On September 9, 1961, in the chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, Denmark, Ambassador Blair married Catherine "Deeda" Gerlach (born 1931), the former wife of oleomargarine heir Charles Clarke Jelke and the only daughter of Norman Harbridge Gerlach (1904–1980), a partner in the Chicago law firm Gerlach & O'Brien, and his wife, the former Joanna Powell. Deeda Blair (who was later a subject of portraits by Andy Warhol)[4] was named director and vice-president of the Lasker Foundation in 1965 and is a noted advocate for public health issues.
The couple had one child, a son named William McCormick Blair III, who committed suicide in May 2004 at age 41. After their son's death, they relocated from Washington, D.C., to New York City.[5] He died on August 29, 2015, at his home in Manhattan at the age of 98.[3]
^"William Blair & Company History". wmblair.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
^ abcBernstein, Adam (2015-09-01). "William McC. Blair Jr., Democratic political confidant, dies at 98". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
william, mccormick, blair, william, mccormick, bill, blair, october, 1916, august, 2015, american, diplomat, served, united, states, ambassador, denmark, from, 1961, 1964, united, states, ambassador, philippines, from, 1964, until, 1967, lawyer, also, close, a. William McCormick Bill Blair Jr October 24 1916 August 29 2015 was an American diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Denmark from 1961 to 1964 and as United States Ambassador to the Philippines from 1964 until 1967 A lawyer he also was a close associate of Adlai Stevenson II He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws L L D degree from Whittier College in 1964 1 William McCormick Blair Jr 10th United States Ambassador to the PhilippinesIn office 1964 1967PresidentLyndon B JohnsonPreceded byWilliam StevensonSucceeded byG Mennen Williams46th United States Ambassador to DenmarkIn office 1961 1964PresidentJohn F KennedyLyndon B JohnsonPreceded byVal PetersonSucceeded byKatharine WhitePersonal detailsBorn 1916 10 24 October 24 1916Chicago Illinois U S DiedAugust 29 2015 2015 08 29 aged 98 Manhattan New York U S Political partyDemocraticSpouseCatherine GerlachChildrenWilliam McCormick Blair IIIParent s William M BlairHelen Hadduck BowenEducationStanford University B A University of Virginia J D Contents 1 Early life 2 Personal life 3 Family tree 4 References 5 External linksEarly life editBlair was a son of Helen Hadduck Bowen and William M Blair who co founded the investment banking firm William Blair amp Company 2 He graduated from the Groton School in 1935 3 Stanford University and the University of Virginia Law School in 1947 3 Personal life editOn September 9 1961 in the chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerod Denmark Ambassador Blair married Catherine Deeda Gerlach born 1931 the former wife of oleomargarine heir Charles Clarke Jelke and the only daughter of Norman Harbridge Gerlach 1904 1980 a partner in the Chicago law firm Gerlach amp O Brien and his wife the former Joanna Powell Deeda Blair who was later a subject of portraits by Andy Warhol 4 was named director and vice president of the Lasker Foundation in 1965 and is a noted advocate for public health issues The couple had one child a son named William McCormick Blair III who committed suicide in May 2004 at age 41 After their son s death they relocated from Washington D C to New York City 5 He died on August 29 2015 at his home in Manhattan at the age of 98 3 Family tree editvteMcCormick Chicago family tree This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message Robert McCormick Jr 1780 1846 Mary Ann Hall 1780 1853 Nancy Fowler 1835 1923 Cyrus Hall McCormick Sr 1809 1884 William Sanderson McCormick 1815 1865 Mary Ann Grigsby 1828 1878 Leander James McCormick 1819 1900 Cyrus Hall McCormick Jr 1859 1936 Anita McCormick Blaine 1866 1954 Harold Fowler McCormick 1872 1941 Robert Sanderson McCormick 1849 1919 William Grigsby McCormick 1851 1941 Anna Reubenia McCormick 1860 1917 Leander Hamilton McCormick 1859 1934 Joseph Medill McCormick 1877 1925 Ruth Hanna 1880 1944 Robert Rutherford McCormick 1880 1955 Chauncey Brooks McCormick 1884 1954 William McCormick Blair Sr 1884 1982 Bazy Tankersley 1921 2013 Hope Baldwin 1919 1993 Brooks McCormick 1917 2006 William McCormick Blair Jr 1916 2015 Notes References edit Honorary Degrees Whittier College www whittier edu Retrieved 2019 12 06 William Blair amp Company History wmblair com Archived from the original on 23 August 2007 Retrieved 16 February 2007 a b c Bernstein Adam 2015 09 01 William McC Blair Jr Democratic political confidant dies at 98 Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved 2017 09 26 Exchange Search deeda blair exchange umma umich edu Retrieved 2020 03 11 Watters Susan December 10 2004 Deeda Blair s Annus Horribilis Women s Wear Daily Retrieved February 18 2023 External links editUnited States Department of State Ambassadors to Denmark United States Department of State Ambassadors to the Philippines PoliticalGraveyard William McCormick Blair SmokersHistory bio page on the Blairs SmokersHistory bio on Blair Sr Diplomatic posts Preceded byVal Peterson U S Ambassador to Denmark1961 1964 Succeeded byKatharine Elkus White Preceded byWilliam E Stevenson U S Ambassador to the Philippines1964 1967 Succeeded byG Mennen Williams Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William McCormick Blair Jr amp oldid 1172988117, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
