Ira Gershwin the US in 1891. Ira's siblings were George (Jacob, b. 1898), Arthur (b. 1900) and Frances (b. 1906). Morris changed the family name to "Gershwine" (or alternatively "Gershvin") well before their children rose to fame; it was not spelled "Gershwin" until later. Shy in his youth, Ira spent much of his time at home reading, but from grammar school through college he played a prominent part in several school newspapers and magazines. He graduated in 1914 from Townsend Harris High School, a public school for intellectually gifted students, where he met Yip Harburg, with whom he enjoyed a lifelong friendship
Ira Davenport (politician) He was the Republican candidate for Governor of New York in the 1885 election, and was defeated by Democrat David B. Hill. Davenport died in Bath on October 6, 1904. He was buried at the Davenport Family Cemetery in Bath. In 1887, Davenport Katherine L. Sharpe (1860-1945), the daughter of State Senator George H. Sharpe (1828–1900). They had no children. The Davenport family's charitable donations included founding a home for orphaned girls, which was financed by the senior Ira Davenport and his brother Charles, and supported by Ira Davenport Jr. In addition, the Davenports endowed Bath's Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital,