RITES OF PASSAGE THE WETMORES OF CHATEAU SUR MER

Transcription

1 RITES OF PASSAGE THE WETMORES OF CHATEAU SUR MER Prepared by: Holly Collins Research Fellow The Preservation Society of Newport County April 4, 2002

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. WILLIAM S. WETMORE.1-18 Humble Beginnings A Global Perspective and Exemplary Career A Visionary Investor Life in Old New York Society Destiny - A Single Parent A Change of Venue - Chateau sur Mer Leadership and Fellowship in Newport II. GEORGE PEABODY WETMORE Coming of Age A New Era at Chateau sur Mer His Excellence the Governor The Family Enters Public Life The Business of Power and Privilege Social and Personal Obligations Mr. Senator Family Life on Capitol Hill Continuing Stewardship On Behalf of Newport III. EDITH AND MAUDE WETMORE Passages The Spinster Sisters of Chateau sur Mer In Her Father s Footsteps The Immutable End of a Legacy IV. EXHIBITS V. BIBLIOGRAPHY

3 THE WETMORES OF CHATEAU SUR MER After retiring from a highly successful career in mercantile trade in 1852 William S. Wetmore moved his family from their prestigious Washington Square neighborhood in New York City to a pastoral sea side estate on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Chateau sur Mer was the first of Newport s grand mansions, distinguished from future grandiose summer cottages that rose on the avenue as a permanent residence for the Wetmore family. Over the course of the next one hundred and fourteen years, three generations of Wetmores resided at Chateau sur Mer through the conservative stewardship of the wealth and investments of William Shepard Wetmore. Wetmore s mercantile career fostered a cosmopolitan world-view, which likely influenced the extensive travel and perpetuation of New York City connections in the next two generations of his family. However, each generation knew Chateau sur Mer as their home. Throughout the years the Wetmores upheld a strong sense of family loyalty nurtured by early Wetmore kindred. They demonstrated the American ideals of self-realization, and responsibility for the common good through public service and philanthropic endeavors. These expressions of value were an integral thread in Wetmore family heritage. This chronicle of an American family of ample means but not fame begins with the industrious mercantile career of William S. Wetmore. His son, George Peabody, maintained the family s wealth through years of a rapidly changing America, and frequent economic expansions and contractions from the late 19th century into the Progressive era. The story concludes with two public-spirited spinster sisters; Edith, who was an avid patron of the arts, and Maude, who became an active leader of Republican women. Their ongoing leadership was an asset to Newport. Today, their former home is now under the stewardship of The Preservation Society of Newport County. It continues to express an aura of staunch Victorian propriety and perpetuity affirmed for over a century by the Wetmores of Chateau sur Mer. 1

4 WILLIAM SHEHPARD WETMORE Humble Beginnings On January 25, 1801, William S. Wetmore was the first child born to Seth and Nancy Shepard Wetmore in St. Albans, Vermont. He was a sixth-generation descendant of Thomas Whitmore, who immigrated to Boston in 1635 from the west coast of England and became one of the earliest settlers of the Connecticut Colony. Thomas fathered seventeen children with three wives, thus establishing the beginning of a prolific Wetmore clan in America (at some point a branch of the family made the spelling change in the surname to avoid confusion over repeated first names within the expanding family). 1 [Exhibit I] Many Connecticut Wetmores were active community members in public service as town magistrates, lawyers, deputies to court, and judges. Others were engaged as merchants. The enterprising spirit of William s family of founding Americans influenced the development of his future alacrity in business and leadership activities. Seth Wetmore met Nancy Shepard at the home of her father, Major General William Shepard, an important Revolutionary War figure and representative in Congress. According to family legend Seth was visiting on business and fell dangerously ill. Nancy s gentle ministrations during his convalescence sealed their love. 2 Nancy died on February 2, 1802, a year following their first son William s birth. 3 A letter from a cousin, Lucy Wetmore Whittlesey, of Middletown, Connecticut in June of 1802 recorded this loss with compassion: We received yours some time since and with the sincerest sympathy do console with you under the very heavy affliction you have been exercised with. God has touched you in a most tender part the wife of your bosom and the companion of your youth He has seen fit to remove from you. 4 Following Nancy s death, Seth remarried and fathered three more children. Meanwhile, William grew into an independent youth. According to his father it was not uncommon for the young boy to wander off for a day or two, always returning safely. The Wetmore Family of America records that an uncle and aunt from Middletown, Connecticut were visiting St. Albans upon William s return from one of these excursions. They met a very tall and bashful youth who had grown out of his clothes and wore a hat of hard 1 James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) Introduction. 2 Ibid. p RIHS (The Rhode Island Historical Society). Mss 798 Box 1. 4 Ibid. Mss 1078 Folder 9. 2

5 usage that appeared originally intended for a much larger head than his. Despite his ungainly appearance, the relatives were quite impressed by the good and trusty William, and proposed that he return with them to Connecticut where he would enjoy the sponsorship of his large and successful family for schooling and eventually active employment. William moved to Connecticut with his aunt and uncle where he may not have proved scholarly, but impressed his relatives with his industry, perseverance, and readiness to adopt himself to circumstances. 5 Note: James Carnahan Wetmore s The Wetmore Family of America, is a family genealogy including character portraits of family members and their spouses. Although the author did not document these accounts, he was personally acquainted with many Wetmores of his era, including William S. Wetmore. This material is more family legend than it is fact, however, other supports back up much of the personal and business related biographical material. William was mentored by an uncle, Samuel Wetmore, who was in a mercantile partnership with another uncle, Chauncy Whittlesey, in Middletown, Connecticut. In 1815 Samuel and his brother William Willard Wetmore moved to Providence, entering into a business partnership with the merchants Edward Carrington & Company. At the time, the Port of Providence was enjoying a period of preeminence among U. S. ports. 6 Thus positioned, and confident in their nephew s abilities, they arranged for the first important placement in his mercantile career with Edward Carrington & Company of Providence. When William was fourteen years of age, he was hired aboard the ship Fame, bound for England, South America, and the East Indies. 7 Subsequently, the uncles went on to distinguish themselves in local financial circles and by 1832 E. Carrington, S. Wetmore, and W.W. Wetmore were listed in the Providence directory as directors of the Bank of North America. 8 By 1833 the uncles formed a partnership in New York City; Wetmore, Hoppin & Company that acted as an agent and affiliate of Edward Carrington & Company, operating as commission merchants in the rapidly expanding port of New York City. 9 This evolving mercantile and financial network would play an important part in William s future as his personal business enterprises developed over the coming years. 5 James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) Robert Albion, New England and the Sea, (Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc, 1994 revised ed. ) James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America, (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) RIHS, Mss 798 Box 13 (1906 letter to George Peabody Wetmore). 9 RIHS, Guide to the Samuel Wetmore Records; Guide to the Wetmore, Hoppin & Co. Records. 3

6 A Global Perspective and Exemplary Career Following the War of 1812 when trade routes reopened, the international market was highly favorable for American trade. The onset of William S. Wetmore s career in mercantile trade also marked a period when New England s merchants became superlative in all aspects of the maritime field: New Englanders captured the New York port about 1820 and dominated its business until after the Civil War. 10 Maritime author Robert Albion in The Rise of the New York Port remarked that, It was perhaps natural that Connecticut should be the most heavily represented among the invaders from the eastward since the Connecticut Yankee was famous for his trading proclivities. 11 Within the climate of the expanding port of New York, commission merchants thrived collecting a percentage of sales from cargoes being referred from other ports to New York because of its accessibility. This became the nature of Wetmore, Hoppin & Company: commissions were apt to go to a son of the owner, a family friend, or a junior employee who had moved to New York for that purpose. 12 Through the Carrington connection and their Connecticut Yankee heritage the Wetmore family became established among the merchant princes of New York City, which was a valuable asset to William s future career. 13 Wetmore commenced his career on the ground floor of the mercantile world in the areas of direct commerce and navigation. In Wetmore s position as supercargo officer for Edward Carrington & Company he was responsible for the cargo and the business dealings of the voyage, presumably answering directly to the captain of the vessel (or perhaps acting as a monitor of the captain s management). Although no details of Wetmore s initial voyage were found, records of a Captain William R. Bowers correspondence with Edward Carrington & Company reveal the nature of the company s operations. Orders issued to Bowers by the company prior to a voyage divulge the tenacity required of a good captain and crew to uphold the business interests of the merchant, negotiate with foreign agents, respond skillfully in fluctuating markets and currencies, and execute speedy passages to beat competition. The company commanded of Bowers, all that you can do, to protect & promote our interest, will have your constant & unremitted attention. They cautioned, You must bear in mind the uncertainty of running for a market 10 Robert Albion, New England and the Sea (Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 1994 revised ed.) Robert Albion, The Rise of the New York Port, (David and Charles,1970) Robert Albion, New England and the Sea (Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 1994 revised ed.) Ibid. p

7 & it ought not be done unless circumstances absolutely make it necessary [Exhibit II] The primary cargoes of Bowers voyages between 1818 and 1838 were cotton, flour, coffee, rice, rum and wine. Foreign ports were Holland, Spain, Indonesia, China, Latin America, and the West Indies. It was into this environment that young Wetmore was inducted. As an employee of Edward Carrington & Company it can be surmised that Wetmore proved a quick study, not only aboard ship learning the nuts and bolts of mercantile trade, but rapidly forming a broadened perspective within an emerging new national/international economy. By the 1820s, mercantile trade was booming and the New York customhouse, was taking in enough in duties to meet the whole running expenses of the federal government. 15 Wetmore s readiness to adapt himself to circumstances propelled an entrepreneurial instinct that quickly grasped opportunity. He was undoubtedly the right person at the right place and time. Over the course of the next thirty-two years he demonstrated tireless entrepreneurial talents and successes involving a fascinating web of business and family related global enterprises. [Exhibit III] In 1823, after losing a ship off the South American coast, Wetmore established the mercantile house of Alsop & Wetmore in Valparaiso, Chile with Richard Alsop of Middletown, Connecticut. There was a family connection between the two men through the marriage of Lucy Whittlesey, daughter of Chauncy, to Joseph Alsop, and, [t]he firm became very extensively engaged in business, enjoying, for a period, all the United States and a good part of the English trade to that port. 16 John Cryder, who married William s first cousin Mary (daughter of Uncle Samuel), joined Alsop & Wetmore in William retired from this firm in 1829 and returned to the United States for several years. According to James Carnahan Wetmore, due to impaired health William s physician advised a career move to China. In 1833 Wetmore established a new merchant house in Canton, Wetmore & Company, with Joseph Archer of Philadelphia. Profit and loss ledgers of William S. Wetmore from reveal that the primary goods brokered by Wetmore & Co. were tea, tea papers, silks and spices. Lesser cargoes were wines, ports, hemp, pearl buttons, copper and coffee. They also transported a variety of foreign currencies, and delivered Sunday newspapers. Fast boats were commonly employed for personal passages and letters. 14 G.W. Blunt White Library, Mystic, CT Coll 24 Box 1 Folder 7 William Bowers Papers. 15 Robert Albion, New England and the Sea ( Mystic Seaport Museum, inc., 1994 revised ed.) James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861)

8 [Exhibit IV] The deteriorating relationship between England and China over the question of opium trade may also have provided a strong motivation to establish the Canton enterprise: during the [opium] war, great benefit resulted to the firm, in consequence of the general and constant conservative course adopted by the house [Wetmore & Company]. 17 However, the profit and loss ledgers indicate that between the years opium crossed Wetmore s books eleven times. Several entries demonstrate the compulsory nature of the trade in many situations: charges for a fast boat requiring Turkey opium (1834), opium purchased of them to make good a contract (1835), shipment of opium to the West Coast for loss on this a/c (1837). 18 It was reported of Wetmore s mercantile enterprises that they were conducted, after the business methods of Girard and Astor. 19 Girard and Astor were notably famous for their remarkable entrepreneurial successes in mercantile trade and their investment expertise. 20 During his time in the Far East, Wetmore collected a variety of Chinese objects, porcelains and china, which he imported home. In a 1936 interview with this granddaughter Maude, she remarked that only recently had she and her sister unpacked dishes, from the original boxes shipped to William Shepard Wetmore last century. 21 Today the Butler s Pantry still holds china bearing the Wetmore family crest. The falcon was confirmed as the family crest by the Media Research Bureau in Washington D.C., who traced it to the early Whitmore rendition of the name in England. They reported, One of the most famous and best known of the coats of arms of the family is described in heraldic terms as follows: Arms. -- vert, fretty or. Crest. -- A falcon sitting on the stump of a tree with a branch springing from the dexter side... During the tenure in China, Wetmore & Company benefited from family connections through active dealings with Wetmore, Hoppin & Company in New York City, according to that company s employee journals of [Exhibit V] John Cryder had moved from Valparaiso to London in 1835, where he established the banking house of Morrison, Cryder & Company. Both the new banking house and Wetmore & Company maintained a close business relationship with South American mercantile 17 James Canahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) RIHS, Mss The Providence Journal, 12 September The Evening Bulletin, Providence, 2 July RIHS, Mss 797 Vol. 2. 6

