Stephen Birch (1873–1950) was the President of the
Kennecott Copper Company
Kennecott Utah Copper LLC (KUC), a division of Rio Tinto Group, is a mining, smelting, and refining company. Its corporate headquarters are located in South Jordan, Utah. Kennecott operates the Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open-pit ...
.
Early life
Birch 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 ...
on March 24, 1873.
He was the second son out of six children. His father was a
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
sergeant who died when Stephen was only ten years old. Three years after her husband's death, Stephen's mother moved her six children from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
to
Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the township was 25,487, a decline of 403 from the 25,890 counted in the ...
to be near relatives.
[Elizabeth A. Tower, ''Ghosts of Kennecott: The Story of Stephen Birch'' (Anchorage: Roundtree, 1990).] The young Birches quickly became friends with the children of their neighbors,
Theodore Havemeyer
Theodore Augustus Havemeyer (May 17, 1839 – April 26, 1897) was an American businessman who was the first president of the U.S. Golf Association and co-founder of the Newport Country Club, host to both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. ...
, the vice-president of
American Sugar Refining Company
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, and his wife Lillie. "Mrs. Havemeyer took a special interest in young Stephen providing financial assistance for his education at Trinity School,
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, and
Columbia School of Mines
The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (popularly known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; previously known as Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as t ...
."
He received his M.E. from
Columbia in 1898.
Career
"At the peak of the Klondike gold rush in 1898, Stephen announced that he wanted to go to
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
rather than continue working with an engineering team that was surveying for the
New York City subway system."
While many of his friends and relatives did not take him seriously, Mrs. Havemeyer offered to pay for his trip to Valdez, a newly established city named "the port for an All American route to Alaska's interior."
Because of Mrs. Havemeyer's kind gesture, Birch was able to travel to Valdez in the summer of 1898. He quickly made a name for himself in the mining industry and found his wealth in copper up in the
Wrangell Mountains
The Wrangell Mountains are a high mountain range of eastern Alaska in the United States. Much of the range is included in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. The Wrangell Mountains are almost entirely volcanic in origin, and they i ...
, the future site of
Kennecott, Alaska
Kennecott, also known as Kennicott and Kennecott Mines, is an abandoned mining camp in the Copper River Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska that was the center of activity for several copper mines. It is located beside the Kennicott Glaci ...
. In Alaska, he examined a vastly rich copper deposit in the
Copper River Copper River may refer to several places:
*Copper River (Alaska), in the United States
* Copper River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (afte ...
region. "He bought 21 claims and consolidated them in 1903 as the Alaska Copper and Coal Company. Equipment and supplies had to be hauled in by boat and horse team to the remote site at the base of the
Kennicott Glacier
Kennicott Glacier is a glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends southeast from Mount Blackburn to its terminus at the head of the Kennicott River in the Wrangell Mountains. It is located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park near the smal ...
."
[National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, "Mining Hall of Fame Inductees Database: Stephen Birch,]
(accessed November 5, 2010). In need of proper resources, Birch formed an organization and sought out the help 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 J.P Morgan. It became known as Kennecott Mining Company with offices in New York City and Birch as Managing Director.
In 1915 Birch had full power and became President of the reorganized Kennecott Copper Company. "As resources were depleted at the Alaska Mines, which closed in 1938, Birch led the diversification into related products and alternate sources of copper in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, and
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
."
"Under his direction, Kennecott Copper experienced impressive growth. In 1915, the firm had 450 employees and $11 million in sales."
Stephen Birch resigned as President of the Kennecott Copper Company in 1933 and was replaced by E.T Stannard. "Birch continued as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. In addition to his positions with Kennecott, Birch was president and director of the Alaska Steamship Company, chairman of the board of directors of the Braden Copper Company, and a director of the Alaska Development and Mineral Company, the Banker's Trust company of New York, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, the Colorado and Southern Railway Company and the Northern Pacific Railway Company."
"At his death, Kennecott held nearly 15 percent of the world's known copper resources and was the largest copper producer in the United States."
Also, in the year of his death, "the company employed 28,872 employees and had sales of $177,250,036."
Kennecott Copper Company's original location in Alaska is now frequently referred to as a "ghost town" and is a tourist attraction. The buildings and mills are still standing but remain untouched, as the company's Alaska location closed down many years ago.
Birch is positively renowned for his successful business ventures and has received various honors such as being inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame and being named among the 20th Century American Leaders by
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
.
Personal life
Birch married Mary C. Rand in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
on June 24, 1916. His best man was longtime friend,
Henry O. Havemeyer
Henry Osborne Havemeyer (October 18, 1847 – December 4, 1907) was an American industrialist, entrepreneur and sugar refiner who founded and became president of the American Sugar Refining Company in 1891.
Havemeyer was the third generation of h ...
. He and his wife had two children whom they named Stephen and Mary. The Havemeyers sold their mansion and 730 acres of their estate to Birch and the York Room was added to the mansion for his daughter Mary and her husband in the 1920s. He lived in the mansion with his family until he died at age 68 at
Doctors Hospital on December 29, 1940. "Birch is buried at Ferncliff Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York. A stained glass window depicting Alaskan mountain scenery adorns this mausoleum."
After his death, his estate went to his son, Stephen. Stephen died in 1970 at the same time that the founders of
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college ...
were searching for land to build the school on. After visiting the land, it was decided that the Birch estate would be the new home to
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college ...
. "The final settlement on all of the Birch property was not concluded until 1972 for $3,133,000 or a little over $10,000 an acre." The Birch mansion is now used as an administration building at
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college, ...
.
Birch was said to be a very private man. During his lifetime, he avoided publicity and seldom gave interviews or had his picture taken, though he did have his portrait painted in 1911 by the Swiss-born American artist
Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Müller-Ury, KSG (March 29, 1862 – July 6, 1947) was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.
Heritage and early life in Switzerland
He was born Felice Adolfo Müller on 29 March ...
. But while he may have been mysterious, it is undeniable that he was admired. Katherine Wilson wrote for Copper Tints magazine that "Stephen Birch is personally little known. Today one of the financial powers in New York City, he shuns publicity and evades acclaim as a captain of industry. But to those who know him he is a man of deep and broad humanity, inspired in all that he does by a keen sense of his responsibility to the national welfare. With his intimates, he is a finely perceptive and generous friend, of an unshakable loyalty. Stephen Birch is an outstanding American."
Philanthropy
"In 1938 he founded the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation, Inc. to support health service, hospitals and civic organizations. It provided major funding for the Stephen
Birch Aquarium-Museum at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
, San Diego."
Even though 2010 marks the 70th anniversary of his death, his legacy still lives on through this foundation, which recently "made a $10 million contribution to Sharp HealthCare Foundation for Transforming Health Care in San Diego: the Campaign for Sharp Healthcare, the capital campaign launched in 2003 to raise funds for a new health care facility at
Sharp Memorial Hospital
Sharp Memorial Hospital is a hospital in San Diego, California, in the United States. Opened in 1955, Sharp Memorial is Sharp HealthCare's largest hospital and the system's only designated Level II trauma center. Located in Serra Mesa, the hospi ...
. In recognition of this generous gift, Sharp will name the new facility the Stephen Birch Healthcare Center at Sharp Memorial Hospital. The Birch contribution is the largest in Sharp's history and brings the total that the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation has donated to Sharp to more than $16 million."
"Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation Donates $10 Million to Sharp Healthcare Foundation"
(accessed November 5, 2010).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Stephen
1873 births
1940 deaths
19th-century American businesspeople
Columbia School of Mines alumni
New York University alumni
People from Mahwah, New Jersey
20th-century American businesspeople