Seller Story: Neil McElroy, Cincinnati, OH
“My father-in-law, Neil H. McElroy stood six-foot-four with a personality to match. He was well-spoken, extroverted, and steadfast, with a huge presence. Whatever he did, whether it was sorting other people’s mail as a young man in the P&G mailroom, or serving as Secretary of Defense under President Eisenhower, he did with such purpose and command for authority. Yet, if you shared an elevator with him, you were greeted by name no matter who you were. Everyone loved him.
In 1925, between undergrad and business school, Neil took a job selling toilet soap door-to-door before being promoted to the mailroom of Procter & Gamble. Long story short: business school never happened, because he worked his way up to becoming President of P&G by 1941 before being appointed to Secretary of Defense in 1957, days after the Soviets launched Sputnik.
Neil’s chief interest was education, so Long Branch Farm now belongs to the Cincinnati Nature Center as an education facility. But for many years, this was home for his family and his herd of Black Angus cattle. He was an exceptionally great man, father and friend.” – Lori McElroy
Thomas Corwin Lindsay Original Oil on Board
American Federal Mahogany Chest
Antique Vegetable Dish from Paris
Semi Antique Handwoven Persian Sarouk Area Rug
John James Audubon "The Birds of America" Signed by Aloyisus Audubon
John J. Audubon Hand Colored Aquatint With Engraving
Hand-Tufted Ghiordes Style Prayer Rug
Cincinnati Art Carved Bookends Attributed to William H. Fry
Collection of Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Plates
Pair of Vintage Brass Trivets
Limoge Belvedere Hand-painted Pink Tea and Dessert Set
Original Watercolor on Paper "Via del Corso"
Antique Chinese Cloisonné Censer
Woldemar Neufeld Pastoral Oil Painting on Board
Mahogany Demi-Lune Card Table
Pair of Brass Candelabras
Gilbert Mantel Clock
Brass Louis XVI Style Fan Fire Screen
Antique Wood Cheese Cradle
Set of Drinking Glasses with Gilt Rims
Chinese Hand Loomed Carved Area Rug
Baker Louis XVI Style Triple Dresser
1920s Queen Anne Style Arm Chair
Hand-Tinted Photograph After a Gustav Ludwig Chromolithograph
Pair of Candleholders
Dimitri Omersa for Abercrombie and Fitch Leather Bull Ottoman
Mid-Century Gehlin-Gullaskruf Swedish Art Glass Vase
International Silver Co. Sterling Silver "Royal Danish" Compote
Georgian Style Needlepoint Arm Chair
Paul Chabas Offset Lithograph "September Morn"
Hand-Painted Floral Five Drawer Stand
Pair of Early 20th-Century Folk Carved Trade Sign Elements
Antique Hand-Carved Carousel Horse Head
Antique Pine Trinket Box with Rabbit Finial
George A. Mock Original Oil Painting on Board
Antique Flow Bue "Fairy Villas" Platter
Do you have a favorite item in the sale?
There is a pair of bookends that were carved by a relative of Neil’s wife, Camilla. William Henry Fry was an important wood carver of the Aesthetic Movement born in England, with many pieces in the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Is it true that Neil and Nikita Khrushchev were friends?
Yes! There is a story of them on a private P&G airplane together. There were napkins, coasters, all these little things with “P&G” printed on them in the cabin. They were laughing over a drink, I imagine, when Khrushchev pointed at the embossed “P&G” on a cocktail napkin and jokingly shouted [that the initials stood for] “Propaganda!”
What kinds of memories or stories are behind some of these pieces and Long Branch Farm?
Camilla Fry McElroy was lovely, and so passionate about gardening, farm life and antiques. Many of these items are hers found on trips to England. Others belonged in the home where they lived and used for their weekend luncheons, when they would entertain high-profile friends and guests. They’d enjoy cocktails around the fireplace with ambassadors or dignitaries, and sometimes drive Jeeps down to the creek and go for a hike–beverage always in-hand!
