James Gordon Bennett Jr.
James Gordon Bennett Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | May 10, 1841
Died | May 14, 1918 Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France | (aged 77)
Education | École polytechnique |
Occupation | Publisher |
Spouse |
Baroness de Reuter
(m. 1914–1918) |
Parent(s) | James Gordon Bennett Sr. Henrietta Agnes Crean |
Relatives | Isaac Bell Jr. (brother-in-law) |
James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841 – May 14, 1918) was an American publisher. He was the publisher of the
Bennett's controversial reputation is thought to be the inspiration behind the phrase "Gordon Bennett!", used as an expression of incredulity.[1][2][3]
Early life
Bennett was born on May 10, 1841, in
Career
In 1861, he moved to the United States, and enlisted in the Union Navy. In 1867, under his father's tutelage, he founded The Evening Telegram, an entertainment and gossip paper[4] that later became the New York World-Telegram. On January 1, 1867, the elder Bennett turned control of the Herald over to him.[4] Bennett raised the paper's profile on the world stage when he provided the financial backing for the 1869 expedition by Henry Morton Stanley into Africa to find David Livingstone in exchange for the Herald having the exclusive account of Stanley's progress.
In 1872, he commissioned a Manhattan building design from
In 1880, Bennett established international editions of his newspaper in Paris and London; their successor is the New York Times International Edition, previously known as the International Herald Tribune.[4] In 1883, he partnered with John W. Mackay to found the Commercial Cable Company. It was a successful business and provided an additional large income to Bennett.[4]
Lifestyle
Bennett, like many of his social class, indulged in the "good life": yachts, opulent private railroad cars, and lavish mansions. He was the youngest Commodore ever of the New York Yacht Club. Bennett became Commodore of the N.Y.Y.C in 1870 after Henry G. Stebbins's term, which was from 1863 to 1870.[5]
Yachts
In 1861, Bennett volunteered his newly built schooner yacht,
In 1866, on a bet, he won the first trans-oceanic
In April 1867, Bennett purchased the yacht L'Hirondelle for $75,000 from Bradford.[10] In May 1867, Bennett refitted the L'Hirondelle and changed her name to the Dauntless.[11] She was rebuilt and rigged as a schooner. Bennett added 23 feet to her length. Her new dimensions changed to 121 feet; 25-foot beam and 299-tons.[12]
He entertained guests aboard his steam-yacht "Namouna". American expatriate artist Julius LeBlanc Stewart painted several works set on the yacht.
On May 11, 1870, the pilot boat James Gordon Bennett, No. 6, was launched from the Lawrence & Foulks shipyard at Williamsburg. At the launch and naming ceremony, Katie Chapman, daughter of Captain Daniel C. Chapman, gave the boat the name James Gordon Bennett.[13]
Bennett presented the cup and prizes at the October 14, 1873, New York Yacht Club, Cape May Challenge Cup 140-mile (230 km)
Scandal
Bennett often scandalized society with his flamboyant and sometimes erratic behavior. In 1877, he left New York for Europe after an incident that ended his engagement to socialite Caroline May. According to various accounts, he arrived late and drunk to a party at the May family mansion, then urinated into a fireplace (some say grand piano) in full view of his hosts.[1][15][16][17]
Bennett's controversial reputation is thought to have inspired, in Britain, the phrase "Gordon Bennett!" as an expression of incredulity.[1][2][3]
Move to Paris
Settling in Paris, he launched the Paris edition of the New York Herald, named the
The ill-fated expedition led to the deaths from starvation of DeLong and 19 of his crew, a tragedy that increased the paper's circulation. He was a co-founder of the
Return to the US
Bennett returned to the United States[
Personal life
He did not marry until he was 73. His wife was Maud Potter, widow of George de Reuter, son of
James Stillman was an intimate friend of James O. Bloss and John William Sterling. After the death of Bennett it was learned by the administrators of his estate that he had appointed Stillman one of the administrators and trustees. Stillman had little or no opportunity to act under the authority of Bennett's will, as he died a few weeks after Bennett's death. Stillman named Sterling one of his executors. Sterling could hardly have begun his duties under Stillman's will when he too died suddenly. The Bennett estate, the Stillman estate and the Sterling estate totaled about $76,000,000. After Sterling's death it was learned that he had appointed his long time intimate companion, Bloss, one of the executors. A few weeks after Sterling's death, Bloss died.[20]