9 houses through Richard Alsop. 23 This was confirmed by William Wetmore s profit and loss statements from the years It was in 1835 that the Maryland merchant George Peabody sailed to London on a mission to defer a United States banking crisis when states had begun skipping interest payments on bonds marketed in London. Peabody eventually enjoyed a huge success as a merchant banker in London and as a selfappointed American ambassador of the mercantile industry. He developed a form of wholesale banking known as merchant banks and became a leading dealer of American state bonds in London, reversing the trend of London sending representatives to America. 25 It was through family and business connections that William S. Wetmore began a lifelong friendship with the prominent financier Peabody. Business with Peabody was recorded in Wetmore s financial ledgers on September 1, 1838: George Peabody for return Rec d & Guarantee on sales No 354_392_448_461_462_ In 1840 Morrison, Cryder & Company was dissolved, and Cryder returned to the United States shortly after Wetmore s return from China around Together they established the mercantile house of Wetmore & Cryder in New York City in 1844, which enjoyed, close and intimate business relations with Mr. George Peabody, banker, of London. 27 Wetmore withdrew his interests from both the Canton and New York firms in 1847 and formally retired: Possessed of ample means, with a reputation the most enviable, he took his stand among the leading merchants and bankers of that city [New York]. 28 New York had fourteen millionaires in But a visitor to New York in 1852 was told that among the merchants even $150, was considered a fortune. 29 William S. Wetmore s will records that two trusts were created by marriage settlement and having ceased, the property held within will go equally to his children. He estimated the value of his daughter Annie s share at age twenty-one would be $200, or Upwards. 30 However, since the combined $400, in trust funds (in today s dollars, close to $8 mm) 31 was only a portion of his estate, it can be surmised that Wetmore stood among New York s business 23 James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) RIHS, Mss Ron Chernow, The House of Morgan (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990) RIHS, Mss James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore Family of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) Ibid Robert Albion, The Rise of NewYork Port (David & Charles, 1970) Last Will and Testament of William S. Wetmore December 1861, Newport Probate Court

10 and financial upper echelon upon his retirement. For further perspective, when Commodore Vanderbilt died in 1877 he left an estate over 100 million. 32 Wetmore was a modest millionaire. 32 Arthur Vanderbilt, Fortune s Children (New York: William Morrow, 1989) 53. 8

11 A Visionary Investor According to author Arthur Vanderbilt, a delightful social life existed among many of the merchant princes and their friends of the Old New York society, where real estate shielded them from the necessity of scrambling. 33 Despite such extensive travel and living abroad, Wetmore found the time to acquire impressive real estate investments in the United States. His New York City residence at 15 Waverly Place, one block from the famous row houses of Washington Square, became the home of some of the city s most prestigious merchants and bankers. 34 Henry James remarked in his novel, Washington Square: The idea of quiet and genteel retirement, in 1835, was found in Washington Square This portion of New York appears to many persons the most delectable. It has a kind of established repose which is not frequent occurrence in other quarters of the long, shrill city; it has a riper, richer, more honorable look than any of the upper ramifications of the great longitudinal thoroughfare Wetmore s New York commercial real estate holdings were equally astute. They included # 56 and # 59 Wall Street, # 62 Pine Street, and two warehouses at # 33 Chambers Street, all nestled conveniently within the burgeoning financial district. Besides investing in New York, Wetmore s maritime vision drifted inland taking advantage of the extensive transportation network developing by canal and rail after the opening of the Western Reserve by the Connecticut Land Company. His Last Will and Testament bequeathed his [step] brother Charles and his wife and survivors, the dwelling house in Cuyahoga Falls in the state of Ohio with the ground appurtenant In The Old Merchants of New York City, Walter Barrett evaluated Wetmore s Ohio land holdings at 10,000 acres located along the developing canal system: the Cuyahoga falling, at the new town called Cuyahoga Falls is destined, beyond doubt, to be one of immense importance. The Ohio Canal is within two miles; and the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal will pass directly through the town He also invested in mining properties, leaving to his surviving children equal interest in stock and property of the Delano Land Company, also known as the Mahoney Coal Lands. Note: Handwriting made it difficult to distinguish between a and o in both company names. This land holding included 5,400 acres under management in Philadelphia. Additionally, Barrett mentioned 33 Robert Albion, The Rise of New York Port (David & Charles, 1970) 255 & Henry James, Washington Square (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1881) The Last Will and Testament of William S. Wetmore, December Newport Probate Court. 37 Ohio Gazetter, Cuyahoga (Stillman s Journal, October 1836) 45. 9

12 Tennessee land holdings of 70,000 acres. 38 Today there are two towns in Eastern Tennessee within close proximity named Wetmore and Delano. As a respected gentleman and highly successful merchant of impressive financial standing it seems odd that history passed William S. Wetmore by. However, the 1840 New York City census records that there were, 417 commerical houses engaged in foreign trade and 918 commission firms, [and] it is obviously out of the question to do more than look at some of the more important merchants Walter Barrett, The Old Merchants of New York City (New York: M. Doolady, 1872) Robert Albion, The Rise of New York Port (David & Charles, 1970)

13 Life in Old New York Society Upon retirement, Wetmore became an active community member in New York City. A notable contribution of his talents was as council member of the young New York University from , which was founded as an institution of higher learning that was open to all regardless of origin, religion, or social background. At the time, universities were exclusive to the privileged classes. 40 This demonstrates a commitment to the value of cultural literacy and a keen sense of social conscience. Wetmore was also a founding member of the New York Society Library, a Trustee of Greenwood Cemetery from , and a Vestryman at the Church of the Ascension from He acted as Council member of University City of New York in 1850, was a director of the London & Liverpool Fire & Life Insurance Company in 1853, and he was an officer of the Union Club of New York from Wetmore was also affiliated with the Bank of America, the New York Hospital, and the New York Historical Society. However, his role with these institutions was not identified RIHS, Mss 798 Box 19 Folder

14 Destiny ~ A Single Parent Unfortunately Wetmore did not enjoy the good fortune of his career in his marriages. His first wife was a cousin, Esther Phillips Wetmore, who was a daughter of his Uncle Samuel and a sister of Mary Cryder. The marriage took place at the Cryder s London residence on October 24, One year later, Esther died in New York City following the death of their infant daughter two weeks before. 42 Her character portrait in The Wetmore Family of America described a woman who was constantly administering to the needs and wants of others. According to the author, Esther contracted a fatal illness in acting the part of a Good Samaritan to her own waiting maid, who was dangerously ill Five years later on September 5, 1843, Wetmore married the daughter of a prominent fellow merchant, John Whittingham Rogers of Salem Massachusetts, who had carried on, for twenty years a very enterprising and extensive trade to the East Indies in partnership with his brother. 44 Presumably, Rogers and Wetmore knew one another through their mercantile careers. The Wetmore family genealogy also notes a family connection. Wetmore s grandfather had married Mary Wright, an eighth direct descendant of Reverend John Rogers, the Martyr of Salem, who perished during the reign of Bloody Mary. 45 In 1843 John Wittingham Rogers was residing in Jamaica Plain, and had lived in Boston for many years, engaged in several businesses. 46 In March of 1843 while in Boston attending to business matters, Wetmore met Rogers daughter Anstiss Derby Rogers. The business in Boston included a partnership in the Schooner Richmond, built in 1843, with Rogers owning 1/8 share and Wetmore 7/8 share. 47 Wetmore described the happy meeting with Anstiss in a letter to his good friend George Peabody, written from Boston on March 31, 1843: I was introduced in the street on Sunday last coming from church to Miss Anna Rogers of Salem. Met her Monday evening at a party (Subscription Ball) fell in love with her, called on her father the following day. I went to Salem yesterday proposed and am accepted. I am now to be a happy Benedict. She is a most lovely girl. I shall be proud to present her to you. 48 [Exhibit VI] Wetmore, perhaps now strongly sensing the years slipping by, made haste in securing the hand of 42 RIHS, Mss James Callahan Wetmore, The Wetmores of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) George Granville Putnam, Salem Vessels and Their Voyages (Salem Ma: The Essex Institute, 1930) James Carnahan Wetmore, The Wetmore s of America (Albany: Munsell & Rowland, 1861) 46 George Granville Putnam, Salem Vessels and Their Voyages (Salem, MA: The Essex Institure, 1939) Phillip Library. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. Abstracts of Ships Registers and Enrollments, Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum. George Peabody, Mss 181, Box 53 folder 3. 12

15 a notably fetching young lady who had the charm to attract royalty: Mrs. Anstiss Rogers Wetmore when about 17 years of age, just previous to her marriage, attended a grand ball given at Faneuil Hall for the French Prince De Joinville who requested an introduction to this young lady and asked her as a partner in the dance. 49 Wetmore and Miss Rogers were married six months later in Salem, Massachusetts on September 5, The young Mrs. Wetmore s new husband was a gentleman of more than ample means and professional integrity. This seasoned bachelor who pursued a demanding business life had also developed sophistication and fine taste over the years, as demonstrated by an order filled for him by Bunker & Company of New York City, Wine Merchants, Importers and Grocers. It included delicacies such as truffle oil, English mustards, walnut ketchup, Westphalia Ham, java coffee, Champagne, Madeira, Sherry Hock, Claret and Old Port. In the Wetmore Wine Collection scrapbook, there is an undated document from Borbon et Fils providing detailed instructions concerning the handling of les Porte Bouteilles Fermes. 50 It appears that years of bachelorhood did not alter the kind and gentle traits which made his character so attractive and his companionship so pleasant, remarked a friend Charles Wingate. 51 A relative, Anstiss Pickman Robertson wrote to Wetmore s son George Peabody Wetmore in 1917 fondly remembering his father s consideration for family members. Wetmore had obtained the position of surgeon on a ship for her eldest brother just out of Harvard Medical School, and also obtained leave for him to visit family in Nova Scotia. He always said Mr. Wetmore s kindness saved his life, she remarked. He was very fond of your father. 52 Wetmore s benevolence was extended to many. Years later his son George was besieged by a series of requests for money from a former beneficiary of his father s generosity. S.S. Vars wrote: Your Father was the Best friend I ever had, he gave me a Buckenheim saddle Horse once, money at every time I asked him Friend Wetmore I am doing nothing and want a pair of shoes and pants they will cost with a shirt about $ William S. Wetmore established his family residence at 15 Waverly Place in New York City where their first child, William Shepard, was born on August 1, The Wetmores traveled in Europe from and a second son, George Peabody, was born in London on August 2, Their last 49 Boston Sunday Globe, 30 January RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box 4. 13

16 child, Annie Derby Rogers, was born at Waverly Place on May 19, The Register of the Church of the Ascension in New York City also noted that Lucy Wetmore, aunt, was also residing at Waverly Place. 54 An excerpt from The Wetmore Family of America stated that Lucy, dispensed for a number of years the hospitalities of her nephew William Shepard Wetmore, Esq. at his Chateau sur Mer at Newport, Rhode Island, where she died umn. of paralysis September 14, Rhode Island death records confirm Lucy Wetmore s decease in Newport on this date at age 72, having formerly resided at South Truro Street. 55 As the spinster sister of William s father, she likely managed for quite some time for her nephew in New York, which can be surmised from her presence at Waverly Place along with the new Mrs. Wetmore. Anstiss Derby Rogers Wetmore disappeared from family records and correspondence some time following Annie s birth in 1848 until 1884 when she corresponded with her son George in a letter sent from Boston. It is unknown whether or not she moved to Chateau sur Mer in 1852 when construction was completed on the house. Letters written between daughter Annie and her father from 1856 to 1859 do not indicate that her mother was present in the household, although other household members are frequently mentioned. 56 Upon Wetmore s death in 1862 his will disclosed that arrangements for Mrs. Wetmore s upkeep were made heretofore, and that he was in addition caused to be paid to her by her father about five thousand dollars the proceeds of the Schooner Richmond and her freights RIHS, Mss Rhode Island Death Records, (Newport Vol 58) RIHS, Mss 798 Box 22, and Mss Last Will and Testament of William S. Wetmore, 21 December 1861 (Newport Probate Court). 14

17 A Change of Venue ~ Chateau sur Mer Possibly, Chateau sue Mer held much symbolism for the Wetmores. The commanding presence of the popular Second Empire style implied the worldly sophistication of its owner. Its groundbreaking splendor in Newport demonstrated wealth, success, and stature. Less obviously, the sheer solidity of the granite mass and the rustication of the gate house entry suggested security and protection. Peacefully nestled among forty acres of manicured lawn sweeping to the sea, Chateau sur Mer offered a tranquil contrast to the social construction of life in the hubbub of New York City. It was in this setting that fiftyyear-old Wetmore chose to raise his long-awaited children, who moved to Chateau sur Mer in 1852 when they were ages four, six and eight. A series of correspondences between father and daughter from 1856 to 1859 reveal a sense of what life was like in the early years at Chateau sur Mer. Wetmore traveled frequently tending to his investments and maintaining close contact with this New York relatives and business associates. His letters always included personal regards sent to Aunt Lucy, Mrs. Mitchell, (a Housekeeper identified in the 1860 Newport census), Miss Maclachlan, and Dah. It can be surmised that the children fared well under the attentions of these women, and within the splendid refuge of Chateau sur Mer where they began to establish a new life. Annie s letters convey a sense of normalcy and order, although she clearly missed her father. Annie wrote on November 24, 1856: We have been expecting a letter from you from Ohio and have been much disappointed not to receive one. I hope that you got there safely and that you are quire well. 58 Wetmore s letters express fatherly concern about the children s studies and progress but he was also a strong advocate of leisurely, healthy, and social activities. In a letter which subtly delivered a reprimand to Annie, he demonstrated tact and tenderness in dealing with his young children. You and George keep in closely with your studies, it is absolutely necessary not to study too much and that you avail every opportunity, to get out on horseback & play about the lawn I like to have you & George invite your young friends to visit you in order that you may keep in the open air & get exercise I have never heard from your life any angry word & hope I never shall; if you are displeased at any remark, silence is far better than an unamicable reply You have been a good student and heed your teachers, be obedient & submissive to their orders & directions you will always be happy. 59 I am detained to execute some papers from Ohio. I hope they will come to enable me to join you 58 RIHS, Mss November Ibid. I March

18 on your birthday, a day to me, ever grateful and of happiness. I shall not forget George on his birthday. He has been a good boy & a good student I love him, as I do you, with all the affection of a parent. God bless you my dear child~give my love to George and remember me to Dah. With many kisses. Your affectionate Father. 60 Overall, these letters imply that although Wetmore was often physically absent from home, he was not emotionally distant from his children. Unfortunately the family was touched by tragedy on June 6, 1858, when his eldest son Willie died of scarlet fever. In 1854 Wetmore transformed his drawing room into a ballroom, Newport s first, designed by New York s notable French-born designer Leon Marcotte. 61 In 1857 Wetmore threw an extravagant, unprecedented gala for 2,500 people, a Fete Champetre, held in honor of George Peabody. The event affirmed that lavish entertaining was an important part of Wetmore s lifestyle, and that he was possibly quite the bon vivant during his years of bachelorhood. Another relative, Lucy Wetmore Denison, daughter of Wetmore s Aunt Mary, had joined the fold at Chateau sur Mer. In a letter from New York on July 3, 1854, Wetmore stated that, Cousin Lucy will return with me, she has finished her education at Mrs. Mac Caully. The 1860 Newport census confirms that Cousin Lucy was residing at Chateau sur Mer, perhaps to assist the ageing Aunt Lucy with hospitalities. A letter from James Carnahan Wetmore to George Peabody Wetmore upon Wetmore s election to the United States Senate in 1894 described a visit to Chateau sur Mer when William Wetmore s health was in decline: I had the pleasure of visiting Chateau sur Mer after publishing the Wetmore memorial ~ your father being in bad health, directed you to show me the house and grounds and to drive me around in the city and its vicinity ~ which you very kindly did. I remember with pleasure your eldest sister presiding at the table very graciously. 62 Obviously, Cousin Lucy was mistaken for a sister. 60 Ibid. 14 May Virginia and Lee Mc Alester, Great American Houses (New York: Abbeyville Press, 1994) RIHS, Mss 798 box June

19 Leadership and Fellowship in Newport William S. Wetmore conducted an active community life in Newport as a founder and incorporator of the Newport Historical Society in 1854, as the first and continuing chairman of the Newport Reading Room, , and as a Director of the Redwood Library from Wetmore was one of sixteen Newporters who joined to contribute $16, to Touro Park. 63 He was also elected Vice President of the innovative Butler Hospital for the insane in 1858, which initiated reform of treatment for the poor and insane, serving until his decease. His standing in Newport is also evident in a letter written November 1, 1861, requesting assistance for the Rhode Island National Guard: As we have not three full companies of seventy-seven members each, which drill every evening at the Ocean House, and as the finances are getting low, I was asked to apply to you for some assistance to keep the organization running. 64 A History of Greenwood Cemetery stated: Though Mr. Wetmore neither held nor sought office, his well known intelligence and integrity secured for him the confidence and friendship of many leading public men. In person he was tall and commanding; in his management of business he was eminently sagacious, while in private life he was hospitable and courteous, kind and generous. 65 Wetmore never demonstrated the political bent of his father and other Connecticut ancestors, yet he did not hesitate to openly express the views of an independent thinker during a time of political party turmoil leading into the Civil War. In an undated, handwritten speech he addressed The unhappy state of the minds of men, influenced more by passion than reason, [that] render it necessary for us as patriots, to forget the past and rally for our Country [Exhibit VIII] He admonished the clergy for political involvement and deplored the eruption of violence in Kansas over slavery, calling for unity through the support of the Democratic candidate Buchanan. Wetmore s lifelong political affiliation is unknown, but the political situation in Rhode Island must have captured his attention. The Newport Daily News commentary on June 19, 1862, stated, Rhode Island politics have always been a burning shame and a disgrace Treachery is their vocation and their only bond of cement is hatred of men of purer principles than themselves, which was directed at Republican leaders of the state. 63 The News - Newport, 2 November RIHS, Mss RIHS, Mss 1078 folder William S Wetmore speech, (Schumacher Collection) The Redwood Library. 17

20 Wetmore enjoyed stature, prominence and respect in Newport. Upon his decease, a Newport Daily News reported on June 17, 1862, We learn with regret that this gentleman expired at his residence last night. Mr. Wetmore was one of our most wealthy and highly esteemed residents. He possessed a princely fortune which he expended with much liberality. At a special meeting of the Directors of the Redwood Library and athenaeum on June 18, 1862, it was resolved: That in the death of Mr. Wetmore our community will most feelingly unite with us in their regret, that one so earnestly and enthusiastically devoted to the welfare and growth of our city, (the home of his adoption) should be taken from our midst, looking anxiously forward as he did to the time when its comforts and advantages should be as freely appreciated by others, as they have been by himself, and constantly suggesting plans for its improvement and attractiveness Redwood Library. Schumacher Collection. 18

21 GEORGE PEABODY WETMORE Coming of Age Upon William S. Wetmore s death his son George Peabody and daughter Annie Derby Rogers were sixteen and fourteen years of age. Wetmore s Last Will and Testament placed his children under the guardianship of my friend Stephen C. Williams of New York, my cousin Henry White of New Haven, and my friend William J. Hoppin of New York. Henry White, Stephen C. Williams, William J. Hoppin, John Cryder, and Alton P. Mann (last two named of New York) were appointed as executors of the will. Any vacancies were to be filled by Henry Chauncey, Joseph W. Alsop and Edwin Bartlett of New York and Alexander Duncan of Providence. He also affirmed: It is my wish and recommendation that my place at Newport remain as the home and residence of my children during their minority, whichever and as they shall desire so to occupy it, and that my executors allow them a suitable amount to keep up and support the said establishment. 68 At the time of Wetmore s decease the Civil War cast a sobering pall on the lives of Americans, albeit the economy flourished. 69 [Exhibit IX] Despite prewar uncertainties and disorder, it does not appear that continuity within the domicile of Chateau sur Mer was at all disrupted. George and Annie enjoyed the continuing competence and loyalty of Eliza Mitchell. According to the 1865 Newport census, Mrs. Mitchell was still residing at their home. Two male servants and three female servants also continued on. A gardener, his wife, and three children occupied the gatehouse. Undoubtedly, their New York relatives, Uncle Samuel, Aunt Sarah, and the Cryders (so frequently mentioned in William s letters) contributed stalwart support for the adolescents following their father s death. It can be surmised that the appointed guardians administered sound financial counsel to George as he accepted the responsibilities of his inheritance. Overall, the comfortable haven of Chateau ser Mer prevailed as George and Annie entered adulthood. Wetmore attended Yale college, graduating in 1867, and Columbia Law School in New York City, graduating in From correspondence between Wetmore and his sister Annie, it appears that she remained in Newport and he commuted between New York and Newport during his law school years. 68 Last Will and Testament of William S. Wetmore, (Newport County Probate Court) Book National Bureau of Economic Research, (U. S. Business Cycles: Expansions and Contractions ) 19

22 Following graduation he engaged in foreign and domestic travel. George wrote to Annie from the Palace Hotel in London in October of 1867, after a sojourn in Paris: Mr. & Mrs. Henry Chauncey, Mr. & Mrs. Hamilton Hoppin, Mr & Mrs. R.G. Winthrop of Boston, the Kanes, Spencers, Paynes, Russels and many other Americans one knows are there [Paris] also. I saw the Emperor of Austria & the Emperor of the French the day of the former s arrival. The Emperor of Austria is a handsome & intelligent looking man of, I should say about--- 35, while Napoleon looked jolly and in good care not withstanding all that has been written in the papers about his declining health. He continued: Mr. Peabody has been quite unwell for the last fortnight & leaves some time tomorrow for Brighton to recruit his health. I found him looking a little pale I have been told by everybody that the party at Newport was a great success. 70 In March of 1868 George wrote from Savannah on a steamer traveling on the Mississippi River: Dr. and Mrs. Sands, Mr. Duncan Pell & Mr. Ward McAllister are still here. Mrs. Sands is going to stay with the Arnolds on their plantation near here; while the gentlemen go to Florida on their fishing trip, on which they will probably go some time this week. Savannah is a livelier and more of a go ahead city than any we have yet been to. [Exhibit X] As young adults George and Annie appear self-assured in their social realm. The mention of the Newport party suggests that Annie was a competent hostess at age nineteen. Although George Peabody was not named as a guardian, he remained in contact with the young Wetmores despite his declining health, evidenced by correspondence between Peabody and George from 1866 to [Exhibit XI] On August 6, 1866 Peabody wrote, Your kind letter dated 21st July and 1st inst. both reached me on my arrival here on Saturday night. I had not forgot the invitation so kindly given by Annie and yourself to visit Newport, and shall accept it with great pleasure. Then in March of 1869 he advised George, I think you are quire right in declining to accept Mr. Johnson s invitation to join the Legation in London as attaché on his staff. He continued, I am gratified to find that the meeting of the Yale College Trustees of the Peabody Museum passed off pleasantly, and that prospects of the Institution are so encouraging. The following June Peabody paid them a visit: The Trustees of my Southern Educational Fund are invited to meet at Newport I will avail myself of your and Annie s hospitality and be with you if convenient, on the arrival of the train leaving Boston at 4:30 PM on Monday next. 71 The Peabody letters indicate his affection for, and familiarity with the children of his departed friend. George s presence at the Yale meeting affirmed Peabody s mentoring and confidence in George s development as a young man of integrity. George went on to serve as trustee of the Peabody Educational 70 RIHS, Mss October RIHS, Mss 798 Box 2. 20

23 Fund, and the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale. 72 It is also evident that George and Annie were equipped to entertain the distinguished Peabody with panache, per an established account with wine merchants BMC Durfee of Tower Hill London, who corresponded with eighteen-year-old George in 1864: So I have sent by express this afternoon to your address in Newport 145 bottles of Port, 88 bottles of Claret, 27 bottles of Sherry, 125 bottles of Madeira, which I hope you will find in good condition. 73 Another 1867 transaction in the Durfee house account lists: Storage and Labor Cartage, store - boat, uncasing & casing Extraordinary Ports & Madeira, Sherries (casks & pints) Specially selected Clarets Sparkling Champagne, 3 cases Old Brandy, 3 cases George and Annie both married at age twenty-three; George to Edith Malvina Keteltas on December 22, 1869, and Annie to William Watts Sherman on July 7, Both spouses were from prominent New York families whose heritage included Revolutionary War figures. Mr. Sherman was a partner in the New York banking firm Duncan, Sherman & Company. Mr. and Mrs. George Peabody Wetmore established their residence at Chateau sur Mer and enjoyed a happily married life of over fifty years. Mr. and Mrs. William Watts Sherman built a home on a six acre parcel of land within the original acreage of Chateau sur Mer, bequeathed to Annie by her father. Their primary residence was in New York City at 245 Madison Avenue. Unfortunately, Annie succumbed to pneumonia in February of 1884 leaving two daughters, Georgette and Sybil. Eight months later, Mr. Sherman, then forty-five, remarried an eighteen-year-old Providence heiress, Sophia Augusta Brown. 74 An undated letter in the Wetmore papers at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library archives, annotated; this might interest Edy remarked that, Duncan & Sherman have just failed badly. I don t suppose Annie Wetmore has been such a fool as to let her husband have any of her money. It caused a great scare on Wall St. 75 Annie s Last Will and Testament named her husband, her brother, and Stephen C. Williams (her former guardian) as executors of her estate. The bulk of her estate was to be managed by the executors and the interest accrued went to her husband. Upon remarriage, he received half of the bequest The News-Newport, 21 September Senator Wetmore Dead. 73 RIHS, Mss 798 Box The Providence Journal, 8 October Wedding at Newport. 75 RIHS, Mss 1078 Box RIHS, Mss 789 Box

