Stevens was born on June 13, 1834 in New York City. He was the son of banker Byam Kerby Stevens and Frances Stevens. His father inherited Stevens House, the historic home of his grandfather, Maj. Gen. Ebenezer Stevens. Among his siblings was Albert Gallatin Stevens, Frances Mary Stevens, Byam K. Stevens Jr. His maternal grandfather was Albert Gallatin, the 4th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom and France. His paternal grandparents were Major General Ebenezer Stevens and Lucretia Sands Stevens. From his grandmother's first marriage to Richardson Sands, she was the grandmother of fellow banker Samuel Stevens Sands. Among his many prominent relatives was uncle Alexander Hodgdon Stevens, a surgeon, and his first cousins, Lucretia Stevens Jones, the mother of author Edith Wharton. He was educated at Huddard's School in New York City, entering Yale College in 1850 where he graduated four years later in 1854.
Career
Beginning in January 1855 he served as a cashier's clerk in the Bank of Commerce in New York City, under his uncle, John Austin Stevens, the president of the Bank. After two months of travelling in Cuba, he became a clerk in his brother's store in New York City in May 1856. In early 1857, his elder brother Albert took him into partnership under Stevens, Angelo & Company, and they ran a sugar commission business with Cuba until 1868. In July of the 1868, he became cashier of the Gallatin National Bank of New York. He served as cashier until April 1880 when he became vice-president of the Bank. In 1890, he was elected president of the Sixth National Bank. When the Sixth National Bank consolidated with the Astor National Bank in 1899, he became vice-president. He served alongside Thomas Cochran as vice-president of the Astor National Bank until his death in 1916. Stevens also served as president of the Samuel Stevens Realty Company and was a director of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad. He was a member of the Sons of the Revolution, founded by his cousin John Austin Stevens.
Personal life
On December 4, 1860, Stevens was married to Mary Alleyne Otis in Hartford, Connecticut. Mary was the daughter of William Foster Otis and Emily Otis, and the granddaughter of U.S. Senator Harrison Gray Otis. Mary's sister, Emily Marshall Otis, was married to historian and educator Samuel Eliot. Together, Mary and Alexander were the parents of eight children, including:
