Anna Virginia Russell Cole (January 16, 1846 – June 6, 1926) was an American

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

known for her contributions to education,

social reform Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...

, and the arts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a prominent family in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, Cole's life was marked by both personal tragedy and a strong commitment to social justice. She was a significant figure in the development of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

and a supporter of various social causes, including the Tennessee Industrial School and the Southern Sociological Conference.

Biography

Early life

Anna Virginia Russell Cole was born on January 16, 1846, in

, as the eldest daughter and second of the nine children to Henry F. Russell and Martha Danforth. Her father, a successful cotton merchant and commodities speculator, was a notable figure in Augusta, serving as mayor in 1868 and 1869. The Russell family were devout Methodists and were known for their social standing and influence in the community. Cole's childhood was marked by the loss of her brother, Whitefoord Russell, the only male among nine children. He died while fighting for the Confederacy in 1864. Cole was largely self-educated and received a limited formal education, attending

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a Private university, private, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the fi ...

in Macon, Georgia, briefly in 1862. However, she did not complete her semesters. She later spent several years in Berlin, Germany, from 1866 to 1871, where she took a course from the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, as well as teaching there, auditing classes. She also tutored the children of her uncle, a former professor of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

. During this time, Cole lived in the home of

Leopold von Ranke Leopold von Ranke (21 December 1795 – 23 May 1886) was a German historian and a founder of modern source-based history. He was able to implement the seminar teaching method in his classroom and focused on archival research and the analysis of ...

, a renowned historian considered a pioneer of modern historical research. After she moved back to Augusta, she worked for a school for girls as an instructor in German and French.

Marriage and life in Nashville

In 1872, Anna Virginia Russell Cole married Edmund W. Cole, a

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

who was nineteen years older than her, involved in the railroad industry. Edmund Cole was the president of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad and an officer of the Georgia Banking & Railroad Company of Augusta. The couple moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Cole took on the responsibilities of managing their household and raising their children. Edmund Cole had seven children from a previous marriage, and the couple had two children of their own. Their first child was named after her deceased brother, Whitefoord Russell Cole, born in 1874. They had a daughter in 1889, Anna Russell. Cole dedicated the early years of her marriage to her family and supporting her husband's business endeavors. She managed their unfinished home in Nashville and took on the role of stepmother to her husband's children. From that period, she also became involved with philanthropic activities. One of their stepsons, Randal Cole, died in 1884 in a railroad accident. Anna Cole encouraged her husband to found an education institute in his memory, The Randal Cole Institute, which was later renamed to Tennessee Industrial School.

Philanthropic endeavors

Cole and her husband were known for their significant contributions to various organizations. They were major donors to the Tennessee Industrial School, which provided education and support for orphaned and disadvantaged boys. The school was initially established in memory of their stepson, one of Edmund Cole's children from a previous marriage. Their donations to the school were amounted to US$100,000 (roughly US$ today). Cole also supported temperance societies and Methodist missions. Cole directed philanthropic efforts towards

. Edmund Cole served on the university's Board of Trust from 1886 to 1899, and their son, Whitefoord R. Cole, later served as chairperson from 1915 to 1934. In 1894, the Coles gave the first half of a $10,000 endowment for an annual lecture series dedicated to the defense and advocacy of Christianity. They also contributed $2,500 to a scholarship fund and $5,000 to the university library, which was its sole endowment from 1905 to 1918. Shortly before her death, Anna Cole gave another $10,000 to endow the office of dean of women. In 1914, during a crucial endowment campaign, she donated $10,000 to support Chancellor James H. Kirkland's effort to assert Vanderbilt's independence from the Methodist church hierarchy.

Later years and legacy

After her husband's death in 1899, Cole continued her philanthropic work. She divided her time between her Nashville residence, called "Colemere", and homes in Wequetonsing, Michigan, and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

She was known for her social circle and hosted prominent figures, including Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

. Cole was a donor for the Southern Sociological Conference, a newly formed organization addressing social issues like child welfare, prison reform, public health, education, and race relations. In 1912, the Southern Sociological Conference named Cole as a founder, and she endowed the conference with $7,500. Politically, Cole was in favor of international peace efforts, attending a conference in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1916 and backing

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

's goal to have the United States join the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

. In 1920, she donated $2,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 1920. Cole had a keen interest in poetry and sponsored a memorial in Augusta honoring four Southern poets: Sidney Lanier, Father Abram Joseph Ryan, James R. Randall, and Paul Hamilton Hayne. She also supported the early work of John Crowe Ransom and Merrill Moore. A

historic building This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

on the campus of Nashville School of the Arts in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, U.S. was built in 1894. It was named after Anna Russell Cole in Cole's honor. She died at Colemere on June 6, 1926.

References

Sources

Books

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Anna Virginia Russell 1846 births 1926 deaths 19th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American philanthropists American social reformers People from Augusta, Georgia Educators from Nashville, Tennessee 20th-century Methodists Vanderbilt University people Philanthropists from Georgia (U.S. state) Philanthropists from Tennessee American women philanthropists American expatriates in Germany American patrons of the arts Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Wesleyan College alumni