Lawrence Waterbury II (March 31, 1877 – May 25, 1943) was an American champion polo player and society figure.

Early life

Larry, as he was referred to by friends, was born on March 31, 1877 in New York City. He was one of seven children born to Catherine Anthony "Kate" (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Furman) Waterbury and James Montaudevert Waterbury, Sr. (1851–1931). Among his siblings were

James Montaudevert Waterbury, Jr. James Montaudevert "Monte" Waterbury, Jr. (April 24, 1876 – August 28, 1920) was an American businessman and a 10-goal polo handicap player. Together with his brother Lawrence Waterbury, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereaux Milburn, known ...

and Livingston Waterbury. His paternal grandparents were Lawrence Waterbury I and Caroline Antoinette (née Cleveland) Waterbury. The Waterbury family was considered one of New York's oldest families. His maternal grandfather was John M. Furman. Waterbury attended the

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

Career

Waterbury became a stockbroker and, reportedly, made a fortune in the 1907

bear market A market trend is a perceived tendency of financial markets to move in a particular direction over time. Analysts classify these trends as ''secular'' for long time-frames, ''primary'' for medium time-frames, and ''secondary'' for short time-fram ...

, also known as the

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from ...

. Later, he was reported to have suffered great losses and in 1923, during an investigation of the so-called "Mammoth Syndicate", he was identified as one of the members who formed a group to "make a market" for the stock of Mammoth Oil, a subsidiary of

Sinclair Oil Corporation Sinclair Oil Corporation was an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916, the Sinclair Oil and Refining Corporation combined, amalgamated, the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York cor ...

. The scandal was later referred to as the

Teapot Dome scandal The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyomin ...

Polo playing

Waterbury began playing with 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 ...

polo team in 1895, and the following year, he was ranked at seven goals on the

U.S. Polo Association The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of Polo#United States, polo in the United States. Introduction Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual membe ...

handicap list. He later played at the

Meadowbrook Polo Club The Meadowbrook Polo Club (originally styled as the "Meadow Brook Club"), located in Old Westbury, New York, is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States, first established in 1881.Marie, Kim (August 27, 201The Power of The ...

with his brother Monte. He participated in the 1902, 1909, 1911 and 1913

International Polo Cup The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1876 and was played for by teams from the United States and United Kingdom. The match has varied in length over the years ...

championships, losing only in 1902. Waterbury played polo with many of the most prominent figures of his time, including his brother

Monte Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

Devereaux Milburn Devereux Milburn (September 19, 1881 – August 15, 1942) was an American champion polo player in the early to mid twentieth century. He was one of a group of Americans known as the Big Four in international polo, winning the Westchester Cup six ...

, J. S. Phipps, E. W. Hopping,

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...

, and

Henry Carnegie Phipps Henry Carnegie Phipps (May 11, 1879 – March 21, 1953) was an American Sportsperson, sportsman and financier, the owner of Wheatley Stable along with his wife Gladys Mills Phipps, and a member of the wealthy Phipps family. Early life Phipps was b ...

. At the time of his death, he was the "only man to ever play every position in the international polo competition between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and the United States."

Military service

During

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 ...

, he was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serves ...

and later became a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Chemical Warfare Section in France.

Personal life

In 1900, he married his first wife, Maude Livingston Hall (1877–1952), the youngest daughter of

Valentine Hall Jr. Valentine Gill Hall Jr. (March 27, 1834 – July 17, 1880) was an American socialite, banker, and merchant who was the maternal grandfather of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Early life Hall was born in New York City on March 27, 1834, to Irish imm ...

and Mary Livingston Ludlow. Maude was the sister of Anna Hall (Mrs.

Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt Elliott Roosevelt (February 28, 1860 – August 14, 1894) was an American socialite. He was the father of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), the 26th president of the United States. Elliott and ...

), and therefore the maternal aunt of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

and her husband,

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. Before they divorced in 1912, they were the parents of two children: * Lawrence Waterbury III (b. 1901) * Anne Livingston "Nancy" Waterbury (1903–1959), who married Harry Carter Milholland Jr. (1904–1968), son of Harry Carter Milholland of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, in 1927. After Nancy's death, he married Marion Bock Kellogg. After their divorce, Maude married David Gray, who later served as United States Envoy to Ireland. In 1932, Waterbury married his second wife, Caroline Louise "Carrie" Munn (1889–1979), formerly the wife of Reginald Boardman. She was the daughter of Charles Alexander Munn and Carrie Louise (née Gurnee) Munn, and the sister of

Gurnee Munn Gurnee Munn (April 30, 1887 - May 7, 1960) was a businessman, president of the American Totalisator Company and former member of the New York Stock Exchange. He served in World War I and World War II. Biography Munn married Marie Louise Wanamake ...

, and Charles Alexander Munn Jr., who married

Mary Astor Paul Mary Astor Paul Munn Allez (March 26, 1889 – July 28, 1950) was a Philadelphia socialite who was related to the Astor and Drexel families. During World War II, she helped the American forces in France. Early life Mary was born on March 26, 188 ...

in 1909. For many years, he lived at 132 East 38th Street in New York City. Waterbury died on May 25, 1943 at his home on Pelican Lane in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterbury, Lawrence 1877 births 1943 deaths Waterbury family International Polo Cup People from Palm Beach, Florida