Alexander Dawson Henderson Jr. (February 16, 1895) was an American business leader, financier and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, and long-time mayor of

Hillsboro Beach, Florida Hillsboro Beach, officially the Town of Hillsboro Beach, is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. Its population was 1,875 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which had 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census. ...

. He was Vice President and Director of the California Perfume Company (CPC), which later became

Avon Products Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwide in 2 ...

. Henderson is also known for his philanthropy; he created the Hillsboro Country Day School, and is the namesake of the Alexander D. Henderson University School at

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

Early life

Alexander D. Henderson was the son of A. D. Henderson of

Suffern Suffern is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo, New York, Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. Suffern is located 31 miles northwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, Suf ...

. In June 1914, when Henderson was 19, his father took the family on a vacation-business trip to Europe. They saw fields of flowers and bought necessary oils from the French. The family also visited the oil factories that made the perfume for the California Perfume Company.

Military high school

From 1912 to 1915, Henderson attended the New York Military Academy, a boarding school at

Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in the town of Cornwall, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of New York City. The population as of the 2010 census was 3,018. It ...

, south of Newburgh. By midyear in 1916, he decided to leave Dartmouth and volunteer for the U. S. Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On August 15, 1917, he was called into active service and became a 2nd Lieutenant in the High School Cavalry, stationed at

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He was also stationed at Company D, Hughes High School in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He was promoted 1st Lieutenant on April 8, 1918.

Career

He was the son of Alexander D. Henderson and worked his way up from the bottom of the company beginning in 1916 to become vice president of Avon, and is known as a

. Alexander D. Henderson, Jr. was a founder and principal benefactor of the Alexander Henderson Private School, a/k/a Alexander D Henderson University School Home & School Association, which is on the campus of the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “A.D. Henderson is a public school governed by Florida Atlantic University and has no tuition cost.” On April 12, 1940, Henderson resigned as vice-president of the Allied Products Company of Suffern, after 23 years of service. He remained a director of the company. In 1946, Henderson and his family moved to Hillsboro Beach, Broward County, Florida. Henderson and his brother continued to serve on Avon's

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. Henderson became vice mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Florida in 1955. He became the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Hillsboro Beach in 1958 and held this position for six consecutive years.

Personal life

On February 14, 1920, Henderson married Mary Barnes Billings Anthony in Ridgewood, New Jersey. They had two children, Mary and Alexander. In September 1935, they divorced in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, with Mary charging him with cruelty. On March 28, 1936, Henderson married Lucia Maria Ernst in New York City. They had a son who was born in New York City.

Death and legacy

In 1953, Henderson created the Hillsboro Country Day School in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 ...

. In 1960, a donation from Henderson and his wife Lucy contributed to the construction of the Henderson Behavioral Health facility in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. The clinic was renamed Henderson Clinic of Broward County in 1961. Henderson died on July 8, 1964. On December 1, 1968, the A.D. Henderson University School at the Florida Atlantic University College of Education was dedicated in his honor. The Chapel of Saint Andrew, located on the campus of Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida, was dedicated in memory of Henderson.

References

External links

Alexander Dawson Henderson, Jr.
Henderson Family Tree * {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson 1895 births 1964 deaths Philanthropists from New York (state) American manufacturing businesspeople Businesspeople from Brooklyn People from Suffern, New York Military personnel from New York City People from Hillsboro Beach, Florida 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople People associated with direct selling