George Davison, the headmaster at Manhattan’s Grace Church School who has spearheaded his institution’s antiracism crusade, grew up on a waterfront estate frequenting a country club that didn’t have any Black members in one of the richest and whitest enclaves in the country.
‘It’s like stepping into a scene from the Great Gatsby,’ said an occasional guest who’s attended several garden parties hosted by the Davison family at the Peacock Point estate, located on the Gold Coast of Long Island.
‘There are these amazing views of the Sound, beautiful old homes on these perfectly-manicured grounds, pool, tennis court, its own private beach. It’s breathtaking, probably one of the nicest properties most people will never experience,’ they said.
What the guest left out was murmured by a character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, set in the same area – ‘We’re all white here.’
Davison, who has led the $57,000-a-year private school for nearly three decades, recently made news when math teacher at his school Paul Rossi accused him and other administrators of indoctrinating students with anti-racism ideology that ‘induces shame’ in white students for being ‘oppressors.’
The headmaster of Manhattan’s elite Grace Church School George Davison has spearheaded an anti-racism agenda at the school. DailyMail.com can reveal Davison grew up in a life of privilege on Long Island’s Gold Coast
Davison’s family’s Peacock Point estate, designed by Walker & Gillette, one of the leading architectural firms of the 20thcentury, is featured in history books showcasing the mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast
There are several signs alerting outsiders that the Peacock Lane estate is private. Asked to comment for this article, George Davison told DailyMail.com that he was lucky to be born into ‘incredible privilege’ and that his parents raised him to recognize that and give back. He then quoted the Bible
The main mansion was demolished in 1962 and the family has since subdivided and sold off much of the land, which features living quarters for maintenance staff and several stately homes on a swath of land separated from the main road by a white gate and a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign
Davison’s family, for generations, belonged to the exclusive Piping Rock Club (pictured) with a hefty membership fee that’s kept under wraps, described as the ‘Augusta of its day’. Since the country club’s founding in 1911, Piping Rock never had a black member, according to a New York Times article from 1990
Grace is one of many elite private schools across the country whose efforts to teach antiracism has sparked a backlash, with some teachers and families publicly blasting the ‘woke movement’ they say is getting in the way of a basic education.
Peacock Point, spanning 56 acres, was established in 1914 by the headmaster’s great-grandfather Henry Pomeroy Davison Sr (pictured) a financier and senior partner at J.P. Morgan who served as chairman of the American Red Cross during World War I
Davison, 64, was raised in lily-white Lattingtown, on Long Island’s North Shore. And while he and his wife maintain their primary residence in a luxury apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, he often retreats to his country home at Peacock Point.
Asked to comment for this article, George Davison told DailyMail.com that he was lucky to be born into ‘incredible privilege’ and that his parents raised him to recognize that and give back. He then quoted the Bible.
‘This passage from Luke has guided my professional choices, ”From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded,”’ he said.
Still, one critic of Davison’s told DailyMail.com, ‘It’s clearly ironic that someone so focused on inclusivity comes from such an exclusive background.’
Davison and his relatives zip around the estate in a golf cart that’s parked outside one of the homes with its own section of beach.
Peacock Point, spanning 56 acres, was established in 1914 by the headmaster’s great-grandfather Henry Pomeroy Davison Sr., a financier and senior partner at J.P. Morgan who served as chairman of the American Red Cross during World War I.
The estate, designed by Walker & Gillette, one of the leading architectural firms of the 20thcentury, is featured in history books showcasing the mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast.
The main mansion was demolished in 1962 and the family has since subdivided and sold off much of the land, which features living quarters for maintenance staff and several stately homes on a swath of land separated from the main road by a white gate and a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign.
George Davison’s late father, Daniel Pomeroy Davison, served as secretary of J.P. Morgan bank and a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A New York Times obituary said he was also ‘a self-described patrician banker and avid yachtsman who took the helm of the august, but slipping, United States Trust Company in 1979 and revived it by riveting its attention on the very rich.’
His grandfather F. Trubee Davison was an undersecretary of war in the Coolidge and Hoover administrations, and grandfather Endicott Peabody founded the prestigious Groton School in Massachusetts.
Davison and his relatives zip around the estate in a golf cart that’s parked outside one of the homes with its own section of beach
‘There are these amazing views of the Sound, beautiful old homes on these perfectly-manicured grounds, pool, tennis court, its own private beach. It’s breathtaking, probably one of the nicest properties most people will never experience,’ a local said
Davison’s town of Lattingtown is 96.6 percent white, 1.6 percent biracial, and 1.4 percent Asian, according to U.S. Census figures
Several old homes sit on the 56 acre estate, which was founded by Davison’s family
‘It’s not like you can just walk in and join,’ a bartender at the local Buckram Stables Cafe told the DailyMail.com, laughing about the country club. The main street is pictured
The Buckram Stables Cafe, featuring an outdoor patio with a putting green, was packed for lunch with 25 customers, all white
George Davison, like his father, went to Groton and Yale. He earned a master’s degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University, before joining the administration at Grace Church School.
He’s served as Head of School for 27 years and has presided over the school’s efforts to ‘commit ourselves to the work of antiracism and to the cause of justice.’
But privately Davison had questions about that agenda.
He was secretly recorded making a stunning admission that ‘We demonize white people for being born.’
After Davison’s remarks were leaked on Twitter this week, he told colleagues that he was taken out of context and was ‘trapped’ by a disgruntled teacher who recorded their conversation while speaking about white-shaming students.
Lattingtown is 96.6 percent white, 1.6 percent biracial, and 1.4 percent Asian, according to U.S. Census figures.
The family, for generations, belonged to the exclusive Piping Rock Club with a hefty membership fee that’s kept under wraps, described as the ‘Augusta of its day.’ Since its founding in 1911, the club never had a black member, according to a New York Times article from 1990.
Davison, who has led the $57,000-a-year private school for nearly three decades, recently made news when a math teacher at his school accused him and other administrators of indoctrinating students with anti-racism ideology that ‘induces shame’ in white students for being ‘oppressors’
Davison said in a statement that he is ‘disappointed’ in math teacher who penned expose on students being ‘indoctrinated with radical race theory that makes them ashamed to be white’
Math teacher Paul Rossi (above) was ‘relieved of his teaching duties’ at the $57,000-a-year Grace Church School in Manhattan after he penned an essay accusing the school of indoctrinating students last week
‘It’s not like you can just walk in and join,’ a bartender at the local Buckram Stables Cafe told the DailyMail.com, laughing.
The cafe, featuring an outdoor patio with a putting green, was packed for lunch with 25 customers, all white.
I’m waiting on the grilled cheese!’ the white waitress barked at a Hispanic cook manning the grill.
Around the corner, a woman working for a wine and cheese shop handled orders for the day.
She said the only time she gets to visit estates like the Davison’s is when she drops off a delivery.
‘They call it the Gold Coast for a reason,’ she said.
Before the Rossi scandal, it was revealed last month that the Grace Church School issued a glossary of terms they claim will make the facility a more ‘inclusive’ place.
It offered a 12-page guide to staff, students and parents that encourages them to stop using ‘mom’ and ‘dad’, to stop asking classmates where they may have gone on vacation and urges them not to wish anyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ – or even a ‘Happy Holidays’.
The school’s website also has a page devoted to antiracism where it outlines the programs offered to pupils and parents.
Among the upcoming events are Zoom meetings for parents of white backgrounds where they can discuss how to better tackle racism.
