Isaac Roosevelt (1726-1794)

Sugar Refiner, State Senator & President of the Bank of New York

He built New York's first sugar refinery and made a fortune from sugar, rum and molasses. He became the 2nd President of the Bank of New York. He was a Federalist and close friend of Alexander Hamilton. In May, 1775, he was appointed to the General Committee of Association of One Hundred to take control of the government during the Revolution and played a leading role towards the Constitution of the United States. After the war, he was a appointed a State Senator; President of the Bank of New York from 1786 to 1791 until he was succeeded by Gulian Verplanck; and, President of the Society of the New York Hospital. In 1752, at Red Hook in Dutchess County, New York, he married Cornelia, daughter of Colonel Martinus Hoffman, and they had ten children though only three (listed above) reached adulthood and married. He originally lived on Wall Street but after the death of his brother, Jacobus, he moved into his house opposite William Walton's on the north west side of Queen (Pearl) Street.
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 19/01/2020 and last updated on 26/03/2022.