24 A New Era at Chateau sur Mer While America struggled through the aftermath of Reconstruction, lost confidence in government and politicians, and headed into an economic depression from the overbuilding of railroads, George Peabody Wetmore and his new wife were preoccupied with a major transformation of Chateau sur Mer. Far from the humble beginnings of William S. Wetmore, and unfettered by the compelling pursuit of opportunity, the young couple enjoyed a sense of ease and entitlement particular to Gilded Age high society. They were among the custodians of a genteel but explicit Protestantism with Anglo-Saxon names [who] enjoyed a powerful advantage they fashioned private lives that would protect their exclusiveness This privilege they handled graciously, and respectably, as their future gradually became less private and directed toward public life. The Wetmores hired Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect trained at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, before his rise to fame in the late 1870s with the Vanderbilt commissions. Hunt had made himself known in America through a law suit against a client that resulted in bringing new respect and standards to the architectural profession; however, he had not yet attained an important private commission. In 1868 he returned form a sojourn in Europe to his Washington Square residence in New York City. It is likely that the Wetmore s knew Hunt socially through the common neighborhood affiliation, and also the Hunt family summer cottage at the head of Church Street in Newport. 78 The Wetmores placed their confidence in Hunt to launch an extensive renovation, expansion, and dramatic exterior and interior remodeling of Chatueau sur Mer, which took a decade to complete. Meanwhile, the Wetmores embarked on an extended European tour. One aspiration of their travels was to secure first-hand the expertise of acclaimed artisans Charles Eastlake, William Morris, and Luigi Frullini, whose designs would fashionably comprise the new interior decoration of Chateau sur Mer. With future entertaining in mind, Wetmore stocked his wine cellar in France, as indicated by correspondence with George Tomes of Bordeaux in June of 1875: Shipped wines ordered last summer took liberty to add one dozen Chateau Mouton Rothschild Tomes also recommended his Chateau Yquem and Chateau Margeaux The total bill was $5, ($75, in today s dollars). 79 A check was issued to George Tomes of Bordeaux on September 29, The order 77 Robert H. Weibe, The Search for Order, (New York: Hill & Wang, 1967) Russell Lynes, The Tastemakers (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1949) (inflation calculator). 22

25 included 25 cases St. Estephe, one dozen Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 12 dozen Chateau Margaux 1870, 12 dozen Chateau Lafite, 6 dozen Chateau Margaux 1868, 6 dozen Chateau Lafite In 1877 Tomes solicited Wetmore to try a champagne he was introducing into the United States because many are using it and are highly pleased with the same. I therefore trust that it will suit your palate also Tomes was quite hopeful of continuing a happy relationship with one of such fine tastes. Edith Wetmore was pregnant four times during their extended travels, which included jaunts back to the United States: On September 23, 1870, Edith M. Keteltas was born in Geneva; Maude Alice Keteltas was born on February 7, 1873, in Paris; William Shepard Keteltas was born on April 1, 1884, in New York City; and Rogers Pickman Derby Keteltas was born in Paris on March 13, A letter of April 1, 1884, indicating a relationship with a woman named Theklar de Soto suggests she tutored the children when they were abroad: I wish more than ever, I was able in some manner to return an equivalent for all the kindness I have received at your hands. It may perhaps at least please you to learn that your bringing me over here [United States] has helped me in finding a way to provide for my sons, and to continue their education. I have been teaching here privately during the winter, and if it was not for some necessary arrangements I have to make in Germany I should remain. 82 Once settled in the newly renovated Chateau sur Mer, 1884 correspondence documents a search for Newport tutors for the children. In compliance with your request wrote T.W. Tilton of Jamestown, I suggest a Miss Elizabeth H. Swinburne I will also suggest the name of Miss Ciratelle Hall, a graduate of Rogers School and of the State Normal School. Another letter indicates that qualified teachers also actively sought private employment. The writer hopefully stated, I am not aware if you have now a French teacher for your so interesting children but allow me to tell you that my own sister who left her school in Paris last year should like very much to tutor in French Besides the children s tutors, the Wetmores now employed an in-house staff of fifteen servants, according to the 1880 Newport census, half of which were Irish. They also hired staff directly from England. Mr. T.C. Watkins wrote to Sherlock & Sons, Customs, American, Passenger and Forwarding Agents in London, September 6, 1883: 80 RIHS, Mss 798 Box Ibid. 82 RIHS, Mss 798 Box Ibid. 23

26 I have engaged a footman, George Sampson, for Mr. Wetmore subject to his character being satisfactory which I have no fear of being otherwise. He will be ready to go to the United States next Wednesday. Will you kindly advise me if you want him & forward his baggage before his arrival or take it with him on Tuesday. He will want some cash advanced him; which I was informed from Mr. Wetmore you will advance to him. I have informed him of this arrangement. 84 Such arrangements were not always successful. The following March 1 Sherlock wrote, I am sorry the footman turned out so badly, and that he omitted delivering my letter to you respecting the advance I had made him, and I am sorry you blame us for advancing. 85 The Wetmore s gardener, Robert Christie, who lived in the gatehouse with his family, acted in a supervisory capacity with some staff, according to a letter he wrote to Wetmore in 1884 regarding dismissal of an employee. John Hall had contested his discharge: When Christie s son came in to hunt up insects he would ventilate to suit his own comfort and the result was mildew & of course I had to put up with all the blame.... Christie responded, I would state that John Hall was discharged for sufficient reasons after due consideration I respectfully decline to give him a recommendation or to suggest one. 86 Although the Wetmore s staff was half of that employed by the Vanderbilt families, it did not diminish the impact of dealing with what wealthy families referred to as the servant problem. One passion Wetmore played out at Chateau sur Mer was a devotion to horsemanship and coaching. As a member of the Gentleman s Riding Club of New York and a member of the American Hackney Horse Association for Breeding, he placed orders for horse harnesses from Gordon & Company in London in 1884, and for Coachman coats from Landon Company in London in However, it appears he chose American stock for his stables. As president of the National Horse Show Association, he entertained an offer for ten horses from their stock in The Rhode Island that the Wetmore family returned to from Europe in the 1880s was enjoying a boom of industrialization and urbanization. New jobs drew scores of immigrants and diversity into the state s population, and higher education and public service institutions were rapidly developing. An emerging new middle class was taking root. The Republican Party, controlled by elite interests, dominated Rhode Island politics. Meanwhile, Newport was transforming from a quiet summer colony into a Gilded Age showplace. 88 It is unknown what motivation drew Wetmore into public life, but with the general 84 RIHS, Mss 798 Box 2 85 RIHS, Mss 798 Box 3 86 Ibid. 87 RIHS, Mss 798 Boxes 4 and

27 populace and high society on the wings of change, he strove to balance his political concerns between the dichotomous spectrums of the Gilded Age. 25

28 His Excellence the Governor Wetmore formally entered politics when he was appointed a presidential elector in 1880 casting his vote for Republican Garfield in a close run against Democrat opponent Hancock. He served as elector again in 1884, in another close election between Democrat Cleveland and Republican Blaine. At the time, Wetmore was also president of the Newport Blaine and Logan Campaign Club. On March 19, 1885, he was nominated the Republican candidate for Governor of Rhode Island: Sir, The Republican Convention this day assembled in the City of Providence, by acclimation unanimously nominated you as their Candidate for the office of Governor of the State of Rhode Island, and instructed their Committee to inform you of their action. Trusting that you will accept the nomination thus made by your fellow citizens, we have the honor to be, Very Respectfully, Nathan F. Dixon John P. Sanborne Ellery H. Wilson Samuel Thayer George Peabody Wetmore responded on March 20, 1885: I accept the nomination, deeply sensible, I trust, of the responsibilities involved and should I [be] elected, it will be my honest endeavor, God willing, to discharge the duties of the office for the good of the people and of the State. Permit me also, to express my appreciation of the honor conferred upon me by the Convention & believe me, Very respectfully yours, George Peabody Wetmore 89 [Exhibit XII] Frank Harris, who attended the Republican Convention, wrote to Wetmore describing a mood of entire harmony & unanimity and enthusiasm over the nomination. Alfred Williams, Editor of The Providence Journal, wrote a glowing endorsement on March 20, 1885: Mr. Wetmore of Newport, the nominee for Governor, a gentleman who is a Rhode Islander by birth, a person of culture and experience in life, public and private, will do honor to the position. Mr. Wetmore is a Republican, he is therefore in the proper as in the patriotic sense a party man; but his is something more than this. He is one who will not allow his judgment to be blinded as regards important questions by mere names. The general welfare of the State will be his study, as he is fully qualified to understand that which it requires. 90 Five days later the new candidate for Governor addressed the concerns of a less confident Charles F. Fayerweather, representative of a Black Delegation in Newport. In a letter of March 25, 1885, Fayerweather called for a candidate who was ready and willing to favor a recognition of competent and 89 RIHS, Mss 798 Box John Hay Library. Brown University, RB1640, Alfred Williams. 26

29 worthy colored men in cases that may come before them officially, to the end of breaking down the color line in politics, a line that has prevailed up to the present time.... Wetmore responded, my personal belief is & always has been, that to the colored man belongs & should be given every right & privilege in an equal degree with the white man. 91 Although the Republicans held a stronghold in the state, internal party division, and the strengthening of Irish Catholic Democrat and minority interest, would pose a strong challenge to their leadership by the end of the century. 92 On the morning of April 1, 1885, Wetmore sent a telegraph from Newport to Edith at 244 Madison Avenue in New York City: Large majority in Newport rest of State appears to be all right. On the morning of April 2, 1885, he received a telegraph in Providence from New York: Best Congratulations from Maude Billy & Tots [Rogers]. Countless congratulations poured in upon his election, but perhaps the most intimate were from Newport friends Isaac Bell and David King. Bell wrote, I am sorry that I can not be present at your Inauguration to show my allegiance to the new Governor When do you expect to be in N.Y. as I want to see you before I leave and we can crack a bottle to auld lang syne when we were both on the outside of politics (Wetmore and Bell were convivial wine connoisseurs and purchased together in France, per divided invoices in Wetmore s wine scrapbook). 93 David King remarked, I don t know how much power you have, but I feel that if they elect men such as yourself to office, & they will serve, the country is safe. I hope it may be a stepping stone in this direction & that not long you may have an official residence here [Washington DC]. 94 [Exhibit XIII] The Wetmores continued to enjoy a warm relationship with Stephen C. Williams. His wife wrote to Edith in Newport after the Inauguration wondering How do you feel as Gov s lady? : I hope we will get a Newport paper of the reception. Our paper said 3000 persons were there. You in grand toilette, George in evening dress & the staff in uniforms. I do hope the children save it all and that they did not go wild over it I mean Maude and Willy. What did they say when the troops passed in review before the Gov. & he saluted them? I hear some lady in the procession presented George with a bouquet and he received it most gracefully. I do not know if you can speak to us humble mortals after all the honors you have received. 95 [Exhibit XIV] The Newport Daily News reported on the Inauguration celebration in Newport on May 27, 1885, as being the best that Newport has enjoyed for many years. The new Governor arrived by boat from 91 RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box Ibid. 27

30 Providence the evening before and was met on the wharf by well-wishing crowds, the Newport Artillery and Light Infantry, and the Newport Band. On election day a gala procession moved through town: After the Artillery had fired the usual salute on Shepard Avenue, at the end of the parade the line reformed and marched through the Governor s grounds, passing the governor and the staff at the house. The head of the line just appeared on the avenue through the north gate as he last of the Providence Light Infantry entered through the south gate. When Wetmore took office as Governor in 1885 he inherited a potent issue; prohibition. Soon he was engaged in the throes of a turmoil over resolution # 27 that passed the General Assembly session of January 1884, proposing a prohibition amendment to the State Constitution. In the January 1886 session of the General Assembly Public Law # 550 was: An Act to Approve and Publish and Submit to the Electors a Proposition of Amendment to the Constitution of this State - Article V - The manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors to be used as a beverage are prohibited. The General Assembly shall have full power to provide by law for carrying this article into effect. 96 The Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General appointed electors to count ballots on the vote the first Wednesday of April By March of 1886, the Governor was clearly under pressure from the Rhode Island Women s Christian Temperance Union [WCTU]. WCTU wrote in April 1886: We ve been informed that the final count of votes for the Prohibitory Amendment is to be made next Saturday. The letter continued with a lengthy accusation of political corruption and bribery within the system that could inhibit passage of the amendment. The author concluded, Those statesmen who prove that they are on our side and work for right will gain our appreciation while those who seek to prevent right, must sooner or later meet defeat and denunciation. The self righteous and derogatory tone of the letter inspired an angry retort from the Governor, who demanded and received an apology from the WCTU. Permit me here to say we regret very much the unhappy circumstance of the letter sent thee by the secretary of that Union. It caused her much suffering we did believe you would be very charitable toward her and understand our mortification. 98 The opposition imposed equal pressure. Five Rhode Island brewers filed a bill of complaint to the State of Rhode Island Supreme Court; James Hanley et al vs. George Peabody Wetmore, et als. On May 21, 1886, the amended Bill of Complaint outlined the grounds of the Complaintants as the resulting destruction of viable enterprises, and the legality of the method of ballot counting by state electors. In 96 State of Rhode Island Archives. reference@sec.state.ri.us 97 Brown University. John Hay Library, Rider Coll. Box 439 No RIHS, Mss 798 Box 9. 28

