396:, William died of an overdose at 28), was significantly younger than he was, but the couple's marriage yielded no children. In the 1980s Gardiner tried to adopt a distant relative, so he would have an heir who could continue inherit his share of the Island, and keep it in the Gardiner name. But those efforts failed, since he was looking for a relative who was already wealthy, who, nevertheless, would agree to his conditions as to how Gardiner's Island was managed, after his death.
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403:, had already inherited his sister's half of the estate, and inherited Gardiner's half upon his death through court. Gardiner and his niece were estranged. They engaged in arduous litigation against one another over the Gardiner Estate's fund and ownership of equity such as Gardiner's Island and Sagtikos Manor which had originally been meant to be preserved for the family's history.
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In more recent years, the island has primarily made headlines for its strict no-trespassing policy and a contentious legal battle between two possible heirs. As of now, the island is unilaterally owned by
Gardiner-descendant Alexandra Creel Goelet, who intends, predictably, to keep it in the
362:, a 10-acre heritage property on Long Island. Gardiner inherited the property, which had been in his family since the 18th century, in the 1930s. Gardiner and his wife Eunice used the property as their primary residence for several years, early in their marriage. In 1963, when the
332:. Goelet and her husband were conservationists, while Gardiner was an enthusiastic hunter. From 1953, when Gardiner and his sister inherited the Island, until 1977, the Island's operating costs had been covered by a trust set up by the aunt from whom they inherited the property.
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Due to their disputes, Gardiner refused to contribute to the taxes and other costs of maintaining the property–which, at that time, were more than $ 1 million per year. He didn't contribute for over a decade. They, in turn, went to court to bar him from visiting the property.
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Gardiner's Island is now the great remaining legacy, and it has passed into the sole ownership of Robert
Gardiner's niece, Alexandra Creel Goelet. She's married to the scion of another New York moneyed family and has promised to preserve the
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was founded, the
Gardiners stopped using it as their primary residence, let the Historical Society use part of the structure, but insisted the Historical Society reserve a suite for him. The property was placed on the
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Sagtikos Manor had been in the
Gardiner family for 230 years, and since 1986 it had been held by the nonprofit Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since the
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For roughly 30 years, Bob was embroiled in highly-publicized fights over the ownership and development of the island with his niece, Alexandra Creel Goelet, who eventually inherited her mother's interest when she
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in the 1970s. In 1986, Gardiner transferred ownership of the property to the nonprofit Robert David Lion
Gardiner Foundation. Today, Sagtikos Manor stands as a small museum rich in historical value to the
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Until 2004, Robert
Charles Lion Gardiner, the sixteenth lord of the manor, as he liked to call himself, owned it with his niece, Alexandra Creel Goelet. Now that he's gone, it's hers.
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I certainly feel that as long as the
Rockefellers can have Pocantico Hills we lowly Gardiners in the fourth century of ownership should be allowed to have our estate.
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from their aunt, Sarah
Diodati Gardiner, when she died in 1953. Gardiner had long-running disputes with his sister, and her daughter,
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Gardiner was born in New York City on
February 25, 1911 to Robert Alexander Gardiner (1863-1919) and Nora Loftus, a native of
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in
Ireland. She was the sister of Captain Francis Cochrane Loftus (1873-1899) who was killed in the Boer War.
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He was just an incredible character and full of himself—and he got fuller and fuller as time went by!
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says Failey, who first met Gardiner 40 years ago when he began researching American antiques.
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The long running dispute between Gardiner and his niece formed part of the background to
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In 1961, Gardiner married Eunice Bailey Oakes (1928–2011), a former British model, at
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in Manhattan. Eunice, who was previously married to William Pitt Oakes (a son of
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603:"Sagtikos Manor Holds Three Centuries of Long Island History Under One Roof"
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573:"In the Region/Long Island; A Bay Shore Manor to Open a Window on History"
694:"New York's Gardiners Island: Still in the Family After Almost 400 Years"
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224: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
308:, for the Empire Trust Company and owned a 42-acre shopping center in
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147:(February 25, 1911 – August 23, 2004), was the last heir to
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481:"The blue-blood feud over Gardiner's Island: Wasp's Nest"
449:"Robert D.L. Gardiner, 93, Lord of His Own Island, Dies"
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302:South West Pacific theatre during World War II
805:"Garden of Death: A Natural Remedies Mystery"
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746:John T. Brooks, Jena L. Levin (2015-08-25).
