Name Marcellus Dodge Died August 29, 1930, France | Education Princeton University Grandparents William Rockefeller | |
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Born July 29, 1908 Madison, New Jersey Parents Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, Marcellus Hartley Dodge, Sr. Similar People Marcellus Hartley Dodge - Sr, Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, William Rockefeller | ||
Marcellus Hartley Dodge Jr. (July 29, 1908 – August 29, 1930) was the heir to the Remington-Rockefeller fortune who died in a car accident in France. He lived at Giralda Farms in Madison, New Jersey.
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Life
He was born in Madison, New Jersey to Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller and Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr.
He was a grandson of William A. Rockefeller Jr., co-founder of Standard Oil, great-grandson of Remington Arms Company founder Marcellus Hartley, and grandnephew of Standard Oil's other co-founder, John D. Rockefeller. Dodge was often referred to as "Hartley."
Dodge was instantly killed in an automobile accident on August 29, 1930, when his automobile struck a tree on the Bayonne-Bordeaux road in Mogesca, France shortly after his graduation from Princeton University in June 1930, where he played football. The car caught fire and two passing motorists, Henri Dupin, and Paul Theau, pulled out Dodge's dead body, and the still living Ralph Applegate. Dodge's carotid artery had been severed, and the car engine was pushed against the back seat. Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. went to the site of the accident and looked at the car and talked to the two men who pulled the bodies out of the wreck. His mother, Geraldine, had sent him there as a diversion from his hobby of aviation, which she felt was too dangerous. He was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Legacy
His parents provided for the Dodge Gateway on Princeton's campus in 1933 in his memory. In addition, the Dodges contributed to the construction of the gymnasium at Columbia University that is also named in his honor, the Marcellus Hartley Dodge Physical Fitness Center. Dodge's mother also gave Madison, New Jersey the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building that was dedicated on Memorial Day, Thursday, May 30, 1935 to house its police department. This building now houses Madison's Borough Hall. He also is the namesake of the memorial donated by his mother at the Great Swamp, which was founded with extensive efforts by his father.