by Frederick G. Eldridge, a friend and classmate of financier J.P. Morgan, figured at one time among the largest banks in the United States and a central player in the Panic of 1907. As a trust company, its main business was serving as trustee for...
, and the Metropolitan Steamship Company
Metropolitan Steamship Company
The Metropolitan Steamship Company was for 75 years one of the chief transportation links between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse in 1906...
. Dimock was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and of the University, Manhattan, Metropolitan, Down Town, Barnard, Lawyers, and Democratic clubs of New York City. He was also holder of box 19 at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
.
Dimock was elected a director of the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
, the governing body of Yale University, in 1899 and reelected in 1905. His name had already been placed in nomination for another term when he suffered a heart attack on March 4, 1911. He suffered a paralytic stroke that affected his right side on April 1. After two days in a coma, he died at his residence on April 10, 1911.
Some five years after his death, the site of his home at Madison Avenue and 60th Street was leased to the Guaranty Trust Company for the construction of a new office building.