New-York tribune., 1910-12-28

ROBIN CAME FROM RUSSlI
Name of Banker in Trouble Wa
Robinowitch Originally.
Joseph G. Robin is Russian whose nan,
was Robinowitch. but when he began t
come into notice in business affairs in Ne1
York he dropped the last two syllabIes O
his name. He belongs to a family Of tn
lesser Russian nobility, who were exile,
for political mesaliiances. He was brough
to this country when he was a. small boy
ana first appeared III the business life O
the city inf1saS
In 1875 he was deputy commissioner her
representing the .Transvasl government
and In 1896 he made his first banking con
nections. By 1902 he had begun TO get
| foothold. and for two or three years wa,
we'll considered as a man who would b.
| likely to make his mark among the smaller
| bankers Of the city.
His first connections were with building
and loan institutions. and in 1896 he pro
noted the Popular Banking. Savings and
Loan Association. This was not a success
full venture. and Robin, as he was ther
| known. formed the Cooperative Building
Bank, which absorbed the Popular Bank
ing Savings and Loan Association. The Co
| operative concern got into trouble in 1900
and Robin, who had then formed tbs
| friendship of Allan A. Apgar, of the Mer-
chants Exchange National Bank, got Mr.
Apgar and some of his associates to help
| in Strengthening out the affairs of the Co
operative Bank. Mr.. Apgar was a firm be-
lever in Robin, and up to the time of his
death declared that the Russian was a
good banker and would make his mark in
the community
The Bankers Realty and Security Com
pany was formed in 1904 to deal in the real
estate held and controlled by, the Co-epera-
tive Building Bank, and it was through this
company and the friendship of Mr.. Apgar
that the affairs of the cooperative con-
Germ were put on sound footing.
Robin, in the mean time, had organized
the Washington Savings Bank. This insti-
tuition was founded in 1899, and in 1903
Robin branched out and got control of the
Bank of Discount. At the same time he
took over from Edwin Coodall the control
and charge of the affairs of the Bankers
Money Order Company, which was intended
to compete with the express companies for
the money order business of the country
outside of that done by the government
But the express companies were too strong
their affairs for some time, and Robins
company was unsuccessful.
The control of the Iroquois Construction
Company, which was the holding company
for the Niagara. Lockport and Ontario
Company. passed into tho hands of Robin
in 1905, but he soon sold out to the West
inghouse company. and it was chiefly with
the money realized from this deal that he
bought into the Northern Bank of New
York in which he held 81 per cent of the
stock.
BY this time Robin had formed a friend
ship with L. r. Thomas and his financial
coterie and was concerned in promotions
that doubled and redoubled ON each other
and multiplied with constantly increasing
rapidity. Mr.. Thomas was in the Northern
Bank of New York and Robin In many
Of the Thomas interests. He was at one
time a stockholder In the Merchants Ex-
change National Bank, and until recently
had large loans there.
Since his entry into the Northern Bank
of New York his financial friendships had
been with r. ". Jones, of the National
Reserve Bank and formerly of the Oriental
and Seventh National banks; Edmund K.
Stallo, from whom two trust companies
recently withdrew security as trustee in
the management Of the estate of his
daughters, the heirs of Alexander McDon-
aid, and Herbert T. Jennings, promoter
Of country electric roads and real estate.
He was interested in large number of
small banks in the country districts, but
while he held the stock he was represented
on the boards by others.
In 1906 he was considered to be worth
about s1,o00,000. but it is understood that
since the panic of 1907 his available funds
had not been SO large. 1t is known that he
had large loans in several banks, and one
New York bank in which he was inter-
ested less than a year ago, and, 1t was un-
derstood, was to be made the Headquarters
of banking system, taking in chain of
small country banks, succeeded only in No
vember in getting the last of its loans to
him paid off after he had been forced out
of the institution.
Robin was interested in the promotion of
the Huguenot Trust Company. in New Ro-
chelle and that company was until week
ago one of the largest depositors of the
Northern Bank OF New York. One OF the
directors of the Huguenot objected to de-
posfts being kept with the Northern Bank
of New York, and he was Informed last
week that all the money of the trust COM |
pany had been withdrawn from deposit |
With the bank and that Mr.. Robin was 10 |
longer connected with the trust company.
He was active two years ago in assisting |
the promotion of the South Shore Traction |
Company, which, following the opening of |
the new Greensboro Bridge, III June of lasf |
year. obtained franchise to build trolley
road across that structure and over the
new v1aduct that spans the Sunnyside ward
Or the pennsylvania Railroad. and then
alopg Thompson avenue into HOFFMAN
Boulevard and on to Jamaica.
Glowing pictures Of the companv's n1ars
-or furnishing transportation for Queens
Neres set forth in vivid coIors at the time
but those plans shrunk to opera ting a
shuttle service to and fro across the bridge
IN city-buit tracks and in second hand
,ars, charging scent fare for the round
ZIP II Is SAID however. that as finar-
.ial venture this part Of the company.z
lEerafions has been HE eur,Ars |