Morris Ketchum Jesup
Morris Ketchum Jesup | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | January 22, 1908 | (aged 77)
Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
Spouse |
Maria van Antwerp DeWitt
(after 1854) |
Parent(s) | Charles Jesup Abigail Sherwood |
Morris Ketchum Jesup (June 21, 1830 – January 22, 1908), was an American
Early life
Morris Jesup was born at Westport, Connecticut in 1830, the son of Charles Jesup and Abigail Sherwood. He was descended from Edward Jessup of the Stamford, New Haven Colony, an early settler in Middleburg, Long Island, now Elmhurst, Queens.[1][2] Edward later became owner of a large estate in what is now Hunts Point, Bronx.[1]
Career
In 1842 he went to New York City, where after some experience in business, he established a banking house in 1852. In 1856 he organized the banking firm of MK Jesup & Company, which after two reorganizations became Cuyler, Morgan & Jesup. He became widely known as a financier, retiring from active business in 1884.
Philanthropy
Before his retirement, he was already active in a wide variety of philanthropic endeavors. Jesup was one of the organizers of the United States Christian Commission during the Civil War, which helped provide care for wounded soldiers. He was one of the founders of YMCA New York, and served as its president in New York in 1872.
After 1860 he helped found and served as president of the
He was best known as a patron of scientific research: Jesup was a major contributor to fund the Arctic expeditions of Robert Peary. He was elected president of the Peary Arctic Club in 1899. Jesup also funded the Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897-1902), a major ethnographic project led by the anthropologist Franz Boas.
He was also an important patron and collector of the visual arts, perhaps best remembered for his support of Frederic Edwin Church, which resulted in the 1871 masterwork The Parthenon that came into the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Jesup's substantial bequest of many important paintings of the Hudson River School and more at the time of his wife's death in 1915.[3]
Jesup contributed to educational institutions. His contributions to
In 1881, he was appointed president of the
Jesup also served as trustee for the Syrian Protestant College (American University of Beirut) from 1884 to 1892, and board chair from 1893 to 1908.[6] He also built "Post Hall", which is home to the university's Archaeological Museum and Geology Department.[7]
Jesup was president of the New York Chamber of Commerce from 1899 until 1907, and was the largest subscriber to its new building. Jesup was a member of the
To his native town he donated funds to construct the
Personal life
In 1854, Morris married Maria van Antwerp DeWitt (1834–1914).
Jesup died on January 22, 1908, aged 77, at 107 Madison Avenue, his home in New York City and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.[11]
Legacy and honors
- 1905, he was knighted by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia for his philanthropic work aiding immigrants from the Russian Empire.[citation needed]
- Columbia University's Jesup Lectureship is named after him.
- The Morris K. Jesup Psychological Laboratory on Peabodycampus was named for him and was the first building of its kind in the world;
- Cape Morris Jesup, the northernmost point of mainland Greenland, as well as Morris Jesup Glacier, were named in his honor.
- The American Museum of Natural History's hall of Northwest Coast Indians is named after him.
- The town of Jesup, Iowa is named for him.[12]
- Jesup Trail at Acadia National Park is named after Jesup and his wife.
See also
- Westport Public Library
Notes
- ^ a b Brown, William Adams (1910). Morris Ketchum Jesup : a character sketch. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 8. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ^ RIker, Jr., james (1852). The Annals of Newtown in Queens County, New-York. New York: D. Fanshaw. p. 26. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ^ "Frederic Edwin Church | The Parthenon | The Met". Archived from the original on 2016-04-05.
- ^ Donaldson, Alfred Lee (1921). A History of the Adirondacks, Volume 2. New York: Century Company. p. 172. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-9354-9.
- ^ "History Makers". 150.aub.edu.lb. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "MainGate - American University of Beirut Quarterly Magazine" (PDF). Fall 2011. p. 41. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ "Jesup, Morris K." The Frick Collection. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ^ "Maria Van Antwerp DeWitt". Genealogical Society of Bergen County. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ^ Waterman, Edgar Francis (1942). The Waterman family, Volume 2. p. 387. Retrieved Sep 29, 2016.
- ^ "MORRIS K. JESUP IS DEAD AT 77; Noted Philanthropist Succumbs to a Heart Attack at His Home. CAREER A REMARKABLE ONE Belief That Many of His Public Benefactions Will Be Continued Under His Will". The New York Times. 23 January 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 169.
References
- Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921). Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company. .
- Attribution
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jesup, Morris Ketchum". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the New International Encyclopedia. Vol. 12 (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. p. 658.
External links
- Works by or about Morris Ketchum Jesup at Internet Archive
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History - Objects and Photographs from Jesup North Pacific Expedition 1897-1902 (section Collections Online, option Collections Highlights).
- Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. .
- Archives of the Peary Arctic Club - Correspondences between Morris Ketchum Jesup and Robert E. Peary