Charles A. Dana (philanthropist)

Charles Anderson Dana (April 25, 1881 – November 27, 1975) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist who founded the Dana Foundation and the Dana Corporation.

Charles A. Dana
Member of the New York State Assembly for the 27th District
In office
January 1, 1912 – December 31, 1912
Preceded byWalter R. Herrick
Succeeded byRaymond B. Carver
In office
January 1, 1910 – December 31, 1910
Preceded byBeverley R. Robinson
Succeeded byWalter R. Herrick
Personal details
Born
Charles Anderson Dana

(1881-04-25)April 25, 1881
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 1975(1975-01-27) (aged 93)
Wilton, Connecticut
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Agnes Ladson
​
(
m. 1912; div. 1938)

Eleanor Naylor Stafford
​
(
m. 1940; his death 1975)
RelationsCharles Anderson Dana (uncle)
Children4
ParentsLaura Parkin Dana
Charles Dana
Alma materColumbia University
Columbia Law School

Life

Dana was born in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of New York City on April 25, 1881. He was a son of Laura (née Parkin) Dana (1843–1932) and Charles Dana (1824–1906), a businessman and philanthropist originally from Brandon, Vermont, who established the first bank in Hawaii and worked with the Vanderbilt family until his retirement. He was a nephew and namesake of Charles Anderson Dana, the editor and part owner of The New York Sun.

He received a B.A. degree from Columbia University followed by a law degree from Columbia Law School.[1]

Career

After his admission to the bar, he became a prosecutor with the New York District Attorney’s Office. Dana first gained publicity for his work as assistant prosecutor under William T. Jerome during the trial of Harry Kendall Thaw, the murderer of architect Stanford White in 1907. He later became a member of the law firm of Dana, Gilford and Gallatin.[2]

Political career

Dana was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 27th D.) in 1910 and 1912. Dana allied himself with Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Theodore Roosevelt, eventually managing one of Roosevelt's campaigns. |language=en}}</ref>[3]

Business career

In 1914, Dana entered the business world, leading the Spicer Manufacturing for more than half a century and established the Dana Corporation in 1946. While representing a company that owned rights to the universal joint, the device that essentially replaced belts and chains and linked the power of an automobile engine to the rear wheels of a car, he recognized its growth potential and bought 80% of the company.[4] He also served as an officer or director of more than twenty companies,[5] Empire Trust Company, Manufacturers Trust, the Fisk Rubber Corporation and several companies in England.[1]

Personal life

In April 1912, he was married to his first wife, Agnes Ladson (1884–c. 1955), daughter of Charles T. Ladson of Atlanta. Her sister, Mrs. Frank Adair, was matron of honor and his friend, Samuel Gilford, was best man.[6] Before their divorce in April 1938, they were the parents of two children:[7]

  • Charles Anderson Dana Jr. (1915–2001),[4] who married Marion Connett Turrell in 1940.[8] They divorced and he married Eleanor (née Waters) Langhorne in 1951.[9]
  • Agnes Ladson Dana, who made her debut in 1937,[10] and married Morgan Cowperthwaite in 1939.[11][12]

His second marriage was to Eleanor (née Naylor) Stafford (1907–1982) in Texas in August 1940.[13] Eleanor, a daughter of W. H. Naylor of Carthage, Texas, was previously married to David Tarlton Stafford.[14] Together, they were the parents of two sons and two daughters, including:

  • David S. Dana
  • Ann Dana, who married lawyer Robert E. Kusch in 1961.[15]

Dana died on November 27, 1975 at Wilton, Connecticut and was buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Brandon, Vermont.[1] His widow died at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, after a long illness, in 1982.[13]

Legacy and philanthropy

He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1978. After acquiring a sizable fortune, Dana began donating large sums to hospitals and small universities, including Skidmore College, Middlebury College, Bates College, Colby College, Davidson College, and Tufts University.

In 1950 Dana founded the Dana Foundation, which originally focused on higher education, later focusing on brain science and other scientific research on human health.[16] The foundation's support for the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute resulted in it being renamed the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1983.

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References
  1. Flint, Peter B. (29 November 1975). "Charles A. Dana, Financier, Dies; Philanthropist, 94, Assisted Schools in East and South". The New York Times. p. 30. Retrieved 22 November 2018.)
  2. University, Columbia (1900). Officers and Graduates of Columbia University, Originally the College of the Province of New York Known as King's College: General Catalogue ... Columbia University. p. 603. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. Will-Weber, Mark (2014). Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking. Simon and Schuster. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-62157-243-5. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  4. "Charles A. Dana Jr. Dies at 86; Aided Diverse Causes". The New York Times. May 12, 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  5. "Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History". Tufts Digital Library. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  6. Times, Special to The New York (11 April 1912). "C.A. DANA WEDS IN ATLANTA.; New Yorker Marries Miss Agnes Ladson, Daughter of C.T. Ladson". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. "C. A. DANA IS DIVORCED; Cruelty Charged in Uncontested Action in Nevada". The New York Times. 3 April 1938. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. "Miss Marion C. Turrell Will Be Married In May to Charles A. Dana Jr. of This City". The New York Times. 11 March 1940. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  9. "MRS. LANGHORNE MARRIED; Bride of Charles A. Dana Jr. in Park Ave. Methodist Church". The New York Times. 9 November 1951. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  10. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (18 September 1937). "MISS AGNES L. DANA MAKES HER DEBUT; She Is Introduced at Dance Given by Her Parents at Bernardsville, N.J." The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  11. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (18 June 1939). "Miss Agnes Ladson Dana Wed To Morgan Cowperthwaite; Alison Green Married to Alvah Woodbury Sulloway In Outdoor Ceremony in Kind's Point, L.I." The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. "Mrs. Cowperthwaite Has Child". The New York Times. 20 May 1945. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. Thomas Jr., Robert Mcg (2 June 1982). "Eleanor Dana, 74, Philanthropist". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  14. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (2 August 1940). "C.A. DANA MARRIES MRS. E.N. STAFFORD; New York Banker and Former Eleanor Naylor Wed in Texas". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  15. "Miss Ann Dana Is Wed In Jersey to R.E. Kusch". The New York Times. 4 October 1961. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  16. "Staffing Up | Excellence in Philanthropy". The Philanthropy Roundtable. 2009-10-06. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
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