Mary Elizabeth Croghan Schenley (April 27, 1826 – November 5, 1903) was an American

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 ...

to the city of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Early life

Mary Elizabeth Croghan was born April 27, 1826, near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to Col. William Croghan Jr. and Mary O'Hara, the daughter of frontier Pittsburgh businessman James O'Hara. As her mother's only heir, she eventually inherited large tracts of land amassed by her maternal grandfather, Gen. James O'Hara.

Marriage and scandal

While in boarding school in

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, at the age of 15, she met and fell in love with 43-year-old Captain

Edward Wyndham Harrington Schenley Edward Wyndham Harrington Schenley (1799 – 31 January 1878) was a British Liberal politician, military officer and husband of Mary Elizabeth Croghan, 19th century philanthropist of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Early life and career S Henley was ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and eloped to

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. It was the captain's third elopement. The ensuing scandal sparked coverage in many American newspapers, and was referred to as "the greatest romance in Pittsburg's early history" in her ''

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'' obituary. When Mary's father, a widower, heard of the elopement of his only child, he fainted, according to one Pittsburgh paper. He demanded that the federal government in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

intercept the ship and that the

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Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

take action. He prompted church ministers and newspaper editors to make denunciations. Even in England,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

for many years would refuse presentation of the couple at court because of the scandal. Though the couple's boat was not intercepted, Col. Croghan was successful in March 1842 in getting the state legislature to "confirm the title of the whole of the property to the father of Miss Croghan, now the wife of the youthful captain, and places the same after his death, in the hands of trustees who are to pay at their discretion for her support." Meaning the large estate was left in trust. Newspapers also revealed that at the time of his elopement Capt. Schenley was absent from his post as Her Majesty's Commissioner of Arbitration in a mixed court for the suppression of the slave trade in

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. Therefore, when Schenley and his bride arrived in England, his superior,

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, ordered him back to his post in South America. Schenley's work there to free the slaves was exceedingly unpopular with the European minority; eventually, they forced his reassignment to England. There the Schenleys were without means. Mary's father now had a change of heart and visited them in England. He bought them a house in

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, arranged for a living allowance, and urged the couple to come to Pittsburgh to live with him. The Schenleys did come to Pittsburgh, but did not stay on, and returned to England. Her home, the Neal Log House, which she inherited from James O'Hara, is now preserved in

Schenley Park Schenley Park () is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. In 2011, th ...

. Her father died in Pittsburgh in 1850 and Mary then received her full inheritance. In 1859, her husband became a

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for Dartmouth, but three months later was unseated after an election petition committee found his win had been secured through bribery and corruption. Mary and Capt. Schenley had eleven children. Mary Schenley died at her home in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...

on November 5, 1903. At the time of her death, she was the largest owner of real estate in

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia Co ...

and her Pittsburgh real estate holdings at the time were worth more than $50 million. After her executors, including Andrew Carnegie, received $5,000 each, the remainder of her property was left to her children. Her English property, which was valued at about $5,000,000, was separately dealt with.

Philanthropy

Throughout the late 19th century, Mary Schenley made many gifts of money to churches and public schools in Pittsburgh. More significantly, perhaps, she donated land to the city of Pittsburgh in 1889 for

; to Western Pennsylvania Institute for the Blind for a school in 1890; and in 1895, she gave the oldest relic in Pittsburgh, the

Fort Pitt Blockhouse The Fort Pitt Block House (sometimes called Bouquet's Blockhouse or Bouquet's Redoubt) is a historic building in Point State Park in the city of Pittsburgh. It was constructed in 1764 as a redoubt of Fort Pitt, making it the oldest extant structur ...

and adjoining property, to the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. She also donated the of land on which the Carnegie Institute, a gift of

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, was built. Carnegie paid visits to Mary Schenley at her villa, Mont Fleury, at

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, in the south of

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Legacy and honors

Much in the city of Pittsburgh still bears her name, including

Schenley High School Schenley High School, located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a historic building opened in 1916 that was a part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Schenley High School building ...

Schenley Hotel Schenley ( /ˈʃεnli/) is a neighborhood on the West Side of Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It is bordered by Belle Vista to the north, Mahoning Commons to the northeast, Oak Hill to the east, Warren to the southeast, Idora to the south, Kirkm ...

Schenley Bridge The Schenley Bridge is a steel three-hinged deck arch bridge spanning Junction Hollow in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Schenley Drive between Oakland on the west and the main part of Schenley Park on the east, connecting Schenley Plaza, ...

Schenley Plaza Schenley Plaza is a public park serving as the grand entrance into Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The plaza, located on Forbes Avenue and Schenley Drive in the city's Oakland district, includes multiple gardens, food kiosks, public m ...

Schenley Quadrangle Schenley Quadrangle is a cluster of University of Pittsburgh ("Pitt") residence halls that is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and are contributing property, contributing properties to the Schenley Farms Historic di ...

Schenley Tunnel Schenley Tunnel (also known as the Neville Street Tunnel and Pittsburgh Junction Railroad Tunnel) is a railroad tunnel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The tunnel runs beneath Neville Street in the city's North Oakland neighborhood; the ...

, and the

Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain The Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, also known as ''A Song to Nature'', is a 1918 landmark public sculpture in bronze and granite by Victor David Brenner. It sits in Schenley Plaza at the entrance to Schenley Park and directly in front of the Un ...

References

External links

1982 Pittsburgh Press article on the Schenleys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schenley, Mary 1826 births 1903 deaths People from Pittsburgh 19th-century American philanthropists