Howard Nott Potter (May 6, 1859 – July 31, 1937), was an American architect known for his design of churches who was prominent in New York society during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

Early life

Potter was born in New York City on May 6, 1859. He was the son of Virginia ( née Mitchell) Potter (1827–1890) and Democratic

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 ...

Clarkson Nott Potter Clarkson Nott Potter (April 25, 1825 – January 23, 1882) was a New York attorney and politician who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1869 to 1875, then again from 1877 to 1879. Early life Potter was born in ...

(1825–1882). Among his siblings was Maria Louisa Potter, who married Joseph Leslie Cotton of Boston; Virginia Potter, who did not marry, Eleanor Potter, and Clarkson Alonzo Potter. Upon his father's death in 1882, he shared in his estate valued in excess of $1,000,000. His paternal grandparents were Sarah ( née Nott) Potter (daughter of

Eliphalet Nott Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York. Early life Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1 ...

, the longest serving college president in the United States) and

Alonzo Potter Alonzo Potter (July 6, 1800 – July 4, 1865) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Potter "identified himself with all the best interests of society." ...

, the Episcopalian Bishop of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. His maternal grandparents were Matthew and Louisa (née Kidd) Mitchell of Philadelphia. Among his many prominent relatives were uncles

Howard Potter Howard Potter (July 8, 1826 – March 24, 1897) was an American industrialist, investment banker, diplomat and philanthropist, and a partner in Brown Bros. & Co. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 8, 1826. He was the sec ...

, a New York City banker,

Robert Brown Potter Robert Brown Potter (July 16, 1829 – February 19, 1887) was a United States lawyer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 16, 1829. He was the third son of Alonzo Pot ...

, a General in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Edward Tuckerman Potter, an architect, Henry Codman Potter, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Eliphalet Nott Potter, who served as President of Union College and Hobart College, and

William Appleton Potter William Appleton Potter (December 10, 1842 – February 19, 1909) was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury ...

, also an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who designed the Church of the Presidents in

Elberon, New Jersey Elberon is an unincorporated community that is part of Long Branch in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07740. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for ZIP ...

. Potter was educated in private schools in New York, then "fitted for college" under Dean Oliver. He entered Union College and graduated in 1881 with an A.B. degree. After Union, he went abroad for several years until he returned in 1890 to attend Columbia College to study architecture. He returned to Europe to finish his education.

Career

After completing his architectural education in Europe, Potter returned to New York and began his career by partnering with Glenville Snelling to form the architecture firm of Snelling & Potter. In his practice, he was known for designing many private homes in the city and country, including the Bencoe Residence in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. He also designed several churches, including the St. John's Cathedral in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

and the enlargement of

The Priory The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm ...

Pelham, New York Pelham is a suburban town in Westchester County, approximately 10 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,078, an increase from the 2010 census. Historically, Pelham was composed of five villages ...

. Potter also wrote about architecture, including ''Stable Planning'', published in ''

The Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism ...

'' in September 1902. He served on the New York Society of Architects as the vice-chair of the Decoration committee in 1922.

Society life

In 1892, Potter and his wife were included in

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of late 19th-century America. He was widely accepted as the authority as to which families could be classified as the cream o ...

's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties 400 is the square of 20. 400 is the sum of the powers of 7 from 0 to 3, thus making it a repdigit in base 7 (1111). A circle is divided into ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into

Mrs. Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...

's ballroom. Potter was a member of the Kappa Alpha, the Racquet Club, the

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Town of Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golf players and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the "Westche ...

, and the

City Club of New York The City Club of New York is a New York City–based independent, not-for-profit organization. In 1950, ''The New York Times'' called the City Club of New York "a social club with a civic purpose"

Personal life

On May 9, 1884, Potter was married to Ethelinda "Ethel" Potter (1860–1949). Ethel, his first cousin, was the daughter of his paternal uncle, and fellow architect, Edward Tuckerman Potter, who designed the Nott Memorial at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Howard Clarkson Potter (1894–1894), who died in infancy. * John Howard Nott Potter (1896–1961), who married Margaretta Wood, daughter of Rear Adm. Spencer Shepard Wood. He was president of Brett, Wyckoff, Potter, Hamilton Inc., real estate brokers in New York. * Ethel Julia Howard Potter (1898–1971), who married artist

Allyn Cox Allyn Cox (June 5, 1896 – September 26, 1982) was an American artist known for his murals, including those he painted in the United States Capitol and the U. S. Department of State. Early life Cox was a son of Kenyon Cox and his wife, the f ...

(1896–1982), son of artists

Kenyon Cox Kenyon Cox (October 27, 1856 – March 17, 1919) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, writer, and teacher. Cox was an influential and important early instructor at the Art Students League of New York. He was the designer of the League ...

and Louise King Cox, in 1927. Potter inherited fifty percent of his father's country house, known as "Nutwood", in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

, overlooking the Long Island Sound. They also had a home in Harrison, New York known as "Allendale Farm". Potter died at his home, "The Sea Horse" in

Westhampton Beach Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721. History The village of Westhampto ...

, on July 31, 1937. His widow died in Mendham, New Jersey in January 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Howard Nott 1859 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects Union College (New York) alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni People included in New York Society's Four Hundred