The Lavish Life of Ruth Livingston Mills
Hidden in a small town of Upstate New York lies the mansion of Mrs. Ruth Livingston Mills. The Livingstons thrived in the Gilded Age with their generational wealth and status.
Mrs. Mills intended to be the queen of New York society. She enjoyed a life of luxury as she resided at the Staatsburgh Estate her entire life. “The estate was purchased in 1792 by Mrs. Mills’ great-grandfather, Morgan Lewis, the third governor of New York State,” said Zachary Veith, the Staatsburg Estate tour guide. The European-style mansion obtained 79 rooms with 95% original materials from the Livingston family.
The estate now lies in the possession of New York State, with weekend tours and monthly events held to embrace and teach the history of the Livingstons, Mills, and the beauty of the Gilded Age.
Mrs. Mills received the estate from her father, who had no sons, over her twin sister, Elizabeth Livington. In 1882, Ruth Livingston married Mr. Ogden Mills, “a financier and philanthropist from California, who unlike her came from new money and was a first generation millionaire,” shared Veith. The two came from different sources of wealth, as the Livingston family had been prominent landowners in the Hudson Valley since the 1600s.
The Staatsburg Estate held character within each detail of the house and was well advanced with electricity, running water, and heat by 1895.
Tour participant Jennifer Marilez commented, “I’ve been to the Vanderbilts and FDRs’ estate, and I enjoyed the Mills family’s character the most.”
Notably, the original two-story house burned down in 1832 and was replaced with a 25-room Greek-inspired home. Years later, architect Stanford White remodeled and expanded the house by building around the original structure. The house transformed from 25 rooms to 79. The newly remodeled house was now ready for the Gilded Age Era for entertainment.
The tour began with Mr. and Mrs. Mills’ separate bedrooms for modesty. Besides their room was the library, beautifully designed with rows of books, a stunning piano, a writing desk, a drink and game table, and a portrait of Morgan Lewis, who was also known for signing the Declaration of Independence.
Besides the library was the drawing room where the female would withdraw after dinner to converse. Meanwhile, the gentleman would go downstairs to the billard’s room.
Following, you will enter the grand staircase, greeting you to the English manor house for your country weekend. The wall includes ancestral portraits of the Livington men.
The main event of the night was dinner. The dining room was all Italian marble with 18-foot ceilings and the best view of the Hudson River. Dinner started at 8 pm with 10–12 courses, three types of wine, and 2–3 hours of eating and conversing.
Besides the dining room was the butler’s pantry with tea, china, and a silver safe. Then, below the dining room is the kitchen, which “the estates just received a grant to renovate,” said Veith. The kitchen had a staff of 24, including two French chefs and a pastry chef.
With all the new renovations, one would think the Livingtons and Mills had their forever home, but they had three other properties — one for each season. The Staatsburg Estate, located on the Hudson River of Staatsburg, New York, was only their autumn residence. They went there to watch the leaves change and horseback ride as their country dwelling.
During the winters, they would go to their Venetian gothic townhouse on the corner of 5th Ave and 69 Street of New York City; in the spring, they would go to their 121 rooms mansion in Paris, France, and then spend their summers in New Port, Rhode Island with ocean views on Bellport Ave.
Interestingly, the Livingstons and the Mills had exclusively white-European workers, as they did not enslave people. “They, in fact, viewed enslavers as the middle class,” added Veith.
Tour participant Tia from Virginia added, “I appreciated that they researched the history of the servants and slaves because they were behind the scenes of the operation of the Gilded Age.”
Although Mrs. Mills strived towards the top social status of New York, she never achieved New York queen status. Instead, Mrs. Astor took that title as Mrs. Mills became too exclusive.
With all the Livingtons’ and Mills’ family wealth, a tour member from Albany expressed concerns, “It makes me sick to think of the amount of money they had to live this lavish lifestyle and not give back to their communities.”
Mrs. Mills was a mother of three: twin daughters, Beatrice and Gladys, and a son, Ogden the Second. Beatrice married Bernard Forbes, the Eighth Earl of Granard, and Gladys married Henry Carnegie Phipps and founded Wheatley Stables. Her only son, Ogden, became a lawyer and businessman, serving as Secretary of the Treasury in Herbert Hoover’s cabinet during the great depression.
As the Gilded Age ended, Mrs. Mills died in 1920, and her husband Ogden died shortly after in 1929. Leaving their mansion to Ogden the second. Unfortunately, Ogden died in 1937 unmarried with no children.
Beatrice, Gladys, and their children did not want to inherit the house. It was now the great depression, homes were in more fashionable areas, a 50-person staff wasn’t necessary, and the Gilded Age was out.
Thus, Beatrice and Gladys gave the property to New York State, which has been operating tours since 1938. At least hundreds of people can enjoy the house’s beauty today and learn about the luxurious life of Ruth Livingston Mills in the Gilded Age.
