Augustus C. Gurnee
Augustus Coe Gurnee | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 1926 (aged 71) Baden-Baden, Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Social figure, patron of the arts |
| Known for | Prominent American social figure and patron of the arts during the Gilded Age; appeared on Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred" |
Augustus Coe Gurnee (March 11, 1855 – July 6, 1926) was a prominent American social figure and patron of the arts during the Gilded Age.
Early life
Gurnee was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Mary (née Coe) Gurnee and Walter Smith Gurnee, a financier and former Mayor of Chicago (1851–1853), whose name was given to Gurnee, Illinois. He completed his education at Harvard University, graduating in 1878. Through his maternal uncle, Dr. Matthew Daniel Coe, he was related as a first cousin to the physician and public servant Frantz Hunt Coe. His family included siblings Delia E., Mary Evelyn, Frances Medora, Walter Scott, Grace, and Isabel Gurnee.
In 1863, the family moved to New York City, where his father ventured into banking and assumed executive positions such as treasurer and director at firms including the Shelby Iron Company, American Smelting and Refining Company, and the American Surety Company.
Society life
Following his graduation from Harvard—where he was affiliated with the Hasty Pudding Club—Gurnee briefly pursued a career in banking in New York. With financial independence secured, he devoted himself to supporting the arts and traveled widely, spending extended periods in Italy and France.
In 1892, he appeared on Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", a roster of New York’s most distinguished families published in The New York Times. This list represented the maximum capacity of Mrs. Astor's ballroom.
Personal life
Gurnee owned homes in Bar Harbor, Maine, Paris, and Nice, France. His estate in Maine, Beaudesert—originally crafted by William Ralph Emerson in 1881—was remodeled for him in 1900 by architect Fred L. Savage, noted for his work on several significant local properties. In 1925, he generously donated his residence in Nice to aid wounded soldiers and contributed valuable art pieces to Parisian institutions, including twelve tapestries from Aubusson, Flanders, and pre-Gobelin Paris. In recognition of his contributions, France awarded him the title of Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.
Never married, Gurnee passed away on July 6, 1926, in Baden-Baden, Germany, and was laid to rest at the Gurnee Mausoleum within Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. His will included major philanthropic gifts to organizations such as Presbyterian Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital, the Nursery and Child's Hospital, and the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. He also established numerous trusts for family members while bequeathing the remainder of his estate to Harvard University. His secretary, Gustave Frederick Dutschke of Paris, received $300,000 in Liberty bonds along with an annual annuity of $20,000 from Gurnee’s estate.