Stokes Trust Corporation - 1905-13 dated Connecticut Trust Stock Certificate

New Haven, CT. Rust stains at bottom but very nice.

Anson Phelps Stokes (1838–1913) was a prominent American merchant, millionaire banker, and philanthropist who significantly contributed to New York’s Gilded Age. Born into a wealthy family with a deep mercantile heritage, he joined the family firm, Phelps, Dodge & Company, as a partner before establishing his own banking house, Phelps, Stokes & Company, in 1879. Beyond his financial endeavors, Stokes was a multifaceted public figure. He served as the inaugural president of the New York Reform Club, was twice elected vice commodore of the New York Yacht Club, and even designed a “globular naval battery” warship for harbor defense. Despite losing a leg in a horse-riding accident in 1899, he remained an active figure in elite social circles until his passing in 1913.

Stokes’ legacy was carried forward by his children, particularly his son, Anson Phelps Stokes (1874–1958), an influential educator and clergyman. The younger Stokes served as the secretary of Yale University for over two decades and held the position of canon at the Washington National Cathedral. He is perhaps best remembered for his leadership of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, an organization established in 1911 through the will of his aunt, Caroline Phelps Stokes, to enhance educational opportunities for African Americans and Africans. Under his guidance, the fund sponsored significant educational commissions in Africa and published groundbreaking studies on race relations and church-state issues, solidifying the family name’s association with 20th-century social reform.