Existing comment:
Albert Gallatin, Esq.
Although Gallatin cherished the refuge of Friendship Hill throughout his long absences, most of his family was unhappy here, isolated from the east. They settled in New York upon their return from London.
"Retirement" for Gallatin meant continued writing on financial and political affairs. He helped organize and served as president of what is now the Manufacturers Hanover Trust bank. Cultivating a life long interest in Native Americans, he founded the American Ethnological Society and wrote an Indian language classification guide which was a basic reference for the following half-century.
His death, in 1849, came less than a year short of the 70th anniversary of his arrival in this country. Throughout those seven decades, Albert Gallatin did more than simply watch his new country grow; he helped mold its very form. |