Regis Henri Post (January 28, 1870 – October 5, 1944) was a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

politician and the

governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce local laws, to conv ...

from April 17, 1907 to November 6, 1909. He was born in

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's popula ...

Life

Post was born in Bayport, New York, the son of Albert Kintzing Post (1843-1872) and Marie Post (née de Trobriand, 1845-1926). His maternal grandfather was

Régis de Trobriand Philippe Régis Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (June 4, 1816 – July 15, 1897) was a French aristocrat, lawyer, poet, and novelist who, on a dare, emigrated in his 20s to the United States, settling first in New York City. During the American ...

. He had an older sister, Lina Post Webster, and an older brother, Waldron Kintzing Post Sr. His father drowned at the age of 29 on Long Island when Regis was only two. His mother remarried to his father's 2nd cousin once removed, Charles Alfred Post (1844-1921). Regis had two step-sisters from this union, Beatrice Post Candler and Edith Post Gallatin. Post graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1891 where he was a member of The

Delphic Club The Delphic Club is an all-male social group at Harvard University founded in 1846. It began the process of merging with the all-female Bee Club in August 2017, and the Delphic & Bee became one of fifteen Harvard-recognized social organizations ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Suffolk Co., 2nd D.) in

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a ...

and

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), ...

. He was appointed by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

as Auditor of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

in 1903, as Secretary of Puerto Rico in 1904, and as governor in 1907. Post held the office of governor from April 18, 1907 to November 5, 1909. His governorship was extremely controversial, as his frequent disagreements with the Puerto Rico Legislature led to the Legislature's failure to pass any budget in 1909, resulting in a political crisis on the island and passage of the Olmsted Amendment at the request of President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. Following Post's time in Puerto Rico, he worked with the

American Ambulance Corps 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, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

from 1913 to 1914. He joined the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desig ...

in 1917.

Personal life

He married Carolyn Beatrice Post, daughter of Colonel Henry A. V. Post and his 2nd cousin once removed, on March 6, 1895. They had a son, Regis Henri Post Jr.(February 17, 1897). In 1916, Post was discovered by his wife having an affair and they separated. She filed for divorce in 1922. He married Leila Ellis in 1925. She died in 1931. Post married thirdly Marguerite Denis de Lagarde on April 5, 1933. She was his distant cousin. Marguerite's great-niece through her sister was

Mimi Lee Mathilde B. "Mimi" Lee (May 1, 1920 – August 9, 2011) was an American chemist, athlete and philanthropist who served as the First Lady of Maryland from 1977 to 1979 when her husband, then Lt. Governor Blair Lee III, became acting governor ...

. Regis H. Post served as The Sayville Yacht Club’s 3rd Commodore 1911-1912 following John E Roosevelt 1901-1907 and John R Suydam 1908-1910.

Death

Regis Post died October 5, 1944 in Nantucket, Massachusetts at the age of 74. He left behind his wife, Marguertie, and his son, Regis H. Post, Jr.

Relations

Regis was part of the Post political family. His great-great-grandfather was

Jotham Post, Jr. Jotham Post Jr. (April 4, 1771 – May 15, 1817) was a U.S. Representative from the state of New York, United States. Early life Post was born near Westbury, New York on April 4, 1771. He was the son of Jotham Post Sr. (1740–1817), with whom h ...

, a United States Representative from New York and an assemblyman. His nephew was New York State assemblyman

Langdon Post Langdon may refer to: Places Australia * Langdon, Queensland, a neighbourhood in the Mackay Region Canada * Langdon, Alberta, a hamlet United Kingdom * Langdon, Cornwall, a hamlet * Langdon, Kent, a civil parish * Langdon, Pembrokeshi ...

, and his distant cousin was New York State assemblyman

Erastus F. Post Erastus Foster Post (July 3, 1859 – March 30, 1937) was an American civil engineer, politician, and banker from New York. Early life and education Post was born on July 3, 1859, in Quogue, New York, the son of farmer and politician George Oli ...

. His sister, Lina Post Webster, married Hamilton Fish Webster, a grandson of

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of New York, 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New Y ...

. His step-sister, Edith Post Gallatin, married Goelet Gallatin, a great-grandson of

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan– American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early year ...

, great-grandson of

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1 ...

, and first cousin of

Peter Goelet Gerry Peter Goelet Gerry (September 18, 1879 – October 31, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and later, as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. He is the only U.S. Senator in American hi ...

References

Sources

*SPOUSE SUES EX-GOVERNOR.; Says He Was Too Fond of Pretty Domestics; Forgiveness Oft Given for Twenty-seven Years; Gubernatorial Laundress is Mentioned in Suit. The Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, Calif.: Feb 13, 1922. pg. II1, 1 pgs {{DEFAULTSORT:Post, Regis Henri Governors of Puerto Rico Members of the New York State Assembly 1870 births 1944 deaths Harvard University alumni New York (state) Progressives (1912) 20th-century American politicians Regis Henri