Banker
Centurion, 1910–1941
Born 16 July 1865 in North Bergen, New Jersey
Died 10 March 1941 in New York (Manhattan), New York
Proposed by Henry K. Pomroy and Frank J. Goodnow
Elected 5 March 1910 at age forty-four
Archivist’s Note: Brother of William Mabon
Proposer of:
Century Memorial
James Brown Mabon, stockbroker, was a Century “amateur” in the best tradition. A genuine lover of art—especially primitives, woodcuts, and etchings—he frequented galleries at home and in Europe. He read extensively and cherished his membership in the Grolier. He was generously helpful to Centurion writers who tapped his broad knowledge of finance. At Century gatherings, which he attended regularly, he was welcome as a charming and high-spirited companion.
His business life centered in the Stock Exchange, of which he was a member for forty years and a governor for twenty-nine. Serving as its president during the Pujo investigation, he impressed all with his fair-mindedness and sincerity. He was an indefatigable director of the Union Theological Seminary, which he served with sagacity and modesty.
His most engaging qualities were perhaps his kindness through a long life and his quiet courage in later years, when failing eyesight gradually cut him off from the enjoyment of art and of reading, and curtailed his association with friends. Long before being himself afflicted, he was a leading figure in public charities, such as the Presbyterian Hospital, and an unfailing Good Samaritan in numberless cases where he was able to do good by stealth.
Geoffrey Parsons
1941 Century Memorials