James Lenox
Encyclopedia
James Lenox was an American bibliophile and philanthropist
. His collection of paintings and books eventually became known as the Lenox Library
and later became part of the New York Public Library
in 1895.
, the only son of Robert Lenox, a wealthy Scotch merchant of New York, from whom he inherited a fortune of several million dollars and 30 acres of land between Fourth and Fifth Avenues in 1839. A graduate of Columbia College
, he studied law
and was admitted to the bar, but never practised. He retired from business when his father died.
He went to Europe
soon after his admission to the bar, and while abroad began collecting rare books, which, along with collecting art, became the absorbing passion of his life. For half a century, he devoted the greater part of his time and talent to forming a library and gallery of paintings not surpassed in value by any private collection in the New World
. These, together with many rare manuscripts, marble busts and statues, mosaics, engravings, and curios, he conveyed in 1870 to New York City together with a massive building which he erected for their preservation.
The Lenox Library occupied the crest of the hill on Fifth Avenue, between 70th and 71st Streets, overlooking the Central Park. It cost $450,000, the land being valued at very nearly the same amount. It was a fire-proof structure, with outside walls of Lockport limestone, with a front of 200 feet and a depth of 114 feet. It contained four spacious reading rooms, a gallery for paintings, and another for sculpture. On 23 May 1895, the Lenox Library was consolidated with the Astor Library
and the Tilden Trust to form the New York Public Library
.
The collection of Bible
s, including the Mazarin, both as to number and rarity, was believed to be unequalled even by those in the British Museum
, while its Americana, incunabula, and Shakespeariana surpassed those of any other American library, public or private. The collection was valued at nearly a million of dollars, which, with the $900,000 for the land and building and the endowment, made a total of above $2,000,000. In 1913, the collection was moved to the central library. The Frick Collection
stands on the Lenox Library's former site.
Lenox was a founder of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, his gifts to it amounting to $600,000. He also made important gifts to Princeton College and Seminary
, and gave liberally to numerous churches and charities connected with the Presbyterian Church. Lenox was also the president of the American Bible Society
, to which he was a liberal donor. James Grant Wilson
reports passing on several gifts to needy men of letters accompanied by the condition that Lenox should not be known as the donor.
He never married. A love in early life refused him, and continued single after his death. This event increased his peculiarly reserved and retired habits, and he became and continued a recluse, never being seen in the New York society to which by birth and connection he belonged. He declined proffered visits from the most distinguished men of the Old World
and the New. An eminent scholar, who was occupied for many weeks in consulting rare books not to be found elsewhere, failed to obtain access to the library of Lenox. He was assigned an apartment in Lenox's spacious mansion for his use, and to that apartment the works were sent in installments without his ever penetrating into the hall containing the precious collection, or to the presence of its possessor.
Lenox occasionally reprinted limited editions, restricted to ten or twenty copies, of rare books, which he placed in some of the great public libraries and notable private collections, for example that of John Carter Brown
. Portraits of Lenox were painted by Francis Grant
in 1848, and by G. P. A. Healy three years later. He was also painted by Daniel Huntington
in 1874.
In 1855 there were 19 millionaires in New York. He was the third richest man in New York worth approximately 3 million dollars.
He is buried in the New York City Marble Cemetery
. Two of his seven sisters outlived him. Henrietta Lenox, the last survivor, gave the Lenox Library 22 valuable adjoining lots and $100,000 for the purchase of books. Lenox Avenue in Harlem is named for James Lenox.
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...
. His collection of paintings and books eventually became known as the Lenox Library
Lenox Library
Lenox Library may refer to:*Lenox Library *A former library now part of the New York Public Library...
and later became part of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
in 1895.
Biography
He was born in New York CityNew 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...
, the only son of Robert Lenox, a wealthy Scotch merchant of New York, from whom he inherited a fortune of several million dollars and 30 acres of land between Fourth and Fifth Avenues in 1839. A graduate of Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
, he studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and was admitted to the bar, but never practised. He retired from business when his father died.
