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
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 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 ...
, known collectively as the " Big Four," he competed and won the 1909 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 ...
.
Early life
Monte was born on April 24, 1876 in Westchester, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
. He was one of seven children born to James Montaudevert Waterbury, Sr. and 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. He had four brothers and two sisters, including Lawrence Waterbury II
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 t ...
, Livingston Waterbury, Reginald Waterbury, Katherine Livingston Waterbury and Elsie Waterbury, who married Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...
.
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.
He was educated through private tutors and graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
Career
Waterbury's family owned the Waterbury Company, a manufacturing company that specialized in wire and manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
rope and was located at 63 Park Row, and which Monte was serving as President at the time of his death in 1920.
Polo career
Waterbury was an active polo player in the 1890s through the 1910s, including the 1909 team put together by 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 ...
nicknamed the " Big Four", composed of Monte, his brother Lawrence, Whitney and 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 ...
. They defeated England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, which had held the cup since its inauguration in 1886. He has won the 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 ...
five times, in 1902, 1909, 1911, 1913, and 1914. He won the first U.S. Open Polo Championship in 1904, and ten senior titles. During the 1913 Cup, he "sustained a broken, making it impossible for him to hold a mallet" and was replaced by Louis Stoddard
Major Louis Ezekiel Stoddard (January 25, 1878 – March 9, 1948) was an American 10-goal handicap polo player. He participated in the 1913 and 1921 International Polo Cup. He was the chairman of the United States Polo Association from 1921 ...
.
He was a member of 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 ...
along with his brother Lawrence. He usually preferred to play the back position, but the team would often rotate positions as the game was being played.
Waterbury did not play polo internationally after the 1914 defeat at the 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 ...
(with Ivor Guest, Lord Wimborne in charge of the British team). and only rarely pursued the sport in the United States in his later years.
Personal life
Monte was linked to stage actress Eleanor Pendleton, who later married Louis Ream, son of millionaire businessman Norman B. Ream. After Eleanor's divorce from Ream, she moved into the Hotel St. Louis, across from Monte's apartment at the northwest corner of Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
and 32nd Street, and they resumed their relationship.
They were rumored to have been engaged, but a wedding never took place. Waterbury also dated infamous showgirl Evelyn Nesbit before her marriage to crazed lunatic Harry K. Thaw. Thaw murdered New York architect and socialite Stanford White in a rooftop killing.[''The American Experience'': Crime of the Century, PBS narrated by David McCullough]
Waterbury died at the age of 44 on August 28, 1920 from an apparent heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
one day after arriving at a health resort in French Lick, Indiana
French Lick is a town in French Lick Township, Orange County, Indiana. The population was 1,807 at the time of the 2010 census. In November 2006, the French Lick Resort Casino, the state's tenth casino in the modern legalized era, opened, drawing ...
. He had been in poor health in the year preceding his death and it was generally accepted by his family that he had been suffering from a heart condition. After a funeral at St. Bartholomew's Church, he was buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church in Westchester.
Legacy
The annual Monty Waterbury Cup
The Monty Waterbury Cup is awarded annually in polo at the Meadowbrook Polo Club in Westbury, Long Island. The first match was in 1922. It is named after James Montaudevert Waterbury, Jr. In 1956, Herbie Pennell was the winner.
Overview
It ..., J ...
at the Meadow Brook Club in Westbury, Long Island
The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a Village (New York), village in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is located a ...
was named in his honor, with the first match occurring in 1922.
References
External links
Monte Waterbury on Cob-nut
by Herbert Haseltine
Herbert Chevalier Haseltine (1877–1962) was an Italian-born French/ American animalier sculptor, most known as an Equestrian sculptor.
Early life and education
Hesltine was born in Rome, the son of the American landscape painter William Sta ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterbury, Monte
1876 births
1920 deaths
Waterbury family
Columbia University alumni
American polo players
People from Westchester County, New York
International Polo Cup