Seward Prosser

Seward Prosser (March 1, 1871 – October 1, 1942)[1] was an American banker and philanthropist who served as the head of Bankers Trust.

Seward Prosser
Born(1871-03-01)March 1, 1871
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 1, 1942(1942-10-01) (aged 71)
Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationEnglewood School for Boys
OccupationBanker, philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Constance Barber
​
(
m. 1902; his death 1942)
Children3
Parent(s)Henry Wilbur Prosser
Anna Fay Prosser

Early life

Prosser was born in Buffalo, New York on March 1, 1871. He was a son of Henry Wilbur Prosser and Anna (née Fay) Prosser.[2] Among his siblings was Mason Fay Prosser, an attorney in Honolulu, Hawaii.[3]

His family later moved to Brooklyn, where he was educated in the public schools before attending the Englewood School for Boys in Englewood, New Jersey.[2]

Career

Prosser began his career with Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.[4] He later became a member Prosser & Homans, representing Equitable Life. From 1907 to 1912, he served as vice president of the Astor Trust Company.[2]

Beginning in 1912, he served as president Liberty National Bank until 1914 when he became president of Bankers Trust.[5] He served as president until 1923 when he relinquished the presidency but continued to serve as a director, Chairman of the board of trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee.[2]

Prosser also served as a director of many prominent companies, including the General Electric Company, the Astor Trust Company, Tobacco Products Corporation, the American Surety Company, the Bankers Safe Deposit Company, the International Nickel Company of Canada, the Kennecott Copper Corporation, the Graphite Metallizing Corporation, the Braden Copper Company, and the Utah Copper Company, among others.[2]

Personal life

On October 25, 1902, Prosser was married to the English-born Constance Barber.[2] Together, they lived in Englewood, New Jersey and in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (on Cape Cod),[6] were the parents of:[1]

He was a member of the Union League Club and the University Club of New York.[1]

Prosser died at his home in Woods Hole on October 1, 1942.[1] His funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Englewood,[16] and more than 1,000 persons attended with more than 40 friends and associates noted as honorary pallbearers.[17] His widow died in July 1948.[18]

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter, he was a grandfather of Prosser Gifford, a Director for the Office of Scholarly Programs in the Library of Congress who wrote a series on British and German colonialism in Africa.[19]

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References
  1. "SEWARD PROSSER, FINANCIER, 71, DIES; Board Chairman of Bankers Trust Company Since 1923 Stricken in Massachusetts LEADER IN CITY WELFARE Raised $40,000,000 for Red Cross in 1918, $8,000,000 for Relief in Fall of 1930" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 October 1942. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  2. Scannell, John James; Sackett, William Edgar (1919). Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens: Biographies and Portraits of the Notable Living Men and Women of New Jersey, with Informing Glimpses Into the State's History and Affairs ... J.J. Scannell. pp. 375–376. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  3. Siddall, John William (1917). Men of Hawaii: Being a Biographical Reference Library, Complete and Authentic, of the Men of Note and Substantial Achievement in the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 217. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  4. Who's Who in Finance, Banking, and Insurance. Who's Who in Finance, Incorporated (N.Y.). 1922. p. 554. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  5. 'The bankers Trust Company of New York: Seward Prosser succeeds Benjamin Strong, Jr. as President', Banking Law Journal, Jan-Dec 1914.
  6. "CONSTANCE PROSSER TO MARRY BANKER; Daughter of Chairman of Bankers Trust Co. to Wed Vance McCauley of Denver" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 September 1929. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  7. "BARBARA PROSSER ENGAGED; Englewood (N.J.) Girl to Wed John A. Gifford, New York Lawyer" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 May 1928. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. "John Archer Gifford, New York Lawyer, 88". The New York Times. 24 October 1989. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  9. "ANNA PROSSER PICKS BRIDAL ATTENDANTS; Her Marriage to D. P. Caulkins Is to Take Place in Wood's Hole, Mass., on Saturday. MISS PETTIGREW'S PLANS Ceremony With Dr. John Neilson Jr. in St. Agnes Chapel on Sept. 28 -Miss Jaquith to Wed Tonight" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 September 1927. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  10. Princeton Alumni Weekly, Vol. 70. Princeton Alumni Weekly. 1969. p. 22. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  11. "Leighton Stevens, Partner In Insurance Company, 66" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 December 1969. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  12. "MRS. CAULKINS MARRIED; Is Bride of Leighton Stevens in Ceremony at Nassau, B.W.I." (PDF). The New York Times. 22 February 1939. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  13. "VANCE M'CAULLEY ENDS LIFE BY SHOT; Body of Son-in-Law of Seward Prosser, Banker, Found in 57th Street Apartment" (PDF). The New York Times. September 17, 1935. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  14. "Milestones, Mar. 2, 1936". Time. 2 March 1936. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  15. "Mrs. Constance Mellon Plans Marriage to Peter E. Burrell" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 May 1971. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  16. "FINANCIAL LEADERS TO HONOR PROSSER; Notables Will Be Bearers at Englewood Rites Today for Bankers Trust Chairman CHURCH SERVICE PLANNED J. P. Morgan, Wiggin, Alfred P. Sloan Jr., Pierre du Pont, AI Smith and Young to Serve" (PDF). The New York Times. 4 October 1942. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  17. "TRIBUTE BY 1,000 AT PROSSER RITES; Many Notables in Banking and Business Attend Service for New York Financier LONG LIST OF BEARERS Bankers Trust Co. Executives Are Ushers--Burial in Englewood Cemetery Today" (PDF). The New York Times. 5 October 1942. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  18. "Mrs. Seward Prosser" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 July 1948. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  19. "Prosser Gifford". www.c-span.org. C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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