John Henry Hammond II   [1910-1987]

Industrial/Commercial Leader

John Henry Hammond II [1910-1987] was the son of John Henry Hammond and Emily Vanderbilt Sloane. His great grandfather was William Henry Vanderbilt, the son of Cornelius Vanderbilt who inherited and expanded the Vanderbilt railroad empire. His grandmother was Emily Thorn Vanderbilt, a daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt. Hammond’s grandfather was Civil War General John Henry Hammond. The family’s fortune was from the mother’s side of the family. His father was of modest means and worked as an attorney and ensured that the family fortune was maintained in proper order.

Hammond attended Yale University and majored in music. He played the violin for a while but then switched to the viola. At some point during his college career he fell ill, and had to interrupt his studies. Following recuperation he decided not to go back to school and apparently never graduated. Following his college career he went into a variety of music professions but ended up as a talent scout and music producer working with upcoming new talent.

Based on the above Hammond becamea talent scout, a producer of musical recordings, a Civil Rights activist and music critic from the 1930’s until the 1980’s. There was, however, a big gap during the Second World War when Hammond served in the armed forces. During most of his musical career he was associated with Columbia Records. In this position he was involved in starting and furthering promising musical careers. Musicians who benefitted from his support were such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Benny Goodman, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Pete Seeger, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Ray Vaughn and numerous other artists. Hammond remained with Columbia Records until 1973, but continued his scouting activities.

Hammond had four sisters, Alice, Rachel, Adele and Emily. He married Jemison “Jemy” McBride in New Haven, Connecticut in 1941. The following year their first child, a son, arrived. His name was John P. Hammond. The son would become an American blues musician. Early in 1944, while Hammond was in basic military training, hissecond son arrived. The baby came down with a serious illness and did not survive it. Their third son, Jason, arrived in 1946. During the war years the couple did not have much time to be together and that apparently did not help maintaining their marriage. Jemy asked for a divorce. Hammond was reluctant to go through with the divorce but relented, and they divorced in 1948.

In 1949, Hammond met Esme Sarnoff, the former wife of NBC chairman Robert W. Sarnoff. The couple married later that year. The couple would stay together until 1986 when Esme died of breast cancer, and complications of AIDS, which she had picked up from a blood transfusion. Prior to her death Hammond had a stroke in 1985. Esme’s death had negatively affected him, and in 1987 Hammond passed away from a series of additional strokes. He was 76 years old at the time of his death.

REFERENCES

Prial, Dunstan, “The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music”, NYC: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006

Hammond, John, “An Experience in Jazz History”, in Dominique-Rene de Lerma, editors, “Black Music in our Culture: Curricular Ideas on the Subjects, Materials and Problems”, Kent State University Press, 1970

Various web sites including blogs.smh, Wikipedia and biography

 

E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON; GOOGLE: Kindle Store Pegels

 

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS, CURRENT AND HISTORIC

EIGHT PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE ROOSEVELTS, VANDERBILTS AND OTHERS, 2015

FIFTEEN PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE VAN BURENS, KOCH BROTHERS, VOORHEES AND OTHERS, 2015

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS IN U.S. GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, 2015

 

DUTCH PEGELS INVOLVED IN WARS

ALLIED EUROPE CAMPAIGN—1944/1945: TACTICAL MISTAKES, 2017

THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE NETHERLANDS: MEMOIRS, 2017

FRENCH REVOLUTION, NAPOLEON AND RUSSIAN WAR OF 1812, 2015

About the New Netherland Institute

For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. More

The New Netherland Research Center

Housed in the New York State Library, the NNRC offers students, educators, scholars and researchers a vast collection of early documents and reference works on America's Dutch era. More

 

Subscribe Now

Subscribe to NNI's  e-Marcurius and DAG to receive information about New Netherland-related events, activities, conferences, and research.

 

Support NNI

By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America.