Abram Stevens Hewitt (1822-1903) was a major figure in the American iron and steel industry. His public career included service as mayor of New York City.

Abram S. Hewitt was born at Haverstraw, N.Y., on July 31, 1822, the son of a British-born mechanic. Educated in New York City public schools, Hewitt was a brilliant student, won a scholarship to Columbia College, and distinguished himself before graduating in 1842. For several years he read law, although he was never formally admitted to the bar.

In 1843 Hewitt and a college associate, Edward Cooper, traveled in Europe. On the voyage home their ship foundered in a storm; they were cast adrift, rescued, and became friends and business associates for the rest of their lives. They became the operators and proprietors of an ironworks which had been founded by Edward's father, Peter Cooper, in Trenton, N.J. The Cooper and Hewitt enterprise quickly...