Cornelius Newton Bliss Jr. (April 15, 1875 – April 5, 1949) was an American

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, political organizer, and philanthropist.

Early life

Bliss was born on April 15, 1875 in New York City to

Cornelius Newton Bliss Cornelius Newton Bliss (January 26, 1833 – October 9, 1911) was an American merchant, politician and art collector, who served as Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President William McKinley and as Treasurer of the Republica ...

, a prominent Republican Party politician later named Secretary of the Interior under President William McKinley. Bliss Jr. was raised in New York City and attended Harvard University, graduating in 1897 with a Bachelor of Arts.

Career

After college, he entered the family dry goods business, later becoming a full partner. Bliss followed his father's involvement in politics, participating in the presidential campaign of Theodore Roosevelt. In July 1916, he was named treasurer of the Republican National Committee and participated in the losing presidential campaign of Charles Evans Hughes, which he helped operate from New York City. During the campaign, he also served as president of the

Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor (AICP) was a charitable organization in New York City, established in 1843 and incorporated in 1848 with the aim of helping the deserving poor and providing for their moral uplift.Coble, Alan ...

, a role he filled from 1913 to 1934. When the United States entered World War I in 1917,

President Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Demo ...

named Bliss to his War Council, a group of advisers Wilson collected to guide his actions as commander in chief. After the war, Bliss returned to business and philanthropy on a large scale, operating as a trustee, board member, or president of several organizations, including the

National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Opera, and Grant Monument Association. When the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

began, he was one of six men named by New York City Mayor Walker to operate a $15 million relief fund created in November 1931. Two of the other men were

J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * ''Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Park ...

and former governor

Alfred E. Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a Civ ...

. In 1932, he resigned from the board of his family's company, Bliss, Fabyan and Company. He received an LL.D. from New York University in 1937.

Personal life

Frederick Theodore Weber - Cornelius Bliss, 3rd

In 1906, he married Zaidee C. Cobb (1881-1966), with whom he had three children: *Elizabeth Bliss *Cornelius Newton Bliss III *Anthony Addison Bliss Through his later life, he continued to promote the arts, serving as president of the Metropolitan Opera from 1938 to 1946. His sister,

Lillie P. Bliss Lizzie Plummer Bliss (April 11, 1864 in Boston – March 12, 1931 in New York City), known as Lillie P. Bliss, was an American art collector and patron. At the beginning of the 20th century, she was one of the leading collectors of modern art in ...

(d. 1931), was the founder of the Museum of Modern Art, and he supported that effort as well. During World War II, he was a chairman of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

committee on war activities and became interim chairman of the American Red Cross when regular chairman Norman Davis became ill. He was also a member of the famous Jekyll Island Club (aka The Millionaires Club) on Jekyll Island, Georgia. In late March 1949, he became ill, and died in Roosevelt Hospital on April 5, 1949, after 10 days of increasing sickness.

References

* "Cornelius Bliss, 74, financier, is dead", ''The New York Times''. April 6, 1949. Page 29. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Cornelius Newton Jr. 1875 births 1949 deaths American merchants American philanthropists American political activists Harvard University alumni New York University School of Law alumni