Edwin Gould

Edwin Gould Sr. (February 26, 1866 – July 12, 1933) was an American railway official, investor, philanthropist, and member of the wealthy Gould family.

Career From 1917 to 1918, during World War I, he served with Squadron A, New York National Guard. In 1918, he was major of ordnance in the First Brigade of the New York Guard. He was chosen a captain in the 71st Regiment of the New York State Guard. He was also a very active member of the Jekyll Island Club on Jekyll Island, Georgia, along with J.P. Morgan and William Rockefeller among others. In 1900, Gould purchased the former cottage of David H. King Jr., "a single-storied, Italian Renaissance house surrounding a central courtyard, complete with a swimming pool fed by an artesian well."

On October 26, 1892, Gould married Sarah Cantine Shrady (–1951), stepdaughter of the prominent physician George Frederick Shrady Sr. , another member of the Jekyll Island Club. Together, they had two sons:

Edwin Gould Jr. (1894–1917), who died following a freak hunting accident on Jekyll Island at the age of 23. Frank Miller Gould (–1945), who married Florence Amelia Bacon in 1924. They divorced in Reno in 1944 and Frank remarried to Helen Dolores ( Roosen) Curran at Macon, Georgia, on June 7, 1944, shortly before his death in 1945.

Gould died on July 12, 1933. After his dinner he complained of not feeling well, and died after midnight in his bed, at his estate Highwood in Oyster Bay Cove, New York. He was buried in the family mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery. Upon his death, his widow reportedly inherited $10 million.

Descendants Through his son Frank, he was a grandfather of Marianne Gould (1926–1957), who married (and later divorced) Lt. John W. McDonough, and New York real estate investor Edwin Jay Gould (1932–1993).

Legacy Much like his famous sister, Helen Miller Gould Shepard, Edwin was a prominent philanthropist. He was known for his avoidance of grand public displays In 1923, through a special act of the New York Legislature, whose work laid foundational support for numerous successful nonprofits and community services in areas of early childhood education, foster care, and workforce training for women. In 2018, Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families merged with Rising Ground, a leading human services nonprofit.