Daniel G. Reid

Daniel Gray Reid (August 1, 1858 – January 17, 1925) was an American industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. Early in his career he manufactured tin plate with The American Tin Plate Company, and later U.S. Steel. He was known as the "Tinplate King".

Early life and education A native of Richmond, Indiana, Reid was the son of Scotch-Irish Americans Daniel and Anna (née Dougan) Reid and was educated in the public schools of Richmond. His father died when he was 15 years old and he was reared by his mother.

Career At the age of seventeen, he entered the Second National Bank as messenger boy, obtained his business training there and gradually won promotion until he was made teller, which position he resigned in 1895. He and his partner, William B. Leeds, another Richmond native, bought the tin plate mill, with which he eventually combined every tin plate company in the country to form The American Tin Plate Company, with Reid as president. He also had a country estate in Irvington, New York, and a 200-foot yacht Rheclair. The yacht held a crew of 35, boasted ten staterooms and was 213 feet long.

Personal life On October 13, 1880, Reid married Ella C. Dunn, of Richmond, Indiana. Ella Dunn Reid died on June 25, 1899, in Chicago. Reid filed for divorce in New York in May 1919 on grounds of infidelity. They were divorced in February 1920.

Health decline Reid's health began to decline in 1919. Twice, in 1921 and 1922, he was treated in the psychiatric clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Death Reid died on January 16, 1925, in his apartment in New York City at age 66. and Reid Hospital and Health Care Services, each of which are named in memory of his family for the significant gifts he made to both institutions.

He learned of the need to replace St. Stephen's Hospital, which had only 10 beds and was turning away about 50 patients a week. William B. Leeds, Reid's partner in business ventures and also a former Richmond resident contributed $10,000. An additional $10,000 was donated from the estate of Robert Morrisson and $5,000 from James M. Starr's estate. Reid contributed the balance, about $130,000. He purchased 50 acres on the city's north side for $30,000 and donated $100,000 for the building of Reid Hospital in honor of his wife, Ella and their son, Frank. He also donated $295,000 for the building of Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church in honor of his parents. Cornerstones for both the hospital and Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church were laid Sept. 24, 1904. Reid Memorial was dedicated July 27, 1905.