New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-25
ded with remarkable success. Mr..

and furnished the means for carrying on the WAL
with Mexico. In l84s he went to England W NO
gotiate a Government loan on the LONDON ins'Kus
a portion of which his house had just taken. lie
was helped in this by George PEABODY VINO ""o
been a friend Of his boyhood ana oy 'he D"I'ns''
and was very successful On his return nc nao "
splendid reception from the bankers and business
men OF Ncw-lork. who declared tha' ne WAS 'nc
fortress of American credit abroad large
nor, ~ his fortune was the result Of sagacious in
,os,rcr,s 4, real estate in Ncw-York and Washing
ton. many of which proved very profitable.
PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CHARITIES On REMAIN
ABLE SCALE
Mr. Ccrcoran retired from business in 1884,
and passed thirty four years in the enjoyment OF
rho society of his friends and in works OF oenevo-
lcnce II is for these that he will be chiefly re-
mcmbcred. and the only difficulty in dealing with
the subject is to know where to begin. His prl-
vate charities were large and unceasing, and cam
not be recorded, hut his public charities were
on a remarkable scale, being especially directed
TO the advancement Of education, science and
art lie gave Washington and Lee University
Va, a library Of 5000 volumes, and he onered
the first money that raised to put the veneer
able William and Mary College of Virginia on It's
feet again after the lie made gifts also
to the University Of Virginia and the Virginia
Military Institute, and bestowed a liberal endow-
n,ent of land upon Columbian College OF wash
ington including in the latter fine building
uscd as a medical department of the University
The beautiful Cemetery OF Oak Iilu, which ucS
upon the picturesque Heights OF Georgetown was
endowed by him. lie gave the washington VI
chan ASYLUM its extensive and valuable grounds.
Among his charities which attracted pupnc III
,cntion WAS a large subscription for the relief OF
sufferers by the Russian f9mine In 1892 anu "n-
other when Kossuth was in this country, by
hon, I'm
oorted from Ncw-York to the far west
The Louise Home was one of his most noted
and most useful charities This was named al
ter his daughter Louise, who died carly III her
married life and the last survivor OF Ills
Immediate family. His wife, Louise Norris the
daughter of Commodore Morris, died five years
after their marriage. which took place III 1892
leaving son, who survived her only d shoro
time and this daughter, who became the opJccc
of an almost idolatrous affection on the part oi
her father She WAS married in $50 to George
rus,is REPRESENTATIVE from Louisiana and "a
,nrmber of one of the old families OF that State
After several years residence In Iars, she
died in Cannes, France in December, 1857, ieaV
ing three children Partly as Testimonial VI
Affection TO her, Mr.. Corcoran founded the Louise
Home which was designed TO relieve ,ie He,us and al
q class whose trials III poverty are peculiar anu ;
NOT usually taken into account IN orgahiIeu chai-
ties that Of reduced gentlemen Inc lioue was
ipf 4apO
comfortable home with refined surroundings only
ladies of fifty years OF age are admitted ana 'hesc
are furnished with aParenier.S emar~
hah9S0nic rl;ed eexccnt that of clothing The
institution contains an excellent library OF stahu
ard authors. The number oil inmates Is ABOUT
forty Much of Mr.. CorcOran's charitable giving
was to families in the South, many oil them IN ms
own acquaintance, who Lad been lmPoVerlsned ny
The War IL can never he known, OF course, now
much he layishcd in this peculiarly deHcate anu
generous form Of bcnevOlence HIS acts OF cha d!
itv that necessarily came to the ears OF the pupnc
were so many and their fame travelled SO iar thaI
C;eorg, Peabody, his old playmate ana MS iTienu
through life wrote to him from LONDON ro %,r
here in England and cannot keep pace WIN Houa
noble acts of charity at home, b,t one Vi SeS0
DAYS" he was coming home " ana then, ne t aoueu
II my feelings do not change ana siGil nav d
fortune will become a strong competitor with you
r., i'm brncyolcnce" There were many marks of the
strong friendship that existed between these TWO
mon whose lives had been associated from the be
Ginning and who showed in their tastes ana thelr
mobile generosity such striking similarity witch
resulted in n rare rivalry in dong good. lhey cor
rcsnonded constantly, and Mr.. Corc0rans library
in Washington contains hundreds OF letters iron,
Peabody Mr. Corcor"nS ghaS@h or w%S went
RI England me was Pcahody's guest, ns Peabody
was his when he came TO this country
THE GREATEST or MIR. CoRCoRANs GIFTS
rh ar ,otcst Of Mr.. Corcorans gifts, and that by
which he will be longest remembered was the ART
GALAXY which he founded in Washington, ana
,b,cb ne the Capital is constant resort for clt-
zeps from every quarter of the United States, may
he considered without eXaggeratioh to be gnu 10
the whole country. The cost OF the huildlng anu
ground was S25O.000. MIR. Corcorah collecr'o ~
81 nictures and statudry, which was placed IN u
as The beginning of the aglcry, was Vaiucu az
500 900 The Institution is maintained py on
endowment fund of O,OOo yicIdhg an a iI
;ncomn of $40 100 The total endowment lhere-
fore was 81 100000. This has been ucciafeu W
he the most splendid gift ever made TO art ny %,
nrivate citizen in the world The building, whlch
= a handsome structure in the Renaissance styIe'
stands opposite the War, Navy ana stare Dcpn nrc
n nho,'o ,he White House grounds 1t was begun
in 1859 but the war suspended the worh Gnu ~
August 1861, the Government TOOK possessio@n u
the buillin0 using il for the Quartz rlniStef.utn-
one nficc until September 800. In 1870 the
Government awarded 81 5000 for the use OF the
property, which was less than nan 'ils "a nile
claimed I'm 1879 Congress was pctltloncd 10 hdhe
an extra allowance, facts being submitted 10 snow
that the award was much less than me am9 99
paid for less valuable property Dli a"a fi5
SIS 900 additional passed the Senate but 1aiied
in the House. On the day the hai'alng was 20
nine trustees stating the object of the institution
To be the perpetual establishment anu encour-
agement of painting, sculpture and the me are
generally" and making the one CONDITION tnat ~
ssbouid be- open two days in the week without
charge. During the year 1874 the various ,p ue
partmenS Of the gallery were hGng is open three
davs n week without charge and students are at
liberty to sketch there three days IN cach week.
The collection of casts statuary and paintings Is
a large one, and additions arc constantly Dcihe
made from the ample revenues of the INSTITUTION;
1t is now the largest gallery IN inc COUNTY, on"
must become in time "a wOrld-iamons lhsttut,on
The collection of antique sculpture contains
seventy-nine pieces and groups the most valuable
being a reproduction OF the Tree Oh
the Smithsonian collection of casts from the
statues in the Vatican taken by express per,
m,ss,on Of the Pope. Perhaps the most famous and
nonniar Of the modern sculptures is Powe'ss
HGreek Slave" which had been Mr.. Corcor@ns
owr nronertv The gallery con aims over 200
na;r tings many of them by American and foreign
artists o. distinction besides large collections OF
bronzes, ceramics. etc.
HIS HOME LIFE
Mr. Corcoran's home in Washington is one OF ne
landmarks of tho city. II was the mouse occupeo