John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
man,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and
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 ...
.
Life
![Guggenheim Hall, CU Boulder quad, ca, 1911](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Guggenheim_Hall%2C_CU_Boulder_quad%2C_ca%2C_1911.png)
Born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
descent,
Simon Guggenheim was the son of
Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara Guggenheim, and was the younger brother of
Daniel Guggenheim
Daniel Guggenheim (July 9, 1856 – September 28, 1930) was an American mining magnate and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer and Barbara Guggenheim. By 1910 he directed the world's most important group of mining interests. He was forced out ...
and
Solomon R. Guggenheim
Solomon Robert Guggenheim (February 2, 1861 – November 3, 1949) was an American businessman and art collector. He is best known for establishing the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
Guggen ...
. He attended
Central High School and the
Peirce School of Business Administration before settling in
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...
, where he worked as the chief ore buyer for his father's mining and smelting operation,
M. Guggenheim's Sons.
Guggenheim moved to
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 1892 and married Olga Hirsch on November 24, 1898, at the iconic
Waldorf Astoria New York
The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. To celebrate their marriage, the Guggenheims provided a Thanksgiving dinner to 5,000 poor Manhattan children.
He was the Republican candidate for Governor of Colorado early in the 1898 campaign but withdrew after riots broke out at the State Convention in Colorado Springs, during which one man was killed and several injured.
He was a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
in
1904.
Simon and Olga Guggenheim made their residence in Denver and celebrated the birth of their first child,
John Simon Guggenheim
John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist.
Life
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of Jewish descent, Simon Guggenheim was the son of Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara G ...
, in 1905. To commemorate the event, Simon Guggenheim made an $80,000 donation () to the
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...
to build a namesake building, Simon Guggenheim Hall. At the time, it was the largest private grant ever made to a state institution.
In 1907, Olga gave birth to their second son,
George Denver Guggenheim
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
. In 1909, Simon donated a Law Building at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
. In 1907, Simon Guggenheim was elected as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, representing Colorado from 1907 to 1913. During his term in the Senate, he chaired the
Committee to Establish a University of the United States, and the
Committee on the Philippines The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to ...
. While in Congress, one of his older brothers,
Benjamin Guggenheim
Benjamin Guggenheim (October 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman. He died aboard when the ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. His body was never recovered.
Early life
Guggenheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, t ...
, died in the
RMS ''Titanic'' catastrophe. After his term expired, he and Olga returned to New York.
He joined the board of
American Smelting and Refining Company, later becoming the board chairman. From 1919 to 1941 he was president of that company.
In 1922, Guggenheim's son John died of
mastoiditis
Mastoiditis is the result of an infection that extends to the air cells of the skull behind the ear. Specifically, it is an inflammation of the mucosal lining of the mastoid antrum and mastoid air cell system inside the mastoid process. The ma ...
just before leaving for college.
In his memory, Guggenheim and his wife established the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been ...
in 1925.
In 1939, the Guggenheims' second son, George, committed suicide in a Manhattan hotel at the age of 32.
Simon Guggenheim died in 1941 and was interred in the
Woodlawn Cemetery in
The Bronx, New York
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York ...
.
See also
*
Guggenheim family
The Guggenheim family ( ) is an American-Jewish family known for making their fortune in the mining industry, in the early 20th century, especially in the United States and South America. After World War I, many family members withdrew from th ...
*
Meyer Guggenheim
*
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been ...
*
List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
References
External links
"How We Got Guggenheim Hall" Simon Guggenheim's donation and its backstory, CU Alumni Magazine, Feb. 1, 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guggenheim, Simon
1867 births
1941 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
American people of Swiss-Jewish descent
American philanthropists
Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni
Colorado Republicans
Simon Guggenheim
John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist.
Life
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of Jewish descent, Simon Guggenheim was the son of Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara G ...
Jewish American philanthropists
Jewish United States senators
New York (state) Republicans
Politicians from Philadelphia
Republican Party United States senators from Colorado
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)
Jewish American people in Colorado politics
1904 United States presidential electors
American businesspeople in metals