Lapham was born in
Brooklyn, New York, the son of Samantha Lapham (née Vail) and Henry Griffith Lapham, who were second cousins. The Laphams built their fortune as leather merchants, strategically consolidating smaller tanning businesses into larger enterprises, including the United States Leather Co. He built
Waveny House in
New Canaan, Connecticut, as a summer residence for his family to escape the heat of
New York City. The mansion and property are now a public park and arts center in New Canaan. Lapham was the husband of Antoinette N. Lapham (née Dearborn), the father of
San Francisco mayor
Roger D. Lapham (1883–1966), and
Ruth Lloyd (née Lapham; 1896 –
Darien, Connecticut, 8 October 1984), a singer and mother of seven children from her marriage including Samuel Lloyd, who died in 2017, the grandfather of actor
Christopher Lloyd and banking executive
Lewis A. Lapham (1909–1995), and the great-grandfather of both
Lewis H. Lapham (1935-2024) and
Sam Lloyd (1963–2020). Lapham's children included Roger D. Lapham, who was noted for his investments in shipping. == References ==