William Robertson Coe

William Robertson Coe (June 8, 1869 – March 14, 1955) was an insurance, railroad and business executive, a major owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses, as well as a collector of Americana and an important philanthropist for the academic discipline of American Studies.

Members of the Coe family, including William, arrived in New York on August 18, 1883, from Hull, England, aboard the Rhodora, a merchant ship owned by Margaret's elder brother George Robertson.

By 1910, Coe had become president of Johnson and Higgins and was involved in insuring the "unsinkable" hull of the RMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.

Coe was on the board of directors of the Virginian Railway from 1910 until his death in 1955, and headed the company for a brief period during World War II.

One of his sons, William Rogers Coe, led the financial management of the Virginian Railway for many years as vice-president and treasurer, with offices in New York City.

Coe's colt Pompey won the 1926 Wood Memorial Stakes and was a successful sire; appears four generations back in the pedigree of Secretariat.

[1][6] For 45 years, he collected Americana memorabilia, gathering original diaries, manuscripts, letters and photographs depicting the struggles of the pioneer settlers.

Coe's ownership of a ranch near Cody, Wyoming, led him to direct much of his giving to this Rocky Mountain state.

At the University of Wyoming, the William Robertson Coe Library, History building, and program in American Studies represent a substantial contribution of private funds to public higher education.

The town of Cody also received many benefactions from him, including its first paved streets, and the 4-faced grand clock on the Park County courthouse building placed there in 1912 and still in use.

[1] Planting Fields, the Coes' estate in Upper Brookville, New York, was built around 1911 on the famous Gold Coast of Long Island.

[1] When Coe died unexpectedly of an asthma attack at his new home in Palm Beach, Florida on March 14, 1955, he was buried at Locust Valley Cemetery on Long Island.