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George F. Betts

Lawyer/Trustee

Centurion, 1859–1898

Full Name George Frederic Betts

Born 14 June 1827 in Newburgh, New York

Died 18 January 1898 in New York (Manhattan), New York

Buried Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York

Proposed by Francis F. Marbury and John E. Burrill

Elected 4 June 1859 at age thirty-one

Proposer of:

Century Memorial

George Frederick Betts was one of the best known lawyers of New York, the son of that distinguished judge, Samuel Rossiter Betts, who for forty years was judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was himself Clerk of that Court for nearly twenty-five years. He had been associated during his active life at the Bar with some of the most distinguished legal firms in the city, among them that of Francis B. Cutting, and was a well equipped and able practitioner. He served with distinction during the Civil War as lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Regiment of New York Volunteers, which was raised largely through his energetic efforts. He was prominent in public and charitable work, was a trustee of the Five Points House of Industry and of the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, and many other philanthropic institutions. He deservedly held a high position by reason of his personal character and his public service, and passed away universally regretted by all who knew him.

Henry E. Howland
1899 Century Association Yearbook