Charles C. Glover
| Charles Carroll Glover | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
November 24, 1846 Macon County, North Carolina |
| Died | February 25, 1936 |
Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery |
| Residence | Washington DC |
| Alma mater | Rittenhouse Academy |
| Occupation | Banker and philanthropist |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Cunnigham Post |
Charles Carroll Glover (November 24, 1846 - February 25, 1936) was a banker and philanthropist who made major contributions to the modern landscape of Washington DC at the turn of the 20th Century. He was President of Riggs Bank, an effective advocate of urban beautification in Washington under the influence of the City Beautiful movement, and a generous donor of land and money for Washington's parks and monuments.[1]
Life
Glover was born in Macon County, North Carolina, the son of Charles Glover and Caroline Piercy Glover. He moved to Washington at age eight to live there with his grandmother. He started working at Riggs Bank in 1866, rising to Partner in 1873, and was its effective leader in 1881 at the time of the death of George Washington Riggs. In 1896, the bank was converted into a national bank and he became its President.[2] He presided over the construction of the new Riggs National Bank headquarters facing the US Treasury Building. He was active in the debate that led to the eventual adoption of the Federal Reserve Act and presented a plan for economic relief to the U.S. Congress in 1908. He is mentioned by Robert L. Owen together with Frank A. Vanderlip as a source of inspiration for key amendments to the Aldrich–Vreeland Act passed in 1914.[3] He retired from the bank in 1921.
He was also involved in several other business ventures, including as Director of the Washington and Georgetown Railroad, the ancestor of the Washington Metro, and as President of the Washington Stock Exchange.
He married Annie Cunnigham Poor (1856-1943), daughter of Charles Henry Poor, on January 10, 1878. They had two children, Elizabeth Lindsay Glover (1878-1950) and Charles Carroll Glover Jr (1888-1976). Glover, his wife, their son, and his wife Marion Everett Wise Glover, were all buried in a family grave in Oak Hill Cemetery.[4]
Philanthropy and advocacy
Glover's land donations added thousands of acres to the city's parks including Rock Creek Park and the National Zoo as well as the Glover-Archbold Park. He was instrumental in the completion of the Washington Monument, the extension of Massachusetts Avenue beyond Rock Creek, and the construction of the National Cathedral, the construction of which was relaunched in his house in 1891.[5] He also played a role in the establishment of American University, of which he was a trustee, on its current main campus.[6]
In 1897 he convinced Congress and President Grover Cleveland to create a park on the Potomac mud flats West and South of the Washington Monument, whose draining had been recently led by Peter Conover Hains with the creation of the Tidal Basin. Glover's efforts directly paved the way for the McMillan Plan and the creation of the Lincoln Memorial, Potomac Park, Jefferson Memorial and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
In 1928 he provided the site for the current British Embassy, thus playing a key role in the development of Embassy Row.
He was also Vice-President and Treasurer of the Corcoran Gallery.
Legacy
Glover's name was given to the Glover Park neighborhood, the Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge over which Massachusetts Avenue crosses Rock Creek Park, and the Glover-Archbold Park west of Georgetown University.
At American University, the gate of the main campus on Massachusetts Avenue bears Glover's name, which was also given to a student award established in 1950.
References
- ↑ Carlton Fletcher. "Glover Park History: Charles Carroll Glover".
- ↑ "Charles Carroll Glover". Histories of the National Mall.
- ↑ Robert L. Owen (1918). The Federal Reserve Act (PDF).
- ↑ "Charles Carroll Glover, Sr". Find A Grave.
- ↑ Larry Van Dyne (October 1, 2001). "If These Stones Could Talk". Washingtonian.
- ↑ Merrill Edwards Gates (1905). Men of Mark in America.