William Edgar (1810-1887)
III, "The Commodore" of the New York Yacht Club
He was a co-founder of the New York Yacht Club in 1844, serving as its first Treasurer. He won the club's first regatta in July, 1845, racing in his schooner, Cygnet. The course ran from the Elysian Fields (on the Jersey side of the Hudson River) to Southwest Spit, inside Sandy Hook and back again. Edgar - "one of the most notable yachtsman of the day" - was one of nine entrants and won the race in 5-hours, 23-minutes, 15-seconds, taking what became the first "Cygnet Cup". In 1855, he succeeded John C. Stevens to become the second Commodore of the club in 1855. In 1886, he built Edgar House (now better known as "Sunnyside") in Newport. He married Eliza, daughter of Frederic William Rhinelander and they were the parents of four children.
