The New York herald., 1922-02-23
Jas. BroWn Potter,
Aged 90, Father of
Mrs. Stillman, Dies
Remained Loyal to His
Daughter in Her DOmes-
tic Troubles.

RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 22. James
Brown Potter. father of Mrs. Fif Potter
Stillman of New York. died suddenly to-
day in the home of Frank Powers in
West Hampton. a suburb Of Richmond.
Mr.. Potter came here from New York
last night.
From the start of the domestic troubles
of Mr.. ana Mrs James A. Stillman Mr..
Potter was outspoken In his loyalty to
his daughter. who was Miss Anne Urqu-
hart Potter, but was known to her inn
mediate circle from her youth as "Fif1."
Mr.. Potter vas abroad when the Stillman
divorce became matter of public record
last March. He hurried to America and
upon his arrival here said:
Il canot understand how a real man
could fight any woman on such lines.
The tactics used against my daughter
were worse than contemplate"
Later. while attending one of the court
hearings in Poughkeepsie, Mr. Potter
said that James A. Stillman had openly
acknowledged Guy Stillman as his son
in conversations in Newport, at the Still
man country place at Pocantico Hills
and elsewhere.
Nephew of Bishop Potter.
The son of the late Howard Potter and
Mary l.. Brown of New York and
nephew of the late Bishop Henry Cod
man Potter. James Brown Potter was
a member Of a New York and Rhode
Island family, each succeeding genera
tion of which for nearly three hundred
years of American residence has been
marked by men Of public note. The
family was founded in this country at
Warwick, r. l., by Robert Potter, an
Englishman, in 1854.
Mr.. Potter was born in New York
on May II. 1853, and was graduated
from Union College twenty years later.
He was born to the representative So
cial life of New York and Newport.
His father was connected with the
banking house of Brown Brothers and
Mr.. Potter was himself associated with
the banking firm for a number of years.
Several years ago he became inter-
ested in mining and cotton development
in Mexico He was president and man
aging director of the Manchester Land
Company, the Mexican Cotton Estates
andthe Tiahualilo Agricultural Com
pany. His hacienda in Mexico was just
out of range of the firing in the battle
of Torreon in 1914.
His early business connections took
him to New Orleans in 1877. and there
he met Miss Cora Urquhart. daughter
of Col. David Urquhart of that city
They were married soon afterward and
their only child Is Mrs. Stillman. Mrs.
Potter became Immediately popular in
sicety in New York and Newport. She
was an amateur actress of exceptional
ability and varied the more or less rigid
routine of fashionable life of the time
by organizing theatrical entertainments
in which she invariably appeared.
wife Goes on Stage.
In 1887 Mrs Potter startled society
by announcing her decision to take up
the professional stage. She did so In Lon
don soon afterward against the wishes Of
her husband and other members OF his
family. Mrs. Potter declined to abandon
her professional ambitions. A separa-
tion followed and the estrangement led
90 a divorce in 1900.
In 1888 Mrs. Potter appeared in New
York with Kyrle Bellew as her leading
man. She won considerable fame with
the English actor in a revival of Antony
and Cleopatra" She subsequently toured
with Mr.. Bellew in this country and
Europe and also played in Australia.
Some years later she returned to New
York and appeared in vaudeville. In
recent years she has lived in retirement
in cottage on the island of Guernsey.
In 1904 Mr.. Potter married Miss May
Handy. the beautiful daughter OF Capt.
Edward Handy. u. S. NJ, in the Handy
home in Richmond, Va. The second
Mrs. Potter survives her husband. There
were no children by the second mar
riage. The nearest surviving relatives
in large family are Mr.. Potter's sister,
Mrs. ]. Kennedy Tod. Mrs. Robert Shaw
Minturn, Miss Grace Howard Potter and
Mrs. Clarence Cary.