Business Records of William Hinckle Smith
Overview
William Hinckle Smith (1861-1943) was a wealthy Philadelphia capitalist who directed and operated the shares of many companies across Pennsylvania, New York, North Dakota, Colorado, and Nevada. This collection contains business and personal ledgers from Smith's corporations and estate.
Dates
- Creation: 1881 - 1945
Creator
- Smith, W. Hinckle, -1943 (Compiler, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of William Hinckle Smith
William Hinckle Smith was born on June 16, 1861 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania's Towne Scientific School (now the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) from 1881-1882. Smith married Jacqueline Harrison on November 28, 1882 and the couple had one son, Hoxie Harrison Smith (b. 1887), a veteran of the First World War.
Smith was the owner of the Wanotan Ranch, a 6,000 acre farmstead in Amenia, North Dakota. The wealthy broker and financier also had a close association with the Guggenheim copper interests, where he derived most of his wealth. Smith also directed the Girard Trust, Penn Mutual Life, Baldwin Locomotive, Midvale Steel, Mack Truck, and the Curtiss-Write Corporation. Outside of Pennsylvania, Smith operated shares with other companies, including L.E. Newport Incorporation (New York City, NY), International Bitumenoil Corporation (New York City, NY), and the Tonopah-Aspen Mining Company (Tonopah, NV/Aspen, CO). The capitalist was also a charitable man; he was a patron of the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Bryn Mawr Hospital (which he served on the board from 1906-1943, longer than any other board president), as well as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and Fairmount Park Art Association.
In 1907, Smith enlisted architect Charles A. Platt to design his home, a massive 60-room mansion called Timberline, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Here, Smith maintained meticulously groomed landscapes (designed by the Olmsted Brothers) and stables, as he was an enthusiastic horseman. Upon Smith's death on January 28, 1943, Timberline passed to his heirs, who, after only three years, lost interest in the mansion. The home succumbed to deterioration and was eventually demolished in 1977.
Extent
15 Volumes (+ 6 folders) ; 22 cm. x 37 cm. (folders)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
RH MS P921
Physical Location
RH MS AK11
Physical Location
RH MS C91
Physical Location
RH MS CK28
Physical Location
RH MS D288
Physical Location
RH MS E173
Physical Location
RH MS E202
Physical Location
RH MS G84
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, Carmen D. Valentino Rare Books, 1990.
Subject
- Tonopah-Aspen Mining Company (Organization)
- International Bitumenoil Corporation (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- L.E. Newport Incorporation (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Wanotan Ranch (Amenia, N.D.) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the William Hinckle Smith Collection
- Subtitle
- Business Records of William Hinckle Smith
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by amc, 2007 and aam, 2014; revised by eear, 2016
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/0921501725
- Preferred citation
-
William Hinckle Smith Collection, RH MS P921, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository