William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an Irish-American politician, the first
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
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 ...
, and the founder of
W. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Co. is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes catalysts and related products and technologies ...
.
Early life
Grace was born in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in Riverstown near the
Cove of Cork
Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour a ...
to James Grace and Eleanor May Russell (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Ellen) while the family was away from home, and raised on Grace property at Ballylinan in Queens (now Laois) County near the town of
Athy. He was a member of a prominent and well-to-do family who lived for a period at Brooklawn House on Love Lane (now Donore Avenue). In 1846, Grace sailed for New York against the wishes of his father, and worked as a printer's devil and a shoemaker's helper before returning to Ireland in 1848. For a period he attended
Belvedere College
Belvedere College S.J. (sometimes St Francis Xavier's College) is a voluntary secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school has numerous alumni in the arts, politics, sports, science, and business.
History
Belvedere owes its origin ...
before again leaving school.
His nephew,
Cecil Grace
Cecil Stanley Grace (1880 – 22 December 1910) was a pioneer aviator who went missing on a flight across the English Channel in 1910.
Family
Grace was born in Chile, the son of John William Grace of New York. His uncle was W. R. Grace, a ...
, attempted a crossing of the English Channel in December 1910 in an airplane, flying from Dover to Calais. However, in coming back he became
disoriented and over Dover flew northeast over the
Goodwin Sands
Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Upper Chalk platform belonging to the same geologi ...
toward the North Sea and was lost.
Career
William and his father, James Grace, traveled to
Callao, Peru
Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole C ...
, in 1851, seeking to establish an Irish agricultural community. James returned home but William remained, where he began work with the firm of John Bryce and Co., as a
ship chandler
A ship chandler is a retail dealer who specializes in providing supplies or equipment for ships.
Synopsis
For traditional sailing ships, items that could be found in a chandlery
include sail-cloth, rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch, linseed oil, ...
.
In 1854, the company was renamed Bryce, Grace & Company, in 1865, to Grace Brothers & Co., and then
W. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Co. is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes catalysts and related products and technologies ...
.
Reform politics
Opposing the famous
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...
, Grace was elected as the first Irish American Catholic mayor of
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 1880. He conducted a reform administration attacking police scandals, patronage and organized vice; reduced the tax rate, and broke up the
Louisiana Lottery. Defeated in the following election, he was re-elected in 1884 on an Independent ticket but lost again the following time. During his second term, Grace received the
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
as a gift from
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 ...
.
Philanthropy
Grace was a renowned philanthropist and humanitarian, at one point contributing a quarter of the aid delivered to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
aboard the
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
''Constellation'' during the
Irish Famine of 1879. In 1897, he and his brother,
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, founded the
Grace Institute for the education of women, especially immigrants.
Personal life
On September 11, 1859, William was married to Lillius Gilchrist (1839–1922), the daughter of George W. Gilchrist, a prominent ship builder of
Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston (formerly known as Fort St. Georges, Fort Wharf, Lincoln) is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,739 at the 2020 census. Noted for its antique architecture, Thomaston is an old port popular with tourists ...
, and Mary Jane (née Smalley) Gilchrest. Together, William and Lillius had eleven children, including:
* Alice Gertrude Grace (born in South America, June 11, 1860), who married the New York architect
Albert D'Oench
Albert F. D'Oench (December 25, 1852 – July 20, 1918) was an architect of office buildings and Superintendent of Buildings in New York City. During his career, he had two partnerships, first D'Oench and Simon with Bernhard Simon. Later in h ...
in 1901.
* Florence F. Grace (born in South America, September 20, 1861; died September 27, 1861).
* Lilius Clemintina Grace (born in South America, October 24, 1864; died in Ireland, June 26, 1866).
* Agnes Isadora Grace (born in Brooklyn, N.Y., April 4, 1867; died in New York City, March 8, 1884).
* Mary Augusta Grace (born in Brooklyn, September 2, 1868; died there February 16, 1870).
* Lilius Annie Grace (born in Brooklyn, September 1, 1870; died there August 30, 1871).
*
Joseph Peter Grace (born at
Great Neck, N.Y., June 29, 1872; died there July 15, 1950).
* Lilias Juanita Grace (born in New York City, March 30, 1874), who married George Edward Kent on July 12, 1898.
* Louisa Nathalie Grace (born in New York City, December 23, 1875).
* William Russell Grace, Jr. (born April 11, 1878; died in
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the Sout ...
, March 31, 1943).
* Caroline S. Grace (born April 22, 1879; died April 21, 1882).
Grace died on March 21, 1904 at his residence, 31
East 79th Street, 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 ...
.
His funeral was held at the
Church of St. Francis Xavier on West 16th Street and he was buried at the
Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn.
His estate was valued at $25,000,000.
See also
*
W. R. Grace and Company
W. R. Grace and Co. is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes catalysts and related products and technologies ...
References
External links
*
William R. Graceat the Catholic Encyclopedia.
*Clayton, Lawrence A
in ''Irish Migration Studies in Latin America'' 4:4 October 2006 (www.irlandeses.org).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grace, William R.
1832 births
1904 deaths
American manufacturing businesspeople
American Roman Catholics
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn
Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)
Mayors of New York City
Politicians from County Laois
Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
19th-century American businesspeople
People educated at Belvedere College