John J. Wysong

John Jelke Wysong (February 13, 1839 – December 21, 1910) was an American lawyer who was prominent in New York Society during the Gilded Age.[1]

John J. Wysong
Born
John Jelke Wysong

(1839-02-12)February 12, 1839
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedDecember 21, 1910(1910-12-21) (aged 71)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
OccupationSoldier, lawyer, businessman
Spouse(s)
​
​
(his death 1910)​

Early life

Wysong was born on February 13, 1839 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. His brother was Charles Wysong and his nephew was Marshall Kernochan (father of John Marshall Kernochan).[2]

During the U.S. Civil War, he fought on the Confederate side.[1] He later moved to New York City and became a successful businessman and lawyer.[1] His New York office was located at 44 Pine Street.[3]

Society life

In 1892, Wysong and his wife 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.[4][5] Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.[6] Wysong was a member of the Casino Reading Room, The Spouting Rock Beach Association, the Newport Golf Club, the Newport Yacht Racing Association, the Union Club of the City of New York, the Metropolitan Club, the Tuxedo Club,[1] and was a life member of the American Museum of Natural History.[7] The Wysongs were considered "pioneer summer residents of Newport" and had a cottage at Tuxedo Park, New York[5]

At the 1897 Bradley-Martin Ball, Mrs. Wysong dressed as Madame de Pompadour, the famous friend of Louis XV, in a court dress of "pink brocaded stain fell over a front of yellow satin, and she wore beautiful jewels."[8] Wysong dressed in "rich brocades as the Duc d’Anjou at the court of Louis XV."[8]

Personal life

Wysong was married to heiress Martha Marshall (d. 1925),[9][10] the daughter of John Marshall and the sister of Mrs. William Pollock.[3] The Wysongs, who did not have any children, lived at 1 East 76th Street,[11] in New York City.[2]

In 1887, Wysong acquired Greystone,[lower-alpha 1] a luxurious Romanesque Revival "cottage" on Ochre Point Avenue between Victoria Avenue and Ruggles Avenue, directly opposite The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island.[2] The home was designed in 1883 by George Champlin Mason for Fitch Bosworth.[13] The interiors were noted for their stained glass, designed by Donald MacDonald for William McPherson & Co. of Boston. Wysong significantly remodeled the home in 1889, hiring architect J. D. Johnston (known for Horsehead–Marbella).[13] The estate was destroyed by arson during the evening of May 31, 1938 and the gateposts and boundary wall survive as the visitor parking lot to The Breakers.[14]

Wysong died at his summer home in Newport, Rhode Island on December 21, 1910 after a long illness.[15] He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.[1]

References
Notes
  1. The residence is sometimes referred to as "Graystone" instead of "Greystone."[12]
Sources
  1. "JOHN J. WYSONG DEAD. New York Lawyer Dies In Newport In His 71st Year" (PDF). The New York Times. December 22, 1910. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. "John J. Wysong Critically Ill" (PDF). The New York Times. December 18, 1910. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  3. "JOHN J. WYSONG". New-York Tribune. December 22, 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. McAllister, Ward (16 February 1892). "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" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  5. Patterson, Jerry E. (2000). The First Four Hundred: Mrs. Astor's New York in the Gilded Age. Random House Incorporated. p. 234. ISBN 9780847822089. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  6. Keister, Lisa A. (2005). Getting Rich: America's New Rich and How They Got That Way. Cambridge University Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780521536677. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  7. Annual Report of the American Museum of Natural History. New York: American Museum of Natural History. 1910. p. 117. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  8. "The Characters Represented by Some of Mrs. Bradley Martin's Guests". The Sun. February 11, 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  9. "Mrs. John J. Wysong". Newport Mercury. April 4, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  10. Social Register, New York. Social Register Association. 1920. p. 793. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  11. "NEW YORK SOCIETY". Chicago Tribune. October 19, 1921. p. 19. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  12. Social Register, Summer. Social Register Association. 1894. p. 304. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  13. Miller, Paul F. (2008). Lost Newport. Applewood Books. p. 65. ISBN 9781557090911. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  14. "1876-1885 | Greystone". www.newportmansions.org. Newport Mansions. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  15. "John J. Wysong Ill" (PDF). The New York Times. July 20, 1910. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
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