Roger Wilson Cutler Jr. (January 13, 1916 – May 31, 1986) was an American

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. He also served as an assistant state attorney general and held executive positions at State Street Bank and

Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two fo ...

Early life

Cutler was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

to Roger W. and

Leslie Bradley Cutler Leslie Bradley Cutler (1890-1971) was an American politician who served in the Massachusetts Senate. Early life Cutler was born on March 24, 1890, in Boston. She graduated from the Haskell School, and attended Radcliffe College, and the Massachu ...

. His father was a noted rower who had been captain of the Harvard Crew in 1911 and competed in the 1914

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thr ...

as a member of the

Union Boat Club The Union Boat Club (also known as UBC), founded in 1851, is an athletic club in Boston. It is the longest continuously operating rowing club in Boston. Located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood along the Charles River, the Club has grown beyond row ...

Athletic career

Cutler attended the Noble & Greenough School, but later transferred to

Kent School Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States. Acade ...

. He did not make the Kent varsity crew as a starter, but in 1932 went to the Henley Royal Regatta as a substitute. He went on to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

. During his sophomore year (1935) he was promoted from No. 2 on the junior varsity crew to varsity pace setter. He returned to the JV squad in 1936, but was promoted to varsity No 2. in May. That same year, Cutler was also a member of a

Riverside Boat Club The Riverside Boat Club is a private, non-profit, rowing club on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or Amer ...

crew (which consisted of himself, his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

, William Haskins,

J. Paul Austin John Paul Austin (February 14, 1915 – December 26, 1985) was Chairman, President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. From 1962 to 1981 Austin oversaw the growth of the company from $567 million in sales to a $5.9 billion global force. Early life ...

, and Edward Bennett) that sought to make the U.S. Olympic team. On July 4, 1936, The Riverside Boat Club qualified for the Olympics by defeating the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-1 ...

. In the Olympic men's coxed four, the Riverside Boat Club was eliminated in the semi-finals. Cutler graduated from

in 1937 and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1940.

Personal life

On July 1, 1937, Cutler married Elsie Russell of

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located parti ...

and

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 census. Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. It ...

. She was a niece of U.S. Senator

Leverett Saltonstall Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served three two-year terms as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 55th Governor of Massachusetts, and for more than twent ...

. The couple had two daughters. On March 17, 1958, a widespread search for Elsie Cutler was made after she vanished from the

Austen Riggs Center The Austen Riggs Center is a psychiatric treatment facility in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It was founded by Austen Fox Riggs in 1913 as the Stockbridge Institute for the Study and Treatment of Psychoneuroses before being renamed in honor of Au ...

, a psychiatric hospital in

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is ...

. Her body was found in the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

on July 11, 1958. The cause of death was ruled to be drowning and declared to be "presumably a suicide" by the medical examiner. In 1959, Cutler married Elizabeth Dieterich of Omaha. On March 14, 1964, Cutler's daughter Clare was killed in an automobile accident in

Pleasant Valley, New York Pleasant Valley is a town in Dutchess County, within the Hudson Valley of New York, United States. The population was 9,799 at the 2020 census. The town is centrally located in the county, northeast of the city of Poughkeepsie. U.S. Route 44 pass ...

. She was 20 years old.

Professional life

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Cutler was a major on the staff of General Harry J. Collins, commander of the 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division. He earned a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. After the war, Cutler served as an assistant attorney general under

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder al ...

Clarence A. Barnes Clarence Alfred Barnes (August 28, 1882 – May 26, 1970) was an American politician who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1945 to 1949. Barnes political career began in Mansfield, Massachusetts, where he served as town counsel a ...

. He then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, where he held various banking positions. In 1954 he returned to Boston as vice president of the State Street Bank's trust division. In 1956, Cutler served as chairman of a citywide Red Cross Drive. In 1966, Cutler retired from State Street Bank to become director of development and public relations for

, which was in the midst of expansions. He had previously served as a trustee and secretary to the board at Brigham since the 1950s and two of his uncles ( Elliott and

Robert Cutler Robert Cutler (June 12, 1895 – May 8, 1974) was an American government official who was the first person appointed as the president's National Security Advisor. He served US President Dwight Eisenhower in that role between 1953 and 1955 and f ...

) also held positions there. Cutler retired from Brigham in 1971. Cutler died on May 30, 1986, in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

, at the age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler Jr, Roger W. 1916 births 1986 deaths American bankers 20th-century American lawyers American male rowers United States Army personnel of World War II Cutler family Harvard Crimson rowers Harvard Law School alumni Kent School alumni Olympic rowers of the United States Sportspeople from Needham, Massachusetts Rowers at the 1936 Summer Olympics United States Army officers