Philanthropy Spencer Trask

1 philanthropy

1.1 arts
1.2 education
1.3 national armenian relief committee
1.4 other organizations

philanthropy

trask committed civic duty, public service, , philanthropy.

arts

trask dedicated arts. in lifetime president of national arts club, patron , member of municipal art society of new york, , metropolitan museum of art. @ time of death, trask s wealth had been diminished own generosity.

education

spencer trask founder , chairman of board of trustees teachers college, school of pedagogy of columbia university. actively interested in kindergarten association, , many years closely identified general theological seminary.

trask founded public lecture series @ alma mater, princeton university in 1891, purpose of securing services of eminent men deliver public lectures before university on subjects of special interest . on years, lecturers have included niels bohr on structure of atom (1923–1924); arnold j. toynbee on near eastern affairs (1925–1926); t. s. eliot on bible , english literature , (1932–1933); bertrand russell on mind , matter (1950–1951); , margaret mead on changing american character (1975–1976).

national armenian relief committee

in 1890s, trask led have called first international human rights movement in american history in response hamidian massacres. in new york began local committee aid armenians grew national armenian relief committee. board included of powerful men in united states, including supreme court justice david josiah brewer, railroad executive chauncey depew, wall street banker jacob schiff, , church leaders dr. leonard woolsey bacon , reverend fredrick d. greene. relief committee recruited clara barton take red cross relief teams out of country first time, armenian provinces.

by end of year-long drive, americans raised more $300,000. in 1896, thanksgiving appeal launched nationwide, , americans st. paul san francisco boston gave sending money armenian widows , orphans of massacres. citizens of st. paul boycotted buying turkey , gave thanksgiving food money cause.

other organizations

throughout life, trask took prominent part in municipal reform , local politics, in connection gold democrats. member of union league, grolier club, , national arts club of new york.