Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff Explained
Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff, Sr. (November 29, 1838 – March 23, 1913) was the Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey from 1899 to 1901, and the founder of Brinckerhoff, Turner and Company. He was president of Merchants' National Bank and president of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and vice president of the American Bible Society.[1]
Early life
He was born on November 29, 1838, in Jamaica, Queens. He was a son of Mary (née Adrain) Brinckeroff and John N. Brinckeroff, principal of Union Hall Academy in Jamaica. He was a grandson of Irish-American mathematician Robert Adrain,[1] who is chiefly remembered for his formulation of the method of least squares.[2] [3]
Career
In 1854, at age 16, he traveled to San Francisco aboard the Adelaide and he took a job with Wells Fargo where he delivered the first pony express package from San Francisco to Sacramento. He later joined the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance during the presidency of William Coleman. He returned to New York City in 1860.
In New York City, he became associated with Fox & Polhemus, cotton manufacturers and brokers, where he later became an owner. He later became senior member of the firm and it was renamed Brinckerhoff, Turner & Co. For many years, he also served as president of the Merchants' National Bank,[4] president of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, vice president of the American Bible Society and a director of the Harriman National Bank.
He was elected Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, in 1899 and recommended an increase in the police force from seven police officers to nine police officers. He also recommended the building of the city hall.[5] [6]
Personal life
He moved to Englewood, New Jersey, in 1867. On April 22, 1869, he was married to Emily Augusta Vermilye (1846–1921), a daughter of Col. Washington Romeyn Vermilye, a banker. They were the parents of one son and six daughters, including:[7]
- Emily Vermilye Brinckerhoff (1870–1945), who married Frederick Smyth Duncan (1868–1953).[8]
- Mary Elizabeth Brinckerhoff (1871–1931), who married James Douglas Armstrong (1866–1939) in 1894.[9]
- Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff Jr. (1874–1943), who married Edna Connor (1874–1938).[10]
- Elizabeth Lathrop Brinckerhoff (1876–1950), who married William Bushnell Chapin (1875–1914) in 1901.[11] After his death, she married widower Lt. Col. Frederick Butterfield Ryons (1877–1946) in 1923.[12]
- Helen M. Brinckerhoff (1881–1953), who married Maxwell Van Buskirk (1871–1952).[13]
He died in Englewood on March 23, 1913, and was buried in Brookside Cemetery there.[14]
Notes and References
- Book: Philip Gengembre Hubert. Philip Gengembre Hubert. The Merchants' National Bank of the City of New York. 1903. Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff, vice-president, was born in Jamaica, NY, on November 29, 1838, and is the son of John N. Brinckerhoff, principal of Union Hall ... . 2011-10-21.
- Hall, Henry (ed.) America's successful men of affairs: An encyclopedia of contemporaneous biography, Vol. I, p. 111 (1895)
- Encyclopedia: The National cyclopædia of American biography . Elbert Adrain Brinckerhoff . 1916 . 249 . Brinckerhoff, Elbert Adrain, merchant and banker, was born at Jamaica, L. I., Nov. 29, 1838, son of John N. and Mary (Adrain) Brinckerhoff. His maternal grandfather was Robert Adrain, LL.D.,a noted mathematician. His father was the principal of the Union Hall Academy at Jamaica, L. I., during 1837–65. Union Hall Academy furnished his preliminary education and he was about to enter college when he was offered the opportunity of a voyage around the world on a clipper ship, which he accepted. Upon reaching San Francisco he decided to stay in California, and entering a commercial house, became identified with the affairs of San Francisco. He was an active member of the second Vigilance Committee ... . 2011-11-12 .
- Book: The Merchants' National Bank of the City of New York: A History of Its First Century . 1903 . 174 . 10 January 2020 . en.
- News: Three Large Projects Nearing Completion for Occupancy Early This Fall . E. A. Brinckerhoff; Mayor of Englewood in 1899. .... . September 25, 1938 . 2011-10-19 .
- Book: Adaline Wheelock Sterling . Adaline Wheelock Sterling . The book of Englewood . 1922 . . 189. In his first message, Mayor Brinckerhoff recommended an increase in the police force from seven to nine and ... .
- https://archive.org/details/decennialrecordo00yalerich/page/659 Decennial record of the class of 1896, Yale College
- News: Mrs. F.S. Duncan, 75, Civic Affairs Figure . 10 January 2020 . . 4 October 1945.
- News: Armstrong – Brinckerhoff . 10 January 2020 . . 8 November 1894.
- News: Deaths . 10 January 2020 . . 29 March 1938.
- News: Times . Special to The New York . Chapin – Brinckerhoff . 10 January 2020 . . 18 April 1901.
- Book: Hilkert . David E. . Chiefs of the Army Reserve: Biographical Sketches of the United States Army Reserve's Senior Officers . 2004 . Office of Army Reserve History, U.S. Army Reserve Command . 55 . 10 January 2020 . en.
- Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide . 1889 . 1202 . 10 January 2020 . F. W. Dodge Corporation . en.
- News: E.A. Brinckerhoff, Bank President, Dies; Head of Merchants' Bank Rode the First Pony Express in This Country, Twice Mayor of Englewood, Member of the Vigilance Committee In California Under Coleman In Pioneer Days . 10 January 2020 . . 24 March 1913.
