Robert Goelet Jr. (September 29, 1841 – April 27, 1899) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Early life

Robert Goelet was born on September 29, 1841 in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, to Sarah Ogden (1809–1888) and

Robert Goelet Robert Goelet Jr. (September 29, 1841 – April 27, 1899) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age. Early life Robert Goelet was born on September 29, 1841 in Manhattan, New York City, to Sarah ...

(1809–1879). He had a younger brother,

Ogden Goelet Ogden Goelet (June 11, 1851 New York City – August 27, 1897 Cowes, Isle of Wight) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age. With his wife, he built Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island, his so ...

, who married society leader

Mary Wilson Goelet Mary Rita Goelet ( Wilson; December 12, 1855 – February 23, 1929), known as May Goelet, was an American socialite and member of a family known as "the marrying Wilsons". Early life May was born on December 12, 1855 in Loudon, Tennessee. She ...

and built

Ochre Court Ochre Court is a large châteauesque mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Commissioned by Ogden Goelet, it was built at a cost of $4.5 million in 1892. It is the second largest mansion in Newport after nearby The Breakers. These two ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. Through his brother, he was the uncle of

Mary Goelet Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe ( Goelet; October 6, 1878 – April 26, 1937) was an American-born heiress and socialite who married into Scottish nobility. Early life Mary Goelet was born in 1878. Her parents were Mary Wilson Goelet (185 ...

, who married

Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (24 July 1876 – 29 September 1932) was a Scottish peer and courtier. Early life Henry John Innes-Ker was born on 24 July 1876. He was the son of James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe ...

and real estate developer

Robert Wilson Goelet Robert Wilson Goelet (January 9, 1880 – February 6, 1966) was an American social leader, banker, and real estate developer who built Glenmere mansion. Early life Goelet was born in 1880. He was the son of Mary Wilson Goelet (1855–1929), a le ...

. His parents resided at 5 State Street, overlooking the

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

in Manhattan. His father was a prominent landlord in New York, as was his uncle, Peter Goelet, who was named after his great-grandfather,

Peter Goelet Peter Goelet (January 5, 1727 – October 11, 1811) was a merchant and real estate entrepreneur of New York City. Early life Peter Goelet was born on January 5, 1727, in New York City. He was the fifth of thirteen children born to Jan "John" Goe ...

. His grandfather was the merchant and landowner Peter P. Goelet.

Career

He graduated from Columbia College in 1860 and was subsequently admitted to the bar. Goelet practiced law in the C.J & E. DeWitt (later DeWitt, Lockman and Kip) law firm that also counted his cousin

George Goelet Kip George Goelet Kip (January 15, 1845 – June 27, 1926) was a New York lawyer, heir and member of the Goelet family during the Gilded Age. Early life Kip was born on January 15, 1845, in New York City. He was the son of Elbert Samuel Kip (1799� ...

and

George Gosman DeWitt George Gosman DeWitt Jr. (April 9, 1845 – January 12, 1912) was a prominent American lawyer and philanthropist. Early life DeWitt was born in Callicoon in New York's Sullivan County on April 9, 1845. He was one of seven children born to Geor ...

among its partners, before retiring in 1879 to manage the real estate of his father and his unmarried uncle. After their deaths, he inherited half their fortune. He also served on the board of directors of the Union Trust Company, the

New York Life Insurance and Trust Company New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, the Guaranty Trust Company, the Bank of New Amsterdam, the Chemical National Bank, which his father and uncle were instrumental in founding. In his obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', he was described as:

"He was clear-headed and keen-witted, and his judgment in financial and real estate matters invariably commanded the respect of other business men. A loyal New Yorker, Robert Goelet took particular pride in promoting the growth and development of the city with which his family had long so long identified. He was a man of progressive ideas, and throughout his business career pursued a policy of improving his properties in a manner which would beautify the city."

Social and sporting life

Goelet was a member of the exclusive

Philadelphia Club Philadelphia Club was founded in 1834 and is located at 13th and Walnut Streets in Center City, Philadelphia. It is the oldest city club in the United States and one of the oldest gentlemen's clubs. Notable members have included George Meade, ...

, the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

, the

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most aristocratic gentlemen's clubs in th ...

, the

Metropolitan Club The Metropolitan Club of New York is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded as a gentlemen's club in 1891 for men only, but it was one of the first major clubs in New York to admit women, t ...

