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History & Society
Henry Baldwin Hyde
American businessman
Category:
History & Society
- Born:
- Feb. 15, 1834, Catskill, N.Y., U.S.
- Died:
- May 2, 1899, New York City (aged 65)
Henry Baldwin Hyde (born Feb. 15, 1834, Catskill, N.Y., U.S.—died May 2, 1899, New York City) was an American capitalist who was the founder of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. In 1852 Hyde became a clerk at the Mutual Life Insurance Co. and, in the next seven years, learned the business, advancing to the post of cashier. In 1859 Hyde left Mutual Life, announcing his intention to start his own insurance company. In that year, he raised $100,000 as starting capital and rented an office on a floor above his former employer, putting up a sign that dwarfed Mutual Life’s. ...(100 of 280 words)