Lawrence Waterbury II (March 31, 1877 – May 25, 1943) was an American champion polo player and society figure.

Early life

Larry, as he was referred to by friends, was born on March 31, 1877, in New York City. He was one of seven children born to Catherine Anthony "Kate" (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Furman) Waterbury and James Montaudevert Waterbury, Sr. (1851–1931). Among his siblings were James Montaudevert Waterbury, Jr. and Livingston Waterbury. His paternal grandparents were Lawrence Waterbury I and Caroline Antoinette (née Cleveland) Waterbury. The Waterbury family was considered one of New York's oldest families. His maternal grandfather was John M. Furman. Waterbury attended the

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

Career

Waterbury became a stockbroker and, reportedly, made a fortune in the 1907

bear market A market trend is a perceived tendency of the financial markets to move in a particular direction over time. Analysts classify these trends as ''secular'' for long time-frames, ''primary'' for medium time-frames, and ''secondary'' for short time ...

, also known as the

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange suddenly fell almost ...

. Later, he was reported to have suffered great losses and in 1923, during an investigation of the so-called "Mammoth Syndicate", he was identified as one of the members who formed a group to "make a market" for the stock of Mammoth Oil, a subsidiary of

Sinclair Oil Corporation Sinclair Oil Corporation was an American petroleum corporation founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916. The Sinclair Oil and Refining Corporation amalgamated the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Si ...

. The scandal was later referred to as the

Teapot Dome scandal The Teapot Dome scandal was a political corruption scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding. It centered on Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, who had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Do ...

Polo playing

Waterbury began playing with the

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as a destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golfers and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the Westchester Cla ...

polo team in 1895, and the following year, he was ranked at seven goals on the U.S. Polo Association handicap list. He later played at the

Meadowbrook Polo Club The Meadowbrook Polo Club (originally styled as the "Meadow Brook Club"), located in Old Westbury, New York, is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States, first established in 1881.Marie, Kim (August 27, 201The Power of The ...

with his brother Monte. He participated in the 1902, 1909, 1911 and 1913

International Polo Cup The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England. Matches were conducted 12 times between 1886 and 1939, su ...

championships, losing only in 1902. Waterbury played polo with many of the most prominent figures of his time, including his brother

Monte Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * M ...

, Devereaux Milburn, J. S. Phipps, E. W. Hopping,

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeding, horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as ...

, and

Henry Carnegie Phipps Henry Carnegie Phipps (May 11, 1879 – March 21, 1953) was an American sportsman and financier, the owner of Wheatley Stable along with his wife Gladys Mills Phipps, and a member of the wealthy Phipps family. Early life Phipps was born on May 1 ...

. At the time of his death, he was the "only man to ever play every position in the international polo competition between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and the United States."

Military service

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serv ...

and later became a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Chemical Warfare Section in France.

Personal life

In 1900, he married his first wife, Maude Livingston Hall (1877–1952), the youngest daughter of Valentine Hall Jr. and Mary Livingston Ludlow. Maude was the sister of Anna Hall (Mrs.

Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt Elliott Roosevelt Sr. (February 28, 1860 – August 14, 1894) was an American socialite. He was the father of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 –1962) and the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), the 26th president of the Unite ...

), and therefore the maternal aunt of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

and her husband,

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. Before they divorced in 1912, they were the parents of two children: * Lawrence Waterbury III (b. 1901) * Anne Livingston "Nancy" Waterbury (1903–1959), who married Harry Carter Milholland Jr. (1904–1968), son of Harry Carter Milholland of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, in 1927. After Nancy's death, he married Marion Bock Kellogg. After their divorce, Maude married David Gray, who later served as United States Envoy to Ireland. In 1932, Waterbury married his second wife, Caroline Louise "Carrie" Munn (1889–1979), formerly the wife of Reginald Boardman. She was the daughter of Charles Alexander Munn and Carrie Louise (née Gurnee) Munn, and the sister of

Gurnee Munn Gurnee Munn (April 30, 1887 - May 7, 1960) was a businessman, president of the American Totalisator Company and former member of the New York Stock Exchange. He served in World War I and World War II. Biography Munn married Marie Louise Wanamake ...

, and Charles Alexander Munn Jr., who married Mary Astor Paul in 1909. For many years, he lived at 132 East 38th Street in New York City. Waterbury died on May 25, 1943, at his home on Pelican Lane in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterbury, Lawrence 1877 births 1943 deaths Waterbury family International Polo Cup People from Palm Beach, Florida American polo players