Seward Prosser was born on March 1, 1871, in Buffalo, New York. Prosser was a prominent banker who held the following positions: vice-president of the Astor Trust Company (1907-1912), president of the Liberty National Bank (1912-1914), and president (1914-1923) and chairman of the board (1923-1942) of the Bankers Trust Company. During World War I, he served as the chairman of the Red Cross war finance committee. Prosser died in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on October 1, 1942.