John Vernou Bouvier Jr.

Major John Vernou Bouvier Jr. (August 12, 1866 – January 15, 1948)[1] was an American Wall Street lawyer and stockbroker. He was the father of John Vernou Bouvier III as well as a grandfather of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, socialite Lee Radziwill, and Edith Bouvier Beale.

John Vernou Bouvier Jr.
Born(1866-08-12)August 12, 1866
Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 1948(1948-01-15) (aged 81)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting placeMost Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery
EducationColumbia Grammar & Preparatory School
Alma materColumbia University
Columbia University School of Political Science
Columbia Law School
OccupationLawyer, banker
Spouse(s)
Maude Frances Sergeant
​
(
m. 1890; died 1940)
Children5, including John, Edith
Parent(s)John Vernou Bouvier Sr.
Caroline Maslin Ewing Bouvier
RelativesJackie Kennedy (granddaughter)
Lee Radziwill (granddaughter)
Edith B. Beale (granddaughter)
Phelan Beale, Jr. (grandson)
Bouvier Beale (grandson)
John H. Davis (grandson)

Early life

Bouvier was born on August 12, 1866 in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Captain John Vernou Bouvier[2] and Caroline Maslin (née Ewing) Bouvier.[3] His father was a U.S. Civil War veteran who served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Marsena R. Patrick and was one of the earliest members of the New York Stock Exchange.[2]

Bouvier's grandparents were Louise Clifford (née Vernou) Bouvier, of Philadelphia, the second wife of Michel Bouvier, a French cabinetmaker from Pont-Saint-Esprit in southern France who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1815 after having served in the Napoleonic Wars.[4] In addition to crafting fine furniture, Bouvier had a business distributing firewood which led to his acquisition of nearly 800,000 acres of forest, some of which turned out to contain large reserves of coal.[5] Michel further grew his fortune in real estate speculation. John's father and uncles, Eustes and Michel Charles Bouvier Jr., distinguished themselves in the world of finance on Wall Street. As the only remaining male Bouvier heir, John Jr. inherited the Bouvier fortune from his father and uncles.[6]

His early education was from private tutors in the United States and in France, then he attended the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City.[1] He graduated with an A.B. degree from Columbia University in 1886 as the president of his class. The following year, he received an A.M. degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, followed by an LL.B. degree from the Columbia Law School in 1889.[7]

Career

On June 28, 1888, Bouvier was admitted to the bar in New York and began working with the Hoadley, Lauterbach & Johnson firm.[1][8] During World War I, he was commissioned a major in the Judge Advocate General's Department of the Army, the legal arm of the United States Army. After the war, he resumed the practice of law, with various firms, including Bouvier & Beale at 165 Broadway with his son-in-law Phelan Beale,[9] until his retirement in 1930. Bouvier, who also held a seat on the Exchange, kept a diary and wrote on October 29, 1929, also known as "Black Tuesday" of the 1929 crash, "XXXX Blackest Panic Day of All. Record 16,410,000 shares traded. No bids at last prices. No bids--no bids".[10] By the end of the crash, Bouvier had lost half of the $250,000 (equivalent to $3,722,384 today) inheritance he received from his parents nine months before the crash.[10]

His retirement was short-lived because a year later he joined his uncle's firm, M.C. Bouvier & Co., members of the New York Stock Exchange, as a general partner. His uncle wisely unloaded most of his common stock positions before the 1929 crash, thereby preserving much of his $7,000,000 wealth (equivalent to $104,226,744 today).[10] Upon his uncle's death in 1935,[5] the firm was dissolved.[11]

Bouvier worked as an trial attorney for 40 years, specializing in contracts, testamentary law, torts, securities, and stock exchanges. He served as general counsel for the Aetna Life Insurance Company, the Travelers Insurance Company, the Equitable Life Insurance Company, and the Metropolitan Street Railway Company.[1]

Personal life
Bouvier's East Hampton home Lasata.

