Carrol L. Wainwright
Early Life
Carroll Livingston Wainwright was born on December 2, 1899, in Rye, New York, the son of Stuyvesant Wainwright and Caroline Smith Snowden. He grew up in Rye along the Boston Post Road, part of a well-established family in the community.
Raised during a period of social and economic change in Westchester County, he came of age just as the United States entered the First World War.
World War I Service
Wainwright entered military service on May 17, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve Force in New York City at the age of seventeen.
He initially served at Headquarters, 3rd Naval District in New York before being assigned to the Naval Training Camp at Pelham Bay Park, where recruits were prepared for active naval duty during the rapid expansion of the Navy.
On August 9, 1918, he was transferred to the Naval Air Station Montauk on Long Island, New York. This installation was part of the Navy’s developing aviation program, focused on coastal patrol, training, and support operations during the war.
He served in the rate of Seaman Second Class and later as Seaman, contributing to naval operations during a period when the United States was expanding its maritime and aerial capabilities.
Wainwright remained at Montauk through the end of the war and into the demobilization period. He was discharged to inactive duty on March 31, 1919.
Life After Service
Following his military service, Wainwright pursued a varied civilian life. By 1920, he was working as an artist in New York City, reflecting a shift toward creative pursuits.
He married Edith Catherine Gould in 1920, and the couple had three children. Over the years, he lived in New York City and traveled internationally, including voyages to England and Hawaii.
Later in life, he resided in East Hampton, New York. Carroll L. Wainwright died there on July 5, 1967, at the age of 67.
He was laid to rest in East Hampton, leaving behind a family and a life that spanned military service, artistic work, and international travel.