Wikipedia

Emily Roebling Cadwalader

Not to be confused with Emily Warren Roebling.

Emily Margaretta Roebling Cadwalader (died May 15, 1941) was an American socialite and philanthropist, based in Philadelphia. She is best known as the owner of two historic yachts, the USS Sequoia and the MV Savarona.

Emily Roebling Cadwalader
A young white woman wearing a large black hat.
Emily Roebling Cadwalader, from a 1909 publication.
Born
Emily Margaretta Roebling
DiedMay 15, 1941
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Occupationsocialite
Known forowned two historic yachts, the USS Sequoia and the MV Savarona
Spouse(s)
Richard M. Cadwalader, Jr.
​
​
(m. 1909)​

Early life

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Emily Roebling was the daughter of Charles Gustavus Roebling and Sarah (or Sallie) Ormsby Mahon Roebling.[1] Her father was an engineer, president of John A. Roebling's Sons, a steel wire and cable company.[2] Her Prussian-born grandfather, John Augustus Roebling, was best known as the civil engineer behind the Brooklyn Bridge.[3]

Roebling was raised in Trenton, New Jersey. In 1905 she rescued her father's stable of horses during a fire, and assisted firefighters in their work.[4] In 1908 she unveiled the bronze statue of her grandfather in Trenton.[5] She was an avid tennis player and horsewoman, and was considered one of the first women in Trenton to drive her own automobile.[6]

Wealth and philanthropy

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Blind education

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Roebling took an interest in blind education in New Jersey, and was appointed to a commission to study the needs of blind residents of the state before she married and moved to Philadelphia.[7][8] As part of that work, she organized an exhibit of work by blind crafters of New Jersey, including handmade lace, crochet, and knit items, at Atlantic City in 1909.[9] She was also editor-in-chief of the newspaper for the 1908 Charity Fair in Trenton.[10]

Fairwold

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After marriage, Cadwalader lived part-time in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in a house known as Fairwold.[3][11] They expanded the house significantly, adding a ballroom, a pipe organ, and a solarium among other features. Fairwold was used as a convalescent hospital during World War I, while the Cadwaladers lived in their Philadelphia townhouse. Since 1995, Fairwold has been a synagogue of the congregation Or Hadash.[12][13]

Yachts

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The yacht Savarona in 1953
 
The USS yacht Sequoia in 2003

Cadwalader had a longtime interest in yachts. Her first yacht, purchased in 1924, was the 85-foot Sequoia. The following year she acquired the Sequoia II.[3] The USS Sequoia became property of the United States government in 1931, and was used by presidents from Herbert Hoover to Gerald Ford. President Jimmy Carter ordered the Sequoia to be sold in 1977.[14] As of autumn 2019, it was being restored in Belfast.[15]

Cadwalader was the original owner of three German-made yachts named Savarona, purchased in 1926, 1928, and 1930.[16][17][18] The last Savarona, at the time, was the "largest, most luxurious, most expensive private yacht ever created".[19][20] In 1937 the yacht was a factor in charges of tax fraud against the Cadwaladers.[21] The Cadwaladers sold the 440-foot yacht to Turkish president Kemal Atatürk in 1938.[22] The yacht remains in Istanbul and was restored in the 1990s; it is still considered "one of the world's largest yachts".[23] After a scandal in 2010,[24] the Turkish Cultural Ministry purchased the Savarona, and it is now used by the Turkish president for hosting state events.[25]

Personal life

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Emily Roebling married banker Richard M. Cadwalader Jr., the grandson of Thomas McCall Cadwalader, in 1909.[26][27] She died at her home in Fort Washington in 1941.[28][29][30]

References

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  1. ^ "Brooklyn Society: The Roeblings Again in the News". Brooklyn Times Union. July 17, 1927. p. 9. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Charles Roebling". Roebling Museum. Archived from the original on 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  3. ^ a b c MacTaggart, Ross (2004). Millionaires, Mansions, and Motor Yachts: An Era of Opulence. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 170–171. ISBN 9780393057621.
  4. ^ "Society Girl to Rescue". The Fair Haven Era. June 29, 1905. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Honors to Designer of Brooklyn Bridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1908. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Many Fair Trentonians Drive Own Automobiles". Trenton Evening Times. April 25, 1908. p. 16. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Treatment for Blind Children". The Post-Crescent. August 23, 1909. p. 2. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Victor L. Mason is Re-Appointed". Passaic Daily News. May 26, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Many Art Exhibits at Federation". Trenton Evening Times. April 26, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Miss Roebling to be Editor". The Central New Jersey Home News. April 15, 1908. p. 8. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "R. M. Cadwaladers Report Gem Theft". The New York Times. October 23, 1934. p. 42 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ "From Fairwold to Or Hadash". Or Hadash. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  13. ^ Anderson, A. Engler. "Moving on: Or Hadash shines a new light on a stately old mansion" Jewish Exponent (July 14, 1995): 6. via ProQuest.
  14. ^ USS Sequoia Fact Sheet, The Equator Collection.
  15. ^ Curtis, Abigail (October 20, 2019). "'Floating White House' on its way to Belfast where it will be restored to its former glory". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  16. ^ "$2,000,000 Yacht for Cadawalders [sic]". The New York Times. July 16, 1927. p. 11 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ "Biggest Yacht Built for American Woman". The New York Times. January 27, 1931. p. 12 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ Kinnaird, Clark (February 3, 1928). "Gold-Plated Hardware Features New Yacht Commanded by Woman". Evening Independent. p. 2. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  19. ^ Wisner, Bill (December 1975). "The Golden Age of Yachts". Motor Boating and Sailing: 66.
  20. ^ "Mrs. Cadwalader Wins $192,750 Suit". The New York Times. May 22, 1934. p. 18 – via ProQuest.
  21. ^ "U. S. Charges Tax Fraud to R. M. Cadwaladers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 16, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Sells $3,000,000 Yacht to President of Turkey". The Evening Sun. March 25, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "9: Savarona". Yachts International. April 28, 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  24. ^ "Defendant rebuts yacht sex case accusations". South Florida Business Journal. December 20, 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  25. ^ Merl, Risa (March 24, 2015). "Savarona used for first time as Turkish state yacht since prostitution scandal". Boat International. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  26. ^ "Roebling-Cadwalader". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 10, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved October 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "R. McC. Cadwalader Jr". The New York Times. September 25, 1960. p. 88 – via ProQuest.
  28. ^ "Wealthy Woman Dies". Republican and Herald. May 16, 1941. p. 11. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Emily Roebling Dies; Her Marriage Event". The Semi-Weekly Spokesman-Review. May 16, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Prominent Matron Found Dead in Bed". The Evening Sun. May 15, 1941. p. 7. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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