Uncle Ogden: Ogden Livingston Mills & the Sands Children

Ogden Livingston Mills (1884-1937) was many things including a lawyer, politician, husband, and guardian. At Staatsburgh, we often mention that Ogden Livingston Mills did not have biological children in order to explain why his sister inherited the house after his death. However, we don’t usually get a chance to talk about the ways that Ogden Livingston (O.L.) Mills was a father figure to several individuals in his life. In 1914, he was named one of two guardians for two young siblings, Anne Barbara Sands and George Winthrop Sands, along with their grandmother, Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt. The children were the orphaned niece and nephew of his wife Margaret Rutherfurd. Ten years later, O.L. also became a stepfather,[1] and the children all affectionately referred to him as “Uncle Ogden.” In order to understand this aspect of O.L.’s life, let us take a look at O.L.’s history as a guardian for the Sands children and the connection between the Mills family and the Sands family.

 

Ogden Livingston Mills, 1915

The two children, Anne Barbara & George Winthrop, were often referred to as Ogden’s “wards” and he was legally considered their guardian along with their grandmother, Anne Vanderbilt. The term “wards” is not very commonly used today in this type of situation. We more frequently hear situations where minors become ‘wards of the state’ after their parents lose rights or the after minors are remanded to a juvenile detention facility. Moreover, it is important to note that guardianship and adoption are different. Guardianship is often a temporary situation and does not terminate parental rights, while adoption is a permanent legal arrangement. In this instance, the parents of the children were deceased making it impossible for them to regain custody, but it is unknown why the family chose a guardianship and not adoption. It is possible that that legal differences and subsequent financial implications may have led to the decision.

The Sun, December 22, 1914, p.11

Ogden Livingston Mills, the son of Ruth & Ogden Mills, grew up in privilege, and attended Harvard University receiving undergraduate (1904) and law (1907) degrees.  He was admitted to the bar but became involved with politics and ultimately served as the Secretary of the Treasury in the cabinet of the Hoover administration.  In 1911 he married Margaret Rutherfurd, the daughter of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd and Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt.  At the time of the marriage, Margaret’s stepfather was William K. Vanderbilt, grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.  It was through Margaret that O.L. was connected to these two young children: Anne Barbara Sands (1906-1990) and George Winthrop Sands, Jr. (1908-1986).  The siblings were orphaned in 1914 and came into the care of their aunt, Margaret and Uncle Ogden.  Ogden provided for his two wards throughout their childhood and even after his death.  The photo below shows Margaret Rutherfurd Mills (O.L.’s first wife) with the two children.

Margaret Rutherfurd Mills with Anne Barbara Sands & George Winthrop Sands

Photo: NYS OPRHP

The children’s father was George Winthrop Sands (1885-1908) who died from injuries due to an automobile accident in France at age 23 and their mother was Tayo Newton Sands (1888- 1914) who died in France just six years later at age 26.  According to the family, she had been ill with tuberculosis and that was the cause of her death at such a young age.  The family also recounts a story that when Tayo was dying she personally asked Ogden and Margaret to care for her young children, just six and eight years of age, because she knew they would give them stability and a good life.  When Tayo Sands passed away, her will appointed Ogden Livingston Mills and their grandmother, Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, as guardians of her children.

Tayo Newton Sands (left) & George Winthrop Sands (right). Photos: Find a Grave

In order to better understand the connection between the two children and Ogden Livingston Mills, it will be helpful to take a look at their grandmother, Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt (1861 -1940), most often remembered as the second Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt.[2]

Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt, circa 1910-1915 
Photo: Library of Congress

Anne Harriman is the central point in this family tree, which shows the familial connection between Ogden L. Mills and the Sands children.

Anne Harriman Sands

Anne endured many family tragedies throughout her life because she was widowed three times and outlived all but one of her children. Born into privilege, Anne was the daughter of wealthy banker Oliver Harriman and his wife Laura Low Harriman. In 1880 she married Samuel Stevens Sands II (1856-1889) and they had a daughter who died as an infant and two sons, George and Samuel III. Tragically, Samuel II died at age 32 after an accident where he fell off his horse at the Meadowbrook Hunt Club.

Samuel II’s younger unmarried sister Anna Sands (1864-1932) was a close friend of Ruth Mills. She was a frequent presence at Staatsburgh and signed the guestbook multiple times. This photo in Staatsburgh’s collection shows Ogden Mills with Anna Sands aboard a ship. She was the great-aunt of the two orphaned Sands children. Photo: NYS OPHRHP (Holden Album)

Tragedy also extended to every child born to Anne Harriman and Samuel Sands. After their first child, Laura, died as an infant, both sons died tragically young due to car accidents while they were in their 20s; George died in 1908 and Samuel in 1913.  Both George and Samuel were married with children when they died.  George had married Tayo Newton in 1905, and they had two children when he died including six-week-old George Jr.  Samuel had married Gertrude Sheldon in 1910, and they had one son.[3]  Incidentally, O.L. Mills was Samuel’s best man at the wedding. 

