Jacob Wendell III (April 13, 1869 – April 22, 1911) was an American actor who performed on Broadway.
Jacob Wendell | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Wendell, by The New Theatre, 1909 | |
| Born | Jacob Wendell III April 13, 1869 |
| Died | April 22, 1911 (aged 42) Manhattan, New York |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Spouse |
Marian Fendall
(m. 1895) |
| Children | Jacob Wendell IV Reginald Lee Fendall Wendell Catherine Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon Philippa Stewart, Countess of Galloway |
| Parent(s) | Jacob Wendell Jr. Mary Bertodi Barrett |
| Relatives | Barrett Wendell (brother) Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon (grandson) Randolph Stewart, 13th Earl of Galloway (grandson) |
Early life
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Jake Wendell, as he was known, was born in New York City on April 13, 1869. He was the youngest son of Jacob Wendell Jr. (1826–1898) and Mary Bertodi (née Barrett) Wendell. His parents, who both came from wealthy families, married in Boston in 1854, about a year after his father had moved from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and joined the firm of J.C. Howe & Co.[1] His elder brothers were Harvard professor Barrett Wendell (father of Barrett Wendell Jr.),[2] Gordon Wendell, and philanthropist and athlete Evert Jansen Wendell.[3]
His paternal grandparents were Jacob Wendell Sr. and Mehitable Rindge (née Rogers) Wendell.[4] The first Wendell, Evert Jansen, left the Netherlands in 1640 and settled in Albany, New York.[5] Jake's maternal grandparents were Boston merchant Nathaniel Augustus Barrett and Sally (née Dorr) Barrett. Both the Barrett and Dorr families had deep roots in colonial America, with the Dorrs making their fortune in the fur trade.[1]
He graduated from Harvard University in 1901,[6] shortly after his father's death in 1898 from which he "received a comfortable fortune."[7] He first attracted attention as an amateur athlete, then as an actor in the Hasty Pudding Club where "many critics of undergraduate drama declared that 'Jake' Wendell was the best amateur actor in the country."[7]
Career
editAfter graduation from Harvard, he moved to New York and appeared in amateur efforts of The Strollers and the Comedy Club. After successfully playing many different roles, he was urged to join the opening of The New Theatre stock company. His first performance with the company was in Antony and Cleopatra and his second was that of the dog in Maurice Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird, for which "brought him instant success."[7]
In the Players', "Wendell found a place as a leading spirit of their hearth-fire gatherings, which were entertained by the hour with his droll yarns. He was a leading spirit in arranging the Actors' Fund Fair, and assisted in many other professional entertainments."[7]
After suffering a nervous breakdown and a long period of ill-health, Wendell developed pneumonia and died shortly before he was to appear in the leading role in What the Doctor Ordered at the Astor Theatre.[8]
Personal life
editIn April 1895, Wendell was married to Marian Fendall (1870–1949),[9] the daughter of Maj. Philip Richard Fendall III and Anne Catherine (née Tredick) Wendell. Her paternal grandfather was Philip Richard Fendall II (son of Mary Lee and Philip Richard Fendall I).[10] They lived in his family's townhouse in New York City and spent time at "Frostfields", his wife's country house in New Castle,[11] on the outskirts of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[12][13] Before his early death, they were the parents of four children:[14]
- Jacob Wendell IV (1896–1963), who married Eileen Victoria Carr (1900–1983), a daughter of Philip Carr of London, in 1923.[15]
- Reginald Lee Fendall Wendell (1898–1928), who died, unmarried, at Highclere Castle.[16]
- Anne Catherine Tredick Wendell (1900–1977), who married Henry Herbert, Lord Porchester, son of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon, in 1922.[17][18] Upon his father's death in 1923, Henry became the 6th Earl of Carnarvon and Catherine became Countess of Carnarvon.[19] After they divorced in 1936,[20] Catherine married Geoffrey Seymour Grenfell in 1938.[21] He died in action in 1940 during World War II,[22][23] and she married Don Stuart Momand in 1950.[24]
- Philippa Fendall Wendell (1905–1974), who married Randolph Stewart, 12th Earl of Galloway in 1924.[25]
Following a collapse on stage in Trenton, New Jersey the week prior, Wendell died of pneumonia at his home, 186 East 35th Street in Manhattan, on April 22, 1911.[7] He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx. After his death, his widow moved to London to live with a cousin, also occupying a large country home at Sandridgebury, Sandridge, Hertfordshire. She died in London in December 1949.[9]
