Preceded by 24th Governor John Adams Dix |
Samuel J. Tilden 25th Governor of New York1875—1876 |
Succeeded by 26th Governor Lucius Robinson |
Contents |
A lawyer whose clients included many railroads, and a shrewd investor and businessman, Samuel Tilden was very rich, and spent accordingly. In 1863, he bought a home at 15 Gramercy Park South, an upscale neighborhood in Manhattan. He loved to entertain, and added a dining room, wine cellar, and extensive gardens. In 1874, he also bought the mansion next door. His plan to merge the two into one luxurious dwelling was delayed when he was elected governor in 1874, becoming the first governor to live in the executive mansion in Albany. After his loss in the 1876 presidential election, he returned to Gramercy Park and had the two mansions merged into one home. which contained 40 rooms including a dining room with a stained glass ceiling. (Source: Daytonian in Manhattan. This source contains many interesting pictures of this palatial home.)
In the 1880 census, he was living in this home, with his widowed sister Mary Pelton and Mary's orphaned granddaughter, 17-year-old Laura Pelton, as well as six servants. (Source: 1880 Census)
By then, he had also purchased a summer residence in Yonkers (20 miles north of Manhattan). "Greystone", a mansion of 99 rooms, sat on 33 acres of land on the Hudson River. He added 13 greenhouses and created gardens. Samuel Tilden died at Greystone in August, 1886; after his death the property was sold to Samuel Untermeyer, who enlarged the gardens. The mansion no longer exists, but the extensive gardens are now a public park. (Source: Untermeyer Gardens)
Of the many rooms in Tilden’s homes, one of the most important was the library, housing 20,000 books. At his death, his book collection, as well as the greater part of his fortune, was bequeathed to create the New York Public Library. Books on history and family lineage enabled him to trace the Tilden family back to 1463, although modern genealogists might not approve of his method: “the record was compiled from information picked up here and there, jotted down and tossed into a drawer.” (Source: Mitchell, South Dakota, Daily Republican, 8 August 1886, quoted by Tina Ordone). Other books would have been about his hobbies: raising saddle horses and dairy cattle, and growing exotic plants in his greenhouses.
Although he never married, in his latter years he was reported to have been engaged twice. Nellie Hazeltine, “the Belle of St. Louis,” however, married another suitor and died in 1884. Mary Celeste Stauffer of New Orleans, who like Nellie was young, beautiful, and rich, received a bequest of $100,000 at his death.
(Sources: Tina Ordone, “Stephentown Genealogy”; New York Times, “Upstate Memorial to Tilden”; Find a Grave: Nellie Hazeltine Paramore; Find a Grave: Mary Celeste Stauffer Eastwick.)
On August 4, 1886, Samuel Tilden died at Greystone. His funeral there four days later was attended by President Cleveland and other dignitaries, as well as hundreds of local citizens. Crowds watched solemnly as the funeral procession made its way from the mansion to the train station for the journey to New Lebanon, where the great statesman was buried near his family. Newspapers throughout the country provided every detail of the somber events. (Source, Tina Ordone)
The monument which marks his final resting place was designed by famous architect Ernest Flagg and created by noted sculptor Carl Conrads (Source: Wikipedia, “Gov Samuel J. Tilden Monument.”) It was restored in 1984 (Source: New York Times, "Upstate Monument to Tilden") and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. (Source: National Record of Historic Places).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 30 March 2021), memorial page for Samuel Jones Tilden (9 Feb 1814–4 Aug 1886), Find A Grave: Memorial #1036, citing Cemetery of the Evergreens, New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .
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Samuel is 25 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 17 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 21 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 32 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 21 degrees from Sam Edwards, 18 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 21 degrees from Marty Krofft, 16 degrees from Junius Matthews, 15 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 20 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
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Categories: New Lebanon, New York | Yonkers, New York | Cemetery of the Evergreens, New Lebanon, New York | New York Governors | US Presidential Candidates | Notables