31 stating their case they declared that all Complaintants were legally engaged in business for ten years, and that they were the owners of property of great value the value and use of which is greatly deprecated and injured by the Amendment to the Constitution of this State. Furthermore, they contested the legality of the ballot counting because no records were kept documenting the persons voting on the amendment: there neither is or has been any record kept whereby it could be determined what or how many person voted on said proposed amendment ballots were found for and against said proposed amendment mixed and confused with ballots for and against another proposed amendment. They claimed there were enough missing ballots to change the outcome. 99 In the closing arguments Wetmore filed a motion to have the bill dismissed as the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction over him as Governor. 100 Wetmore also had a personal dilemma to deal with. In October of 1866 Purdy & Nicholas of New York wrote to the Governor regarding their liquor holdings for him: We would like to call your attention to 9 demijohns of whiskey and 21 cases of Chateau latour 78 belonging to you, and which we have had in our cellars for a very considerable time - we should fell obliged if you would write us giving instructions as to its disposal. Wetmore responded, I should be obliged of your keeping them for me for the present. 101 Article V wasn t annulled until the January 1889 session of the General Assembly. Prior to his re-election as Governor in 1886 Wetmore faced a scathing news campaign from The Providence Journal that drew attention along the eastern seaboard. The Boston Journal remarked, its editors have allowed their criticism so extravagant and their statements of existing faults so grossly exaggerated that they have lost chart and compass.... The allegations were that Governor Wetmore as a candidate had contributed from his wealth freely toward the payment of registry taxes and, that he has paid or will pay an assessment toward the expenses of the campaign. Rhode Island can t produce a Governor who distinguishes himself, accused The Providence Journal. The Philadelphia Press reported that [a] faction of the Republican party has become dissatisfied and is openly seeking to defeat the Republican ticket. The Press identified the underlying reasons as the adoption of the prohibitory constitutional amendment and the establishment of a State constabulary for its enforcement. 102 Nonetheless, Alfred Williams reported in The Providence Journal on March 26, 1886, that, The 99 Brown University. John Hay Library, Rider Coll, Box 439 No Ibid. Box 266 No RIHS, Mss 798 Box Brown University. John Hay Library, RB 1641,

32 Republican State Convention has performed its work. It renominated Governor Wetmore and his tried and capable associates on the State ticket with entire unanimity. On April 6, 1886, Williams commented favorably on the re-election: The result of the election in the State is the success of the Republican party, the re-election of Governor Wetmore by majorities indicative not only of the soundness and strength of the Republican party, but the approval by the citizens of worthy and faithful service. The political arena during Wetmore s tenures as Governor was a Republican state machine that in almost all respects functioned like the Tammany type urban machines prevalent in most large American cities in the period. The controlling figure in Rhode Island was General Charles Brayton, High Sheriff of Providence County. Brayton was backed by the wealthy and elite Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, who enjoyed such prominence he was known as the general manager of the United States. Wetmore was defeated for a third term as Governor by John W. Davis, although he received a greater number of votes than in the previous two elections The Newport Herald,12 September Former Senator Wetmore Dead. 30

33 The Family Enters Public Life When Wetmore was elected Governor a diligent search for rental property in Providence led to a house at the corner of Benefit and John streets. 104 Although it was not uncommon in the era for the affluent to have multiple residences, the Wetmores juggled many temporary residences during his political career; all complicated by acquiring appropriate furnishings, and organizing sufficient staff to meet their needs location to location. Over the years, the Wetmores occupied a variety of residences in New York City, and it is unclear which were owned or leased. However, they did lease out a New York property during the terms as Governor, according to personal correspondence between Edith Wetmore and a future tenant in The same year they also leased their Metropolitan Opera box to William Jay for the season. 106 The family commuted between Benefit Street in Providence and Chateau sur Mer, and it appears that some entertaining of political nature took place in Newport. In June of 1885 Secretary of the Navy W. C. Whitney wrote regarding an invitation extended to President Grant: I fear that the absorbing nature of the President s duties will prevent his getting away even though he might have it in mind to do so. 107 It appears that small scale private affairs comprised the Wetmore s entertaining during these years because other than the gala public reception of May 1885 no other reports of grand parties or receptions were among the Wetmore papers archived at The Rhode Island Historical Society. In an oral history interview with Kathleen Wood, whose uncle, James Hook, was Chauffeur for Edith Wetmore for 35 years, she mentioned that political rallies were once held in a large room on the third floor over the garage RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box PSNC Archives. PSNC.10867a, interview synopsis. 25 August

34 The Business of Power and Privilege Governor Wetmore held board memberships with those in his social circle, and a sense of the nature of high society business dealings of the era is evident in a letter from W.K. Vanderbilt to Wetmore on October 21, 1884: My Dear Wetmore, Jay, yourself, ourself were appointed a committee to select a President the N.Y. Cab Company as Bronson did not wish to keep the position there being it is a great deal of work. I have talked with Jay, Bronson & Ryerson and they all agree that James Burkard would answer the purpose, and I write to ask if he would be agreeable to you. William Jay communicated with Wetmore regarding the matter: My Dear Mr. Wetmore, I went to the Downtown Club at 12:30 thinking we had an engagement to lunch with Bronson. It did not matter, however I think it important without committing ourselves we should find out from Jimmy Lawrence whether he [Burkard] will accept the position & whether he can accept it. If he finds that he can we had better report his name We saw Vanderbilt at the opera & I think he will concur in anything we decide upon. 109 The Governor was also occupied with Newport interests, indicated by a dispute over the Newport Reading Room charter. Since his father was appointed first Chairman of the Reading Room, Wetmore believed maintaining authority was particularly important. In a telegraph to W. Boerm Wetmore at 15 Waverly Place in New York he warned, If approached to sign a paper in regard to Newport Reading Room please do not commit yourself until after I have seen you. 110 As custodian of the family s wealth, Governor Wetmore devoted considerable time to his investments, corresponding regularly with his personal secretary W.O. Platt at 59 Pine Street and 56 Wall Street offices in New York. Besides stock holdings in rail and transportation, it appears he was an active investor in New York real estate. Platt wrote Wetmore on February 8, 1886 regarding the sale of 54 Wall Street: Mr. Neilson whom I met on the train this morning seemed to be highly delighted at the high price No 54 Wall St. brought at auction and said he considered it made their No 58 worth fully $200,000, but later on in discussing the matter he said if he had known in advance how the sale was going to result he would have put up No 58 at the same time and that it would have brought $175,000 as readily as No 54 brought $390, ($7 mm in today s dollars) [Exhibit XV] 109 RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box 8. 32

35 In March of 1886 Platt also corresponded with the Governor regarding a pending lawsuit over a property at 19 Washington Square; a rental property he sold for $52,000.00, and apparently the buyers defaulted. Platt consulted with Mr. Williams in both of these dealings, and with Mr. Mann as legal counsel for Washington. William S. Wetmore s appointed guardians remained loyal and respected advisors to the Governor twenty-five years hence. 33

36 Social and Personal Obligations Wetmore s first term as Governor was marked with sadness due to his sister s death in February of But according to socialite Ward McAllister, social responsibilities prevailed nonetheless. Wetmore became engaged in a constrained spar with McAllister over an upcoming social event, the Patriarch s Ball, indicating the gravity of high society rituals. In a letter of October 23, 1884, McAllister solicited Wetmore for his annual subscription fee of $125.00, entitling him to invite besides his family five ladies and five gentlemen. Because of his sister s recent death, Wetmore requested a leave of absence from the festivities that year. McAllister responded, I have your favor of 28th October last and interpret it to mean that you wish to resign from The Patriarchs. He continued that he regretted to loose so prominent and distinguished a man, but assured that it wasn t a problem because we have a long list of applicants for admission. Wetmore replied to McAllister on October 30, 1884: Your favor of yesterday acknowledges the receipt of my letter of the 28th in answer to yours of the 23rd had just reached me. By kindly referring to my letter you will find that its language is not ambiguous & therefore not subject to interpretation. My letter states, in effect, that I desire to be placed on the retired list, if there is such a thing (my reason being that I am not going out this season owing to my sister s death) and if there is not such a provision, that then I will subscribe as usual. Enclosed you will therefore find my check to your order for my subscription for $ McAllister to Wetmore, October 31, 1884: I am afraid you have misunderstood my letter! I trust it was not in any way discourteous for it was far from my thoughts to say anything of that nature to one whom I esteem & respect as much as I do you!...i have not your note to refer to. I understood clearly that you wished to be placed on the retired list. That s not to subscribe to the Patriarchs this winter (the reason I know was that you were in mourning). We have no retired list. The fifty subscriptions must be had to give the Ball. 112 Wetmore telegraphed McAllister on November 1, I will retain place. Wetmore followed in his father s footsteps in matters of personal generosity, particularly when it came to assisting family. Salome S. Wetmore, a granddaughter of Seth Wetmore by his second marriage, asked for financial assistance from her cousin on April 15, Salome was dependent on receiving funds from her brother Shepard, who was in China, and she had not received. Poor health required her to move from Cleveland, Ohio to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, taxing her meager resources. Wetmore responded, sending a check for $100.00, and later another for $ When financial hardship befell another cousin s son, William Cryder, Wetmore worked tirelessly toward securing him a government position in the Department of Agriculture. Cryder wrote on December 16, 1912, I cannot, however, allow you to 112 RIHS, Mss 798 Box 4. 34

37 retire without my heartfelt thanks for what you have done for me in every way; I trust the future may give you long life and happiness. 113 There is also record of a loan to an employee, and on several occasions, when Governor, he plied the aforementioned S.S. Vars with unidentified sums RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box 9 35

38 Mr. Senator In July of 1888 United States passports were issued for Wetmore, his wife Edith, and their children; Edith, Maude, and Rodgers, and two maid servants. However, the political situation at home was on Wetmore s mind during the family European sabbatical. While abroad he sought the council of Whitelaw Ried of the Legation des Etats--Unis d Amerique, regarding continuing problems with the press. On July 30, 1889, Reid wrote formal introductions for Wetmore in similar letters to William Henry Smith, General Manager of the Associated Press in New York, and to Charles A. Dana, Editor of the New York Sun: My Dear Mr. Smith, This note will be handed to you by Governor George Peabody Wetmore, of Rhode Island, of whose personal and political standing you are already fully advised. Governor Wetmore, like so many stanch republicans in Rhode Island is dissatisfied with the journalistic situation in that State, since the defection of Senator Anthony s old paper in Providence. He may want advice in newspaper matters from you. If he does, I beg you to place all your information, and best judgment at his disposal. 115 As a Senatorial candidate in the 1889 election, and while still in Europe, Wetmore was defeated on the eighth ballot by Nathan Dixon. 116 Five years later, on February 27, 1894, the Republican State Central Committee unanimously resolved to again seek the candidacy of Wetmore for the office of United States Senator. Now, the former Governor began to question the merit versus the strain of political life. March 1, 1894, he wrote two letters to the special committee that presented him with the candidacy. One letter rejected the candidacy due to the peculiar complication of circumstances existing at this time. The other letter accepted the candidacy: Believing that there is a desire on the part of the people for my candidacy. 117 [Exhibit XVI] Wetmore may have doubted the fractioned Republican Party s confidence in him, particularly after his defeat in the last election. The peculiar circumstance was likely the withdrawal of Mr. Roehler as the Republican candidate prior to the committee s recent offer to him. Considering Wetmore s financial position and his community and social standing, he clearly had liberty to make a choice without consequences. His acceptance suggests that Wetmore s priority was confidence in the people over confidence in his party. The strength of party dissent was insinuated in a note from a friend, Jonathan 115 RIHS, Mss 798 Box The Newport Herald, 12 September RIHS, Mss Box

39 Chase, which stated; I have met one or two persons who are our friends (since I was up at headquarters) who think a more liberal policy is needed [I] pass it on for what it is worth. 118 On June 12, 1894, Wetmore was elected to the United States Senate, having received all the votes of the General Assembly. A nomination speech by Mr. Sheffield stated: the people of the state had supported his candidacy [Wetmore s] by giving the party one of the greatest victories in the history of the politics of the state, showing the appreciation of his candidacy by the people. 119 Edith Wetmore corresponded with Washington D.C. the following day regarding rental of a house. 120 Rather than celebrating the inauguration at Chateau sur Mer, a reception was held at Hartman s which was reported in the Providence Journal: [It was] a quiet, modest affair, and all the Assemblymen, with a few hungry and thirsty outsiders, embraced the opportunity to pay their respects to the Hon. Mr. Wetmore, and incidentally to sip a glass of extra dry and smoke an imported cigar of choice variety. It was definitely established that a majority of the published articles regarding his reception have been base and ignoble slanders, because, while dress suites were not conspicuous, it is reported that everybody wore collars and cuffs and there was not a pair of gunny bag pants in sight. Mr. Wetmore was assisted in receiving by a number of officials and the callers included many prominent men from various parts of the state. The article concluded with a commentary on a dinner the evening before: There was a good deal in this dinner to those familiar with the travel of political matters during the past six years from the time when Mr. Wetmore s Senatorial aspirations were leveled to the dust with the campaign of his opponent in charge of Gen Brayton. It was a trifle more than an acknowledgement of the abilities of the recipient as a campaign manager as exemplified last April Ibid. 119 Newport Daily News, 12 June RIHS, Mss 798 Box 9 & The Providence Journal, 14 June

40 As Senator, Wetmore was never known for his oratory skills, but distinguished himself as a member of the committee of appropriations [where] he became a power, trusted by his colleagues, who confided in his judgment and his character. This committee membership was quite a distinction. According to Robert Weibe in the Search for Order , a primary responsibility of the national government toward the end of the century was gathering income and appropriating funds. 122 Senator Wetmore was also noted for his individuality as he went about business at the Capitol; It was said of him that he habitually wore a short jacket and a plug hat [t]he only other prominent public man in Washington who even dared to violate the conventionalities during that period was the late Secretary of State, John Hay. 123 Wetmore easily won re-election in 1900, but he endured a bitter contest for the candidacy in the General Assembly in The struggle ran throughout the entire season and the General Assembly adjourned without making a decision, leaving Rhode Island without full representation in the United States Senate for a year. Edith wrote to her mother from San Francisco: Mr. R tells me that a newspaper man says that a republican has been elected in RI and it isn t Papa, but he was unable to find out who it was. I am hoping there is some mistake, as from your letters I don t see how it can have been settled yet. You certainly have had a hard time of it. 124 In January of 1908 Wetmore finally defeated his opponent Goddard by thirty-two votes. The Senator received a congratulatory note from Mr. A.H. Dadman on January 24th extending his hearty congratulations at the outcome of a long and trying campaign. 125 Wetmore served as Senator until 1913 when he formally retired from politics. According to his obituary in the Providence Journal on September 12, 1921, The break in Mr. Wetmore s service in the Senate cost him his seniority rights and important committee chairmanships, of which there were many. [Exhibit XVII] A letter that Mrs. Wetmore received from the Library of Congress Division of Manuscripts following her husband s death thanked her for a proposed contribution of his maps of the District of Columbia and his public papers: The Commission of Fine Arts will appreciate your kindness and will measure them both for their own sake and also as a memento to Senator Wetmore, to whom so largely the Commission owes its existence His interest in the Senate were so wide that his papers will be both valuable and interesting Robert Weibe, (New York: Hill and Wang, 1976) The Providence Journal, 21 September RIHS, Mss 798 Box Ibid. 126 RIHS, Mss 1078 Box 1 Folder

41 Family Life on Capitol Hill Correspondence between the Senator and his secretary W.O. Platt in New York indicate that the Wetmore s leased a home in Washington D.C. at 1609 K Street. 127 However, the Wetmores did purchase a lot in Washington D.C. with intent to build. In a 1916 letter to Wetmore from his cousin Martha Codman (daughter of Anstiss sister Martha) she regretted that, I often look at your lot of lawn and wish I could see a house building. 128 It is unknown why the Wetmore s retained the property after retiring from politics, but it does suggest a continuing prominent role in Washington D.C. society in some form. As Senator Wetmore tended to business in the Capitol his family again traveled Europe in In two letters from Paris Edith wrote to her husband for advice on declaring her purchases upon returning to the United States. I only have about twenty-five trunks, she reported. Her niece Sybil was traveling with them and Edith confided that she was happy to get to know her better, but regretted that, she does so care for admiration & flattery which to me in a woman is rather unfortunate for her. Her letters suggest a conservative bent. Upon selling some silver, Wetmore gave his wife the proceeds to reinvest. She apologized that, [I] cannot find something to invest the money you sent me, but I have seen nothing I have cared for except things much beyond our purse. However, she did purchase, all my curtains for the first floor and I have ordered 20 chairs and a buffet for the dining room but it will have to follow us as they won t be ready. Presumably, these new furnishings were for the Washington D.C. house. Another concern involved the hiring of a cook, Sarah. I have written Mrs. Carry to get me a cook if Sarah still won t come to run the house for me for ten days so that I can get things going properly. Receiving a negative reply from Mrs. Carry, Edith wrote, I don t understand as I offered her even more wages. I think it silly to have a man, for we won t entertain and really I would prefer a plain cook, better for our digestion, she added. Edith was also happy that her husband had sold Pippard, remarking that they needed no livery at all now, which is a comfort. Concern over expenses may have been due to the economic contraction between December of 1885 and June of 1897, or perhaps by nature, the Wetmores watched every penny. Anticipating the return to the States and setting up house in Washington D.C. she remarked, I do hope Congress will get through before we arrive. I think they are acting more like fools 127 RIHS, Mss 798, Box RIHs, Mss 798, box

42 than ever. What will the country come to? Maude and I read with interest but we want you to explain things. 129 [Exhibit XVIII] Daughters Edith and Maude both traveled independently in Europe during the family s tenure in Washington D.C., but despite their frequent absences, Maude fondly recalled the Washington D.C. years during an interview years later, commenting that it enhanced their education: Important political events were discussed at the table and Miss Wetmore and her sister, Miss Edith, were at a youthful age conversant with the workings of government and were amazed to find that otherwise well informed persons were woefully ignorant of this important matter. 130 It appears the Wetmore dinner table was a family forum rather than a stage for stuffy rituals. Family tradition continued after the Senator s retirement according to a letter from Martha Codman, lodged in Newport in March of 1920 stating you can t think how pleased I am at the cheerful prospect of politics! I had no opportunity to talk to you about the subject the other day. 131 Senator Wetmore enjoyed a personal relationship with Secretary of War and future President William Howard Taft, according to a letter of June 10, 1905, regarding Wetmore s son Rogers upcoming trip to the Far East. Taft agreed to meet Rogers and a friend in San Francisco where they planned to embark on the trip; They will probably leave your party on your return, in Japan somewhere & proceed home by way of China, India and the Suez Canal to Europe. I wish to renew my thanks for letting my son accompany you.... Taft responded that he was pleased to also know that you are going to give them the benefit of a trip to Europe and a glimpse of India. 132 Rogers was twenty-three at the time. Unfortunately Rogers succumbed to a long illness on April 26, 1917, in Washington D.C. There was no mention of the nature of his illness or a profession in his obituary RIHS, Mss 798, Box RIHS, Mss 798, Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box The Newport Daily News, 27 April

43 Continuing Stewardship Beginning in the early 1900s and continuing until his death in 1921 Wetmore engaged in avid pursuit of his family heritage, and the material objects of past generations. The result of his thorough and diligent compilation of his mother s family genealogy was the publication of the Pickman family history by his daughters Edith and Maude following his death. 134 It appears that his research was initiated by the acquisition of two Copley portraits of Colonel and Mrs. Benjamin Pickman in The portraits were sold by a relative, Mrs. Theodore F. Dwight, and the Senator negotiated price with a gentleman named Robert Gardner in Boston. Upon examining the portraits at the Boston Museum of Art, he reported that he did not find the quality or condition as good as other Copley portraits, and countered the $10, asking price with an offer of $6, Ultimately, he purchased the portraits for $7,000.00, in sympathy with Mrs. Dwight s poor financial condition. The Senator then inquired about the availability of Mrs. Dwight s family silver, which she declined to sell. 135 Research into his father s heritage led to the acquisition of bound and interleaved Almanacs of William Wetmore of Salem, Massachusetts, Wetmore purchased the almanacs from Messrs. C.F. Libbie and Company of Boston in 1906, which he later made available to the Essex Institute in Salem for making abstracts. 136 William Wetmore, native of Middletown Connecticut, was a Harvard College graduate (1770) who settled in Salem where he practiced law. Later he became a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Boston and a founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 137 The almanac was an important Revolutionary War document. The Senator also corresponded with Katherine Hubbard of Middletown, Connecticut, and Mrs. Gray of St. Albans, Vermont, regarding an evaluation of family graves. He eventually took on the restoration and custodianship of these cemetery plots. In 1919 Wetmore pursued acquiring the Wetmore family home, Walnut Grove, in Middletown, Connecticut. Although he actively pursued purchasing the property, the expense and upkeep dissuaded him from finalizing a purchase. Wetmore s passion for procuring family heirlooms took on a great sense of purpose in league with his cousin Martha Codman. Some original acquisitions were from a distant relative in Nova Scotia, Anstiss P. Robertson. Due to financial hardship, Mrs. Robertson initiated contact regarding selling some family 134 RIHS, Mss 1078 Box 1 Folder RIHS, Mss 798 Box Ibid. 137 The Essex Institute Historical Collections Vol. XLIII , 5. 41

44 silver table service, a George Washington commemorative gold metal, and a Pickman family bible. 138 [Exhibit XIX] Thereafter, between 1918 and 1920, Wetmore and Codman were in hot pursuit of family heirlooms in the clutches of a relative, Roger Derby. Although Codman hastened to send Derby s address to Wetmore, it wasn t soon enough. What a horrid beast that Roger Derby is! wrote Codman in April of [he was] always noted for his great peculiarities - he is a giant too, she added. Codman continued, The Tankard turned out to be a beautiful little urn & he sold it to a dealer! They did manage to acquire a clock from Derby the following October. Codman wrote, I enclose the bill - quite complete it is not! Only R.D. seems to have got his ancestors a bit mixed. I think we have bought Richard s clock instead of E.H.D. s (Elias Haskett Derby). The Dwight family again came into the picture upon the untimely and sudden death of her son Lawrence in Europe. The son had been in possession of the Pickman family silver and bible. Before his trip to Europe, he drew up a will leaving his estate and personal effects to his fiancée, Miss Harriet Armory. Unfortunately, Armory felt no need to part with the objects Codman and Wetmore sought. What a pity it is about the Pickman things going out of the family, Codman bemoaned as she planned various strategies to acquire the heirlooms. I firmly believe that Harriet A. would be alright if it were not for her mother. She is a sweet, adorable girl and I fancy very much under the thumb of a stern parent. One look at the parent would be enough to convince you!!! 139 [Exhibit XX] Upon the death of Edith M.K. Wetmore, her will bequeathed the Copley portraits and the Pickman silver to Yale University with $5, toward their care and maintenance. 138 RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss, 798 Box

45 On Behalf of Newport Wetmore took an active role in several important development projects in Newport; fundraising for a new Women s and Children s ward at Newport Hospital, fundraising and plan development for the Newport Army & Navy YMCA, land acquisition and plan development for the beautification of Bath Road, and fundraising and consultation on the development of Market Square and the Jamestown Ferry. Wetmore s efforts for the Women s & Children s ward at the Newport Hospital included soliciting a generous gift form Frederick Vanderbilt, which secured the completion of the wing. The Senator was especially dedicated to the Army-Navy YMCA, gift form Mrs. Emery who chose to remain an anonymous donor. YMCA s national president, W.B. Millar, visited Wetmore in Washington D.C. in 1909, and Wetmore arranged for Millar to meet with President Taft in They both actively solicited Taft to officiate at the ceremonies for the laying of the cornerstone. Wetmore contributed $5, to furnishing the new building, reading room and a library. Edith personally outfitted six YMCA rooms. Together they arranged to have commemorative plaques cast for the new building in honor of Major General William Shepard, and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Keteltas, representing their Revolutionary War heritages. Unfortunately, both President Taft and Senator Wetmore were engaged in Panamanian business at the time of the dedication. 140 Before completion of the YMCA building, Wetmore entertained initiating a widening and beautification of Bath Road in Newport. In September of 1910, he had dealings with Richard Derby of Newport concerning an option to purchase property in that regard. It will give me great pleasure to do anything in my power to bring about the widening that will be of such immense benefit to the community, remarked Derby. 141 Derby supplied an 1883 Frederick Law Olmsted plan for developing Easton s Beach, which outlined a vision shared by Wetmore: It was not fashion that first brought people of luxurious tastes, with means indulging them, to Newport. It was a satisfaction found in its air and scenery, and the same class of minds yielding to it, that yet retains for Newport so much larger a share of social advantage and of fashion than, with constantly increasing outlays and exertions, competing places of public resort are able to secure. 142 Inspired by a 1911 gift of land to Newport from Grace Rives, Wetmore purchased the Ladd Estate on Bath Road in 1912 to prevent its subdivision. In a letter to the Mayor on November 8, 1915, Wetmore suggested; Should the purchaser of the Crowninshield property be moved by a similar public 140 RIHS, Mss 798 Boxes14 & Ibid. 142 RIHS, Mss 798 Box

