Richard Mortimer Explained

Richard Mortimer
Birth Date:24 April 1852
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Place:Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Resting Place:St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Episcopal Church Cemetery, Tuxedo Park, New York, U.S.
Children:4
Relations:John Jay Mortimer (grandson)

Richard Mortimer (April 24, 1852 – March 15, 1918) was an American real estate investor and society leader during the Gilded Age.

Early life

Mortimer was born in New York City on April 24, 1852. He was the son of William Yates Mortimer (1824–1891) of New York and Anna Elizabeth (née Thorpe) Mortimer (1829–1905) of Albany. His siblings Minnie and Wilfred Mortimer died young.[1] His younger brother, Stanley Yates Mortimer[2] was married to Elizabeth Livingston Hall, the second daughter of Valentine Hall Jr.[3] a banker and merchant. His paternal grandparents were Richard Mortimer and Harriett Cordelia Thompson;[4] Richard Mortimer was born in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire and emigrated to America in 1816, eventually becoming a wealthy merchant.[5] William Yates Mortimer was named after his uncle William Yates, a woollen manufacturer. Richard's maternal grandfather was Aaron Thorpe of Albany, New York.

Career

Richard received an education in Germany before returning to New York in 1872 at the age of 20 to assist in management of the Mortimer family estate, which included the Mortimer Building on Broadway. In 1882 Richard inherited a large fortune upon the death of his grandfather Richard Mortimer.[6] An additional Mortimer Building was commissioned in 1884 by Richard's father W.Y. Mortimer and completed in 1885,[7] which building was acquired by the New York Stock Exchange for $745,000 in December 1918.[8] The Mortimer family's real estate holdings were extensive, and rivalled in size the estates owned by such prominent New York families as the Astors and Goelets.[7]

Society life

In 1892, Mortimer and his wife Eleanor were included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times.[9] [10] Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.[11] [12] Mortimer, a member of the Tuxedo Club, Metropolitan Club, Knickerbocker Club, Union Club, City Club, Racquet Club, Coaching Club, Riding Club and Westminster Kennel Club, wore a cravat that covered his throat with "a diamond stickpin so big that his friends called him "Flashlight Dick."[13] Along with the Lorillards, the Mortimers were one of the founding families of Tuxedo Park, New York.[14] [15] Their home in Tuxedo was known as Mortemar, a "turreted four-story mansion." Mortemar was designed by Richard Howland Hunt of Hunt & Hunt. Construction began in the 1890s and continued for 10 years.[16]

Personal life

Richard Mortimer married Eleanor Jay Chapman (1864–1929) on April 26, 1886, who was the daughter of Henry Grafton Chapman Jr. (son of abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman), president of the New York Stock Exchange.[17] and Eleanor (née Jay) Chapman (daughter of John Jay, the U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary under Grant). She was a descendant of John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States.[18] His uncle was John Jay Chapman (husband to Elizabeth Astor Winthrop Chanler),[19] [20] Together, they had a townhouse at 382 Fifth Avenue and had the following children.[13]

Mortimer died on March 15, 1918, in Palm Beach, Florida, where he had gone for his health.[32] He was buried at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Church Cemetery in Tuxedo Park, New York. His entire estate was left to his widow, Eleanor,[33] who died at her home, 555 Park Avenue, after several months illness, in December 1929.[18]

Descendants

Through his daughter Mary, he was the grandfather of Richard Mortimer Furlaud (1923–2018),[34] the president and C.E.O. of Squibb Beech-Nut (which became Bristol-Myers Squibb);[35] and Maxime Jay Furlaud (1925–1999).[35]

