Isaac Newton Phelps

Biography

Isaac Newton Phelps, born in 1802, was a merchant and banker whose ventures helped shape the financial life of New York in the decades before and after the Civil War. Phelps believed in building enduring businesses that provided opportunity for employees and partners alike, and his reputation reflected a keen mind for commerce tempered by ethical care.

He supported charitable and educational institutions with the same steadiness, helping to nurture civic progress, and when he passed his memory was honored in the serene slopes of Green-Wood Cemetery.