By Hannah Faberman, B.A. ‘26, Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology
The Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Carnegies became household names following the American Gilded Age for amassing great fortunes. Less recognizable today are the Pinchots, a family of merchants, politicians and business titans who accumulated nearly as much wealth and just as much influence.
In May 2024 retired academic and government historian David S. Patterson discussed his new book, The Pinchots: A Family Saga (Sunbury Press, 2022), as part of the D.C. Mondays series hosted by the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies. Patterson has taught at multiple universities and served as chief editor of Foreign Relations of the United States, a documentary series developed by the U.S. State Department. His most recent project explores the lives of three generations of the Pinchot family and their impact on the nation’s capital city.
Spanning just over a century from 1860 to 1963, the book foregrounds the family’s enduring commitment to activism and government service. Patterson also draws on the scandals and tragedies that befell many of the Pinchots, resulting in a dynamic narrative of highs and lows. Two figures especially stand out: Gifford Pinchot and Mary Pinchot Meyer.
Gifford Pinchot, perhaps the family’s most famous member, was the first professionally trained forester in the United States. He headed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry from 1898 through 1901 and founded the Society of American Foresters in November 1900. As a close confidant of President Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford advised top government officials on the conservation of natural resources, which led to the presidential designation of national parks. Even after ending his tenure with the Forest Service, Gifford remained a fixture of the federal government under the administrations of Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, endorsing Depression-era public works projects and other forms of federal aid.
Gifford wasn’t a typical naturalist by today’s standards. As a staunch advocate of sustainability over preservation, he promoted a utilitarian philosophy of conservation that suggested it was sometimes reasonable to cut down trees. He was also an avid hunter and enjoyed deep-sea fishing, a pastime that, for him, consisted of standing atop a vessel and shooting at orcas with a revolver. These seeming contradictions resulted from Gifford’s own political views and socioeconomic experiences during environmentalism’s early development.
Mary Pinchot Meyer, the daughter of Gifford’s younger brother Amos, similarly led an eventful life. After her husband joined the CIA, the peace activist divorced him and began an affair with President John F. Kennedy. According to the White House visitor logs, Mary was recorded as having visited 16 times — all when First Lady Jackie Kennedy happened to be away. Sadly, in October 1964, Mary was walking in Georgetown when someone shot her twice in the head and chest, killing her instantly. The perpetrator has yet to be found, and conspiracy theories abound as to whether Mary’s murder bears any connection to the presidential assassination just one month later.
In The Pinchots: A Family Saga, Patterson delves deep into the lives of a lesser-known American family whose careers, affluence and misfortunes in D.C. affected many levels of the U.S. government, even the presidency. You can watch a video of this D.C. Mondays program below and browse upcoming talks on the museum website.
About the Author
Hannah Faberman is an undergraduate at GW majoring in Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies and archaeology. She is a member of the GW Wind Ensemble and Delta Iota Gamma, the first pre-professional fraternity in the country dedicated to the study of anthropology and classics.
Header Image: President Kennedy with Members of the Pinchot Family” (detail), Grey Towers, Milford, Pa., 1963. Cecil Stoughton, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.