Edgar B. Stern Jr.
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Edgar Bloom Stern Sr. (1886–1959) was an American leader in civic, racial, business and governmental affairs for the city of
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. He was successful at an early age in the cotton business in New Orleans, later diversifying into other businesses. Stern was an organizer of
Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...
,
Flint Goodridge Hospital Flint-Goodridge Hospital was a hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. For almost a century (1896–1983) it served predominantly African-American patients and was the first black hospital in the South. For most of these years, was owned and ope ...
, and the Bureau for Governmental Research. Stern's family home,
Longue Vue House and Gardens Longue Vue House and Gardens, also known as Longue Vue, is a historic house museum and associated gardens in the Lakewood neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The former home of Edgar Stern and Edith Rosenwald Stern (dau ...
, is now a museum open to the public.


Early life and education

Edgar Stern was born in 1886 in New Orleans as the second son of Maurice Stern and Hannah Bloom Stern. His family was Jewish. Maurice had immigrated to New Orleans from Germany in 1871, beginning employment with
cotton factor In the antebellum and Reconstruction era South, most cotton planters relied on cotton factors (also known as cotton brokers) to sell their crops for them. Description The cotton factor was usually located in an urban center of commerce, such as ...
s in the city. Maurice Stern succeeded in the cotton trade, and by 1883 his firm of employment bore his name, Lehman, Stern and Company. Maurice married Hannah Bloom in 1883, and his family benefited financially from his success as a cotton merchant. For his family's
affluence Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...
, Edgar Stern traveled frequently, became involved in charitable works, and became active in Temple Sinai
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, all beginning in early childhood. Stern attended New Orleans public schools, and subsequently enrolled in
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
. However, after one year, he transferred to
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he obtained a
scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
. At Harvard, Stern earned a BA in 1907 and an MA in 1908.


Career and philanthropy


Business and civic affairs

Following his 1907 graduation from Harvard University, Stern began his employment with Lehman, Stern and Company in New Orleans in the cotton trade. Stern served as president of the
New Orleans Cotton Exchange The New Orleans Cotton Exchange was established in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1871 as a centralized forum for the trade of cotton. It operated in New Orleans until closing in 1964. Occupying several buildings over its history, its final locatio ...
in 1927 and 1928. He also became involved in civic affairs, being elected to the
Orleans Parish School Board The Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), branded as NOLA Public Schools, governs the public school system that serves New Orleans, Louisiana. It includes the entirety of Orleans Parish, coterminous with the city of New Orleans. In the 2024-25 ...
and the
Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
for Charity Hospital of New Orleans in 1912. His involvement in business matters extended beyond cotton trading, and so he was elected president of the New Orleans Association of Commerce in 1915, a forerunner of the local
Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
. Stern also became a director of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad in 1916. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Stern served as a captain in the
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
's ordinance department. He was a director of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (informally the Atlanta Fed and the Bank), is the sixth district of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States and is headquartered in midtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta Fed covers the U.S. state ...
and director of the New Orleans branch of the
Federal Reserve Bank A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve A ...
in 1917 and 1918. During World War II, Stern served as the chairman of the transportation committee of the United States
War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...
, a position that he held for a salary of $1 per year. As part of his endeavors in international trade, Stern was a founder of International House in New Orleans in the mid-1940s. He served as a member of the board of directors of
Sears, Roebuck and Company Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...
from 1932 to 1958. He was also a member of the boards of directors for Tulane University and for the
New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...
newspaper. He was a trustee of the
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library Howard-Tilton Memorial Library is the university library on the uptown campus of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. A member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library is ranked among the top 120 resear ...
from 1932 to 1948. Stern was a trustee of the
Julius Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...
and of the
Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...
, in addition to being a member of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...
. In 1933, Stern was a founder of a bureau aimed at improving local government efficiency, especially for New Orleans. This organization later evolved into the Bureau of Governmental Research. In 1947 Stern and his family purchased New Orleans radio station
WDSU WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's Central Business District, and its transmitte ...
from the Stephens Broadcasting Co. Stern, together with his son Edgar Jr., then opened WDSU-TV one year later, its first broadcast being on December 18, 1948. This television station was the first in Louisiana, the 6th major television station in the South, and one of the first 50 stations in the United States. Author
Gerda Weissmann Klein Gerda Weissmann Klein (May 8, 1924 – April 3, 2022) was a Polish-born American writer and human rights activist. Her autobiographical account of the Holocaust, ''All But My Life'' (1957), was adapted for the 1995 short film '' One Survivor Re ...
published a list of business and civic positions that Stern held as of 1953.


