Bouvier was born on August 12, 1866 in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Captain John Vernou Bouvier (1843-1926)[2] and Caroline Maslin (née Ewing) Bouvier (1844-1929).[3] His father was a U.S. Civil War veteran who served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Marsena R. Patrick and was one of the earliest members of the New York Stock Exchange.[2]
Bouvier's grandparents were Louise Clifford (née Vernou) Bouvier (1811-1872), of Philadelphia, the second wife of Michel Charles Bouvier (1792-1874), a French cabinetmaker from Pont-Saint-Esprit in southern France who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1815 after having served in the Napoleonic Wars.[4] In addition to crafting fine furniture, Bouvier had a business distributing firewood which led to his acquisition of nearly 800,000 acres of forest, some of which turned out to contain large reserves of coal.[5] Michel further grew his fortune in real estate speculation. John's father and uncles, Eustes and Michel Charles Bouvier Jr., distinguished themselves in the world of finance on Wall Street. As the only remaining male Bouvier heir, John Jr. inherited the Bouvier fortune from his father and uncles.[6]
His early education was from private tutors in the United States and in France, then he attended the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City.[1] He graduated with an A.B. degree from Columbia University in 1886 as the president of his class. The following year, he received an A.M. degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, followed by an LL.B. degree from the Columbia Law School in 1889.[7]
