John Austin Stevens
Encyclopedia
John Austin Stevens Jr. was a leader of business, an adviser of government and a student of the American Revolution
. While he was born to a prominent banking family with political connections, it was his interest of U.S. history
and his founding of Sons of the Revolution (SR) for which he is best known.
to John Austin Stevens Sr. and Abigail Perkins Weld. Stevens Jr. married Margaret Antoinette Morris on June 5, 1855 at New York, and died on June 10, 1910 at Newport, Rhode Island
.
Stevens was enrolled in 1842 as a 15-year-old student at Harvard University
and graduated in 1846 with a proficiency in mathematics
, logic
and literary composition
, and thoroughly versed in English
and Spanish literature
. While attending college, he accompanied his class to hear U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster
speak at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill
. The speech moved Stevens deeply and led him to the lifelong belief that honoring patriot ancestors was a duty.
before he established a trading
business with Cuba
. He also joined and served as an officer of the New York Chamber of Commerce
.
Stevens' father was a prominent banker who introduced his son to future U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase
and others from New York, Philadelphia and Washington
. Stevens joined his father to organize a large political rally
for the election
in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln
as the president of the United States
.
Stevens assisted President Lincoln during the Civil War
by helping organize logistics
for the Union Army
, managing an expedition to Texas
and arranging for a $150 million loan to finance the war. Stevens also raised a regiment of volunteers and helped to organize a corps for the conquest of the Carolina
coast.
Lincoln Administration workers offered to appoint Stevens to various government jobs including those of consul general to Paris, commissioner of Internal Revenue
and registrar of the Treasury
. Stevens visited Lincoln on the morning before his assassination
to urge him to name a day of national rejoicing over the peace at the end of the war.
Stevens joined his family in 1868 for a five-year tour of Europe where he witnessed the downfall of the Second French Empire
, fled Paris during the Franco-Prussian War
and helped organize American aid to the French after the Siege of Paris
. He returned to New York to take an active role in business, government and the study of U.S. history.
and several books about the subject. He authored articles from 1877 to 1893 for The Magazine of American History
with Notes and Queries, and in 1882 and 1890 for Harper's Magazine
.
Among his books, Stevens authored a biography about U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin
in 1883 which was published by Houghton, Mifflin and Co. as part of its American Statesmen Series.
who had served as a participant of the Boston Tea Party
and later as a lieutenant colonel
during the Revolution. Ebenezer escorted U.S. Gen. George Washington
at his triumphal entry at New York on November 25, 1783 when British
troops evacuated the city, and served in 1799 as an honorary pallbearer
for Washington during a New York service after his death and burial at Virginia
. Ebenezer also cofounded The Society of the Cincinnati
in 1783 with U.S. Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton
and other officers of the Continental Army
.
After John Austin Stevens Jr. was denied membership with The Society of the Cincinnati because of its rules of primogeniture
, he founded Sons of the Revolution on February 22, 1876 at New York. He intended to include members by recognizing any descendant of a revolutionary ancestor, and held a preliminary meeting on December 18, 1875 at New-York Historical Society
at New York. At a secondary meeting held in January 1876, the first SR constitution
was adopted and a flier
which invited members was published.
The fledgling group languished for several years until December 4, 1883 when an elaborate "turtle feast" dinner was held in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern
at lower Manhattan
in New York to commemorate the centennial of the dinner and speech of Washington where he bade farewell to his officers of the Continental Army in the room by saying "[w]ith a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." At the end of the 1883 dinner, the SR constitution was signed by more than 40 new members, and the group was reorganized as the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York Inc.
In the early years after the reorganization, Society of the Cincinnati President-General Hamilton Fish
gave much support and encouragement to the New York society. He referred often to its members as the "younger brothers of the Cincinnati."
General Society Sons of the Revolution President Frederick Tallmadge
presented the society Founder's badge to Stevens in 1898 and wrote that "[t]he noblest tribute that can be paid to your patriotism is the fact that the Society organized by you now numbers over two thousand members, that, of itself, is the proudest monument you could ask for to your energy and patriotism."
s.
Stevens died at the home where his funeral
service was held on June 18, 1910. A second service was held on June 21, 1910 at St. Paul's Chapel in New York and a procession through the city was conducted by Sons of the Revolution, Chamber of Commerce and Historical Society leaders. The procession was viewed by uncovered thousands where it moved down Broadway
to Fraunces Tavern which was draped in black. The interment was in the family vault in Green-Wood Cemetery
where his Revolutionary grandfather, Ebenezer, also lies.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. While he was born to a prominent banking family with political connections, it was his interest of U.S. history
History of the United States
The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, although its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. The...
and his founding of Sons of the Revolution (SR) for which he is best known.
Personal life
Stevens was born on January 21, 1827 at New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to John Austin Stevens Sr. and Abigail Perkins Weld. Stevens Jr. married Margaret Antoinette Morris on June 5, 1855 at New York, and died on June 10, 1910 at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
.
Stevens was enrolled in 1842 as a 15-year-old student at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and graduated in 1846 with a proficiency in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and literary composition
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and thoroughly versed in English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and Spanish literature
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the state of Spain...
. While attending college, he accompanied his class to hear U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
speak at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
. The speech moved Stevens deeply and led him to the lifelong belief that honoring patriot ancestors was a duty.
Career
After Stevens graduated college, he moved to New York where he worked initially as a cashierCashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
before he established a trading
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
business with Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He also joined and served as an officer of the New York Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York
The New York Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants, was the first commercial organization of its kind in the country. Attracting the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, such as John Jacob Astor, Peter Cooper, and J...
.
