Ward McAllister explained

Ward McAllister
Birth Name:	Samuel Ward McAllister
Birth Date:	December 28, 1827
Birth Place:	Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Death Place:	New York City, U.S.
Children:	3
Parents:	Matthew Hall McAllister Louisa Charlotte Cutler
Relatives:	Samuel Ward (uncle) Julia Ward Howe (cousin) Samuel Cutler Ward (cousin) Benjamin Clark Cutler (grandfather)

Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of America, widely accepted as the authority to which families could be classified as the cream of New York society (The Four Hundred). His listings were questioned by those excluded from them, and his self-aggrandizement motivation was noted.

Early life

Born Samuel Ward McAllister to a socially prominent Savannah, Georgia, judicial family, his parents were Matthew Hall McAllister (1800–1865) and Louisa Charlotte (née Cutler) McAllister (1801–1869).

Through his maternal aunt, Julia Rush Cutler, and her husband, Samuel Ward, McAllister was a first cousin of Julia Ward Howe and Samuel Cutler Ward, the lobbyist whose first wife, Emily Astor, had been the daughter of William Backhouse Astor Sr. and a granddaughter of John Jacob Astor. His maternal grandparents were Benjamin Clark Cutler, Norfolk County Sheriff, and Sarah (née Mitchell) Cutler.

In 1850, McAllister traveled to California with his father during the Gold Rush and became one of the partners in the law firm McAllister & Sons.^[1]

New York Society

McAllister wrote that after his marriage in 1853, he bought a farm on Narragansett Bay, planted trees and left for a three-year journey throughout Europe's great cities and spas—Bath, Pau, Bad Nauheim, and the like—where he observed the mannerisms of other wealthy Americans and titled nobility, returning to New York with his wife and two small children on October 15, 1858.^{[2] [3]} Using his wife's wealth and his own social connections, he sought to become a tastemaker amongst New York's "Knickerbocracy", a collection of old merchant and landowning families who traced their lineage back to the days of colonial New Amsterdam.^[4] Above all in his life was his desire for social recognition by what he termed the Ton, i.e., the cream of society.^[5]

Although purported to be an index of New York's best families, McAllister's list was suspiciously top-heavy with nouveau riche industrialists and his southern allies, seeking a new start in the nation's financial capital after the American Civil War. In his glory, he referred to his patroness, Caroline Astor as his "Mystic Rose".^[6] He was an early summer colonist of Newport, Rhode Island, and was largely responsible for turning the town into a Mecca for the pleasure-seeking, status-conscious rich of the Gilded Age. His gift for party and picnic planning soon made him a society darling.^[7]

Among the undesirables McAllister endeavored to exclude from the charmed circle of the Four Hundred were the many nouveau riche Midwesterners who poured into New York seeking social recognition. In 1893, he wrote a column about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in which he urged that if Chicago society hostesses wanted to be taken seriously, they should hire French chefs and "not frappé their wine too much".^{[8] [9]} The Chicago Journal replied: "The mayor will not frappé his wine too much. He will frappé it just enough so the guests can blow the foam off the tops of the glasses without a vulgar exhibition of lung and lip power. His ham sandwiches, sinkers, and ... pigs' feet, will be triumphs of the gastronomic art."^{[10] [11]}

McAllister's downfall came when he published a book of memoirs entitled Society as I Have Found It in 1890.^[12] The book, and his hunger for media attention, did little to endear him to the old guard, who valued their privacy in an era when millionaires were the equivalent of modern movie stars.

"The Four Hundred"

McAllister coined the phrase "The Four Hundred" by declaring that there were "only 400 people in fashionable New York Society".^[13] According to him, this was the number of people in New York who really mattered; the people who felt at ease in the ballrooms of high society. "If you go outside that number", he warned, "you strike people who are either not at ease in a ballroom or else make other people not at ease". The number was popularly supposed to be the capacity of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor's ballroom.^{[14] [15]} The lavish parties were held at the Astor mansion.^[16]

On February 16, 1892, McAllister named the official list of The Four Hundred in The New York Times.^[17] The Four Million, the title of a book by O. Henry, was a reaction to this phrase, expressing O. Henry's opinion that every human being in New York was worthy of notice.

