Joseph William Drexel
Joseph William Drexel | |
|---|---|
 1877 portrait by Jacob H. Lazarus | |
| Born | January 24, 1833 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 1888 (aged 55) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations | Banker, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Lucy Wharton |
| Children | 4, including Elizabeth and Lucy |
| Parent(s) | Francis Martin Drexel Catherine Hookey |
| Relatives | Francis Anthony Drexel (brother) Anthony Joseph Drexel (brother) St. Katharine Drexel (niece) |
Joseph William Drexel (January 24, 1833 – March 25, 1888) was a banker, philanthropist, and book collector.
Early life and education
[edit]Drexel[a] was the son of Francis Martin Drexel (1792–1863) and Catherine Hookey (1795–1870). His siblings were Anthony Joseph Drexel (1826–1893) and Francis Anthony Drexel (1824–1885). Through his brother Francis, he was the uncle of Saint Katharine Drexel (1858–1955).[3] Joseph Willam Drexel was raised a Roman Catholic, but he joined the Episcopal Church later.[4]
Drexel attended the Central High School in Philadelphia, and traveled through Spain, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Greece.[3]
Career
[edit]Joseph Drexel was a partner in the firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company, where his brother, Anthony, was senior partner. In 1876, tired of battling the brusque J. Pierpont Morgan, Joseph retired from the business and devoted his life to philanthropic and civic organizations.[3]
He owned a 200-acre (0.81 km2) farm near New York City, where people without work were housed, clothed, fed, and taught agriculture until they could find a job. He owned a large tract of land in Maryland, which was developed into Klej Grange, a planned community, where the lots are sold to poor people at cost. About 7,000 acres (28 km2) in Michigan were bought for the same purpose.
Society life
[edit]He was chairman of New York Sanitary Commission, the commissioner of education, president of the New York Philharmonic Society, trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, founding trustee of the American Museum of Natural History,[5] trustee of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and director of the Metropolitan Opera house.[3]
In 1887, he donated a painting made by Edward Gay, that cost $2,000, to the State of New York to be placed in the Executive Mansion, which Governor David B. Hill was about to move into.[6]
Collections
[edit]
Drexel was an avid collector of music, eventually amassing a collection of over 6,000 items. Upon his death, the Drexel Collection was accepted by the Lenox Library.[7] When the Lenox Library was joined with those of John Jacob Astor and Samuel Tilden to form The New York Public Library, Drexel's collection became the basis for the Library's Music Division, housed today in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
The Concordia Polka composed by Theodore Gundlach was dedicated to Drexel.[8]
Mount McGregor
[edit]In 1881, Drexel acquired title to Mount McGregor near Saratoga Springs, New York. He constructed the Hotel Balmoral at the summit and built the Saratoga, Mount McGregor and Lake George Railroad narrow-gauge railway from Saratoga Springs.[9] In 1885, Drexel loaned his private summer cottage on Mount McGregor to ex-president Ulysses S. Grant.[10] Grant lived there for six weeks until his death and completed his memoirs. The cottage is now the Grant Cottage State Historic Site.
Personal life
[edit]He married Lucy Wharton (1841–1912), the daughter of Thomas Lloyd Wharton (1799–1869) and Sarah Ann Smith (b. 1800) and great-granddaughter of Thomas Wharton Jr. Together, they had four children:[11][12]
- Katherine Drexel (1866–1918), who married Dr. Charles Bingham Penrose (1862–1925),[13][14] the brother of U.S. Senator Boies Penrose, Spencer Penrose, Richard A. F. Penrose Jr. and the grandson of Charles B. Penrose, Solicitor of the United States Treasury, in 1892.[15] They had two children.[12]
- Lucy Wharton Drexel (1867–1944),[16][17] who married Eric Bernard Dahlgren Sr. (1866–1922), a son of John A. Dahlgren,[18] and had eight children.[12] They divorced in 1913.[19][20][21]
- Elizabeth Wharton Drexel (1868–1944),[22] who married John Vinton Dahlgren (1869–1899), another son of John A. Dahlgren, in 1889, with whom she had one son who survived infancy.[12][23] After his death, she married New York Society leader Harry Lehr (1869–1929).[24] After Lehr's death, she married John Beresford, 5th Baron Decies (1866–1944) and thereafter was known as Lady Decies.[25]
- Josephine Wharton Drexel (1878-1966), who married Dr. John Duncan Emmet (1857–1923), the great-grandson of prominent physician, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet,[26] in 1904.[27][28] They divorced in 1914 and in 1915, she married Seton Henry (d. 1946),[29] the son of Gen. Guy Vernor Henry and brother of Guy Henry Jr.,[20] with whom she had children.[30][31][32] She was the maternal grandmother of actor Matthew Cowles.
Drexel died at his home, 103 Madison Avenue in New York City, on March 25, 1888.[3] He had been suffering from Bright's Disease for a year and a half before then.[3] He was buried in The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.[33][7]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Drexel, Joseph Wilhelm". The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. II. New York: James T. White & Company. 1895. p. 366.
- ^ Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Drexel, Joseph Wilhelm". Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. III. Boston: American Biographical Society.
