This article is about the descendants of the American philanthropist, Henry Phipps. For other notable Phipps families, seePhipps (surname). For the country music group of the same name, seePhipps Family.
ThePhipps family of theUnited States is a prominent American family that descends fromHenry Phipps Jr. (1839–1930), a businessman and philanthropist. His father was anEnglishshoemaker who immigrated in the early part of the 19th century toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, before settling inPittsburgh. Phipps grew up withAndrew Carnegie as a friend and neighbor. As an adult, he was Carnegie's business partner in theCarnegie Steel Company and became a very wealthy man. He was the company's second-largest shareholder and also invested inreal estate.
After selling his stock in Carnegie Steel, Phipps became a leading advocate of housing for the poor and a majorphilanthropist. He embraced the principle that those who have achieved great wealth should give back for the public good and create institutions dedicated to that purpose. Phipps and his wife Anne had five children: Amy, John S., Helen, Henry Carnegie, and Howard.
In 1907, Phipps established theBessemer Trust Company to manage his substantial assets that would be shared by his offspring following his death. Phipps was also one of the pioneer investors inFlorida real estate. At one time, he and his family owned one-third of the town ofPalm Beach, 28 miles of oceanfront between Palm Beach andFort Lauderdale, prime bayfront property in downtownMiami, and 75 square miles of land inMartin County. The Phipps family donated to the town of Palm Beach one of the most significant gifts in county history: an ocean-to-lake frontage property that is now known as Phipps Park. Another contribution was thePhipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh.
The Phipps family owned country estates inOld Westbury, New York, on theGold Coast, the stretch of land on the North Shore ofLong Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America.
Phipps built a mansion on 115 acres inLake Success, New York (also on the Gold Coast), which he used from its completion in 1919 until his death in 1930. DuringWorld War II, John Phipps and his wife Margarita arranged for the home to be used to house British evacuees. In 1949, the family donated the property to theGreat Neck School District. The mansion was converted into the administration building for the district, andGreat Neck South High School and South Middle School were built on the site.[1]
By 1974, Bessemer Trust Company developed an expertise inwealth management that allowed it to take on other clients through the creation of a nationalbank headquartered inNew York City. Phipps' grandchildren, from his sonJohn S. Phipps, donated to the public the Westbury House estate that is now known asOld Westbury Gardens.
Henry Phipps Jr. (1839-1930), owner of Bonnie Blink, Lake Success
Lawrence C. Phipps (1862-1958), nephew of Henry W., United States Senator from Colorado.
Amy Phipps Guest (1872-1959), daughter of Henry W. Phipps Jr., owner of Templeton, Old Westbury and Villa Artemis, Palm Beach, sponsor ofAmelia Earhart
John Shaffer Phipps (1874-1958), oldest son of Henry W. Phipps Jr., owner of Westbury House, Old Westbury and Casa Bendita, Palm Beach
Helen Phipps Martin (1876-1934), daughter of Henry W. Phipps Jr., owner of Knole, Old Westbury
Henry Carnegie Phipps (1879-1953), son of Henry W. Phipps Jr., owner of Spring Hill, Old Westbury and Heamaw, Palm Beach
Howard Phipps (1881-1981), son of Henry W. Phipps Jr., owner of Erchless, Old Westbury
Diana Henrietta Cornelia Guest (1909–1994) ∞ (1) Marc Sevastopoulo in 1934, div.; ∞ (2)Count Jean de Gaillard de la Valdène (1895–1977) in 1943, div.; (3) Allen Manning in 1970
Diane Lorraine Sevastopoulo (b. 1935) ∞ (1) Pierre Firmin-Didot in 1955 ∞ (2) Arthur Peter Perkins in 1967
Isabelle Marie Firmin-Didot (b. 1962)
Christine Aimée Firmin-Didot (b. 1963) ∞ Antonio Bulridge in 1987
Guy Winston de Gaillard de la Valdène (b. 1944) ∞ Thérèse Anderson in 1965
Valery Elaine de la Valdène (1966–2014)
Jean Pierre de la Valdène (b. 1967)
Lorraine Aimee de Gaillard de la Valdène (b. 1946) ∞ Christian Odasso in 1978
^Gompers, Paul; Lerner, Josh (2010). "Chapter 8: Equity Financing". In Acs, Zoltan J.; Audretsch, David B. (eds.).Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research: An Interdisciplinary Survey and Introduction. Springer. p. 184.ISBN978-1-4419-1191-9.
^U.S. Federal Trade Commission (1928).Utility Corporations: Letters from the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Transmitting, in Response to Senate Resolution No. 83, 70th Congress, a Monthly Report on the Electric Power and Gas Utilities Inquiry (Issues 31-32) (Report). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 941. Retrieved2023-02-26."The Henry C. Phipps interests held the largest numbers of voting stocks of the International Paper & Power Co. in 1930, also the same interests held the largest number of shares of common stock of the New England Co. before it was reorganized into the New England Power Association in 1926.....¶ The International Paper & Power Co. controlled the International Hydro-Electric System by ownership directly or indirectly of more than 95 percent of the voting stocks. The International Hydro-Electric System controlled 87.55 percent of the common stock of the New England Power Association, thus controlling that company."
^Murray, Mary (2016-05-06). "The Creativity Gene".Palm Beach Illustrated. Palm Beach Media Group. p. 62.
^Meredith, Mark (2018-11-06)."OLD WESTBURY GARDENS. Westbury, Nassau County, New York".HouseHistree. Retrieved2023-02-25.During the Second World War Mrs [Margaret Grace] Phipps invited 30 British children to live with them at the mansion. Jay survived his wife by one year, dying in 1958 and having contemplated the future of the estate in the rose garden, their daughter, Peggy Boegner (1906-2006), decided to open it to the public and with her siblings established The J.S. Phipps Foundation in order to preserve the estate for prosperity.
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