The Tribune, July 30, 1908, p.1

Brooklyn Eagle, July 3, 1913, p.1

Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd

Anne became a widowed mother of two at the young age of 28 after Samuel’s tragic death, and she remarried the following year.  Her second husband, Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, Jr, was the son of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, the astronomer.  Lewis’s brother, Winthrop Rutherford, was known for his engagement to Consuelo Vanderbilt that her mother forced her to end so Consuelo could marry the Duke of Marlborough.  (For more information about Winthrop, see our blog essay HERE) After suffering from consumption for many years, now known as tuberculosis, Lewis died at age 41 in 1901.

Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt, by François Flameng, 1909. In this portrait, Anne is still wearing mourning clothing after the death of her son George Winthrop Sands. Image: Sotheby's

An article speculating about the engagement of Ogden L. Mills and Miss Margaret Rutherfurd

The Los Angeles Times, July 9, 1911, p.2

With her second husband Lewis Rutherfurd, Anne had two daughters, Margaret and Barbara.  They both lived rather interesting--some may say eccentric--lives.  Margaret was married six times to four different men and Barbara three times.  They both spent time with Oom the Omnipotent, a yogi who many considered a cult leader.  O.L. Mills was Margaret’s first husband and they were married in France in 1911.  They divorced in 1919 but were living separate lives for some time before the divorce.  It was during his marriage to Margaret that Tayo Newton Sands, the widow of George Sands, died in 1914 at the age of 26.  She was very young, but according to her family, she had been suffering from tuberculosis and had been ill for some time. She died just six years after her husband and at the time of her death she and the children were living in Anne & William Vanderbilt’s home in France.  She named Ogden L. Mills and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt as guardians of her children who were just ages six and eight when she died.

Anne Harriman Sands Rutherford Vanderbilt

William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849-1920)
Photo: Library of Congress

Anne married her third and final husband, William K. Vanderbilt in 1903 and they were married for 17 years until his death in 1920. William K. Vanderbilt’s first wife was the infamous social hostess and later suffrage champion, Alva Vanderbilt Belmont. He had three children with Alva before they divorced in 1895: Consuelo, who became the Duchess of Marlborough, William K. II, and Harold. After Anne and William married, the couple primarily lived overseas in France. After William died and Anne was widowed for the third time at age 59, she returned to New York and in 1921 purchased a townhouse on Sutton Place overlooking the East River. She spearheaded the development of Sutton Place as a fashionable neighborhood.

A modern view of 1 Sutton Place, Mrs. W.K. Vanderbilt’s home in New York City
Photo: Daytonian in Manhattan

Anne Barbara Sands & George Winthrop Sands, Jr.

Both Ogden and Anne Vanderbilt were the legal guardians of the two children, but Anne Barbara and George Winthrop were raised under Ogden’s roof in Woodbury, Long Island and not in France where they had lived until their mother’s death. Tayo Newton Sands passed away on the precipice of World War I, and the family believed that the children would be safer in the United States than France.

This portrait of Tayo Newton Sands, circa 1907, remains in the family in the possession of her great-grandchildren. The artist has not been concretely identified, but the family believes that John Singer Sargent is a strong candidate. Unfortunately, the painting suffered some damage while it was shipped from France to the United States during World War I and subsequent treatments resulted in the loss of a few inches that included a signature.

Photo courtesy of the family of Anne Sands Burgess

The war officially began in July, Tayo died in August, and the children traveled to New York in October. There were food shortages throughout France and the family worried about the proximity of combat to the Vanderbilt home in Poissy. After bringing the children to New York, Anne Vanderbilt did return to France during the war and occupied herself with work supporting the war effort for which she later received the Legion of Honor.

This ship manifest showed Anne Vanderbilt traveling on the Lusitania with Barbara & Winthrop Sands (the children were often referred to by their middle names) and arriving in New York on October 31, 1914

Anne and William Vanderbilt spent the majority of their time in France so the children would frequently visit Europe after the war, but the children primarily lived on Long Island. One of [Anne] Barbara’s childhood friends was Peggie Phipps who lived near her on Long Island. In her memoir, Phipps remembered Barbara and wrote, “Barbara Sands was a large, handsome girl; she lived with her guardian Ogden Mills, in Woodbury just down the Jericho Turnpike. She had a very severe English governess who, luckily for us, was a great friend of my governess, so there was a lot of visiting between houses.”[4]

A 1918 letter written by Ogden L. Mills to Anna Barbara & George Winthrop Sands.
Image: NYS OPRHP

Once the United States entered the war in 1917, Ogden enlisted in the Army and was commissioned as a Captain in the Military Intelligence Division. He deployed to France in 1918 and wrote to his young wards while overseas. He wrote about seeing their grandmother, Anne Vanderbilt, saying, “Spent an hour with Granny, who looks bull, seeming cheerful and was full of the war work she is doing.” He closed the letter by exhibiting his affection for the children. He wrote, “I miss you both more than I can say, and shall not be happy until I have you with me again. With all my love and a great big kiss for each of you, Uncle Ogden.”

