William A. Chanler
Encyclopedia
William Astor Chanler was a soldier, explorer, and a U.S. Representative
from New York
, son of John Winthrop Chanler
and Margaret Astor Ward. He was the great-grandson of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
and a descendent of General John Armstrong, Sr. His mother was a niece of Julia Ward Howe
.
Chanler regarded it as an American obligation to be on the side of the people who fought for their independence, and during his life he participated in rebellions and independence struggles in Cuba
, Libya
and Somalia
and provided support for insurgents in Venezuela
and China
.
, Chanler had nine brothers and sisters, including the politician Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
and the artist Robert Winthrop Chanler
. His sister Margaret Livingston Chanler served as a nurse with the American Red Cross
during the Spanish-American War
. Chanler's older brother John Armstrong Chanler married novelist Amélie Rives Troubetzkoy
. Chanler and his siblings became orphans after the death of their mother in 1875 and their father in 1877, both to pneumonia. The children were raised at their parents' estate in Rokeby (Barrytown, New York)
.
Chanler attended St. John's Military Academy in Ossining, New York
, then Phillips Exeter Academy
in Exeter, New Hampshire
, and Harvard University
, which he left on his twenty-first birthday in 1888. Harvard later awarded him an honorary master's degree in 1895.
He married actress Beatrice "Minnie" Ashley in New York on December 5 1903 and they had two sons William Astor Chanler Jr. and Sidney Ashley Chanler before separating amicably in 1909. William Astor Chanler Jr. (1904–2002) was a published historian. Sidney Ashley Chanler (1907-1994) was a public relations executive who married Princess Maria Antonia of Braganza in 1934.
, of the Imperial and Royal Geographical Society of Vienna
, and of the American Geographical Society
of New York, Chanler first visited Africa in 1889-1890 in the company of his friend Royal Phelps Carroll. They spent ten months in Maasai
territory near Mount Kilimanjaro
. Chanler took with him a state-of-the-art Kodak camera designed to take four thousand photos without reloading, but upon his return it was discovered that the camera had not been properly loaded with film.
After returning to the US, Chanler visited Wyoming
in 1890 and became friends with Butch Cassidy
, who escorted him to the Hole-in-the-Wall
bandit hideout.
with Ludwig von Höhnel
, a lieutenant in the Austrian Navy. They proceeded inland from the coast, mapping the Guasso Nyiro River
, the Lorian Swamp
, the Tana River
, Lake Rudolph and then Lake Stefanie. They were the first westerners in this region to come into contact with the Tigania, the Igembe Meru and the Rendille people. The expedition was eventually stranded in what is now the Meru North District
of Kenya
because of the death of all of its 165 pack animals (probably due to trypanosomiasis
) and the desertion of many of the 160 porters. On August 24, 1893 von Höhnel was gored by a rhinoceros and was forced to return to Austria. Chanler himself came close to death from malaria
before he finally succeeded in returning to Zanzibar
. Out of about five hundred photos taken during the journey, 155 photographs taken by von Höhnel have survived.
As part of the scientific contribution of the journey, Chanler collected numerous specimens of plants and animals, including insects and a small crocodile
. Many of the African animals in the American Museum of Natural History
were donated by him after being collected on this expedition. Chanler's Mountain Reedbuck
(Redunca fulvorufula chanleri) was named for him.
Although von Höhnel and Chanler remained lifelong friends, von Höhnel considered Chanler to be reckless:
in 1896 and in 1897 was elected to the fifth district of the New York State Assembly
. A fervent supporter of the Cuban struggle for independence
, in February 1897 he took a leave of absence in order to accompany a shipment of weapons and ammunition to the Caribbean together with Emilio Núñez
. Among the guns were two M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun
s that Chanler had donated (Rubens states that they were Maxim-Nordenfelt guns
).
