Robert Goelet | |
---|---|
Born | September 29, 1841 New York, New York |
Died | April 27, 1899 Naples, Italy |
Education | Columbia University |
Occupation | Real estate developer |
Board member of | Chemical National Bank |
Spouse(s) | Sarah Ogden Harriette Louise Warren |
Children |
Robert Walton Goelet Beatrice Goelet |
Parent(s) | Robert Goelet |
Relatives | See Goelet family |
Robert Goelet (September 29, 1841 – April 27, 1899) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age.
Robert Goelet was born on September 29, 1841 in Manhattan, New York City to Sarah Ogden (1809–1888) and Robert Goelet (1809–1879). His parents resided at 5 State Street, overlooking the Battery in Manhattan. His father, Robert Goelet, was a prominent landlord in New York, as was his uncle, Peter Goelet, named after his great-grandfather, Peter Goelet (1727–1811), Robert's great-grandfather. He had a brother, Ogden Goelet, who later built Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island.
He graduated from Columbia College in 1860 and was subsequently admitted to the bar. He managed the real estate of his father, Robert Goelet, and his unmarried uncle. After their deaths, he inherited half their fortune. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Chemical National Bank.
His yacht Nahma was designed by George L. Watson and built for him on the River Clyde in 1897. After his death it was extensively used for summer cruising in European waters by his son Robert Walton Goelet, who lent the yacht at no cost to the United States Navy, who operated it as USS Nahma (SP-771) from 1917 to 1919, after which it was returned.
Robert married Sarah Ogden (1813–1879). After her death, he married Harriette Louise Warren (1854-1912) on April 17, 1879 in New York City. Harriette was a daughter of George Henry Warren I (1823-1892) of New York, a prominent lawyer. The Goelets resided in a townhouse located at 591 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, as well as in seasonal residences in Tuxedo Park, New York and Newport, Rhode Island. Together, the Goelets had two children: