Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.: Difference between revisions

Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.
Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.
	Rev. Sayre in 1961
Born	January 17, 1915; White House, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	October 3, 2008 (aged 93); Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	Ashes interred at the Washington National Cathedral
Alma mater	Williams College; Union Theological Seminary
Occupation(s)	Priest, civil rights activist
Spouse	Harriet Taft Hart (m. 1946; died 2003)
Children	4
Parent(s)	Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.; Jessie Wilson Sayre
Relatives	James Wilson (great-great-grandfather); Joseph R. Wilson (great-grandfather); Robert H. Sayre (grandfather); T. Woodrow Wilson (grandfather); Ellen Axson Wilson (grandmother); Edith Galt Wilson (step-grandmother); Thomas C. Hart (father-in-law); Margaret W. Wilson (aunt); Eleanor Wilson McAdoo (aunt); Eleanor A. Sayre (sister);

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Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. (January 17, 1915 – October 3, 2008) was Dean of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., for 27 years. He was the eldest grandchild of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States.

He was a vocal opponent of segregation, poverty, McCarthyism, and the Vietnam War. In March 1965. he joined Martin Luther King Jr. on the voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Sayre was unafraid to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy during the height of the latter's influence in the 1950s. In 1954, Sayre called McCarthy a "pretended patriot", adding "There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."^[1]

Early life and education

Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. was born in the White House on January 17, 1915, the first-born grandchild of President Woodrow Wilson. Sayre's father, Francis Bowes Sayre Sr., was a Harvard University law professor who later became an assistant secretary of state, and his paternal grandfather, Robert H. Sayre, was vice president and chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. His mother was President Wilson's daughter, Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre.

He graduated from Belmont Hill School and Williams College and received his divinity degree from the Union Theological Seminary. He was a chaplain in the United States Navy during World War II and later had a parish in Cleveland.

Marriage

In 1946, Sayre married Harriet Taft Hart (died 2003), daughter of Admiral Thomas C. Hart.^[2]^[3] They had four children.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Sayre retired as Dean in 1978. He died three decades later, on October 3, 2008, aged 93, at his home on Martha's Vineyard from diabetes. His ashes were interred later that month at the National Cathedral, where he had held the position of Dean and where he has been memorialized. He was survived by two daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren.

Awards and honors

Sayre was awarded permanent, honorary membership at The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America in 1964. The organization sought to recognize his work in overseeing the purchase and construction of the 53-bell carillon at Washington National Cathedral.^[4]

References

^ Hevesi, Dennis (October 11, 2008). "Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93". The New York Times. p. A33.
^ Leutze, James R. (1981). A different kind of victory: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart. Vol. 63. Naval Institute Press. p. 74. ISBN 0-87021-056-4.
^ Wells, Julia (October 10, 2008). "Born in the White House, Pastor to All, Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. Dies at 93". Vineyard Gazette.
^ Slater, James B. (2003). "A Register of Honorary Members, 1936–1996" (PDF). The Bulletin. 52 (1). The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: 51. OCLC 998832003. Retrieved 2021-06-06.

External links

"In remembrance, Francis B. Sayre Jr". Woodrow Wilson House. October 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
Bernstein, Adam (October 14, 2008). "Francis B. Sayre Jr., 93, dies". Los Angeles Times.
"Obituary: Francis B. Sayre Jr". The Martha's Vineyard Times. October 9, 2008. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.

[1] Hevesi, Dennis (October 11, 2008). "Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93". The New York Times. p. A33.

[2] Leutze, James R. (1981). A different kind of victory: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart. Vol. 63. Naval Institute Press. p. 74. ISBN 0-87021-056-4.

[3] Wells, Julia (October 10, 2008). "Born in the White House, Pastor to All, Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. Dies at 93". Vineyard Gazette.

[4] Slater, James B. (2003). "A Register of Honorary Members, 1936–1996" (PDF). The Bulletin. 52 (1). The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: 51. OCLC 998832003. Retrieved 2021-06-06.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American priest}}
 {{Infobox person
-| name = Francis Bowes Sayer Jr.
+| name               = Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.
+| image              = The Very Rev. Francis Bowes Sayre, jr. 1961.jpg
-| birth_date = {{birth date|1915|1|17}}
+| caption            = Rev. Sayre in 1961
-| birth_place = [[White House]], [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
-| death_date = {{dda|2008|10|3|1915|1|17}}
+| birth_date         = {{birth date|1915|1|17}}
-| death_place = {{nowrap|[[Martha's Vineyard]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S.}}
+| birth_place        = [[White House]], [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
+| death_date         = {{dda|2008|10|3|1915|1|17}}
-| resting_place = Ashes interred at the [[Washington National Cathedral]]
+| death_place        = {{nowrap|[[Martha's Vineyard]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S.}}
-| alma_mater = [[Williams College]]<br>[[Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York|Union Theological Seminary]]
+| resting_place      = Ashes interred at the [[Washington National Cathedral]]
-| occupation = Priest, civil rights activist
+| alma_mater         = [[Williams College]]<br>[[Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York|Union Theological Seminary]]
-| yearsactive =
+| occupation         = Priest, civil rights activist
-| spouse = {{marriage|Harriet Taft Hart|1946|2003|end=d.}}
+| yearsactive        =
-| parents = [[Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.]]<br>[[Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre]]
+| spouse             = {{marriage|Harriet Taft Hart|1946|2003|end=d.}}
-| relatives = [[Woodrow Wilson]] <small>(maternal grandfather)</small>
+| children           = 4
+| parents            = [[Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.]]<br>[[Jessie Wilson Sayre]]
+| relatives          = {{plainlist|
+* [[James Wilson (journalist)|James Wilson]] (great-great-grandfather)
+* [[Joseph R. Wilson]] (great-grandfather)
+* [[Robert H. Sayre]] (grandfather)
+* [[T. Woodrow Wilson]] (grandfather)
+* [[Ellen Axson Wilson]] (grandmother)
+* [[Edith Galt Wilson]] (step-grandmother)
+* [[Thomas C. Hart]] (father-in-law)
+* [[Margaret Woodrow Wilson|Margaret W. Wilson]] (aunt)
+* [[Eleanor Wilson McAdoo]] (aunt)
+* [[Eleanor A. Sayre]] (sister)
 }}
+}}
-'''Francis B. Sayre Jr.''' (January 17, 1915 &ndash; October 3, 2008) was Dean of the [[Washington National Cathedral]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], for 27 years. He was the first grandchild of President [[Woodrow Wilson]].
+'''Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.''' (January 17, 1915 &ndash; October 3, 2008) was Dean of the [[Washington National Cathedral]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], for 27 years. He was the eldest grandchild of [[Woodrow Wilson]], the 28th [[president of the United States]].
-He was a vocal opponent of segregation, poverty, [[McCarthyism]], and the [[Vietnam War]]. In March 1965 he joined [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] on the voting-rights march from [[Selma, Alabama|Selma]] to [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. Sayre was unafraid to denounce [[Senator Joseph McCarthy]], Republican from [[Wisconsin]], during the hey-day of the latter's influence in the 1950s. In 1954, Sayre called McCarthy a "pretended patriot", adding "There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93|date=October 11, 2008|page=A33|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/12sayre.html}}</ref>
+He was a vocal opponent of segregation, poverty, [[McCarthyism]], and the [[Vietnam War]]. In March 1965. he joined [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] on the [[Selma to Montgomery marches|voting-rights march]] from [[Selma, Alabama|Selma]] to [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. Sayre was unafraid to denounce [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Joseph McCarthy]] during the height of the latter's influence in the 1950s. In 1954, Sayre called McCarthy a "pretended patriot", adding "There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93|date=October 11, 2008|page=A33|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/12sayre.html}}</ref>
 ==Early life and education==
-Sayre was born in the [[White House]] in 1915, the first grandchild of President [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Sayre's father, [[Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.]], was a [[Harvard University]] law professor who later became an assistant secretary of state. His mother was President Wilson's daughter, [[Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre]].
+Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. was born in the [[White House]] on January 17, 1915, the first-born grandchild of President [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Sayre's father, [[Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.]], was a [[Harvard University]] law professor who later became an assistant secretary of state, and his paternal grandfather, [[Robert H. Sayre]], was vice president and chief engineer of the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]]. His mother was President Wilson's daughter, [[Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre]].
-He graduated from [[Belmont Hill School]] and [[Williams College]] and received his divinity degree from the [[Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York|Union Theological Seminary]]. He was a chaplain in the Navy during [[World War II]] and later had a parish in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].
+He graduated from [[Belmont Hill School]] and [[Williams College]] and received his divinity degree from the [[Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York|Union Theological Seminary]]. He was a chaplain in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and later had a parish in [[Cleveland]].
