Mary Sibbet Copley Thaw (June 19, 1843 – June 9, 1929) 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 ...

and

charity worker A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

Early life

Mary was born at Appleby Manor near

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( pronounced ) is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in, and the county seat of, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Al ...

in Armstrong County on June 19, 1843. She was the daughter of Margaret and Josiah Copley, a pioneer editor who was well known in the community.

Personal life

In 1867, she married William Thaw, Sr. (1818–1889) after the death of his first wife. Together, they had five children that survived childhood: *

Harry Kendall Thaw Harry Kendall Thaw (February 12, 1871 – February 22, 1947) was the son of American coal and railroad baron William Thaw Sr.. Heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune, the younger Thaw is most notable for murdering the renowned architect Sta ...

(1871–1947), who would later murder

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

In his will, he left $10,000, less than 1% of his fortune, to wife

Evelyn Nesbit Evelyn Nesbit (born Florence Evelyn Nesbit; December 25, 1884 or 1885 – January 17, 1967) was an American artists' model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her years as a young woman in New York City, particularly her invo ...

. * Edward Thaw (1873–1924), who married Jane Olmsted (1880–1958) * Josiah Copley Thaw (1874–1944), who married Mary Harrington Thomson (1881–1947) * Margaret Copley Thaw (1877–1942), who first married George Lauder Carnegie (1876–1921), nephew 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 ...

. After his death, she married Roger, Comte de Périgny and became Countess de Périgny. *

Alice Cornelia Thaw Alice Cornelia Thaw (January 2, 1880 – May 8, 1955) was an American philanthropist and, upon her marriage to George Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth (who later succeeded as 7th Marquess of Hertford), the Countess of Yarmouth. Early life Thaw was b ...

(1880–1955), who married

George Seymour, 7th Marquess of Hertford George Francis Alexander Seymour, 7th Marquess of Hertford (20 October 1871 – 16 February 1940) was the son of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford. From 1884 to 1912 he was known as Earl of Yarmouth. Early life Seymour was born on 20 Oct ...

(1871–1940). They divorced and she married Geoffrey George Whitney, Sr. in 1913. She died, a few days before her 87th birthday, on June 9, 1929, of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. She was buried in

Allegheny Cemetery Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a historic rural cemetery. The non-sectarian, wooded hillside park is located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, and boun ...

in Pittsburgh.

Philanthropy

After her husband's death in 1889, she used the wealth she inherited to fund archaeology research, including funds for prominent women

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

s including

Alice Fletcher Alice Cunningham Fletcher (March 15, 1838 in HavanaApril 6, 1923 in Washington, D.C.) was an American ethnologist, anthropologist, and social scientist who studied and documented American Indian culture. Early life and education Not much is ...

and

Zelia Nuttall Zelia Maria Magdalena Nuttall (6 September 1857 – 12 April 1933) was an American archaeologist and anthropologist specialised in pre-Aztec Mexican cultures and pre-Columbian manuscripts. She discovered two forgotten manuscripts of this type in ...

. Thaw also funded the Thaw Fellowship at the

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

. Thaw was also the primary philanthropist supporting the

Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary The Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary was located at 3303 North 21st Place in North Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Opened in 1891 in downtown Omaha, the institution moved to the Kountze Place neighborhood in North Omaha in 1902 and closed i ...

. After her initial contribution of the Cozzens Hotel in

downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...

in 1902, she made regular donations, practically underwriting the institution. In 1929, she left a bequest of $150,000 to the seminary.Hawley, Charles A. (1941) ''Fifty Years on the Nebraska Frontier: The history of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Omaha.'' Omaha, NE: Ralph Printing Co.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Copley, Mary Sibbet 1843 births 1929 deaths People from Pittsburgh American philanthropists Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania Thaw family Burials at Allegheny Cemetery