J. Edward Simmons

Joseph Edward Simmons (September 9, 1841 – August 5, 1910) was an American lawyer and banker who served as president of the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Clearing House and of the New York Chamber of Commerce.

Early life Simmons was born at Troy in Rensselaer County, New York, on September 9, 1841. and Joseph Ferris Simmons (1818–1879), a prosperous merchant. serving as president until his death in 1910. By 1897, when he became president of the New York Clearing House, the market value of the Bank had doubled in the markets.

In 1907, he became president of the New York Chamber of Commerce, as well as president of the Panama Railroad Company, serving as president of both until his death in August 1910. The president of Chase National Bank, A. Barton Hepburn, succeeded Simmons as president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Public service In 1881, he was appointed a Commissioner of the New York City Board of Education by Mayor William Russell Grace. In 1884, he was reappointed by Mayor Franklin Edson and, in 1886, he was chosen president of the Board to succeed Stephen A. Walker who was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York by President Cleveland. In 1896, Simmons, a "sound-money Democrat" supported William McKinley, the Republican nominee for president. After McKinley won, Simmons was quoted in The New York Times stating: In 1905, he was the first president of the New York City Board of Water Supply (which launched the Catskill Aqueduct project and built the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers). He also served as president of the Board until his death. a daughter of George Greer of New York. and were the parents of five children, including:

Joseph Ferris Simmons (1868–1937), who married Mabel Louisa Storm, a daughter of Thomas and Sarah Matilda (née Boyd) Storm, in 1906. Julia Greer Simmons (1874–1891), who died aged 17 in New York City.

Simmons was a member of Metropolitan Club, the University Club, the St. Nicholas Society, and the Masons (of which he served as grand master of the Grand Lodge of New York in 1883). He also served as a trustee of the New York Hospital and was a manager of the New York Infant Asylum.

After a ten-day illness, following a year of impaired health, Simmons died on August 5, 1910, at Lake Mohonk. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Legacy In June 1885, Simmons was awarded an honorary LL.D. from the University of Vermont