Robert Kerr Richards (August 26, 1834 – December 31, 1924) was an American who was prominent in New York Society during the
Gilded Age.
Early life
Richards was born on August 26, 1834. He was the son of William H. Richards (1808–1881) and Maria E. (
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 ...
Kerr) Richards (1806–1879).
He namesake was his uncle Robert Kerr Richards (1806–1874), a Yale and
Litchfield Law School graduate who married Matilda Lamb (1806–1854),
the daughter of General Anthony Lamb (son of Revolutionary War General
John Lamb).
Another uncle, Timothy Pickering Richards was married to Agnes Treat Lamb, the sister of his aunt Matilda.
His niece was Sarah F. Richards of Black Stump Road in Queens.
Richards attended
Yale University, where he was a member of the Sigma chapter of
Delta Psi fraternity, and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Tau Chapter of Delta Psi Fraternity.
Society life
In 1892, Richards was included in
Ward McAllister's "
Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''
The New York Times''.
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.
Richards regularly attended the
Patriarchs Ball (founded by McAllister in 1872) and many society events including musicales at the
Waldorf,
performances at the
Metropolitan Opera,
and the
Bradley-Martin Ball in 1897.
Personal life
Richards had a home in
Bayside on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
known as Greenoak Farm.
Richards died after a brief illness on Wednesday morning, December 31, 1924.
His funeral was held at St. James's Chapel at the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...
and he was buried at
Grace Episcopal Churchyard in Queens.
His niece Sarah was the executrix of his estate.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Robert Kerr
1834 births
1924 deaths