In April 1898, at the outset of the Spanish-American War
, Chanler responded to President William McKinley
's call for 1,250 volunteers by forming a New York regiment, with the encouragement of Theodore Roosevelt
, who was hoping to lead it. Known as the "Tammany
Regiment," it was to be equipped at Chanler's expense. It was disbanded in early May because the volunteer quota had already been reached. Chanler immediately volunteered his services to General Máximo Gómez
and was given the rank of colonel, however on May 10, 1898, he received a commission as captain and assistant adjutant general
on the staff of Major-General Joseph Wheeler
. He served as acting ordnance
officer, Cavalry Division, Fifth Army Corps, from May 23 to August 23, 1898. In June and July 1898 he participated in the actions at the Battle of Las Guasimas
, the Battle of El Caney
, San Juan Hill
, and in the Siege of Santiago de Cuba
, for which he received a commendation from Major General Wheeler for "gallantry in battle". He was honorably discharged on October 3, 1898.
In November 1898 Chanler was elected as a Democrat
to the Fifty-sixth Congress
, defeating incumbent Lemuel Ely Quigg and serving as representative of New York's 14th congressional district
from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1901. During his term he introduced legislation to improve living conditions for American sailors. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900. In 1904 he declared his candidacy for governor of New York
on the Democratic / Independence League ticket but later withdrew.
First hand account recorded by Edwin Manners
on August 17, 1905:
racehorses, he raced both in the United States and in France. One of his trainers
was U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Preston M. Burch
.
In 1904 he purchased the yacht Sanibel on which he spent his honeymoon in the Caribbean. He is known to have invited Sun Yat-Sen
aboard to discuss his plans for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty
.
In 1907 he filed a lawsuit for libel against newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst
for printing a story which implied that Chanler had engaged in the sexual abuse
of girls together with actor and comedian Raymond Hitchcock
.
In 1910, with a Turkish commission as colonel of auxiliaries
, Chanler went to Libya
to fight for the Senussi
against Italy in the Italo-Turkish War
. In October 1911 a unit of Arab cavalry commanded by Chanler routed Italian troops landing at Benghazi
. Chanler was forced to leave the country a few days later after drinking poisoned camel's milk. In 1912 he went to Somalia
and served as military adviser to Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
against the British.
He spent considerable time in Europe
and on December 8, 1913 was involved in a mysterious accident in France, injuring his right leg. Various reports suggested that Chanler had been in a car accident, or that he had been dueling with boxer Frank Moran
and was shot (Chanler was backing Jack Johnson
against Moran in the upcoming World Heavyweight Championship
in Paris). In spite of several surgeries the injury never healed and Chanler's leg was amputated above the knee in late September, 1915.
He moved to Paris in 1920 and, encouraged by the success of his 1896 travelogue
Through Jungle and Desert, he published his first novel, A Man's Game, under the pseudonym
John Brent. The book was based on events in 1902 when Chanler had been involved in a plot to overthrow President Cipriano Castro
of Venezuela
. In 1925 he published his second novel, The Sacrifice, under the pseudonym Robert Hart, in which Jewish conspirators were planning to take over Western culture and government.
Chanler died on March 4, 1934 in Menton
, Alpes-Maritimes
, France
. His remains were returned home for interment in the Trinity Church Cemetery
in New York City, near the graves of his father and grandfather.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, son of John Winthrop Chanler
John W. Chanler
John Winthrop Chanler was a prominent New York lawyer and a U.S. Representative from New York.-Life and career:...
and Margaret Astor Ward. He was the great-grandson of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
William Backhouse Astor, Sr. was an American businessman and member of the Astor family.-Origins and schooling:...
and a descendent of General John Armstrong, Sr. His mother was a niece of Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
.
Chanler regarded it as an American obligation to be on the side of the people who fought for their independence, and during his life he participated in rebellions and independence struggles in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and provided support for insurgents in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Early life
Born in Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Chanler had nine brothers and sisters, including the politician Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler was a New York lawyer and politician.- Early life :He was the son of John Winthrop Chanler and Margaret Astor Ward. Chanler had nine brothers and sisters, including the artist Robert Winthrop Chanler and the soldier and explorer William Astor Chanler...
and the artist Robert Winthrop Chanler
Robert Winthrop Chanler
-Biography:He was born in New York City to John Winthrop Chanler and Margaret Astor Ward, in a sea of wealthy and interconnected Hudson River families that included the Astors, Delanos, Winthrops and Stuyvesants. Chanler had nine brothers and sisters, including politician Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler...
