Madison Grant - Early Life

Early Life

Grant was born in New York City, New York to Gabriel Grant, a well-known physician and American Civil War surgeon, and Caroline Manice. Madison Grant's mother was a descendant of Jesse De Forest, the Walloon Huguenot who in 1623 recruited the first band of colonists to settle in the New Netherland. On his father's side, Madison Grant's first American ancestor was Richard Treat, dean of Pitminster Church in England, who in 1630 was one of the first Puritan settlers of New England. Grant's forebears through Treat's line include Robert Treat a colonial governor of New Jersey, Robert Treat Paine (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), Charles Grant (Madison Grant's grandfather who served as an officer in the War of 1812) and Gabriel Grant (father of Madison), a prominent physician and the health commissioner of Newark. Dr Gabriel Grant was awarded the congressional medal of honor for his service in the Civil War organizing the Second New Jersey volunteers. Grant was a lifelong resident of New York City

Grant was the oldest brother among four siblings. The children's summers, and many of their weekends, were spent at Oatlands, the beautiful Long Island country estate built by their grandfather DeForest Manice in the 1830s. As a child he attended private schools and traveled Europe and the Middle East with his father. He attended Yale University, graduating early and with honors in 1887. He received a law degree from Columbia Law School, and practiced law after graduation; however, his interests were primarily those of a naturalist. He never married and he had no children. He first achieved a political reputation when he and his brother, De Forest Grant, took part in the electoral campaign of New York mayor William Lafayette Strong in 1894.