Born to an Irish immigrant who became a successful real estate entrepreneur, Hugh J. Grant was orphaned at an early age. He was educated at Manhattan College then spent a year in Berlin. Back in New York, he studied at St. Francis Xavier College, then Columbia Law School, after which he went into private practice. In 1882 he entered public service and was elected to two terms as Alderman, then one term as Sheriff of New York County. With the backing of Tammany Hall, he was elected Mayor of New York at the age of 31, the youngest in the city’s history. He served two two-year terms as Mayor from 1889-1892, during which the city undertook a number of great public works projects, including the transfer of the city’s electrical cables underground. Grant would be the first mayor to appoint a “rapid Transit commission” in 1890 to develop a subway system. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor once more in 1894, after which he retired almost entirely from politics. He managed his sizable real estate interests from his West Side office, building a considerable fortune, and indulged in a favorite pastime, driving trotters in Central Park. In 1895 he married Julia Murphy, the daughter of U.S. Senator Edward Murphy, Jr.

Julia Murphy was one of nine children of Senator Edward Murphy, Jr. (1834-1911), the son of an Irish immigrant who established a successful brewery in Troy, New York. Educated at St. John’s College (Fordham University), Senator Murphy was active in local and state Democratic politics and was elected to the United States Senate from New York in 1893. During the Murphy family’s years in Washington, Julia was a popular debutante, receiving numerous invitations from the capital’s prominent hostesses, including Mrs. Grover Cleveland for events at the White House. It was in the Murphy’s grand home in Washington that she was wed to New York’s former Mayor Hugh J. Grant, who presented her with a diamond tiara and a country estate in Oradel, New Jersey. The Grants made their New York home in a stately 20-room townhouse at 20 East 72nd Street, where they raised their three children, Julia, Edna and Hugh J. Grant. The home was decorated with a marvelous collection of furniture and art, much of which is being offered in the May 6 auction. A devout Catholic, Mrs. Grant hired the Boston architecture firm of Maginnis & Walsh, who had worked on New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to install a private chapel in the home, with decorations by Tiffany Studios. After the death of Mayor Grant, Mrs. Grant generously provided the means for the establishment of Regis High School, a free Jesuit high school for the gifted and the less privileged. The Grant family continued anonymously supporting the school for many decades. .

Hugh J. Grant (1904-1981)

Hugh J. Grant grew up in affluence and privilege. Childhood photographs depict him with his two older sisters amid the luxurious trappings of the American Gilded Age elite. However, by all accounts, he was a man of simple pleasures and infinite generosity. He was educated at Fordham University and Columbia University School of Law. He served in World War II, then returned to the family home at 20 East 72nd Street, where he lived quietly with his two sisters, engaging in religious devotion, charitable works, and the practice of law. Among his numerous philanthropies were Regis High School, the Society of Jesus, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Little Sisters of the Poor, Manhattanville College, and the Archbishopric of New York, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other institutions. His quiet life changed in 1972, however, when he married the lively and popular Lucie Mackey.

Lucie Mackey Grant (1908-2007)

Lucie Mackey and her sisters Emmeline and Adele – nicknamed the Three Graces – led very social lives, enjoying summers in Maine, vacations in Florida, and voyages to Europe. Born to Mr. and Mrs. David C. Mackey of Plainfield, New Jersey, Lucie was educated at Hartridge School followed by Smith College. In 1934 she married the charming and handsome Reginald H. Rollinson, and they moved to New York, where Reggie worked in advertising. A popular and attractive couple, the Rollinsons enjoyed a wide circle of friends in New York and the Hamptons. Unfortunately, their happiness came to an untimely end with the sudden death of Mr. Rollinson in 1959. Beginning a new life for herself, Lucie enrolled in the New York School of Interior Design and later established the decorating firm of Rollinson and Lawhorn with her friend Lee Lawhorn.   In 1972 Lucie married Hugh J. Grant, who was still living in the Grant family home. Daunted by the thought of living in such a formal home with a staff of five servants, she prevailed upon Hugh to begin their life together in a spacious apartment only two blocks away at 141 East 72nd Street. Using many of the elegant pieces in the Grant family collection, Lucie transformed the ten-room apartment into a stylish mis en scène for the many lively gatherings and parties the couple would host. With the historic Grant family home now vacant, Hugh made the decision to donate it to the Archbishopric of New York in 1975. Hugh passed away in 1981, providing generously in his will for numerous charities. Lucie continued that legacy of philanthropy until she died on December 18, 2007, just short of her 100th birthday.