Poor Richard Club
Encyclopedia
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...
, whose members were mostly members of the advertising industry. The club was founded in 1906 with 75 members, just a year after a similar club opened in New York. The advertising industry was on a quest for more respectability, and the clubs were created as a way to promote and enforce ethical guidelines. Nevertheless, they functioned largely as places to nurture business, social, and political relationships.
The following year, the club purchased a large Victorian house at 239-241 Camac Street in which to hold their weekly lunches and monthly dinners. By 1911, membership had grown to 350.
In 1916, the club published "Poor Richard's Dictionary of Philadelphia," an informative, sometimes humorous, guide to all aspects of the city, including historical landmarks, businesses, churches, hotels, hospitals, and clubs. The book was presented to Associated Advertising Clubs of the World members who attended the annual meeting held at the Poor Richard Club House.
In 1925, the club moved to the Dr. Joseph Leidy House
Dr. Joseph Leidy House
The Dr. Joseph Leidy House is a historic residence in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the home of Joseph Leidy , a noted American paleontologist....
, 1319 Locust Street, which they shared with the Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and Journalism, founded by members of the club in 1920.
The club was instrumental in proposing, funding, and raising the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial — located in the rotunda of The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — features a colossal seated statue of Benjamin Franklin. The high memorial, sculpted by James Earle Fraser between 1906 and 1911, honors the writer, inventor and American...
, built in 1933.
The club's major event was its annual banquet, at which the members presented an annual award for public service. Among the recipients of the club's Gold Medal of Achievement were:
- William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
- Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
- Will RogersWill RogersWilliam "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
- Amelia EarhartAmelia EarhartAmelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
- Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, 1934 - Will RogersWill RogersWilliam "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
, 1935 - Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., 1936
- Captain Eddie RickenbackerEddie RickenbackerEdward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
, 1937 - Will H. HaysWill H. HaysWilliam Harrison Hays, Sr. , was the namesake of the Hays Code for censorship of American films, chairman of the Republican National Committee and U.S. Postmaster General from 1921 to 1922....
, 1938 - Colonel David SarnoffDavid SarnoffDavid Sarnoff was an American businessman and pioneer of American commercial radio and television. He founded the National Broadcasting Company and throughout most of his career he led the Radio Corporation of America in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his...
, 1939 - Dr. Leo S. Rowe, 1940
- Walter D. Fuller, 1941
- Walter M. Dear, 1942
- Donald M. NelsonDonald M. NelsonDonald Marr Nelson was an American business executive and public servant, serving as the executive vice president of Sears Roebuck before accepting the position of director of priorities of the United States Office of Production Management . In 1942 Nelson became chairman of the War Production...
, 1943
- General H. H. Arnold, 1944
- Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, 1945 - Ted R. Gamble, 1946
- Robert McLean, 1947
- General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, 1948 - Vladimir K. Zworykin, 1949
- Paul G. HoffmanPaul G. HoffmanPaul Gray Hoffman was an American automobile company executive, statesman and global development aid administrator.Hoffman was born in Western Springs, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago...
, 1950 - Charles E. Wilson, 1951
- General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, 1952 - William S. PaleyWilliam S. PaleyWilliam S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
, 1953 - Henry Ford IIHenry Ford IIHenry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
, 1954 - Clare Boothe LuceClare Boothe LuceClare Boothe Luce was an American playwright, editor, journalist, ambassador, socialite and U.S. Congresswoman, representing the state of Connecticut.-Early life:...
, 1955 - Richard M. Nixon, 1956
- Lee IacoccaLee IacoccaLido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca is an American businessman known for engineering the Mustang, the unsuccessful Ford Pinto, being fired from Ford Motor Company, and his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s...
, 1985
On January 17, 1956, the club held their 50th anniversary dinner at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel and honored then Vice President Richard Nixon with the Gold Medal of Achievement.
The club had over 600 members in the 1930s, but membership declined in the 1970s. The Locust Street building was sold in 1979, and the club disbanded a few years later.
Further reading
- Lutz, Jack (1953). The Poor Richard Club: its birth, growth and activities, and its influence on advertising, the city, state and nation. 237 pp. Published by the Poor Richard Club.