Ulysses S. Grant, Jr.

Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant Jr. (July 22, 1852 – September 25, 1929) was an American attorney and entrepreneur. He was the second son of U.S. President Ulysses S.. Grant.

**Early Life and Education**

Ulysses S. Grant Jr. was born in Bethel, Ohio. He completed his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1870. He pursued higher education at Harvard University, graduating in 1874, and subsequently attended Columbia Law School, graduating in 1876.

**Career**

Grant served as the personal secretary to his father during the final year of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. He later held the position of Assistant United States Attorney in New York. Afterward, he engaged in private legal practice and accumulated wealth through various ventures.

He entered a partnership in a banking and brokerage firm with Ferdinand Ward. Both Grant and his father invested $100,000 each as part of the four partners in the firm. The firm sought investments from veterans and millionaires. The firm, known as Grant & Ward, operated without thorough oversight by Grant and his father. The firm earned monthly returns of 2-3%. Ward used the firm's reputation and the Grant name to attract additional investors whose funds were used to pay earlier investors, a practice comparable to a Ponzi scheme. Many members of the extended Grant family, associates, and other investors contributed funds. The unsustainable investment structure led to the bankruptcy of the firm in 1884 and triggered a financial panic. The Grants lost their initial investments, and Ulysses S. Grant was nearly financially ruined. Ferdinand Ward was convicted of fraud and served over six years of a ten-year sentence. Ulysses S. Grant died the following year; before his death, he testified against Ward. The extent of Grant Jr.'s involvement or culpability in the scheme is uncertain, and he was never prosecuted.

**Real Estate and Business Ventures**

Following his financial recovery, Grant purchased Merryweather Farm in Salem Center, Westchester County, New York. Due to his mother's health concerns and his younger brother Jesse Root Grant's residence in San Diego, California, the family relocated there in 1893. Grant established a law practice in San Diego, which he later abandoned in favor of real estate investments. He acquired multiple properties throughout the city, including the Horton House hotel, which he purchased in 1895. He later demolished the hotel and constructed the U.S. Grant Hotel in 1910 with assistance from local voters who financed part of the project.

In San Diego, Grant became associated with Charles T. Hinde, E. S. Babcock, and John D. Spreckels, serving on various boards of directors and engaging in business ventures with them. He participated actively in real estate speculation and advocated for the creation of a city park that later became Balboa Park. Grant served as a delegate-at-large for California at the 1896 and 1900 Republican National Conventions and participated as an elector for California in the 1904 and 1908 presidential elections. He was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1899 but did not secure election.

**Personal Life**

In 1880, Grant married Fannie Josephine Chaffee, the daughter of U.S. Senator Jerome B. Chaffee. They had five children: Miriam (born 1881), Chaffee (born 1883), Julia (born 1885), Fannie (born 1889), and Ulysses IV (born 1893). Fannie Grant died in 1909, and in 1913, Grant married America Workman Will, a widow.

Grant and his second wife traveled extensively, mainly within California in his later years. He was also a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

**Death**

Ulysses S. Grant Jr. died on September 25, 1929, at the age of 77, at the Sandberg Lodge on the Ridge Route north of Los Angeles during a road trip. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego.