Jane Bradley Pettit (1918-2001) was an American philanthropist.
''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', September 16, 2001Bradley Center won't sell name
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', April 23, 2008
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', June 2, 2002Pettit, wife built Bradley Center
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', November 12, 2003Mary Van de Kamp Nohl
Jane's Gift
'' Milwaukee Magazine'', 1/31/2008

Early life

Her father was

Harry Lynde Bradley Harry Lynde Bradley (January 5, 1885 – July 23, 1965), the brother of Lynde Bradley, was the co-founder of the Allen-Bradley Company and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. He "became deeply involved in conservative causes", John J. Miller ...

, co-founder of

Allen-Bradley Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of factory automation equipment, today owned by Rockwell Automation. The company, with revenues of approximately US $6.4 billion in 2013, manufactures programmable logic controllers ( PLC), human-mach ...

and the

Bradley Foundation The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, commonly known as the Bradley Foundation, is an American charitable foundation (charity), foundation based in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that primarily supports Conservatism in the United States, cons ...

with her uncle,

Lynde Bradley Lynde Bradley (August 19, 1878 – February 8, 1942), the brother of Harry Lynde Bradley, was the co-founder of the Allen-Bradley Company and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. Bradley was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Milwauk ...

.Jane Bradley Wed Here to David Vogel Uihlein
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 12, 1945 She attended the Lake School for Girls, Milwaukee-Downer Seminary and Milwaukee University School. She graduated from

The Principia The Principia is an educational institution for Christian Scientists located on two campuses in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area of the United States. Principia School, located in Town and Country, West St. Louis County, serves stude ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

and studied drama at Finch Junior College. She was a member of the Service Club of Milwaukee. She entered society as a

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

on January 1, 1938, at the Milwaukee Country Club.

Philanthropy

Over the course of her life, she donated more than $250 million to the community and through her Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation. She donated $90 million to the

BMO Harris Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Downtown, d ...

. Her US$20 million donation to build the Lynde & Harry Bradley School of Technology & Trade, which replaced 100-year-old Milwaukee Technical & Trade High School, was the largest single private gift ever to a public school in the United States. She also donated $9 million to the Pettit National Ice Center, an indoor skating facility with two Olympic-sized hockey rinks and a 400-meter skating oval. In 1999, she bought 14 percent of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. She was inducted into the

Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...

because of it. She also donated more than US$100,000 to the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of Great Milwaukee. The ''Jane Bradley Pettit Building'', home to the

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private art school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1974, it offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. MIAD is considered the successor to the Layton School of Art, and was formerly known a ...

, is named for her. She founded the ''Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation''. In 1994, Pettit and her husband Lloyd were honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Coach Lombardi's legacy and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.

Personal life and death

In 1945, she married David Vogel Uihlein Sr., heir to the

Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was adve ...

. Their daughter, Lynde Bradley Uihlein, is President of the non-profit organization Brico Fund. Their son, David Vogel Uihlein, Jr., is vice-chairman of the Bradley Foundation, President of Uihlein-Wilson Architects, and chairs the ''David & Julia Uihlein Charitable Foundation''.Bloomberg BusinessWeek: David V. Uihlein, Jr.
/ref> She was married to

Lloyd Pettit Lloyd Pettit (March 22, 1927 – November 11, 2003) was a sportscaster in Chicago and Milwaukee as well as the owner of the Milwaukee Admirals. Early life Pettit was born in Chicago and moved as a small child to the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood ...

from 1969 to 1998. She died of lung cancer on September 9, 2001. In 2002, her estate in

River Hills, Wisconsin River Hills is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,597 at the 2010 census. History In the early 19th century, the River Hills area was controlled by Native Americans, including the Menominee, Potawatom ...

was sold to David Kohl, the son of Allen Kohl of

Kohl's Kohl's (stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. it is the largest department store chain in the United States, with 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawai ...

and the nephew of U.S. Sen.

Herb Kohl Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American businessman and politician. Alongside his brother and father, the Kohl family created the Kohl's department stores chain, of which Kohl went on to be president and CEO. Kohl also served as a ...

(D-Wis.). She also owned homes in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin and

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

, where she wintered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley Pettit, Jane 1918 births 2001 deaths Businesspeople from Milwaukee People from Naples, Florida People from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople Uihlein Family