William Russell Grace

William R. Grace
William R. Grace, as Mayor of New York City
Born	May 10, 1832 Ballylinan, County Laois, Ireland
Died	March 21, 1904 New York City, New York, United States
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn
Residence	31 E. Seventy-ninth St., New York City
Occupation	Businessman, politician, philanthropist
Known for	Mayor of New York City, Founding co-benefactor of the Grace Institute
Board member of	W. R. Grace and Company, Grace Brothers & Co.
Religious beliefs	Roman Catholic
Spouse(s)	Lillius Gilchrist
Children	Joseph Peter, Willliam Russell Jr., Alice, Lily, Louise
Parents	James Grace & Ellen Russell
Relatives	Siblings: Michael Paul, John W.

William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832, Ballylinan, County Laois, Ireland – March 21, 1904, New York) was the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company.

Business

This section requires expansion.

Born into a family of wealth, he began his business career in Peru, where he was a partner with the firm of John Bryce, ship chandlers, later to become Grace Brothers & Co. headquartered in London, England, and then W. R. Grace and Company.

Philanthropy

William Russell Grace was a renowned philanthropist and humanitarian, at one point contributing a quarter of the aid delivered to Ireland aboard the steamship Constellation during the famine of the later 1870s^[1]. In 1897, he and his brother, Michael, founded the Grace Institute for the education of women, especially immigrants.

Reform politics

Opposing the famous Tammany Hall, Grace was elected as the first Irish American Catholic mayor of New York City in 1880^[2]. He conducted a reform administration attacking police scandals, patronage and organized vice; reduced the tax rate and broke up the Louisiana Lottery. Defeated the following year, he was re-elected in 1884 on an Independent ticket but lost again the following year^[3]. During his second term, Grace received the Statue of Liberty as a gift from France.

See also

• W. R. Grace and Company

Nephew

His Nephew Cecil Grace attempted a crossing of the English Channel in December 1910 in a aeroplane. He flew from Dover to Calais. However in coming back he became disoriented and over Dover flew northeast over the Goodwin Sands toward the North Sea and was lost,^[4]

References

• March 26, 1904 New York Times article on the estate of William Russell Grace

Biography

• Marquis James, Merchant Adventurer: The Story of W. R. Grace, Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources (1993) ISBN 0842024441

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Clayton, Lawrence A. [1] "Grace, William Russell (1832-1904), merchant" in Irish Migration Studies in Latin America 4:4 October 2006 (www.irlandeses.org).
• Biography from www.irishmidlandsancestry.com
• March 22, 1904 New York Times article titled "William R. Grace's career"

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