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Ben Edwards led an extraordinarily full life. He was a leading business executive and industry role model, a community and church leader, an amateur athlete of note, a beloved friend to many, and head of a large and thriving family. Famous for his affability and openness – which extended to picking up his own phone as chairman of A.G. Edwards & Co. – Ben’s easygoing manner was underpinned by a strong intellect and an exceptional appetite for life. His passion for Chinese Imari and Caucasian rugs was well known to the many staff members, clients and visitors who passed through the A.G. Edwards headquarters building in St. Louis, where those collections enriched the executive floor. But fewer were aware of his fascination with English history, naval battles or classical music – or of the incredible collection of decorative arts and his wife, Joan, assembled for their homes in St. Louis and Florida.

Benjamin Edwards III was the fifth direct descendent to head the firm founded by his great-grandfather, Albert Gallatin Edwards in 1887. A.G. Edwards, a West Point graduate, was the son of an Illinois Governor and Senator; his uncle became a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, hosting his wedding to Mary Todd. Ben Edwards III joined the family firm after Princeton and three years in the US. Navy, growing it over his decades of leadership from a regional powerhouse with 40 offices and 300 brokers into an international institution with nearly 7000 brokers, famous for exceptional client service. Ben’s personal philosophy directed what became the famed A.G. Edwards formula for success: client first, employees second, shareholders third. A.G. Edwards under Ben was known as both a great place to be a client and wonderful place, perennially ranked in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.

Ben and Joan Edwards had four children. As the children began to grow into adulthood and leave the house, Ben and Joan became more serious about antiques, buying objects appropriate to their Georgian style house and upgrading purchases from earlier in their marriage. During the years Ben was director of the New York Stock Exchange, traveling ot New York regularly, he took to haunting Manhattan antique deadlers during odd pockets of time between meetings. His initial enthusiasm for Georgian furniture broadended into a fascination with English silver and brass. Chinese export and delft, with a special affinity for all the inter-relationships of form and decoration among these works of art. He loved historical reference, whether royal portraits on delft or Scottish Highlanders on export, and had a keen eye for the most sophisticated output of England’s best silversmiths. Charm is a leifmotif in the Edwards collection, like that in the amusing needlework on a library armchair, the sweet animal models in delft and export, or the engaging sculptural details found in his English silver. And a passion for rich and vibrant color is reflected throughout the ceramics and the carpets that set off his silver and mahogany so perfectly.

Aided by longtime ally and advisor Jules Pass of St. Louis, as well as Mark Allen of New Hampshire, Ben – despite shrugging off any pretensions to connoisseurship – spent countless happy hours assembling, sharing and enjoying his collection. Ben Edwards had a “lion’s share of character,” as one observer put it. His deep appreciation for the arts of the metalworker, the carver, the potter and the weaver was just another part of this great man’s love of people and of life.

Please note: The Collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III featuring Silver, English Furniture, Delft, Chinese Export, and Carpets will be offered in New York on 26 January. Property from the Collection of Benjamin F. Edwards will also be offered in various auctions including Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver and Chinese Export sale on 21 - 25 January, Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Watercolors on 27 January and Christie's Interiors on 9 - 10 February.