, the

Tuxedo Club The Tuxedo Club is a private member-owned country club located on West Lake Road in the village of Tuxedo Park, New York, in the Ramapo Mountains. Founded in 1886 by Pierre Lorillard IV, its facilities now include an 18-hole golf course, lawn ten ...

, the

Union Club of the City of New York The Union Club of the City of New York (commonly known as the Union Club) is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1836. The clubhouse is located at 101 East 69th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in a landmark building de ...

and was one of the original stockholders of the Metropolitan Opera House, both before it burned in 1892 and after it was rebuilt. He was also a member of the

Jekyll Island Club The Jekyll Island Club was a private club on Jekyll Island, on Georgia's Atlantic coast. It was founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $125,000 (about $3.1 million in 2017) from John E ...

Jekyll Island, Georgia Jekyll Island is located off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia, in Glynn County. It is one of the Sea Islands and one of the Golden Isles of Georgia barrier islands. The island is owned by the State of Georgia and run by a self-sustaining, s ...

. His yacht ''Nahma'' was designed by George L. Watson and built for him on the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

in 1897. After his death, it was used extensively for summer cruising in European waters by his son,

Robert Walton Goelet Robert Walton Goelet (March 19, 1880 – May 2, 1941) was a financier and real estate developer in New York City. He was one of the largest property owners in the city by the time of his death. Early life Robert Walton Goelet, nicknamed Bertie ...

, who lent the yacht at no cost to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. The Navy operated it as

USS Nahma (SP-771) USS ''Nahma'' (SP-771) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919. She operated during and in the immediate aftermath of World War I, seeing service in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, and Black Se ...

from 1917 to 1919, after which it was returned.

Marriages and children

On April 17, 1879, Goelet married Harriette Louise Warren (1854-1912) in New York City. Harriette was a daughter of George Henry Warren I, a prominent lawyer, and Mary (

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 ...

Phoenix) Warren (herself the daughter of

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Jonas P. Phoenix Jonas Phillips Phoenix (January 14, 1788 – May 4, 1859) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Early life Phoenix was born in Morristown, New Jersey on January 14, 1788 and received a limited schooling. He was the son of Daniel Phoeni ...

and granddaughter of Stephen Whitney). Harriet was the sister of stockbroker

George Henry Warren II George Henry Warren II (October 17, 1855 – June 3, 1943) was a New York City stockbroker and real estate developer. Early life George Henry Warren II was born in Troy, New York to George Henry Warren (1823-1892) and Mary Caroline Phoenix (183 ...

and prominent architects

Whitney Warren Whitney Warren (January 29, 1864 – January 24, 1943) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who founded, with Charles Delevan Wetmore, Warren and Wetmore in New York City, one of the most prolific and successful architectural practices in the ...

and

Lloyd Warren Lloyd Eliot Warren (November 10, 1868 - October 25, 1922) was the founder of the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City Biography He was born in Paris, France to George Henry Warren I (November 8, 1823 - April 8, 1892) and Mary Caroli ...

. The Goelets resided in a townhouse located at 591

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

in Manhattan (designed by

Edward H. Kendall Edward Hale Kendall (July 30, 1842 – March 10, 1901) was an American architect with a practice in New York City. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Kendall was one of the first generation of Americans to study in Paris; he apprenticed ...

in 1880), as well as at seasonal residences in

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 623 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the la ...

, and

(designed by

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

, c. 1882–1883). Together, Harriette and Robert Goelet had two children: *

(1880–1941), a financier and real estate developer. * Beatrice Goelet (1885–1902), who died of pneumonia in 1902, aged 17. As a child, she was painted by

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

. He died of heart disease on April 27, 1899, in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. After his body was transported from Italy by his yacht ''Nahma'', his funeral was held at Trinity Church in Newport. After the funeral, his body was again transported "by special train over the New Haven Road", and was buried in the Goelet Mausoleum, which had been completed only days before, at Woodlawn Cemetery in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. His widow lived for another 13 years until her death in December 1912 at her home in Paris, 46

Avenue d'Iéna The Avenue d'Iéna is a tree-lined avenue in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, running from the Trocadéro (Avenue Albert De Mun) to the Place de l'Étoile. Passing through Place d'Iéna, Place de l'Amiral de Grasse, Place de l'Uruguay and Place Ri ...

. The statue ''Alma Mater'' at

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 ...

was given in his memory.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goelet, Robert 1841 births 1899 deaths Goelet family Businesspeople from New York City American real estate businesspeople Members of the New York Yacht Club Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)