Sarah Platt Doremus
Encyclopedia
Sarah Platt Doremus was noted for her philanthropy
.
. In 1812 she united with her mother in praying for the conversion of the world, and from that time dates her interest in foreign missions. She married, in 1821, Thomas C. Doremus, a merchant, whose wealth thenceforth was freely expended in her benevolent enterprises.
In 1828, with eight ladies, she organized the Greek relief mission, and sent Jonas King to Greece
to distribute supplies. Seven years later she became interested in the mission at Grand Ligne, Canada
, conducted by Henriette Feller of Switzerland
, and in 1860 was made president of the organization. In 1840 she began visiting the New York City prison
s, and after establishing Sabbath services, used her influence in 1842 toward founding the Home for Women Discharged from Prison, which later became the Isaac T. Hopper Home, of which she became president on the death of her friend and co-founder, Catherine M. Sedgwick.
Doremus aided in founding, in 1850, the House and School of Industry for Poor Women, becoming its president in 1867, and in 1854 became vice-president of the Nursery and Child's Hospital. In 1855 she assisted J. Marion Sims
in his project of establishing the New York Woman's Hospital
, of which she was ultimately president. During the American Civil War
, she cooperated with the work carried on in the hospitals, ministering alike to the wounded from north and south. She founded, in 1860, the Woman's Union Missionary Society, designed to elevate and Christianize the women of heathen lands, and she took an active part as manager in the Presbyterian home for aged women, organized in 1866. She aided in collecting supplies to relieve the sufferers from famine in Ireland in 1869, and was for many years manager of the female branch of the City Mission and Tract Society and of the Female Bible Society. The last society in which she labored was known as the “Gould Memorial,” and had for its objects the establishment of Italian-American schools. All foreign missions, without regard to creed, shared her sympathies.
She had a family of nine children of her own, and others that she adopted. Her son Robert Ogden Doremus
was a noted chemist.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
.
Biography
She was the daughter of Elias Haines, a merchant of New York, and her mother was the daughter of Robert Ogden, a distinguished lawyer of New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. In 1812 she united with her mother in praying for the conversion of the world, and from that time dates her interest in foreign missions. She married, in 1821, Thomas C. Doremus, a merchant, whose wealth thenceforth was freely expended in her benevolent enterprises.
In 1828, with eight ladies, she organized the Greek relief mission, and sent Jonas King to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to distribute supplies. Seven years later she became interested in the mission at Grand Ligne, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, conducted by Henriette Feller of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and in 1860 was made president of the organization. In 1840 she began visiting the New York City prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s, and after establishing Sabbath services, used her influence in 1842 toward founding the Home for Women Discharged from Prison, which later became the Isaac T. Hopper Home, of which she became president on the death of her friend and co-founder, Catherine M. Sedgwick.
Doremus aided in founding, in 1850, the House and School of Industry for Poor Women, becoming its president in 1867, and in 1854 became vice-president of the Nursery and Child's Hospital. In 1855 she assisted J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims, born James Marion Sims was a surgical pioneer, considered the father of American gynecology. Modern historians argue about his legacy as Sims used slaves as experimental subjects.-Early career:...
in his project of establishing the New York Woman's Hospital
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
, of which she was ultimately president. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, she cooperated with the work carried on in the hospitals, ministering alike to the wounded from north and south. She founded, in 1860, the Woman's Union Missionary Society, designed to elevate and Christianize the women of heathen lands, and she took an active part as manager in the Presbyterian home for aged women, organized in 1866. She aided in collecting supplies to relieve the sufferers from famine in Ireland in 1869, and was for many years manager of the female branch of the City Mission and Tract Society and of the Female Bible Society. The last society in which she labored was known as the “Gould Memorial,” and had for its objects the establishment of Italian-American schools. All foreign missions, without regard to creed, shared her sympathies.
She had a family of nine children of her own, and others that she adopted. Her son Robert Ogden Doremus
Robert Ogden Doremus
Robert Ogden Doremus was a United States chemist and physician.-Biography:Doremus was the son of philanthropist Sarah Platt Doremus and her merchant husband Thomas. He studied at Columbia, and graduated from New York University in 1842. Here he came under the influence of John W...
was a noted chemist.