Col. Ezra Parmalee Prentice (1863-1955)
of Chicago & "Elm Tree House" Mount Hope Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts
He was a prominent attorney in Chicago whose grandfather for whom he was named, Ezra Parmalee Prentice, made a fortune as a wholesale fur merchant and built "Mount Hope" in Albany, New York. He graduated from Amherst in 1885 and in 1901 married Alta Rockefeller, daughter of the world's first billionaire. He was well-suited to his role as husband to one of the wealthiest women in the world, managing the social and financial responsibilities that came with such a position. In 1938, he wrote, "The Influence of Hunger on Human History." They lived between 5 West 53rd Street in New York City and their magnificent 72-room home "Elm Tree House" (see images) on the 1,400-acre Mount Hope Farm (named for his grandfather's estate) in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Completed in 1928, Elm Tree House took five years to build at a cost of $400,000, and is now part of Williams College. He and his wife had three children.
