Augustus Hemenway (1853–1931) was a philanthropist and public servant in Boston, Massachusetts, in the latter part of the 19th century. He was educated at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, the son of Edward Augustus Holyoke Hemenway and

Mary Tileston Hemenway Mary Porter Tileston Hemenway (1820 – 6 March 1894) was an American philanthropist. She sponsored the Hemenway Southwestern Archaeological Expedition (1886-1894), the first of its kind to the American Southwest. She also initiated a variety of ...

. His siblings were Edith Hemenway Eustis (1851-1904), Charlotte Augusta (d. 1865), Alice, (d. in infancy), and Amy. In 1878, he donated the Hemenway Gymnasium to Harvard and expanded it in 1895; he also served as an overseer of the university. He supported a number of other institutions in the Boston area, including the Museum of Fine Arts,

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Massachusetts Eye and Ear (Mass. Eye and Ear, or MEE) is a specialty hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which focuses on ophthalmology (eye), otolaryngology (ear/nose/throat), and related medicine and research. Founded in 1 ...

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

, Metropolitan Park Commission, and

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

. In December 1881, he married Harriet Lawrence, who became the cofounder of the initial Audubon Society; the Massachusetts Audubon Society; they had 5 children. Frank Weston Benson 1919 Augustus Hemenway

Frank Weston Benson 1919 Augustus Hemenway

Hemenway served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1890 and 1891. Upon his death in 1931, it was said of him: "In the various interests ... thrust upon him he never failed to do his full share in attending to the work at hand."Augustus Hemenway. Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Vol. 29, No. 174 (Aug. 1931); p. 58.

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