William Earl Dodge Stokes
Encyclopedia
William Earle Dodge Stokes (1852 – May 18 1926) was an American
multimillionaire responsible for developing much of New York
's Upper West Side
.
, he was the son of James Boulter and Caroline (née
Phelps) Stokes; brother of Anson Phelps Stokes
and Olivia Eggleston Phelps Stokes. One of his grandfathers was London merchant Thomas Stokes, one of the 13 founders of the London Missionary Society
, and Anson Stokes later actively supported the American Bible Society
, the American Tract Society
and the American Peace Society
. His other grandfather, Anson Greene Phelps
, was a New York merchant, born in Connecticut and descended from an old Massachusetts family.
As a young man Stokes started his career working in the family business, Phelps, Dodge & Company
, a mercantile establishment founded by his grandfather Phelps and his uncle, William Earle Dodge, Sr.
, in the 1830s. By the time that Stokes joined the company it had become a mining business. He was also a share holder in the Ansonia Clock Company
. When his father died in August 1881, Stokes contested the will, sued his brother Anson for conspiring to throw him out of the family business, and gained a $1 million inheritance. He left Phelps Dodge and from 1885 to 1890 he developed real estate on the Upper West Side
.
. The couple moved into one of Stokes's new developments at 262 West 72nd Street. In 1898 Stokes began work on a new mansion at 4 East 54th Street designed by McKim, Mead and White. However, in 1900, just as the house was nearing completion, Rita Stokes filed for divorce, and neither ever lived in the house. Rita’s youngest sister, Mercedes de Acosta
, wrote in her autobiography
that “when Rita finally decided to marry Will Stokes it was, I believe, because she felt his wealth could open doors. . . . But she paid a high price for any material gain.” She also produced an heir, William Earl Dodge Stokes Jr, born January 5, 1896. whom they called “Weddie”. According to her sister, Rita hated the child and could hardly bring herself to hold him. The divorce settlement was said to be $2 million, a record at that time.
In 1899, Stokes commissioned architect Paul E. Duboy (1857-1907) to build the greatest and grandest hotel in Manhattan, New York. The result was The Ansonia, named after Stokes' grandfather industrialist Anson Greene Phelps
, located at 2109 Broadway
between 73rd and 74th Streets. Opening in 1903, the $3 million Ansonia had 350 suites with several restaurants, a bank, a barbershop, a ballroom, a swimming pool and full hotel services, along with an imposing Parisian-style
facade of turrets and balconies.
In 1907 Stokes was sued by a woman named Lucy Randolph for child support. She claimed that she had met Stokes in the Ansonia and that he had told her that he wanted to have a child with her. After getting her pregnant Stokes had ignored her. Although it was proved in court that Stokes had been intimate with her, and that he had previously given her regular payments, the case against him was dismissed on a technicality. Also in 1907 the New York Board of Health planned to raid the Ansonia hotel's roof and confiscate the four pet geese and a pig, called Nanki-Poo, that they had been informed that Stokes kept there. Stokes and his butler
hid the animals in the basement and convinced the inspector that the roof was animal-free.
, the judge had told him he could not marry again during her lifetime. In June 1911 Stokes was shot and wounded by a 22 year-old vaudeville actress, Lillian Graham. She claimed that Stokes had attacked her because he was angry at her refusal to return compromising letters he had written her. For his part, Stokes claimed that Graham had been trying to blackmail him and that she had attacked him when this had been unsuccessful. Graham was found not guilty.
In 1918 Stokes filed for divorce from Helen Stokes. Stokes was represented by attorney Max Steuer
, and started what proved to be a very acrimonious legal case. He claimed that she had had affairs with her cousin, his own son and at least nine other men. She stated that his witnesses were lying, and that he had had numerous affairs throughout their marriage, that with Lillian Graham being just one. She added that he kept several dozen chickens in their apartment at the Ansonia. In February 1922 Rita de Acosta Lydig
appeared before the Supreme Court of Justice on behalf of Helen Stokes, claiming that Stokes used to beat her during their marriage. In 1923, after paying $1 million in legal fees, Stokes' request for a divorce from his wife was denied; she won a counterclaim for separation. Stokes was tried for conspiracy to defame her, but was acquitted in 1925.