- ^ a b c d e f "JOSEPH W. DREXEL DEAD; THE WELL-KNOWN BANKER AND PHILANTHROPIST. DYING SUDDENLY YESTERDAY AT HIS HOME IN THIS CITY AFTER MANY MONTHS OF SUFFERING". The New York Times. March 26, 1888. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ F. Rzeznik, Thomas (2013). Church and Estate: Religion and Wealth in Industrial-Era Philadelphia. Penn State Press. p. 126. ISBN 9780271063256.
- ^ "American Museum of Natural History," (episode in) Treasures of New York (PBS television series).
- ^ "THE NEW EXECUTIVE MANSION.; JOSEPH W. DREXEL SHOWS HOW ITS WALL SPACES SHOULD BE FILLED". The New York Times. June 5, 1887. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "JOSEPH W. DREXEL'S WILL.; ONLY ONE PUBLIC BEQUEST, TO THE LENOX LIBRARY, CONDITIONALLY". The New York Times. April 1, 1888. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Theodore Gundlach. Concordia Polka. Philadelphia: R. Wittig, [no date].
- ^ "History of Mount McGregor". DOCS Today. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Strength for General Grant" (PDF). The New York Times. June 12, 1885. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Mrs. J.W. Drexel Dead. Former Social Leader of Philadelphia and Mother of Mrs. Harry Lehr". New York Times. January 26, 1912.
- ^ a b c d Jordan, John W. (2004). Colonial And Revolutionary Families Of Pennsylvania. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 536. ISBN 9780806352398. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "DR. C.B. PENROSE DIES ON A TRAIN; Philadelphia Gynecotogist and Zoologist Was a Brother of Late Senator". The New York Times. February 28, 1925. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "LEFT $100,000 TO NURSE.; Dr. Penrose Bequeathed Bulk of $1,000,000 Estate to His Family". The New York Times. March 6, 1925. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "YESTERDAY'S WEDDINGS.; PENROSE--DREXEL". The New York Times. November 18, 1892. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "7 GET DREXEL $1,180,867; Children of Mrs. L.D. Dahlgren". The New York Times. June 15, 1944. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "SOCIETY TOPICS OF THE WEEK". The New York Times. October 19, 1890. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Oct 15: The Washington Post: ENGAGEMENT OF MISS DAHLGREN". The New York Times. October 16, 1890. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Article 5 -- No Title". The New York Times. March 24, 1912. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "MRS. J.W. DREXEL WEDS SETON HENRY; Divorced Wife of Dr. J. Duncan Emmet Marries Son of Late General Guy V. Henry. CEREMONY AT CORNWELLS Bride the Daughter of Late J.W. Drexel -- Her Family and Bridegroom's Related by Marriage". The New York Times. May 16, 1915. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "SEEKS TO DIVORCE AN ADMIRAL'S SON; Mrs. Lucy Drexel Dahlgren Was Married to Him 22 Years Ago by Archbishop Corrigan". The New York Times. March 24, 1912. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Lady Decies, Widow of Irish Peer, Dies; Former Elizabeth Drexel of Philadelphia Was Once the Wife of Harry Lehr". New York Times. June 14, 1944. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ "JOHN VINTON DAHLGREN DEAD.; Son of the Admiral Passes Away at Colorado Springs". The New York Times. August 12, 1899. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Record of the Rich". Time. August 5, 1935. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ "Decies to Marry Mrs. Harry Lehr; Widow of New York Leader of Society to Become Bride of Irish Peer on May 23. Announcement in Paris. Bride-Elect Member of Drexel Family. Wrote Book, 'King Lehr and Gilded Age.'". New York Times. May 12, 1936.
- ^ Hoyt, James (1903). Seen & Heard by Megargee. L.N. Megargee. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Barringer, Paul Brandon; Garnett, James Mercer; Page, Rosewell (1904). University of Virginia: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni. Lewis Publishing Company. p. 204. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "EMMET-DREXEL WEDDING; Impressive and Picturesque Ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Trumpeters Herald Arrival of Bride and Starting of Procession in Church -- Reception to the Guests". The New York Times. February 10, 1904. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "SETON HENRY DEAD; REAL ESTATE MAN; Son of Maj. Gen. Guy V. Henry, Ex-Governor of Puerto Rico, Retired 20 Years Ago". The New York Times. October 13, 1946. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths PARKER, JOSEPHINE HENRY". The New York Times. November 15, 2002. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Delafield Family Papers (C0391) -- Series 3: Maturin Livingston Delafield, 1836-1917 -- Subseries 3B: Correspondence -- Family and General -- Henry, Josephine Drexel". findingaids.princeton.edu. Princeton University. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Duess, Marie Murphy (November 19, 2007). Colonial Inns and Taverns of Bucks County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 9781614232384. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ "Joseph W. Drexel Funeral". New York Times. March 29, 1888.
The funeral of Joseph W. Drexel occurred yesterday from the Church of the Transfiguration, (the Little Church Around the Corner) in Twenty-ninth-street, near Fifth-avenue...
External links
[edit]
- Correspondence and bills from J. Sabin & Sons, 1877-1878 (with Joseph W. Drexel) in the Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
- Joseph William Drexel at Find a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1833 births
- 1888 deaths
- Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni
- Drexel family
- Businesspeople from Philadelphia
- Bankers from New York (state)
- American people of Austrian descent
- American book and manuscript collectors
- Converts to Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism
- Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery
- 19th-century American Episcopalians
- Farmers from New York (state)