American reformer Henry Demarest Lloyd (1847-1903) epitomized the patrician social reformer in late-19th-century America. His career is characterized by the motto of a journal he helped found: "Independent in everything, neutral in nothing."

Henry Demarest Lloyd was born in New York City on May 1, 1847. His father was a poor Dutch Reformed minister, but the relatives with whom the Lloyds lived were well-to-do, and he was raised comfortably and given a good education. He graduated from Columbia College, attended Columbia's law school, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1869.

Lloyd's background of strict moralistic Calvinism and Jacksonian egalitarianism inclined him toward concern with social ills. He accepted a position with the Free Trade League that involved editing the Free Trader and arguing against a high protective tariff. He was also active in the Young Men's Municipal Reform Association, which helped topple the notorious Tweed ring from...