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Irving B. Harris (August 4, 1910 – September 25, 2004) was an American businessman and
Born and raised in
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Web site
Erikson Institute Web site
Irving Harris Bio
WHI Family Office Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Irving 1910 births 2004 deaths Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota Yale University alumni 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople
philanthropist
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 ...
. With his brother Neison, he co-founded the Toni Home Permanent Company, which was sold to the Gillette Safety Razor Co. in January 1948 for $12.6 million. The original Toni manufacturing facility was located in a former schoolhouse near Forest Lake, Minnesota
Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, located 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census. The 2021 population is 20,608.
History
Forest Lake began as a stop on the St. Paul ...
.
Early life
Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
, Harris did much of his charitable work in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, but he also donated substantially to the arts in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Moun ...
. Harris contributed most of his money to programs for children and the arts such as the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance. He attended Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
and graduated Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
in 1931.
Philanthropy
In 1986, Harris gave a donation that established The Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at TheUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. Mr. Harris gave the lead gift in 1954 to create public television station WTTW
WTTW (channel 11) is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT (98.7 FM). T ...
in Chicago - he later served as the station's Chairman of the Board.
His philanthropy created several non-profits in Chicago - Family Focus (with Bernice Weissbourd
Bernice may refer to:
Places In the United States
* Bernice, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Bernice, Louisiana, a town
* Bernice, Nevada, a ghost town
* Bernice, Oklahoma, a town
* Bernice Coalfield, a coalfield in Sullivan County, Pennsy ...
) and the Ounce of Prevention Fund are "children" of Irving Harris, as is Erikson Institute, the graduate school in child development he helped found in 1966.
Personal life
Harris published a book, ''Children in Jeopardy,'' in 1996. Harris had a wife named Joan; two daughters, Roxanne Harris Frank and Virginia Harris Polsky, as well as a son, William Harris. Harris is also the grandfather of notedNew 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 ...
restaurateur Danny Meyer
Daniel Meyer (born March 14, 1958) is a New York City restaurateur and the Founder & Executive Chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG).
Background and early career
Meyer was born and raised in a reform Jewish family in St. Louis, ...
, son of Roxanne Harris Frank.
See also
*Harris School of Public Policy
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, also referred to as "Harris Public Policy," is the public policy school of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located on the University's main campus in ...
* Pritzker family
* James Crown
James Schine Crown (born June 25, 1953) is an American businessman and heir. He is president of Henry Crown and Company, a family investment company. He is a director of JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Dynamics and Sara Lee. He is also the mana ...
* David G. Booth
References
External links
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Web site
Erikson Institute Web site
Irving Harris Bio
WHI Family Office Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Irving 1910 births 2004 deaths Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota Yale University alumni 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople