Frederic Adrian Delano

Frederic Adrian Delano II was born on September 10, 1863, in Hong Kong. He was a member of the Delano family, son of Warren Delano Jr. and Catherine Robbins Lyman. His siblings included Warren Delano IV and Sara Ann Delano. He was an uncle to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States.

Delano graduated from Harvard University in 1885. Following his graduation, he was employed by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, where he held various positions, eventually becoming the general manager in Chicago. He served as a consulting engineer to the United States War Department concerning the railroads of the Philippine Islands.

In 1905, Delano became president of several railroads, including the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, and the Wabash Railroad. In 1911, he was appointed as one of the receivers for the Wabash Railroad. In 1913, he was elected president of the Monon Railroad, succeeding Fairfax Harrison.

Delano was involved in public service and organizational leadership. He was vice president of the American Unitarian Association in 1907. His speeches and writings include "Questions of the Hour" (1911) and "Are Our Railroads Fairly Treated?" (1913). He served as the first vice chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1914 to 1916 and continued as a member of the Federal Reserve Board until 1918. Additionally, he was the chairman of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, overseeing the approval and construction of the Pentagon.

He was a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and held a leadership role in the Committee on the Regional Plan for New York and its surrounding areas, releasing a regional plan for New York on May 27, 1929. Delano also contributed to urban development and regional planning initiatives during his career.

Delano’s residence in Washington, D.C., located at 2244 S Street NW in the Kalorama neighborhood, was designed by architect Waddy Butler Wood in 1924. The house currently serves as the residence of the Irish Ambassador.

In his personal life, Delano married Matilda Anne Peasley in 1888. They had five daughters: Catherine Lyman Delano (1889–1951), who married Alexander Galt Grant; Louise Delano (1891–1923), who married Sherwood Cheney; Laura Delano (1893–1978), who married James Lawrence Houghteling; Matilda Delano (1899–1911); and Alice Delano (1903–1904). His sister Josephine Houghteling was married to financier Frank Gray Griswold.

Frederic A. Delano II died on March 28, 1953, in Newburgh, New York.