Henry Glassie, ’31

Attorney; Restorer of historic buildings in Washington DC

Henry H. Glassie, 73, a Washington lawyer who also restored historic buildings, wrote about art and operated an art gallery here, died of cardiac arrest Dec. 26 at George Washington University Hospital. At the time of his death, Mr. Glassie was senior partner in the Washington law firm of Glassie, Pewett, Dudley, Beebe and Shanks, of which he was a cofounder in 1949. The firm specialized in real estate development.

He was author of a book on historic architecture, “Victorian Houses in Washington,” and coauthor of “The Capital Image-Painters in Washington, 1800-1915,” which was published in 1983 by the Smithsonian Institution in connection with an exhibition at the National Museum of American Art.

With his wife, Mr. Glassie was owner and operator of Montrose Galleries in Washington, which specializes in 19th century art.

Mr. Glassie, who lived in Washington, was born in his family’s home in Chevy Chase. He graduated from Western High School and the University of Virginia, where he also received a law degree. He practiced law in New York City until 1940 when he returned to Washington and practiced with the firm of Barbour, Garnett, Pickett, Keith and Glassie.

During World War II Mr. Glassie served in the Navy in the Pacific, and he participated in the battles of Leyte Gulf and Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines. After the war, he was chief counsel of the procurement subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee for one year.

With his law partners and other investors, Mr. Glassie restored several historic buildings around Washington, including the Sun Building at 1317 F St. NW and the headquarters of the American Political Science Association at 1527 New Hampshire Ave. NW.

He was an avid tennis player and a former president of the Middle Atlantic Tennis Association and a member of the executive committee of the United States Lawn Tennis Association. Mr. Glassie also was a founding member and vice president of the National Lawyers Club and a member of the Chevy Chase Club, the Jefferson Islands Club and the Columbia Historical Society.

His marriages to the former Adele Balderston, Jean Pate and Dorothy Register ended in divorce.

Citation: Washington Post, December 28, 1987 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/12/29/dc-lawyer-henry-h-glassie-dies-at-73/00f208ee-18d4-4626-a185-c324ab38d7f1/