. His sister Margaret Livingston Chanler served as a nurse with the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. Chanler's older brother John Armstrong Chanler married novelist Amélie Rives Troubetzkoy
Amélie Rives Troubetzkoy
Amélie Louise Rives Troubetzkoy was an American novelist and poet. Rives wrote at least twenty-four volumes of fiction, numerous uncollected poems, and Herod and Marianne , a verse drama. In 1888, she published novel The Quick or the Dead?, her most famous and popular work that sold 300,000 copies...
. Chanler and his siblings became orphans after the death of their mother in 1875 and their father in 1877, both to pneumonia. The children were raised at their parents' estate in Rokeby (Barrytown, New York)
Rokeby (Barrytown, New York)
Rokeby, also known as La Bergerie, is a historic estate and federally recognized historic district located at Barrytown in Dutchess County, New York. It includes seven contributing buildings and one contributing structures. The original section of the main house was built 1811–1815...
.
Chanler attended St. John's Military Academy in Ossining, New York
Ossining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
, then Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, which he left on his twenty-first birthday in 1888. Harvard later awarded him an honorary master's degree in 1895.
He married actress Beatrice "Minnie" Ashley in New York on December 5 1903 and they had two sons William Astor Chanler Jr. and Sidney Ashley Chanler before separating amicably in 1909. William Astor Chanler Jr. (1904–2002) was a published historian. Sidney Ashley Chanler (1907-1994) was a public relations executive who married Princess Maria Antonia of Braganza in 1934.
Visit to Kilimanjaro, 1889-1890
A Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, of the Imperial and Royal Geographical Society of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and of the American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
of New York, Chanler first visited Africa in 1889-1890 in the company of his friend Royal Phelps Carroll. They spent ten months in Maasai
Maasai
The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa...
territory near Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
. Chanler took with him a state-of-the-art Kodak camera designed to take four thousand photos without reloading, but upon his return it was discovered that the camera had not been properly loaded with film.
After returning to the US, Chanler visited Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
in 1890 and became friends with Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
, who escorted him to the Hole-in-the-Wall
Hole-in-the-Wall
Hole-in-the-Wall is a remote hideout located in the Big Horn Mountains of Johnson County in northern Wyoming. The site was used in the late 19th century by the Hole in the Wall Gang, a group of cattle rustlers and other outlaws which included Kid Curry, Black Jack Ketchum, and Butch Cassidy's Wild...
bandit hideout.
Journey with Von Höhnel, 1892-1894
Between 1892 and 1894 he explored the territory in the vicinity of Mount KenyaMount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana . Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, around north-northeast of the capital Nairobi...
with Ludwig von Höhnel
Ludwig von Höhnel
Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel was an Austrian naval officer and explorer. He was trained at the naval academy in Rijeka.- Journey with Teleki 1887-1888 :...
, a lieutenant in the Austrian Navy. They proceeded inland from the coast, mapping the Guasso Nyiro River
Ewaso Ng'iro
Ewaso Ng'iro is a river in Kenya which rises on the west side of Mount Kenya and flows north then east and finally south-east, passing through Somalia where it joins the Jubba River....
, the Lorian Swamp
Lorian Swamp
The Lorian Swamp is an area of wetlands on the Ewaso Ngiro river in Kenya.The swampy zone is long and has a greatest width of , covering an area of .Apart from the Ewaso Ngiro river, the swamp is also fed by wadis from the southwest and the northeast....
, the Tana River
Tana River (Kenya)
The long Tana River is the longest river in Kenya, and gives its name to the Tana River District. Its tributaries include the Thika. The river rises in the Aberdare Mountains to the west of Nyeri. Initially it runs east before turning south around the massif of Mount Kenya. The river then runs...
, Lake Rudolph and then Lake Stefanie. They were the first westerners in this region to come into contact with the Tigania, the Igembe Meru and the Rendille people. The expedition was eventually stranded in what is now the Meru North District
Meru North District
Meru North District is one of the seventy-one districts of Kenya, located in that country's Eastern Province. In 1992, it was split from the large Meru District, along with Meru Central District, Meru South District, and Tharaka District....
of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
because of the death of all of its 165 pack animals (probably due to trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis or trypanosomosis is the name of several diseases in vertebrates caused by parasitic protozoan trypanosomes of the genus Trypanosoma. Approximately 500,000 men, women and children in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa suffer from human African trypanosomiasis which is caused by...
