Frederic James de Peyster

Frederic James de Peyster
President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York
In office
1892–1893
Preceded by James William Beekman
Succeeded by Chauncey Mitchell Depew
Personal details
Born (1839-02-05)February 5, 1839
New York City, New York
Died May 10, 1905(1905-05-10) (aged 66)
Lakewood, New Jersey
Spouse(s)
Augusta McEvers Morris
(m. 1871; his death 1905)
Relations Goodhue Livingston (nephew)
Children 5
Parents James Ferguson de Peyster
Frances Goodhue Ashton
Alma mater College of the City of New York
Columbia Law School
Awards Order of Orange-Nassau

Frederic James de Peyster (February 5, 1839 – May 10, 1905) was a prominent American soldier, lawyer, and member of New York Society during the Gilded Age.[1]

Early life

Frederic James was born on February 5, 1839 in New York City. He was the first of five children born to James Ferguson de Peyster (1794–1874)[2] and his second wife, Frances Goodhue (née Ashton) de Peyster (1805–1871).[3] His father was a widower of Susan Maria Clarkson, with whom he had one child, a half-sister named Susan Maria de Peyster (1823–1910), who married Robert Edward Livingston (1820–1889) of Clermont.[4][lower-alpha 1] Through his half-sister Susan, he was the uncle of Goodhue Livingston, the prominent New York architect.[5] Frederic was the only child from his parents marriage to marry and have children.[5]

His maternal grandfather was William Ashton. His paternal grandparents were Helen Livingston Hake and Frederic de Peyster who fought for the British crown during the American Revolution and was descended from Arent Schuyler and Abraham de Peyster (the 20th Mayor of New York City).[6] His uncle was Frederic de Peyster.[4][lower-alpha 2]

De Peyster prepared for college at the private school of Dr. Dennis.[7] He graduated from College of the City of New York in 1860 with an A.B. degree and later an A.M. degree. He studied law at Columbia Law School, graduating in 1862 with an LL.B. degree, and in 1864 with an LL.M. degree.[1]

Career

After being admitted to the bar, de Peyster practiced law in New York for many years. He was associated with the firm Tremaine & Tyler.[7] From his father, he inherited a significant fortune, enabling him to avoid being "tied down to his professional duties, and much of his time has been spent in the interests of charity."[1]

De Peyster, who was "deeply interested in historic and patriotic subjects,"[5] served as president of the Holland Society, governor of the Society of Colonial Wars, president of the New York Dispensary and chairman of the New York Society Library.[8] He was also involved with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, serving for several years as the New York trustee and treasurer.[7]

Society life

In 1892, both de Peyster and his wife Augusta were included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times.[9] Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.[10]

De Peyster was a member of the Saint Nicholas Society, serving as president.[lower-alpha 3] During his time as president, he was awarded the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.[7]

Personal life

On October 10, 1871, Frederic was married to Augusta McEvers Morris (1851–1911),[11] a daughter of William Henry Morris (1810–1896) and his second wife, Ella (née Birckhead) Morris.[lower-alpha 4][12][13] Her half-brother was Augustus Newbold Morris.[14] Together, they had a home at 11 East 86th Street in Manhattan and were the parents of:[5]

  • Helen Van Courtlandt de Peyster (1872–1923),[15] who married Dr. George Augustus Lung (1862–1921)[16] in 1908.[17]
  • Frederic Ashton de Peyster (1875–1951),[18] who married Alice Abercrombie-Miller (1885–1965),[19] daughter of James Abercrombie-Miller, in 1908.[20][lower-alpha 5] They divorced in 1934 and he married Louise (née Slagle) Todd in 1939.[18][lower-alpha 6]
  • Frances Goodhue de Peyster (1876–1935),[8] a philanthropist who did not marry.[8]
  • Augusta Morris de Peyster (b. 1877), a philanthropist who did not marry.[22][23]
  • Ella Morris de Peyster (b. 1881), who married William Brock Shoemaker (1883–1906),[24] brother of Henry W. Shoemaker, in December 1905.[25] Shoemaker was only 22 years old when he died in a tragic death in an elevator accident a few months after their wedding.[26] She married Morton L. Schwartz, a banker and horse breeder,[lower-alpha 7] in 1915.[15][27] They divorced in 1926,[28] and she purchased Crossways, the former villa of Stuyvesant Fish and Marion Anthon Fish in Newport.[29][30][31]

