Born in Lithuania, William Keyserling immigrated (1888) to the U.S. and settled in Beaufort, SC. He established himself with the Macdonald, Wilkins Co., a cotton ginnery and wholesale warehouse, and became a leader in the Sea Island cotton industry. Keyserling married New Yorker, Jennie Hyman, in 1907. The couple lived on St. Helena Island and later moved to Beaufort. The Keyserlings had four children. Leon Keyserling attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School.
He worked as Senator Robert F. Wagner's chief legislative aide (1933-1937) and helped draft major New Deal legislation. Keyserling also served as Chairman of President Truman's Council of Economic Advisors. Beth Keyserling Rosenfarb (1909-1978) settled in New York and worked in the comptroller's office at Columbia University; Rosalyn (b. 1910) died of Leukemia at 34. Herbert Keyserling was a medical officer in the Navy (World War II) and later became a general practitioner in Beaufort. He married Harriet Hirschfeld, the first woman to serve on the Beaufort County Council and sixteen year member of the SC House of Representatives.
From the description of Keyserling family papers, 1890-1980 (bulk 1910-1951). (College of Charleston). WorldCat record id: 50391855
