By Jefferson D. Lilly II, JVCinC
Thomas Nesbitt McCarter III was a distinguished Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States whose life reflected a longstanding tradition of public service, philanthropy, and historical stewardship. His grandfather, Thomas Nesbitt McCarter, Sr. was Attorney General of the State of New Jersey in the early 1900s. He derived his qualification for Hereditary Companionship through his great-grandfather, Colonel Joseph Warren Revere, who was himself the grandson of American patriot Paul Revere.
Colonel Revere (1812–1880) was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and veteran of both the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. He was appointed a Midshipman in 1828 and promoted to Passed Midshipman in 1837. He participated in exploratory and diplomatic missions in the Pacific islands, including to the Kingdom of Hawai’i. Revere took part in the seizure of Monterey during the California Campaign of the Mexican-American War. He resigned his commission in 1850. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he enrolled and was mustered-in as a Major of the 7th New Jersey Infantry on August 19, 1861. He was promoted to Colonel in July 1862 and was placed in command over a brigade in the III Corps under Major General Daniel Sickles. He fought in many of the principal engagements in the eastern theater, including the battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Oak Grove, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Chancellorsville, and the actions of the Seven Days campaign.
Thomas Nesbitt McCarter III was born in New York City on December 16, 1929, the son of Thomas Nesbitt McCarter, Jr. and Suzanne M. (Pierson) McCarter, members of a prominent American family long associated with business, law, and public affairs. He attended Princeton University, where he studied before leaving to pursue his professional career.
Mr. McCarter established a long and successful career in the field of investment management and corporate finance, holding numerous executive and board positions over the course of several decades. He began his professional life as a sales executive with Mack Trucks, Inc. in New York from 1952 to 1959. In 1959 he became a partner in Kelly, McCarter & D’Arcy Investment Counsel, and later served as vice president, secretary, and director of D’Arcy, McCarter & Chew from 1962 to 1966. His experience in the investment field led to senior leadership roles with several prominent financial organizations, including Trainer, Wortham & Company, where he served as vice president and director from 1967 to 1971 and as executive vice president from 1971 to 1975.
In subsequent years he held a wide range of corporate and financial leadership positions. He was chairman and director of Island Security Bank Ltd. from 1976 to 1978 and served as president of Knottingham Ltd. in New York City from 1976 to 1984. Beginning in 1974 he was also a general partner in William Polk Miles Timber Properties of New Orleans. Later appointments included executive vice president and director of Yorke McCarter Owen & Bartles, Inc. (1985–1989), consultant to Laidlaw Holdings, Inc. (1990–1992), and president of Mentor Management Group, Inc. in New York from 1986 to 1990.
Mr. McCarter also served as chairman of several companies, including Ramapo Land Company, Stillrock Management, Inc., and Pendragon Technology, and he held directorships with a number of firms in finance, energy, and technology. From 1997 to 2002 he served as vice chairman of Runnymede Capital Management, after which he continued with the firm as an advisory director. In later years he remained active in business leadership as chairman of Beacon Star International. His achievements in the field of investment management were recognized by his inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who as a notable investment company executive and consultant.
Alongside his business career, Mr. McCarter devoted significant energy to philanthropic, cultural, and historical organizations. His leadership extended across a wide spectrum of institutions in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Florida. He served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Christodora Foundation from 1970 to 1993 and as a charter trustee of The Dalton School in New York, where he later served as vice president. His long record of charitable service also included chairmanship of the board of trustees of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from 1984 to 1995 and trusteeship of the Children’s Aid Society of New York for more than two decades.
His interest in American history and the preservation of the nation’s heritage led to significant leadership roles in historical and cultural organizations. He served as president and trustee of the Civil War Library and Museum in Philadelphia from 1985 to 1992 and as president and trustee of the New York City Marble Cemetery Association from 1990 to 2002. He also served as a trustee of the National Symphony Orchestra, a member of the National Committee for the Preservation of the United States Treasury Building, and chairman of the Gibraltar American Council. His involvement extended as well to organizations such as the Joffrey Ballet, the Foundation for American Dance, and the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Mr. McCarter was deeply involved in a number of historical, civic, and social institutions. Among them were the St. Nicholas Society of the City of New York, the Pilgrims of the United States, the Brook Club, the Links Club, the River Club, the Meadow Club of Southampton, the Ivy Club of Princeton, the Moorings Club of Vero Beach, and the Everglades Club of Palm Beach.
Within the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Companion McCarter played a particularly distinguished role. A Companion of the New York Commandery (Insignia #20752), he served as its Commander from 1964 to 1966. His dedication to the Order led to his election as Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a position he held for two terms, from 1977 to 1981.
Thomas Nesbitt McCarter III passed away on September 14, 2023, in Vero Beach, Florida. His death was noted with profound sorrow by many organizations to which he had devoted his time and leadership, including the Pilgrims of the United States, which remembered him as a man of wisdom, generosity, and enduring friendship. He was survived by his daughter, Nanci Worthington, and her family.