Samuel Simeon Fels
Encyclopedia
Samuel Simeon Fels was an American businessman and philanthropist.
Early in Samuel's life his family relocated to Philadelphia, where Samuel's older brother Joseph Fels
founded a soap manufacturing company, Fels & Co. Samuel became the company's first president, a post which he held until his death. An active philanthropist, in 1936, Fels established the Samuel S. Fels Fund, which provides support to Philadelphia-area non-profits, even today. Fels also founded the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government
. Fels is known for commissioning Samuel Barber
's Violin Concerto Op. 14 in 1939.
Early in Samuel's life his family relocated to Philadelphia, where Samuel's older brother Joseph Fels
Joseph Fels
Joseph Fels was an American soap manufacturer, millionaire, and philanthropist.Born of German immigrants in Halifax County, Virginia, Fels moved with his family to Baltimore in 1866; by 1876 he'd assumed control of a soap manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, and brought two of his brothers...
founded a soap manufacturing company, Fels & Co. Samuel became the company's first president, a post which he held until his death. An active philanthropist, in 1936, Fels established the Samuel S. Fels Fund, which provides support to Philadelphia-area non-profits, even today. Fels also founded the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government
Fels Institute of Government
The Fels Institute of Government is the University of Pennsylvania’s graduate program in public policy and public management. Its practical approach to public management education, its Ivy League pedigree and its relatively small size make it one of the nation's leading boutique programs in public...
. Fels is known for commissioning Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
's Violin Concerto Op. 14 in 1939.
External links
- Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania
- The Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute
- The Samuel S. Fels Fund
- Fels Longitudinal Study
- Iso Briselli, the adopted son of Samuel S. Fels
- The Samuel Simeon Fels Papers, including correspondence, records and other materials, are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
.