Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/334

 DREXEL

DKEXEL

lowe to play tlio "Widow Green in " The Love Clui.se."' In IM*.-) and 1890 slie played Mrs. Mala- prop in the famous all-star ca.st of " Tlie Rivals." Her Uist api>earance was made in January, 1897, in " The S^Hjrting Duche.ss '' in which she played the title role. Iler children, John and Geor- giana, and her adopted son. Sidney, followed her profe.ssion. Sidney Drew was married to Gladys, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McKee Rankin. Geor- giana Drew wiis born in 1^~)6, and made her first appe;inince in 1872, in " The Ladies" Battle " at the Arch street tlieatre, Philadelphia. Siie joined August in Daly"s comixvny in 1876 and subse- quently supwrted Fanny Davenport and others. She wtis married, Dec. 31, 1876, to Maurice Barry- more, and later supported Edwin Booth, Law- rence Barrett. John McCullough and Helen Modjeska. She was the original Mrs. Hillary in William H. Crane's production of " The Sena- tor." " Settled out of Court." and other plays. Her children Etiiel and Lionel, also went on the stage. Mrs. Barrymoi'e died at Santa Barbara, Cal.. July 2. 1893. Mrs. John Drew died at Larch- Diont. N.Y., July 2, 1897. Mrs. Drew's autobio- grapliy was edited by her son John (1899).

DREXEL, Anthony Joseph, financier, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 13, 1826; second son of Francis Martin Drexel. His father, born in Dornbiou, Au.strian Tjrol, April 7, 1792, im- migrated to America in 1817, followed his voca- tion of portrait painter in Philadelphia, Peru, Chili and Mexico, and in 1837 founded the bank- ing house of Drexel & Co. in Philadelphia. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., June 5, 1863. Anthony was educated in the banking house by his father from his thirteenth jear and with his elder brother Francis A., and his younger brother, Joseph "Wilhelm, succeeded to the business on the death of his fatiier. In 1864 he joined George \V. Ciiilds in the purchase of the Philadelphia Public Lfjhjcr and their partnership and close friendship was ended only by Mr. Drexel's death. They formed the banking house of Drexel, Mor- gan & Co., New York city, and Drexel, Horjes & Co.. ParLs. In 1876 they united with the Roths- childs and othei-s in a syndicate which marketed $:300.(W0.000 of 4i per cent U.S. bonds and in 1878. §.-,(j.O0,0OfJ additional. In 1879 the house bought outright 815,000,000 worth of New York Central railroad stock; and in 1886 managed the sale of §20,000,000 of bonds of the Na.shville & Louisville railroad company. They purchased $40,000,000 of the bonds of the Northern Pacific railroa<l an.l in 1891 with Brown Brothers nego- tiated a loan of .$9,r,00.000 for the Philadelphia & Reading railroad. He establi.shed in Philadelphia the Drexel in.stitute of art, science and industry, dedicated Dec. 17, 1«91, at a cost of 87r,0,000, and endowed it with a fund of $1 ,000,000, to which sum

he subsequently added 81,000,000. The institute was built to accommodate 2000 pupils. He also founded, in connection with George William Childs, tiie Ciiilds-Drexel home for aged printers at Colorado Springs, Col., dedicated May 12, 1892. He married a daughter of John Roset of Phila- delphia and had three sons, Anthony Joseph, Jr., Joiui R., and George W. Childs Drexel, and one daughter, Mrs. Alexander Van Rensselaer. He died in Carlsbad, Bolieniia, June 30, 1893.

DREXEL, Joseph Wilhelm, philanthropist, was born in Philadelphia. Pa., Jan. 24, 1833; son of Francis Martin Drexel. He was educated in the Philadelphia high school and by European travel. He entered his father's banking house when a boy and learned the business, retiring from the banking houses of Drexel & Co., and of Drexel, Morgan & Co., of which he was a partner, in 1876. He made New York his residence and was chairman of the sanitary commission, commis- sioner of the board of education, trustee of the Metropolitan museum of art, and of the National academy of sciences, director of the Metropolitan opera house, president of the New York philhar- monic society, and a member of the American geographical society, of the New York historical society, and of the Society for the improvement of the condition of the poor. He originated and made practical demonstrations of various projects for bettering the condition of the poor, including the purchase and division into small farms of 6000 acres of land in Maryland and 7000 acres in Michigan, which were improved by Mr. Drexel, and the land and houses thereon sold to actual settlers at a low cost and on easy terms of pay- ment. These experiments resulted in building up flourishing settlements with schools, churches, libraries and music halls. He purchased a 200- acre farm jn New Jersey, near New York city, where he furnished work for the tramp class, feed- ing, clothing and teaching them the business of farming until other employment could be pro- cured. He spent §15, 000 in the experiment of free coffee houses in New York city, without results of any perceivable benefit to the persons he sought to help. His distribution of free tickets for coal to the poor was also a failure, but tiiese experi- ments were valuable as directing the charitably inclined toward practical methods. He gave his cottage home at !Mt. McGregor, N.Y., to General Grant as an asylum during his illness, and when the great soldier died there, he transferred the estate to the Grand Army of the Republic, to be kept as a memorial. It is estimated that he spent §50.000 annuall}' in miscellaneous charities. He gave his collection of Italian paintings, coins, casts and musical instnnnents to tlie Metropolitan mu- seum of art. and a valuable painting to the state r)f New York, to be hung in the executive mansion.