Colonel William A. Phillips

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Elbridge Thomas Gerry (November 22, 1908 – February 26, 1999), known as Ebby Gerry, was an American banker and polo player.[1][2]

Early life

Gerry was born in New York City on November 22, 1908.[1] His parents were Robert Livingston Gerry Sr. (1877–1957) and Cornelia Averell Harriman (1884-1966). His brothers were Robert Livingston Gerry Jr., Henry Averell Gerry, and Edward Harriman Gerry.[1] His uncles included New York Governor W. Averell Harriman and E. Roland Harriman.[1] His great-great-grandfather was Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.[1]

Gerry was named after his paternal grandfather, Elbridge Thomas Gerry (1837–1927), who was usually called "Commodore" due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club, who co-founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, sometimes called the Gerry Society.[1]

He attended St. Bernard's School, the Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina, St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harvard College, where he graduated in 1931.[1] At Harvard, he was the Captain of the polo team.[1]

Career

He started his career in banking at the Hanover Bank in New York. In 1936, he joined Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.[3] During the Second World War, he served as an intelligence officer for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and rose to the rank of Major.[1] In 1956, he became a general partner of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.,[1] and by 1968, he was on the Steering Committee.[3] From 1957 to 1986, he was a director of the Union Pacific Railroad and head of its board's Executive Committee from 1969 to 1986.[1]

Horseracing and polo

He was a founding member and President of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York, where he was inducted in 1975.[1][4] He was a partner in the Arden Homestead Stable with his uncle E. Roland Harriman. The stable produced two winners of the Hambletonian Stakes: Titan Hanover in 1945 and Flirth in 1973.[1][5]

He won the U.S. Open Polo Championship and the Monty Waterbury Cup, three times each.[2] He played with Thomas Hitchcock Sr. and Stewart Iglehart.[1] He served as Chairman of the United States Polo Association (USPA) from 1940 to 1946.[1][2][6] He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame on March 15, 1991.[2][7]

Philanthropy

He served as a vice president and Trustee at The Boys' Club of New York.[8] He also served as Trustee and President of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, founded by his grandfather, Elbridge Thomas Gerry, in 1875.[1]

Personal life, death and legacy

In 1932,[9] Gerry was married to Marjorie Y. Kane (1909–1999),[10] the daughter of John P. Kane (d. 1949).[11] She attended Miss Chapin's School and graduated from the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, in 1927.[12][13] The wedding took place at the Episcopal Church of St. John of Lattingtown. After the ceremony, the reception took place at High Lindens, the bride's parents house.[14] He had two sons and a daughter:[15]

Gerry died at his home in Delhi, New York on February 26, 1999.[1] His wife died shortly after he did.[15]

His granddaughter, Averell Tritton Ryland, a client services manager for The Trium Group, married Frederick Pennington McFerran, the founder and the chief executive of Knack who is the son of Alexander Y. McFerran, in 2012.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Joseph Durso, Elbridge T. Gerry, 90, Polo Star And Banker Who Bred Trotters, The New York Times, March 06, 1999
  2. ^ a b c d "Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, Elbridge T. Gerry Sr.'s biography". Archived from the original on 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  3. ^ a b Heinemann, H. Erich (15 September 1968). "Brown Brothers, at Age 150, Grows With Care; Brown Brothers, 150, Is Growing With Care". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. ^ Times, Special To The New York (14 May 1940). "HARNESS RACE BODY OF THREE IS NAMED; Lehman Appoints J.C. Newton, E.T. Gerry, B.W. Downing to State Commission ALL TO SERVE SIX YEARS Positions Are Non-Salaried-- Trotting Meetings Limited to Seven a Season". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ^ Gerry, Elbridge T. (29 February 1936). "POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS.; Mr. Gerry Explains Method for Deciding National Titles". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  6. ^ William Clark Hetherington, Six Chukkers Of Love, AuthorHouse, 2005, p. 122 [1]
  7. ^ "POLO A 'SCIENCE' TAX SUIT CONTENDS | Elbridge T. Gerry Makes Plea in His Action to Recover $11,702 Income Levy. | PAID BY U.S. ASSOCIATION | Club Held Operated Entirely for Scientific Purposes and for Education". The New York Times. 21 June 1936. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  8. ^ BusinessWeek[dead link]
  9. ^ "A WEDDING THAT ECHOES OLD NEW YORK -- Elbridge T. Gerry 2nd, Descendant of Colonial Leaders, to Marry Miss Kane on Saturday Other Plans for Ceremonies". The New York Times. 15 May 1932. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Marjorie Kane to Marry Young Eldridge T. Gerry of New York (April 3, 1932)". Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1932. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  11. ^ "JOHN P. KANE". The New York Times. 15 January 1949. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  12. ^ "MARJORIE Y. KANE ENGAGED TO MARRY; Her Betrothal to Elbridge T. Gerry 2d Is Announced by Her Parents. THEIR WEDDING IN MAY Mr. Gerry, a Harvard Graduate and Prominent Polo Player, )1/2 of Distinguished Ancestry". The New York Times. 28 March 1932. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Two New York Brides Usher In The Season". Home Journal. 87. Hearst Corporation: 19. April 1932. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  14. ^ Times, Special To The New York (22 May 1932). "MISS KANE BRIDE OF E. T. GERRY 2D; Ceremony in St. John's, Lattingtown, L. I., Performed by Dr. Pyle and Bishop Du Moulin | SISTER IS ONLY ATTENDANT | R. L. Gerry Jr. His Brother's Best Man -- Program of Wedding Music -- Reception at Kane Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Paid Notice: Deaths GERRY, MARJORIE KANE". The New York Times. 6 March 1999. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Son to Mrs. Elbridge T. Gerry 2d". The New York Times. 6 April 1933. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  17. ^ Hicks, Thomas (23 January 2013). "Peter Gerry's first drive at Paris-Vincennes". Harness Link. Retrieved 23 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Times, Special To The New York (19 August 1979). "G.N. Ryland, Didi Gerry Are Married". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  19. ^ "Executive Changes". The New York Times. 14 July 1993. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Averell Ryland, Frederick McFerran - Weddings". The New York Times. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2017.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_T._Gerry_Sr.