De Peyster died in Lakewood, New Jersey, where the family vacationed,[32] on May 11, 1905.[1] He was buried in his family's vault in Trinity Church Cemetery.[33] His entire estate was left to his widow and five children with his widow receiving 3/8ths and each child receiving 1/8th.[34]

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter Helen, he was the grandfather of George Livingston de Peyster (b. 1909),[7][lower-alpha 8] who married Shirley Tucker Hull (1918–2014)[35] in 1942.[36][37] Through his son Frederic Ashton, he was the grandfather of Alice Townsend de Peyster (b. 1910), who married James Todd Jr.; Frederic Ashton de Peyster Jr. (b. 1911); and Helen Van Courtlandt de Peyster (b. 1913),[7] who married Erica A. von Raits; James Abercrombie de Peyster, who married Dorothy Shelby Sims, the daughter of Princess Irbain-Khan Kaplanoff.[20]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ His father's first wife, Susan Maria Clarkson (1800–1823), was the daughter of General Matthew Clarkson and sister-in-law of Peter Augustus Jay.
  2. ↑ Through this uncle, his father's younger brother who was also named Frederic de Peyster (1796–1882), he was a first cousin of Gen. John Watts de Peyster (1821–1907)
  3. ↑ The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York is an organization in New York City of men descended from early inhabitants of the State of New York.
  4. ↑ Her grandparents were Helen (née Van Cortlandt) Morris (1768–1812) and James Morris (1764–1827), High Sheriff of New York. James was a son of Lewis Morris (1726–1798), signor of the Declaration of Independence, from the prominent Colonial-era Morris family of the Morrisania section of the Bronx.
  5. ↑ Alice's sister, Edith Abercrombie Miller (1883-1954), was married to lawyer, banker, golfer, and philanthropist Walter Tuckerman (1881-1961).
  6. ↑ Louise was the widow of James Todd and the mother of James Todd Jr., who married Frederic's daughter, Alice Townsend de Peyster, in 1933. His first wife Alice remarried to Count Bohdan K. de Castellane, a member of the Polish branch of the de Castellane family of Europe.[21]
  7. ↑ Schwartz owned Bold Venture which won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1936, after their divorce.
  8. ↑ George was born with the surname Lung but had it legally changed to de Peyster. George and Shirley divorced in 1955 after having two sons.
Sources
  1. 1 2 3 4 "FREDERIC DE PEYSTER DEAD.; Member of Old New York Family Suddenly Stricken". The New York Times. 12 May 1905. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Obituary. JAMES DE PEYSTER". The New York Times. 14 June 1874. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "The Late James F. De Peyster". The New York Times. 20 June 1874. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 Reynolds, Cuyler (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 1023–1029. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Aitken, William Benford (1912). Distinguished Families in America, Descended from Wilhelmus Beekman and Jan Thomasse Van Dyke. Knickerbocker Press. pp. 19–21. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Frederic De Peyster Dead.; the End of a Useful and Honorable Career". The New York Times. 19 August 1882. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bergen, A.M., Tunis Garret (1915). Genealogies of the State of New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 455. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "FRANCES DE PEYSTER DEAD IN HOME.HERE; With Sister Gave $50,000 to St. John's Cathedral -- Ancestor Was Burgomeister in 1673". The New York Times. 5 April 1935. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  9. ↑ McAllister, Ward (16 February 1892). "THE ONLY FOUR HUNDRED | WARD M'ALLISTER GIVES OUT THE OFFICIAL LIST. HERE ARE THE NAMES, DON'T YOU KNOW, ON THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR GREAT LEADER, YOU UNDER- STAND, AND THEREFORE GENUINE, YOU SEE" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  10. ↑ Keister, Lisa A. (2005). Getting Rich: America's New Rich and How They Got That Way. Cambridge University Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780521536677. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "MRS. F. J. DE PEYSTER DEAD. Member of Old New York Family, Was Interested in Charitable Work". The New York Times. 5 April 1911. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Commercial and Financial Chronicle". National News Service, Incorporated. 1906: 542. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Huberdeau, Jennifer (July 21, 2016). "The Cottager | Brookhurst: Modern art finds a home on former estate's property". