John Jay Schieffelin
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John Jay Schieffelin (
Scarborough-on-Hudson Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor inc ...
, Westchester County, NY, October 31, 1897 – Manhattan, New York City, May 24, 1987), was an American rear admiral and executive director of the English-Speaking Union.


Early life

John Jay Schieffelin was the second son of
William Jay Schieffelin William Jay Schieffelin ( New York City, April 14, 1866 – April 29, 1955), was an American businessman, philanthropist, and president of the Citizens Union (New York City). Early life William Jay Schieffelin was the first son of William Henr ...
and Maria Louise Shepard Schieffelin. He was born in Scarborough-on-Hudson, NY. Through his paternal ancestors John Jay Schieffelin was a descendant of John Jay, and through his maternal ancestors he was a member of the Vanderbilt family. His maternal grandma Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard built
Woodlea Sleepy Hollow Country Club is a historic country club in Scarborough-on-Hudson in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The club was founded in 1911, and its clubhouse was known as Woodlea, a 140-room Vanderbilt mansion owned by Colonel Elliott Fitch Shep ...
mansion in Scarborough-on-Hudson, NY in 1895. (his birthplace)


Personal life

John Jay Schieffelin married Eleanor Curtis Beggs from Pittsburgh, PA, in 1923. The couple had three children. They divorced in 1931. John Jay Schieffelin remarried in 1932 with Lois Lindon Smith (1911–2007) from Boston, MA. The couple had one son.


Military service

John Jay Schieffelin was awarded the Navy Cross as a lieutenant and pilot in World War I for successfully damaging German submarines in the North Sea.{{Cite web , title=NH 46099 Ensign John J. Schieffelin, USN Reserve Force , url=https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-46000/NH-46099.html , access-date=2024-07-27 , website=Naval History and Heritage Command , language=en-US The U.S. Naval Air Force was stationed at Felixstowe and Killingholme, England. John was a member of the Yale Naval Aviation Group, a group of ambitious Yale University students who foresaw the need for air support for the U.S. Navy. In December 1917, John Jay Schieffelin came to Liverpool in England and stayed in England until December 1918. John flew two successful attacks against German submarines in 1918. On July 9th, 1918, he attacked and severely damaged a submarine, forcing it to surface where it was later sunk by a British destroyer. On July 19th, 1918, he flew through stormy winds along the east coast of England, around Whitby. A gust hit his plane and bent the suspension of his bombs, forcing him to drop half of the load. When he saw a submarine appear, he immediately launched an attack. During World War II, John rejoined the Navy as a coach for new recruits. As
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
, he received an award for his outstanding coaching, and he went on to found the John Jay Schieffelin Award for Excellence in Teaching.


Career

After World War I, John graduated from Yale University. He joined the Yale rowers and emerged victorious against Princeton and Cornell in 1920. Between World War I and World War II, John Jay Schieffelin worked as a manager for an insurance company.


Committee work and social commitment

* Executive director of the
English-Speaking Union The English-Speaking Union (ESU) is an international educational membership organistation. Founded by the journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918, it aims to bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures, by building skill ...
(1963–1966) * Sponsor of the John Jay Schieffelin Award for Excellence in Teaching


References


Further reading

* Wortman, Marc (2006). ''The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power''. PublicAffairs. ISBN  978-1586483289 1897 births 1987 deaths Jay family Schieffelin family Vanderbilt family United States Navy rear admirals