Archibald Gracie
| Archibald Gracie | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | June 25, 1755 Dumfries, Scotland |
| Died | April 11, 1829 (aged 73) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Residence | Gracie Mansion |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Spouse(s) | Esther Rogers (m. 1784; his death 1829) |
| Children | Eliza Gracie Sarah Gracie Archibald Gracie II Esther Rogers Gracie |
| Parent(s) | William Gracie |
| Relatives |
Archibald Gracie III (grandson) Charles King (son-in-law) James Gore King (son-in-law) William Lawrence (son-in-law) |
Archibald Gracie (June 25, 1755 – April 11, 1829) was a Scottish-born shipping magnate and early American businessman and merchant in New York City and Virginia whose spacious home, Gracie Mansion, now serves as the residence of the Mayor of New York City.
Archibald Gracie was born June 25, 1755 in Dumfries, Scotland. He was the son of a weaver named William Gracie. In 1776, Gracie moved to Liverpool and clerked for a London shipping firm. He used his earnings to purchase a part interest in a merchant ship.
In April 1784, he sailed to America with a cargo of goods that were his own profit stock. He used the proceedings to invest in a mercantile company in New York City. He later moved to Petersburg, Virginia, and engaged in the export of tobacco to Great Britain. In 1793, he moved back to New York and became a commissary merchant and shipowner (Archibald Gracie and Sons, East India Merchants). Gracie was a business partner of Alexander Hamilton and a friend of John Jay.
Gracie was a member of the Tontine Association, which supervised the trading of stocks. Gracie expanded his interests and became active in the banking and insurance industries. He was an incorporator of the Eagle Fire Insurance Company and vice president of the New York Insurance Company, a director of the United States Bank and of the Bank of America, and Vice-President of the New York Chamber of Commerce from 1800 to 1825. After the death of his wife, Gracie married Elizabeth Fitch. His two marriages yielded ten children. Gracie was the 18th president of the St. Andrew's Society of New York, serving from 1818–23.
In 1798, Gracie purchased a large tract of land on Horn's Hook near the East River, where the following year he constructed a large two-story wooden mansion on the crest of a hill. Used primarily as his country home, the mansion quickly became a hub of the New York city social scene. Gracie's distinguished guests at the mansion included Hamilton (who founded the New-York Evening Post, now the New York Post, there), future United States president John Quincy Adams, and future French king Louis Phillippe.
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