 ==Marriage==
-In 1946 he married Harriet Taft Hart (died 2003), daughter of Admiral [[Thomas C. Hart]].<ref>{{cite book|first=James R.|last=Leutze|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NBu4AAAAIAAJ&q=daughter+harriet|title=A different kind of victory: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart|volume=63|page=74|isbn=0-87021-056-4|year=1981|publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Julia|last=Wells|url=http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?18785 |title=Born in the White House, Pastor to All, Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. Dies at 93|work=Vineyard Gazette|date=October 10, 2008}}</ref>
+In 1946, Sayre married Harriet Taft Hart (died 2003), daughter of Admiral [[Thomas C. Hart]].<ref>{{cite book|first=James R.|last=Leutze|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NBu4AAAAIAAJ&q=daughter+harriet|title=A different kind of victory: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart|volume=63|page=74|isbn=0-87021-056-4|year=1981|publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Julia|last=Wells|url=http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?18785 |title=Born in the White House, Pastor to All, Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. Dies at 93|work=Vineyard Gazette|date=October 10, 2008}}</ref> They had four children.{{cn|date=August 2024}}
 ==Death==
-Sayre retired as Dean in 1978. He died three decades later, on October 3, 2008, aged 93, at his home on [[Martha's Vineyard]] from diabetes. His ashes were interred later that same month at the National Cathedral, where he had held the position of Dean and where he has been memorialized. He was survived by two daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren.
+Sayre retired as Dean in 1978. He died three decades later, on October 3, 2008, aged 93, at his home on [[Martha's Vineyard]] from diabetes. His ashes were interred later that month at the National Cathedral, where he had held the position of Dean and where he has been memorialized. He was survived by two daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren.
+==Awards and honors==
+[[File:President John F. Kennedy Signs Bill to Establish the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Commission (01).jpg|thumb|President [[John F. Kennedy]] signs S.J. Res. 51, authoring the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Commission, a commission to plan for the construction of a permanent memorial to President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C. Seated (L – R): President Kennedy; [[Edith Wilson]], wife of President Wilson. Standing (L – R): [[Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.|Francis B. Sayre]], son-in-law of President Wilson; Senator [[Harrison A. Williams]] (New Jersey); Congressman [[Frank C. Osmers Jr.]] (New Jersey); Harriet Sayre, wife of Reverend Francis B. Sayre, Jr.; Reverend Sayre, grandson of President Wilson; Tom Sayre, Reverend Sayre's son (partially hidden); Margaret C. Brown, personal secretary to Mrs. Wilson; Jessie Sayer, Reverend Sayre's daughter; Under Secretary of the Interior [[John A. Carver Jr.]]; [[Arthur Sweetser]], Director of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.]]
+Sayre was awarded permanent, honorary membership at [[The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America]] in 1964. The organization sought to recognize his work in overseeing the purchase and construction of the 53-bell [[carillon]] at Washington National Cathedral.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Slater |first=James B. |title=A Register of Honorary Members, 1936–1996 |journal=The Bulletin |volume=52 |issue=1 |date=2003 |page=51 |publisher=[[The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America]] |url=https://www.gcna.org/bulletin |format=PDF |access-date=2021-06-06 |url-access=subscription |oclc=998832003}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 32: / Line 51: @@
 ==External links==
+{{Commons category}}
 *{{cite web|title=In remembrance, Francis B. Sayre Jr.|date=October 25, 2008|url=http://www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org/index.asp?section=news&file=news&ID=94|publisher=Woodrow Wilson House|access-date=April 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226183116/http://www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org/index.asp?section=news&file=news&ID=94|archive-date=February 26, 2009|url-status=dead}}
-*{{cite news|title=Francis B. Sayre Jr., 93, dies|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/14/local/me-sayre14|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 14, 2008|first=Adam|last=Bernstein}}
+*{{cite news|title=Francis B. Sayre Jr., 93, dies|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-14-me-sayre14-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 14, 2008|first=Adam|last=Bernstein}}
 *{{cite news|url=http://www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/obituaries/2008/10/09/francis-sayre.php|title=Obituary: Francis B. Sayre Jr.|date=October 9, 2008|work=The Martha's Vineyard Times|access-date=April 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901175256/http://www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/obituaries/2008/10/09/francis-sayre.php|archive-date=September 1, 2009|url-status=dead}}
@@ Line 42: / Line 62: @@
 [[Category:1915 births]]
 [[Category:2008 deaths]]
-[[Category:American civil rights activists]]
+[[Category:Activists for African-American civil rights]]
 [[Category:American Episcopal priests]]
 [[Category:Religious leaders from Cleveland]]
-[[Category:People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts]]
+[[Category:People from Martha's Vineyard]]
 [[Category:Military personnel from Washington, D.C.]]
 [[Category:Religious leaders from Washington, D.C.]]
@@ Line 51: / Line 71: @@
 [[Category:Williams College alumni]]
 [[Category:Activists from Ohio]]
-[[Category:Woodrow Wilson family]]
+[[Category:Family of Woodrow Wilson]]
 [[Category:20th-century American Episcopalians]]
+[[Category:20th-century American clergy]]
+[[Category:Burials at Washington National Cathedral]]

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