Complex sentence: Descended from families prominent since the colonial history of New England, Stokes was a railway president and a society figure who had given up his mansion at 299 Madison Avenue to be closer to the work he found most satisfying, that of social projects.
Split into simpler sentences: Descended from families prominent since the colonial history of New England, Stokes was a railway president and a society figure. He gave up his mansion at 299 Madison Avenue to be closer to the work he found most satisfying, that of social projects.