Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr.
Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. (July 23, 1876–June 19, 1921) was a Massachusetts financier and socialite. He was the great-grandson of Oliver Ames, who established the Ames Shovel Company, grandson of Oliver Ames Jr., and son of Frederick Lothrop Ames.
Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 23, 1876 |
| Died | June 19, 1921 (aged 44) North Easton, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | North Easton Village Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Spouse(s) | Edith C.C. Cryder |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Lothrop Ames and Rebecca Caroline Blair |
Biography
Family
Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. was born July 23, 1876, in North Easton, Massachusetts.[1] He was the second son of Frederick Lothrop Ames Sr. and Rebecca Caroline (Blair) Ames, and went by the name "Lothrop." The Ames were fairly prominent in 19th century New England society, and a major presence in small North Easton. Lothrop's father Frederick Sr. was considered by many to be the wealthiest man in Massachusetts.[2] Frederick Sr. died at age 58 in 1893, leaving young Lothrop fatherless and extremely wealthy at age seventeen.[3]
Lothrop received an A.B. degree from Harvard College in 1898.[1][2] In 1902, he purchased the yacht Vigilant, which had won the America's Cup back in 1893.[2]
He married Edith Callender Cryder, daughter of Duncan Cryder of New York, on May 31, 1904, at Trinity Church in New York City.[2] They had two children, Frederick and Mary.[2]
Business interests
Lothrop had interests in the family shovel business as well as served on the boards of many companies, including banks, mining companies, railroads, power companies, hospitals, dredging companies, and more.[2] He was involved with the breeding of Guernsey cattle and was a prominent member of the Massachusetts Guernsey Breeders Association.[2]
Lothrop kept an office in the family-owned Ames Building in Boston.[2]
Death
Lothrop took ill on May 1, had surgery on May 6, appeared to recover on June 11, but died on June 19, 1921 at his home in North Easton.[2] His funeral was held June 22 at the Unity Church of North Easton, where his family had attended for many years.[4] He was buried at the Village Cemetery behind the church.[4]
Stone House Hill House
In 1904, shortly after his marriage to Edith, Lothrop commissioned architects Douglas H. Thomas and J. Harleston Parker (later of the firm Parker, Thomas and Rice)[3] to design a mansion on the Easton-Brockton town line.[5] The 50-room “Stone House Hill House” contained a gymnasium with glass-roofed indoor clay tennis court, marble swimming pool, squash court, garage, conservatory, barns and maintenance buildings.[5] The building was completed in 1905.[5]
By 1935, Ames was dead and Edith remarried; she sold the entire Stone House Hill House and property to the Congregation of Holy Cross.[5] Between 1935-1948, the congregation used the place as a seminary to educate candidates for the priesthood.[5] In 1948 the Congregation of Holy Cross established Stonehill College on the property.[5]
References
- Marquis, A.N. (1915). Who's who in New England, Volume 2. A.N. Marquis & Company. p. 34. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
Frederick Lothrop Ames, Jr 1876.
- "FREDERICK L. AMES DIES AT AGE OF 44: Financier and Graduate of Harvard Purchased American Cup Defender Vigilant in 1902". Boston Daily Globe. 20 June 1921. p. 1.
- Foreman, John (16 October 2013). "Refugee from the Gilded Age". Big Old Houses. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- "Funeral at North Easton of F. Lothrop Ames". Boston Daily Globe. 23 June 1921.
- "Stonehill History". Stonehill College. Stonehill College. Retrieved 12 June 2016.