Alfred Jenkins Shriver (June 5, 1867 – September 3, 1939) was an American lawyer and philanthropist.

Biography

Alfred Jenkins Shriver was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 5, 1867, of parents who both traced their lineage to colonial days and earlier. He attended private schools before enrolling in

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

in 1887. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1891 and was inducted into

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. He took one year of graduate study at Hopkins then enrolled in law school at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

, earning his law degree in 1893. His law practice favored contested wills and estates, which brought him wealth and social prominence. He also wrote several legal text books, including ''Law of Wills and Personal Property in Maryland''.Hall, Clayton Colman
''Baltimore its History and its People: Volume III - Biography''
Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1912 - Baltimore (Md.), p785-787, accessed September 9, 2016 at Internet Archive Although he never married, one of his hobbies was planning formal dinner parties down to the last detail. He enjoyed traveling and was in England at the outbreak of World War I, but he returned to the United States without incident. Following surgery, he spent the summer of 1939 convalescing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After another operation, his health declined rapidly and he died on September 3, 1939. He was a strong supporter of Johns Hopkins University, helping to found the University Club on Hopkins' Homewood Campus, and staying active in other local clubs and organizations. Shortly before his death, he published his will, in which he left the bulk of his estate to Hopkins specifically to fund an auditorium building on campus. This will has been referred to as "one of the most remarkable documents of our time."Anthony Smith, "Hall of Fame and Beauty," Baltimore ''Sun Magazine'', November 24, 1946 Along with the money, he left several specific instructions for art to appear in the building. The most notorious of these conditions specified that a mural was to be placed in the lobby depicting ten women, Shriver's contemporaries from Baltimore society. He named this painting the "Famous Beauties of Baltimore," and he further specified that each of the ten women was to be depicted "at the height of her beauty." If the University trustees did not accept these conditions, the bequest would then be offered to two other local colleges.

Legacy

The Hopkins trustees did accept the conditions, but World War II postponed planning and construction and it was not until 1952 that construction began. By 1956, all of the murals were in place and the building was in use.''Johns Hopkins Magazine'', Vol. 8, February 1957, pp. 4-7 The "Famous Beauties" mural has attracted comment and raised eyebrows on many occasions since then, as those unfamiliar with Shriver and his bequest wonder how a mural featuring ten late 19th century women, none of whom had any affiliation with Johns Hopkins University, is relevant in a campus building.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shriver, Alfred 1867 births 1939 deaths Philanthropists from Maryland Lawyers from Baltimore Johns Hopkins University alumni 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers