Ruth Carter Stevenson (October 19, 1923 – January 6, 2013) was an American

patron of the arts Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

and founder of the

Amon Carter Museum of American Art Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American pu ...

, which opened in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, in January 1961. Stevenson was born to

Amon G. Carter Amon Giles Carter Sr. (born Giles Amon Carter; December 11, 1879 – June 23, 1955) was the creator and publisher of the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used t ...

and Nenetta Carter in

, in 1923. She was the second daughter of Carter, the creator and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of the ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...

''. She graduated from the

Madeira School The Madeira School (simply referred to as Madeira School or Madeira) is an elite, private, day and boarding college-preparatory school for girls in McLean, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1906 by Lucy Madeira Wing. History Origi ...

and then earned a chemistry degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York in 1945. Her father specified in his will that a museum specializing in Western American art to be created after his death in 1955, to house his more than 700 art objects depicting the American West, primarily paintings and sculptures by

Frederic Remington Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United Stat ...

and Charles Russell. Stevenson hired architect

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the po ...

to design the building and opened the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art in January 1961, following her father's wishes. She was the first president of the museum's board of trustees and was president at her death in 2013. Stevenson was also the first woman to be appointed to the board of directors of the National Gallery of Art in

Washington, D.C. ) , 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, ...

, and the first woman to become the chairman of that board. Along with local art enthusiasts Owen Day and Sam Cantey III, Stephenson assembled ''An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy'' which decorated the suite in the

Hotel Texas The Hilton Fort Worth is a historic hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Constructed from 1920 to 1921 as the Hotel Texas, it was designed by Sanguinet & Staats and Mauran, Russell, & Crowell, with Westlake Construction Co. as the contractor. A ...

, occupied by United States President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and Jacqueline Kennedy on the night before his assassination on November 22, 1963. Ruth Carter Stevenson died at her home in

, on January 6, 2013, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Ruth Carter 1923 births 2013 deaths Museum founders American art collectors Madeira School alumni Sarah Lawrence College alumni People from Fort Worth, Texas Amon Carter family