John Vernou Bouvier III
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John Vernou Bouvier III (May 19, 1891, Easthampton, Massachusetts – August 3, 1957, New York City, New York) was an American socialite and Wall Street stockbroker. He was the father of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Lee Radziwill. His nickname was "Black Jack", referring to his omnipresent dark tan and his flamboyant lifestyle.
He was the eldest child of John Vernou Bouvier, Jr. (1865-1948) and Maude Frances Sergeant (1870-1940). The Bouvier family descended from Michel Bouvier (1792-1874), a French cabinetmaker, who left France in 1815 after the defeat of Napoleon. He settled in Philadelphia where he opened a cabinet making or furniture shop. He made fine furniture for the likes of Stephen Girard and Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother who lived for a time on his estate, Point Breeze in Bordentown, New Jersey. Michel gained his fortune later in real estate speculation. His son, Michel Charles (M.C.) Bouvier further distinguished himself in the world of finance on Wall Street. M.C. left his fortune to his nephew, Major John Vernou Bouvier Jr., who used it to buy a fantastic estate in East Hampton, Long Island, known as Lasata. John Vernou Bouvier III had a younger brother, William Sergeant "Bud" Bouvier (1893-1929), who died prematurely from alcoholism, and three sisters, Maude R., Michelle C., and Edith Ewing Bouvier (the mother of socialite and singer Edith Bouvier Beale).[1][2][3]
Bouvier served in World War I and attended Sheffield Scientific School, graduating in 1914, becoming a stockbroker.[4]. He married Janet Norton Lee, on July 7, 1928, with whom he had two daughters, Jacqueline and Lee. His drinking, gambling and womanizing led to his divorce from his wife in 1940. While he never remarried, Janet did in 1942, to Hugh D. Auchincloss. His former wife reportedly did not want him to escort Jacqueline down the aisle for her wedding to John F. Kennedy. Jacqueline was instead escorted by her stepfather. Some reports state that Bouvier was too intoxicated to escort his daughter, and this was the reason Auchincloss stepped in to give the bride away.
He is buried in the Bouvier family plot at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton.
[edit] References
- ^ Genealogia - John Vernou Bouvier III
- ^ "Michelle Bouvier Married In Garden; Wed To Henry C. Scott Before Flower. Covered Altar At Lasata, East Hampton. Twin Sister Honor Maid Bride Escorted By Her Father -- Bridegroom's Brother His Best Man. Couple Motor To Canada.". New York Times. July 6, 1926. "Miss Michelle C. Bouvier, one of the twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. John Vernou Bouvier, Jr. of 521 Park Avenue and East Hampton, Long Island, was married this afternoon to Henry Clarkson Scott, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Samuell Scott of St. Louis, at Lasata, the Bouvier Summer home."
- ^ "Maude R. Bouvier Weds John E. Davis; 400 Guests See Ceremony At The East Hampton Home Of Bride's Parents. Many In The Bridal Party Twin Sister Of Miss Bouvier Is Matron Of Honor. Sun Comes Out Just Before Wedding. The Bride's Attendants. Wedding Breakfast For 400.". New York Times. September 4, 1928, Tuesday. "Miss Maude R. Bouvier, one of the twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. John Vernou Bouvier Jr. of 521 Park Avenue, New York, and East Hampton,..."
- ^ The Washington Post and Times Herald, 4 August 1957, obituary
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