) and the desertion of many of the 160 porters. On August 24, 1893 von Höhnel was gored by a rhinoceros and was forced to return to Austria. Chanler himself came close to death from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
before he finally succeeded in returning to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. Out of about five hundred photos taken during the journey, 155 photographs taken by von Höhnel have survived.
As part of the scientific contribution of the journey, Chanler collected numerous specimens of plants and animals, including insects and a small crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
. Many of the African animals in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
were donated by him after being collected on this expedition. Chanler's Mountain Reedbuck
Mountain Reedbuck
The Mountain Reedbuck is an antelope found in mountainous areas of much of Sub-Saharan Africa.The Mountain Reedbuck averages 75 cm at the shoulder, and weighs around 30 kg. It has a grey coat with a white underbelly and reddish-brown head and shoulders...
(Redunca fulvorufula chanleri) was named for him.
Although von Höhnel and Chanler remained lifelong friends, von Höhnel considered Chanler to be reckless:
- "It did not take me long to find out what an enterprising, high-spirited American Mr. Chanler was, and I realized that on this expedition I would have to be the mother of wisdom. Later on it was indeed a sight to watch my young traveling companion running risks that were not always commensurate with the object to be achieved. He often needed to be cautioned."
Political and military career
He was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention at Saratoga, New YorkSaratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
in 1896 and in 1897 was elected to the fifth district of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
. A fervent supporter of the Cuban struggle for independence
Cuban War of Independence
Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...
, in February 1897 he took a leave of absence in order to accompany a shipment of weapons and ammunition to the Caribbean together with Emilio Núñez
Emilio Núñez
Emilio Núñez was a Cuban-American soldier, dentist, and politician ....
. Among the guns were two M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun
M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun
The Colt-Browning M1895, nicknamed potato digger due to its unusual operating mechanism, is an air-cooled, belt-fed, gas-operated machine gun that fires from a closed bolt with a cyclic rate of 450 rounds per minute...
s that Chanler had donated (Rubens states that they were Maxim-Nordenfelt guns
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
).
In April 1898, at the outset of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, Chanler responded to President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
's call for 1,250 volunteers by forming a New York regiment, with the encouragement of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, who was hoping to lead it. Known as the "Tammany
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
Regiment," it was to be equipped at Chanler's expense. It was disbanded in early May because the volunteer quota had already been reached. Chanler immediately volunteered his services to General Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....
and was given the rank of colonel, however on May 10, 1898, he received a commission as captain and assistant adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
on the staff of Major-General Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...
. He served as acting ordnance
Military logistics
Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...
officer, Cavalry Division, Fifth Army Corps, from May 23 to August 23, 1898. In June and July 1898 he participated in the actions at the Battle of Las Guasimas
Battle of Las Guasimas
The Battle of Las Guasimas of June 24, 1898, part of the Spanish-American War, unfolded from Major General "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's attempt to storm a Spanish position in the jungles surrounding Santiago. Commanding a division that included the 1st U.S...
, the Battle of El Caney
Battle of El Caney
The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War.-Background:At El Caney, Cuba, 514 Spanish regular soldiers, together with approximately 100 armed Spanish loyalists under the command of General Joaquín Vara de Rey were instructed to hold the northwest flank of...
, San Juan Hill
San Juan Hill
San Juan Hill is a series of hills to the east of Santiago, Cuba running north to south and known as the San Juan Heights or in Spanish "Alturas de San Juan" before Spanish-American War of 1898...
, and in the Siege of Santiago de Cuba
Siege of Santiago
The Siege of Santiago also known as the Siege of Santiago de Cuba was the last major operation of the Spanish-American War on the island of Cuba. This action should not be confused with the naval battle of Santiago de Cuba.-Santiago Campaign:...
, for which he received a commendation from Major General Wheeler for "gallantry in battle". He was honorably discharged on October 3, 1898.
In November 1898 Chanler was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Fifty-sixth Congress
56th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Garret Hobart , until November 21, 1899 , vacant thereafter.* President pro tempore: William P. Frye * Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones...
