Call Number:

00.010

Repository:

Drexel University: Archives and Special Collections

Extent:

1.0 cubic feet

Language:

English

Date:

1845-1967 (inclusive)

Creator:

Childs, George William

Abstract:

The collection consists of scrapbooks containing clippings published on the event of Childs's death and shortly after it (the bulk of the collection) as well as publications about Childs, memorial addresses in his honor, and some correspondence,

George W. Childs (1829-1894) was the founder and editor of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, a noted philanthropist, and a longtime friend of Anthony J. Drexel. Born in Baltimore, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a bookseller at age fourteen and soon went into business for himself at the age of eighteen. In 1849, he became a partner in the publishing firm of R. E. Petersen & Company, and in 1860 he formed a partnership with the influential publisher J. P. Lippincott. In 1864, he purchased the Philadelphia Public Ledger, in which Anthony J. Drexel would become a silent business partner. Childs was influential in encouraging Drexel to establish a school for the education of men and women, and he served on the institute's board of trustees from the school's founding until his death. After his death, ownership of the Ledger and of Childs's property passed to Drexel's son, George W. Childs Drexel.

The first series of this collection consists of scrapbooks containing clippings published on the event of Childs's death and shortly after it. Most of the clippings document Childs's life, his illness and death, his funeral, and the transfer of ownership of the Ledger to George W. Childs Drexel. The scrapbooks are arranged in four volumes with clippings arranged approximately in chronological order.

The second series of the collection consists of publications about Childs, memorial addresses in his honor, and some correspondence, including a letter signed by President Grover Cleveland from 1891. Although much of the material is from the 1890s, a reprint of a drawing book of objects by Childs dated 1845, a 1958 article about Childs, and a 1967 letter asking a reference question about Childs are included in the collection. The third series consists of maps, deeds, and related property records from 1867 to 1883. This is an artificial collection compiled from items found in the University Archives.