William Thaw
Encyclopedia
William Thaw, Sr. was an American businessman who made his fortune in transportation and banking.
on October 12, 1818 to Mary C. and John Thaw. He worked as a clerk in his father's United States Bank of Philadelphia in Pittsburgh. He later switched to McKee, Clark and Co.
In 1841, William Thaw married Eliza Burd Blair (?-1863). They had five children that survived childhood:
By 1842, he and his brother-in-law Thomas Shields Clarke
owned steam canal boats, particularly the Pennsylvania and Ohio line. Their company added canal, portage railroad and other steamboat lines.
With the rise of the railroad, Thaw divested the canal business and invested in the new Pennsylvania Company
, which managed interests of the Pennsylvania Railroad
, in which he was a large shareholder.
In 1863 after the death of his first wife, he married Mary Sibbet Copley
. They had five children that survived childhood:
He died on August 17, 1889.
and Princeton University
and bestowed lavish gifts on art and education. He underwrote the building of the Allegheny Observatory
for John Brashear
, considered at the time one of the ten best in the world.
resulted in a sensational trial and aftermath.
Biography
He was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, 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...
on October 12, 1818 to Mary C. and John Thaw. He worked as a clerk in his father's United States Bank of Philadelphia in Pittsburgh. He later switched to McKee, Clark and Co.
In 1841, William Thaw married Eliza Burd Blair (?-1863). They had five children that survived childhood:
- Eliza Thaw, wife of George B. Edwards
- William Thaw, Jr.
- Mary Thaw, wife of William R. Thompson
- Benjamin Thaw, Sr.Benjamin Thaw, Sr.Benjamin Thaw, Sr. was a Pittsburgh banker and philanthropist.-Biography:He was born on March 24, 1859 to William Thaw. He had the following children: William Thaw II and Reverend Stephen Thaw.-References:...
- Alexander Thaw
By 1842, he and his brother-in-law Thomas Shields Clarke
Thomas Shields Clarke
Thomas Shields Clarke , American artist, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.He graduated from Princeton University in 1882. He was a pupil of the Art Students League, New York, and of the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, under J. L...
owned steam canal boats, particularly the Pennsylvania and Ohio line. Their company added canal, portage railroad and other steamboat lines.
With the rise of the railroad, Thaw divested the canal business and invested in the new Pennsylvania Company
Pennsylvania Company
The Pennsylvania Company was a major holding company, owning and operating much of the Lines West territory of the Pennsylvania Railroad, including the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not operate the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago...
, which managed interests of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, in which he was a large shareholder.
In 1863 after the death of his first wife, he married Mary Sibbet Copley
Mary Sibbet Copley
Mary Sibbet Copley was a philanthropist and charity worker.-Biography:She was born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania on June 19, 1843 to Josiah Copley. In 1867 she married William Thaw, Sr. She died on June 9, 1929 of pneumonia.-References:...
. They had five children that survived childhood:
- Harry Kendall Thaw (1871-1947) who would later murder Stanford WhiteStanford WhiteStanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
He left $10,000, less than 1% of his fortune, to Evelyn NesbitEvelyn NesbitEvelyn Nesbit was an American artists' model and chorus girl, noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover, architect Stanford White, by her first husband, Harry Kendall Thaw.-Early life:...
in his will. - Edward Thaw
- Josiah Thaw
- Countess Margaret Carnegie de PérignyMargaret Copley ThawMargaret Copley Thaw was the Countess De Perigny, and a philanthropist.-Biography:She was born on January 3, 1877 to William Thaw and Mary Sibbet Copley....
(1877-?) - Alice Cornelia ThawAlice Cornelia ThawAlice Cornelia Thaw was the Countess of Yarmouth and a philanthropist.-Biography:She was born on January 2, 1880 to William Thaw, Sr....
(1880-1955) who married Geoffrey Gordon Whitney, Sr.
He died on August 17, 1889.
Philanthropy
William Thaw endowed science fellowships at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Princeton University
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 bestowed lavish gifts on art and education. He underwrote the building of the Allegheny Observatory
Allegheny Observatory
The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research institution, a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh. The facility is listed on the National Register of Historical Places The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research...
for John Brashear
John Brashear
Dr. John Alfred Brashear was an American astronomer and instrument builder.- Life and work :Brashear was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, a town 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. His father, Basil Brown Brashear, was a saddler, and his mother, Julia Smith Brashear, was a...
, considered at the time one of the ten best in the world.
Legacy
He is considered to have been one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune. He was the father of Harry Kendall Thaw, whose 1906 murder of noted architect Stanford WhiteStanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
resulted in a sensational trial and aftermath.