Honors
Bennett, British Columbia, now a ghost town, as well as nearby Bennett Lake[23] and Bennett Peak are named for him, as is Bennett Island, discovered during the Jeannette expedition
Gallery
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On the Yacht "Namouna", Venice, by Stewart. Bennett is center left, in the white suit. Lillie Langtry is the woman seated, right (1890)
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Yachting on the Mediterranean, by Stewart (1896)
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Bennett as painted byJulian Story(1904)
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The 1906 Gordon Bennett Cup in Ballooning (1906)
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Bennett (c. 1910–1915)
References
- ^ a b c d "Gordon Bennett: A puzzling British exclamation" World Wide Words
- ^ a b Gordon Bennett!, retrieved 8 September 2017
- ^ a b Gordon Bennett! - the meaning and origin of this phrase, retrieved 8 September 2017
- ^ a b c d e f g "Landmark Preservation Analysis – Bennett Building – James Gordon Bennett, Jr. and The Daily Herald" (PDF). NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
- ^ "The Yacht Phantom". Boston Post. Boston, Massachusetts. 13 May 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Department of the Navy, Navy Historical Center, "James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841–1918)"".
- Naval Historical Center,
- OCLC 2559580
- OCLC 911964
- ^ "Literary And Personal". The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. 14 Apr 1867. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ "Topics of To-Day". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 1 May 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ISBN 9781439670491. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ "The New Pilot Boat. Launch of the James Gordon Bennett, No. 6, Her Dimensions, Fittings, Spars and Crew". The New York Herald. New York, New York. 12 May 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ Loubat, Joseph Florimond (1887). A yachtsman's scrap book: or, The ups and downs of yacht racing. New York: Brentano Brothers. p. 268.
- ISBN 0-300-10515-0
- ^ a b "Britain's first international motor race" Who? What? Where? When? Why? on the World Wide Web
- ISBN 0-395-85089-4
- ^ Grossman, Lev (July 31, 2014). "In the Kingdom of Ice Brings Cold Comfort". Time Magazine.
- ^ "Cimetière de Passy", Paris Cemeteries. Retrieved 5 June 2020
- ^ "Three Strange Coincidences – 21 Dec 1918, Sat • Page 2". The Wall Street Journal: 2. 1918. Retrieved 3 January 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Ulica Jamesa Gordona Bennetta Warszawa - oficjalny portal stolicy Polski
- ^ Invisible Paris: see street sign
- ^ "Bennett Lake | Yukon Territory Alaska Northern British Columbia". 25 May 2020.
Further reading
- Crockett, Albert Stevens (1926) When James Gordon Bennett was Caliph of Bagdad Funk & Wagnalls, New York, OCLC 1373863
- Seitz, Don Carlos (1928) The James Gordon Bennetts, Father and Son, Proprietors of the New York Herald Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, OCLC 619637; reissued in 1974 by Beekman Publishers
- O'Connor, Richard (1962) The Scandalous Mr. Bennett Doubleday, Garden City, New York, OCLC 332764
- Cane, André (1981) James Gordon Bennett: Hôte Prestigieux et Fantasque de la Côte d'Azur (James Gordon Bennett: Prestigious and Eccentric Host of the OCLC 9465414, in French
- Hampton Sides (2014). In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the U.S.S. Jeannette. Doubleday.
- Jefferson, Sam (2016) 'Gordon Bennett and the First Yacht Race Across the Atlantic'. Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
- Roethof, Guikje (2018) Gordon Bennett! Uitgeverij Aspekt, Soesterberg, OCLC 1026502787, in Dutch.
External links
- Media related to James Gordon Bennett, Jr. at Wikimedia Commons
- Bennett family history Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Newspaper clippings about James Gordon Bennett Jr. in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW