Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler (Sep 24, 1869 Newport, Rhode Island- Feb 1942) was a New York Politician and Bahá'í, expelled by Shoghi Effendi in the 1920s. 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront Newport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. ... This article is about the year. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Seat of the Universal House of Justice, governing body of the Baháís in Haifa Israel The Baháí Faith is an emerging global religion founded by Baháulláh, a 19th century Persian exile. ... Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957) Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (March 1, 1897 - November 5, 1957) was the Guardian of the Baháí Faith from 1921 until his death. ... The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

Biography

Son of John Winthrop Chanler and Margaret Astor Ward [1], Lewis came from a very well-placed family of New York. The family was wealthy and influential, and quite a large volume of work has been devoted to the Astor family. The Astor family, founded by the German immigrant John Jacob Astor and his wife Sarah Todd, became the wealthiest family in the United States during the 19th century. ...

He attended Columbia University where he received his LL.B. in 1891. Then he went to Cambridge, matriculating in 1894. He became a lawyer, and practiced in New York. Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ... Map of the Cambridgeshire area (1904) The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ...

Lewis rose to become Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1907-08 and then Democratic nominee for Governor in 1908. His run for Governor was opposed by Hearst, who lampooned him in a series of cartoons. While a resident of Barrytown, Dutchess County, he became a member of the New York State Assembly from Dutchess County's 2nd District in 1910-12. Franklin Roosevelt had at first thought of running for this seat in the assembly, but Chanler refused to give it up, hence Franklin ran for the senate. A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... HI A governor is also, a monkey who is smart and can fly like a penguin is a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate, born in San Francisco, California. ... The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature body of the state of New York. ... The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. ...

About 1920, Lewis and his first wife divorced and the next year he married Julia (Olin) Benkard, also a recent divorcee, with two daughters of her own. The family bought a new home at 132 East 65th Street, in New York City. This house was later christened Caravan House.

Julie was first introduced to the Bahá'í Faith in 1925, and joined after a short time. Becoming on intimate terms with Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, the three of them formed the New History Society. Several works were published by the Society both before, during and after the events which led to their expulsion from the Bahá'í community in 1939. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Sohrab taught classes on the Bahá'í Faith and when the local New York administration stated that these classes must be under their authority, the group challenged and then were expelled from the movement. During this time they created the Caravan of East and West which was an educational organization designed to prepare members for membership in the Bahá'í Faith.

They continued and greatly expanded their work in New York City. After the deaths of Sohrab and Julie, the Society appears to have vanished, but the Caravan lived on and still exists as a non-profit, at the same address. Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ...

Marriages and Children

Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler (1869-1942) m.1st 1890 (div) Alice Chamberlain (1868-1955), m.2nd 1921 Julie (Olin) Benkard (1882-1961) (she had previously married a Benkard).

1. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler Jr. (1891-1963), m.1st around 1920 Leslie Murray, m.2nd after 1940 Mary Kroehle
   1. Clare Chanler, m.Baynard Forster
   2. Bronson Winthrop Chanler (*1922), m. Evelyn Williams Rogers (*1931)
2. Alida Chanler (1894-1983), m. William Christian Bohn
3. William Chamberlain Chanler (1895-1981), m. Frances Randall Williams

See also

• Bahá'í divisions
• Covenant breaker

The Baháí Faith has had challenges to leadership at the death of every head of the religion. ... Note: the term head of the Faith is used throughout the article, it is helpful to note that, since 1963, this refers to the elected nine-member Universal House of Justice. ...

External links

• His picture at NYPL, Click to enlarge, bottom-right.
• Biography of his wife Julie Olin

References

• Summary of "From Gaslight to Dawn" by Julie Chanler
• Harpers Magazine
• One part of family tree
• Venn, J. A., comp. Alumni Cantabrigienses. London: Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954.
• Who's Who in America, 1920-1
• Eleanor Roosevelt