Jump to content

Charles Carroll (philanthropist)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Carroll
BornJanuary 12, 1865
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1921(1921-10-06) (aged 56)
Menton, France
EducationGeorgetown College
Spouse
​
​
(after 1887)​
ChildrenCharles Bancroft Carroll
Parent(s)John Lee Carroll
Anita Phelps
FamilySee Carroll family

Charles Carroll[a] (January 12, 1865 – October 6, 1921)[2] was an American heir who was prominent in New York Society during the Gilded Age. After the death of his father in 1911, Carroll was the unofficial head of Carroll family of Maryland.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Carroll was born on January 12, 1865, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of Governor of Maryland John Lee Carroll and Anita Phelps Carroll.[4] His brother Royal Phelps Carroll, was married to Marion Langdon, a descendant of John Jacob Astor and the stepdaughter of Philip Schuyler.[4]

His maternal grandfather was Royal Phelps. His paternal grandfather was Charles Carroll of Doughoregan Manor was himself the grandson of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signor of the Declaration of Independence. They were descended from the prominent Carroll family.[5]

He was educated at Georgetown College, which his family helped to found.[6]

Society life

[edit]
1936 photograph of Carroll's Doughoregan Manor in Ellicott City, Maryland

Despite spending most of his life in Paris,[2] Carroll and his wife were considered prominent in New York and Newport society. In 1892, they were included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times.[7] Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.[8]

Following his father's death in 1911, Carroll bought out his other family members interest in the Carroll family estate, Doughoregan Manor in Ellicott City, Maryland, in 1912.[6]

World War I

[edit]

During World War I, Carroll, who was living in France, joined the Red Cross at the front, spending time with the French and Italian troops.[9] He was awarded the Italian Medal militaire for his bravery and efforts to help the injured during the War.[9]

After the War, he became president of the American society for Fatherless Children of France and donated his time and funds to various charitable causes and efforts.[6] For his efforts, Peter I the King of Serbia decorated him, Victor Emmanuel III the King of Italy awarded him silver medal for valor, and the French government made him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.[6]

Personal life

[edit]

On November 15, 1887, Carroll was married to Suzanne Bancroft, the daughter of George Dwight Bancroft and Louise Tailandier who resided in France.[10] Suzanne, who was described by The New York Times as being "certainly not more than 30, with a bright but not handsome countenance",[10] was the granddaughter of George Bancroft, who served as the U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Prussia, as well as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy where he established the United States Naval Academy. The unannounced wedding was a surprise to society and was held Washington.[11] Before their marriage, she was rumored to be engaged to Vicomte Albert de Channac Lauzac.[10] Together Charles and Suzanne were the parents of:

  • Charles Bancroft Carroll, a graduate of the Naval Academy who was an officer in the United States Navy. He married Anita Hack (1891–1972), the daughter of Frederick Home Hack, in April 1914.[12] They divorced in 1923.

In 1921, Suzanne inherited part of the Bancroft estate left by her brother, George Bancroft, upon his death.[13]

Carroll died suddenly in the garden at Villa Himalaya, his home in Menton near Nice, France, on October 6, 1921.[2][14] He was honored by the French government during his funeral.[6] In 1923 his widow donated a Tapestry Canopy and Louis XV chair to Maryland Institute in his honor.[9]

Descendants

[edit]

Through his son Charles, he was the grandfather of Charles Carroll (1915–1987) and Anita Marie Louise Carroll (1916–2009).[3]

References

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^ Charles Henry Browning in Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings refers to Charles as "Theodore Charles Carroll.[1]
Sources
  1. ^ Browning, Charles Henry (1891). Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. Porter & Costes. p. 673. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "CHARLES CARROLL DIES AT VILLA IN FRANCE; Member of Noted Maryland Family Was Decorated by Italy for Red Cross Work". The New York Times. 7 October 1921. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b Leonard, Lewis Alexander (1918). Life of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Moffat, Yard. p. 263. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Dead. | Descendant of Signor of Declaration of Independence Expires Suddenly in France". The Baltimore Sun. 6 October 1921. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. ^ Street, Julian (1916). "Collier's, Volume 57". P.F. Collier: 10. Retrieved 1 May 2018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e "DESCENDANT OF SIGNOR OF DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE HONORED BY FRENCH GOVERNMENT AT HIS FUNERAL RECENTLY | Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Great-grandson of Poor Massachusetts Minister, Grandson of Apprentice Who Ran Away to Sea to Become a Merchant Prince, and Son of State Governor Given Unprecendented Honor". Buffalo Courier-Express. 4 December 1921. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  7. ^ McAllister, Ward (16 February 1892). "THE ONLY FOUR HUNDRED | WARD M'ALLISTER GIVES OUT THE OFFICIAL LIST. HERE ARE THE NAMES, DON'T YOU KNOW, ON THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR GREAT LEADER, YOU UNDER- STAND, AND THEREFORE GENUINE, YOU SEE" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  8. ^ Keister, Lisa A. (2005). Getting Rich: America's New Rich and How They Got That Way. Cambridge University Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780521536677. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Charles Carroll's Widow to Give Relics to Maryland Institute | Tapestry Canopy and Louis XV Chair To Be Sent With Promise Of More Antiques For City". The Baltimore Sun. 30 October 1923. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Miss Bancroft's Wedding; Washington Society in a State of Amazement. the Granddaughter of the Historian Marries Ex-Gov. Carroll's Son-the Vote of Virginia". The New York Times. 17 November 1887. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Miss Bancroft's Unexpected Wedding". The New York Times. 20 November 1887. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Miss Hack to Wed C. B. Carroll". The New York Times. 24 February 1914. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Two Will Divide $500,000". The Baltimore Sun. 26 May 1921. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. ^ Logan, Mrs John A. (1912). The Part Taken by Women in American History. Perry-Nalle publishing Company. p. 618. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Carroll_(philanthropist)&oldid=1241236821"