Anne Barbara Sands is 14 years old and George Winthrop Sands is nearly 12 in these 1920 Passport photos. They lived in Woodbury, Long Island with Ogden, but obtained passports to travel to France to visit family, presumably their grandmother, Anne Vanderbilt.

Photos: Family Search Passport Records

Another letter in Staatsburgh’s collection was a December 1, 1918 letter from O.L. to [Anne] Barbara while he continued to serve overseas in the military during World War I. He lamented the fact that he could not get home to spend Christmas with her and wrote, “Let’s hope however that this is the last Xmas we shall spend apart. I have written my sister to get you each a present from me as its impossible to send anything from here.” OL ended the letter with a show of affection for his young ward, “With all my love dearest Babs, Uncle Ogden.”

The Ogden L. Mills estate in Woodbury, Long Island. 

Photo: Architectural Record, 1916 

Even after O.L. and Margaret divorced in 1919, he continued to provide for the children and serve as their official guardian. O.L. provided annuities for both in his will even though they were adults when he died in 1937. He stipulated that George Winthrop Sands (or his children) receive $10,000 a year and Mrs. George Burgess (Anne Barbara Sands) or her children receive $5,000 a year.

What did adulthood and life after growing up on Long Island bring to these two who were orphaned so young?

George Winthrop Sands, Jr. attended the Middlesex School and went on to graduate from Harvard in 1930. He worked as a stockbroker and banker until 1939 when he started medical school at the New York University School of Medicine. He became a doctor and worked for the Dartmouth College Heath Service for many years. In 1930 he married Anne Gibson and they had one son, Winthrop Mills Sands (1937-1969) before divorcing. In 1950 he married Carolyn Hall (1923-2016) and they had four children, three boys and a daughter named Tayo after his late mother. He passed away in 1986 at the age of 78.

The Boston Globe, September 27, 1986, p. 21

Elements of [Anne] Barbara’s life turned out to be a bit more tumultuous and news of her October 1926 marriage to Col. George Burgess (1896-1975) appeared in newspapers across the country. Their marriage created a bit of a stir since several newspapers reported the marriage one month after it happened and claimed that family and friends did not know until after the event. After their marriage (or elopement), the couple moved to Boston before relocating frequently as a result of his military career.

 

The Ledger Star, November 6, 1926, p.1

Unsurprisingly, their first child Priscilla was born seven months after the wedding. They also had two boys, George & William, before divorcing in 1941. She obtained a divorce in Reno, NV[5] in June 1941 and later that month she married William Henry McGrath (1918-1990) of Phoenicia, NY. They did not have any children and they likely divorced at some point before 1952 when he remarried. A news clip in the September 24, 1959 edition of The Daily Freeman reported that “After living in the Virgin Islands for three years, Mrs. Ann Burgess has moved into an apartment in New York City.” In reality, she split her time between her New York City apartment, a cottage in Saba, and her Ulster County, NY residence until her death in 1990 at age 84.

It is clear that Ogden L. Mills felt a strong sense of duty to help these siblings who were orphaned at such a young age. He gave them stability as they grew up in his Long Island residence and he provided for all of their needs, their schooling, and travel. Correspondence and family memories recall that “Uncle Ogden” was a caring and likable caregiver. Ogden took responsibility and helped to raise these two young children who had lived through a horrible tragedy. While the written record and newspapers have more information about Ogden’s political career, taking a closer look at these family connections provides more insight into the personal life of Ogden Livingston Mills.

 

**Many thanks to members of the family of Anne Sands Burgess who spoke with me to share memories about their family history as well as the image of the portrait of Anne’s mother Tayo.

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[1] Ogden L. Mills married Dorothy Fell in 1924 and became the stepfather of her children, John, Dorothy & Philip Fell.

[2] The first Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt was the indomitable Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont (1853-1933).  They were married from 1875 until 1895 and had 3 children.  She later married Oliver Belmont and became a fervent supporter of women’s suffrage.

[3] After Samuel’s death, his widow Gertrude remarried financier Richard Whitney.  In the 1930s he went from being the President of the New York Stock exchange to serving time in prison for embezzlement.  

[4] Peggie Phipps Boegner and Richard Gachot, Halcyon Days: An American Family Through Three Generations, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987, p.139.  Margaret Phipps (1906-2006) was the daughter of John “Jay” and Margarita Phipps and the granddaughter of Henry Phipps.  Her uncle, Henry Carnegie Phipps was married to Gladys Mills, the sister of O.L Mills .  The “Jay” Phipps home is now run as a historic site known as “Old Westbury Gardens.”

[5] Reno, NV was often known as the “divorce capital” of the country during the early part of the 20^th century because of its relatively lax divorce laws.  Reno allowed folks from states with much stricter divorce laws to quickly establish residency and easily obtain a divorce.