| James Gordon Bennett, Jr. | |
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| Born | May 10, 1841 New York City |
| Died | May 14, 1918 France |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Spouse | Baroness de Reuter |
| Parents | James Gordon Bennett, Sr. |
James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (May 10, 1841 in – May 14, 1918 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France), was publisher of the New York Herald, founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett, Sr.. Bennett was educated primarily in France. In 1866, the elder Bennett turned control of the Herald over to him. Bennett raised the paper's profile on the world stage when he provided the financial backing for the 1869 expedition by Henry Morton Stanley into Africa to find David Livingstone in exchange for the Herald having the exclusive account of Stanley's progess.
Bennett, as did many of his class, indulged in the "good life": yachts, opulent private railcars, and lavish mansions. He was the youngest Commodore ever of the New York Yacht Club. He served in the Navy during the Civil War, and in 1866, won the first trans-oceanic boat race.
However, he often scandalized society with his flamboyant and sometimes erratic behavior. In 1877, he left New York after an incident that ended his engagement to socialite Caroline May. According to various accounts, he arrived late and drunk to a party at the May family mansion, then urinated into a fireplace in full view of his hosts.[1] Bennett's controversial reputation has been thought to have inspired the phrase "Gordon Bennett" as an expression of disbelief, common in the United Kingdom. Settling in Paris, he launched the International Herald Tribune. He backed George W. DeLong's voyage to the North Pole via the Bering Strait. The ill-fated expedition led to the starvation deaths of DeLong and 19 of his crew, a tragedy that only increased the paper's circulation. He was a co-founder of the Commercial Cable Company, a venture to break the Transatlantic cable monopoly held by Jay Gould.
Bennett returned to the United States and organized the first polo match in the United States at Dickel's Riding Academy at 39th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. He would help found the Westchester Polo Club in 1876, the first polo club in America. He established the Gordon Bennett Cup for international yachting and the Gordon Bennett Cup for automobile races. In 1906, he funded a trophy for the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, which continues to this day. Bennett also offered a trophy for airplane racing. In 1880, Bennett commissioned McKim, Mead, and White to design the Newport Casino in Newport, RI. He did not marry until 73 to the Baroness de Reuter, daughter of Paul Reuter, founder of Reuters news agency. He died on May 14, 1918 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France Bennett is interred in Cimetière de Passy. The nearby Stade de Roland Garros, site of the French Open, is in the Avenue Gordon Bennett. After his death, the Herald was merged with its bitter rival, the New York Tribune.
