Alfred Van Santvoord
Encyclopedia
"Commodore" Alfred Van Santvoord (1819-1901) was a wealthy United States
businessman who made his fortune running steamboat
lines.
in January 1819. His father, Abram Van Santvoord, had provided munitions during the War of 1812
to the troops of Captain Thomas Macdonough
on Lake Champlain
, and thus played a major role in the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh
. After the war, Abram Van Santvoord became one of the first boatmen on the Erie Canal
. Abram Van Santvoord moved his family to Rochester, New York
in 1821, and later to Albany, New York
, then to Jersey City, New Jersey
.
Following a common school
education in Albany, Alfred Van Santvoord became a clerk for his father, and later obtained an interest in his father's business. Together, the Van Santvoords ran boats on the Erie Canal and the Hudson River
. His father also had a joint interest with Daniel Drew
and Isaac Newton in the People's Line, which ran passenger boat service on the Hudson River
.
After his father's death, Van Santvoord purchased a number of steamboats
and launched the Albany Day Line, which also offered transportation to passengers. Van Santvoord also came to own several freight-towing boats.
During the American Civil War
, Van Santvoord chartered several of his boats to the Union
. One of Van Santvoord's boats, the River Queen
served as Major General
Benjamin Franklin Butler
's headquarters. The River Queen served as the site of the Hampton Roads Conference
in 1865. President of the United States
Abraham Lincoln
traveled on the River Queen often during the Civil War.
Although he never sought political office, after the Civil War, Van Santvoord was influential with Thurlow Weed
. He was well known in business circles, and was a friend of William Henry Vanderbilt
. Van Santvoord was one of the organizers of the Lincoln National Bank and the Lincoln Safe Deposit Company. He was a director
of the Delaware and Hudson Railway
, the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
, the Catskill Mountain Railroad
, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, and the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
.
Van Santvoord was married to the former Anna Townsend of Albany. They had several children: Charles Townsend Van Santvoord, Mrs. Eben E. Olcott, Mrs. Wilton Merle Smith (mother of Van Santvoord Merle-Smith
), and Anna Van Santvoord.
Van Santvoord died on his yacht
on July 20, 1901.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman who made his fortune running steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
lines.
Biography
Alfred Van Santvoord was born in Utica, New YorkUtica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
in January 1819. His father, Abram Van Santvoord, had provided munitions during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
to the troops of Captain Thomas Macdonough
Thomas MacDonough
Thomas Macdonough was an early-19th-century American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War, and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Sr. who lived close to Middleton, Delaware. Being the sixth child born, he came from a large family of ten...
on Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
, and thus played a major role in the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh
Battle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812...
. After the war, Abram Van Santvoord became one of the first boatmen on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. Abram Van Santvoord moved his family to Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in 1821, and later to Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, then to Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
.
Following a common school
Common school
A common school was a public school in the United States or Canada in the nineteenth century. The term 'common school' was coined by Horace Mann, and refers to the fact that they were meant to serve individuals of all social classes and religions....
education in Albany, Alfred Van Santvoord became a clerk for his father, and later obtained an interest in his father's business. Together, the Van Santvoords ran boats on the Erie Canal and the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. His father also had a joint interest with Daniel Drew
Daniel Drew
-Biography:He was born in Carmel, New York.Drew was poorly educated. His father died when Daniel was fifteen years old. Drew enlisted and drilled, but because he enlisted too late, never fought in the War of 1812. After the war, he started a successful cattle-driving business. In 1823, he married...
and Isaac Newton in the People's Line, which ran passenger boat service on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
.
After his father's death, Van Santvoord purchased a number of steamboats
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
and launched the Albany Day Line, which also offered transportation to passengers. Van Santvoord also came to own several freight-towing boats.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Van Santvoord chartered several of his boats to the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. One of Van Santvoord's boats, the River Queen
River Queen (steamboat)
The River Queen was a sidewheel steamer operating as a ferry serving the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket during the late 19th century. It is closely associated with President Abraham Lincoln and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.-Construction:...
served as Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Benjamin Franklin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
's headquarters. The River Queen served as the site of the Hampton Roads Conference
Hampton Roads Conference
The Hampton Roads Conference was an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate an end to the American Civil War. On February 3, 1865, near Fort Monroe in Newport News, Virginia, aboard a ship, the River Queen, President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward, representing the United...
in 1865. President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
traveled on the River Queen often during the Civil War.
Although he never sought political office, after the Civil War, Van Santvoord was influential with Thurlow Weed
Thurlow Weed
Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H...
. He was well known in business circles, and was a friend of William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...
. Van Santvoord was one of the organizers of the Lincoln National Bank and the Lincoln Safe Deposit Company. He was a director
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the Delaware and Hudson Railway
Delaware and Hudson Railway
The Delaware and Hudson Railway is a railroad that operates in the northeastern United States. Since 1991 it has been a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, although CPR has assumed all operations and the D&H does not maintain any locomotives or rolling stock.It was formerly an important...
, the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
The Albany and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad running from Albany to Binghamton, operating 1851 to 1870-History:Construction began on April 19, 1851 from Albany to Schoharie Junction, New York, a distance of 35 miles . This phase was completed in 1863...
, the Catskill Mountain Railroad
Catskill Mountain Railroad
The Catskill Mountain Railroad , is a heritage railroad based in Shokan, New York, United States that began operations in 1983. It leases from Ulster County the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad tracks from Mile Post 2.8 in Kingston to MP 41.4 in Highmount, where it connects with the Delaware...
, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, and the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in New Jersey, including their main line to New York City...
.
Van Santvoord was married to the former Anna Townsend of Albany. They had several children: Charles Townsend Van Santvoord, Mrs. Eben E. Olcott, Mrs. Wilton Merle Smith (mother of Van Santvoord Merle-Smith
Van Santvoord Merle-Smith
Van Santvoord Merle-Smith was a United States soldier, lawyer, and investment banker, who served as Third Assistant Secretary of State from 1920 to 1921, and as Executive Intelligence Officer to General Douglas MacArthur during World War II....
), and Anna Van Santvoord.
Van Santvoord died on his yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
on July 20, 1901.