William Proctor Douglas (1842-1919)
of 12 West 76th Street, New York City; Yachtsman, won the Americas Cup
He was born in New York and was a nephew of "the lion-huntress of the social jungle" Harriet Douglas Cruger. He was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, and inherited "Douglaston" a 300-acre estate at Little Neck Bay on Long Island where he made his home. Holding significant investments in various banks and businesses, he never worked, and focused on his primary passion in life - yachting. He was the owner of the Sappho that won the Americas Cup in 1871 and in later years he was part owner of the Priscilla, built for a cup defender. He was Vice-Commodore of the New York Yacht Club and belonged to a long list of clubs in New York and Europe. In 1879, he married Adelaide, daughter of Effingham Lawrence Townsend, and they had two children. After it became public knowledge that his wife had become the mistress of J.P. Morgan he moved out of their home on East 46th Street and made a home for himself at 12 West 76th Street while his erstwhile wife spent $120,000 building her new home, 57 Park Avenue.
