Robert Early Strawbridge Jr. Explained

Office:Chairman of the United States Polo Association
Term Start:1936
Term End:1950
Predecessor:Elbridge T. Gerry Sr.
Successor:Devereux Milburn
Birth Date:17 November 1896
Death Place:Chatham, Pennsylvania
Alma Mater:Harvard University
Parents:Robert E. Strawbridge
Anita Berwind Strawbridge
Children:Robert Early Strawbridge III
Florence Strawbridge McDonough

Robert Early Strawbridge Jr. (November 17, 1896 – March 6, 1986) was an American polo champion and chairman of the United States Polo Association.

Early life

He was born on November 17, 1896, to Anita (née Berwind) Strawbridge (1875–1942),[1] and Robert E. Strawbridge, former president of the Strawbridge & Clothier department store in Philadelphia.[2] His sister was Anita Strawbridge (wife of Lt. Cmdr. Hon. Theodore P. Grosvenor).[3] [4]

His paternal grandfather was Justus Clayton Strawbridge, who founded Strawbridge & Clothier in 1868.[5] His maternal grandfather was Charles Frederick Berwind, founder of the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. His aunt, Frederica, was the wife of banker Henry Herman Harjes, J.P. Morgan's partner in France.[6] His two other maternal aunts were Gertrude, Baroness Boecklin,[7] and Edith, Baroness Von Kleist.[8] From his great aunt Julia Berwind, he received a legacy of $170,000.

He attended Harvard University from 1915 to 1917.[9]

Career

Strawbridge was a lifelong sportsman. In 1913, his father had been made M.F.H. of the famous Cottesmore Hunt, becoming the first American to become master of an English pack of foxhounds. In the 1920s and 1930s, Strawbridge Jr. was one of the nation's leading polo players earning a 9-goal handicap. In 1924, he was a member of the Meadow Brook team that "wrested the historical International Challenge Cup from the English team in International Field, L.I., when the Prince of Wales was among the spectators." He was elected chairman of the United States Polo Association in 1936 and retained the post for two decades until 1950 when he was succeeded by Devereux Milburn. He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 1996.

In 1938, Strawbridge served as chairman of the Salvation Army annual fundraising appeal. Beginning in 1942, Strawbridge was partner of the former New York investment banking firm of Reynolds, Fish & Company. During World War II, he was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Reserve assigned to duty with the Office of Strategic Services in London and Washington. He also served as a member of the executive committee of the United Service Organizations, the advisory board of the Salvation Army, and the Army and Navy Committee of the Y.M.C.A. He was a member of the board of managers of Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital.

Personal life

On August 15, 1931, Strawbridge was married to Miss Porter's School alumnus Florence Julia Loew (1901–1972) at Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island.[10] [11] Florence was a daughter of William Goadby Loew and the former Florence Bellows Baker (a daughter of financier George Fisher Baker, one of the wealthiest men in America).[12] She grew up in her parents' townhouse at 56 East 93rd Street and their estates in Newport and Tuxedo Park. Together, they were the parents of a son and a daughter:

He was a member of a number of clubs, including the Philadelphia Club, the Rabbit Club, the Merion Cricket Club and the Rose Tree Fox Hunt.[10]

Strawbridge died at his farm in Chatham, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1986, after suffering a series of strokes.[16] He was buried in Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Notes and References

  1. News: TIMES . Special to The NEW YORK . MRS. STRAWBRIDGE DEAD IN NEWPORT; Wife of the Vice President of Philadelphia Department Store Stricken on Visit ACTIVE IN CIVIC AFFAIRS Had Been Commended by Queen Elizabeth for Work in Aiding British Relief . 3 March 2020 . . 21 July 1942.
  2. News: Times . Special to The New York . Robert Strawbridge Dies at 93; Headed Department Store Chain . 3 March 2020 . . 25 December 1963.
  3. News: Grosvenor--Strawbridge . 3 March 2020 . . 15 June 1923.
  4. News: TIMES . Wireless to THE NEW YORK . HON. ANITA GROSVENOR HURT AS HORSE FALLS; Former Miss Strawbridge of Philadelphia Thrown in RidingWith Cottesmore Hounds. . 3 March 2020 . . 18 January 1931.
  5. Web site: Robert Early Strawbridge Jr. . https://web.archive.org/web/20210305011406/http://smokershistory.com/MSKCC.htm . 2012-11-22 . 2021-03-05 . Robert Early Strawbridge Jr. was the grandson of Justus C. Strawbridge, a founder of the Strawbridge & Clothier department store chain of Philadelphia. His mother was Anita Berwind, the daughter of Charles Berwind, whose brother, Edward J. Berwind, was a director of the Guaranty Trust .
  6. News: Times . Special to The New York . MRS. PORTER, AIDED FRANCE IN 2 WARS; Organizer of Hospital at the Front in 1914 Dies---Set Up Relief Groups Here . 3 March 2020 . . 14 June 1954.
  7. News: BARONESS BOECKLIN.; Former Gertrude Berwind of Philadelphia Dies in Geneva. . 3 March 2020 . . 10 October 1929.
  8. News: Deaths . 3 March 2020 . . 12 December 1963.
  9. Book: Harvard University alumni directory . 1919 . 2012-11-22 . Robert Early Strawbridge Jr., Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania . .
  10. News: FLORENCE J. LOEW ENGAGED TO MARRY; Granddaughter of the Late George F. Baker to Be Bride of R.E. Strawbridge Jr. NEWPORT CEREMONY AUG. 15 To Take Place In Trinity Church-- Bridegroom-Elect Noted Polo Player --Fiancee Fond of Sports. . 3 March 2020 . . 28 July 1931.
  11. News: Times . Special to The New York . MISS FLORENCE LOEW TO MARRY ON AUG. 15; Simple Ceremony to Mark Her Wedding to R.E. Strawbridge in Trinity Church, Newport, R.I. . 3 March 2020 . . 31 July 1931.
  12. News: EASTER MONDAY NUPTIALS; Miss Florence Baker Is Married to William Goadby Loew at All Souls' Church. CLARKSON-CLARKSON WEDDING The Rev. William M. Grosvenor Performs the Ceremony at the Incarnation Church -- Miss Dunham Becomes Mrs. Luling -- Other Marriages. . 3 March 2020 . . 12 April 1898.
  13. News: Alexandra White And a Bank Aide Marry in Jersey; She Is Attended by 12 at Wedding to Robert E. Strawbridge 3d . 3 March 2020 . . 28 June 1964.
  14. News: Times . Special to The New York . Michael McDonough to Wed Miss Florence Strawbridge . 3 March 2020 . . 25 February 1965.
  15. News: Miss Florence Strawbridge Married; Bradford Graduate: Is Bride of Michael McDonough on L.L . 3 March 2020 . . 6 June 1965.
  16. News: Robert Strawbridge Jr. Dies. Former Polo Star and Official . Robert E. Strawbridge Jr., one of the nation's leading polo players in the 1920s and 1930s and a longtime official of the sport, died Thursday at his farm in Chatham, Pa. ... He was elected chairman of the United States Polo Association in 1936 and retained the post for two decades. . . March 8, 1986 . 2011-03-29 .