John Pintard (1759–1844)

John Pintard, the founder of The New-York Historical Society, graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) with the class of 1776 and subsequently joined his uncle's mercantile business. However, he soon entered the China and East India trade for himself, making a considerable fortune which was totally lost in the market crash of 1792. Thereafter he held the office of secretary of the Mutual Assurance Company of New York and subsequently that of president of the Bank of Savings.