John H. Hammond - Personal Life

Personal Life

John had four sisters: Alice, Rachel, Adele, and Emily.

Early in his career, Hammond focused more on his work than his love life. While he was seen publicly with various women, the relationships were never substantial. However, in 1940 at a Manhattan party, Hammond met Jemison "Jemy" McBride. On March 8th, 1941, Hammond married Jemy in New Haven, Connecticut. The couple had a small, non-denominational wedding with only about ten guests. Although both sets of parents approved of the couple, neither set attended the wedding.

In 1942, Hammond took his wife on a road trip to Los Angeles. Shortly after this trip, Jemy realized that she was pregnant. In November of 1942, Jemy gave birth to their first son, John P. Hammond.

On March 21, 1942, Hammond's sister, Alice married Benny Goodman. She had previously been married to George Duckworth. Hammond did not look kindly upon this marriage. Hammond and Goodman had a falling out, some of which has been attributed to their differing backgrounds.

In November of 1943, Hammond began military training. He underwent his basic training at Fort Belvoir. Hammond was much older than the majority of the other men, and he had a rough time adjusting to the military life. While he was still in basic training, Jemy gave birth to their second child, Douglas, early in 1944. Douglas came down with a serious illness. While Jemy sent Hammond a telegram to alert him of his newborn's condition, Hammond stated that he never received it. Jemy speculated that Hammond was in a concert and disregarded the letter; however, that claim has been proven unlikely due to Hammond's strict schedule in basic training. Douglas died shortly after birth from his illness, and Jemy had to undergo the family tragedy without her husband. Hammond returned after basic training on a three-day pass, but he and his wife were distant.

After basic training, Hammond reported to Camp Plauche, where he was placed to organize activities for the black soldiers. During this time period, African American soldiers were given little to do within the military. There was still a large amount of racism in the military at this time. Hammond began his efforts by organizing concerts for the soldiers featuring African American musicians. Hammond noted that shortly after this these concerts began, an integrated sports team formed. Toward the end of World War II, Hammond was transferred to Fort Benning, known for its intense racism. Hammond was not the only jazz affiliate irritated with racism. During this time period, bebop music grew out of late night jam sessions of black musicians. Hammond was not much a part of the bebop movement, but he shared the sentiment against racism.

In 1946, Hammond was discharged from the military. His family moved Greenwich Village, where Jemy gave birth to their third son, Jason. Hammond threw himself back into his work, which greatly upset his wife. In 1948, Jemy asked Hammond for a divorce. While he was originally reluctant, Hammond agreed to the divorce. Jemy never remarried.

Just a year later, in 1949, Hammond met Esme Sarnoff, originally Esme O'Brien, the former wife of NBC chairman Robert W. Sarnoff and a daughter of Mary and Esmond O'Brien. Esme shared Hammond's musical passion and was planning to divorce her husband. That year, Hammond married Esme Sarnoff. By this marriage Hammond had one stepdaughter, (Esme) Rosita Sarnoff (born 1943). During this time, Hammond's father passed away on a golf course. Left a widow, Emily Hammond became infatuated with Frank Buchman.

In 1985, Hammond had his first stroke. Although this impaired him physically, his wife's death truly affected his mentality. Esme Hammond was diagnosed with breast cancer. While treatments worked for sometime, she died May 19, 1986 of complications of AIDS, which had been contracted from a blood transfusion. Hammond died on July 10th, 1987 after a series of strokes. It is said that he died listening to the music of Billie Holiday.