Elisha Dyer III
Elisha Dyer III | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 1917 (aged 54) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Broker, socialite |
| Years active | 1885–1917 |
| Known for | Prominent figure in Newport and New York high society during the Gilded Age; cotillion leader |
Elisha Dyer III (October 23, 1862 – June 2, 1917) was a distinguished American social figure known for his influence within Newport and New York high society throughout the Gilded Age.
Early life
Born on October 23, 1862, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dyer was the son of Rhode Island Governor Elisha Dyer Jr. (1839–1906) and Nancy Anthony (née Viall) Dyer (1843–1920). His brothers included Brig. Gen. George R. Dyer, who was married to Grace Gurnee Scott, and Hezekiah Anthony Dyer, husband of Charlotte Osgood Tilden.
His lineage on his father's side traced back to Elisha Dyer, another Rhode Island Governor, and Anna Jones (née Hoppin) Dyer. Additionally, he descended from Roger Williams, the founder of the Rhode Island Colony.
Career
Dyer completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University in 1883 before earning a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1885. That same year, he was admitted to the bar and subsequently pursued a career as a broker with Ulman & Co.
Society life
In 1892, both Dyer and his wife were included in Ward McAllister's "The Four Hundred," a list identifying New York’s most prominent families and published in The New York Times. Celebrated as a leading cotillion leader and dancer, Dyer was regarded as "one of the most popular men in the Newport Summer colony," playing a central role in elite social circles. He is credited with introducing Harry Lehr—McAllister’s successor—to Newport society.
Their summer residence, Wayside, was situated on Bellevue Avenue in Newport.
Dyer held memberships in esteemed organizations such as the Society of Colonial Wars and the Society of the Cincinnati. His club affiliations included the Union Club of the City of New York, Knickerbocker Club, New York Yacht Club, and the Newport Casino.
Personal life
He married Sidney (née Turner) Swan (1857–1933), daughter of Sidney (née Patterson) Turner and William Fauntleroy Turner. Sidney was related as a grand-niece to Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and was descended from Baltimore merchant William Patterson. The couple had no children together; however, Dyer became stepfather to Sidney’s daughter from an earlier marriage, Laura Patterson Swan, who wed Andrew Robeson in 1913.
Following his father’s passing in 1906, Elisha III and his siblings each received $250 from the estate, with the majority of the $250,000 inheritance allocated to their mother. Additionally, $5,000 was bequeathed to his father’s private secretary, Miss Francis E. Kinnicutt.
Dyer passed away due to pneumonia at his Newport residence on June 2, 1917. He was laid to rest at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. Later that year, in November 1917, his widow sold their five-story home located at 37 West 56th Street in Manhattan. Upon her death in 1933, Sidney’s estate—valued at over $1 million—was inherited by her granddaughter, Lauretta Patterson Robeson.