Early Life
Warnecke was born on February 24, 1919, in Oakland, California. His father, Carl I. Warnecke, was a prominent architect in San Francisco. His mother, Margaret Esterling Warnecke, was a descendant of Dutch settlers who came to Sonoma County, California, in the 1870s.
He received his bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Stanford University in 1941. He played football at Stanford, and was a member of the undefeated 1940 Stanford Indians football team (nicknamed the "Wow Boys") that won the 1941 Rose Bowl. A shoulder injury incurred while playing football prevented him from being drafted or serving in the U.S. military during World War II. While studying at Stanford, Warnecke made the acquaintance of John F. Kennedy, who was auditing courses at the university. Warnecke received his masters degree in architecture from Harvard University in 1942, completing the three-year course in a single year. While attending Harvard, he studied with the highly influential architect, Walter Gropius.
Warnecke married the former Grace Cushing in 1945, with whom he had a three sons and a daughter. His oldest son, John C. Warnecke, Jr., died in 2003. This first marriage ended in divorce in 1961, and Warnecke married the former Grace Kennan (daughter of George F. Kennan) in 1969. This second marriage also ended in divorce.
Read more about this topic: John Carl Warnecke
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