George P. Wetmore
Encyclopedia
George Peabody Wetmore was the 37th Governor and a United States Senator from Rhode Island
.
, a wealthy Yankee trader. George Wetmore received his early education at the private schools of Messrs. Reed and Thurston and of the Rev. William C. Leverett in Newport, Rhode Island
. In 1867 he graduated from Yale College
, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. After graduation he studied for two years at the Columbia Law School
. He received the degree of LL.B. in 1869, and was admitted to the bars
of Rhode Island and New York the same year, although he never practiced.
at Providence
.
In 1894 he was elected as a Republican
to the United States Senate
, receiving the unanimous vote of the General Assembly
in Senate, House, and joint convention. In 1907, he was challenged for his seat by another Republican, industrialist Samuel P. Colt
. The three-way contest between Wetmore, Colt and Democrat
Robert Hale Ives Goddard
resulted in months of deadlocked ballots and a vacant seat in Rhode Island's delegation to the 60th Congress. Eventually Colt withdrew, and Wetmore returned to the Senate on January 22, 1908. Ironically, Colt's brother, LeBaron B. Colt
, was elected to succeed Wetmore upon Wetmore's retirement from the Senate.
In the Senate, Wetmore was, first, chairman of the Committee on Manufactures, and then chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library for sixteen years. He was also a member of the Appropriations, District of Columbia, Naval Affairs, Public Buildings and Grounds, and other committees. His last term in the Senate ended March 4, 1913.
He had a deep interest in the building up of the Navy
and the development of the naval base in Narragansett Bay
. He served as chairman of the joint commission appointed by Congress to prepare plans for the completion of the United States Capitol
in Washington; was chairman of the first Lincoln Memorial
Commission and a member of the commission that erected the National Lincoln Memorial in Washington; and was a member of the Grant Memorial Commission, as well as many others for the erection of statues and memorials. He was greatly interested in the improvement and development of Washington and the District of Columbia on a definite artistic plan, and was particularly identified with the legislation creating the National Commission of Fine Arts.
In private life Mr. Wetmore was for many years associated with various organizations for promoting the fine arts. He was one of the organizers of the Metropolitan Opera
in New York and a member of the committee in charge of the construction of the Metropolitan Opera House. He was a trustee of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale and of the Peabody Education Fund
. In 1888 he was nominated as a Fellow
of the University, but declined to have his name considered. He was one of the founders of the Jockey Club, vice president of the National Horse Show Association of America, and a director of other organizations for improving the breeding of horses.
At his home in Newport he was a trustee of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum
, president and a trustee of the Newport Hospital
, and president of the Newport Reading Room
and the Newport Casino
. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
.
in 1822. Yale gave him the honorary degree of M.A. in 1870. Mrs. Wetmore's grandfather, Philip Doddridge Keteltas, was Yale 1792; her great-grandfather, Rev. Abraham Keteltas, graduated at Yale in 1752 and was admitted to the M.A. degree at Yale and Princeton University
in 1755; and her great-great-grandfather, William Smith, was Yale 1719.
Mr. and Mrs. Wetmore had four children: Edith Malvina Keteltas; Maude Alice Keteltas; William Shepard Keteltas (B.A. 1897); and Rogers Pickman Derby Keteltas.
Mr. Wetmore died September 11, 1921, in Boston
. His funeral was held at Trinity Church in Newport, and he was buried in Newport's Island Cemetery.
George Wetmore's estate in Newport Rhode Island, Chateau-sur-Mer
, is today owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County
and is open for tours during the summer. It is considered one of the best surviving examples of a Victorian mansion.
Wetmore was also a litigant in the Supreme Court of the United States decision: George Peabody Wetmore v. Tennessee Copper Company, 218 US 369 (1910).
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
Early life
George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parents abroad. His father was William Shepard WetmoreWilliam Shepard Wetmore
William Shepard Wetmore was an Old China Trade merchant and philanthropist from New England.-Early life:He was born on January 26, 1801 to Nancy Shepard and Seth Wetmore in St. Albans, Vermont...
, a wealthy Yankee trader. George Wetmore received his early education at the private schools of Messrs. Reed and Thurston and of the Rev. William C. Leverett in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. In 1867 he graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. After graduation he studied for two years at the Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. He received the degree of LL.B. in 1869, and was admitted to the bars
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
of Rhode Island and New York the same year, although he never practiced.
