secretaryofwar

Title should read GEN. Grant not Ge. Grant

If it was taken the same day as this photograph of Stimson and Grant, then it was taken May 25th, 1911. That makes sense given Stimson's term as Secretary of War and Grant's date of death (see below).

General Grant was Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912), the oldest son of Ulysses S. Grant. He died of cancer on Governer's Island just over a year after this photo was taken.

The man in the top hat escorting Grant was Henry L. Stimson (1867-1950) appointed Secretary of War in 1911.

He went on to be Secretary of State, the Governor of the Philippines and again Secretary of War in the 1940's during which he oversaw the Manhattan Project and chiefly influenced Truman to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Governer's Island is at the mouth of the East River in New York just across from the much smaller Ellis Island. Below is a lithograph from around the same time (1911):

The occasion for this photo was an annual event on Governors Island, the lawn party of the Army Relief Society. The party was a fundraiser for the organization, which provided succor to widows and orphans of officers and enlisted men of the Regular Army. Pictured here is the 1911 version, which was held on May 25, 1911. In response to an email query, Mike Shaver, National Park Service Ranger/Historian at the Governors Island National Monument, provided the date of this event, and also noted that Henry L. Stimson had been appointed Secretary of War only a few weeks earlier, in that same month of May, 1911. Stimson served in the cabinet of President William Howard Taft. Here is another photo of Stimson with General Grant: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2162710703/in/p... Here is a photo of the lawn party, when the excitement was at full tilt: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163472204/in/p... General Grant was the host on this occasion; as Commanding General of the United States Army, Department of the East, he resided on Governor's Island. In fact, he died there, on April 11, 1912.

Wystan: Thanks for the additional information and bringing our attention to the date on the negative. We'll add the date to the record next time we update.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._Stimson en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Grant en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_F._Davis "Dwight Filley Davis, Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to 1925 and Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929."

Thanks, swanq!

Liggett (correct spelling) as has been noted elsewhere in comments to other incorrectly named "Leggett" photos.

Lindley Miller Garrison was Secretary of War in Woodrow Wilson's cabinet, 1913-16. Other Bain/LOC photos of General Hunter Liggett, commander of the Gettysburg 50th Anniversary encampment (his name misspelled as Leggett): www.flickr.com/search/?q=leggett&w=8623220@N02

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Veterans of the American Civil War, and we'd love to have this added to the group!