Lewis Cass Ledyard
Encyclopedia
Lewis Cass Ledyard was a New York City
lawyer
, a name partner at the firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn
, personal counsel to J.P. Morgan, and a president of the New York City Bar Association.
, in 1851, to an established American family. His grandfather, General Lewis Cass
, had been Governor of the Michigan Territory
and a United States Senator from the state of Michigan
, and served as Secretary of State
under President James Buchanan
. His ancestors included Major-General Joseph Spencer
, who served in the American Revolution
under George Washington
, and William Livingston
, the first Governor
of New Jersey
.
His father, Henry Ledyard
, was a lawyer, diplomat, and Mayor of Detroit. His mother, Matilda Frances, was the daughter of General Cass. Lewis Cass Ledyard was the fourth child in a family of three daughters and two sons. His older brother, Henry Brockholst Ledyard, later became president of the Michigan Central Railroad
and a well-known philanthropist.
in 1868, but transferred after his freshman year to Harvard, where he received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1872. He subsequently attended Harvard Law School
, where he graduated with Master of Arts
and Bachelor of Laws
degrees in 1875. He then moved to New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1875, becoming a sixth generation lawyer in his family.
of Buffalo
joined, creating the modern firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn.
Ledyard, who had a personal interest in sailing, began his practice in admiralty law
, but soon expanded into general practice. Following the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act
in 1890, Ledyard became a prominent adviser to the steel
, petroleum
, and tobacco
industries. In 1911, when the United States Supreme Court ruled the American Tobacco Company
to be in violation of the Sherman Act, Ledyard oversaw the company’s corporate restructuring. Ledyard also served as counsel to the United States Steel Corporation and the New York Stock Exchange
, as well as personal counsel to John Pierpont Morgan.
In 1903, Ledyard also oversaw the passage of a bill in the New York State Legislature requiring the electrification of the rail lines at Grand Central Station following a deadly train collision in 1902. The bill and subsequent improvements resulted in the covering of the railroad tracks outside the station, the extension of Park Avenue
, and the expansion of valuable real estate in the surrounding area.
, he was a founder of the New York Public Library
. He served as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the Pierpont Morgan Library, and was a vice president of the Frick Collection of Art
.
He served on a number of corporate boards including First National Bank of New York, United States Trust Company of New York, Great Northern Paper Company, American Express
Company, Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company
, National Park Bank, and several railroads.
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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, a name partner at the firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn
Carter Ledyard & Milburn
Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP is a New York City law firm. It has more than 100 attorneys with offices in New York and Washington, D.C..The firm was founded in 1854 by Henry Scudder and James C. Carter. Those partners along with Henry’s younger brother Townsend, who subsequently joined the firm,...
, personal counsel to J.P. Morgan, and a president of the New York City Bar Association.
Early life
Lewis Cass Ledyard was born in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, in 1851, to an established American family. His grandfather, General Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
, had been Governor of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
and a United States Senator from the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and served as Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
under President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. His ancestors included Major-General Joseph Spencer
Joseph Spencer
Joseph Spencer was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Connecticut. During the Revolutionary War, he served both as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a major general in the Continental Army....
, who served in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
under George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, and William Livingston
William Livingston
William Livingston served as the Governor of New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War and was a signer of the United States Constitution.-Early life:...
, the first Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
His father, Henry Ledyard
Henry Ledyard
Henry Ledyard was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan and a state senator, briefly served as assistant secretary under Secretary of State Lewis Cass, and was the president of the Newport Hospital and the Redwood Library in Newport, Rhode Island.-Early life and family:Henry Ledyard was born in New York...
, was a lawyer, diplomat, and Mayor of Detroit. His mother, Matilda Frances, was the daughter of General Cass. Lewis Cass Ledyard was the fourth child in a family of three daughters and two sons. His older brother, Henry Brockholst Ledyard, later became president of the Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
and a well-known philanthropist.
Education
Lewis Cass Ledyard matriculated at Columbia CollegeColumbia College
Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America:In Canada* Columbia College , in Calgary* Columbia College , a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver...
in 1868, but transferred after his freshman year to Harvard, where he received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1872. He subsequently attended 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...
, where he graduated with Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degrees in 1875. He then moved to New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1875, becoming a sixth generation lawyer in his family.
Practice
In 1875, Ledyard was introduced to the lawyer James C. Carter, and joined his firm, then known as Scudder & Carter, the same year. He was admitted to partnership in 1880. In 1904, the lawyer John G. MilburnJohn G. Milburn
John G. Milburn was a prominent lawyer in Buffalo, New York and New York City, a president of the New York City Bar Association, and a partner at the law firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn.-Early life:...
of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
joined, creating the modern firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn.
Ledyard, who had a personal interest in sailing, began his practice in admiralty law
Admiralty law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...
, but soon expanded into general practice. Following the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by...
in 1890, Ledyard became a prominent adviser to the steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
industries. In 1911, when the United States Supreme Court ruled the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
to be in violation of the Sherman Act, Ledyard oversaw the company’s corporate restructuring. Ledyard also served as counsel to the United States Steel Corporation and the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, as well as personal counsel to John Pierpont Morgan.
In 1903, Ledyard also oversaw the passage of a bill in the New York State Legislature requiring the electrification of the rail lines at Grand Central Station following a deadly train collision in 1902. The bill and subsequent improvements resulted in the covering of the railroad tracks outside the station, the extension of Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, and the expansion of valuable real estate in the surrounding area.
Civic Involvement
In addition to his professional career, Ledyard was a prominent figure in New York society and civic life. Along with John Lambert CadwaladerJohn Lambert Cadwalader
-Life:John Lambert Cadwalader was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on November 17, 1836. His father was General Thomas McCall Cadwalader .On his paternal side, his grandfather was Lambert Cadwalader and his great-grandfather was Thomas Cadwalader .His mother was Maria Charlotte Gouverneur , who was...
, he was a founder of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. He served as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and the Pierpont Morgan Library, and was a vice president of the Frick Collection of Art
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
.
He served on a number of corporate boards including First National Bank of New York, United States Trust Company of New York, Great Northern Paper Company, American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
Company, Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company
Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company
The Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company is a mutual insurance company which offers personal, marine, commercial property, and casualty insurance. It is part of the Atlantic Mutual Companies, which includes Centennial Insurance Company...
, National Park Bank, and several railroads.
Sources
- Sheldon, Edward. “Memorial of Lewis Cass Ledyard.” The Association of the Bar of the City of New York. 1932.
- Martin, George. Causes and Conflicts: The Centennial History of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 1997.
- Psi Upsilon (1932), The diamond of Psi Upsilon, 18, Psi Upsilon Fraternity, p. 170-171