46 spirit it would be possible to widen Bath Road from Edgar Court to Rhode Island Avenue. Ultimately his vision for the road was a boulevard of great public usefulness and beauty.... In October of 1916, the Olmsted Brothers prepared a layout for Wetmore with design and specifications similar to New York Avenue in Washington D.C. 143 At the time, Wetmore had an established relationship with the Olmsted Brothers whom he engaged to develop the landscape at Chateau sur Mer in It was also likely that he interacted with the firm per development plans at the Capitol. Wetmore served on the Commission for the erection of statues and memorials and was influential in the beautification of the Capitol: his fine artistic taste is due much of the best of modern Washington. 145 Concurrent with the Olmsted commission at Chateau, plans were moving forward in Newport for the development of Market Square. The Senator became involved as a liaison between The Newport Improvement Association and the Olmsted Brothers, reviewing the drawings in Boston as they evolved. He also personally solicited contributions toward the project from Arthur James, Mrs. Frederick Vanderbilt, Mrs. John Nicholas Brown, E.J. Berwind, J.P. Gavettson, and F.S. Grand d Hauteville. 146 During Wetmore s terms in the Capitol he was influential and successful in promoting the development of the Naval Training Station and War College in Newport, and appropriating federal funds for a new Federal Post Office in Newport. The Newport Herald remarked upon his death on September 12, 1921, that, To many this will be regarded from now on as a monument to Mr. Wetmore, statesman and philanthropist. After honoring his accomplishments on behalf of Newport, The News-Newport acclaimed: His private charities were distributed without [ostentation], and few knew of their extent, yet many shared in the liberality of his gifts. 143 RIHS, Mss 798 Box Thomas Elmore, ASLA, Historic Landscape Research at Chateau sur Mer. (1992). 145 The News - Newport, 212 September 1921, Senator Wetmore Dead. 146 RIHS, Mss 798 Box

47 EDITH AND MAUDE WETMORE Passages In a letter from Edith to her father shortly after his election as Governor there is a sense of preparing for the inevitable changes the family faced with the advent of Wetmore s political career. Edith, age fifteen, wrote from the home of her Grandmother Keteltas: My dear Papa, I received yesterday your bonbonniere for I am sure that it was not Maude, Billy and Toutou [term of affection for Rodgers - to let oneself be led ] who sent it. It is perfectly lovely; I will use it later on for a work basket. Georgette & Sybil were delighted with their presents, they showed them to me yesterday when I took dinner with them. We went afterwards to see the triplets. Grandma is better tonight she sleeps nearly the whole time. Mlle Leclere, Miss Hobart & my music teacher think it perfectly dreadful that by your being Governor they won t give us lessons next year. Miss Hobart says that she will come every day at Providence to give lessons. Goodbye dear Papa. Your very affectionate daughter, Edith Wetmore. 147 As young adults Edith s and Maude s correspondence with their parents while on trips abroad hints at their personalities and comportment. Edith s salutation Dear Mamma, and her closing, Your affectionate daughter, are more formal and conservative than her sister s Dearest Mummy, and Lovingly always. Neither daughter appeared jaded by privilege. In 1901 Edith enjoyed an extended cruise aboard the S.Y. NAHMA of the New York Yacht Club along the Mediterranean coast. In a letter to her father she expressed the delight of an ingénue, rather than that of a worldly sophisticate accustomed to extravagance: When I got on board here I simply gasped, as I had no idea any yacht could be so beautifully fitted out. She described rooms so large and beautifully furnished you would never dream you were on a boat. Following a room by room account, and enthusing over every detail Edith concluded, Now I hope I have given you an idea of the luxury in which I find myself. 148 The entertainments during their journey were equally elaborate. From Cannes, on March 15, 1901, Edith wrote to her mother: I went to the Cercle Nautique last night & as most of the people were going powdered Mrs. G. said I must too, as it would look very well with my flowered silk dress. The girls had a splendid time as they sat around all the time I was doing my hair & Dagmar helped powder & was forever dabbing at me with a wet towel to get the powder away from my neck and ears. Then Mrs. Goelet insisted on my taking her best handkerchief & a Louis XVI ornament of hers & the whole party inspected me before I went off & said they approved, but personally I thought my hair badly done. It is evident that mother and daughter shared close confidence with one another. Relating a luncheon with her cousin Georgette in Cannes she exclaimed, Audrey looks awfully well & if it were not for that 147 RIHS, Mss 798 Box RIHS, Mss 798 Box

48 awful upper lip would be very handsome. (Audrey - Sybil s four-year-old daughter). 149 The yacht s large retinue of guests entertained and were entertained by an equally large corps of titled Europeans at luncheons and dinners along their route. After dinner one evening Edith danced with M. de Charette, the nephew of the General. I have seen him two or three times & he seems very nice. It appears a mission of the voyage was finding a suitable husband for Edith considering the caste with whom they commingled and Mrs. Geolet s tutlege. Private was the heading of another letter to her mother on march 31st: it is just possible someone may be paying you a visit or something & I do not want it read aloud to them though as far as the family is concerned ça m est indifferent seeing that every one on board has been taking great interest in my affairs & there is apparently nothing they do not know on the subject. This is all a preamble to tell you that your daughter if you please has had an offer, so please tell Rogers, he is always so snippy about me & my chances. It really has been too funny and I think it will amuse you. So to begin. The day I went to the races in Cannes a young man, Rene de Charette, the General s nephew was introduced by Mr. Riggs (so he is really responsible for the whole thing) & that evening he came to dinner as I think I wrote you, with some other men. Then he asked me to dance the Cotillion at the Cercle & from that moment they began to haze me on board & Mr. Weeks said that as a lawyer he would draw up the settlements & we all thought it was a great joke. [Exhibit XXI] At thirty-one Edith hadn t given up on her chances, although this was not a chance she chose to take. In a lengthy letter she described how de Charette did indeed actively pursue her hand telling Mr. Riggs that, from the first day he had seen [Edith], he had made up his mind he wanted to marry [her]. de Charette begged Riggs to arrange an appropriate meeting where ultimately Edith turned her suitor away: I told him it was ridiculous that he probably imagined I was an heiress He is quite nice looking & I think, one of a large family & little if any money I should think. I was dying to ask him his prospects. 150 None of the four Wetmore siblings married. Possibly, Rogers long illness inhibited the possibility of marriage. However, according to Howard Chudacoff in The Age of the Bachelor, by the late 18th and early 19th century bachelorhood no longer bore the negative stigma it once did. Cities became a haven for an emerging cult of the bachelor and by 1920, 38.1 percent of New York men were unmarried. The statistic was not bolstered by immigrant men because they were more likely to marry than native American men. Also at this time there was an excess of men and a shortage of women. 151 The bachelor, once sheltered in 149 RIHS, Mss 1078 (Children of Sybil K. Sherman Sellar). 150 RIHS, Mss 798 Box (1999) pp

49 the family fold, became an acceptable independent lifestyle in the early 1900s, a lifestyle that Rogers brother William chose to embrace. An unidentified newspaper clipping described his situation: William S.K. Wetmore, son of the former United States Senator and Governor of Rhode Island, and Frank E. Patten, an actor and foster son of Mrs. Waldo, mother of the former Police Commissioner, paid their last respects to their Newfoundland dog Don yesterday afternoon. They placed an expensive headstone on his grave on the Sir Roderick Cameron estate at Arrochar, Staten Island Patton, who has been in several Broadway shows, became a close companion of Wetmore while he was playing in a show house on Staten Island. Wetmore rented a big house on St. Paul s Avenue, Stapleton, three years ago, and since then he and Patten have kept bachelor quarters. 152 Spinsterhood remained a stigma for women. Whether Edith and Maude preferred a single life is unlikely. However, their station in a society that placed great value on making a proper match limited the available pool of acceptable husbands. Despite the fact that acquiring a husband with a title was very much in vogue, in the Wetmore sisters case the onus of responsibility as future stewards of the family fortune took precedence over pretense. A tone of discretion in their letters suggests it was quite unlikely they indulged in rash decisions, as was the case of de Carette, whom Edith discerned was seeking a free ride. Not all the sisters travel was pleasure oriented found Maude in Paris on a shopping trip. One letter home revealed her sentiments on being unattached: bought a wedding present for Mabel Simpkins, drat her! I am delighted, of course, that she is going to be married but having purchased for Louis & Alice Rattners I find I had enough of it for the moment. 153 Although Maude s objective in Paris was her mother s wardrobe, her father was in her thoughts: I am enclosing you some cards and photos Billy sent me as they may amuse Papa and give him something to stick in his scrapbook. Minding a conservative purse seemed a consistent Wetmore value: I got some lace for your side cloth, I really do not know if it will do but I think it quite pretty a metre, is that too much? The shopping excursions included a distressing trip to Worth s where she was challenged by Mr. Worth himself: when I told him you had limited me to 1,200 he simply would not hear of it, said you had always given more, his books showed it, you had never limited him, why should I... Maude concluded that I do not believe I shall bring you home a boa like Mrs. Lorrilard s. They are so expensive. Maude also declined a side trip to the 152 RIHS, Mss RIHS, Mss 798 Box

50 Loire to save on expenses and assured her mother that I will do my best where the customs house is concerned and certainly not declare one bit more than I can possibly have to. 154 By May 5, 1902, Maude was feeling the pressure of her return trip. In a letter to her sister she griped: I am perfectly furious with you! You tell me you are going to get me to order two dresses at Worth s, when it s the 5th of May, you know my plans Another concern in preparing for her departure was that her maid Emma, who was due to join her, was ill: The sad part is that I will not have Emma to help me. Maude was also responsible for transporting another maid home: I expect Emma here Monday morning and I do hope she will be much better. If she is, then the maid will sail for home on the 3rd by the French Line. Her name is Esther Troubat. She does not speak English, so she will have to be met. She seems to have a head on her shoulders, for coming up from Pau, I gave her the money, told her to buy the ticket, see about the luggage, I never lifted a small finger, and everything was properly done. [Exhibit XXII] 154 Ibid. 48

51 The Spinster Sisters of Chateau sur Mer During the decade of the 1920s Edith and Maude lost their father, a brother, and their mother. George Peabody Wetmore expired from a heart attack in Boston on June 12, William Shepard Keteltas Wetmore succumbed to pneumonia on January 26, 1925 at 630 Park Avenue in New York. According to his obituary he shared this residence with his mother and sisters (presumably in winter season) but of recent years he had lived chiefly on his farm at Montgomery, New York. 155 The obituary did not mention a profession. Edith M. K. Wetmore died in Paris on May 21, George Peabody Wetmore s will bequeathed his estate to his wife. In the event of her death it provided that Chateau sur Mer go to Edith and Maude with $200, placed in trust for its upkeep. The remaining estate was to be divided equally among his remaining children. A provision in the will stated: In case my son William S. K. Wetmore shall be living at the time for fixed division above, I give, devise and bequeath one of the shares mentioned above to the trustees hereinafter named in trust, nevertheless for the uses and purposes following: To invest and keep the same invested and to pay over the income thereof to my said son William S.K. Wetmore during the term of his natural life, and on death of my said son to transfer, convey and deliver and pay over the same as follows 156 The last provision provided for a wife, should William marry, and any issue but not more than $150, The trustees named were his daughters and they were appointed along with his wife as executors of his estate. Rogers Wetmore died intestate and his father testified that his personal estate did not exceed $1, It can be surmised that the Wetmore children lived on the income of the family wealth during their lifetimes. George Peabody Wetmore passed the stewardship of the family fortune to his daughters. Following their parents decease Edith and Maude had the good fortune of the ongoing loyalty of the former Senator s personal secretary, Henry A. Vale. Vale served as secretary for two Senators before coming to Wetmore s service in 1895, and remained through the Senator s retirement in Vale continued as Wetmore s personal secretary until his death, commuting between Newport and the Wetmore office in New York. Edith and Maude Wetmore retained Vale as their personal financial secretary until his death in Besides inheriting their father s wealth, the sisters were endowed with several large trust 155 The New York Times, 31 January Newport Rhode Island Probate Court, Vol 83, p

