Paul Arthur Schoellkopf (March 7, 1884 – September 30, 1947) was an American industrialist and the third generation of Schoellkopfs to manage the

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power plants of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

. Schoellkopf served as chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Electric Corporation and was a trustee of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Early life

Paul A. Schoellkopf was born in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

on March 7, 1884 to

Arthur Schoellkopf Arthur Schoellkopf (June 13, 1856 – February 3, 1913) was an American industrial leader who helped develop the hydroelectric resources of Niagara Falls and served as the fifth Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York. Early life Arthur Schoellkopf was b ...

(1856-1913) and Jessie (Gluck) Schoellkopf (1856-1928). Schoellkopf's father, Arthur, served as mayor of Niagara Falls from March 1896 – March 1897. Paul studied at the

Cascadilla School Cascadilla School is a co-ed preparatory school, in Ithaca, New York, established in 1876 as a tutoring and college preparatory school for Cornell University. History It was founded in 1876 as a boys' preparatory school for Cornell University. A ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

and the

University Preparatory School A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

before entering

, where he was a member of the

Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated t ...

society and graduated in 1906.

Career

Power companies

After graduation, he entered the family business and in 1913, succeeded his father as general manager and treasurer of the

Hydraulic Power Company of Niagara Falls Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company was an American company, based in Niagara Falls, New York that was the first company to generate hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls in 1882. The company built upon several predecessor co ...

. When the company merged with the

Niagara Falls Power Company Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company was an American company, based in Niagara Falls, New York that was the first company to generate hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls in 1882. The company built upon several predecessor c ...

in 1919, Schoellkopf became president of the combined organization. He held that position until his death in 1947. In 1925, the

joined with other operating

western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

utilities to form the Buffalo, Niagara and Eastern Power Corporation, with Schoellkopf as president. He held this position until 1929 when he was elected chairman of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. Also in 1929, several major utility companies serving a large part of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

were merged into the Niagara Hudson Power Company, which Schoellkopf served as president until 1933. In 1945, when several of the operating companies of the western division of Niagara Hudson were consolidated into the Buffalo Niagara Electric Corporation, he became chairman of the board. He was a director of Niagara Hudson Power Company, the

Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power Company John Joseph Albright (1 January 1848 Buchanan, Virginia – 20 August 1931 Buffalo, New York) was a businessman and philanthropist, and one of Buffalo's leading socialites at the turn of the 20th century. Early life Albright was born on January ...

, the New York Power and Light Company, the Buffalo General Electric Light Company, the Central Hudson Energy Group, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation, the Tonawanda Power Company, the

Eastern States Power Company Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

, the Lower Niagara River Water Supply and Power Company, and the Canadian Niagara Power Company, Ltd.

Other business ventures

He was also chairman of the board of the Power City Bank in Niagara Falls and president of the Niagara Junction Railway Company, the Lewiston Heights Company, the Gluck Realty Company, the Cliff Paper Company, the Niagara Falls Milling Company, the Frontier Corporation, and the St. Lawrence Security Corporation. He was a director of the Marine Midland Corporation, the

United States Battery Corporation United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, the Remington-Rand Company, Manufacturers and Traders-Peoples Trust Company, Niagara Falls Hotel Corporation, and Niagara Associated Investors, Inc. He was also a trustee of the Niagara County Savings Bank, the Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital, the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, the Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission, and chairman of the Niagara Frontier Bridge Commission. Schoellkopf, along with

Frank A. Dudley Frank Alonzo Dudley (January 30, 1864 – September 21, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston He ...

and Afred W. Gray, financed the "Lewiston Heights" neighborhood, part of which was transferred to the

Niagara Falls Country Club The Niagara Falls Country Club, located at 505 Mountain View Drive, is an exclusive country club and golf course located in the ''Lewiston Heights'' neighborhood of Lewiston, New York, just outside Niagara Falls, New York. History The Niagara Fa ...

for their move to Lewiston. At one time Schoellkopf,

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

, and

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

owned all the land at "Lewiston Heights." Both Dudley and Schoellkopf built mansions on the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

(Dudley at 551 Mountain View and Schoellkopf at 583 Mountain View).

Personal life

Schoellkopf had two children: *Jasmin (Schoellkopf) Boissier (1913–2008), who married Andre Boissier *Paul A. Schoellkopf Jr. (1916-2000), who married Jane F. Murray During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Schoellkopf was a member of the

State Defense Council The State Defense Council is the military command committee of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI), established by the separatist government of Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1992. The State Defense Committee was established in a combined emergency sessio ...

. He was a director of the Buffalo Museum of Natural History and a trustee of

. In 1914, with other members of his family, he donated the funds to complete

Schoellkopf Field Schoellkopf Field is a 21,500-capacity stadium at Cornell University's Ithaca campus that opened in 1915 and is used for the Cornell Big Red football, sprint football and lacrosse teams. It is located just north of Cascadilla Creek on the southe ...

and built the original

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

in memory of

Henry Schoellkopf Henry Schoellkopf (December 14, 1879 – December 5, 1912) was an American football player and coach. He was selected as an All-American fullback while attending Harvard Law School in 1903. He was the head coach of the Cornell Big Red footba ...

at Cornell. Schoellkopf died, aged 63, at

Buffalo General Hospital John R. Oishei Children's Hospital (viewed from Ellicott Street in 2017) Kaleida Health, founded in 1998, is a not-for-profit healthcare network that manages five hospitals in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. Prior to the merger of ...

on September 30, 1947. At his death, the gross value of his estate was $2,552,734 () and the net value was $2,460,634 (). The principal beneficiaries were his wife and his two children.

Philanthropy and legacy

DeVeaux School Historic District Shoellkopf Hall Year Built

"Schoellkopf Hall" at the DeVeaux School (now

De Veaux Woods State Park De Veaux Woods State Park is a state park located in Niagara County, New York, USA. The park is located off the Niagara Scenic Parkway, north of the City of Niagara Falls. It is adjacent to Whirlpool State Park. History The park's land was ...

) was named for Schoellkopf, and the

Schoellkopf Geological Museum The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, also known as the Schoellkopf Geological Museum, is on the American side of Niagara Falls within Niagara Falls State Park and the city of Niagara Falls, New York. It opened in 1971. Its role is to showcase the na ...

(now the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center) was so named because it was built on the site of the former Schoellkopf Power Plant that fell into the

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the ed ...

in 1956.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoellkopf, Paul A. 1884 births 1947 deaths American business executives Cornell University alumni Schoellkopf family