Peter G. Gerry
Peter Gerry | |
---|---|
Walter Russell Stiness | |
Personal details | |
Born | Peter Goelet Gerry September 18, 1879 New York City, U.S. |
Died | October 31, 1957 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | (aged 78)
Resting place | St James Cemetery Hyde Park, New York, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | Mathilde Townsend
(m. 1910; div. 1925)Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (m. 1925) |
Parent(s) | Elbridge Thomas Gerry Louisa Matilda Livingston |
Relatives | Robert Livingston Gerry Sr. (brother) |
Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Peter Goelet Gerry (September 18, 1879 – October 31, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and later, as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. He is the only U.S. Senator in American history to lose re-election and later reclaim his Senate seat from the person who had defeated him.
Early life
Gerry was born on September 18, 1879, in
In the summer of 1899, Gerry and his brother Robert were
Career
Gerry inherited large real estate holdings from his mother, who died in 1920, which Gerry and his elder brother agreed to sell in 1922.[4] In a 1918 trust agreement, the brothers and their sisters, Angelica Livingston Gerry and Mabel Gerry, could all exchange ownership in Gerry real estate for stock in the Gerry Estates, Inc.[4]
Political career
Gerry was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Rhode Island's 2nd District as a Democrat from 1913 to 1915.[5] He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1914,[6] but he was elected to the United States Senate in 1916 and served from 1917 to 1929. He was the first United States senator from Rhode Island elected by popular vote rather than by the state senate. He was also the first Rhode Island Democrat United States senator to serve since 1859.[7]
From 1919 to 1929, Gerry was the
Despite the great divide between Democrats and Republicans during his first stint in the Senate, he appeared open to a cordial relationship with the
Personal life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Miss_Mathilde_Townsend.jpg/220px-Miss_Mathilde_Townsend.jpg)
First marriage
In 1910, Gerry married Mathilde Scott Townsend (1885–1949), the daughter of
Second marriage
On October 22, 1925, Gerry married
Death
Gerry died on October 31, 1957, in Providence, Rhode Island. His elder brother, Robert Livingston Gerry, died several hours later in Delhi, New York.[3] He was buried at St James Cemetery, Hyde Park, New York. His widow died on December 21, 1958.[14]
References
- ^ a b Hendrick, Burton J. (June 1912). "PERMANENT OWNERS OF NEW YORK". McClure's Magazine. 39 (2). S.S. McClure: 121–138. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-08-16. Retrieved 2005-11-10.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c "Peter G. Gerry, Ex-Senator, Dies Hours Before His Brother Robert; Rhode Island Democrat, 78, Was a Foe of New Deal-- Supported Strong Navy". The New York Times. 1 November 1957. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ a b "GERRYS MAY SELL $18,000,000 REALTY; | Sons and Daughters Seek Consent to Transfer Big Holdings to Gerry Estates. | PARCELS IN HEART OF CITY | Include Properties Occupied by | W. & J. Sloane, Stern Bros. and Columbia University Club". The New York Times. 23 May 1922. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ Brayley, Arthur Wellington; Tarbell, Arthur Wilson; Chappel, Joe Mitchell (1913). AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON. National Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "GROOM GERRY FOR SENATE.; Rhode Island Friends Enter Him in Next Year's Race". The New York Times. 4 August 1915. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "PETER G. GERRY". The New York Times. November 8, 1934. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Charles Curtis". National Review. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
- ^ a b Devine, Michael J. (February 2000). "Welles, Sumner (14 Oct. 1892-24 Sept. 1961)". www.anb.org. Oxford University Press: American National Biography Online. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ After his death in 1914, she inherited his $50,000,000 estate and later sold the land around the Biltmore Estate to the United States Forest Service. This became part of the Pisgah National Forest.
- New York Times. October 23, 1925.
- New York Times. March 6, 1924. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
- New York Times. Associated Press. October 23, 1954. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
- New York Times. December 22, 1958.
Further reading
- United States Congress. "Peter G. Gerry (id: G000141)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
External links
- Schlup, Leonard, "Wilsonian Moralist: Senator Peter G. Gerry and the Crusade for the League of Nations", Rhode Island History 58 (February 2000)
- The Diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King
- References to Peter Gerry and Robert Gerry in Mackenzie King diary[permanent dead link]