Society of Patriarchs

In 1872, McAllister founded the "Society of Patriarchs" which was a group of 25 gentlemen from New York Society. The group of 25 were "representative men of worth, respectability, and responsibility".^[18] Beginning with the 1885–1886 season,^[19] the Patriarchs threw a ball each year, known as the Patriarchs Ball, which each member was entitled to invite four ladies and five gentlemen to, thereby establishing the invitees as fit for society.^[20] The first Patriarchs Ball was held at Delmonico's,^[21] with the Balls, which were difficult to obtain invitations to, receiving significant press coverage.^{[22] [23] [24] [25]} The Patriarchs Ball inspired similar balls, including the Ihpetonga Ball, which was considered "the most important social event of the season in Brooklyn".^[26]

The Society dissolved two years after McAllister's death in 1897 due to a lack of interest.^[18]

Personal life

On March 15, 1853, McAllister married a Georgia-born heiress who was then living in Madison, New Jersey, Sarah Taintor Gibbons (1829–1909), the daughter of William Gibbons (1794–1852) and Abigail Louisa (née Taintor) Gibbons (1791–1844).^{[27] [28] [29]} Her grandfather was politician, lawyer, and steamboat owner Thomas Gibbons.^[30] Her father built the Gibbons Mansion in Madison, New Jersey, which her brother sold to Daniel Drew after their father's death, and which Drew donated to found Drew Theological Seminary (now known as Drew University).^[31]

Together, Ward and Sarah were the parents of:^[32]

• Louise Ward McAllister (1854–1923),^{[33] [34]} who in 1920 married A. Nelson Lewis, a linguist who owned the 600 acre "old Lewis estate" at Havre de Grace, Maryland that had been in the family since 1806.^[35] She was engaged to George Barclay Ward (1845–1906)^[36] at the time of his death in 1907.^[37]
• Ward McAllister Jr. (1855–1908), an 1880 Harvard Law School graduate,^{[38] [39]} who became a San Francisco lawyer who served as the first Federal district judge of the Territory of Alaska,^[40] beginning in 1884 and was responsible for the arrest of Sheldon Jackson.^{[41] [42] [43]}
• Heyward Hall McAllister (1859–1925),^[44] who married Janie Champion Garmany (b. 1867)^[45] of Savannah in 1892.^[46] In what became a minor scandal when it was made public, the couple was secretly wed first in 1884, then in 1887,^[47] and lastly in 1892.^[48] They later divorced^[49] and he married Melanie Jeanne Renke (d. 1939),^[50] who was born in France and did not speak English, in 1908.^[44]

Death

Ward McAllister died while dining alone, and in social disgrace for his writings, at New York's Union Club, in January 1895.^[51] His funeral, held on February 5, 1895, was well attended by many society figures of the day, including Chauncey Depew and Cornelius Vanderbilt II.^[52] McAllister is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.^{[53] [54]}

In 1907, Sarah was described as having been an invalid for 25 years.^[37]

In popular culture

Ward McAllister is portrayed by Nathan Lane in the American television series The Gilded Age.

External links

• • • 1877 Portrait of McAllister by Adolphe Yvon at the New-York Historical Society
  • McCallister biography at "Class and Leisure at America's First Resort"

Notes and References

1. Web site: Samuel Ward McAllister (1827-1895). www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. February 27, 2018. en.
2. News: Personal Intelligence / Americans registered with American European Express and Exchange Company, Paris, from 26 May - 3 June 1856. New York Herald. June 22, 1856. 8.
3. Web site: New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957. www.ancestry.com. January 21, 2021. en.
4. Book: Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. . Fortune's Children . Wm. Morrow and Co. . 1989 . 90–93. . 0-688-07279-8.
5. Book: Hitchcock. Jane Stanton. Social Crimes. 2012. Harper Paperbacks. New York. 9780062206565.
6. Vanderbilt, 97.
7. Book: Gavan, Terrence . The Barons of Newport: A Guide to the Gilded Age . Pineapple Publications . Newport . 1998 . 11 . 0-929249-06-2.
8. Web site: When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago . worldsfairchicago1893.com/ . February 20, 2022 . February 18, 2022.
9. Book: Dedmon. Emmett. Fabulous Chicago: A Great City's History and People. 2012. Garrett County Press. 9781891053634. 259. April 2, 2018. en.
10. Book: Larson. Erik. The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America. 2004. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 9781400076314. 209. April 2, 2018. en.
11. News: Ward M'allister's Triumph; His Work as As A "Society Reporter" Excites Much Gossip. Other Newspaper Men Received at the Patriarchs' Ball with Chilliness--For Mr. McAllister Did Not Wish Them to Obtain Descriptions of the Women's Dresses--His Story of the Ball a Prose Poem--Some of the Choicest Gems from His Pen.. April 2, 2018. The New York Times. December 15, 1893.
12. Ward McAllister (1890) Society as I Have Found It, Cassell, New York
13. Book: Salvini. Emil R.. Hobey Baker: American Legend. 2005. Hobey Baker Memorial Foundation. 9780976345305. 3. February 27, 2018. en.
14. Vanderbilt, 98.
15. Book: Keister. Lisa A.. Getting Rich: America's New Rich and How They Got That Way. 2005. Cambridge University Press. 9780521536677. 36. October 20, 2017. en.
16. Parker . Maggie . The Four Hundred: Then and Now Tony Abrams has reinvented Gilded Age society. Will you get in? . Dujour . September 22, 2018.
17. News: McAllister. Ward . THE ONLY FOUR HUNDRED WARD M'ALLISTER GIVES OUT THE OFFICIAL LIST. HERE ARE THE NAMES, DON'T YOU KNOW, ON THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR GREAT LEADER, YOU UNDER- STAND, AND THEREFORE GENUINE, YOU SEE.. March 26, 2017 . The New York Times. February 16, 1892. en.
18. News: Bryk . William . The Father of the Four Hundred . April 2, 2018. The New York Sun. August 8, 2005.
19. News: Society Topics of the Week. . April 2, 2018. The New York Times. January 3, 1886.
20. Book: Vanderbilt. Arthur T.. Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt . 1991 . HarperCollins. 9780688103866. April 2, 2018 . en.
21. Book: Hicks. Paul DeForest. John E. Parsons: An Eminent New Yorker in The Gilded Age. 2016. Easton Studio Press, LLC. 9781632260741. 97. April 2, 2018 . en.
22. News: The Patriarchs' Ball; a Brilliant Scene at Delmonico's Last Night.. April 2, 2018 . The New York Times. January 18, 1888.
23. News: The Patriarchs' Guests; a Notable Social Event at Delmonico's. Debutantes at the Ball--a New Cotillion--Visitors from Other Cities--the Decorations.. April 2, 2018 . The New York Times. 17 December 1889.
24. News: Patriarchs Were Hosts; Their Third and Last Ball of the Season a Success. Many Distinguished Guests Made the Occasion Delightful -- Choice Music and Tasteful Decorations at Delmonico's.. April 2, 2018. . February 10, 1891.
25. News: Society Ends the Season; the Third of the Patriarchs' Balls a Great Success. Throngs of Dancers at Delmonico's -- a Late Cotillion Led by Mr. Dyer -- the Guests from Other Cities.. April 2, 2018 . The New York Times. March 1, 1892.
26. News: PREPARATION FOR THE IHPETONGA; The Most Important Social Event of the Season in Brooklyn -- Patronesses and Subscribers. . April 2, 2018. The New York Times. January 10, 1896.
27. Web site: U.S., Marriage Records, 1670–1965 . www.ancestry.com . New Jersey . January 20, 2021. en.
28. Book: Cunningham, John T. . Images of America: Madison . . Dover, New Hampshire . 1998 . 19, 31 . 9780738567792 .
