Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1903-08-14
NEW YORK MILLIoNAIREs.
None Century Ago, But Over Thir-
teen Hundred Now.
mber of Miilionaires In New York

IN 1905 l5N
There are in New York city to-day,
according to the World, 1920 mil
lionaires, as against 29l twenty years
ago and rs in 1853. There were
no millionaires in the city 100 years
ago The first person to reach that
distinction was John Jacob Astor,
who became a millionaire aboutthe
year 1920 Six years before that the
richest man in the citywas Isaac Clas-
son, who swore that he was worth
$4,000.
In 1880 there were five million
aires in New York, as attested by
Walter Barrett, who published a book
on the subject in 1862 and who was
personally acquainted with the five
men about whom he wrote. They
were John Jacob Astor, Robert
Lenox, John G. Coster, Stephen
Whitney and Nathaniel Prime. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt was at that time
struggling hard with his ferryboat
business, but had not reached the
dignity Of amillionaire.
John Jacob Astor made lis money
from furs and real estate, much ofthe
latter being still held by his descend
ants Of the present day. Nathaniel
Prime was in his younger days a
goodman. Then he became a broker
and banker After amassing a for
tune he committed suicide because
he feared misfortune might overtake
him and that he might die in the
almshouse.
In those days the city limits ex-
tended no further north than Cham
bers street and fashionable resi-
dences were TO be found in lower
Greenwich and State streets. August
Belmont began his career as a banker
then and succeeded to the business
that had been carried on by J. L. g.
S. Josophs This put him in the list
Of millionaires of 1858.
Among the other millionaires of
half a century ago were William B.
Astor, worth $5,O0O,OOO; John Jacob
Astor, $25.OOO,OOO; John Haggerty,
100000: Peter Harmony, 81, $780,
600; Joseph Kernochan, 81 100000;
James Lenox, $3,OOO,OOO; Mrs. ia
cob Lorillard, $1,5OO,OOO; Gouver-
neur Morris, S1,5O0,0OO, and Corne-
Illus Vanderbilt, 100000. The
estate of NJ. Peck, consisting of
Brooklyn realty was worth a million
and that of S. Van Rensselaer,, ten
million. A. II. Stewart was worth q
little more than a million. Peter G.
Stuyvesant was rated at 100000
and Herman Thone at $1,j00,000
These fortunes were, for the most
part. made in trading. banking and
the increase in value Of real estate
In 1876 a carefully prepared list OF
the wealthy men of the city showed
that there were then 500men worth
$1O0.00Oormore, but only lSrcachcd
the million-dollar mark.
In 1883 there were eight men in
New York worth $50,OO0.OUU or
more. They were w. w. Aston. Jay
Gould, John d. Rockefeller, w. II.
Vanderbilt, H. N. Flagler, John l.
Blair, Russell Sage and c. p. Hunt
ington.
At the present time Mr. Rockefel-
Ter is estimated to be worth well to-
ward a billion dollars. Famous
among other present-day million
aires are J. p. Morgan, Andrew Car
negie, j j. Astor, w. X. Vanderbilt,
Russell Sage, II. NJ. Flagler, W. \.
Clark, William Rockefeller, w. c.
Whitney, John D. Archibald, d. 0.
Mills, Mrs. Hetty Green. James Still
man and The members Of the Gould
family.
OF the 1920 millionaires in New
York, $50 are merchants, 113 are
bankers, 1874 real estate owners. 60
railroad owners, 81 mine owners. and
the rest are manufacturers, ship own
ers, tanners, brewers and professional
men.
New York is the richest city in the
world. It's aggregated wealth is
more than billion dollars greater
than that of London. It's per capita
wealth is more than twice as much as
London's. These facts are more no
table when it is considered that New
York covers less than half the area
of London and that the latter has
been for hundreds of years the great
est trade center on earth london av-