Ogden Goelet (1851-1897)

In 1879, Ogden and his brother, Robert, inherited a real estate empire in Manhattan of 259 houses then worth a combined $40 million which was second only to the Astors. Robert was the good-humored business brain between the two, whereas Ogden was more scholarly and retiring in his nature. They were first cousins of Elbridge Thomas Gerry (1837-1927) whose son married the widow of George Washington Vanderbilt II of Biltmore. Ogden's wife, May, was one of "the marrying Wilsons" whose brother married Carrie Astor. Through his wife, Ogden's brothers-in-law were Cornelius Vanderbilt III and Sir Mungo Herbert. Ogden was run down by a car in 1897, leaving a personal fortune that had already doubled to $40 million. He had two children. He built 608 Fifth Avenue and Ochre Court in Newport. He kept a house in Paris and leased Wimborne House in London to introduce his daughter (who became the Duchess of Roxburghe) to European society. He commissioned the Mayflower, a 300-foot yacht worth an estimated $1 million.