death_date death_place children birth_place image_size parents birth_date spouse article_title name occupation
april 1970 aiken , south carolina william jones goddard iselin -lrb- 1903-1909 -rrb- edith hope iselin providence , rhode island 180px colonel william goodard january 17 , 1868 c. oliver iselin hope goddard iselin
 hope goddard iselin yachtswoman / racehorse owner
hope goddard iselin

edith hope goddard iselin -lrb- january 17 , 1868 -- april 1970 -rrb- was an american heiress and sportswoman who was the first woman to compete as a crew member in the america 's cup yacht race .
she also owned thoroughbred racehorses .
hope goddard was the daughter of colonel william goddard of providence , rhode island , a chancellor of brown university and a scion of a family that had accumulated great wealth from mercantile and manufacturing activities .
in 1894 , she married charles oliver iselin , a banker and sportsman who `` time '' magazine said was `` probably the most famed yachtsman in the u.s. '' during the latter part of the 19th century .
the headline of their wedding announcement in the may 5 , 1896 new york times read , '' `` hope goddard engaged to c.o. iselin , well-known yachtsman to marry heiress of millions . '' ''
twenty-six-year-old hope goddard was in line to inherit a huge fortune .
charles oliver iselin was already a millionaire at the age of 40 , made wealthy by his grandfather 's investments in coal mining and railroads .
the couple had many extravagant homes , including their primary residence in new rochelle , new york , `` all view '' , a palatial waterfront estate on a private peninsula overlooking long island sound .
the home was designed by renown architect stanford white .
fredrick law olmstead , who designed central park , was their personal landscape architect .
a breakwater was constructed adjacent to premium point in echo bay so that they could dock their yachts including the vigilant , defender and columbia safely next to their home .
the iselins were influential in bringing the popularity of yacht racing to the long island sound shore communities of westchester , making new rochelle the focal point of all the pre-racing activities .
although mrs. iselin walked among kings and multi-millionaires , she and her husband were noted for their philanthropies .
in aiken , south carolina , where the iselins maintained a winter residence named `` hopelands '' , they organized the aiken hospital and relief society , which built and equipped aiken 's first hospital in 1917 .
they continued to support the hospital until it was replaced by the county hospital in 1937 .
mrs. iselin also served as a director of the martha schofield school for many years , when it was operated under private auspices for the education of young african-americans .
on her death she bequeathed hopelands gardens , where the aiken thoroughbred racing hall of fame and museum is located , to the city of aiken .
there is a bust of hope goddard iselin at hopeland gardens that was sculpted by maria kirby smith .
the iselin 's had a son , william , who died in childhood , and a daughter , edith hope .
mrs. iselin died in her home in 1970 at the age of 102 .
