George Ayres Leavitt
Biography
Born at Haverhill, Massachusetts, son of bookbinder Jonathan Leavitt. George joined the family publishing house of Leavitt & Trow. Following the death of his father, the firm became Leavitt & Allen. He married Mary Catherine Cooley in 1848 and has seven children.
In 1856 he opened an auction house, Leavitt, Delissner & Co, to sell trade books. During the Civil War, Leavitt had financial difficulties and sold off his printing business.
The auction business became George A. Leavit & Co. This became the largest fine arts and book auction firm in New York City.
The firm conducted numismatic auctions for Alfred S. Robinson, John W.Klein and Benjamin Haines. A few numismatic lots were included in book sales.
Bio Snapshot
Date of Birth: 1822 - May - 13Place of Birth: Haverhill, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 1888 - Dec - 18