William Henry Baldwin Jr.
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William Henry Baldwin Jr. (February 5, 1863 – January 3, 1905) was an American railroad executive and philanthropist. He was president of the
Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...
. and was instrumental in establishing African American industrial education by securing donations from Northern industrial magnates. In 1894, he became a trustee of
Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...
and worked with
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
.Brooks, John Graham, "An American Citizen: Life of William Henry Baldwin Jr." (Houghton Mifflin, 1910).


Early life

Baldwin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of a prominent Bostonian and philanthropist, William Henry Baldwin Sr. He graduated from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1885 and studied law there for a year afterward.


Railroad career

Baldwin's railroad career began through an invitation from Charles Francis Adams, president of the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
. Rather than completing law school, Baldwin started as an auditor's clerk in the
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
office. He rose successively to a general agent for the
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
territory, assistant general freight agent for Union Pacific, and manager of the railroad's
Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...
, division. In 1891, Baldwin found employment with Flint and
Pere Marquette Railway The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections in ...
, where he remained for two years. He then became the third vice president of the Southern Railway system. One of his challenges was the reorganization of the
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
and Danville railway lines, enabling Southern to avoid bankruptcy. In a couple of years he was promoted to second vice president and general traffic manager. In 1896, the directors of the
Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...
recruited Baldwin as president, replacing
Austin Corbin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
who had died. The Long Island Rail Road grew significantly under his leadership. Because of his efforts, Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn was resurfaced at the cost of $2,500,000. By eliminating around 100 grade crossings, this project made the train ride from Long Island to New York City 30 minutes quicker. When the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
acquired the Long Island Rail Road, Baldwin continued as president of the LLRR.


African American education

Baldwin was an original trustee of the Southern Education Board and became the first president of the General Education Board in 1902. In 1894, he became a trustee of
Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...
where he became "the intimate friend of
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, and on of his ablest, wisest and most faithful supporters." Baldwin's efforts at Tuskegee were considered so important that during the 25th-anniversary ceremonies his name was inscribed onto the lawn in letters several feet long, along with those of
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
and President
William Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pre ...
.


Residence

In 1904, the new Baldwin home in
Locust Valley Locust Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2010 census. History The rollin ...
, Long Island was featured in ''Architects' & Builders' Magazine''. This large, two-story house was designed by noted architect
Bradford Lee Gilbert Bradford Lee Gilbert (March 24, 1853 – September 1, 1911) was a nationally active American architect based in New York City. He is known for designing the Tower Building in 1889, the first steel-framed building anywhere and the first skysc ...
who also designed railroad stations for Baldwin. Described as "a simple type of New England Colonial architecture," the house was fabricated in cement with wood trim and a cypress shingle roof that was stained red. The Baldwin's home was located on a hill that overlooked
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
and was near the golf courses of the Nassau Club. According to the article, "The rooms are large and commodious, and yet perfectly simple and dignified in their treatment and style." The house included six bedrooms and three bathrooms for the family on the second floor, as well as two guestrooms on the main level. Gilbert cleverly hid the water tank in a turret and positioned the house so the porches caught the summer's southwesterly breezes; he then placed the kitchen after the porches so the same breeze would carry away kitchen odors. Other features of the property include an elevator, a greenhouse, a stable, and a caretaker's cottage. A photo included in the article, shows that the Baldwin home had extensive grounds, .


Personal

On October 30, 1889, Baldwin married Ruth Standish Bowles of
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
, daughter of the Samuel Bowles, editor and owner of the
Springfield Republican ''The Republican'' is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts covering news in the Greater Springfield area, as well as national news and pieces from Boston, Worcester and northern Connecticut. It is owned by Newhouse Newspapers, a ...
.John Graham Brooks, ''An American Citizen: The Life of William Henry Baldwin, Jr.'', (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1910

/ref> They had three children: Ruth Standish Baldwin (born August 8, 1890, William Henry Baldwin III (born September 17, 1891), and Mary Chaffee Baldwin (1896–1897). Mrs. Baldwin joined him in his work for African American education and was one of the founders of the
National Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
in 1910. Their daughter Ruth married the landscape painter
John Fulton Folinsbee John Fulton "Jack" Folinsbee (March 14, 1892 – May 10, 1972) was an American landscape, marine and portrait painter, and a member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his impressionist scenes of New Hope a ...
. Baldwin died of
intestinal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
at his home in Locust Valley. in 1905. He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Boston following a private funeral in
Glen Cove, New York Glen Cove is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island. At the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 28,365 as of th ...
. His memorial service was attended by many notables of the day, including
William K. Vanderbilt William Kissam "Willie" Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kiss ...
and Andrew Carnegie. After his death the ferries operated by the Long Island Railroad flew their flags at half mast and the principal stations on the road were draped in black for several days."Thousands Pay Tribute to William H. Baldwin,"
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
, January 12, 1905


Reference

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, William Henry Jr. 19th-century American railroad executives Businesspeople from Boston 1863 births 1905 deaths Harvard University alumni People from Locust Valley, New York Union Pacific Railroad people Southern Railway (U.S.) Long Island Rail Road people People from Boston