Marshall Owen Roberts (1813-1880)
of 107 Fifth Avenue, New York; President of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co., etc.
He started his life as a clerk in a grocery store and made his fortune after taking over the U.S. government contract subsidising mail steamships. During the Civil War he made huge profits selling boats to the Federal government. He was instrumental in creating a Caribbean steamer service and he was later involved in the development of transatlantic telegraphic cables. He was elected President of the New York Chamber of Commerce and was a well-known Patron of the Arts, championing American artists. He died with a fortune in excess of $10-million and an impressive art gallery.
