What was the name of H.P. Lovecraft's maternal grandfather?

H. P. Lovecraft's maternal grandfather was named Whipple Van Buren Phillips.

Phillips was the father of Lovecraft's mother, Sarah Susan Lovecraft, née Phillips. He came from the Phillips family of Providence, Rhode Island, and was involved in business ventures that gave the family substantial means during Lovecraft's childhood.

Lovecraft was born in Providence on August 20, 1890, and spent much of his early life surrounded by his mother's family. After his father, Winfield Scott Lovecraft, was committed to Butler Hospital in 1893, Lovecraft was raised primarily by his mother and his maternal grandparents. His grandfather's household helped provide the books, education, and encouragement that shaped his early imagination.

The name is easy to confuse with Lovecraft's own middle name. “Phillips” was both his middle name and his mother's family name, while Whipple Van Buren Phillips was his maternal grandfather. The family connection is also why the Phillips name appears in accounts of Lovecraft's burial and ancestry.