Kingdon Gould, Jr.

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Kingdon Gould, Jr. (born 1924), a great-grandson of Jay Gould, is a former ambassador, businessman, and philanthropist.

Gould was the third child of Kingdon Gould and his only son. After studying law at Yale University, he teamed with Dominic Antonelli to form PMI, which ran pay parking lots in Washington, D.C..[1] He continued to expand his real estate development ventures, culminating in the Konterra project south of Laurel, Maryland, which remains in the planning stages.[1] He also owned or invested in several other businesses, among them the failed Madison National Bank of Washington, D.C.[1]

Gould served honorably in World War II. He was the recipient of two Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars.[2]

Gould served as United States ambassador to Luxembourg from May 1969 to October 1972,[3] a post that Time magazine alleged was a payback for a substantial contribution to the Nixon presidential campaign.[4] He later served as ambassador to the Netherlands from October 1973 to September 1976.[5] He continues to serve as a trustee to the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, a nonpartisan organization "dedicated to educating citizens about foreign affairs".[6] Gould's donations to Republican candidates and party organs continue to attract the attention of the media, as for instance in 2006 when the New York Times reported that he had donated $25,000 to the Republican National Committee.[7]

In addition to his business and political interests, he is known in the area as a donor to a range of educational institutions. Chief among these is Glenelg Country School in Howard County, Maryland, of which he is the principal founder.[8] He also figured in the creation of the Capital Crescent Trail; having purchased the DC portion of the newly abandoned Georgetown branch from CSX in 1989, he sold the route to the National Park Service the following year.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Greenberg, Rick (November 1990). "The Gould standard. (Kingdon Gould, Jr.)". Regardie's. 
  2. ^ Renehan Jr., Edward J. (2005). Dark Genius of Wall Street: The Misunderstood Life of Jay Gould, King of the Robber Barons. Basic Books, 310-311. 
  3. ^ Chiefs of Mission by Country, 1778-2005: Luxembourg. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  4. ^ "The Disgrace of Campaign Financing" (Oct. 23, 1972). Time. 
  5. ^ Chiefs of Mission by Country, 1778-2005: Netherlands. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  6. ^ Description. Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs.
  7. ^ Giroux, Greg (Oct. 23, 2006). "RNC Money Flowing to Key Races in Battle for Congress". New York Times. 
  8. ^ Glenelg Country School: History. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  9. ^ Milestones: 1986-1996. Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.