Politics
He had always taken an active interest in politics and in 1880 and 1884 was a presidential elector. He was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1885 and served two terms, but was defeated for a third term. He was a member of the commission that built the new Rhode Island State HouseRhode Island State House
The Rhode Island State House is the capitol of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is located on the border of the Downtown and Smith Hill sections of the state capital city of Providence...
at Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
In 1894 he was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, receiving the unanimous vote of the General Assembly
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Senate with 38 senators...
in Senate, House, and joint convention. In 1907, he was challenged for his seat by another Republican, industrialist Samuel P. Colt
Samuel P. Colt
Samuel Pomeroy Colt was an industrialist and politician from Rhode Island.He was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 10, 1852, the youngest of six children born to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt of Bristol, Rhode Island...
. The three-way contest between Wetmore, Colt and Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Robert Hale Ives Goddard
Robert Hale Ives Goddard
Robert Hale Ives Goddard was a prominent banker, industrialist, U.S. Army officer, state senator and philanthropist.-Biography:...
resulted in months of deadlocked ballots and a vacant seat in Rhode Island's delegation to the 60th Congress. Eventually Colt withdrew, and Wetmore returned to the Senate on January 22, 1908. Ironically, Colt's brother, LeBaron B. Colt
LeBaron B. Colt
LeBaron Bradford Colt was a United States Senator from Rhode Island and a circuit court judge.-Biography:He was born in Dedham, Massachusetts to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt; his younger brother, Samuel P. Colt, was a prominent Rhode Island businessman and politician...
, was elected to succeed Wetmore upon Wetmore's retirement from the Senate.
In the Senate, Wetmore was, first, chairman of the Committee on Manufactures, and then chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library for sixteen years. He was also a member of the Appropriations, District of Columbia, Naval Affairs, Public Buildings and Grounds, and other committees. His last term in the Senate ended March 4, 1913.
He had a deep interest in the building up of the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the development of the naval base in Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
. He served as chairman of the joint commission appointed by Congress to prepare plans for the completion of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in Washington; was chairman of the first Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
Commission and a member of the commission that erected the National Lincoln Memorial in Washington; and was a member of the Grant Memorial Commission, as well as many others for the erection of statues and memorials. He was greatly interested in the improvement and development of Washington and the District of Columbia on a definite artistic plan, and was particularly identified with the legislation creating the National Commission of Fine Arts.
Cultural Work
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York and a member of the committee in charge of the construction of the Metropolitan Opera House. He was a trustee of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale and of the Peabody Education Fund
Peabody Education Fund
Founded of necessity due to damage caused largely by the American Civil War, the Peabody Education Fund was established by George Peabody in 1867 for the purpose of promoting "intellectual, moral, and industrial education in the most destitute portion of the Southern States." The gift of...
. In 1888 he was nominated as a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the University, but declined to have his name considered. He was one of the founders of the Jockey Club, vice president of the National Horse Show Association of America, and a director of other organizations for improving the breeding of horses.
At his home in Newport he was a trustee of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a private subscription library at 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1747, it is the oldest community library still occupying its original building in the United States.-History:...
, president and a trustee of the Newport Hospital
Newport Hospital
Newport Hospital is a private, not-for-profit hospital located in Newport, Rhode Island. Together with The Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, Newport Hospital is a member of the Lifespan health system.-History:...
, and president of the Newport Reading Room
Newport Reading Room
The Newport Reading Room , founded in 1854, is a gentlemen's club located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Its primary building features an actual book reading room...
and the Newport Casino
Newport Casino
The Newport Casino is located at 186-202 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.- 1879 - 1900 :The complex was commissioned in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr...
. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
.
Family and Legacy
He was married December 22, 1869, in New York City, to Edith Malvina Keteltas. Her father, Eugene Keteltas, had been a member of the Yale College Class of 1822, but left before graduation, and was graduated at Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in 1822. Yale gave him the honorary degree of M.A. in 1870. Mrs. Wetmore's grandfather, Philip Doddridge Keteltas, was Yale 1792; her great-grandfather, Rev. Abraham Keteltas, graduated at Yale in 1752 and was admitted to the M.A. degree at Yale and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1755; and her great-great-grandfather, William Smith, was Yale 1719.
Mr. and Mrs. Wetmore had four children: Edith Malvina Keteltas; Maude Alice Keteltas; William Shepard Keteltas (B.A. 1897); and Rogers Pickman Derby Keteltas.
Mr. Wetmore died September 11, 1921, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. His funeral was held at Trinity Church in Newport, and he was buried in Newport's Island Cemetery.
George Wetmore's estate in Newport Rhode Island, Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer is the first of the grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. It is now open to the public as a museum...
, is today owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Newport County, Rhode Island, including...
and is open for tours during the summer. It is considered one of the best surviving examples of a Victorian mansion.
Wetmore was also a litigant in the Supreme Court of the United States decision: George Peabody Wetmore v. Tennessee Copper Company, 218 US 369 (1910).