John Delafield

John Delafield (March 16, 1748 – July 3, 1824) was an English-American merchant and financier, notable for delivering the Treaty of Paris (the treaty resulting in the conclusion of the Revolutionary War) to New York in 1783.

Early life

Delafield was born in England on March 16, 1748, in Cripplegate, London. He was the son of John Delafield (1714–1763), an affluent cheese merchant, and Martha (née Dell) Delafield (1719–1761). Among his siblings were Joseph Delafield, Martha Delafield (wife of William Arnold and mother of Dr. Thomas Arnold), and William Unsworth Delafield (who died in West Bengal, India in 1771), among others.

His paternal grandparents were John Delafield and Sarah (née Goodwin) Delafield. His maternal grandparents were John Dell and Susannah (née Farnborough) Dell.

Career

Delafield was among the first Englishmen to settle in America as the Revolutionary War came to a close. Arriving in New York City in the spring of 1783, while it was still under British control, he brought with him the first copy of the provisional treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain.

He was said to have arrived with significant wealth, holding the title of “Count of the Holy Roman Empire” by descent, and by the turn of the century, had become one of New York's wealthiest individuals, earning the title "one of the fathers of Wall Street." His mansion, located across the East River from New York City, was a grand estate where he lived with his wife, Ann Hallett—herself from a notable Revolutionary family—and their eleven children. He was an original director of the Mutual Insurance Company of New York, established by Alexander Hamilton in 1787, and later became president of the United Insurance Company.