William Russell Grace
Encyclopedia
William Russell Grace was the first Roman Catholic mayor
of New York City
and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company
.
, County Laois
, Ireland
.
He began his business career in Peru
, where he was a partner with the firm of John Bryce, ship chandler
s, later to become Grace Brothers & Co. headquartered in London
, England
, and then W. R. Grace and Company.
aboard the steamship Constellation during the famine of the later 1870s
. In 1897, he and his brother, Michael
, founded the Grace Institute
for the education of women, especially immigrants.
, Grace was elected as the first Irish American Catholic mayor of New York City
in 1880. He conducted a reform administration attacking police scandals, patronage and organized vice; reduced the tax rate and broke up the Louisiana Lottery
. Defeated the following year, he was re-elected in 1884 on an Independent ticket but lost again the following year. During his second term, Grace received the Statue of Liberty
as a gift from France
.
attempted a crossing of the English Channel in December 1910 in an aeroplane. He flew from Dover to Calais. However in coming back he became disoriented
and over Dover flew northeast over the Goodwin Sands
toward the North Sea and was lost.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of 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...
and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Company is a Columbia, Maryland, United States based chemical conglomerate.The company has two main divisions, Davison Chemicals and Performance Chemicals. The Davison unit makes chemical catalysts, refining catalysts, and silica-based products that let other companies make...
.
Biography
He was born on May 10, 1832 in BallylinanBallylinan
Ballylinan or Ballylynan is a village on the County Laois/County Kildare border in the Ireland. The name means "Lynan's town", though exactly who Lynan was is now forgotten....
, County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
He began his business career in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where he was a partner with the firm of John Bryce, ship chandler
Ship chandler
A ship chandler is a retail dealer in special supplies or equipment for ships.For traditional sailing ships items that could be found in a chandler might include: rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch , linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, tools A ship...
s, later to become Grace Brothers & Co. headquartered in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
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...
, and then W. R. Grace and Company.
Philanthropy
William Russell Grace was a renowned philanthropist and humanitarian, at one point contributing a quarter of the aid delivered to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
aboard the steamship Constellation during the famine of the later 1870s
Irish Famine (1879)
The Irish famine of 1879 was the last main Irish famine. Unlike the earlier Great Famines of 1740-1741 and 1845-1849 the 1879 famine caused hunger rather than mass deaths, due to changes in the technology of food production, different structures of land-holding The Irish famine of 1879 was the...
. In 1897, he and his brother, Michael
Michael P. Grace
Michael Paul Grace was an international businessman who was a shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of W. R. Grace and Company of New York City and of Grace Brothers & Co. Ltd...
, founded the Grace Institute
Grace Institute
The nonprofit Grace Institute is dedicated to providing tuition-free education and training in business and administrative skills to economically disadvantaged women, along with the personal skills necessary for self-sufficiency, employability, and an improved quality of life.-Founding:In 1897,...
for the education of women, especially immigrants.
Reform politics
Opposing the famous Tammany HallTammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
, Grace was elected as the first Irish American Catholic mayor of 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...
in 1880. He conducted a reform administration attacking police scandals, patronage and organized vice; reduced the tax rate and broke up the Louisiana Lottery
Louisiana State Lottery Company
The Louisiana State Lottery Company was a private corporation that in the mid-19th century ran the Louisiana lottery. It was for a time the only legal lottery in the United States, and for much of that time had a very foul reputation as a swindle of the state and citizens and a repository of...
. Defeated the following year, he was re-elected in 1884 on an Independent ticket but lost again the following year. During his second term, Grace received the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
as a gift from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Nephew
His nephew Cecil GraceCecil Grace
-External links:*...
attempted a crossing of the English Channel in December 1910 in an aeroplane. He flew from Dover to Calais. However in coming back he became disoriented
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
and over Dover flew northeast over the Goodwin Sands
Goodwin Sands
The Goodwin Sands is a 10-mile-long sand bank in the English Channel, lying six miles east off Deal in Kent, England. The Brake Bank lying shorewards is part of the same geological unit. As the shoals lie close to major shipping channels, more than 2,000 ships are believed to have been wrecked...
toward the North Sea and was lost.
Biography
- Marquis James, Merchant Adventurer: The Story of W. R. Grace, Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources (1993) ISBN 0842024441
External links
- March 26, 1904 New York Times article on the estate of William Russell Grace
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Clayton, Lawrence A. http://www.irlandeses.org/dilab_gracewr.htm "Grace, William Russell (1832-1904), merchant" in Irish Migration Studies in Latin America 4:4 October 2006 (www.irlandeses.org).
- Biography from www.irishmidlandsancestry.com
- March 22, 1904 New York Times article titled "William R. Grace's career"