Edward Julius Berwind (June 17, 1848 – August 18, 1936) was the founder of the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. He was head of the company from 1886 until 1930.

Early life

Berwind was born on June 17, 1848, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He was one of five sons born to German immigrants Augusta (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Guldenferring) Berwind (1821–1904) and John Berwind (1813–1893). Among his siblings was brother Charles Frederick Berwind, the first president of Berwind-White, and sister Julia A. Berwind, a

social welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...

activist who in later life lived with Edward. Berwind was appointed to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, in July 1865 by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, and graduated in June 1869 as a midshipman. He was promoted to ensign in July 1870 and to master (equivalent to the modern rank of lieutenant, junior grade) in March 1872. He was placed on the Retired List in May 1875. While in the Navy, he served during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

and as an ensign, met the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who became a lifelong friend of Berwind. During the Grant administration, he served as a naval aide at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

Career

Upon leaving the Navy, Berwind went into business with his older brother,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, and Judge Allison White; co-founding Berwind, White & Company, which was incorporated as Berwind-White in 1886. Berwind worked closely with J. P. Morgan in the consolidation, reorganization, integration, and expansion of his coal mining operations. In his day he was also considered to be the world's largest individual owner of coal mining properties. Berwind also refused to bargain with his employees, making his mines among the last open shops in the coal fields. Berwind and Peter A. B. Widener established the New York subway system. Berwind, along with Widener, was a director of International Mercantile Marine Company which owned the White Star Line and, subsequently, the RMS ''Titanic''.A legacy company continues to operate today as th
Berwind Company
/ref> Berwind controlled the steamship business in New York and Philadelphia and supplied much of the coal used by the ships of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. After his brother's death in 1890, Edward became sole manager of the company.

Personal life

In 1886, Berwind was married to Sarah Vesta Herminie Torrey (1856–1922), at Leghorn, Italy, where her father was U.S. consular agent. Sarah was a daughter of Franklin Torrey, a prominent sculptor, and Sarah Lincoln (née Spinney) Torrey. Her brother was Charles Franklin Torrey, who inherited the residue of her estate. After the death of his wife in 1922, his sister served as hostess for Edward in New York and Newport. Berwind tomb West Laurel Hill

He died on August 18, 1936, at his home, 2 East 64th Street in New York City. After a funeral held at St. Thomas Church on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

in New York, he was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

, along with his wife, in a mausoleum (modeled after the Tower of the Winds in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

) that was designed by Horace Trumbauer, the architect of The Elms, his summer home in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. His sister Julia and nephew, Charles E. Dunlap, were his principal beneficiaries. File:Berwind house 2 E64th St front 828 5th Av jeh.jpg, Edward J. Berwind House, 64th Street & 5th Avenue, New York City (1886). File:The Elms, Newport, Rhode Island - View from Great Lawn edit1.jpg, The Elms, Newport, Rhode Island (1899), Horace Trumbauer, architect.

References

External links

Edward Julius Berwind
at

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

Edward Julius Berwind
at West Laurel Hill Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Berwind, Edward Julius 1848 births 1936 deaths American energy industry businesspeople American businesspeople in the coal industry American people of German descent Businesspeople from Philadelphia Businesspeople from Newport, Rhode Island Members of the Philadelphia Club United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links