William Bayard Cutting (1850-1912)

He was born in New York City, studied law, and graduated from Columbia College. He assisted and then at the age of 28 succeeded his grandfather, William Cutting, as President of the St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railroad. Ten years later, he and his brother, Fulton, started the sugar beet industry in the United States. They also built railroads, operated the ferries of New York City, and developed a part of the South Brooklyn waterfront. Bayard was a trustee of Columbia College and the New York Botanical Garden, and more significantly he was a director of City & Suburban Homes which pioneered good quality, affordable housing for the working class.

He was a founding member of the Good Government Organization, the City Club of New York, the New York Metropolitan Opera, and the famously elitist Jekyll Island Club in Georgia. A devout Christian, he also undertook various missionaries abroad. On his death, he left a fortune of $9-million. He and his remarkably beautiful wife were the parents of four talented children and their son, Bayard Jr., became the first American to marry a titled Englishwoman (Lady Sybil Cuffe) and their child grew up to be a prolific author.