George Jay Gould I
Encyclopedia
George Jay Gould I was a financier
and the son of Jay Gould
. He was himself a railroad executive, leading both the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
(DRGW) and the Western Pacific Railroad
(WP).
(1836–1892) and Helen Day Miller (1838–1889). He married Edith M. Kingdon
(1864–1921), a stage actress, and had the following children:
George Gould also had a mistress, Guinevere Jeanne Sinclair, and had the following children with her:
These children were given the Gould name at the death of Edith Kingdon Gould in 1921. Time magazine wrote on March 23, 1925: "Of the seven older children by his first marriage — Kingdon, Jay, George Jay Jr., Marjorie, Vivien, Edith, Gloria — three eloped, one married an English nobleman, and one the daughter of a Hawaiian princess."
on May 16, 1923, on the French Riviera
after contracting a fever in Egypt
after visiting the tomb of Tutankhamen. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery
in New York. His estate was valued at $15,054,627 but after debts were paid it was worth $5,175,590 in 1933 dollars.
. While in charge of the DRGW at the turn of the 20th century, he sent surveyors
and engineers
through California
's Feather River
canyon to stake out a route for the railroad to reach San Francisco, California
. Through legal wranglings led by E. H. Harriman
, who at the time led both the Union Pacific
and Southern Pacific Railroad
s, Gould was forced to set up third-party companies to manage the surveying and construction to disguise his role. The route that Gould's engineers built became the WP mainline.
In later years, the DRGW and WP would work together on trains that were passed off to each other in Salt Lake City, Utah
, including the prestigious passenger train, the California Zephyr
.
is now the site of Georgian Court University
.
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
and the son of Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
. He was himself a railroad executive, leading both the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
(DRGW) and the Western Pacific Railroad
Western Pacific Railroad
The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
(WP).
Birth, marriage and children
George was the son of Jay GouldJay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
(1836–1892) and Helen Day Miller (1838–1889). He married Edith M. Kingdon
Edith Kingdon
Edith M. Kingdon was a U.S. actress. She was married to George Jay Gould I.-Birth:She was born in 1864 and educated in England. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Kingdon, formerly of Toronto, Ontario. She worked a stage actress until her marriage, in the eighties, to George J...
(1864–1921), a stage actress, and had the following children:
- Kingdon Gould, Sr. (1887–1945) who married Annunziata Camilla Maria Lucci (1890–1961)
- Jay Gould II (1888–1935) who was a tennis player and who married Anne Douglass Graham
- Marjorie Gould (1891–1955) who married Anthony Joseph Drexel II
- Helen Vivien GouldHelen Vivien GouldHelen Vivien Beresford, Baroness Decies, formerly Helen Vivien Gould was a socialite and philanthropist. She was one of the two Jay Gould descendants to marry into European aristocracy. -Biography:...
(1893–1931) who married John Graham Hope DeLaPoer Horsley Beresford (1866–1945) - George Jay Gould IIGeorge Jay Gould IIJay Gould II was an American real tennis player and a grandson of the railroad magnate Jay Gould. He was the world champion and the Olympic gold medalist . He held the U.S...
(1896-?) who married Laura Carter - Edith Catherine Gould (1901–1937) who married Carroll Livingston Wainwright ICarroll Livingston Wainwright ICarroll Livingston Wainwright was an artist.-Birth:He was born on December 2, 1899 in Philadelphia to Stuyvesant Wainwright and Caroline Smith Snowden.-Marriage and divorce:...
(1899–1967) and after a divorce married Sir Hector Murray MacNeal - Gloria GouldGloria GouldGloria Gould was the socialite daughter of industrialist heir, George Jay Gould I.-Biography:She was born in 1906, the youngest daughter of George Jay Gould I. In 1923 she became engaged to Henry A. Bishop, Jr., of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was the son of Henry A. Bishop, Sr, who was the...
(1906–1943) who married Henry A. Bishop II, and after a divorce married Walter McFarlane Barker
George Gould also had a mistress, Guinevere Jeanne Sinclair, and had the following children with her:
- Jane Sinclair Gould
- George Sinclair Gould
- Guinevere Gould
These children were given the Gould name at the death of Edith Kingdon Gould in 1921. Time magazine wrote on March 23, 1925: "Of the seven older children by his first marriage — Kingdon, Jay, George Jay Jr., Marjorie, Vivien, Edith, Gloria — three eloped, one married an English nobleman, and one the daughter of a Hawaiian princess."
Death and burial
He died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on May 16, 1923, on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
after contracting a fever in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
after visiting the tomb of Tutankhamen. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
in New York. His estate was valued at $15,054,627 but after debts were paid it was worth $5,175,590 in 1933 dollars.
Railroad management
Upon his father's death George inherited the Gould fortune and his father's railroad holdings, including the DRGW and the Missouri Pacific RailroadMissouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
. While in charge of the DRGW at the turn of the 20th century, he sent surveyors
Construction surveying
Construction surveying is to stake out reference points and markers that will guide the construction of new structures such as roads or buildings...
and engineers
Construction engineering
Construction engineering is a professional discipline that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil...
through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's Feather River
Feather River
The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
canyon to stake out a route for the railroad to reach San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Through legal wranglings led by E. H. Harriman
E. H. Harriman
Edward Henry Harriman was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Harriman was born in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman, an Episcopal clergyman, and Cornelia Neilson...
, who at the time led both the Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
s, Gould was forced to set up third-party companies to manage the surveying and construction to disguise his role. The route that Gould's engineers built became the WP mainline.
In later years, the DRGW and WP would work together on trains that were passed off to each other in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, including the prestigious passenger train, the California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
.
Legacy
Gould's estate in Lakewood Township, New JerseyLakewood Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 60,352 people, 19,876 households, and 13,356 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,431.8 people per square mile . There were 21,214 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile...
is now the site of Georgian Court University
Georgian Court University
Georgian Court University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Lakewood in Central New Jersey. The university is operated by the Sisters of Mercy...
.
Timeline
- 1864 Birth of George Jay Gould on February 6
- 1880 US Census with George Jay Gould in Greenburgh, New YorkGreenburgh, New YorkGreenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census. Paul J. Feiner has been the Town Supervisor since 1991.-History:...
- 1884 (circa) marriage to Edith M. KingdonEdith KingdonEdith M. Kingdon was a U.S. actress. She was married to George Jay Gould I.-Birth:She was born in 1864 and educated in England. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Kingdon, formerly of Toronto, Ontario. She worked a stage actress until her marriage, in the eighties, to George J...
- 1900 US Census with George Jay Gould in Lakewood, New Jersey
- 1921 Death of Edith M. Kingdon, his wife
- 1923 Death of George Jay Gould, in the French Riviera on May 16
Further reading
- Brehm, Frank (2005), The SF&GSL. Retrieved March 2, 2005.
- Geis, Sister M. Christina, The George Jay Gould Estate. Retrieved March 2, 2005.
- White, John H., Jr. (Spring 1986), America's Most Noteworthy Railroaders, Railroad History, 154, p. 9-15.