George E. Cutler

Cutler was a native of Ionia, Michigan and was a high school principal in the western United States, prior to relocating to New York. His home was at 55 Claremont Avenue in the Chester Hill section of Mount Vernon, New York. He was prominent in civic affairs there, having served two terms as a school trustee. Cutler participated in community and hospital drives for funds in Mount Vernon.

He leaped to his death from a seventh floor window of the Munson Building, which had entrances at 67 Wall Street and 85 Beaver Street. Cutler reputedly lost a fortune in the 1929 Stock Market Crash, and made his plunge while visiting the law offices of Fitch and Grant, located in the Munson Building. He tried unsuccessfully to see a particular attorney named Grant C. Fox. Cutler climbed through a window overlooking Beaver Street and then out on a ledge. A lawyer, Robert Hawthorne, tried unsuccessfully to pull him back inside, grabbing the tail of Cutler's coat before losing his grip. Cutler fell to his death on to an automobile parked near the junction of Wall Street, Pearl Street, and Beaver Street.[1]

"My grandmother, pianist and vocalist, the late Ruth M. Seaberg-Clarke (daughter of "Mr. Cadillac" Oscar Seaberg of Mount Vernon, who owned a large Cadillac, Rolls Royce and Marmon dealership) was engaged to his son Harold, a virtuoso violinist. Harold took over his father's business after he died in 1929. Ruth stated many times that Mr. Cutler did not lose the family fortune - matter-of-fact, the following weeks provided clarity and the loss was much less than originally believed. If he had just waited for a couple days the investment accounts would have shown that the loss was over-all insignificant and the family recouped their losses over time. Harold returned to instructing students of the violin in later years. Ruth and Hal did not marry but remained friends until they both remarried years later."