Jay Gould II (1888-1935) Grandson of Jay Gould (1836-1892) the Banker, Financial Speculator and Railroad Magnate; Tennis Player (b. September 01, 1888, USA - d. January 26, 1935, Margaretville, Delaware County, New York, USA)
Obituary:
His obituary appeared in the New York Times on January 27, 1935: "Jay Gould is Dead. Court Tennis Star. Grandson of the Financier Had Held Championship a Quarter of a Century. Won National Title at 17. Sportsman Succumbs in Up-State Hospital at 46 – His Body Brought Here for Funeral. Special to the New York Times. Margaretville New York, January 27, 1935. Jay Gould, grandson of the noted financier and who has been monarch of court tennis from more than a quarter of a century, died in the local hospital here last night. He was in his forty-seventh year. Death was attributed to a haemorrhage of the esophagus brought on by a complexity of ailments which had kept him confined for several weeks. At his death his daughter, Mrs Ludlow W. Stephens and her husband, and his secretary, J.B. Millard, were at the bedside. They were the sole occupants of his estate near his hear in Fleischmanns when he was stricken. He is survived by his widow, the former Miss Anne Douglass Graham, and two other children, Mrs S.J. Meador, at present in Texas, and Jay Gould Jr., a student in the Arizona Desert School in Tucson, Arizona. The body of Mr. Gould was brought to Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue and Fifty-third Street, last night from Margaretville New York It was placed in charge of the Rev. Roelif Brooks, rector of the parish. Mrs. Gould, who was visiting her son at school in Tucson, Arizona, when she received word of Mr. Gould's death, returned to New York by airplane last night. Mrs. Frank Spencer Meador, Mr. Gould's daughter, was on her way here by airplane from San Antonio, Texas, last night. In keeping with the wish expressed by Mr. Gould that his funeral be quiet and unostentatious, the service on Tuesday morning will be private. Burial will be in the Gould mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery. Mr. Gould was the ranking court tennis player of the world from more than twenty-five years, and in that time held consecutively more titles than any other amateur athlete in the world. His game, called by sports enthusiasts "the game of kings and the king of games," is more than 700 years old. He was first coached for the game by his father, the late George J. Gould, who brought the world's most famous players, both amateur and professional, to Georgian Court, the family estate, to tutor his athletic son. Jay Gould was a second son of his seven children, the eldest being Kingdon Gould, the present head of the family. In 1905 Jay Gould, then a youth of 16, startled the court tennis world by becoming runner-up in the annual tournament at Tuxedo Park. The next year he won it and became the American champion. From that time until 1926 he won 18 out of the 18 tournaments, no meets having taken place in 1917 and 1918. In 1907 and 1908 he won the amateur court tennis championships of England, the only American ever to obtain the title, and in 1908 he won the world title at the Olympic Games. His greatest victory came in 1914 when he defeated G. Fredrick Covey of England, the recognized world open champion. His activities led him into other court games and he was a prominent player of squash racquets, squash tennis and squash in New York clubs. He attended Columbia University and was the star of its court tennis varsity team in 1911. In the same year he married Miss Graham and made his home at 1,082 Fifth Avenue. Later he took an interest in real estate developments in New York and at his death occupied a floor – into which she had court tennis dedans built – at 444 East Fifty-seventh Street. He defaulted all his titles in singles play in 1926 and announced his retirement from competition. The call of the courts was too strong, however, and a year later he staged a comeback. He then engaged in doubles contests and was equally successful and holding titles in that field. He finally retired because of failing health in 1932. The marriage of Mr. Gould's daughter, Eleanor, in January 1934, was among the social events of last season. On December 26 last his eldest daughter, Anne Douglass Gould, surprised the social world by being married at 3 a.m. to F. Spencer J. Meador at Harrison, New York. The couple received the parental blessing and went to Canada on a wedding trip. As a grandson of Jay Gould, the railroad financier who amassed a fortune, Mr. Gould had a part in the management of the estate. His sister, Lady Vivien Decies of England, died in 1931. His elder brother, Kingdon Gould, directed the affairs of the estate. Besides his immediate family, many close relatives survive. Among them are Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel, Mrs. Wallace MacF. Barker and Lady Hector MacNeal, his sisters, and Kingdon and George Jay Gould, brothers. He is also survived by two aunts, Mrs. Finley G. Shepard of New York, and the Duchess Helie de Talleyrand of Paris."
Funeral:
The New York Times on January 30, 1935: "The simple funeral service, which was one of his last wishes, was conducted yesterday morning for Jay Gould, tennis champion and a grandson of the noted financier. The Reverend Dr. Roelif H. Brooks, the rector, officiated in the chantry of St Thomas Church, Fifth Ave and Fifty-third Street. The muffled, final tolling of the church bell was the only music to mark the passing of this man who died last Saturday in his forty-seventh year. About 125 persons knelt in the dimly lighted church to recite with Dr. Brooks the simple prayers of the Protestant Episcopal Church. All who are present were relatives, close associates or employees of Mr. Gould. After the service the body was taken to Woodlawn Cemetery the burial in the Gould mausoleum. Among those of the church, besides the widow, a son and two married daughters with their husbands, Frank Spencer Meador and Ludlow W. Stephens, there were: Kingdon Gould, a brother, and Mrs. Gould; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Barker, the latter a sister; Mrs. Edwin Gould, widow of an uncle; Mr. and Mrs. Finley J. Shepard, the latter an aunt; Mrs. Hubert Vos, Mr. Gould's mother-in-law; Mr. and Mrs. J. C. B. Millard, Mr. and Mrs. William A. Hamilton, Mr. and Mrs. David H. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. W. Lawn Marston, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel Jr., Monroe Douglass Robinson and Mr. and Mrs. Otto A. Hack. Frank Forester, one of the men who coached Mr. Gould while he was monarch of the court tennis world, was present with Mrs. Forester. Mrs. C.H. Heidenhein, a secretary, also was there. A woman who was in the employ of the Gould family when Mr. Gould was born also came to pay her respects. She was Mrs. Mary McDonald, who served with the family for twenty-two years, and was retired with a pension more than thirty years ago. She is 81 years old."