Eames was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on June 29, 1844. He was a son of Asa Eames Jr. (1809–1885) and, his first wife, Harriet (née Seabury) Eames (1812–1852). After the death of his mother in 1852, his father remarried to Rebekah Potter in 1854.[2]
His paternal grandparents were Asa Eames and Anna (née Havens) Eames.[2]
Career
After receiving his education in the schools of Fall River,[3] he began his career as a clerk in several banking houses, including L. P. Morton & Co. (the firm founded by former U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton). In 1870, he formed Eames & Moore, a brokerage partnership with H. Ramsdell Moore, becoming senior member of the firm in 1885.[4]
In 1866, he became a member of the New York Stock Exchange and was elected a member of the Governing Committee of the Exchange in 1879. In 1892, he devised and put in operation the Clearing House of the Exchange. In recognition of the value of the Clearing House, the members of the Exchange presented Eames with a " handsome silver service." In 1894, he was elected president of the Exchange and served in that role for four years. The same year he assumed the presidency from Frank K. Sturgis, he authored History of the New York Stock Exchange, which was published in 1895.[5][6]
On October 1, 1875, Eames was married to Sarah Wright (1847–1898),[2] a daughter of William Wright and Emily (née Carpenter) Wright.[7] Together, they lived in Brooklyn,[8] had a summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and were the parents of two daughters:[2]