Charles T. Barney

Charles T. Barney
Born	January 27, 1851
Died	November 14, 1907
Nationality	American

Charles Tracy Barney (January 27, 1851 – November 14, 1907) was the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney's death sparked the Panic of 1907.

Charles T. Barney was born on January 27, 1851, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ashbel H. Barney (1816–1886) and Susan (Tracy) Barney. His father was a successful forwarding and commission merchant.

In 1857, the family moved to New York City, where his father was a director (1859–83), vice president (1867–69) and president (1869–70) of Wells Fargo & Company.

Barney attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society, graduating in 1870. Following graduation he moved to New York and entered banking. With his mustache and beard and slightly thinning hair, Barney somewhat resembled his late, well-regarded father in appearance.

His ties to the Whitney family helped him achieve great success in banking, real estate investment and opened the door to profitable business opportunities. Barney was made a special member of the firm of Rogers & Gould, members of the . He joined the Knickerbocker Trust Company in 1884, was elected vice president in the 1890s and in 1897 succeeded Robert MacClay as president. During his tenure at Knickerbocker, the company's total deposits rose from $11 million to over $65 million. At its peak it was the third largest trust company in the city. In 1902-04 it built a new main office at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street (pictured), designed by McKim, Mead and White. There were also branch offices at 66 Broadway and in Harlem and The Bronx.

In his real estate operations, Barney joined William C. Whitney, Henry F. Dimock, W.E.D. Stokes, Francis W. Jenks, and others in forming the New York Loan and Improvement Company in 1890. This concern was responsible for the development of the Washington Heights section of New York City. He formed with George D. Sheldon and others in 1899 the so-called Barney-Sheldon real estate syndicate.

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