Stokes died on May 18, 1926 aged 74, and The New York Times
noted in his obituary that, even though Stokes had been involved in "almost incessant litigation," he had left about $8 million in his will. However, in 1928 that estimate was reduced to $300,000, and even that would be erased, The Times said, "if his estate lost all the many pending lawsuits that plagued his controversial career, even after death".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
multimillionaire responsible for developing much of 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...
's Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
.
Early life
Born in New York CityNew 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...
, he was the son of James Boulter and Caroline (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Phelps) Stokes; brother of Anson Phelps Stokes
Anson Phelps Stokes
For other men with the same name, see Anson Phelps Stokes Anson Phelps Stokes was a merchant, banker, publicist, philanthropist, and became a multimillionaire. Born in New York City, he was the son of James Boulter and Caroline Stokes; brother of William Earl Dodge Stokes and Olivia Eggleston...
and Olivia Eggleston Phelps Stokes. One of his grandfathers was London merchant Thomas Stokes, one of the 13 founders of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
, and Anson Stokes later actively supported the American Bible Society
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
, the American Tract Society
American Tract Society
The American Tract Society is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825 in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back through the New York Tract Society and the New England Tract Society to...
and the American Peace Society
American Peace Society
The American Peace Society is a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, of which the oldest, the New York Peace Society, dated...
. His other grandfather, Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps was a co-founder of mining company Phelps Dodge, which he founded in 1833 along with his son-in-law William E. Dodge.-Early life:...
, was a New York merchant, born in Connecticut and descended from an old Massachusetts family.
As a young man Stokes started his career working in the family business, Phelps, Dodge & Company
Phelps Dodge
Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 by Anson Greene Phelps and William Earle Dodge, Sr.. On March 19, 2007, it was acquired by Freeport-McMoRan and now operates under the name Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.-History:...
, a mercantile establishment founded by his grandfather Phelps and his uncle, William Earle Dodge, Sr.
William E. Dodge
William Earle Dodge, Sr. was a New York businessman, referred to as one of the "Merchant Princes" of Wall Street in the years leading up to the American Civil War. Dodge was also a noted abolitionist, and Native American rights activist and served as the president of the National Temperance...
, in the 1830s. By the time that Stokes joined the company it had become a mining business. He was also a share holder in the Ansonia Clock Company
Ansonia Clock Company
Ansonia Clocks were made by a clock manufacturing business which started in Ansonia, Connecticut, in 1851 and which moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1878...
. When his father died in August 1881, Stokes contested the will, sued his brother Anson for conspiring to throw him out of the family business, and gained a $1 million inheritance. He left Phelps Dodge and from 1885 to 1890 he developed real estate on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
.
Property developer
In 1895, aged 43, Stokes married 19 year old Rita Hernandez de Alba AcostaRita de Acosta Lydig
Rita Lydig was an American socialite regarded as "the most picturesque woman in America." She was photographed by Adolf de Meyer, Edward Steichen, and Gertrude Käsebier, sculpted in alabaster by Malvina Hoffman, and was painted by Giovanni Boldini and John Singer Sargent, among others...
. The couple moved into one of Stokes's new developments at 262 West 72nd Street. In 1898 Stokes began work on a new mansion at 4 East 54th Street designed by McKim, Mead and White. However, in 1900, just as the house was nearing completion, Rita Stokes filed for divorce, and neither ever lived in the house. Rita’s youngest sister, Mercedes de Acosta
Mercedes de Acosta
Mercedes de Acosta was an American poet, playwright, and socialite, best known for her numerous lesbian affairs with Hollywood personalities including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Alla Nazimova, Eva Le Gallienne, Isadora Duncan, Katharine Cornell, Ona Munson, Adele Astaire and, allegedly,...
