Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York

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Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York
Formation1835
TypeCharity
on file
Headquarters150 East 55th Street
Location
  • New York City
Website www.saintnicholassociety.org

The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York is a charitable organization in New York City of men who are descended from early inhabitants of the State of New York. Thomas S Johnson is the current president. The organization preserves historical and genealogical records of English-ruled New York and Dutch-ruled New Amsterdam. The society has helped preserve the oldest historically landmarked buildings in New York City. The Society is financing the digitization of its colonial historical archives to be made publicly available at the New-York Historical Society.

Contents

History

Washington Irving, with the financial backing of John Jacob Astor and other prominent New Yorkers, organized the society in 1835 for historical and social purposes, holding its first meeting at Washington Hall.

The group continues to hold regular dinners and meetings [1] [2] and to pay for newspaper announcements when one of their members dies. [3] The annual dinner is usually addressed by notable speakers, with reports of speeches appearing in The New York Times. The Society has held a spring dinner every year since 1848.

Speakers such as Mark Twain, President Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Kissinger, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor John Lindsay, Brooke Astor, David Rockefeller and Governor Thomas Kean. One famous speaker every year for 179 years. [4]

In 1900 Mark Twain was an honored guest, he said "I find great improvement of the City of New York, some say it has improved because I have been away, Others and I agree with them, say it has improved because I have come back!" In 1852, Senator and Secretary of State Daniel Webster said, "Gentlemen, I deem it a great good fortune to pass a few minutes with you", "I am happy to be here", "I have raised my voice and swung my hat for forty years for Orange Boven."

The Paas Ball includes a presentation of Debutantes. The St Nicholas Society is part of a committee of organizations and governments planning to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of New Amsterdam settlement and the founding of the City that became New York.

Governance

The Society has several Officers including President, four Vice presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, historian, Genealogist, Assistant Genealogist, Chaplains, and Physicians. Members are appointed to a Board of Managers annually, and have three members for each Class or year who serve between a one and a five-year term. [5]

Membership

Members are men descended from men who lived in the State of New York prior to 1785. [6]

The colors of the society are orange and symbolic of the Dutch settlement of New York.

Notable members, speakers and award winners

Speakers and award winners – Governors, Mayors, Presidents, Authors, and Philanthropists.

Society members, past and present, include:

Medal of Merit Winners by Year

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "Saint Nicholas Society". The New York Times. November 11, 1873. p. 8. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  2. ↑ "DUTCH DESCENDANTS DINE.; They Join in Celebrating for the Saint Nicholas Society". The New York Times. December 7, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Died". The New York Times. August 13, 1913. p. 9. Retrieved November 25, 2009. "It is with deep regret that announcement is made of the death of Cortlandt Irving, a member of this society, at his late residence, 122 East 62d St., on Aug. 8th, 1913."
  4. ↑ "Taylor Advocates Policy of Isolation; Tariff and Taxes, Not Dry Law …". New York Times. December 8, 1931. Retrieved November 25, 2009. "Myron C. Taylor, chairman of the finance committee of the United States Steel Corporation, declared last night at the ninety-seventh annual dinner of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York..."
  5. ↑ "Officers". Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ Youngs, Florence Evenlyn Pratt (1914). Portraits of the presidents of the society, 1835–1914. The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. OCLC   682402324.
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