Through his son Stanley, he was the grandfather of Stanley G. Mortimer Jr. (1913–1999),[36] who was married to Babe Paley,[37] and then Kathleen Harriman;[38] [39] Henry Tilford Mortimer (1916–1993),[40] Richard Mortimer,[23] Eve Mortimer (1918–2007),[41] who married Clarence Pell, Jr.,[42] and later Lewis Cass Ledyard III;[43] Katharine Mortimer (1923–2003), who married three times (including to Francis Xavier Shields, their grandchild was actress Brooke Shields);[44] and John Jay Mortimer (1935–2013), a prominent financier.[45]

Through his daughter Wilfreda, he was the grandfather of John Mortimer Rutherfurd (1913–1966); Jay Rutherfurd (1916–2005);[46] and Nathaniel Frothingham (1927–2001).[47]

References

Notes
Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: WILLIAM YATES MORTIMER . 18 October 2018 . . December 5, 1891.
  2. News: STANLEY MORTIMER DEAD AT AGE OF 79; Former Polo Player, Huntsman and Artist Belonged to an Old New York Family. STUDIED PAINTING IN PARIS He Was a Founder of the Meadow Brook Club and Was Noted as a Skillful and Fearless Rider. . 18 October 2018 . . March 25, 1932 . en.
  3. Web site: Mrs. Stanley Mortimer (1863-1944) . www.nyhistory.org . . 14 June 2018 . en.
  4. Book: Hall . Henry . America's Successful Men of Affairs: The City of New York . 1895 . . 456 . 18 October 2018 . en.
  5. News: RICHARD MORTIMER . 18 October 2018 . . May 31, 1882.
  6. News: RICHARD MORTIMER'S MILLIONS. . 18 October 2018 . . June 6, 1882.
  7. News: MORTIMER FAMILY REALTY. How Wise Investments a Century Ago Made Decedents Wealthy. . 18 October 2018 . . November 24, 1918.
  8. News: Exchange Buys Mortimer Building. . 18 October 2018 . . December 12, 1918.
  9. 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.. 26 March 2017. The New York Times. 16 February 1892. en.
  10. Book: Patterson. Jerry E.. The First Four Hundred: Mrs. Astor's New York in the Gilded Age. 2000. Random House. 9780847822089. 218. 2 March 2018. en.
  11. Book: Keister. Lisa A.. Getting Rich: America's New Rich and How They Got That Way. 2005. Cambridge University Press. 9780521536677. 36. 20 October 2017. en.
  12. Book: Birmingham. Stephen. Life at the Dakota: New York's Most Unusual Address. 2015. Open Road Media. 9781504026314. 18. 2 March 2018. en.
  13. Book: Pell . Eve . We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante . 2009 . . 9781438425146 . 17–18 . 18 October 2018 . en.
  14. Book: Conant. Jennet. Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II. 2013. Simon and Schuster. 9781476767291. 59. 12 October 2017. en.
  15. Book: Social Register, New York . 1920 . . 498 . 18 October 2018 . en.
  16. News: L. . Zach . 'Mortemar' . 18 October 2018 . www.beyondthegildedage.com . May 12, 2012.
  17. News: 17 March 1883. Obituary -- Henry G. Chapman. The New York Times. 12 October 2017.
  18. News: MRS. RICHARD MORTIMER.; Former Eleanor Jay Chapman Dies After a Long Illness. . 18 October 2018 . . December 10, 1929 . en.
  19. Book: Howe. Mark Antony De Wolfe. John Jay Chapman and His Letters .... 1937. Houghton Mifflin. 334, 485. en. 18 October 2018.
  20. News: 5 November 1933. JOHN J. CHAPMAN, AUTHOR, POET, DIES; New Yorker Succumbs to Long Illness at Age of 71 in Poughkeepsie Hospital ABANDONED LAW TO WRITE Was Central Figure in Several Controversies Funeral in This City Next Wednesday.. The New York Times. 12 October 2017.
  21. News: RICHARD MORTIMER KILLED. Family at Tuxedo Gets News of Aviator's Death in France. . 18 October 2018 . . May 28, 1918.
