V. Everit Macy

Macy in 1918

Valentine Everitt Macy, Sr. (March 23, 1871 – March 21, 1930) was an American industrialist and philanthropist, involved in local government.[1] He served as the commissioner of the Westchester County, New York Department of Charities and Corrections from 1913–1919, as Commissioner of Public Welfare in 1925, and as Commissioner of Parks from 1926-1930. He also served as president of the National Civic Federation.[2]

Biography

He was born in 1871 to Josiah Macy Jr. and Louisa Everett. His father was an officer in Standard Oil. He was named for his maternal grandfather, a Brooklyn leather merchant. His great-grandfather Josiah Macy had been a prominent shipping magnate on Nantucket. The Macy family had founded an oil company which built the State of New York's first oil refinery near Long Island City. Everit's father, Josiah Macy Jr., sold out to the Standard Oil trust and served on that company's board.[3] His mother, Caroline Macy, was a benefactor of Columbia University, donating the funds to build Macy Hall.[4] His sister was Kate Macy Ladd, a prominent philanthropist.

At the death of his father in 1876, the five-year-old V. Everit Macy inherited over $20,000,000 (approximately $275,620,000 today). He was interested in design and architecture from an early age, and studied architecture at Columbia University, though he never practiced.

His wife, Edith Wiseman Carpenter was a prominent member of the Girl Scout National Board of Directors.

He would later serve on the board at Teachers College, Columbia and would also serve as its president.[5] He was a major benefactor of Teachers College, donating funds to build the Morningside Heights building that houses the Horace Mann School.[4]

He died in a Phoenix, Arizona hotel on March 21, 1930.[1]

Legacy

His home at Tannersville, New York, known as Hathaway, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Everit Macy Dies In Arizona Hotel. Banker and Philanthropist Had Gone to Southwest to Recover His Health. Leader In Westchester. President of Park Commission Had Been Head of County Welfare Work From 1914 to 1924". New York Times. March 2, 1930.
  2. ↑ Lauck, W. Jett (ed) (1920). Statements before the United States Anthracite Coal Commission. p. 72.
  3. ↑ "A Proper Regard for the Unfortunates: Origins of the Jail System in Westchester County, N. Y. Part 6 of 9". 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  4. 1 2 Announcement of Teachers College, Columbia University. 1922. p. 129.
  5. ↑ Dolkart, Andrew (1998). Morningside Heights: A History of Its Architecture and Development. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 230.
  6. ↑ Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
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