Stevens' father was a prominent banker who introduced his son to future U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
and others from New York, Philadelphia and Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Stevens joined his father to organize a large political rally
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
for the election
United States presidential election, 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 was a quadrennial election, held on November 6, 1860, for the office of President of the United States and the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout the 1850s on questions surrounding the...
in 1860 of 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...
as the 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....
.
Stevens assisted President Lincoln during the 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...
by helping organize logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
for the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, managing an expedition to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and arranging for a $150 million loan to finance the war. Stevens also raised a regiment of volunteers and helped to organize a corps for the conquest of the Carolina
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
coast.
Lincoln Administration workers offered to appoint Stevens to various government jobs including those of consul general to Paris, commissioner of Internal Revenue
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service , a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury.The office of Commissioner was created by Congress by the Revenue Act of 1862...
and registrar of the Treasury
Register of the Treasury
The Register of the Treasury was an office of the United States Treasury Department. In 1919, the Register became the Public Debt Service which, in 1940, became the Bureau of the Public Debt....
. Stevens visited Lincoln on the morning before his assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
to urge him to name a day of national rejoicing over the peace at the end of the war.
Stevens joined his family in 1868 for a five-year tour of Europe where he witnessed the downfall of the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, fled Paris during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
and helped organize American aid to the French after the Siege of Paris
Siege of Paris
The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, and the consequent capture of the city by Prussian forces led to French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the German Empire as well as the Paris Commune....
. He returned to New York to take an active role in business, government and the study of U.S. history.
Writing
Stevens' study of history led him to write many articlesArticle (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
and several books about the subject. He authored articles from 1877 to 1893 for The Magazine of American History
The Magazine of American History
The Magazine of American History was first established in January 1877 by Martha Joanna Lamb, Nathan Gillett Pond and John Austin Stevens with the long title The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries. It was issueded monthly. The first seven volumes were published by the A. S...
with Notes and Queries, and in 1882 and 1890 for Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
.
Among his books, Stevens authored a biography about U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin
Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin was a Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, politician, diplomat, congressman, and the longest-serving United States Secretary of the Treasury. In 1831, he founded the University of the City of New York...
in 1883 which was published by Houghton, Mifflin and Co. as part of its American Statesmen Series.
Sons of the Revolution
Stevens was a grandson of U.S. Maj. Gen. Ebenezer StevensEbenezer Stevens
Ebenezer Stevens was a Major General in the United States Army.He was born on 11 Aug 1751 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer Stevens and Elizabeth Weld. His first wife was Rebecca Hodgden - they married in Providence, Rhode Island on October 11, 1774. He married secondly on 4 May 1784...
who had served as a participant of the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
and later as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
during the Revolution. Ebenezer escorted U.S. Gen. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at his triumphal entry at New York on November 25, 1783 when British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
troops evacuated the city, and served in 1799 as an honorary pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
for Washington during a New York service after his death and burial at Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Ebenezer also cofounded The Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
in 1783 with U.S. Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and other officers of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
.
After John Austin Stevens Jr. was denied membership with The Society of the Cincinnati because of its rules of primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, he founded Sons of the Revolution on February 22, 1876 at New York. He intended to include members by recognizing any descendant of a revolutionary ancestor, and held a preliminary meeting on December 18, 1875 at New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
at New York. At a secondary meeting held in January 1876, the first SR constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
was adopted and a flier
Flyer (pamphlet)
__notoc__A flyer or flier, also called a circular, handbill or leaflet, is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in public place....
which invited members was published.
The fledgling group languished for several years until December 4, 1883 when an elaborate "turtle feast" dinner was held in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern
Fraunces Tavern
Fraunces Tavern is a tavern, restaurant and museum housed in a conjectural reconstruction of a building that played a prominent role in pre-Revolution and American Revolution history. The building, located at 54 Pearl Street at the corner of Broad Street, has been owned by Sons of the Revolution in...
at lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York to commemorate the centennial of the dinner and speech of Washington where he bade farewell to his officers of the Continental Army in the room by saying "[w]ith a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." At the end of the 1883 dinner, the SR constitution was signed by more than 40 new members, and the group was reorganized as the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York Inc.
In the early years after the reorganization, Society of the Cincinnati President-General Hamilton Fish
Hamilton Fish
Hamilton Fish was an American statesman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York, United States Senator and United States Secretary of State. Fish has been considered one of the best Secretary of States in the United States history; known for his judiciousness and reform efforts...
gave much support and encouragement to the New York society. He referred often to its members as the "younger brothers of the Cincinnati."
General Society Sons of the Revolution President Frederick Tallmadge
Frederick A. Tallmadge
Frederick Augustus Tallmadge was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a Member of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom New York's 5th congressional district from 1847 to 1849.-Biography:...
presented the society Founder's badge to Stevens in 1898 and wrote that "[t]he noblest tribute that can be paid to your patriotism is the fact that the Society organized by you now numbers over two thousand members, that, of itself, is the proudest monument you could ask for to your energy and patriotism."
Death
After he completed his service as the first president of Sons of the Revolution, Stevens moved to and lived the last 20 years of his life at Rhode Island where he continued to write about history and cultivated roseRose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s.
Stevens died at the home where his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
service was held on June 18, 1910. A second service was held on June 21, 1910 at St. Paul's Chapel in New York and a procession through the city was conducted by Sons of the Revolution, Chamber of Commerce and Historical Society leaders. The procession was viewed by uncovered thousands where it moved down Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
to Fraunces Tavern which was draped in black. The interment was in the family vault in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
where his Revolutionary grandfather, Ebenezer, also lies.
See also
- Sons of the Revolution
- New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical SocietyThe New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
- Chamber of Commerce of the State of New YorkChamber of Commerce of the State of New YorkThe New York Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1768 by twenty New York City merchants, was the first commercial organization of its kind in the country. Attracting the participation of a number of New York's most influential business leaders, such as John Jacob Astor, Peter Cooper, and J...