One Of Our More Tasteful Friends: Dick Jenrette... Thoughts?

I couldn't live in something so authentically period because it doesn't feel real. Like living in a museum. But the attention to detail is amazing.

His wealth disgusts me.

Is that Earl guy his boyfriend of 31 years (“caretaker”) or are they playing with words?

It's an interesting read. He is sort of creating mini-museums. I do like to visit historical houses but then history was one of my majors and life long interests.

I really know nothing about this man and there may be nefarious dealings in his past but I can appreciate the houses without ever wanting to live in them. Though that St. Croix place I could force myself to inhabit.

Interesting to see he does agree with me about one aspect of life. And with Don Draper.

[quote] Beware rumination. Self-obsession reinforces the very thoughts and habits that many respondents were trying to escape. Many of the impressive people are self-deceivers where something bad happened to them, they forgot it, forgave it and moved-on. Jenrette has used his Harvard Business School case study training, and applied to all aspects of his life: examine all of the available data, make a decision, and move forward.

Some of the #metoo people as well as DL fave Dylan F. need to consider this.

His Charleston Home is truly Duncan Phyfe Central! There is quite a bit of it in his NY home as well. I prefer the Federal interior of the home he owns in N.C. but does not live in, Mount Ayr.

He sounds like a fascinating man and I would love to learn more about him. If anyone knows anything about him please share.

I love the story of how he bought the house in Charleston and gave the owner lifetime rights to the main floor of the house because she was very old. She chugged along for fourteen more years and ended up living to be almost a hundred!

He certainly likes to entertain the great and powerful. In this house alone he’s hosted Prince Charles, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President Gerald Ford, and President George H.W. Bush.

I kept trying to identify the lover as well, but the property managers and business partners all get confusing.

The photo "Front porch at Edgewater" is so lovely. I'd live there just for that view.

The columned portico of Edgewater faces the Hudson, the rear faces the Amtrak railroad. The noise was deafening according to Vidal's visitors

Thanks for the warning, R8. Then I absoultely will not buy it. I'll just stay in my little one bedroom condo.

I have that same situation at my cottage in B.C. It has a gorgeous view of the Canadian Rockies and a Columbia River lake from the front porch, but there are train tracks about 1K yards behind it. It bothered the hell out of my at first, and I could not sleep at night. No one has A/C, so you must sleep with the windows open in the summer. But eventually everyone gets used to it and it becomes just a minor annoyance.

My first night there I awoke much like the scene in "My Cousin Vinny" when Joe Pesci is in the cheap hotel by the tracks in Wazoo City.

Richard Jenrette has died

who got the stuff?

God, I wonder who gets all the houses and money.

He did have fabulous classic taste in architecture. He is the epitome of 1980s rich closeted gay. I would take any of his houses. And his money. Though not sure he was a happy man.

Is he seeing anyone? He is SO my type!

just the undertaker, embalmer, and pall bearers.

ah, a necrophilist are you?

Certainly tasteful. And uncomfortable.

I bet the most of the money has been put into trust that will be used to run the houses as museums. It has the dual purpose of ensuring a lifetime job for the current managers, at least one of whom I’m sure was a lover.

All of those houses are truly beautiful. As r1 and others have pointed out, they don't exactly seem like homes, but they are all tastefully and thoughtfully done, and it's nice to see someone putting their money into historical preservation.

And oh, that porch at Roper House! A dream.

I worked for DLJ for several years. For a long time, I didn't realize Mr. Jenrette was gay. He just seemed like a "southern gentleman." I guess he lived in a time and worked in an industry where it was better to keep sexual preference quiet.

But he was a very nice man. Once when DLJ had a major milestone in the company (25th anniversary? sorry I can't remember) he chartered a train from Grand Central and brought all the employees up to his house on the Hudson where he had a lawn party for them. It sounds stupid, but it really seemed like it was more of a "family" company.

But once he left the company, they became really nasty. The class system went into place immediately and people started acting like shit. Two of the asshole bankers wrote a book called "Monkey Business". It was hilarious because I don't think they realized Mr. Jenrette was gay. In the book, they called the guys in the Word Processing Department "Christopher Street Fairies." Of course, they praised Mr Jenrette but trashed the company. I knew the two bankers and they were out and out assholes. I never understood it, they were paid truckloads of money, got great bonuses, got perks galore and were still nasty fucks.

Was he married to Rita?

Funny, R21. No, that was some other guy, who was involved in ABSCAM. That was a simpler, happier time.

r20 - what a bunch of assholes. Make anti-gay comments when your company was founded by a gay guy? Stupid.

His lover (the generation that used that term) of 48 years was decorator William L Thompson. Bill died in 2013. Jenrette’s money will go to the preservation foundation and some perhaps to his nieces and nephews in South Carolina.

Ahh I do declare....bless his heart

The Senatrice should be living in one of those grand houses! Scarlett needs her Tara!