Maj. Gouverneur Cadwalader (February 3, 1880 – October 14, 1935), was an American sportsman and soldier.

Early life

Cadwalader was born on February 3, 1880, in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. He was a son of Richard McCall Cadwalader (1839–1918) and Christine W. ( Biddle) Cadwalader (1847–1900). Among his brothers were Thomas Cadwalader, Dr. William Biddle Cadwalader, Richard McCall Cadwalader Jr. (who married Emily Margaretta Roebling), Charles Meigs Biddle Cadwalader, and Alexander Cadwalader, His maternal grandparents were Jonathan Williams Biddle and Emily Skinner ( Meigs) Biddle. His paternal grandparents were

Thomas McCall Cadwalader Thomas McCall Cadwalader (September 11, 1795 – October 22, 1873) was an American who trained to be a lawyer but made his career in the military, retiring as a major general. Early life Thomas McCall Cadwalader was born on the family estate ca ...

and Maria Charlotte ( Gouverneur) Cadwalader. His uncle,

John Lambert Cadwalader John Lambert Cadwalader (November 11, 1836 – March 11, 1914) was an American lawyer. Early life John Lambert Cadwalader was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on November 17, 1836. He was the eldest son of General Thomas McCall Cadwalader (1795–1 ...

, was a prominent lawyer who served as the 10th

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs ...

. He was also a great-grandson of Col.

Lambert Cadwalader Lambert Cadwalader (December 1742 – September 13, 1823) was an American merchant and leader in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, then represented New Jersey in the Continental Con ...

, an officer in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

who represented New Jersey at the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. Cadwalader graduated from St. Paul's School before attending the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Career

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Cadwalader became associated with the engineering department of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

and was stationed in Western Pennsylvania. Later, he joined the Cresson-Morris Company, a firm of engineers, machinists and founders. When the War broke out, he was serving as secretary-treasurer of the company, but did not return to business after the war ended. Following the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Cadwalader and his brothers joined the service and was attached to the Watertown Arsenal (on the northern shore of the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

) as a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Ordnance Corps.

Personal life

In 1921, Cadwalader was married to Mae Drexel ( Fell) Henry (1884–1948). The widow of Capt. Howard Houston Henry, Mae was a daughter of John Ruckman Fell and Sarah Rozet ( Drexel) Van Rensselaer. After Mae's father died, her mother Sarah (a daughter of banker

Anthony Joseph Drexel Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel & Co. of Philadelphia, he founde ...

) married

Alexander Van Rensselaer Alexander Van Rensselaer (October 1, 1850 – July 18, 1933) was an American philanthropist, sportsman and patron of Princeton University. A member of a prominent Philadelphia family, he played both tennis and cricket at high levels. Early life ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Mae Gouverneur (1923–2000), who married Rufus Lenoir Patterson III, a son of

Morehead Patterson Morehead Patterson (October 9, 1897 – August 5, 1962) was an American businessman, a diplomat, an inventor, and president, CEO and chairman of American Machine and Foundry, the company founded by his father Rufus Patterson. Patterson led expa ...

and grandson of Rufus L. Patterson Jr. and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Herbert Parsons, in 1942. After his death in 1944, she married Joseph Harrison Worrall in 1945. After his death in 1979, she married William Marshall Hollenback, son of

Bill Hollenback William Marshall "Big Bill" Hollenback (February 22, 1886 – March 12, 1968) was an American football player and coach. He played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was selected as an All-American fullback three straight year ...

, in 1987. * Gouverneur Cadwalader Jr. (1924–2006), who married Catherine Schuyler Chambers, a daughter of Francis Taylor Chambers, in 1948. He later married Joan Hayden. * Amanda "Minnie" Cassatt Gouverneur (1926–1996), who married William Hepburn Dixon, a son of Morris Hacker Dixon, in 1949. David Crawford Burton. He was a member of the

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...

, the Pennsylvania Club, and belonged to the Racquet and Whitemarsh Valley Hunt Clubs. Cadwalader was interested in dogs and horses and served as president of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. Cadwalader died of heart disease at Hawkswell, his home at Camp Hill near Fort Washington (today part of Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania), on October 14, 1935. His widow died on August 31, 1948, at her summer home at

Dark Harbor, Maine Dark Harbor is a village located on the most southern end of the town of Islesboro in Waldo County, Maine. Altogether, Dark Harbor consumes one-quarter of the land in Islesboro. Many prominent families from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston took ...

Descendants

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwalader, Gouverneur 1880 births 1935 deaths Cadwalader family St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania