Robert P. Bass

Robert Perkins Bass (September 1, 1873July 29, 1960) was an American farmer, forestry expert, and Republican politician from Peterborough, New Hampshire. He served in both houses of the New Hampshire Legislature and as chairman of the state's Forestry Commission before serving as the 53rd governor of New Hampshire from 1911 to 1913. He started one of the state's political dynasties. Both his son, Perkins Bass, and grandson, Charles F. Bass, were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. His wife, Edith Harland Bird, was the daughter of Massachusetts businessman Charles Sumner Bird. His daughter, Joanne, was the first wife of Marshall Field IV, heir to the Marshall Field's fortune and publishing mogul. Early life The son of Perkins Bass and Clara (Foster) Bass, he was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Peterborough when he was nine. He grew up on a family farm that is still owned by his descendants. He graduated from Harvard College in 1896. Gertrude Bass Warner (May 14, 1863 – July 29, 1951), an art collector with particular interests in Asian art, was his sister.