Helen Miller Shepard

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"Helen Gould" redirects here. For her niece, the socialite and philanthropist, see Helen Vivien Gould.

Helen Miller Gould

Born	June 20, 1868 Manhattan
Died	December 21, 1938 Roxbury, New York
Occupation	Socialite
Spouse	Finlay Johnson Shepard (1867-1942)
Parents	Jay Gould Helen Day Miller (1838-1889)

Helen Miller Shepard (June 20, 1868 – December 21, 1938) was an American philanthropist born in Manhattan in New York City. ^[1]

1 Birth
2 Marriage
3 American Bible Society
4 Philanthropy
5 References

[edit] Birth

Born as Helen Miller Gould she was the first born daughter of Jay Gould and Helen Day Miller (1838-1889). ^[2]

[edit] Marriage

She attended NYU School of Law and in 1913 she married Finlay Johnson Shepard (1867-1942). ^[3]

They adopted three children and had one foster child. The foster child was a three-year-old abandoned child that was found on the steps of Manhattan's St Patrick's Cathedral in 1914. They later adopted two daughters of her brother Frank Gould.

[edit] American Bible Society

In 1918 she and Emma Baker Kennedy (c1833-1930) became the first female vice presidents of the American Bible Society.

[edit] Philanthropy

At the commencement of the Spanish-American War, she donated US$100,000 to the United States government in support of the war. She gave an additional US$50,000 toward military hospital supplies and worked in a hospital for wounded soldiers. She donated the library building at New York University and began the Hall of Fame. She gave US$10,000 for the engineering school. She gave additional contributions to Rutgers College. Both the YMCA and the YWCA benefited from her contributions, as well as other organizations.

She died on December 21, 1938 and was buried in the family mausoleum on December 23, 1938. ^[4] ^[5]

[edit] References

^ Helen Gould Shepard. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
^ "Useful Daughter", Time (magazine), January 2, 1939. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. "When the late Jay Gould, maker and breaker of railroads, lay dying, his devoted daughter Helen, then 24, was a constant attendant at his bedside. Last week at Roxbury, New York, Jay Gould's birthplace, she died, after a stroke, an extraordinary daughter of an extraordinary father, of an extraordinary family."
^ "Helen Gould Weds. Her Hudson Home a Floral Garden for Her Marriage to Finley J. Shepard.", New York Times, January 23, 1913, Thursday. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. "The wedding of Miss Helen Miller Gould and Finley J. Shepard, Eastern representative of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, part of the great railroad system created by Jay Gould, the bride's father, was solemnized yesterday at 12:30 o'clock at Lyndhurst, the magnificent country estate of the bride at Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson."
^ "1,500 In Tribute To Mrs. Shepard; Society, Finance And Patriotic And Religious Groups Are Represented At Service Her Charities Win Praise Dr. Sizoo Conducts Funeral. Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer Delivers Eulogy. Dr. Zwemer Gives Eulogy Among Relatives Present.", New York Times, December 24, 1938, Saturday. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. "Leaders in society and finance joined with representatives of many patriotic and religious organizations in tribute to Mrs. Finley J. Shepard, philanthropist, at funeral services yesterday at the Collegiate Reformed Church of St. Nicholas, Fifth Avenue and Forty-eighth Street. More than 1,500 persons,"
^ "Mrs. F. J. Shepard Dies of a Stroke. Former Helen Gould, Famous for Philanthropy, Stricken at Her Summer Home Gave Away Much of Fortune. Mrs. Finley J. Shepard Is Stricken at 70; Philanthropist and Daughter of Jay Gould Got Permission to Marry. Wed at Lyndhurst. Benefactions in War With Spain Threats Malled to Her Activities In Recent Years. Descendant of Pioneers.", New York Times, December 21, 1938, Wednesday. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. "Mrs. Finley J. Shepard of New York, the former Helen Gould, who was famous for her philanthropies in many fields, died at her Summer home here at 12:15 this morning, after being in a coma for more than 24 hours. She had suffered an apoplectic stroke ten days ago, and had been ill for two months. Her age was 70 years."