Sigourney Thayer
Encyclopedia
Sigourney Thayer was an American theatrical producer, World War I aviator, and poet.
Thayer was born in Southborough, Massachusetts
, the son of Rev. William Greenough Thayer
, headmaster of St. Mark's School
from 1894–1930, and Violet Otis. He was the brother of Robert H. Thayer
, a lawyer, naval officer and diplomat.
Thayer enlisted in June 1916 and first served on the American-Mexican border. He became a 1st Lieutenant and pilot in the 1st Operations Group
, and afterwards graduated from Amherst College
in 1918. He wrote regular poetry for the Atlantic Monthly, and his poem, "The Dead" has appeared in numerous World War I
anthologies.
In later life, Thayer became an executive at Vultee Aircraft
. He died in 1944 in an automobile accident in Allentown, Pennsylvania
, and is buried at Southborough Rural Cemetery, Southborough, Massachusetts
.
earlier the same year). Their marriage lasted less than a year. After her divorce from Thayer in 1929, she married writer Raoul Whitfield (1896-1945) on 19 July 1933, filed for divorce in February 1935, and killed herself at the Dead Horse Ranch near Las Vegas, New Mexico, on 24 May 1935.
In April 1931, Thayer married Mary "Molly" Van Rensselaer Cogswell (16 June 1902 - 12 December 1983), daughter of Cullen Van Rensselaer Cogswell, a Manhattan socialite, and grand granddaughter of General John Cullen Van Rensselaer. She was a society columnist for the New York Journal, and wrote under the house pseudonym "Madame Flutterby", covering the Lindbergh kidnapping
. She wrote the first biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, published by Doubleday in 1961.
Thayer was born in Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
, the son of Rev. William Greenough Thayer
William Greenough Thayer
Rev. William Greenough Thayer DD was an American educator, headmaster of St. Mark's School from 1894–1930.-Early life:...
, headmaster of St. Mark's School
St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)
St. Mark’s School is a coeducational, Episcopal, preparatory school, situated on in Southborough, Massachusetts, from Boston. It was founded in 1865 as an all-boys' school by Joseph Burnett, a wealthy native of Southborough who developed and marketed the world-famous Burnett Vanilla Extract . ...
from 1894–1930, and Violet Otis. He was the brother of Robert H. Thayer
Robert H. Thayer
Robert Helyer Thayer was an American lawyer, naval officer and diplomat.-Early life:Thayer was born in Southborough, Massachusetts, the son of Rev. William Greenough Thayer , headmaster of St. Mark's School from 1894–1930, and Violet Otis Thayer . He attended St...
, a lawyer, naval officer and diplomat.
Thayer enlisted in June 1916 and first served on the American-Mexican border. He became a 1st Lieutenant and pilot in the 1st Operations Group
1st Operations Group
The 1st Operations Group is the flying component of the 1st Fighter Wing, assigned to the USAF Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The 1st Operations Group is the oldest major air combat unit in the United States Air Force, being a successor organization...
, and afterwards graduated from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1918. He wrote regular poetry for the Atlantic Monthly, and his poem, "The Dead" has appeared in numerous World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
anthologies.
In later life, Thayer became an executive at Vultee Aircraft
Vultee Aircraft
The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 and had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943 to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, or Convair.-History:...
. He died in 1944 in an automobile accident in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, and is buried at Southborough Rural Cemetery, Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
.
Theatrical producer
- Last Night of Don Juan: The Pilgrimage, 1925
- Beau-Strings, 1926
- Damn the Tears, 1927
- Bridal Wise, 1932
- Keeper of the KeysKeeper of the KeysKeeper of the Keys is the sixth and last mystery in the Charlie Chan series of Earl Derr Biggers; Biggers was planning on continuing the series, but died in 1933 before he could.-Plot summary:...
, 1933
Personal life
In December 1928, he married Mrs. Emily O'Neill Davies Vanderbilt of Manhattan (who had divorced William Henry Vanderbilt IIIWilliam Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III was an American Republican politician and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
earlier the same year). Their marriage lasted less than a year. After her divorce from Thayer in 1929, she married writer Raoul Whitfield (1896-1945) on 19 July 1933, filed for divorce in February 1935, and killed herself at the Dead Horse Ranch near Las Vegas, New Mexico, on 24 May 1935.
In April 1931, Thayer married Mary "Molly" Van Rensselaer Cogswell (16 June 1902 - 12 December 1983), daughter of Cullen Van Rensselaer Cogswell, a Manhattan socialite, and grand granddaughter of General John Cullen Van Rensselaer. She was a society columnist for the New York Journal, and wrote under the house pseudonym "Madame Flutterby", covering the Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
. She wrote the first biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, published by Doubleday in 1961.
External links
- IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information at www.ibdb.com IBDB entry
- The Great War : Poetry : Poem - THE DEAD at beck.library.emory.edu "The Dead"
- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,801605,00.html Death in Time magazine