Edward Harkness

Edward Stephen Harkness (January 22, 1874 – January 29, 1940) was an American philanthropist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four sons to Stephen V. Harkness, a harness-maker who invested in the forerunner of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's oil company. Harkness inherited a fortune from his father. His extensive philanthropies, many of them anonymous, were extended especially to colleges, hospitals and museums. Harkness attended St. Paul's School and Yale University, Class of 1897. Harkness and brothers Charles and William were members of Wolf's Head Society at Yale. After graduating, Edward Harkness married Mary Stillman, daughter of William James Stillman. This family also had been associated with the Rockefellers....