Brayton Ives

Brayton Ives (23 August 1840 - 22 October 1914) was president of Northern Pacific Railway from 1893 to 1896 and was president of the New York Stock Exchange and the Western National Bank of New York.

Biography
He was born in Farmington, Connecticut, the son of William A. and Julia (Root) Ives, and was graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1861. He served in the American Civil War, and became assistant adjutant general (with the rank of colonel) on the staff of Brigadier General Orris S. Ferry. He was brevetted brigadier general for gallantry at the battles of Ream's Station, Deep Bottom, Five Forks, and Sailor's Creek.

Ives was married to Eleanor Anderson Bissell on 6 February 1867.

Ives became a prominent New York financier by 1868 and served two terms as president of the New York Stock Exchange; he was president of the Western National Bank of New York for many years and was chosen president of Northern Pacific Railway on 20 October 1893.

Ives was a survivor of the sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Republic in January 1909.

Ives was a collector of ceramics and other art objects, and of books. He had a library of more than 6000 volumes including many incunabula. He possessed a Guttenberg Bible, and early printed editions of Euclid and of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He had a collection of 200 rare books pertaining to the early settlement of America.

In addition to the ceramics and art, Ives made a collection of rare and historical swords. When he ceased collecting, the swords were sold, and through the efforts of Mr. Heber R. Bishop, William Thompson Walters and the American Art Association, the valuable sword collection, valued at $15,000, was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He died in Ossining, New York. At the time of his death he was President of the Hecker-Jones-Jewell Milling Company, the Standard Milling Company, the Kanona & Prattsburg Railway Company, and the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company.