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Richard Lounsbery (born in
Lounsbery was born in
Richard Lounsbery (born in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1882, died 1967) was an American businessman. The Richard Lounsbery Foundation
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation is a philanthropic organization in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1959, to enhance national strengths in science and technology (in the United States) and to foster strong Franco-American cooperation. To this ...
was set up with his family's wealth.
Early life
Lounsbery was born in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1882 into an affluent family. His father, Richard P. Lounsbery, was mostly from an English origin family which came to America during colonial times. His mother, Edith Hunter Haggin, was of Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
origin through her great-grandfather, Ibrahim Ben Ali
Ibrahim ben Ali ( tr, Ali oğlu İbrahim) or after baptism Ibraham Adam Ben Ali (1756–1800), was an Ottoman-Turkish soldier and physician who first drew notice as a convert-friend of the Dublin Methodist theologian Adam Clarke, and after spen ...
, a doctor who migrated from Turkey to the United States after the Russo-Turkish war. The Lounsbery family's wealth derived from the extensive business activities of Edith's father, James Ben Ali Haggin
James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 12, 1914) was an American
attorney, rancher, investor, art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the Cal ...
, who helped to solidify the United States position in the copper industry and played a role in developing California farmland and implementing legislation controlling the state's water rights.
Lounsbery attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
, and graduated from 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 ...
in 1906. He then joined the Haggin family business and extended activities into new areas such as importing silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
from Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Upon his father's death in 1912, Lounsbery decided to change fields and joined the investment firm of J. B. Harris and Company.
After serving in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
as an Army lieutenant during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Lounsbery decided to stay there to study art.
Personal life
Lounsbery married Vera Victoroff, a Russian refugee inParis
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, in 1928.
He was the cousin of the painter Ben Ali Haggin
James Ben Ali Haggin III (20 April 1882 – 2 September 1951) was an American portrait painter and stage designer.
Life
A grandson of the multi-millionaire James Ben Ali Haggin, he was born in New York City. After extensive education, he began ...
.
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation
Today, theRichard Lounsbery Foundation
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation is a philanthropic organization in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1959, to enhance national strengths in science and technology (in the United States) and to foster strong Franco-American cooperation. To this ...
is a philanthropic
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
organization which supports novel research projects, science education, and key scientific policy issues through seed money
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...
or partial support. It distributes a total of about $2.5 million each year, mostly in grants of $25,000–$100,000. The foundation takes a special interest in cooperative activities between French and American scholars.
See also
*Richard Lounsbery Award
The Richard Lounsbery Award is given to American and French scientists, 45 years or younger, in recognition of "extraordinary scientific achievement in biology and medicine."
The Award alternates between French and American scientists, and is aw ...
*Haggin Museum
The Haggin Museum is an art museum and local history museum in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, located in the city's Victory Park. The museum opened in 1931. Its art collection includes works by European painters Jean Béraud, Rosa Bonh ...
References