Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright
REMEMBRANCEFrom Heaton Robertson: “The random event of our lives together was meeting in Bingham as roommates.
We remained so for the 4 years, and hence for 63 years. He was then intellectually curious, stubborn, and determined — all attributes that remained with him throughout. His thoughtfulness for others, family and friends, grew with his maturity and marriage to 2 good women, Patsy and Candy, and his integrity for the ‘right path taken’ exhibited itself in his life’s work. Jon made the extra effort to stay in touch with many of us who knew him and that call will be greatly missed.”
OBITUARY
Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, “Jon,” beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died on Thursday, November 21, 2024 in his home in New York City, with his wife, Candace, his sons, Jay and Shep, and his stepdaughters, Kate and Lexie Olmsted, by his side. He was the son of Janet Parsons and Stuyvesant Wainwright, II, a U.S. Congressman, of Wainscott, NY. Jon graduated from St. Paul’s School, Yale University, and NYU School of Law. In his youth, Jon was a passionate hockey player until a serious back injury during his freshman year at Yale. Unable to continue with hockey, he then took on the task of running the Yale Student Laundry – a formative experience from which he learned that much could be accomplished with hard work, determination, and a creative approach – a philosophy that guided him the rest of his life. Jon worked at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft from his law school graduation in 1968 until his death. The firm described him as “one of the legal profession’s foremost experts in investment management, alternative investment products, and family office matters, providing corporate governance and transactional advice to a who’s who of U.S. and international clients.” Both professionally and personally, Jon had a way of gathering people. He was curious and eager to learn about everyone, and many gravitated toward him, seeking his guidance. Cadwalader noted that “Jon served as a mentor to countless people, including partners of (the) Firm. He offered friendship and provided sage advice. Many of those who benefited from his wisdom have gone on to lucrative careers at some of the biggest hedge funds and institutions in the country.” Jon served on numerous boards, including the B. Robert Williamson, Jr. Foundation, Lighthouse Guild, The Nature Conservancy, and Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, which he helped found in 2015 to protect the water and ecosystem of Georgica Pond, where he lived for over 75 years.
An American Studies major in college, Jon had a lifelong appreciation for American art, literature, and music. He was an avid upland and duck hunter, a family tradition which he was thrilled to share with his sons. Jon’s favorite places were his cottage at the Long Point Company, a duck hunting club in Canada, and his house on Georgica Pond, where he gardened, delighted in the wildlife and the weather, and enjoyed the thousands of daffodils he and Candace planted over the years. Jon was predeceased by his sister, Snowden Wainwright. He is survived by his wife, Candace; his sons, Jay (Bitsy) and Shep (Tina) Wainwright; his stepdaughters Kate (John Grossman) and Lexie Olmsted (Ly Tran); his grandchildren Jack, Lucy, Sally, Alex, Reed, and Chloe Wainwright, Eliza, Charlotte, and Xander Grossman, and Will and Katie Tran, and siblings Stuyvesant (Mitten) and Laura (Whit Griswold).