, defeating incumbent Lemuel Ely Quigg and serving as representative of New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City. It includes most of the East Side of Manhattan, all of Roosevelt Island and the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, and Sunnyside in Queens...
from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1901. During his term he introduced legislation to improve living conditions for American sailors. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900. In 1904 he declared his candidacy for governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
on the Democratic / Independence League ticket but later withdrew.
First hand account recorded by Edwin Manners
Edwin Manners
Edwin Manners, was an American lawyer, property owner and diarist. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1877, went on to earn a degree in Law at Columbia University, and was accepted to the bar. He became involved in projects to improve Jersey City, such as a project...
on August 17, 1905:
- "Late this evening I went up to the Manhattan Casino. The William Astor Chanler association was holding its summer night festival and outing there. Mr. C. has explored a little in Africa: he is now exploring darkest Tammany. I noticed him, a manly young fellow, surrounded by some politicians, and while apparently a good mixer, he betrayed a subconscious pant as if the element was not just to his taste. So have I felt and bravely overcome. So I permitted the bands, that played unusually sweet music, to set me whirling almost any petticoated reveler that came to hand in the mazy dance. So I lived awhile, while others paused."
Later life
An owner of thoroughbredThoroughbred
The 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...
racehorses, he raced both in the United States and in France. One of his trainers
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
was U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, Preston M. Burch
Preston M. Burch
Preston Morris Burch was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, breeder, and owner. -Biography:...
.
In 1904 he purchased the yacht Sanibel on which he spent his honeymoon in the Caribbean. He is known to have invited Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
aboard to discuss his plans for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
.
In 1907 he filed a lawsuit for libel against newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
for printing a story which implied that Chanler had engaged in the sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
of girls together with actor and comedian Raymond Hitchcock
Raymond Hitchcock
Raymond Edward Hitchcock is a former New Zealand first class cricketer who played in England for Warwickshire....
.
In 1910, with a Turkish commission as colonel of auxiliaries
Auxiliaries
An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...
, Chanler went to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
to fight for the Senussi
Senussi
The Senussi or Sanussi refers to a Muslim political-religious order in Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi, Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. Senussi was concerned with both the decline of Islamic thought and spirituality and the weakening of Muslim political...
against Italy in the Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
. In October 1911 a unit of Arab cavalry commanded by Chanler routed Italian troops landing at Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. Chanler was forced to leave the country a few days later after drinking poisoned camel's milk. In 1912 he went to Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and served as military adviser to Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader...
against the British.
He spent considerable time in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on December 8, 1913 was involved in a mysterious accident in France, injuring his right leg. Various reports suggested that Chanler had been in a car accident, or that he had been dueling with boxer Frank Moran
Frank Moran
Charles Francis "Frank" Moran was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25 year film career.-Sports career:...
and was shot (Chanler was backing Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
against Moran in the upcoming World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship
The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to certain championships in professional wrestling. Although various professional wrestling promotions have used the term "world heavyweight championship", it is almost exclusively used as a moniker for the championship that is under competition...
in Paris). In spite of several surgeries the injury never healed and Chanler's leg was amputated above the knee in late September, 1915.
He moved to Paris in 1920 and, encouraged by the success of his 1896 travelogue
Travelogue
Travelogue is the second full-length studio album released by the British synthpop band The Human League, released in May 1980 before the band achieved any degree of commercial success....
Through Jungle and Desert, he published his first novel, A Man's Game, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
John Brent. The book was based on events in 1902 when Chanler had been involved in a plot to overthrow President Cipriano Castro
Cipriano Castro
José Cipriano Castro Ruiz was a high ranking member of the Venezuelan military, politician and the President of Venezuela from 1899 to 1908...
of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. In 1925 he published his second novel, The Sacrifice, under the pseudonym Robert Hart, in which Jewish conspirators were planning to take over Western culture and government.
Chanler died on March 4, 1934 in Menton
Menton
Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Situated on the French Riviera, along the Franco-Italian border, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ....
, Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
, France
France
The 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...
. His remains were returned home for interment in the Trinity Church Cemetery
Trinity Church Cemetery
Trinity Church Cemetery consists of three separate burial grounds associated with Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York, USA. The first was established in the Churchyard located at 74 Trinity Place at Wall Street and Broadway...
in New York City, near the graves of his father and grandfather.