Henry Phipps
Encyclopedia
Henry Phipps, Jr. was an American
entrepreneur
and major philanthropist
.
shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
before settling in Pittsburgh
. When a child, he was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie
. As a young man, he went to work as an office boy and bookkeeper. He proved a capable financier and became Carnegie's business partner in Carnegie Steel Company
which would make him a very wealthy man as the company's second largest shareholder. He was also a successful real estate
investor but after selling his stock in Carnegie Steel, Phipps devoted a great deal of his time and money to philanthropic
works.
In 1872, Henry Phipps married Anne Childs Shaffer, the daughter of a Pittsburgh manufacturer. The couple had two daughters, Amy Phipps who married Frederick Guest; and Helen Phipps who married Bradley Martin; plus three sons, John Shaffer Phipps
; Henry Carnegie Phipps
who married Gladys Mills Phipps
; and Howard Phipps. In 1905 daughter Amy Phipps (1876-1959), married Frederick Edward Guest
, the grandson of the seventh Duke of Marlborough
and Winston Churchill
's first cousin.
Henry Phipps believed that those who have achieved great wealth should give back for the public good and create institutions dedicated to that purpose. As such he was involved with a number of philanthropic causes, the best known of which is the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park
, an 1893 gift to the city of Pittsburgh. Among his many benevolent works, he also funded the Phipps Institute for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis
at the University of Pennsylvania
and the Henry Phipps Psychiatric Service at Johns Hopkins Hospital
which in 1912 made possible the first inpatient facility in the United States for the mentally ill constructed as part of an acute care hospital. An advocate of decent housing for the poor, in 1905 he funded the non-profit Phipps Houses to build affordable housing in New York City
. Still operating to this day, his great-grandson, Stuart Symington Janney III, sits on the Board of Trustees of Phipps Houses.
In 1926, Henry Phipps bought Island Beach which was sold by his heirs in 1953 to the State of New Jersey
. Now known as Island Beach State Park
, it is the last remaining stretch of undeveloped barrier island on the central New Jersey coast.
Henry Phipps was one of the pioneer investors in Florida
real estate. At one time, he and his family owned one-third of the town of Palm Beach
, 45 kilometres of oceanfront between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, prime bayfront property in downtown Miami, and 12,000 hectares of land in Martin County
. The Phipps family donated to the town of Palm Beach one of the most significant gifts in county history: an ocean-to-lake frontage property that is now known as Phipps Park.
He died in Great Neck, New York
on September 22, 1930.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and major philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Biography
He was the son of an EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
before settling in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. When a child, he was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. As a young man, he went to work as an office boy and bookkeeper. He proved a capable financier and became Carnegie's business partner in Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Andrew Carnegie to manage business at his steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century.-Creation:...
which would make him a very wealthy man as the company's second largest shareholder. He was also a successful real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investor but after selling his stock in Carnegie Steel, Phipps devoted a great deal of his time and money to philanthropic
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
works.
In 1872, Henry Phipps married Anne Childs Shaffer, the daughter of a Pittsburgh manufacturer. The couple had two daughters, Amy Phipps who married Frederick Guest; and Helen Phipps who married Bradley Martin; plus three sons, John Shaffer Phipps
John Shaffer Phipps
John Shaffer Phipps was an American lawyer and businessman who was an heir to the Phipps family fortune and a shareholder of his father-in-law's Grace Shipping Lines. He was a director of the Hanover Bank, U.S. Steel Corp. and W. R...
; Henry Carnegie Phipps
Henry Carnegie Phipps
Henry Carnegie Phipps was a sportsman and financier, and the owner of Wheatley Stables.-References:...
who married Gladys Mills Phipps
Gladys Mills Phipps
Gladys Livingston Mills Phipps was an United States socialite, sportsperson, and a thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder who began the Phipps family dynasty in American horse racing...
; and Howard Phipps. In 1905 daughter Amy Phipps (1876-1959), married Frederick Edward Guest
Frederick Edward Guest
Frederick Edward Guest CBE DSO PC , often known as Freddie Guest, was a British politician best known for being Chief Whip of Prime Minister David Lloyd George's Coalition Liberal Party between 1917 and 1921. He was also Secretary of State for Air between 1921 and 1922...
, the grandson of the seventh Duke of Marlborough
John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough
John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC , styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British statesman and nobleman...
and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's first cousin.
Henry Phipps believed that those who have achieved great wealth should give back for the public good and create institutions dedicated to that purpose. As such he was involved with a number of philanthropic causes, the best known of which is the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park
Schenley Park
Schenley Park is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district...
, an 1893 gift to the city of Pittsburgh. Among his many benevolent works, he also funded the Phipps Institute for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis
Phipps Institute for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis
The Phipps Institute for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis at the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1903 with a grant from Henry Phipps, a former business partner of Andrew Carnegie....
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and the Henry Phipps Psychiatric Service at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
which in 1912 made possible the first inpatient facility in the United States for the mentally ill constructed as part of an acute care hospital. An advocate of decent housing for the poor, in 1905 he funded the non-profit Phipps Houses to build affordable housing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Still operating to this day, his great-grandson, Stuart Symington Janney III, sits on the Board of Trustees of Phipps Houses.
In 1926, Henry Phipps bought Island Beach which was sold by his heirs in 1953 to the State of New Jersey
New 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...
. Now known as Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park is a New Jersey state park located just south of Seaside Park on the Barnegat Peninsula in Berkeley Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry...
, it is the last remaining stretch of undeveloped barrier island on the central New Jersey coast.
Henry Phipps was one of the pioneer investors in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
real estate. At one time, he and his family owned one-third of the town of Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, 45 kilometres of oceanfront between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, prime bayfront property in downtown Miami, and 12,000 hectares of land in Martin County
Martin County, Florida
Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...
. The Phipps family donated to the town of Palm Beach one of the most significant gifts in county history: an ocean-to-lake frontage property that is now known as Phipps Park.
He died in Great Neck, New York
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
on September 22, 1930.
Further reading
- November 23, 2003 New York Times article titled "Streetscapes/Henry Phipps and Phipps Houses; Millionaire's Effort to Improve Housing for the Poor"
- Halcyon Days: An American Family Through Three Generations by Peggie Phipps Boegner (daughter of John Shaffer PhippsJohn Shaffer PhippsJohn Shaffer Phipps was an American lawyer and businessman who was an heir to the Phipps family fortune and a shareholder of his father-in-law's Grace Shipping Lines. He was a director of the Hanover Bank, U.S. Steel Corp. and W. R...
), Richard Gachot (1987) Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN 0-8109-1064-0