Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Ralston, Robert

RALSTON, Robert, merchant, b. in Little Brandywine, Pa., in 1761; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 11 Aug., 1836. He became a merchant at an early age, and amassed a large fortune in the East Indian trade, which he spent liberally in benevolent enterprises. He contributed largely to the establishment of the Widows' and orphans' asylum, and the Mariner's church in Philadelphia, founded the Philadelphia Bible society, which was the first of the kind on this continent, and in 1819 became first president of the board of education of the Presbyterian church.