On April 16, 1890, Bouvier was married to Brearley School graduate Maude Frances Sergeant (1869–1940).[12] She was the daughter of British born merchant William Roberts Sergeant and Edith Matilda (née Leaman) Sergeant.[13][14] Together, they lived at Woodcroft, an estate in Nutley, New Jersey built in 1895,[15] and, later, at 521 Park Avenue in New York,[16] and were the parents of five children:

Around 1910, Bouvier bought a home on Long Island, known as Wildmoor on Apaquogue Road in the Georgica Pond section of East Hampton. In 1925, his wife bought the much larger estate, known as Lasata,[lower-alpha 2] which was built for George Schurman in 1917. The home was two blocks from the ocean and three from the Maidstone Club, where he was a member in 1926.[15] He entertained many friends, including Columbia President Nicholas Murray Butler, Judge Samuel Seabury among others, on a grand scale in East Hampton and was well known in society there.[31]

He was a member of the Society of Cincinnati, the Sons of the Revolution (of which he was General-President for two terms),[32] and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.[1] He served on the boards of the New York Foundling Hospital and the New-York Historical Society and was a member of the Union Club of the City of New York for over 50 years.[1]

His wife died at their home, 765 Park Avenue in Manhattan, in April 1940, a few weeks before their 50th wedding anniversary.[12] Bouvier died at the same home almost eight years later on January 15, 1948.[1] He was buried at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton.

Descendants

Through his eldest son John, he was the grandfather of First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (who married John F. Kennedy in 1953[33] and Aristotle Onassis in 1968[34]) and socialite Lee Radziwill, who married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł.[35] Through his daughter Edith, he was the grandfather of Edith Bouvier Beale, Phelan Beale, Jr., and Bouvier Beale.[36][37][38] Through his daughter Maude, he was the grandfather of author John Hagy Davis.[39]

