Richard Irvin (merchant)

Richard Irvin (July 2, 1799 – June 27, 1888) was a Scottish-American merchant and banker who served as the president of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York.[1]

Richard Irvin
President of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York
In office
1862–1864
Preceded byAdam Norrie
Succeeded byRobert Gordon
In office
1842–1851
Preceded byDavid S. Kennedy
Succeeded byAdam Norrie
Personal details
Born(1799-07-02)July 2, 1799
Glasgow, Scotland
DiedJune 27, 1888(1888-06-27) (aged 88)
Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Mary Williams Proudfit
​
​
(m. 1832; his death 1888)​
RelationsJames A. Burden Jr. (grandson)
Arthur Scott Burden (grandson)
Children9
ParentsJanet Scott Irvin
William Irvin
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow

Early life

Irvin was born on July 2, 1799 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was the son of Janet (née Scott) Irvin and William Irvin. His maternal grandfather was the Reverend Richard Scott of Ewes, Scotland.[2]

After an initial education by private tutors, he attended Glasgow Academy,[2] before graduating from the University of Glasgow in 1823.[3]

Career

Irvin first visited the United States in 1823 to visit relatives. After briefly returning to Scotland, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1824 to join his uncle, Thomas Irvin, who ran an extensive shipping business in New York City from 198 Front Street,[4] which he had founded in 1787.[2] Following his uncles death in 1836, Irvin took over the business, eventually bringing on board his two sons. Around 1840, the firm became the sole New York cosignees of the Gartsherrie Iron of William Baird & Co. of Glasgow, one of the most successful dealers of iron in the United Kingdom. They were also the New York agent of the Pioneer Line of Trans-Atlantic Steamships which included the SS Great Britain and SS Great Western.[2]

In 1863, the firm, known as Richard Irvin & Co.,[5] relocated to 37 William Street and expanded from its commission business to banking. For fifty years, he served as a director of the Mechanics' National Bank and, at the time of his death, he was the oldest member of the New York Chamber of Commerce (having been a member since 1834).[2]

Irvin joined the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York in 1825, serving as Manager from 1828 to 1833, second vice-president from 1835 to 1836, first vice-president from 1836 to 1837, and president from 1842 to 1845 and, again, from 1863 to 1864.[2]

Personal life

On May 23, 1832, Irvin was married to Mary Williams Proudfit (1809–1890) in Salem, New York. Mary was the daughter of Susan (née Williams) Proudfit and the Rev. Dr. Alexander Proudfit who served as pastor of the Associate Reformed Church in Salem for forty years. Her maternal grandfather was General John Williams, a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War and subsequently a member of Congress.[2] Together, they were the parents of nine children, including:[2]

  • William Irvin (1833–1909), a Presbyterian minister.[6]
  • Alexander Proudfit Irvin (1835–1884), who married Susan Sherman Taylor, daughter of Robert Lenox Taylor, in 1863.[7]
  • Susan Williams Irvin (b. 1836).[2]
  • Mary Margaret Irvin (1837–1920), who married James Abercrombie Burden (1833–1906), son of Henry Burden, 1869.[8]
  • Richard Irvin Jr. (1840–1896),[9] who married Mary Morris (1848–1918).[10][11] Her sister was married to Henry Clews Jr. after her divorce from Frederick Gebhard.[12]
  • Susan Irvin (b. 1842).[2]
  • John Proudfit Irvin (1844–1845), who died in infancy.[2]
  • Samuel Irvin (1847–1884), a banker who died unmarried.[13]
  • John James Irvin (b. 1850).[2]

Irvin died at his country home in Oyster Bay, New York on June 27, 1888.[3]

Descendants

Through his daughter Mary, he was a grandfather to James Abercrombie Burden Jr. (1871–1932), Richard Irvin Burden (1872–1900), William Proudfit Burden (1876–1943), Arthur Scott Burden (1879–1921), who married Florence Adele Sloane, a member of the Vanderbilt family.[14]

References
  1. Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York (1911). Roster of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York with Biographical Data. D. Taylor. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. Morrison, George Austin (1906). History of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York, 1756-1906. New York: Saint Andrew's Society of the State of NY. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  3. "Obituary Notes" (PDF). The New York Times. 29 June 1888. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. Longworth's American Almanack, New-York Register, and City Directory: for the ... Year of American Independence: 1834-1835. Printed and published ... by David Longworth. 1834. p. 385. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  5. The Merchants & Bankers' Almanac. Published at the office of the Bankers' Magazine and Statistical Register. 1869. p. 233. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  6. "THE REV. DR. IRVIN DEAD. Was a Director of Princeton Theological Seminary and Trustee of Union" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 February 1909. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  7. Sherman, Thomas Townsend (1920). Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England: Some Descendants of the Immigrants, Captain John Sherman, Reverend John Sherman, Edmund Sherman and Samuel Sherman, and the Descendents of Honorable Roger Sherman and Honorable Charles R. Sherman. T. A. Wright. p. 355. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  8. "JAMES A. BURDEN'S WILL.; Bequests Made to Widow, Sons, and Business Associates". The New York Times. 19 October 1906. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  9. "Richard Irvin" (PDF). The New York Times. 9 March 1896. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  10. Patterson, Jerry E. (2000). The First Four Hundred: Mrs. Astor's New York in the Gilded Age. Rizzoli. p. 218. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  11. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Current volume. J.T. White. 1934. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  12. "Henry Clews Jr. Marries Mrs Louise M Gebhard" (PDF). NY Times. 29 November 1901.
  13. Phi, Delta (1907). Delta Phi catalogue [of the members of the fraternity] 1827-1907. Mason-Henry press. p. 350. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  14. Reynolds, Cuyler (1911). Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs: A Record of Achievements of the People of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys in New York State, Included Within the Present Counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Washington, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017. Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs mary irvin.
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