Adrian Hartley Platt

01/02/1951 - 09/28/2025

Adrian Hartley Platt, direct descendant of Marcellus Hartley, founder of Remington Arms, passed away on September 28, 2025, in St. Croix, USVI after a long illness. He was 74 years old.
Adrian was born in Morristown, and was raised on Brook Valley Farm, site of the historic Gibbons Barn, on Loantaka Way in Chatham Township. The Platt family also owns Hartley Farms, the former estate of Marcellus Hartley Dodge, the last President of Remington Arms, where Adrian would often ride.
Adrian attended The Far Brook School, The Delbarton School and Skidmore College. He was always extremely athletic and excelled in both football and baseball. He was gregarious with close friends, dashingly handsome and quick witted - a willful character who will be remembered by friends and family for his great humor, his unwavering loyalty as well as his intellectual intelligence.
An avid horseman, he enjoyed riding to The Spring Valley Hounds, as much as trail riding on his family estate, Brook Valley Farm on Loantaka Way. It was there he developed his love of animals. He was taught to ride and work on the farm, with his six siblings, guided by his artist mother, Helen Mead Platt, who was an accomplished equestrian. His father, Dr. Adrian T. Platt, had his veterinary clinic on the property for over 50 years, and was the architect of the development of Hartley Farms.
Adrian moved to St Croix in 2000, where his grandparents, Mr. And Mrs. Winter Mead of Morristown, had an estate since 1939. He became a prolific writer and painter, often depicting marine life as well as the nature of the East. He was largely self-taught, and his work has a uniquely naif quality that delights the viewer with its freshness and vibrant colors. He captured the essence of both the sea he loved to sail and the beloved local people.
Adrian is survived by five of his living siblings: Helen Hartley du Pont, who cared for him during his illness, Lynn H. Norton, Lincoln A. Norton, Nicolas W. Platt and Alexander H. Platt.
A private memorial will be held in his memory. Donations can be sent to The St, Croix Animal Welfare Center (service@stcroixawc.org).
Or to the EQUUS Foundation (https://equusfoundation.org).
Photo by John Birmingham.