Hotchkiss, Horace L. 3rd.

Horace L. Hotchkiss 3rd.

Early Life

Horace Leslie Hotchkiss III was born on March 7, 1895, in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Horace L. Hotchkiss Jr. and Dora Adeline Toffey. By 1910, he was living in Rye, New York, where his family became part of the community, residing in a household that reflected both stability and connection to the region’s professional class.

He was educated at the Lawrenceville School and later attended Columbia University. By the time of the First World War, he was employed as a broker in New York City, working at 30 Broad Street, placing him within the financial world that drew many young men from Westchester County into the city’s economic life.

World War I Service

Hotchkiss entered naval service on June 27, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve Force at the New York Navy Yard. He was initially assigned as a Seaman Second Class aboard the USS Wacondah, a receiving and training ship used to process and prepare sailors for active duty.

He was subsequently transferred to the receiving ship at New London, Connecticut, before being assigned to Submarine Chaser No. 91. Submarine chasers were small, fast vessels designed to detect and combat German U-boats using hydrophones and depth charges, playing a crucial role in protecting Allied shipping from submarine attack.

Hotchkiss served overseas aboard Sub Chaser No. 91 from May 1918 through the Armistice of November 11, 1918, operating off the coast of England as part of anti-submarine patrol operations. He was released to inactive duty on March 7, 1919, at the Naval Training Camp, Pelham Bay Park, New York.

Life After Service

Following the war, Hotchkiss married Alta Fitch on December 21, 1917, and together they raised a family of four children. He later settled in Lakeville, Connecticut, where he resided for many years and became active in local civic and recreational life.

He was long associated with the Tri-State Baseball League, reflecting a sustained interest in community athletics, and maintained ties to Rye through membership in the Apawamis Club. His life after service reflected both continuity with his earlier social connections and integration into his adopted community in Connecticut.

Horace Leslie Hotchkiss III died on August 25, 1972, at Sharon Hospital in Connecticut following a long illness.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Alta Fitch Hotchkiss; his sons, Horace L. Hotchkiss Jr. of Odessa, Delaware, and Winchester Hotchkiss of Bernardsville, New Jersey; his daughters, Mrs. James W. Finlayson of Locust Valley, Long Island, and Mrs. Edward C. Goss of Woodbury, Connecticut; and nine grandchildren. He was buried in Pawling, NY.