James Thomas Woodward | |
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Born | September 27, 1837 Anne Arundel County, Maryland |
Died | April 10, 1910 New York, New York |
Cause of death | "paralysis of the brain" |
Resting place | Woodlawn, Cemetery, Bronx, New York |
Residence | New York, New York Collington, Maryland Rhode Island |
Occupation | Banker |
Employer | Hanover National Bank |
Known for | President of Hanover National Bank Owner of Belair Mansion and Belair Stud |
Title | Esq. |
Board member of | Hanover National Bank St. John's College |
Parent(s) | Henry Williams Woodward and Mary Edge Webb |
James T. Woodward (September 27, 1837 – April 10, 1910) was an American banker and owner of a major thoroughbred horse dynasty.
James T. Woodward was the second child born to Henry Williams Woodward and Mary Edge Webb at Edgewood Plantation in Gambrills Station, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
While his family gathered tremendous wealth during the American Civil War by selling textiles to the Confederates, James spent the war years in school.
Woodward moved to New York after the war and took a job at Ross, Campbell & Company where his business acumen was recognized. He became a director in the Hanover National Bank in the early 1870s. In 1877, his brother William Woodward (who founded the New York Cotton Exchange) and he pooled their funds and bought a large portion of the bank. James was elected president of the bank the same year. Under his leadership the deposits of the bank grew from $6,000,000 to $100,000,000.
Woodward was a bachelor his entire life, but was active socially. He joined many elite clubs including the Union Club, the Metropolitan Club, the Knickerbocker Club of New York City and the Maryland Club of Baltimore.
An avid hunter and horseman, Woodward purchased the historic Belair Mansion and Stud farm in 1898.
James maintained residences in New York, Rhode Island as well as at Belair. During this time, he developed a very close relationship with Saint John's College in Annapolis, Maryland and was elected to its board of visitors. Woodward invested significantly in both repairing Belair and expanding St. John's during this time. In June 1909, St John's gave the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws to Woodward in recognition of his extensive contribution to the school.