Valentine Hall Jr.

Valentine Gill Hall Jr. (March 27, 1834 – July 17, 1880) was an American socialite, banker, and merchant who was the maternal grandfather of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Early life Hall was born in New York City on March 27, 1834, to Irish immigrant Valentine Gill Hall Sr. and Susan Hall, Tonnelé. His younger sister, Margaret Tonnelé Hall, was married to Edward Philip Livingston Ludlow, the older brother of his wife, two years after his marriage in 1861. Another sister, Catherine Tonnelé Hall, was married to Eugene Schieffelin, and a brother, John Tonnelé Hall, was married to Catherine Cruger Delafield, daughter of Rufus King Delafield, and niece of merchants Richard Delafield and Edward Delafield. His maternal grandparents were Rebecca (née Waterbury) Tonnelé, and John Tonnelé Sr, a Frenchman. His uncle was John Tonnelé Jr., the farmer and politician who was a member of the New Jersey State Legislature, and his grandmother Rebecca was the daughter of Revolutionary War General David How Waterbury, Jr. Career His father and his maternal grandfather were business partners in the New York City wool merchant firm of Tonnelé & Hall, who were considered "the most extensive Wool dealers in the country" in 1842. Through their firm, Hall's father was able to build a large fortune, estimated at $250,000 in 1842, which included "considerable holdings in New York City real estate," from 14th to 18th Street along Sixth Avenue. After his grandfather retired, his uncle, John Tonnelé Jr. ran the business with his father, who retired in 1845 before age 50. Together, his uncle John and grandfather were worth $1,000,000 in 1842.