Robert Kerr Richards (August 26, 1834 – December 31, 1924) was an American who was prominent in New York Society 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 ...

Early life

Richards was born on August 26, 1834. He was the son of William H. Richards (1808–1881) and Maria E. (

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 ...

Kerr) Richards (1806–1879). He namesake was his uncle Robert Kerr Richards (1806–1874), a Yale and

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School was a law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, that operated from 1774 to 1833. Litchfield was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietar ...

graduate who married Matilda Lamb (1806–1854), the daughter of General Anthony Lamb (son of Revolutionary War General John Lamb). Another uncle, Timothy Pickering Richards was married to Agnes Treat Lamb, the sister of his aunt Matilda. His niece was Sarah F. Richards of Black Stump Road in Queens. Richards attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he was a member of the Sigma chapter of

Delta Psi Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

fraternity, and

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, where he was a member of the Tau Chapter of Delta Psi Fraternity.

Society life

In 1892, Richards was included in

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of America, widely accepted as the authority to which families could be classified as the cream of New York society ( The Fou ...

's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties A circle is divided into 400 grads. Integers from 401 to 499 400s 401 401 is a prime number, tetranacci number, Chen prime, prime index p ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. Richards regularly attended the Patriarchs Ball (founded by McAllister in 1872) and many society events including musicales at the Waldorf, performances at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

, and the

Bradley-Martin Ball The Bradley-Martin Ball was a lavish Costume party, costume ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Waldorf Hotel in New York City on the night of February 10, 1897. Cornelia Bradley-Martin, wife of Bradley Martin, organized the ball. Eight hundred so ...

in 1897.

Personal life

Richards had a home in Bayside on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

known as Greenoak Farm. Richards died after a brief illness on Wednesday morning, December 31, 1924. His funeral was held at St. James's Chapel at the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhoo ...

and he was buried at Grace Episcopal Churchyard in Queens. His niece Sarah was the executrix of his estate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Robert Kerr 1834 births 1924 deaths