Cornelius Newton Bliss Jr.

Bliss Jr. was raised in New York City and attended Harvard University, graduating in 1897 with a Bachelor of Arts.

In July 1916, he was named treasurer of the Republican National Committee and participated in the losing presidential campaign of Charles Evans Hughes, which he helped operate from New York City.

After the war, Bliss returned to business and philanthropy on a large scale, operating as a trustee, board member, or president of several organizations, including the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Opera, and the Grant Monument Association.

When the Great Depression began, he was one of six men named by New York City Mayor Walker to operate a $15 million relief fund created in November 1931.

In 1906, he married Zaidee C. Cobb (1881-1966), with whom he had three children: Through his later life, he continued to promote the arts, serving as president of the Metropolitan Opera from 1938 to 1946.