Heir to a Legacy, Fallen in Service—The Gilder Flame in Flight

Born in New York City in 1915, Richard Watson Gilder II was the grandson and namesake of the distinguished poet and editor Richard Watson Gilder, and the great-grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany, famed American artist and designer. As the son of Dr. Rodman Drake de Kay Gilder, a noted psychiatrist, and Louise Comfort Tiffany Gilder, Richard inherited a towering legacy of public service, artistic innovation, and moral vision.

Known to family and friends as “Dick,” he was raised in the cultural atmosphere of Four Brooks Farm, the Gilder family’s storied retreat in Tyringham, Massachusetts. There, amid meadows and manuscripts, he absorbed the values of beauty, intellect, and duty that marked generations of his forebears.

In the early 1940s, with the world engulfed in war, Richard answered his country’s call and served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps. Tragically, his life was cut short in 1943 during World War II, becoming one of the many bright lives lost in the service of freedom.

Though he died young, his legacy endures. He was the father of George Gilder, the influential author, technologist, and economist, ensuring that the Gilder tradition of public thought and leadership would continue into the 21st century.