Gilbert Livingston Beeckman
Gilbert Livingston Beeckman was an American merchant who was the father of Rhode Island Governor Livingston Beeckman">Livingston family">Livingston Beeckman.
Early life
Beeckman was born on October 7, 1823, in New [York City, New York]. He was the son of Henry Beekman and Catherine McPhaedris Beeckman. His elder brother was John Henry Beeckman and his elder sister was Helen Smith Beekman.His family ancestry can be traced back to Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam and his ancestors include Robert Livingston the Elder, Declaration signer Philip Livingston and "The Chancellor" Robert Livingston. His paternal grandparents were Johannes Beekman and Hendrickje Beekman. His maternal grandparents were Gilbert Robert Livingston and Martha De Lancey Livingston.
Career
Beeckman became a merchant like his father before him. In 1855, he was listed as a wholesale dealer in foreign merchandise at 48 Broadway and was worth an estimated $150,000 and was a partner in Bowers, Beeckman, & Bradford, Jr., located at 82 Vesey Street.Beeckman's elder brother John and their cousin Henry Beeckman Livingston both set up a mercantile operating during the California Gold Rush. His brother accidentally shot himself to death during a hunting trip there in 1850.
Beeckman's business was severely affected by the Panic of 1873 before suffering a heart attack two days before Christmas 1874 which led to his death.
Personal life
In 1851, Beeckman was married to Margaret Atherton Foster, a daughter of Samuel H. Foster and Eliza Robinson Atherton. Together, they lived at 58 West 11th Street in Manhattan and were the parents of five children, four girls and one boy:- Katherine Livingston Beeckman, who married Louis Lasher Lorillard, a son of Pierre Lorillard III.
- Helen Beeckman, who married William Pratt Lyman.
- Margaret Atherton Beeckman, who married Campbell Steward.
- Martha Beeckman, who married New York banker Amos Tuck French.
- Robert Livingston Beeckman, who married Eleanor Thomas, a daughter of Gen. Samuel Russell Thomas, in 1902. After her death, he married Edna Burke in 1923.