Francis L. Eames

Francis Luther Eames (June 29, 1844 – November 10, 1912)[1] was an American banker and historian who served as president of the New York Stock Exchange.

Francis L. Eames
President of the New York Stock Exchange
In office 1894–1898
Preceded by	Frank K. Sturgis
Succeeded by	Rudolph Keppler
Personal details
Born	Francis Luther Eames June 29, 1844 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 10, 1912 (aged 68) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Sarah Wright ​ ​ (m. 1875; died 1898)​
Children	2

Early life

Eames was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on June 29, 1844. He was a son of Asa Eames Jr. (1809–1885) and, his first wife, Harriet (née Seabury) Eames (1812–1852). After the death of his mother in 1852, his father remarried to Rebekah Potter in 1854.[2]

His paternal grandparents were Asa Eames and Anna (née Havens) Eames.[2]

Career

After receiving his education in the schools of Fall River,[3] he began his career as a clerk in several banking houses, including L. P. Morton & Co. (the firm founded by former U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton). In 1870, he formed Eames & Moore, a brokerage partnership with H. Ramsdell Moore, becoming senior member of the firm in 1885.[4]

In 1866, he became a member of the New York Stock Exchange and was elected a member of the Governing Committee of the Exchange in 1879. In 1892, he devised and put in operation the Clearing House of the Exchange. In recognition of the value of the Clearing House, the members of the Exchange presented Eames with a " handsome silver service." In 1894, he was elected president of the Exchange and served in that role for four years. The same year he assumed the presidency from Frank K. Sturgis, he authored History of the New York Stock Exchange, which was published in 1895.[5][6]

In December 1902,[4] he announced that he would retire from active business on January 1, 1903 but served as a trustee of the Brooklyn Savings Bank, the Long Island Historical Society, the Stock Exchange Gratuity Fund, and a director of the Brooklyn Hospital.[1] He was also a member of the Sons of the Revolution, the Society of Colonial Wars, the Chamber of Commerce of New York and the Hamilton Club of Brooklyn.[3]

Personal life

On October 1, 1875, Eames was married to Sarah Wright (1847–1898),[2] a daughter of William Wright and Emily (née Carpenter) Wright.[7] Together, they lived in Brooklyn,[8] had a summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and were the parents of two daughters:[2]

• Ethel Eames (1877–1917),[9] who married Rev. Edward Frederick Sanderson in June 1912.[10][11] Sanderson was pastor of the Congregational Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn Heights and one of the founders of Goodwill Industries.[12]
• Helen Eames (1879–1883), who died young.[2]

Eames died at his home, 125 Remsen Street in Brooklyn on November 10, 1912.[1]

Descendants

Through his daughter Ethel, he was a grandfather of David Eames Sanderson (1915–1970).

References

1. "FRANCIS L. EAMES DIES; Stock Exchange President, 1894-98--Established Its Clearing House" (PDF). The New York Times. 11 November 1912. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
2. Genealogy of One Branch of the Descendants of the Thomas Eames' Family: Who Came from England about 1630, and First Settled at Dedham, Mass., in 1640. Brockway & Sons Daily Times Print. 1887. p. 30. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
3. Men and Women of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. L.R. Hamersly. 1909. p. 541. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
4. "Francis L. Eames to Retire" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 December 1902. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
5. "MR. EAMES'S STOCK EXCHANGE HISTORY; THE NEW-YORK STOCK EXCHANGE. By Francis L. Eames. Large 4to. New-York: Thomas G. Hall" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 March 1895. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
6. Sobel, Robert (1999). Panic on Wall Street: A History of America's Financial Disasters. Beard Books. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-893122-46-8. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
7. The Family Book of Bakewell, Page, Campbell: Being Some Account of the Descendants of John Bakewell, of Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England, Born in 1638. Benjamin Page, Born in 1765, at Norwich, England. William Campbell, Born July 1, 1766, at Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland. John Harding, of Leicester. Wm. G. Johnston & Company, Printers and Stationers. 1896. p. 19. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
8. Year Book of the Church of the Pilgrims. Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). 1901. p. 56. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
9. "Mrs. Ethel Eames Sanderson" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 June 1917. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
10. "WILL WED BROOKLYN PASTOR; Miss Ethel Eames Engaged to the Rev. Edward F. Sanderson" (PDF). The New York Times. 19 June 1912. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
11. "Miss Ethel Eames Weds Minister" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 July 1912. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
12. Sagamore Sociological Conference. Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts: The Arakelyan Press. 1907. p. 93. Retrieved 11 December 2019.