  22. Book: Howe . Mark Antony De Wolfe . Memoirs of the Harvard Dead in the War Against Germany . 1922 . . 76–81 . 18 October 2018 . en.
  23. News: Staff. S.G. MORTIMER DIES. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. April 6, 1947.
  24. News: Miss Katharine Tilford to Wed . 18 October 2018 . . September 27, 1910.
  25. News: Deaths BLAINE, KATHARINE MORTIMER. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. April 17, 2003.
  26. News: MRS. C. F. FROTHINGHAM . 20 February 2019 . . 3 August 1968 . 35.
  27. News: John Rutherfurd, 80, Ex-Racing Figure . 20 February 2019 . . 1 April 1971 . 48.
  28. News: Rutherford-Mortimer Wedding In June . 18 October 2018 . . January 19, 1911.
  29. News: MISS MORTIMER A TUXEDO BRIDE Daughter of Richard Mortimer Married to John M. Rutherford at "Mortemar" . 18 October 2018 . . May 21, 1911.
  30. News: MRS. RUTHERFURD GETS LICENSE TO MARRY Former Wife of John M. L. Rutherfurd to Wed Charles F. Frothingham on Nov. 5. . 18 October 2018 . . October 31, 1924 . en.
  31. News: MRS. RUTHERFURD WED IN CITY CHAPEL; Former Wife of John M. L. Rutherfurd Marries Charles F. Frothingham, Broker. CITY CLERK OFFICIATES Relatives of Union Club Member and His Bride Witness the Ceremony--Other Nuptials. . 18 October 2018 . . November 6, 1924 . en.
  32. News: RICHARD MORTIMER . 18 October 2018 . . March 16, 1918.
  33. News: Richard Mortimer's Will Filed. . 18 October 2018 . . May 1, 1918.
  34. News: Hagerty . James R. . Squibb CEO Furlaud Was Spurred by a Depression-Era Drop in Status . 18 October 2018 . . 21 September 2018.
  35. News: Richard M. Furlaud, 95 . 18 October 2018 . . September 13, 2018 . en.
  36. News: Paid Notice: Deaths MORTIMER, STANLEY G.. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. 13 August 1999.
  37. News: Barbara Cushing Paley Dies at 63; Style Pace-Setter in Three Decades; Symbol of Taste . Barbara Cushing Paley, the wife of William S. Paley, the chairman of the board of the Columbia Broadcasting System, died of cancer at their apartment in New York City yesterday after a long illness. She was 63 years old. . . July 7, 1978 . 12 October 2017. Enid . Nemy.
  38. News: Nemy. Enid. Stanley G. Mortimer Jr., 86, Sportsman and Ad Executive. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. 14 August 1999.
  39. News: Fox. Margalit. Kathleen Mortimer, Rich and Adventurous, Dies at 93. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. February 19, 2011.
  40. News: Staff. Henry T. Mortimer; Stockbroker, 77. 12 October 2017. The New York Times. September 8, 1993.
  41. News: Eve Mortimer Ledyard of West Grove. 12 October 2017. 10 October 2007. en.
  42. News: Morgan. Spencer. The Mortimer Family. 12 October 2017. Observer. 18 December 2006.
  43. News: Wallace. Andrew. Lewis C. Ledyard 3d, A Lawyer Who Turned To Art, Horse Breeding. 12 October 2017. The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 5, 1990.
  44. News: Deaths BLAINE, KATHARINE MORTIMER. 15 March 2016. The New York Times. 12 October 2017.
  45. News: Theodoracopulos. Taki. Taki: RIP John Jay, my brave friend who refused to take part in vulture capitalism. 12 October 2017. The Spectator. 9 November 2013.
  46. News: Diplomat, journalist Jay Rutherfurd dies. . 20 February 2019 . . 16 December 2005 . 2.
  47. News: N. Frothingham, ad executive; at 73 . 20 February 2019 . . 21 March 2001 . 27.

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