John Vernou Bouvier Jr.

John Vernou Bouvier Jr. was born on August 12, 1866, in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was Captain John Vernou Bouvier (1843–1926), a Civil War veteran who served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Marsena R. Patrick and was among the earliest members of the New York Stock Exchange. His mother was Caroline Maslin (née Ewing) Bouvier (1844–1929).

Bouvier's paternal grandparents were Louise Clifford (née Vernou) Bouvier (1811–1872), of Philadelphia, and Michel Charles Bouvier (1792–1874), a French cabinetmaker from Pont-Saint-Esprit in southern France. Michel Charles Bouvier immigrated to Philadelphia in 1815 after serving in the Napoleonic Wars. Michel Charles Bouvier expanded his fortune through furniture craftsmanship, firewood distribution, and real estate speculation, acquiring nearly 800,000 acres of forest, some of which contained significant coal reserves.

John Vernou Bouvier Jr.'s father and uncles—Eustes and Michel Charles Bouvier Jr.—became prominent on Wall Street in finance. As the only male heir remaining in his family, Bouvier inherited the family fortune from his father and uncles.

He received his early education from private tutors in the United States and France. He attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City, and graduated with an A.B. degree from Columbia University in 1886, where he served as president of his class and was a member of the Gamma Beta chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. The following year, he earned an A.M. degree from Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, followed by an LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1889.

Bouvier was admitted to the New York bar on June 28, 1888, and began practicing law with the firm Hoadley, Lauterbach & Johnson. During World War I, he served as a major in the Judge Advocate General's Department of the United States Army. After the war, he resumed legal practice, working with various firms including Bouvier & Beale at 165 Broadway alongside his son-in-law Phelan Beale until his retirement in 1930.

On October 29, 1929, Bouvier recorded in his diary the events of Black Tuesday, noting the volume of shares traded and the lack of bids at prevailing prices during the stock market crash. Prior to the crash, he inherited approximately $250,000 from his family, which he lost half of during the economic downturn. In 1930, he came out of retirement to join his uncle’s firm, M.C. Bouvier & Co., as a general partner. His uncle had sold most of his common stock holdings before the crash, preserving a substantial portion of his wealth, which was valued at around $7 million at the time. Following his uncle’s death in 1935, the firm was dissolved.

Throughout his career, Bouvier worked as a trial attorney for 40 years, specializing in contracts, testamentary law, torts, securities, and stock exchange matters. He served as general counsel for several insurance companies, including Aetna Life Insurance, Travelers Insurance, and The Equitable Life Insurance Company, as well as the Metropolitan Street Railway Company.

Bouvier married Maude Frances Sergeant on April 16, 1890. She was a graduate of the Brearley School and the daughter of British-born merchant William Roberts Sergeant and Edith Matilda (née Leaman) Sergeant. The couple resided at Woodcroft in Nutley, New Jersey, and later at 521 Park Avenue in New York City. Their children were:

- John Vernou Bouvier III (1891–1957), who married Janet Norton Lee in 1928; their divorce was finalized in 1940.

- William Sergeant "Bud" Bouvier (1893–1929), a Yale graduate who died in California.

- Edith Ewing Bouvier (1895–1977), who married Phelan Beale Sr. in 1917; they separated in 1931 and divorced in 1946.

- Michelle Caroline Bouvier (1905–1987), who married Henry Clarkson Scott in 1926 and later Harrington Putnam Jr.; they divorced twice.

- Maude Reppelin Bouvier (1905–1999), twin of Michelle, married John Ethelbert Davis.

Around 1910, Bouvier purchased a home known as Wildmoor on Long Island and later acquired a larger estate called Lasata in East Hampton in 1925. He was active socially, entertaining prominent figures and participating in several societies including the Maryland Society of Cincinnati, the Sons of the Revolution, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Bouvier served on the boards of the New York Foundling Hospital and the New-York Historical Society, and was a member of the Union Club of New York for over 50 years.

His wife died in April 1940, shortly before their 50th wedding anniversary. Bouvier died at his residence, 765 Park Avenue, in Manhattan, on January 15, 1948. He was interred at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in East Hampton.

He was the paternal grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States, and Lee Radziwill, a socialite married to Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł. Through his daughter Edith, he was grandfather to Edith Bouvier Beale and her siblings.