Charles Cary Rumsey | |
|---|---|
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 29, 1879 Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Died | September 21, 1922(1922-09-21) (aged 43) Floral Park, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Automobile accident |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery,Buffalo |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | George Cary (uncle) Seward Cary (Uncle) Trumbull Cary (great-grandfather) Evelyn Rumsey (Sister) Gertrude Rumsey (Sister) Grace Rumsey (Sister) Laurence Dana Rumsey Jr. (Brother) |
| Children | Charles Cary Rumsey, Jr. (Son) Mary Averell Rumsey (Daughter) Bronson Harriman Rumsey (Son) |
| Parent(s) | Laurence Dana Rumsey (Father) Jennie Rumsey (Mother) |
| Education | Harvard University Boston Art School École des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Sculptor,Polo player |
| Known for | Figurative art |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 77th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Charles Cary Rumsey (August 29, 1879 – September 21, 1922) was an American sculptor and an eight-goalpolo player.
Rumsey was born on August 29, 1879, inBuffalo, New York. He was the son of Laurence Dana Rumsey, a successful local businessman, and Jennie (née Cary) Rumsey. His siblings included Evelyn Rumsey, who married Rev. Walter R. Lord in 1922; Gertrude Rumsey, who married Carlton Smith; Grace Rumsey, who married Charles W.Goodyear Jr. (son ofCharles W. Goodyear) in 1908; and Laurence Dana Rumsey Jr.[1]
His maternal uncles includedSeward Cary, a polo-player, andGeorge Cary, a prominent architect. His maternal great-grandfather wasTrumbull Cary, a New York State Senator and formerNew York State Bank Commissioner.[1]
As a child, Charles learned to play polo at a young age from his uncle and friend,Devereux Milburn. Charles Rumsey, who was known to his family & friends as Pad, graduated fromHarvard University and studied art at theBoston Art School before going to Paris, France, in 1902 to study at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts, where his uncle,George Cary, studied from 1886 until 1889.[1]
While still a student at Harvard, he exhibited a sculpture of an Indian at thePan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901.
He worked mainly inbronze. His passion for horses saw him create statues of theThoroughbred horsesHamburg andBurgomaster forHarry Payne Whitney,Good and Plenty forThomas Hitchcock, and World ChampiontrotterNancy Hanks[2] forJohn E. Madden.
When Rumsey returned from Paris in 1906, he established himself in anart studio on59th Street in New York City. He soon thereafter began sculptures for the massive house being built by architectsCarrère and Hastings for the railroad magnateE.H. Harriman, calledArden; he did a fireplace surround and other sculptural decorations for the music room there, as well as the "Three Graces Fountain."[3] During this time he courted Harriman's daughter,Mary Harriman; they both shared a love of horses and had first met at theMeadow Brook Steeplechase Association races onLong Island. They married in 1910, much to the surprise of New York society.[4] They maintained a home inBrookville, New York, on Long Island, where they raised three children.
Among Rumsey's other works, he did astatue ofFrancisco Pizarro erected inTrujillo, Spain, theBrownsville War Memorial inBrownsville, Brooklyn, a copy of the "Three Graces Fountain" from Arden House installed in Mirror Lake atForest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo (where Rumsey is buried), and the controversial figure of a nude woman called "The Pagan."[5] Perhaps his most celebrated work is the 1916frieze on Carrère and Hastings'Manhattan Bridge in New York City, titled "Buffalo Hunt."
DuringWorld War I, Charles Rumsey served as a captain with Headquarters Troop,77th Infantry Division and Fortieth Engineers,United States Army Corps of Engineers. His brother, Laurence Dana Rumsey, Jr. (1885–1967), was a pilot in the War with the famousLafayette Escadrille andLafayette Flying Corps.
His work was part of thesculpture event in theart competition at the1928 Summer Olympics.[6]
In 1910, Rumsey marriedMary Harriman (1881–1934),[7] the founder ofThe Junior League for the Promotion of Settlement Movements, later known as the Junior League of the City of New York of theAssociation of Junior Leagues International Inc. Mary was the daughter of railroad magnateE.H. Harriman and sister toW. Averell Harriman, former New York state governor and United States diplomat. In 2015 she was posthumously inducted into theNational Women's Hall of Fame.[8]Together they had three children:
On September 21, 1922, Charles Rumsey was a passenger in an automobile that crashed into a stone bridge abutment on theJericho Turnpike nearFloral Park on Long Island. He was thrown from the vehicle and died minutes later from his injuries.[13] Rumsey was buried atForest Lawn Cemetery inBuffalo, New York.[13]
He was posthumously inducted into theMuseum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2011.[14]
Through his eldest son Charles, he was posthumously a grandfather of three,[9] Charles, Peter, and Celia Cary. In 1976, Charles, a graduate ofPhillips Exeter,Harvard College andHarvard Law School, married Martha Zec, daughter of Dr. Branko Zec ofBeverly Hills, California, withPony Duke (the nephew ofDoris Duke) as best man. Charles, a lawyer in New York, also lives in Wyoming, where he runs the Wood River Ranch, a dude ranch and outfitter.[15]
