Elbridge Thomas Gerry

Elbridge Thomas Gerry (December 25, 1837 – February 18, 1927), usually called "Commodore" Gerry due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club from 1886 to 1892, was an American lawyer and reformer. His paternal grandfather was U.S. Vice President Elbridge Gerry. Early life Gerry was born on December 25, 1837, In Charlestown, Rhode Island, the son of Thomas Russell Gerry (1794–1848), who was active in the Sons of the American Revolution, and Hannah Green Goelet (1804–1845), of another prominent family. In 1857, Gerry graduated from Columbia College, with honors. During his time there he also joined the Chi Psi fraternity, eventually becoming its national president. His paternal grandfather was Founding Father, Massachusetts Governor and U.S. Vice President Elbridge Gerry. His cousins included Elbridge Gerry, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine, George Goelet Kip, and Robert Walton Goelet, who was a financier and real estate developer in New York City. His maternal grandfather was the merchant and landowner Peter P. Goelet and his great-grandfather was Peter Goelet. In 1879, he inherited $500,000 after the death of his unmarried uncle, Peter Goelet.