John Vernou Bouvier III was born May 19, 1891 in Manhattan, New York, the eldest of five children, to John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and Maude Frances Bouvier (née Sergeant). His nickname, "Black Jack", referred to his flamboyant lifestyle.[1]
In addition to crafting fine furniture, Michel Bouvier had a business distributing firewood. To support that business, he acquired large tracts of forested land, some of which contained a large reserve of coal. Michel further grew his fortune in real estate speculation. His sons, Eustes, Michel Charles (M.C.), and John V. Bouvier Sr., distinguished themselves in the world of finance on Wall Street. They left their fortunes to their only remaining male Bouvier heir, Major John Vernou Bouvier Jr., who used some of the money to buy an estate known as Lasata in East Hampton, Long Island.[3]
Major John Vernou Bouvier, Jr., a successful attorney, and Maude Frances Sergeant,[4] had five children, of whom John Vernou Bouvier III was the eldest. Their other children were William Sergeant "Bud" Bouvier, who was born in 1893 and died from alcoholism in 1929; Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale, who was born in 1895 and became the wife of Phelan Beale, Sr. and the mother of Edith Bouvier Beale, Phelan Beale, Jr., and Bouvier Beale; and twins Maude Reppelin Bouvier Davis and Michelle Caroline Bouvier Scott Putnam (born 1905).[5][6][7]
Upon his graduation, he went to work as a stockbroker at his father and uncle's firm: Bouvier, Bouvier & Bouvier. In 1917, he left the firm to join the United States Navy during World War I. He transferred to the United States Army, where he rose to the rank of major. His 1920 engagement announcement [11] stated he had served in the Army Air Service. Bouvier was discharged in 1919, whereupon he went back to work as a stockbroker on Wall Street.[3]
On April 7, 1920, the New York Sun published an engagement announcement[13] for Bouvier and Miss Eleanor Carroll Daingerfield Carter, of Baltimore. The announcement stated she was a descendant of Reverdy Johnson. The engagement was later called off.
In June 1942, Janet Lee Bouvier married Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, Jr.[16] Janet reportedly did not want her ex-husband to escort his daughter, Jacqueline, down the aisle for her 1953 wedding to John F. Kennedy as he had done at the wedding of his other daughter, Lee, the previous year, so Jacqueline was instead escorted by her step-father. However, some reports indicated Bouvier was too intoxicated to escort his daughter, leading Auchincloss to step in to give the bride away.[17]
By the mid-1950s, Bouvier had sporadic contact with his daughters and family. He spent the majority of his time drinking alone at his New York City apartment located at 125 East 74th Street.[18][19]
Later life and death
In the spring of 1957, Bouvier was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. He checked into Lenox Hill Hospital on July 27, 1957 to undergo chemotherapy. On August 1, he fell into a coma. He died two days later, on August 3, aged 66.[20] His funeral, which was arranged by his daughters Jacqueline and Lee, was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan after which his body was buried in the Bouvier family plot at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton, New York.[21]
In popular culture
Bouvier is thought to be the "Wall Street Jack" mentioned in the lyrics of "Forty Second Street", from the musical 42nd Street.[22]
^ abcdPottker, Jan (2002). Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Macmillan. pp. 48–50. ISBN0-312-30281-9.
^"Michelle Bouvier Married In Garden; Wed To Henry C. Scott. Before a flower covered altar at Lasata, East Hampton. Twin Sister Honor Maid Bride Escorted By Her Father – Bridegroom's Brother His Best Man. The couple motored to Canada". The New York Times. July 6, 1926.
^"Maude R. Bouvier Weds John E. Davis; 400 Guests See Ceremony At The East Hampton Home Of Bride's Parents. Many In The Bridal Party Twin Sister Of Miss Bouvier Is Matron Of Honor. Sun Comes Out Just Before Wedding. The Bride's Attendants. Wedding Breakfast For 400". The New York Times. September 4, 1928.
