Henry Graves, Jr. and his children at the Eagle Island boat house, c. 1910. From A Grand Complication, Stacy Perman, 2013. Born: March 11, 1868
Died: March 21, 1953
Married: Florence Isabel Preston
Children: Henry Graves III, Duncan Graves, Gwendolyn Graves (Mrs. R. H. Fullerton), George C. Graves
Henry Graves, Jr., son of banker Henry Graves, bought Camp Eagle Island on Upper Saranac Lake from former U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton in 1910. He and his wife donated Eagle Island to the Girl Scouts of the Oranges, N.J., in 1937 in memory of two sons who had died in auto accidents; Henry III in 1922 and George in 1934.
Graves was a collector of extraordinary watches; one of the watches that he commissioned from Patek Philippe sold at auction for $11 million at Sotheby's in December 1999; the story of its acquisition is the subject of Stacy Perman's 2013 book, A Grand Complication.
He was the grandfather of Henry "Buz" Graves.
Henry,Jr and Florence Graves, 1938
Courtesy of Chris Hildebrand
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 1, 1912
Upper Saranac. N. Y., August 31—One of the most exciting races ever held on Upper Saranac Lake was incorporated In the events of the annual regatta when Henry Graves, Jr., of the Upper Saranac colony defeated Charles J. Swain of the Lower Lake camp colony in a 20-mile race. Mr. Swain's boat, No. 51. was an 18-foot craft that sat low in the water, while Mr. Graves' boat, The Eagle rode high and had a length twice that of its adversary. In the straightaway the big boat had the best of it, but on turns the No. 51 made up, for The Eagle was obliged to slow down for the buoy turns, while the little boat made them with full head. Mr. Graves completed the course in 1 hour 1 minute and 16 seconds, just 1 minute and 27 seconds ahead of No. 51. A crowd of one thousand persons assembled at Saranac Inn watched the events with keen interest…
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