William Russell Grace

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William R. Grace, as Mayor of New York City
William R. Grace, as Mayor of New York City

William Russell Grace (born May 10, 1832, Ballylinan, County Laois, Ireland; died March 21, 1904, New York) was the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company.

Contents

[edit] Business

He began his business career in Peru, where he was a partner with the firm of John Bryce, later to become Grace Brothers & Co., and then W. R. Grace & Co.

[edit] Philanthropy

William Russell Grace was a renowned philanthropist, at one point contributing a quarter of the aid delivered to Ireland aboard the steamship Constellation during the famine of the later 1870s[1]. In 1897, he and his brother, Michael, founded the Grace Institute for the education of women, especially immigrants.

[edit] Reform politics

Opposing the famous Tammany Hall, Grace was elected as the first Irish American Catholic mayor of New York City in 1880[2]. 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[3]. During his second term, Grace received the Statue of Liberty as a gift from France.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hery A. Brann, Catholic Encyclopedia v. VI (1909)
  2. ^ "Irish Identity, Influence and Opportunity", Library of Congress
  3. ^ Irish Midlands Ancestry,; from Laois Association Yearbook (1981)

[edit] Biography

  • Marquis James, Merchant Adventurer: The Story of W. R. Grace, Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources (1993) ISBN 0842024441

[edit] External links

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