, wrote in her autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
that “when Rita finally decided to marry Will Stokes it was, I believe, because she felt his wealth could open doors. . . . But she paid a high price for any material gain.” She also produced an heir, William Earl Dodge Stokes Jr, born January 5, 1896. whom they called “Weddie”. According to her sister, Rita hated the child and could hardly bring herself to hold him. The divorce settlement was said to be $2 million, a record at that time.
In 1899, Stokes commissioned architect Paul E. Duboy (1857-1907) to build the greatest and grandest hotel in Manhattan, New York. The result was The Ansonia, named after Stokes' grandfather industrialist Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps
Anson Greene Phelps was a co-founder of mining company Phelps Dodge, which he founded in 1833 along with his son-in-law William E. Dodge.-Early life:...
, located at 2109 Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
between 73rd and 74th Streets. Opening in 1903, the $3 million Ansonia had 350 suites with several restaurants, a bank, a barbershop, a ballroom, a swimming pool and full hotel services, along with an imposing Parisian-style
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
facade of turrets and balconies.
In 1907 Stokes was sued by a woman named Lucy Randolph for child support. She claimed that she had met Stokes in the Ansonia and that he had told her that he wanted to have a child with her. After getting her pregnant Stokes had ignored her. Although it was proved in court that Stokes had been intimate with her, and that he had previously given her regular payments, the case against him was dismissed on a technicality. Also in 1907 the New York Board of Health planned to raid the Ansonia hotel's roof and confiscate the four pet geese and a pig, called Nanki-Poo, that they had been informed that Stokes kept there. Stokes and his butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
hid the animals in the basement and convinced the inspector that the roof was animal-free.
Later years
In February 1911, Stokes, then aged 59, secretly married the 24-year-old Helen Ellwood. He married in secret because when he was divorced by his first wife, Rita de Acosta StokesRita de Acosta Lydig
Rita Lydig was an American socialite regarded as "the most picturesque woman in America." She was photographed by Adolf de Meyer, Edward Steichen, and Gertrude Käsebier, sculpted in alabaster by Malvina Hoffman, and was painted by Giovanni Boldini and John Singer Sargent, among others...
, the judge had told him he could not marry again during her lifetime. In June 1911 Stokes was shot and wounded by a 22 year-old vaudeville actress, Lillian Graham. She claimed that Stokes had attacked her because he was angry at her refusal to return compromising letters he had written her. For his part, Stokes claimed that Graham had been trying to blackmail him and that she had attacked him when this had been unsuccessful. Graham was found not guilty.
In 1918 Stokes filed for divorce from Helen Stokes. Stokes was represented by attorney Max Steuer
Max Steuer
Max David Steuer was one of the most effective American trial attorneys in the first half of the 20th century.-Personal life:Steuer was born on September 16, 1870 , in the town of Homino, then in Austria-Hungary . In 1876 he arrived in the United States with his father and mother. He attended the...
, and started what proved to be a very acrimonious legal case. He claimed that she had had affairs with her cousin, his own son and at least nine other men. She stated that his witnesses were lying, and that he had had numerous affairs throughout their marriage, that with Lillian Graham being just one. She added that he kept several dozen chickens in their apartment at the Ansonia. In February 1922 Rita de Acosta Lydig
Rita de Acosta Lydig
Rita Lydig was an American socialite regarded as "the most picturesque woman in America." She was photographed by Adolf de Meyer, Edward Steichen, and Gertrude Käsebier, sculpted in alabaster by Malvina Hoffman, and was painted by Giovanni Boldini and John Singer Sargent, among others...
appeared before the Supreme Court of Justice on behalf of Helen Stokes, claiming that Stokes used to beat her during their marriage. In 1923, after paying $1 million in legal fees, Stokes' request for a divorce from his wife was denied; she won a counterclaim for separation. Stokes was tried for conspiracy to defame her, but was acquitted in 1925.
Stokes died on May 18, 1926 aged 74, and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted in his obituary that, even though Stokes had been involved in "almost incessant litigation," he had left about $8 million in his will. However, in 1928 that estimate was reduced to $300,000, and even that would be erased, The Times said, "if his estate lost all the many pending lawsuits that plagued his controversial career, even after death".