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

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

politician and the

governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...

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, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...

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 Breton 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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. History The club originated in 1845 as an all-male chapter of the Delta Phi fraternity, known as the ''Alpha of Massachusetts''. Twenty members were elected ...

. 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 Ass ...

(Suffolk Co., 2nd D.) in

1899 Events January * January 1 ** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...

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), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

as Auditor of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

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 The Olmsted Amendment was a modification to the Foraker Act of 1900, and became law on July 16, 1909. The law was designed to modify several perceived weaknesses in Puerto Rico's government at the request of President William Howard Taft and Gove ...

at the request of President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

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

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from 1913 to 1914. He joined the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

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 govern ...

. 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

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

Langdon W. Post Langdon Ward Post (April 10, 1899 – September 2, 1981) was an American politician and housing specialist who served in the New York State Assembly from 1929 to 1932, then as New York City tenement house commissioner and chairman of the newly-for ...

, and his distant cousin was New York State assemblyman Erastus F. Post. His sister, Lina Post Webster, married Hamilton Fish Webster, a grandson of

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American statesman who served as the sixteenth governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States senator from New York from 1851 to 1857, and the 26th U.S. secretary of state from ...

. 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 years ...

, 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 i ...

, 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) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature Regis Henri Candidates in the 1914 United States House of Representatives elections