Lawyer
Centurion, 1913–1938
Born 29 October 1855 in New York (Manhattan), New York
Died 28 May 1938 in Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Buried Memorial Cemetery of Saint John’s Church
, Laurel Hollow, New York
Proposed by John L. Cadwalader and Robert W. de Forest
Elected 5 April 1913 at age fifty-seven
Archivist’s Note: Son of H. G. De Forest; brother of Lockwood de Forest and Robert W. de Forest; cousin of George B. de Forest, James Couper Lord, Daniel D. Lord, George de Forest Lord, and L. DeF. Woodruff; uncle of Alfred V. de Forest and Johnston de Forest; father-in-law of Francis Minturn Sedgwick
Century Memorial
A Centurion, finding on his doorstep a fast-express box containing a magnificent Restigouche salmon might well find on the accompanying card the name of Henry W. de Forest. This sportsman and lover of gardens by nature and disposition was known to the business community as a director of railroads, banks, and insurance companies—the sort of director who invariably serves on the executive committee. In his seventieth year he was still serving on twenty-one boards. When Harriman and Fish were battling for control of the Illinois Central, both antagonists approved de Forest’s policies for the railroad. Pilgrimages were made to his beautiful box-hedged garden on Cold Spring Harbor. He was effectively interested in the preservation of wild life in Louisiana, Canada, and intervening points. He gave decades of shrewd advice as a working trustee of the leading hospitals of Manhattan. For ten years he served as president of the New York Botanical Garden.
Geoffrey Parsons
1938 Century Memorials