Willard Goldsmith Rouse

Willard Goldsmith Rouse
BornApril 14, 1867
DiedJuly 31, 1930 (age 63)
NationalityAmerican
EducationJohns Hopkins University
SpouseLydia Agnes Robinson[2]
Children7, including Willard and James
RelativesWillard Rouse (grandson), Edward Norton (great-grandson)

Willard Goldsmith Rouse (April 14, 1867 – July 31, 1930) was an American attorney, businessman, and father of land developer James Rouse.

Youth, education, early career[edit]

Rouse was born in Creswell, Maryland, the son of Harriet Bayliss (née Hanway) and John Goldsmith Rouse. He was a lawyer trained at Johns Hopkins University who once ran as the state's attorney for Harford County, Maryland. When he lost, the Rouse family moved from Bel Air, Maryland to Easton, Maryland. Rouse died due to cancer of the bladder and his wife to heart failure, and lost his home on Brooklett's Avenue to bank foreclosure.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Rouse is the great-grandfather of actor Edward Norton.[4]

Rouse's other son, Willard Rouse II, and grandson, Willard Rouse III, were also notable real estate developers.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Marx, Paul (2008). Jim Rouse: Capitalist/idealist. University Press of America. p. 15. ISBN 9780761839446. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  2. ^ Robert J. Terry (August 20, 2004). "James Rouse: A Timeline". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  3. ^ Goldberger, Paul (April 10, 1996). "James W. Rouse, 81, Dies; Socially Conscious Developer Built New Towns and Malls". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  4. ^ Kelly, Jacques (November 10, 2010). "Elizabeth 'Libby' Rouse dies at 96". The Baltimore Sun.