Marcellus Hartley Dodge Jr. (July 29, 1908 – August 29, 1930) was the heir to the Remington-Rockefeller fortune. He lived at
Giralda Farms in
Madison, New Jersey. He died in a car accident in France.
Life
Dodge was born in
Madison, New Jersey to
Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller and
Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr.
Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. (February 28, 1881 – December 25, 1963) was the chairman of the board of Remington Arms Company and a member of the family associated with the Phelps Dodge Corporation. He was the president or director of several c ...
He was a grandson of
William A. Rockefeller Jr., co-founder of
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
; great-grandson of
Remington Arms Company founder Marcellus Hartley; and grandnephew of Standard Oil's other co-founder,
John D. Rockefeller. Dodge was often referred to as "Hartley."
Dodge was instantly killed in an
automobile accident on August 29, 1930, when his car struck a tree on the Bayonne-Bordeaux road in Mogesca,
France. The accident occurred shortly after his graduation from
Princeton University in June 1930, where he played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. Two passing motorists, Henri Dupin, and Paul Theau, pulled Dodge's body, and the still living Ralph Applegate, from the burning car. Dodge's carotid artery had been severed, and the car's engine was pushed against the back seat. Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. went to the site of the accident, looked at the car, and talked to Dupin and Theau.
Dodge's mother, Geraldine, had sent him there as a diversion from his hobby of
aviation, which she felt was too dangerous. Dodge was buried at
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about north of New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on ...
.
Legacy
To honor Dodge's memory, his parents funded the Dodge Gateway on Princeton's campus in 1933, and contributed to the construction of the Marcellus Hartley Dodge Physical Fitness Center at
Columbia University. Dodge's mother also gave
Madison,
New Jersey the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building that was dedicated on Memorial Day, Thursday, May 30, 1935 to house its
police department
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...
.
The building now houses Madison's Borough Hall. His mother also donated a memorial to him at the
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which was founded with extensive efforts by his father.
External list
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References
1908 births
1930 deaths
Dodge family
Rockefeller family
People from Madison, New Jersey
Princeton University alumni
Road incident deaths in France
Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
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