 William Greenough Thayer (1863−1934), headmaster of St. Mark's School from 1894−1930, and Violet Otis Thayer (1871−1962) of the Boston Brahmin Otis family.He attended St. Mark's School, then earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1926.His elder brother, Sigourney Thayer (1896−1944), was a theatrical producer, aviator and poet.