Joseph William Drexel
Encyclopedia
Joseph William Drexel was a banker, philanthropist, and partner of Baring Brothers in London
and Rothschild et fils
in Paris.
, and his siblings were Anthony Joseph Drexel and Francis Anthony Drexel
. He attended the Philadelphia high school, and traveled through Spain, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Greece.
He married Lucy Wharton (1841–1912) and had two children: Elizabeth Wharton Drexel
, and Lucy Wharton Drexel
.
Although he was a partner in the firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company and his brother Anthony was senior partner, Joseph's battles with the brusque J. Pierpont Morgan caused him to retire from the business in 1876 and devoted his life to the philanthropic and civic organizations. 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
, trustee of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and director of the Metropolitan Opera
house. He owned a 200 acre (0.809372 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.
Drexel was also an avid collector of music, eventually amassing a collection of over 6,000 items. Upon his death, his collection was accepted by the Lenox Library
. 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.
He was buried in The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
's 1889 bust of Drexel is located on the third-floor vestibule of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Rothschild et fils
Rothschild banking family of France
The Rothschild banking family of France was founded in 1812 in Paris by James Mayer Rothschild . James was sent there from his home in Frankfurt, Germany by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
in Paris.
Biography
He was the son of Francis Martin DrexelFrancis Martin Drexel
Francis Martin Drexel was a Philadelphia banker and artist. He was the father of Anthony Joseph Drexel, the founder of Drexel University and the grandfather of Saint Katherine Drexel....
, and his siblings were Anthony Joseph Drexel and Francis Anthony Drexel
Francis Anthony Drexel
Francis Anthony Drexel was a Philadelphia banker.-Biography:He was born on June 20, 1824 to Francis Martin Drexel. He had two brothers, Anthony Joseph Drexel and Joseph William Drexel.He married Hannah J...
. He attended the Philadelphia high school, and traveled through Spain, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Greece.
He married Lucy Wharton (1841–1912) and had two children: Elizabeth Wharton Drexel
Elizabeth Wharton Drexel
Elizabeth Wharton Drexel was an American author and Manhattan socialite.- Birth :She was the daughter of Lucy Wharton and Joseph William Drexel...
, and Lucy Wharton Drexel
Lucy Wharton Drexel
Lucy Wharton Drexel was a Manhattan socialite.She was the second daughter of Lucy Wharton, and Joseph William Drexel, her sister was Elizabeth Wharton Drexel. She married Eric Bernard Dahlgren, Sr. on November 27, 1890 and they sought a divorce after 22 years of marriage in 1912. Eric was the son...
.
Although he was a partner in the firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company and his brother Anthony was senior partner, Joseph's battles with the brusque J. Pierpont Morgan caused him to retire from the business in 1876 and devoted his life to the philanthropic and civic organizations. 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
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, trustee of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and director of the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
house. He owned a 200 acre (0.809372 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
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, 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
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
were bought for the same purpose.
Drexel was also an avid collector of music, eventually amassing a collection of over 6,000 items. Upon his death, his collection was accepted by the Lenox Library
Lenox Library
Lenox Library may refer to:*Lenox Library *A former library now part of the New York Public Library...
. When the Lenox Library was joined with those of John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
and Samuel Tilden to form The New York Public Library, Drexel's collection became the basis for The Library's Music Division.
He was buried in The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Legacy
John Quincy Adams WardJohn Quincy Adams Ward
John Quincy Adams Ward was an American sculptor, who is most familiar for his over-lifesize standing statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street.-Early years:...
's 1889 bust of Drexel is located on the third-floor vestibule of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.