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  14. ↑ National American Society (1906). Americana, American Historical Magazine. New York: The Publishing Society of New York. p. 434. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Mrs. Helen Van C. de Peyster Lung". The New York Times. 12 April 1923. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  16. ↑ "CAPTAIN LUNG A SUICIDE.; Medical Officer at Naval War College Kills Himself in Summer Home". The New York Times. 27 July 1921. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  17. ↑ "MISS DE PEYSTER WEDS DR. G.A. LUNG; Ceremony at St. Bartholomew's Largely Attended by Old New York Families. WAS A NAVAL WEDDING Bridegroom, Best Man, and Ushers All Wore Full Dress Uniforms, Brave with Gold Lace". The New York Times. 29 April 1908. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  18. 1 2 "F. A. De Peyster Dies in Home Here at 76". The New York Times. 6 May 1951. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  19. ↑ "Countess de Castellane, 80, Widow of Polish NoblemanI". The New York Times. 27 May 1965. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  20. 1 2 "MRS. TODD TO BE WED TO F.A. DE PEYSTER; Bridegroom-Elect Member of Pioneer New York Family". The New York Times. 22 June 1939. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  21. ↑ "MRS. DE PEYSTER WED TO A COUNT; Word Is Received Here of Her Marriage in Genoa Dec. 28 to Bohdan de Castellane. HAD BEEN LIVING IN FRANCE The Former Alice Abercrombie-Miller Is Due in New York Tomorrow for Visit". The New York Times. 10 February 1935. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  22. ↑ "Augusta de Peyster Heads Group Of Patronesses Aiding Seamen; Helen L. Michalis Is Chairman of Debutante Committee for 'The Star-Wagon' Benefit Performance on Night of Oct. 28--'I'd Rather Be Right' to Support Madison House". The New York Times. 10 October 1937. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  23. ↑ "BISHOP DEDICATES WINDOW; It Is Gift to St. John the Divine of de Peyster Sisters". The New York Times. 12 June 1937. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  24. ↑ Leonard, John William (1907). Men of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. L.R. Hamersly. p. 1960. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  25. ↑ "A Day's Weddings.; Shoemaker -- De Peyster". The New York Times. 15 December 1905. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  26. ↑ "BROKER SHOEMAKER KILLED.; Elevator Started as He Was Getting Off and Crushed His Leg". The New York Times. 22 June 1906. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  27. ↑ "GIVE MARRIAGE SURPRISE.; Mrs. E. de Peyster Shoemaker Weds Morton L. Schwartz, Banker". The New York Times. 19 February 1915. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  28. ↑ Times, Wireless To the New York (16 May 1926). "MRS. M.L. SCHWARTZ GAINS PARIS DECREE; Divorces Broker She Married in 1915". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  29. ↑ "MORTON SCHWARTZ WEDS MISS BALKE; Capitalist, Divorced ill Paris in May, Marries Daughter of Mrs. Katherine M. Balke, IN DODGE BROTHERS DEAL He Aided in Purchase of Automobile Business for $150,000,000 -- First Wife Now Mrs. E. M. de Peyster". The New York Times. 28 September 1926. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  30. ↑ "Mrs. de Peyster Entertains". The New York Times. 22 December 1926. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  31. ↑ "Mrs. Morris de Peyster Hostess". The New York Times. January 8, 1927. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  32. ↑ "SEASON ON AT LAKEWOOD.; Hotels Open and Cottages Filed -- The Goulds and de Peysters Arrive". The New York Times. 4 November 1906. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  33. ↑ "F.J. DE PEYSTER'S FUNERAL.; Interment in Old Family Vault in Trinity Churchyard". The New York Times. 14 May 1905. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  34. ↑ "F.J. DE PEYSTER'S WILL.; Lawyer Left All of His Estate to Widow and Five Children". The New York Times. 26 May 1905. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  35. ↑ "Shirley (Hull) HUNTINGTON's". legacy.com. Press Democrat. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  36. ↑ "SHIRLEY T. HULL WED TO G. L. DE PEYSTER; Ceremony Takes Place in the Junior League's Clubhouse". The New York Times. 14 June 1942. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  37. ↑ "Miss Shirley Hull Becomes Bride of G.L. de Peyster" (PDF). The New York Sun. June 13, 1942. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
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