Larz Anderson
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Larz Anderson III (1866-1937) was a wealthy U.S. businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan (1912-1913).
Anderson was a member of the Loyal Legion and the Society of the Cincinnati. He died in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Anderson, an Episcopalian, was interred at Washington National Cathedral.[1]
The following are named after him:
- Anderson House, national HQ of the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, D.C.
- Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts
- Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection at Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
- Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, Massachusetts
Anderson Memorial Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts is often assumed to be named after him and is called "Larz Anderson Bridge" by locals. The bridge was, however, built by Anderson in memory of his father.
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[edit] Early life
Larz Anderson was the son of Nicholas Longworth Anderson and Elizabeth Coles (Kilgour) Anderson. He was born in Paris while his wealthy Cincinnati, Ohio parents were on one of their frequent visits to Europe.
After graduating from Harvard College in 1888, Anderson set out on a two year world tour that included his first visit to Japan. Shortly after his marriage, he served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War and then held a variety of diplomatic posts for the U.S. Government, including U.S. Minister to Belgium, 1911-12.
[edit] Ambassadorship
Anderson returned to Japan as ambassador in 1912. He held this post for only six months, resigning when the Republican administration of William Howard Taft was replaced by the Democratic administration of Woodrow Wilson administration.
Although he and his wife were to return to Japan many times, this was 47-year old Anderson's last official diplomatic position. The Andersons' wealth was such that they were able to pursue their own interests.
[edit] Larz and Isabel
In 1896, while serving at the United States Embassy in Rome, Italy, Anderson met Isabel Weld Perkins, a young debutante from Boston on a world tour. Both Larz and Isabel's families established themselves in America before the American Revolution. While Anderson's family was wealthy, their resources did not compare to that of the Welds.
Fifteen years earlier, at the age of five, Isabel had inherited $17 million cash from her grandfather, William Fletcher Weld. Weld had made a fortune through his Black Horse Flag fleet of clipper ships and a subsequent transportation and real estate empire.
Larz and Isabel were married in Boston in 1897 and embarked on a life of luxury combined with public service and adventure. Isabel received the Croix d Guerre in 1918 for her nursing service in World War I. They traveled widely, making four trips around the world and throughout Europe and the Far East.
[edit] Anderson House
The Andersons built a mansion at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. and made that their primary home. The mansion was eventually bequeathed to the Society of the Cincinnati, of which Anderson was a member, and now serves as their national headquarters.
[edit] Perkins Manor
In addition to her inheritance from her mother's family, Isabel Weld Perkins had inherited a stately manor in New Hampshire from her father Commodore Perkins. Larz and Isabel spent considerable time here and Isabel even opened the doors of this regal mansion to the public for a few summers. This stately manor was called the Larz Anderson estate during this time but has since been divided into eight apartments and is again known as Perkins Manor.[2]
[edit] Weld Estate
The Andersons came into the possession of 64-acres near the outskirts of Boston. To this estate, which had been in Isabel's family for generations, the Andersons added a twenty-five room mansion. This became the Andersons' home for summers and Christmas holidays. The mansion, overlooking the Boston skyline, was enlarged and remodeled to resemble Lulworth Castle, an ancestral home associated with the Welds. They named the place "Weld" in honor of Isabel's grandfather. Isabel willed this property to the Town of Brookline after her death in 1948 and it is now Larz Anderson Park.[3]
[edit] Auto Collection
The Andersons had assembled an extraordinary collection of horse-drawn carriages, sleighs and vintage motorcars. In donating these along with the property, Isabel Anderson stipulated in her will that these be known as the "Larz Anderson Collection." Fourteen of the original thirty-two vehicles remain in the collection and are still on display as part of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, the oldest collection of motorcars in the United States.[4]
[edit] Bonsai Collection
After Larz's death, Isabel donated 30 of their bonsai to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University along with the funds necessary to build a shade house for their display. Following her death, the remaining nine plants were donated to the Arboretum including an 80-year-old hinoki cypress that had been given to the Andersons by the Imperial Household shortly before they left Japan for the last time.[5]
[edit] The BC Eagle
The Andersons' residence in Tokyo, Japan was adorned with a gilded bronze eagle sculpture which stood in front of their home.[6] The Andersons brought the eagle back to the United States and it remained on their Brookline property after their death.
In 1954, the gilded sculpture was donated to Boston College and installed on the lawn in front of the university's Alumni House [7] before being relocated to a place of prominence on Linden Lane, in front of the university's iconic Gasson Tower. It is now considered synonymous with the "BC Eagle", the university's mascot. [8]
[edit] References
- ^ The Political Graveyard, "Society of the Cincinnati"
- ^ Perkins Manor
- ^ The Andersons
- ^ Larz Anderson Auto Museum
- ^ Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection at Arnold Arboretum
- ^ "The PDF Walking Tour Guide published by the Larz Anderson Auto Museum notes "The bronze eagle that perched on a stone plinth in the garden may reference the Anderson family’s military service. In Japan, the eagle is a Guardian (sic), warding off evil spirits. In this county, the eagle is used as a symbol of the United States. It is also the symbol of the Society of the Cincinnati, of which Larz was a member."
- ^ Boston College Website: The BC Eagle
- ^ Donovan, Charles F. "History of Boston College: From the Beginnings to 1990"; University Press of Boston College, September 1990, p.266
[edit] External Links
- Biography of the Andersons
- Society of the Cincinnati
- The Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection at Harvard University.
[edit] Bibliography
- Anderson, Larz: Letters and Journals of a Diplomat, New York, 1940.
- Anderson, Isabella Under the Black Horse Flag, Boston, 1926
- Del Tredici, Peter: "Early American Bonsai: The Larz Anderson Collection of the Arnold Arboretum", Arnoldia (Summer 1989)
