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Business Records of William Hinckle Smith

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS P921

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

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.

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

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334