Alexander Van Rensselaer (October 1, 1850 – July 18, 1933) was an American philanthropist, sportsman and patron of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. A member of a prominent

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

family, he played both

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

at high levels.

Early life

Alexander Van Rensselaer, known as Alec or Alex, was born on October 1, 1850 to the Rev.

Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Cortlandt Van Rensselaer (26 May 1808, in Albany, New York – 25 July 1860, in Burlington, New Jersey) was a Presbyterian clergyman from the United States. Early life He was a son of General Stephen Van Rensselaer and Cornelia Bell Paterson, his ...

(1808–1860) and his wife, Catherine Ledyard (1811–1882), sister of

Henry Ledyard Henry Brockholst Ledyard Sr. (March 5, 1812 – June 7, 1880) was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, and a state senator, briefly served as assistant secretary under Secretary of State Lewis Cass, and was the president of the Newport Hospital ...

. He was born into a wealthy and influential

n family. His paternal grandparents were Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764–1839) and Cornelia Bell Paterson, the daughter of William Paterson, the 2nd Governor of New Jersey, and later, an

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of ...

. His paternal uncles included

Stephen Van Rensselaer IV Stephen Van Rensselaer (March 29, 1789 – May 28, 1868), known as the "Young Patroon" and sometimes the "last of the patroons" was the last patroon of Rensselaerswyck. Early life Van Rensselaer was born on March 29, 1789 in Albany, New York. ...

(1789-1868) and

Henry Bell Van Rensselaer Henry Bell Van Rensselaer (May 14, 1810 – March 23, 1864) was an American military man, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a politician who served in the United States Congress as a Representative from the st ...

(1810–1864). He graduated from

in 1871.

Career

Due to his and his wife's family wealth, it was never necessary for the couple to work for a living. Instead they focused on fostering science and arts in Philadelphia. From 1901 until shortly before his death, Alexander was president of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association. In addition, he was a member of the board of trustees at Princeton University. Sarah gave large parts of her wealth to the

Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Ar ...

that was founded by her father. In 1901, Alex and Sarah traveled around the world and were guests of Japanese Emperor Meiji, the British royal family and the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

. In 1908, Van Rensselaer became president of the Board of Trustees of

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, ...

Sports career

An outstanding tennis player, Van Rensselaer took part in the first stagings of the US Tennis Championships in the 1880s, losing in the quarterfinals to Howard Taylor in 1884. In 1881, 1883 and 1884, he reached the finals of the doubles competition. Van Rensselaer also played

at high levels, during a time when the sport in Philadelphia was at its most popular, and Philadelphian cricket teams regularly drew touring international teams to play in the United States, and went on overseas tours themselves. In the

Halifax Cup The Halifax Cup was a cricket tournament held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1880 and 1926. A variety of clubs from the Philadelphia region were involved in the competition, including most principally the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Belmont ...

, the premier American tournament at the time, Van Rensselaer represented the

Young America Cricket Club The Young America Cricket Club (YACC) was founded on 19 November 1855 at the house of William Wister after the Germantown Cricket Club team refused to allow young players to gain cricket experience through match participation. Owen Wister, the neph ...

, which won the tournament in 1880, 1881, 1883, and 1885. A

wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. ...

, he made a single first-class appearance for the "American Born" in the 1880

American Born v English Residents American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

match, scoring three runs for the match and recording two dismissals – a catch and a stumping. He was still playing as late as the 1891 season, aged 41, when he toured Chicago and Pittsburgh with the Germantown Cricket Club.

Grand Slam record

Runners-up (3)

Personal life

On January 27, 1898, he married Sarah Rozet Drexel Fell (1860–1929), daughter of

Anthony Joseph Drexel Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel & Co. of Philadelphia, he foun ...

(1826–1893), who was previously married to John R. Fell, Sr. (1858–1895) until his death, at which point she inherited an estimated $35,000,000. Van Rensselaer was the stepfather to Sarah's children from her first marriage, including: Amanda Drexel Fell (1880–1954), Mae Drexel Fell (1884–1948), Frances Drexel Paul Fell (1887–1961), John Gillingham Fell (1890–1933), who died a few months before Van Rensselaer of a stab wound on a wedding trip. His wife, Sarah, died in 1929 at age 69, at their country estate, Camp Hill Hall, in Fort Washington. Her estate was left to Van Rensselaer, with the remainder to her children, after his death. Today, Camp Hill Hall, located at 709 Pennsylvania Avenue, is the United States headquarters for the missionary organization

WEC International WEC International is an interdenominational mission agency of evangelical tradition which focuses on evangelism, discipleship and church planting, through music and the arts, serving addicts and vulnerable children, through Christian education, mi ...

.WEC International USA
/ref> Alexander Van Rensselaer died on July 18, 1933, four years after his wife, at the age of 82 in Philadelphia. He was buried at the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery at

Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Whitemarsh Township is a Home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It retains its former classification of "Township" in its official name despite being a home rule municipality. The population was 17,349 at the 2 ...

References

Notes Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Renssalaer, Alexander 1850 births 1933 deaths 19th-century American people 19th-century baseball players 19th-century male tennis players 19th-century players of American football American cricketers American male tennis players Princeton Tigers baseball players Princeton Tigers football players

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey Baseball players from New Jersey Cricketers from New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey