The Gould family is a wealthy American family that came to prominence in the late 19th century. The family's fortune was primarily earned through a railroad empire built by Jason "Jay" Gould, a notorious "robber baron" during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

. At its height, this network comprised the

Denver & Rio Grande The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fro ...

Missouri Pacific The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Wabash,

Texas Pacific TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American private equity firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. TPG manages investment funds in growth capital, venture capital, public equity, and debt investments. The firm inv ...

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland panhandle or Mountain Maryland, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washing ...

and International-Great Northern railroads among others. By the early 20th century, the Goulds lost control over virtually all these railroads largely due to mismanagement by Jay's son, George Jay Gould. Despite losing the source of much of their wealth, subsequent generations of the family continued to be involved in business, philanthropy, and politics.

History

The Gould family originally settled in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1648-9 under Major Nathan Gold. He was a named petitioner of the Charter of Connecticut of 1662, and raised Gold's Dragoons of the Fairfield Militia. His son,

Nathan Gold Nathan Gold (December 8, 1663 – October 3, 1723), was an American colonial leader and deputy governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1708 until his death in 1723. Early life Gold was the only son of Major Nathan Gold and Sarah Phippen Gold ...

Jr., served as Lt. Governor of the Colony, and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Nathan Gold Jr.'s grandson, Lt. Col.

Abraham Gould Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

, the Patriot, was killed in action at the battle of Ridgefield, 1777. His home was burned by the British the following year. He was the first to spell his name "Gould". His son, Abraham Gould Jr. moved from Fairfield, Connecticut, West across the Hudson river to Roxbury, NY. It was in Roxbury where his grandson,

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who founded the Gould family, Gould business dynasty. He is generally identified as one of the Robber baron (industrialist), robber bar ...

, was born.

Family tree

* Jay "Jason" Gould ** George Jay Gould *** Kingdon Gould Sr. ****Silvia Annunziata Gould (1919–1980), ****

Edith Kingdon Gould Edith Kingdon Gould Martin (August 20, 1920 – August 17, 2004) was an American socialite, linguist, actress, and poet. Birth She was the daughter of financier Kingdon Gould Sr., granddaughter of financier George Jay Gould, and great-granddaug ...

****

Kingdon Gould Jr. Kingdon Gould Jr. (January 3, 1924 – January 16, 2018) was an American diplomat, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican Party (United States), Republican businessman, Gould was appointed by President Richard Nixon to serve as United Stat ...

***** **** ***** Harold Thorne Gould (b.1949) ***** Frank Jay Gould (b.1952) ***** Candida Gould (b.1954) ***** Caleb Comstock Gould (b.1956) ***** Annunziata Octavia Gould (b.1960) ***** Thalia Thorne Gould (b.1963) ***

Jay Gould II Jay Gould II (September 1, 1888 – January 26, 1935) was an American real tennis player and a grandson of the railroad magnate Jay Gould. He was the world champion (1914–1916) and the Olympic gold medalist (London, 1908, then und ...

****Jay Gould III (1920–1987) ***** Anne Elena Gould (1954–1990) ***** Jay Gould IV (1961–2016) *** Marjorie Gwynne Gould ****Edith Kingdon Drexel (1911–1934) ****Anthony Joseph Drexel IV (1912–1948) ****Marjorie Gould Drexel (1916–1947) ***

Helen Vivien Gould Helen Vivien Beresford, Baroness Decies, formerly Helen Vivien Gould (May 2, 1893 – February 3, 1931) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was one of the two Jay Gould descendants to marry into European aristocracy. Early lif ...

****Eileen Vivien de la Poer Beresford (1912-?) ****Catherine Moya de la Poer Beresford (1913–1967) **** Arthur George Marcus Douglas de la Poer Beresford (1915–1992) ***

George Jay Gould II George Jay Gould II (March 28, 1896 – June 7, 1963) was an American lawyer and oil company executive. Early life Gould was born on March 28, 1896, in Manhattan, New York City. He was one of seven children born to millionaire George Jay Gould I ...

(1896–1963) ****George Jay Gould III (1918–1985) ****Maughan Carter Gould (1920–1986) ****Howard Jay Gould (1928–1998) ****Patrick Jay Gould (1934–2018) ***

Edith Catherine Gould Edith Catherine MacNeal ( Gould, formerly Wainwright) (August 3, 1901 – September 10, 1937) was an American heiress and writer. Early life Edith was born aboard her father's yacht, ''Sybarite'', on August 3, 1901, while it was anchored off Co ...

****

Stuyvesant Wainwright Stuyvesant Wainwright II (March 16, 1921 – March 6, 2010) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Early life Wainwright was born in New York City, the son of Carroll Livingston Wainwright (1899– ...

(1921–2010) ****Caroline DePeyster Wainwright (1924–1969) ****Carroll Livingston Wainwright Jr. (1925–2016) ***

Gloria Gould Gloria Gould (March 3, 1906 – August 16, 1943) was an American socialite who was the daughter of industrialist heir George Jay Gould I. Early life She was born on March 3, 1906, the youngest daughter of George Jay Gould I. She was one of ...

****Gioia Bishop (1925–1990) ** Edwin Gould ***Edwin Gould Jr. (1894–1917) ***Frank Miller Gould (c.1895–1945) ****Marianne Alice Gould (1925–1957) ****Edwin Jay Gould (1932–1993) **

Helen Miller Gould Helen Miller Gould Shepard (June 20, 1868 – December 21, 1938) was an American philanthropist and member of the wealthy Gould family born in New York City. Birth Born as Helen Miller Gould, she was the first-born daughter of Jay Gould and He ...

Howard Gould Howard Gould (June 8, 1871 – September 13, 1959) was an American financier and the son of Jay Gould. Early life Gould was born in Manhattan on June 8, 1871 to railroad financier Jay Gould (1836–1892) and Helen Day Miller (1838–1889). He w ...

Anna Gould Anna Gould (June 5, 1875 – November 30, 1961) was an American socialite and heiress as a daughter of financier Jay Gould. Early life Anna Gould was born on June 5, 1875, in New York City. She was the daughter of Jay Gould (1836–1892) and ...

***Marie Louise de Castellane (b. 1896) ***Boniface, Marquis de Castellane (1896–1946) ***Georges Paul Ernest de Castellane (1897/9–1944) ***Georges Gustave de Castellane (c. 1898–1946) ***Jay (Jason) de Castellane (1902–1956) **

Frank Jay Gould Frank Jay Gould (December 4, 1877 – April 1, 1956) was a philanthropist and a member of the wealthy Gould family. He was the owner of French Riviera casinos and hotels. Biography He was born on December 4, 1877, in Manhattan, New York Cit ...

*** Dorothy Gould Burns (1904–1969) ****Rolande Graffenried de Villars (b. 1925) ****Dorothy Graffenried de Villars (b. 1927) ***Helen Margaret Gould (1902–1985) ****Helen Daniele de Montenach (b.1924) ****George Frank de Montenach (1926–1991) ****Francoise Florena de Montenach (b.1929) ****Francis Edouard Maret (b.1944)

Network

Associates

The following is a list of figures closely aligned with or subordinate to the Gould family. * Dominic F. Antonelli Jr. * S. H. H. Clark *

Abel Corbin Abel Rathbone Corbin (May 24, 1808 – March 28, 1881) was an American newspaper editor, financier, and the husband of Virginia Grant, sister of President Ulysses S. Grant. In the 1830s, he edited the ''Missouri Argus'' of St. Louis, the off ...

* John F. Dillon *

Sidney Dillon Sidney Dillon (May 7, 1812 – June 9, 1892) was an American railroad executive and one of the US's premier railroad builders. Early life Dillon was born in Northampton, Fulton County, New York. His father, Timothy, was a farmer. Career Sidney ...

* "Big Jim" Fisk * Herbert Melville Hoxie *

Collis Potter Huntington Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested ...

* Edward Turner Jeffery * John C. Osgood *

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...

Russell Sage Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig Party (United States), Whig politician from New York (state), New York, who became one of the List of richest Americans in history, rich ...

A. A. Talmage Archibald Alexander Talmage (April 25, 1834 – June 28, 1887) was a 19th-century vice-president and general manager of the Wabash Railroad. Born in Warren County, New Jersey, of Scottish descent, his father was a Presbyterian minister. He wo ...

William M. Tweed William Magear "Boss" Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878) was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party's political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th ...

Theodoric R. Westbrook Theodoric Romeyn Westbrook (November 20, 1821 – October 6, 1885) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Biography Born in Fishkill, New York on November 20, 1821 (some sources indicate 1822), Westbrook attended the local schools and gradua ...

Businesses

The following is a list of businesses in which the Gould family have held a controlling or otherwise significant interest. *

Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad The Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. state of Kansas. Originally planned as a line from Atchison, Kansas, Atchison west into Colorado, and given federal land grants by the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 as one of the br ...

Central Railroad of New Jersey Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Colorado Fuel and Iron The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was a large steel conglomerate founded by the merger of previous business interests in 1892.Scamehorn, Chapter 1, "The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1892-1903" page 10 By 1903 it was mainly owned and ...

*''Continental Match Company'' *

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...

* Denver and Rio Grande Railway *

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

(1868-1872) *''Gould Property Company''McQuaid, Kevin L. "Manekin Starts Work on Big P.G. Co. Mixed-Use Project." ''Baltimore Business Journal.'' November 15, 1991. *''Hôtel Le Provençal'' * International—Great Northern Railroad *

Kansas Pacific Railway The Kansas Pacific Railway (KP) was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. At a time when the first transcontin ...

Manhattan Railway Company The Manhattan Railway Company was an elevated railway company in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City, United States. It operated four lines: the Second Avenue Line, Third Avenue Line, Sixth Avenue Line, and Ninth Avenue Line. History 19 ...

Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railroad (UP), Southern Branch, it came to serve an exten ...

Missouri Pacific Railway The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

*''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...

'' *''Parking Management Inc.'' *

Rutland and Washington Railroad The Rutland and Washington Railroad was a railroad company based in Rutland (city), Vermont, Rutland, Vermont, United States. It was chartered in Vermont on November 13, 1847, and built between Rutland and Eagle Bridge, New York, Eagle Bridge in ...

St. Louis Southwestern Railway The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was a Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Tennessee ...

Tenth National Bank The Tenth National Bank was an American bank that existed in the 19th century. At one time, financier Jay Gould acquired a controlling interest in the bank, and New York's William M. Tweed ("Boss Tweed") was one of its directors. The Tenth Nation ...

Texas and Pacific Railway The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. However its lines never went we ...

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

(1874-1878) * Virginia Railway & Power Company *

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

Western Maryland Railroad The Western Maryland Railway was a small American Class I railroad (1852–1983) that operated in 3 Southern US States, Maryland ( Western Region), West Virginia ( Eastern Region), and Pennsylvania (Southern Region) in the Allegheny Regions of ...

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

* Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad

Philanthropy & Miscellaneous Nonprofit Organizations

The following is a list of philanthropies and nonprofit institutions which were made by or otherwise have been closely tied to the Gould family. *

American Yacht Club (New York) The American Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Rye, New York distinguished by a long history of competitive racing and leadership in growing the sport among women and junior sailors. History The American Yacht Club, also known as AYC, was f ...

Capital Crescent Trail The Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) is a , shared-use rail trail that runs from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Bethesda, Maryland. An extension of the trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring along a route formerly known as the Georgetown Branch ...

* Edwin Gould Foundation for Children *

Glenelg Country School Glenelg Country School is a nonsectarian, co-educational independent day school in Howard County, Maryland, adjacent to Columbia, Maryland and between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The School offers a continuous college-preparatory program from ...

Gould Memorial Library The Gould Memorial Library (GML; also nicknamed Gould) is a building on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC), an institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), in University Heights, Bronx, New York City, United States. The bui ...

(Bronx Community College) *Gould Park *

Hall of Fame for Great Americans The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is an outdoor sculpture gallery located on the grounds of Bronx Community College (BCC) in the Bronx, New York City. It was the first such hall of fame in the United States. Built in 1901 as part of the U ...

* Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church (Roxbury, New York) *

John More Association The John More Association (JMA) is a family association for descendants of John and Betty Taylor More. The association was first formed when a group of the couple's descendants wanted to build a memorial marking the grave of John and Betty Mor ...

Women's National War Relief Association The Women's National War Relief Association was an American relief organization founded during the Spanish–American War to give comfort to the officers, soldiers and sailors in the United States Military. The women founding the association used ...

*Gould Hall,

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

of Istanbul, Turkey

References

Sources

* * * * * {{refend American families American railway entrepreneurs Business families of the United States Gould family