52 funds from their mother s estate. Thus enabled, the Wetmore sisters continued their lives as guardians of a legacy, not only of the family s wealth, but also of the Wetmore constitution. Comparing the two sisters, Edith was drawn to the arts and Maude into political involvement. Edith s favorite recreation became gardening; and Maude s, tennis, golf, and motoring. Neither lacked spirit. Edith was a member of the Newport Horticultural Society for over fifty years. She managed a staff of ten gardeners at Chateau sur Mer and grew prize winning specimens. 157 Maude was acclaimed for reviving an interest in golf in Newport and was noted as a challenger of Beatriz Hoyt, finishing as runner up in the 1898 championship at Ardsley, New York. 158 Later Maude s principal form of recreation became driving. An undated letter to Papa expressed her sense of adventure: It was lovely in the country on Sunday tho a bit hot. I came down from Maud Hoyts in 2.35 minutes, 73 miles, not bad considering that from Osswing down one has to take it carefully on account of the cops. So great was her delight in motoring that she thought nothing of driving to Cleveland, Ohio for a Republican Convention. 159 If Maude took to driving with a passion, Edith s sport was being driven. In her later years her chauffeur took her for a ride in her Rolls for an hour every afternoon. It was the highlight of her day. Edith s spunk was primarily delivered by her tart tongue. During the gasoline shortage of WW II, Edith was forced to use public transportation for the first time in her life. Escorted by her chauffeur she boarded a Fifth Avenue bus, and when asked for the fare she snapped, Go away little man, I have enough charities of my own. The Wetmore sisters rarely engaged in grand scale entertaining. The News-Newport reported on August 2, 1934 that Misses Edith and Maude Wetmore are having a garden party for 700 at Chateau sur Mer their villa, this afternoon it is the first party of its kind at that villa in 30 years. The News reported the next day that the last previous grand party at Chateau was in 1899 when the Senator and Mrs. Wetmore entertained Spanish War hero Admiral William Sampson. Coincidentally, the Wetmore sisters fete was in honor of Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves, Commander-in-Chief of a fleet of warships visiting Newport. 157 The News-Newport, Roses and Sweet Peas Please, 20 July Town and Country Life, No 3192, 20 July The Evening Bulletin Providence,2 July

53 In Her Father s Footsteps In a 1934 interview Maude reflected on Chateau sur Mer as the foundation where her apprenticeship in politics began: It s the only place I belong, my only home. It was here that she was introduced to political concerns, In 1884, thank you, when I was only a small girl. 160 She was eleven when her father became Governor. One of Maud s initiations in to active politics was as Chairman for the National League for Women s Service. Then in 1917, following the declaration of war against Germany, the National Council on Defense appointed a committee of women of national prominence to consider and advise how the assistance of the women of America may be available in the prosecution of war. 161 The Committee on Women s Defense Work was created; the first formal recognition of women in constructing a war machine. As Chairman for the National League for Women s Service, Maude Wetmore was appointed a committee member. The first official task of the Committee was issued by Herbert Hoover, then the National Food Administrator, to organize America s women in a nationwide food conservation campaign. Thus began an enduring relationship of mutual respect between Maude and Hoover. 162 Hoover wrote in 1931 from Stanford University: My dear Miss Wetmore, I could not leave the country without just saying that I do appreciate all these years of friendship from you. 163 Also during WW I, Maude was a member of both the National Patriotic Relief Committee, and the National Security League. Other involvement on a national level included acting as chairman for twenty years on the Women s Department of the National Civic Federation, chairing the Women s Organization for Prohibition Reform, and membership on the executive committee of the American Women s Association, Inc. Her friendship with Hoover may have propelled her toward active women s leadership in the Republican Party. Edith wrote to Hoover in 1956: Since the days that you were so kind as to ask my sister and me to dine with you when you retired and gave a charming dinner, I do not think that I have seen you. I know that Maude was devoted to you and I know that you really thought her a fine person. I would like to have the opportunity and pleasure of seeing you again and wonder, should you be free, could you come and either lunch or dine with me. Of course it would be a very, very small party as it is you I want to see. It would make me very happy remembering how very kind you were to Maude, and how much you really admired her. [Exhibit XXII] 160 The Evening Bulletin Providence, Miss Wetmore Advocates 15 August Ida Clyde Clarke, American women and the World War Chapter II. 162 Ibid. 163 RIHS, Mss 1078 Box 1. 51

54 Maude Wetmore became president of the Women s National Republican Club in New York City, a member of the Rhode Island and Newport County Women s Republican Club, and was appointed building committee chairman of the national GOP Club in New York to erect a new building at 51st Street. 164 An avid speech writer, she drove home her conservative Republican principles in opposing the New Deal: We believed the promises made to the people by the Democratic platform were honest had they been adhered to the president s promises would have been redeemed [yet] our citizens have become the creatures of government. Stripped of liberty and individual initiative their businesses are no longer controlled by themselves. Maude rebuked abolishing the gold standard, and threatened that unlimited government borrowing would exhaust the national wealth. She addressed the public: Can America be bought? The answer is decidedly no. She belongs to the people who have made her the only country in the world where the door of opportunity is wide open for any one to enter in; she does not belong to politicians and visionary professors who have seized upon the depression as a means to change our form of Government. [Exhibit XXIII] Although Maude hailed her country as the land of opportunity she also staunchly believed it should be made more difficult to become an American citizen. She declared each applicant should be thoroughly educated in the language, history and government before earning citizenship. 165 Like her grandfather, Maude was a proponent of cultural literacy. Maude died at Chateau sur Mer of a heart attack on November 3, 1951, well known in Rhode Island and New York for her spirited public career. 164 The Providence Journal, Maude Wetmore Dies 4 November The Evening Bulletin Providence, 15 August

55 The Immutable End of a Legacy Edith Wetmore was not the public figure that her sister was. However, she avidly supported many Newport interests and was an ardent collector of fine art and literature. Edith, as founder of the Newport Casino Theatre, attended weekly summer performances for thirty years, occupying a special reserved seat on opening nights. As a member of the Preservation Society of Newport County, she enthusiastically supported preserving Colonial architecture and contributed rare art objects for display at Hunter House. In this vein she became a charter member and president of the Old State House in Newport, Inc. and acted as chairman of the women s division of the Rhode Island Tercentenary celebration in Together Edith and Maude donated a new Seaman s Church Institute to Newport in memory of their parents. Edith possessed a remarkable book collection, and in 1954 she gifted the Providence Public Library 1,100 children s books spanning five centuries and twenty languages, which contained rare volumes and first editions. A later gift included 2,000 more books with fine printing and illustrations. She also gifted rare books to the People s Library in Newport, Yale University Library, and American Antiquarian Society of Worchester, Massachusetts, and the New York Public Library. Continuing family tradition established by her father, Edith retained lifetime ownership of Box 5 at the Metropolitan Opera. She carried on as a fellow in perpetuity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and as a member of the Colony Club in New York. Edith remained a stockholder of the New York Society Library, where her grandfather was distinguished as a founding member. Three oral history interviews draw a picture of Edith s twilight years in the 1950s s at Chateau sur Mer. Barbara Church s father John Cairns was the gardener and Barbara grew up in the caretaker cottage on the estate. Edith s volatile personality did cause discomfort with her staff. Wetmore calling Cairns a horse s ass led to a confrontation; thereafter she always referred to him as Mr. Cairns. Barbara s mother demanded the family leave Wetmore s employ after Edith lashed out over their daughters frolicking on the lawn, however somehow Cairns convinced Wetmore to evoke a peace treaty. Despite these episodes, Church described life on the whole at Chateau sur Mer as very agreeable. Her mother had liberty to renovate the cottage as she wished, turning it into a lovely home. She liked all the staff who were like family, according to Church. Wetmore hosted a staff party every year on her birthday, which she remembered as being a much anticipated and very special event. Nonetheless, the 53

56 familiarity was governed by formality. The Butler always wore tails, even when handing out Halloween candy to children, and Church was never allowed to approach the big house without changing into good clothes. 166 The Gardener Cairns and Chauffeur James Hook enjoyed a close relationship, according to an oral history interview with Hook s niece Kathleen Wood who spent summers at Chateau sur Mer. The Hooks lived over the garages in a substantial living space, and Hook had his own office. He was on call all day seven days a week and the Butler issued his assignments. Wood described co-mingling freely with the staff and enjoyed hanging-out in the kitchen. She remembered, after being formally introduced to Wetmore by her personal maid Cecile, that Wetmore was friendly but serious, and that she was a perfectionist. Wood remarked on the extensive vegetable garden and that everyone on the estate enjoyed fresh flowers and vegetables in abundance. Overall, Wood recalled her summers at Chateau sur Mer as though she was living a fairytale. 167 Patricia Murphy s mother Helen was Wetmore s personal nurse from 1951 until her death. Patricia often accompanied her mother to Chateau sur Mer, had tea with Wetmore, and went along on outings with the women. Murphy s oral history depicted Wetmore as stately, kind and proper. The house had an air of elegance and respect, she said, and she sensed a ghost of the past present. Murphy was impressed that Wetmore personally shopped for clothing and toys for children at an orphanage, and had her chauffeur deliver them personally. She remarked that Wetmore never sought recognition for her charitable ventures. Poor health prevented Wetmore from attending Murphy s wedding, but she insisted that the wedding photographs be taken at Chateau sur Mer. 168 As Wetmore s health failed her volatility was not held in check, according to a telephone interview with Helen Swistak, former part time night nurse for Edith. She remarked on the irony of serving critical needs in an inhospitable environment. According to Swistak, If she didn t like the looks of you on a given day she threw you out of the room and another was sent in. But keep in mind she was quite elderly at the time. Swistak recalled a somber order and firm adherence to protocol during the final Wetmore years at Chateau sur Mer. Henry the Butler was quite reserved, she never witnessed camaraderie among 166 Preservation Society of Newport County Archives, PSNC.10863a 167 Preservation Society of Newport County Archives, PSNC.10867a. 168 Ibid, PSNC.10866a. 54

57 the house staff, and she never even saw the kitchen staff. On one occasion Swistak was invited to dine with Miss Wetmore and the meal was conducted in a tone of utmost formality. 169 Although sweeping changes had taken place in society during her lifetime, Edith Wetmore never lost her sense of entitlement or her strict adherence to Victorian values. Edith Wetmore died in 1966 at age ninety-five, at One Beekman Place, the New York residence maintained by she and her sister where they spent the winter seasons. Her estate was valued at ten million dollars. 170 Major bequests went to Yale University, which included most of her art collection. She established a maintenance fund for The Seaman s Church Institute in Newport, and gifted valuable Russian porcelains to the Rhode Island School of Design. She gave her personal effects to Georgette Sherman Brown and all household furnishings and ornaments were left to nieces Norrie Sherman Sellar, Audrey Hoffman Clinton, and Iris Sellar Veeder. Wetmore also left personal bequests to ten servants in her employ equaling $31, ($167, in today s dollars). One of Annie Wetmore Sherman s great granddaughters, Audrey Clinton Oswald, was one of the last relatives who pilfered from the attic just before its innards went to auction, hurling objects out a window. She remarked, It was sort of a reverse chic to have these things that showed how we all lived once, artifacts from another life. 171 The story of the Wetmores of Chateau sur Mer is one of impressive stewardship that unwaveringly held course through three generations. They maintained their Old Guard dispositions and archaic lifestyle despite challenges of the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era and two World Wars, as though Victorian social constructions were enshrined at Chateau sur Mer. As Edith Wetmore remarked after her sister s death, There s no use talking about it; we re the end of an era. 172 Yet, many of their family values, such as selfrealization, cultural literacy, social responsibility, artistic sensibility, and beautification of the public environment are timeless. In this sense, Chateau sur Mer exists as a tribute to the future as well as the past. 169 Helen Swistak, Telephone interview (19 February 2002). 170 The Providence Journal, Miss Edith M.K. Wetmore Dies, (11 March 1966). 171 The New York Times, The Nine Lives of Newport s Antiques, (30 September 2001). 172 The Washington Post, Ending an Era of Elegance, (20 September 1969). 55

58 EXHIBITS Exhibit I Exhibit II Exhibit III Exhibit IV Exhibit V Exhibit VI Exhibit VII Exhibit VIII Exhibit IX Exhibit X Exhibit XI Exhibit XII Exhibit XIII Exhibit XIV Exhibit XV Exhibit XVI Exhibit XVII Exhibit XVIII Exhibit XIX Exhibit XX Exhibit XXI Exhibit XXII Exhibit XXIII The Wetmore Lineage Izrahiah Branch.50 William R. Bowers Papers Wetmore Family Related Business Enterprises William S. Wetmore Profit & Loss Ledgers Wetmore & Hoppin William S. Wetmore Letter to George Peabody.64 Letters of William S. Wetmore and Annie Wetmore William S. Wetmore Speech before the Civil War...69 U.S. Business Cycles George Peabody Wetmore Letters to Annie Wetmore George Peabody Letters George Peabody Wetmore: Acceptance of Candidacy for Governor 78 David King & Isaac Bell: Letters of Congratulation Congratulatory Letter to Edith Malvina Keteltas Wetmore W. O. Platt: Personal Business Correspondence George Peabody Wetmore to the Republican Committee..85 Senator Wetmore s Committee Memberships & Chairmanships...86 Edith M.K. Wetmore Letters to the Senator Purchase of Rogers Family Heirlooms 89 Martha Codman s Letters to George Peabody Wetmore Edith Wetmore Letter to Her Mother Maude Wetmore Letter to Her Mother Maude Wetmore: Can America Be Bought?

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