509:"Gardiner Fights Move To Make Island Public"
748:"No Standing to Enforce a Charitable Trust"
151:to have the surname "Gardiner". (His niece
351:had been allowed to continue to own their
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858:St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni
284:Learn how and when to remove this message
863:New York University School of Law alumni
182:and graduated in 1934. He then attended
545:"To The Manor Born | American Heritage"
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666:"Tea for Two, Three, or $ 5 Million"
369:National Register of Historic Places
222:adding citations to reliable sources
543:Ellsworth S. Grant (October 1975).
447:Robert F. Worth (August 24, 2004).
868:Columbia College (New York) alumni
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788:from the original on 2016-06-27.
639:"Nancy Oakes von Hoyningen-Huene"
364:Sagtikos Manor Historical Society
296:He served as a lieutenant in the
184:New York University School of Law
88:New York University School of Law
507:Richard L. Madden (1971-09-11).
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803:Chrystle Fiedler (2015-03-24).
758:from the original on 2015-11-10
700:from the original on 2016-04-26
343:proposed a bill to expropriate
209:needs additional citations for
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776:Stephen J. Kotz (2000-09-07).
696:. Slate magazine. 2016-02-02.
664:Lindsay Pollock (2005-01-13).
571:Carole Paquette (2002-12-22).
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601:Spencer Rumsey (2014-10-03).
579:. p. Section 11, Page 7
479:Dinitia Smith (1989-06-05).
233:"Robert David Lion Gardiner"
878:United States Navy officers
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778:"Gardiner Feud Comes Home"
553:. Vol. 26, no. 6
550:American Heritage magazine
316:Gardiner family properties
145:Robert David Lion Gardiner
23:Robert David Lion Gardiner
170:Robert Gardiner attended
339:In 1971, Representative
322:Alexandra Gardiner Creel
415:'s 2015 mystery novel
401:Alexandra Creel Goelet
330:Alexandra Creel Goelet
153:Alexandra Creel Goelet
136:Alexandra Creel Goelet
62:East Hampton, New York
304:. Gardiner worked on
176:Newport, Rhode Island
376:and its era onward.
218:improve this article
16:American war veteran
374:American Revolution
358:Gardiner inherited
172:St. George's School
110:Eunice Bailey Oakes
74:St. George's School
809:Simon and Schuster
723:"Sagtikos History"
577:The New York Times
513:The New York Times
454:The New York Times
407:In popular culture
349:Rockefeller family
320:He and his sister
298:United States Navy
782:East Hampton Star
752:Wealth Management
727:sagtikosmanor.org
645:. 21 January 2005
608:Long Island Press
486:New York Magazine
386:St. Thomas Church
326:Gardiner's Island
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94:Known for
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58:(aged 93)
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519:. p. A3
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390:Fifth Avenue
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216:Please help
211:verification
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56:(2004-08-23)
39:May 25, 1911
853:2004 deaths
848:1911 births
399:His niece,
306:Wall Street
842:Categories
824:2016-06-27
762:2016-06-27
732:2019-04-12
704:2016-06-27
675:2016-06-27
614:2019-10-15
589:mid-1970s.
583:2019-10-15
557:2019-04-12
523:2020-09-18
493:2019-10-12
460:2014-07-27
423:References
324:inherited
274:March 2024
244:newspapers
159:Early life
35:1911-05-25
649:13 August
643:The Times
341:Otis Pike
132:Relatives
70:Education
786:Archived
756:Archived
698:Archived
355:estate.
97:Heir to
43:New York
791:family.
681:island.
300:in the
258:scholar
138:(niece)
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190:Career
105:Spouse
64:, U.S.
45:, U.S.
710:died.
624:'
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265:JSTOR
251:books
120:(
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813:ISBN
651:2016
237:news
51:Died
29:Born
388:on
220:by
174:in
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