James Gordon Bennett , Jr . James Gordon Bennett , Jr . ( May 10 , 1841 – May 14 , 1918 ) was publisher of the " New York Herald " , founded by his father , James Gordon Bennett , Sr . , who emigrated from Scotland . He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish him from his father , and has been linked to the British expletive " Gordon Bennett ! " Biography . Bennett was educated primarily in France . In 1866 , the elder Bennett turned control of the " Herald " over to him . Bennett raised the paper ' s profile on the world stage when he provided the financial backing for the 1869 expedition by Henry Morton Stanley into Africa to find David Livingstone in exchange for the " Herald " having the exclusive account of Stanley ' s progress . Bennett , like many of his social class , indulged in the " good life " : yachts , opulent private railroad car s , and lavish mansions . He was the youngest Commodore ever of the New York Yacht Club . In 1861 , Bennett volunteered his newly built schooner yacht , " Henrietta " , for the U . S . Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War . He was commissioned " third lieutenant " ( viz . , brevet second lieutenant ) of the U . S . Marine Revenue schooner " Henrietta " beginning in June 1861 . She patrolled Long Island until February 1862 when she was sent to Port Royal , South Carolina . On March 3 , 1862 , Bennett commanding " Henrietta " was part of the fleet which captured Fernandina , Florida . Bennett and the " Henrietta " returned to civilian life in New York in May 1862 . In 1866 , he won the first trans - oceanic yacht race . The race was between three American yachts , the " Vesta " , the " Fleetwing " and the " Henrietta " . They started off of Sandy Hook , New Jersey , on 11 December 1866 amid high westerly wind s and raced to The Needles , the furthest westerly point on the Isle of Wight , famous for its lighthouse . Bennett ' s " Henrietta " won with a time of 13 days , 21 hours , 55 minutes . However , he often scandalized society with his flamboyant and sometimes erratic behavior . In 1877 , he left New York for Europe after an incident that ended his engagement to socialite Caroline May . According to various accounts , he arrived late and drunk to a party at the May family mansion , then urinated into a fireplace ( some say grand piano ) in full view of his hosts . Bennett ' s controversial reputation has been thought to have inspired , in the United Kingdom , the phrase " Gordon Bennett " as an expression of incredulity . He entertained guests aboard his steam - yacht " Namouna . " American expatriate artist Julius LeBlanc Stewart painted several works set on the yacht . Settling in Paris , he launched the Paris edition of the New York Herald , titled " The Paris Herald " , the forerunner of the " International Herald Tribune " . He backed George W . DeLong ' s voyage to the North Pole via the Bering Strait . The ill - fated expedition led to the deaths from starvation of DeLong and 19 of his crew , a tragedy that only increased the paper ' s circulation . He was a co - founder of the Commercial Cable Company , a venture to break the Transatlantic cable monopoly held by Jay Gould . Bennett returned to the United States and organized the first polo match in the United States at Dickel ' s Riding Academy at 39th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City . He would help found the Westchester Polo Club in 1876 , the first polo club in America . He established the " Gordon Bennett Cup " for international yachting and the Gordon Bennett Cup for automobile races . In 1906 , he funded the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning ( " Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett " ) , which continues to this day . In 1909 , Bennett offered a trophy for the fastest speed on a closed circuit for airplanes . The 1909 race in Rheims , France was won by Glenn Curtiss for two circuits of a 10 km rectangular course at an average speed of 46 . 5 miles per hour ( 74 . 8 km / h ) . From 1896 to 1914 , the champion of Paris , USFSA football ( soccer ) , received a trophy offered by Gordon Bennett . In 1880 , Bennett commissioned McKim , Mead , and White to design the Newport Casino in Newport , RI . He did not finally marry until he was 73 . His wife was Maud Potter , widow of George de Reuter , son of Julius Paul Reuter , founder of Reuters news agency . He died on May 14 , 1918 in Beaulieu - sur - Mer , Alpes - Maritimes , France . Bennett is buried at the Cimetière de Passy . The nearby Stade de Roland Garros , site of the French Open , is on the " Avenue Gordon Bennett " . After his death , the " Herald " was merged with its bitter rival , the " New York Tribune " . Asteroid 305 Gordonia is named after him .