Who is Tuckerman Lane Named For? Walter Tuckerman

Who is Tuckerman Lane Named For? Walter Tuckerman

Walter Rupert Tuckerman was born in Oyster Bay, New York in the year 1881. He then became orphaned, and lived with his grandfather, Lucius Tuckerman in Washington D.C.

As for Walter Tuckerman’s education, he attended the Morristown School (now the Morristown-Beard School) in Morristown, New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then got his law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Tuckerman started his career working on the Alaskan Boundary Survey Commission in 1909. A mountain peak near the border of the United States and Canada is even named after him, dubbed “Mount Tuck”.

Tuckerman returned to the D.C. area and started a law practice. In 1912, Tuckerman purchased the Watkins Dairy Farm, and developed it into the neighborhood west of Bethesda now called “Edgemoor”.

Also a banker, Tuckerman was the president of the Union Savings Bank, and on the Board of Directors of the National Metropolitan Bank. Tuckerman also founded the Bank of Bethesda.

Tuckerman founded the Edgemoor Club in Bethesda, helped lay out the golf course at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, and co-founded the Burning Tree Club. He also donated 30 acres of his land to help build the Burning Tree Club.

“Tuckerman Lane”, the well known road that runs through Rockville and Bethesda is named after him.

Walter Tuckerman was also quite the golfer. He won the Shinnecock Hills Tournament in 1911,  the Stockbridge Cup and played in the Senior USGA Tournament.

In the year 1929, Tuckermans estate housed five U.S. Senators, including Hiram Bingham III, who was credited with discovering Machu Picchu in Peru and is believed by many to be the basis for the character of “Indiana Jones”.

Tuckerman also served on the board of many organizations. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Morristown School and George Washington University, chaired the Board of Trustees for American Red Cross Bethesda chapter, was on the board of Directors at Burning Tree Club, and on the Board of Trustees at the Church Orphanage Association of St. John’s, to name just a few.

Him and his wife, Edith Abercrombie-Miller, had five daughters together.

Walter Tuckerman passed away in 1961 in Bethesda.

By Tom Merritt

Featured photo courtesy of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber