NUMISMATIC SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA OFFICERS

The Numismatic Society of Philadelphia was formed on January 1, 1858, as the first coin club in the United States. Joseph A. Mickley served as first president. In 1865, the name was changed to the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia. The Society was reported to remain active as recently as 2012.

 

While doing research this week, I came across a list of Honorary Vice Presidents for the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia in 1884. I noted the name of Alexander Ramsey. Last year I moved from Minneapolis into Ramsey County. While Ramsey was governor of Minnesota in 1862, annuity payments were withheld from Indians on the Dakota Reservation, leading to the U. S. Dakota War of 1862. My home town of New Ulm, Minnesota, was attacked, burned and temporarily abandoned. Fortunately, I was not hurt in the attacks.

So, who were the honorary vice presidents?

Massachusetts HON. ROBERT C. WINTHROP (1809-1894)

Attorney. Former Senator, Representative and Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives. President of the Massachusetts Historical Society 1855-1885. Great-great grandfather of John Kerry.

Rhode Island HON. JOHN RUSSELL BARTLETT (1805-1886)

Bookseller and publisher. Former Secretary of State in Rhode Island. Member of the Rhode Island Historical Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the American Antiquarian Society.

Connecticut ASHBEL WOODWARD M.D. (1804-1885)

Physician and Civil War battlefield surgeon living in Franklin, Connecticut, and local historian. His home became the Ashbel Woodward Museum.

New York J. CARSON BREVOORT, Esq, (1818-1887)

President of the Long Island Historical Society and member of several other historical societies. Coin collector and book collector.

New Jersey HON WILLIAM A. WHITEHEAD (1810-1884)

Historian and writer, author of books on New Jersey history.

Delaware HON. THOMAS F. BAYARD (1822-1898)

Attorney. Senator from Delaware 1869-1885, later U. S. Secretary of State 1885-1889. He was a hard money advocate.

Maryland HON. JOHN H. B. LATROBE (1803-1891)

Attorney. He invented the Latrobe stove. President of American Colonization Society 1853- 1891. President of the Maryland Historical Society.

District of Columbia PROF. SPENCER F. BAIRD (1823-1887)

Ornithologist, Ichthyologist and herpetologist. In 1878 he replaced Joseph Henry to become the second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Virginia R. ALONZO BROCK, Esq. (1839-1914)

Civil War veteran employed in the lumber business. Antiquarian and historian. Corresponding Secretary of the Virginia Historical Society and Secretary of the Southern Historical Society.

Georgia CHARLES C. JONES, Jr. Esq. (1831-1893)

Attorney. Member of the American Antiquarian Society and member of the American Philosophical Society; Author of books on Georgia History. His autograph collection included the hand written will of Button Gwinnett.

Louisiana JOSEPH JONES, M. D. (1833-1896)

Physician. President of the Louisiana Board of Health 1880-1884; Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at University of Louisiana. He published a three-volume work on conditions at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War.

Illinois HON. ISAAC N. ARNOLD (1815-1884)

Chicago attorney and early friend of Illinois attorney Abraham Lincoln; Member of Illinois House of Representatives 1842-1848; U. S. Representative 1861-1865; Biographer of Abraham Lincoln and Benedict Arnold.

Wisconsin PROF. JAMES D. BUTLER (1815-1905)

Congregational clergyman. Professor of Greek and the humanities at the University of Wisconsin. Author of Catalogue of Coins and Medals, Ancient and Modern (1874).

Minnesota HON. ALEXANDER RAMSEY (1815-1903)

U. S. Representative from Pennsylvania 1843-1847; Governor of Minnesota Territory 1849- 1853; Mayor of St. Paul 1855-1856; First president of the Minnesota Historical Society; Governor of Minnesota 1860-1863; Minnesota Senator 1863-1875; United States Secretary of War 1879-1881.

Iowa RT. REV. WILLIAM STEVENS PERRY (1832-1898)

Bishop in the Episcopal Church in Iowa. History teacher at Hobart College. He was appointed historiographer of the American church in 1868.

California HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, Esq. (1832-1918)

In 1852 he moved to San Francisco to establish a successful book store and later published books on western history. Member of the American Antiquarian Society. The University of California purchased his 60,000 volume library in 1905.

It is apparent that the society drew upon the antiquarian side more than the numismatic side when appointing their honorary vice presidents. As can be seen with the honorary vice presidents, members of one society often join several similar societies.

When recent ANA conventions were held in Philadelphia, clubs from around the area acted as the host club. There was no local Philadelphia club involved.

 

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