Descendants
editThrough his daughter Catherine, he was a grandfather of Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon and through his daughter Philippa, he was a grandfather of Randolph Stewart, 13th Earl of Galloway.[14]
Legacy
editAfter his death, the Jacob Wendell Scholarship was established at Harvard in his honor.[26]
References
edit- ^ a b "Mrs. Jacob Wendell (Mary Barrett, 1832–1912)". nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "EMINENT SCHOLAR AND WELL-KNOWN PROFESSOR DEAD | Barrett Wendell '77". www.thecrimson.com. Harvard Crimson. February 9, 1921. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Wendell Family Correspondence, 1801-1896 – MS088". portsmouthathenaeum.org. Portsmouth Athenaeum. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and Antiquarian Journal. S.G. Drake. 1868. p. 427. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Small, Miriam Rossiter. Oliver Wendell Holmes. Twayne's United States authors series, 29. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1962. OCLC 273508. p. 20
- ^ Times, Special to The New York (16 March 1901). "JACOB WENDELL'S WILL.; Most of the Estate Left to His Widow -- Bequests for Harvard College and Other Institutions". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "JACOB WENDELL, JR., IS DEAD.; Actor and Harvard Graduate Dies of Pneumonia -- Acted in "The Blue Bird."". The New York Times. 23 April 1911. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "ASTOR'S PLAY POSTPONED.; Jacob Wendell, Jr., Cast in Principal Role, Stricken with Pneumonia". The New York Times. 20 April 1911. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b "£7,150 ESTATE Equal Shares for Three". The Daily Telegraph. 31 January 1950. p. 16. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "A DAY'S WEDDINGS.; Wendell -- Fendall". The New York Times. 17 April 1895. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ DeWitt, Dennis J. (2016). Arthur H. Vinal / Edmund March Wheelwright and the Chestnut Hill Pumping Station: Fifth expanded edition. Metropolitan Waterworks Museum. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-1-5193-1023-1. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Frostfields (New Castle) - Summer estate of the Wendell family. Demolished. Former site of Camp Langdon in WWII. Presently site of Great Island Common". athenaeum.pastperfectonline.com. Portsmouth Athenaeum. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Pecci, Alexandra (November 10, 2012). "'Downton Abbey' has some Portsmouth roots". Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ a b Carnarvon, The Countess Of (12 September 2013). Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-4447-6214-3. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "JACOB WENDELL WEDS MISS EILEEN CARR; Couple Were Married at St. Mark's Church, London--Reception at Bride's Home". The New York Times. 18 April 1923. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (18 July 1928). "REGINALD LEE WENDELL.; Brother of Countess Carnarvon Dies at 29 Following a Collapse". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "TO WED LORD PORCHESTER.; Engagement of Miss Catherine Wendell of New York Announced". The New York Times. 1 June 1922. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "COUNTESS CARNARVON NOW HAS A DAUGHTER; Second Child Is Born to Former Catherine Wendell, Wife of Lord Potchester". The New York Times. 5 March 1925. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Times, the New York Times Company special Cable To the New York (7 December 1926). "COUNTESS CARNARVON ILL.; Former Catherine Wendell of New York Has Appendicitis Operation". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "LORD CARNARVON DIVORCED; Former Catherine Wendell of New York Wins Decree in Britain". The New York Times. 23 April 1936. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "LADY CARNARVON MARRIED; Former Catharine Wendell Wed to Geoffrey Grenfell". The New York Times. 22 September 1938. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "County Town Echoes". Bucks Examiner. 21 March 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "£37,443 WILL Estate of Lt.-Cmdr. G. S. Grenfell". Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic. 18 October 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, vol 1 (107th ed.). London. p. 699. ISBN 0971196621.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (12 July 1924). "Philippa Wendell Will Also Wed an Earl; Elder Sister Is Wife of Earl of Carnarvon". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Wins Jacob Wendell Scholarship". The New York Times. 6 December 1932. Retrieved 11 May 2022.