James Jewett Stillman (June 9, 1850 – March 15, 1918) was a noted American businessman who invested in land, banking, and railroads in New York, Texas, and Mexico. The son of Elizabeth Pamela Stillman (neé Goodrich) and Charles Stillman, James Stillman was born in Brownsville, Texas. Charles Stillman had significant business interests which James acquired in 1872. He expanded those to control of sixteen Texas banks and a significant land holdings in the Rio Grande Valley, particularly Corpus Christi and Kerrville, Texas. Along with W. H. Harriman, Jacob Henry Schiff and William Rockefeller he controlled the most important Texas railroads (including the Texas and Pacific Railroad, the Southern Pacific Railroad, the International-Great Northern Railroad, the Union Pacific Southern Railway, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway, and the Mexican National Railroad) and the National City Bank of New York.
In 1876 Stillman supported Porfirio Díaz's overthrow of the government of Mexico by the Revolution of Tuxtepec.
He is considered to have been one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune.[1] His oldest son James Alexander Stillman also served as president of National City Bank of New York. Stillman was related to even greater wealth by marriage; his two daughters (Sarah Elizabeth Stillman and Isabel Goodrich Stillman) married the sons (William Goodsell Rockefeller and Percy Avery Rockefeller respectively) of business associate and friend, and senior executive of Standard Oil William Rockefeller. His grandson James Stillman Rockefeller served as president of National City from 1952 to 1959 and chairman from 1959 to 1967.
References
- ^ The Wealthy 100 at www.scottwinslow.com
- John K. Winkler, The First Billion: The Stillmans and the National City Bank (New York: Vanguard, 1934).
- Texas Handbook
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Percy Pyne |
President/Chairman of National City Bank 1891–1909 (President) 1909-1918 (Chairman) |
Succeeded by Frank A. Vanderlip |
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