Frederic De Peyster

Frederic De Peyster (1796-1882) was a graduate of Columbia College and a member of the New York Bar. In 1837 he inherited such a great fortune that he devoted the rest of his life to charitable causes. At the time of his death the “industrious pamphleteer and popular speaker” was president of the New-York Historical Society and the New York Society Library. This animated portrait was commissioned posthumously by the lawyer’s son John. De Peyster’s clenched jaw and furrowed brow convey the determination and integrity noted in memorial tributes at the time of his death.