Bleecker, Garrat Noel, an eminent iron merchant of New York City, was born in New York in 1815 and died May 28, 1853

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Daily Baptist Encyclopedia Post by Jim Curran

Bleecker, Garrat Noel, an eminent iron merchant of New York City, was born in New York in 1815 and died May 28, 1853. the same name, was also a prominent citizen, and was at one time comptroller of New York. Father and son were members of the Oliver Street Baptist church, and from the commencement to the close of their religious life the personal consecration of each seemed complete. The son joined the church at twenty-one, but from fifteen had been a zealous teacher in the Sunday-school, and was apparently from his childhood a devout Christian. Habits of prayer, taught him in his infancy, and never intermitted through life, but increased to three times a day, morning, noon, and night, as he came to years of discernment, were the foundation of the saintly character for which he was distin- guished. He was as active in labors in the church and Sunday-school and missionary work as he was devoted in spirit. He was successful in business, and generous in dispensing its profits, which he regarded as truly the Lord’s, He withdrew from his first partnership ‘because it involved the necessity of profiting by the sale of intoxicating liquors. He, with a friend, then entered into the iron business. Success came rapidly, and the application of his rule, to make wealth useful, conferred upon many a needy cause a timely bene- fit. He made his pastor, Rev. Elisha Tucker, D.D., the almoner of many charitable gifts to the poor, for whom he felt the tenderest sympathies, because he was so constant a laborer among them in evan- gelistic work. About the time of his death the educational interests of New York Baptists were in a condition to make endowments necessary, and he gave $3000 to the theological seminary at Hamil- ton. Had his life been spared, no doubt large donations would have followed. In his will he be- queathed $12,000 more to that institution, which was promptly paid by his executors, being the first large donation to its funds. Besides $8000 to the American Baptist Home Mission Society, he left liberal bequests to our other denominational societies.