He was born on December 4, 1877, in Manhattan, New York City to
Jay Gould and
Helen Day Miller (1838–1889). On December 1, 1901, he married
Helen Margaret Kelly and had two daughters, Helen Gould and
Dorothy Gould (1904–1969). They divorced in 1908. The
Wichita Daily Times,
Wichita Falls, Texas, wrote: "Frank Jay Gould and his wife who was Helen Margaret Kelly have separated and it is said Mrs. Gould has brought action looking for a legal separation. Jealousy on the part of Mr. Gould, due, it is said, to the homage paid Mrs. Gould, who is a beautiful woman, by other men." In 1909 he was sued by
vaudeville dancer
Bessie De Voie for breach of promise, and his love letters to her were published as part of the scandal. The case was settled in late 1910, when Gould paid De Voie $10,000. Gould married his second wife,
Edith Kelly, in 1910, divorcing in 1919. Edith was the sister of
Hetty Kelly, who was Charlie Chaplin's first true love. Gould was married to his third wife,
Florence La Caze (1895–1983), from 1923 until his death. Together Gould and La Caze collected
Impressionist artworks. In 1909, he founded the "Virginia Railway and Power Company" in
Richmond, Virginia. The company would be renamed "Virginia Electric and Power Company", and known widely by its acronym (VEPCO) in 1925. The company became "Virginia Power" in the 1980s and operates today under the name
Dominion Resources, serving Virginia, North Carolina with electric power and half a dozen other Middle Atlantic states providing natural gas services. He moved to France and developed several casinos and hotels on the
French Riviera. He made a great contribution in the development of multiple spa towns including
Granville,
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne and
Juan-les-Pins. In 1926 he opened the Hotel "Le Provençal" in Juan-les-Pins. Gould himself lived in the
Villa La Vigie, which he had bought in 1927. He died on April 1, 1956, in Juan-les-Pins. ==Legacy==