Elbridge T. Gerry Sr.

Elbridge T. Gerry Sr. (1908–1999), known Ebby Gerry, was an American banker and polo player.[1][2]

Biography

Early life

His great-great-grandfather was Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.[1] His uncles were New York Gov. W. Averell Harriman and E. Roland Harriman.[1] He was born in New York City on November 22, 1908.[1] His brother were Henry A. Gerry and Edward H. Gerry.[1] He attended St. Bernard's School, the Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina, St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harvard College, where he graduated in 1931.[1] At Harvard, he was the Captain of the polo team.[1]

Banking career

He started his career in banking at the Hanover Bank in New York. In 1936, he joined Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.. During the Second World War, he served as an intelligence officer for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and rose to the rank of Major.[1] In 1956, he became a general partner of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.[1] From 1957 to 1986, he was a director of the Union Pacific Railroad and head of its board's Executive Committee from 1969 to 1986.[1]

Horseracing and polo

He was a founding member and President of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York, where he was inducted in 1975.[1] He was a partner in the Arden Homestead Stable with his uncle E. Roland Harriman. The stable produced two winners of the Hambletonian Stakes: Titan Hanover in 1945 and Flirth in 1973.[1]

He won the U.S. Open Polo Championship and the Monty Waterbury Cup, three times each.[2] He played with Thomas Hitchcock Sr. and Stewart Iglehart.[1] He served as Chairman of the United States Polo Association (USPA) from 1940 to 1946.[1][2][3] He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame on March 15, 1991.[2]

Philanthropy

He served as a Vice President and Trustee at The Boys' Club of New York.[4] He also served as Trustee and President of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, founded by his grandfather, Elbridge Thomas Gerry, in 1875.[1]

Personal life

He lived in Delhi, New York with his wife, Marjorie Kane, who died shortly after he did.[1] He had two sons, Elbridge T. Gerry Jr. and Peter G. Gerry, and a daughter, Marjorie Gerry Ryland.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Joseph Durso, Elbridge T. Gerry, 90, Polo Star And Banker Who Bred Trotters, The New York Times, March 06, 1999
  2. 1 2 3 4 Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, Elbridge T. Gerry Sr.'s biography
  3. ↑ William Clark Hetherington, Six Chukkers Of Love, AuthorHouse, 2005, p. 122
  4. ↑ BusinessWeek
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