Elbridge T. Gerry Sr.

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

Elbridge T. Gerry
Born
Elbridge Thomas Gerry

November 22, 1908
New York City, New York
DiedFebruary 26, 1999(1999-02-26) (aged 90)
Delhi, New York
EducationSt. Bernard's School
St. Paul's School
Alma materHarvard College
Spouse(s)
Marjorie Kane
​
​
(m. 1932; his death 1999)​
Children3
Parent(s)Robert Livingston Gerry Sr.
Cornelia Averell Harriman
RelativesRobert Livingston Gerry Jr. (brother)
W. Averell Harriman (uncle)
E. Roland Harriman (uncle)
Peter Goelet Gerry (uncle)

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. Joseph Durso, Elbridge T. Gerry, 90, Polo Star And Banker Who Bred Trotters, The New York Times, March 06, 1999
  2. "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. 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
  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
  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. Hearst Corporation. 87: 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. "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.
  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. "Averell Ryland, Frederick McFerran - Weddings". The New York Times. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
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