He went to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
soon after his admission to the bar, and while abroad began collecting rare books, which, along with collecting art, became the absorbing passion of his life. For half a century, he devoted the greater part of his time and talent to forming a library and gallery of paintings not surpassed in value by any private collection in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. These, together with many rare manuscripts, marble busts and statues, mosaics, engravings, and curios, he conveyed in 1870 to New York City together with a massive building which he erected for their preservation.
The Lenox Library occupied the crest of the hill on Fifth Avenue, between 70th and 71st Streets, overlooking the Central Park. It cost $450,000, the land being valued at very nearly the same amount. It was a fire-proof structure, with outside walls of Lockport limestone, with a front of 200 feet and a depth of 114 feet. It contained four spacious reading rooms, a gallery for paintings, and another for sculpture. On 23 May 1895, the Lenox Library was consolidated with the Astor Library
Astor Library
The Astor Library was a free public library developed primarily through the collaboration of New York merchant John Jacob Astor and New England educator and bibliographer Joseph Cogswell. It was primarily meant as a research library, and its books did not circulate...
and the Tilden Trust to form the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
The collection of Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s, including the Mazarin, both as to number and rarity, was believed to be unequalled even by those in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, while its Americana, incunabula, and Shakespeariana surpassed those of any other American library, public or private. The collection was valued at nearly a million of dollars, which, with the $900,000 for the land and building and the endowment, made a total of above $2,000,000. In 1913, the collection was moved to the central library. The Frick Collection
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
stands on the Lenox Library's former site.
Lenox was a founder of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, his gifts to it amounting to $600,000. He also made important gifts to Princeton College and Seminary
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and gave liberally to numerous churches and charities connected with the Presbyterian Church. Lenox was also the president of the American Bible Society
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
, to which he was a liberal donor. James Grant Wilson
James Grant Wilson
James Grant Wilson was an American editor, author, bookseller and publisher, who founded the Chicago Record in 1857, the first literary paper in that region. During the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a major of the 15th Illinois Cavalry and became a brevet brigadier general in 1865...
reports passing on several gifts to needy men of letters accompanied by the condition that Lenox should not be known as the donor.
He never married. A love in early life refused him, and continued single after his death. This event increased his peculiarly reserved and retired habits, and he became and continued a recluse, never being seen in the New York society to which by birth and connection he belonged. He declined proffered visits from the most distinguished men of the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
and the New. An eminent scholar, who was occupied for many weeks in consulting rare books not to be found elsewhere, failed to obtain access to the library of Lenox. He was assigned an apartment in Lenox's spacious mansion for his use, and to that apartment the works were sent in installments without his ever penetrating into the hall containing the precious collection, or to the presence of its possessor.
Lenox occasionally reprinted limited editions, restricted to ten or twenty copies, of rare books, which he placed in some of the great public libraries and notable private collections, for example that of John Carter Brown
John Carter Brown
John Carter Brown II was a book collector whose library formed the basis of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University.-Biography:...
. Portraits of Lenox were painted by Francis Grant
Francis Grant (artist)
Sir Francis Grant, RA , was a Scottish portrait painter, who painted Queen Victoria and many distinguished British aristocratic and political figures of the day...
in 1848, and by G. P. A. Healy three years later. He was also painted by Daniel Huntington
Daniel Huntington
Daniel Huntington , American artist, was born in New York City, New York, the son of Benjamin Huntington, Jr. and Faith Trumbull Huntington; his paternal grandfather was Benjamin Huntington, delegate at the Second Continental Congress and First U.S. Representative from Connecticut...
in 1874.
In 1855 there were 19 millionaires in New York. He was the third richest man in New York worth approximately 3 million dollars.
He is buried in the New York City Marble Cemetery
New York City Marble Cemetery
The New York City Marble Cemetery is an historic cemetery founded in 1831, and located at 52-74 East Second Street between First and Second Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
. Two of his seven sisters outlived him. Henrietta Lenox, the last survivor, gave the Lenox Library 22 valuable adjoining lots and $100,000 for the purchase of books. Lenox Avenue in Harlem is named for James Lenox.