William Butler Duncan (1830-1912)

He was born in Scotland and and was educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh. When his father came out to Providence, William continued his education at Brown University, after which he became partner in the New York branch of the London banking firm co-founded by his father, Duncan, Sherman & Co. He was chosen as one of the 25-Patriarchs and in the 1860s he entertained the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and his younger brother the Duke of Connaught, at his mansion on Fifth Avenue. He lived at 249 Fifth Avenue (which he sold to the Knickerbocker Club as their first home) and 12 Washington Square before moving to his new home at 1 Fifth Avenue (see images) in 1877. A passionate bibliophile, he had a large and valuable library, “consisting of (some of) the best editions of English and American books, for the most part superbly bound.” He married Jane Percy Sargent, from an old, aristocratic Southern family, and they had three children (listed). After his brother's premature death, he adopted his nephew and namesake, W. Butler Duncan, Jr.