Frederick Gilbert Bourne
Encyclopedia
Frederick Gilbert "Commodore" Bourne (December 20, 1851 – March 1919) was President of the Singer Manufacturing Company
between 1889 and 1905. He made the business "perhaps the first modern multinational industrial enterprise of any nationality." Bourne greatly expanded global production as well as international sales of the Singer sewing machine. Bourne is also remembered as the "among the most important innovators in building vertically integrated firms."
Bourne maintained an apartment at The Dakota
at West 72d Street next to Central Park
in New York City
, owned a 1,000-acre (4 km²) summer estate in Oakdale
, Long Island
, and acquired Dark Island
in the Thousand Islands
in the St. Lawrence River where he built a magnificent castle
. A sailing enthusiast, Bourne served as a Commodore of the New York Yacht Club
.
He and wife Emma had twelve children:
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
between 1889 and 1905. He made the business "perhaps the first modern multinational industrial enterprise of any nationality." Bourne greatly expanded global production as well as international sales of the Singer sewing machine. Bourne is also remembered as the "among the most important innovators in building vertically integrated firms."
Bourne maintained an apartment at The Dakota
The Dakota
The Dakota, constructed from October 25, 1880 to October 27, 1884, is a co-op apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City...
at West 72d Street next to Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, owned a 1,000-acre (4 km²) summer estate in Oakdale
Oakdale, New York
Oakdale is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 8,075 at the 2000 census. Oakdale is in the Town of Islip.- History :...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and acquired Dark Island
Dark Island
Dark Island, a prominent feature of the St. Lawrence Seaway, is located in the lower Thousand Islands region, near Chippewa Bay. A historic landmark here, "The Towers" was long known as Dark Island Castle until recently renamed "Singer Castle". The island itself sits only a few yards south of...
in the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
in the St. Lawrence River where he built a magnificent castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. A sailing enthusiast, Bourne served as a Commodore of the New York Yacht Club
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...
.
He and wife Emma had twelve children:
- Frederick Gilbert Bourne Jr (1876, NY - dead by 1898).
- Arthur Keeler Bourne (7 October 1877 - 30 April 1967), married Edith Hollins; their son: Arthur Keeler Bourne (1899-1974); divorced. Married Alberta M. Bourne, with whom he had three children.
- Louisa D Bourne - (1879, NY - dead by 1898).
- May Miller Bourne (7 April 1881, New York, NY -1975), married Ralph B. StrassburgerRalph B. StrassburgerRalph Beaver Strassburger was an American businessman born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, who was also a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder....
, a PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
businessman and prominent thoroughbredThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse owner and breeder who owned Haras des Monceaux at LisieuxLisieuxLisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
in Lower Normandy, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. - Marion Bourne (1882 - 1969), married Robert George Elbert.
- Alfred Severin Bourne (1883 - 1956), married Hattie Louise Barnes.
- Helen Bourne (1884/85 - 22 Jan 1887, New York, NY). Died aged 2.
- Florence Bourne (6 Jan 1886 - 1969), married Anson Wales Hard (1884-1935), divorced 1932, 7 children.
- George Gault Bourne (9 Feb 1888 - 1964), married Nancy Atterbury Potter.
- Marjorie Bourne (1890 - 5 May 1962), married Alexander Dallas Thayer (1888-1968).
- Kenneth Bourne (1891 - 1898).
- Howard Davidson Bourne (1893 - 1918), died aged 25.