John Gerard Coster

John Gerard Coster (August 1762 – August 8, 1844) was a Dutch-American merchant who served as president of the Bank of the Manhattan Company.

Early life

Coster was born in August 1762 in Haarlem, Holland. He was a son of John Henry Coster (d. 1776) and Anna Catherine (née Vienecke).^[1]

He was educated to be a physician under the tutelage of his brother Haro who was a well-known physician in the British Navy.^[2]

Career

Washington Hall 1809-1844

After briefly living in Demerara in the West Indies,^[3] Coster came to the United States from Haarlem in the Netherlands shortly after the Revolutionary War and founded the family fortune with his brother through the mercantile firm, "Henry A. & John G. Coster".^[4] They became owners of numerous vessels and traded with the East and West Indies, and exported American commodities to Europe.^[4]

In 1809, Coster financed the building of Washington Hall, a hotel, banquet hall, and restaurant that served as an early meeting place and headquarters for the Washington Benevolent Society, a semi-secret association that was an electoral arm of the Federalist Party.^{[citation needed]}

In 1813, he was made a director of Bank of the Manhattan Company, which had been founded by Aaron Burr in 1799.^[4] In 1825, Coster was made president of the Manhattan Company, succeeding Henry Remsen upon his death. Coster was also a director of the Phoenix Insurance Company for many years.^[5]

Personal life

Coster was married to Catherine Margaret Holsman (c. 1778–1847).^[1] Together, they lived in a house which he built at 539 Broadway, north of Canal Street, which was considered "one of the finest residences in New York."^[4] It was built by two of the most well-known architects of the day, Alexander Jackson David and Ithiel Town.^[6] They were the parents of twelve children, many of whom married into many prominent families including the Schermerhorns and Heckshers.^[4][7]

• John Henry Coster, who married Adeline Boardman.^[1]
• Maria Margaret Coster (1798–1835), who married Edwin Upshur Berryman.^[1] Maria died the night of the great fire in NYC. Her husband died a few years later. Their orphaned daughters lived with Henry Coster and the boys moved to KY.
• Daniel Joachim Coster (b.1804), who married Julia DeLancey (1806–1890), a daughter of Oliver DeLancey and great-granddaughter of Stephen Delancey.^[8]
• Gerard Holsman Coster (b. 1808), who married Matilda Prime, a daughter of banker Nathaniel Prime.^[1]
• Henrietta Taletta Coster^[1]
• Georgiana Louisa Coster (1815–1890), who married Charles August Heckscher.^[4]
• Julia Christiana Coster (b. 1816), who married Jérôme Napoléon Frédéric Reubell (1809–1874),^[1] a son of Gen. Jean-Jacques Reubell and grandson of Louis Pascault, Marquis de Poleon, in 1840.^[9]
• George Washington Coster, who married Elizabeth Oakey, a daughter of merchant Daniel Oakey.^[10]
• Henry Arnold Coster (b. 1820)^[1]
• Charles Robert Coster^[1]
• Alfred Jacob Coster^[1]
• Rutgers Eugene Coster^[1]

J G Coster died on August 8, 1844.^[4]

Descendants

Through his son Daniel, he was a grandfather of Harry Coster, an American clubman who was prominent in New York Society during the Gilded Age.^[11]

Through his daughter Julia, he was a grandfather of Henrietta Reubell (c. 1849–1924),^[12] who was a prominent figure in Paris society known for hosting a lively salon at her apartment at 42 avenue Gabriel, including James McNeill Whistler, Oscar Wilde, Edith Wharton, and Henry James.^[13]