References
Notes
  1. Beale's grandfather, John Dennis Phelan, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, administered administered the oath of office to Jefferson Davis when he became president of the Confederate States of America in 1861.[23]
  2. Lasata was also the name of Bouvier's uncle's summer home in Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island.[5]
Sources
  1. "JOHN V. BOUVIER, 83, ATTORNEY, IS DEAD; Trial Lawyer Here 40 Years -Specialist in Contracts Disposed of 4,000 Cases" (PDF). The New York Times. 17 January 1948. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. "JOHN V. BOUVIER, 82, RETIRED BROKER, DIES. | Stock Exchange Member for 50 years -- Civil War Veteran and Father of a Noted Lawyer" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 January 1926. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. "MRS. J.V. BOUVIER DIES.; Former President of New York Foundling Hospital Was 85" (PDF). The New York Times. 22 January 1929. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  4. Fearon, Peter (1998). Hamptons Babylon: Life Among the Super Rich on America's Riviera. Carol Publishing Group. ISBN 9781559724708. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  5. "MICHEL C. BOUVIER, WALL ST. DEAN, DIES; Bought Stock Exchange Seat in 1869 for $5,000 -Active in Trading for 66 Years" (PDF). The New York Times. 30 July 1935. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  6. "M.C. BOUVIER LEFT $100,000 TO PUBLIC; Eight Institutions Share in Fortune of Oldest Member of Stock Exchange" (PDF). The New York Times. 4 September 1935. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  7. N.Y.), Columbia College (New York (1921). Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Columbia College, for the Year ... D. Van Nostrand. p. 370. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. Bouvier, John Vernou (1940). Our forebears from the earliest times to the first half of the year 1940. pp. 24, 38. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. Martindale's American Law Directory. Martindale's American law directory, Incorporated. 1922. p. 1075. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. Davis, John H. (1993). The Kennedys: Dynasty and Disaster. SP Books. p. 69. ISBN 9781561710607. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  11. "NEW FIRM TO REPLACE M.C. BOUVIER & CO.; Bouvier, Bishop & Co. to Open Monday -- Winmill & Greene Also Will Be Dissolved" (PDF). The New York Times. 26 September 1935. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  12. "MRS. J.V. BOUVIER OF NOTED GARDENS; Wife of New York Lawyer Dies a Fortnight Before Their 50th Anniversary HAD SOUTHAMPTON ESTATE Ancestor Owned the Block of Houses Torn Down to Make Room for London Terrace" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 April 1940. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  13. Ewing, W. Francis (1967). From Edentowne to Bethlehem: Ewing family genealogy (Caroline Kennedy's kinfolk) and poems. Economy Print. Co. p. 37. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  14. Latham, Caroline; Sakol, Jeannie (1989). The Kennedy Encyclopedia: An A-to-Z Illustrated Guide To America's Royal family. NAL Books. p. 22.
  15. Pottker, Jan (2013). Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. St. Martin's Press. p. 34. ISBN 9781466852303. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  16. "MICHELLE BOUVIER TO MARRY TODAY; Her Twin Sister to Be Maid of Honor at Her Marriage to Henry Clarkson Scott. CEREMONY IN THE COUNTRY Miss Helen McLanahan of Washington to Wed Ellery S. Husted In New Haven" (PDF). The New York Times. 5 July 1926. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  17. "JOHN BOUVIER 3D, BROKER, 66, DIES; Retired Investment Adviser Was a Member of Stock Exchange for 34 Years". The New York Times. 4 August 1957. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  18. Gray, Christopher (12 March 1995). "Streetscapes/Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's Grandfather; Quality Developer With a Legacy of Fine Buildings". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  19. "JANET N. LEE BRIDE OF J.V. BOUVIER 3D; 500 Guests at Ceremony in St. Philomena's Church, East Hampton, L.I." The New York Times. 8 July 1928. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  20. "DIVORCES PARK BENJAMIN; Wife in Reno Charged Cruelty-- Decree to Mrs. Bouvier" (PDF). The New York Times. 23 July 1940. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  21. "William Sergeant Bouvier" (PDF). The New York Times. 9 October 1929. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  22. Wolfgang Saxon (February 7, 1977). "Edith Bouvier Beale, Recluse, Dead at 81. Aunt of Mrs. Onassis Was Subject of the Documentary Movie 'Grey Gardens' in 1973". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-11. Edith Bouvier Beale, who faded from high society to re-emerge among the seedy surroundings of a rundown Long Island mansion in the film 'Grey Gardens,' died Saturday at Southampton (L.I) Hospital at the age of 81. Grey Gardens was the home she shared with her daughter, Edith, on Apaquogue Road in East Hampton.
  23. "MISS BOUVIER ENGAGED; Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John V. Bouvier to Wed Phelan Beale" (PDF). The New York Times. 17 August 1916. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  24. "MICHELLE BOUVIER MARRIED IN GARDEN; Wed to Henry C. Scott Before Flower-Covered Altar at Lasata, East Hampton. TWIN SISTER HONOR MAID Bride Escorted by Her Father -- Bridegroom's Brother His Best Man -- Couple Motor to Canada" (PDF). The New York Times. 6 July 1926. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  25. "Deaths". The New York Times. 26 February 1978. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  26. "MRS. SCOTT IS WED AT FATHER'S HOME; Former Michelle Bouvier Bride Here of Harrington Putnam, Ex-Major, Son of Jurist" (PDF). The New York Times. 23 April 1946. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  27. "DECREES GRANTED". Nevada State Journal. October 11, 1955. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  28. "Women: Jackie". Time. 20 January 1961. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  29. "Paid Notice: Deaths DAVIS, MAUDE BOUVIER". The New York Times. 25 August 1999. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  30. "John E. Davis Dies; a Stockbroker, 66" (PDF). The New York Times. 26 March 1966. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  31. "EAST HAMPTON PARTY HONORS LUCREZIA BORI; She Is Guest of Leighton Rollins --John V. Bouviers Hosts" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 August 1939. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  32. "SONS OF REVOLUTION ELECT; Major J.V. Bouvier Jr. Is Chosen President in State" (PDF). The New York Times. December 5, 1929. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  33. "Notables Attend Senator's Wedding; SENATOR KENNEDY WEDS IN NEWPORT". The New York Times. 13 September 1953. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  34. Times, Special To the New York (16 March 1975). "Aristotle Onassis Is Dead Of Pneumonia in France". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  35. "Lee Bouvier Radziwill Weds Herbert Ross, Film Director". The New York Times. September 24, 1988. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
  36. Guthrie, Lee (1978). Jackie: The Price Of the Pedestal. Drake Publishing. pp. 13.
  37. "Michelle Bouvier Married In Garden; Wed To Henry C. Scott. Before a flower covered altar at Lasata, East Hampton. Twin Sister Honor Maid Bride Escorted By Her Father – Bridegroom's Brother His Best Man. The couple motored to Canada". The New York Times. July 6, 1926.
  38. "Maude R. Bouvier Weds John E. Davis; 400 Guests See Ceremony At The East Hampton Home Of Bride's Parents. Many In The Bridal Party Twin Sister Of Miss Bouvier Is Matron of Honor. Sun Comes Out Just Before Wedding. The Bride's Attendants. Wedding Breakfast For 400". The New York Times. September 4, 1928.
  39. Vitello, Paul (February 5, 2012). "John H. Davis, Writer With Tie to Kennedys, Dies at 82". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
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