29. Web site: William Gibbons – Drew University History – U-KNOW . uknow.drew.edu . . February 23, 2018.
30. Book: McAllister. Ward . Society as I Have Found it . 1890 . Cassell Publishing Company . New York . October 21, 2017. en.
31. Web site: A brief history of Mead Hall . Drew University . September 1, 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131024133534/http://www.drew.edu/fomh/history. October 24, 2013.
32. Book: McAllister. Mary Catharine . Descendants of Archibald McAllister of West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pa. 1730–1898 . 1898 . Scheffer . 51 . January 8, 2018. en.
33. News: Mrs. Louise W. McAllister Lewis.. October 31, 2017. The New York Times. October 22, 1923.
34. News: Estate of Ward McAllister's Only Daughter Appraised at $471,270; Bulk Goes to Husband. October 21, 2017 . The New York Times. April 1, 1925.
35. News: MISS M'ALLISTER WED TO A.N. LEWIS; Daughter of Late Creator of "New York's 400" Married Quietly at the Waldorf. ONLY 3 COUSINS PRESENT Bride-to-Be, Recovering from Influenza, Was Ordered South and Ceremony Hurriedly Arranged.. October 21, 2017. The New York Times. May 4, 1920.
36. Book: Moffat. R. Burnham. The Barclays of New York: Who They Are And Who They Are Not, – And Some Other Barclays . 1904. R. G. Cooke . 151. February 27, 2018 . en.
37. News: WHY G.B. WARD DIED UNWED.; His Fiancee Clung to Her Sick Mother – Ready to Forego Dower.. February 27, 2018. The New York Times. January 21, 1907.
38. Book: Warren. Charles. History of the Harvard Law School and of Early Legal Conditions in America. 1908. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.. 9781584770060. 380. February 27, 2018 . en.
39. Book: The Railway World. 1880. United States Railroad and Mining Register Company. 520. February 27, 2018. en.
40. Book: Harring. Sidney L.. Crow Dog's Case: American Indian Sovereignty, Tribal Law, and United States Law in the Nineteenth Century. 1994. Cambridge University Press. 9780521467155. 219. February 27, 2018. en.
41. Book: Alaska Bar Association and Sketch of Judiciary. 1901. Sanborn, Vail & Company. 21. February 27, 2018. en.
42. Book: Haycox. Stephen. Alaska: An American Colony. 2006. University of Washington Press. 9780295986296. 193. February 27, 2018. en.
43. Book: Gruening. Ernest. An Alaskan Reader, 1867-1967. 1967. Meredith Press. 62-63. registration . February 27, 2018. en.
44. News: H. H. M'ALLISTER DIES IN FRANCE; Last Surviving Son of Late Leader of the Famous "400" Was III Two Years. FORMERLY A BROKER HERE Union Club Member's Marriage to Miss Melanle Renke in 1908 a Surprise to His Family.. October 21, 2017 . . December 2, 1925.
45. Web site: Philip Alexius De László (1869–1937), Portrait of Jean Garmany Brandt (b. 1867). www.christies.com . February 27, 2018 . en.
46. News: Mr. M'Allister and Wife.; Rumor Has It That the Young Couple Will Separate. February 27, 2018 . . September 21, 1892.
47. News: SHOCKING BAD FORM. Ward McAllister's Son Gets Married and Tells Nobody. . February 27, 2018 . . May 13, 1892.
48. News: Why It Was Made Known; Story of the M'allister-Garmany Marriage Notice. Its Publication Demanded by Frank Garmany, a Brother of the Wife – a Strange Affair from Beginning to End – Off on a Tour.. February 27, 2018 . . May 14, 1892.
49. News: Brandt – McAllister.. February 27, 2018 . . May 5, 1898.
50. News: Mrs. Heyward M'Allister . February 27, 2018. . September 15, 1939.
51. News: WARD M'ALLISTER DEAD; He Had Been Ill for a Week with an Attack of the Grip. THE END WAS UNEXPECTED His Condition Not Considered Serious by His Physicians Until Wednesday Morning – His Long Career as a Society Leader.. October 21, 2017 . The New York Times. February 1, 1895.
52. Book: Homberger, Eric . Mrs. Astor's New York: Money and Social Power in a Gilded Age . Yale University Press . 2002 . 150–152 . 0-300-09501-5.
53. News: SOCIETY IN MOURNING; Ward McAllister's Death Came Almost Without Warning. A LIVING "TRILBY" TO BE SEEN Success of the Charity Ball – Some of Its Leaders in the Past – Incidents in the Social World.. October 21, 2017 . The New York Times. February 3, 1895.
54. News: MR. M'ALLISTER'S FUNERAL; Grace Church Crowded with Friends and Relatives. SOCIETY WAS WELL REPRESENTED The Body Placed in a Vault in Greenwood Cemetery – Women Scramble for Flowers in the Church.. October 21, 2017 . . February 5, 1895.