Robert Livingston Gerry Jr. (December 5, 1911 – December 21, 1979) was an American

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

player.

Early life

Gerry was born in New York City on December 5, 1911, to Robert L. Gerry Sr. and Cornelia Harriman. His eldest brother was Elbridge T. Gerry, Sr. and his younger twin brothers were

Henry Averell Gerry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

and

Edward Harriman Gerry Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

. Robert's father, a successful real estate developer, died at the family's estate, Aknusti, at the age of 81 on October 31, 1957, just a few hours after his brother, former U. S. Senator

Peter Goelet Gerry Peter Goelet Gerry (September 18, 1879 – October 31, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and later, as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. He is the only U.S. Senator in American hi ...

, died in Providence, Rhode Island.

Family

Robert L. Gerry, Jr. was the nephew of U.S. Senator

, Governor

W. Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986) was an American politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was a founder of Harriman & Co. which merged with the older Brown Brothers to form the Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. investment ...

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

founder Mary Harriman, and E. Roland Harriman. His maternal grandfather was railroad baron E.H. Harriman and his paternal great-great grandfather was

Thomas Russell Gerry Thomas Russell Gerry (December 8, 1794 – October 8, 1848) was an American sailor who was active in the Sons of the American Revolution and was a son of the fifth U.S. Vice President Elbridge Gerry. Early life Gerry was born on December 8, 1794 ...

, his great-great grandfather was

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry ( ; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death i ...

, a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

and

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

Sporting career

Polo career

In 1929, he won the USPA Open National Interscholastic Championship. In 1933, he won the USPA Junior Championship and in 1938, he won the USPA Twenty Goal Championship. In 1938, he won the Monty Waterbury Memorial Cup. Gerry was a renowned

player. He won the

US Open Polo Championship The US Open Polo Championship is an annual polo championship in the United States. It is organized since 1904 by the United States Polo Association (USPA). History The tournament was first played on September 20, 1904 at Van Cortlandt Park in T ...

twice, first in 1939 playing the #2 position for the Bostwick Field team, and second, in 1940 playing the #2 position for the Aknusti team. He lost in finals of 1941 championship while playing for the Aknusti team. From 1923 to 1941, all

U.S. Open Polo Championship The US Open Polo Championship is an annual polo championship in the United States. It is organized since 1904 by the United States Polo Association (USPA). History The tournament was first played on September 20, 1904 at Van Cortlandt Park in T ...

were played at Meadow Brook on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, New York. The 1939 Bostwick Field team included

Pete Bostwick George Herbert "Pete" Bostwick (August 14, 1909 – January 13, 1982) was an American court tennis player, a steeplechase jockey and horse trainer, and an eight-goal polo player. Biography He was born in Bisby Lake, New York to Marie L. Stokes ...

, Robert L. Gerry Jr., Elbridge T. Gerry Sr., Eric Horace Tyrrell-Martin. In the 1940

final, the Aknusti team beat Great Neck. The final score was a close 5 to 4. Playing for Aknusti that year were Gerald Smith, Robert L. Gerry, Jr.,

, and Alan Corey Jr. The 1941 Aknusti team was composed of Elbridge T. Gerry Sr., Robert L. Gerry Jr., Edward H. Gerry, and

. In the U.S. Open finals, they played against Gulf Stream whose riders were

Michael Grace Phipps Michael Grace Phipps (January 10, 1910 – March 13, 1973) was an American businessman, champion polo player, owner/breeder of racehorses, and a philanthropist. Biography Michael Phipps was the son of John Shaffer Phipps and Margarita Celia ...

, Ben Phipps, Charles Skiddy von Stade, and Alan L. Corey, Jr., who beat Aknusti 10–6.

Tennis career

Gerry was also, an accomplished

Court tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

player. He won the Tuxedo Gold Racquet Singles Champion in 1946, as well as the U.S. Amateur Doubles Championship in both 1949 and 1950 playing with

Alastair Martin Alastair Bradley Martin (March 11, 1915 – January 12, 2010) was a Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, and president of the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1969 and 1970 (Vive-President the two previous years). The ''New York Times'' attrib ...

. He was a Charter Member of the

United States Court Tennis Association The United States Court Tennis Association is the governing body for the sport of real tennis in the United States. The first association president, William L. Van Alen, convened its initial meeting on January 30, 1955, at New York City's Racquet ...

Personal life

Gerry married Martha Leighton Kramer, daughter of A. Ludlow Kramer. Together, they had: *Nancy Gerry (born 1935) * Robert L. Gerry III (born 1937) He later married Harriet Wells. Gerry inherited family lands in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

, and added to them to create the sprawling estate "Aknusti" (later renamed 'Broadlands'). It has acreage in the townships of

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, and Bovina, New York. It is an almost contiguous estate with a polo field, multiple working farms, a . mountain-ridge sited colonial manor house designed by

Walker & Gillette Walker & Gillette was an architectural firm based in New York City, the partnership of Alexander Stewart Walker (1876–1952) and Leon Narcisse Gillette (1878–1945), active from 1906 through 1945. Biographies Walker was a native of Jersey ...

, numerous dependencies, and landscaping done by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

. Gerry owned the property until his death. The property has since been sold multiple times, although it remains intact and owned by Amanresorts. he died in 1979

References

;Notes ;Sources
Genealogy – Gerry family
at Hartwick College
U.S. Open Polo history1939 U.S. Open Polo Championship
* ttp://www.mi-harness.com/SBreds/Memor60.html Standardbred Horsemans Memorial {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerry, Robert L., Jr. 1911 births 1979 deaths Goelet family Robert Livingston Gerry, Jr. American polo players American real tennis players Gerry family