Dillard University

Stern's involvement with Dillard University and Flint-Goodridge Hospital began with a solicitation in 1928 by Edwin R. Embree, then president of the
Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of ...
, concerning the educational and health care needs of African-Americans in the city of New Orleans. At about the same time, the president of Straight College sought Stern's financial aid for the college. A possible merger of
historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
Straight College Straight University (known as Straight College after 1915) was an American Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college that operated between 1868 and 1934 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After struggling with financial d ...
and
New Orleans University New Orleans University was a historically black college that operated between 1869 and 1935 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was founded by Freedmen's Aid Society and the Methodist Episcopal Church. It merged with Straight College in ...
was under discussion by leaders of each institution, reasoning that each was fairly weak but the combined universities would be strong. Additionally, the Rosenwald Fund was interested in developing centers for education of African-Americans, believing that New Orleans could be one of those centers if the two institutions merged. Edith Stern's biographer
Gerda Weissmann Klein Gerda Weissmann Klein (May 8, 1924 – April 3, 2022) was a Polish-born American writer and human rights activist. Her autobiographical account of the Holocaust, ''All But My Life'' (1957), was adapted for the 1995 short film '' One Survivor Re ...
wrote that, while Edgar Stern had no prior convictions about African-American affairs, "he had strong convictions about right and wrong, along with a keen perception of social injustice, the debris of which was all around him". These circumstances led to Stern's immersion in addressing the educational needs of African-Americans. The merger of the two colleges, together with the New Orleans University-operated Flint Goodridge Hospital, was completed in 1930 with Stern as a key member of the
board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
, and later board president. As board member, Stern addressed several critical issues facing the newly formed Dillard University, including financial matters, navigating the distinctly different cultures of the two parent colleges, appointing effective administrators, and developing a suitable physical plant, including a new campus. On financial matters, the board of trustees under Stern's leadership obtained $2 million in funding, with a new campus in the Gentilly section of New Orleans and a new hospital in the uptown section of New Orleans. These site selections were complex matters that he negotiated with local government officials and were sensitive because of perceived impact of negro institutions on local property values in the Deep South at the time. Stern chose to pursue construction of the hospital complex first, with it opening in 1931 and with the new campus for Dillard University opening for the Fall semester of 1935. Stern selected Will W. Alexander to be the first president of the newly formed Dillard University. Alexander was the southern white director of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, whom Stern viewed as being able to navigate the complex racial relations of white-dominated New Orleans and the factionalism that persisted from the two universities from which Dillard was formed. Alexander retained his position on the Commission on Interracial Cooperation while serving as university president, which did not adequately serve the university's interests. In 1936, Stern and the board of trustees, therefore, replaced Alexander with William Stuart Nelson, the university's first full-time and first African-American president. However, financial difficulties persisted, and Stern subsequently appointed Albert W. Dent as the new president in 1940. Dent had been Stern's
protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...
during his tenure as chief executive at Flint-Goodridge Hospital, and Dent's presidency lasted until his retirement in 1969. Through his relationship with Dent, Stern's outlook on racial matters became increasingly progressive.


Other philanthropy

Shortly following World War II, Stern and his wife Edith were part of the group that founded
Pontchartrain Park Pontchartrain Park is a historically registered New Orleans neighborhoods, neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Gentilly, New Orleans, Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City ...
, a New Orleans housing sub-division specifically for African-Americans, the first in the New Orleans area and one of the first in the United States. This was initially a $15 million, 1000-home development in the Gentilly section of New Orleans. Stern and his wife Edith Stern made significant financial contributions to Dillard University, Tulane University, Harvard University, and the New Orleans Philharmonic Symphony. With a $145,000 grant in 1955, he funded a project by the Governmental Affairs Institute of Washington, DC, a project to compile statistics on elections in the United States. Stern was personally interested in the sport of
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
. Stern provided financial assistance that later enabled the
New Orleans Recreation Department The New Orleans Recreation Department is the department of the local government of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana USA, that operates and maintains recreational facilities for the people of the city. It is commonly known by the acronym NORD. F ...
to acquire the former site of the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club. The facility in this way became the Atkinson - Stern Tennis Center. This acquisition made the sport of tennis accessible to underprivileged people, especially underprivileged African-Americans.


Personal life

In 1921, Stern married Edith Sulzberger (1895-1980) (née Rosenwald), daughter of
Sears Roebuck Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwa ...
magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
and philanthropist
Julius Rosenwald Julius Rosenwald (August 12, 1862 – January 6, 1932) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as a part-owner and leader of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and for establishing the Rosenwald Fund, which donated millions i ...
. Each of their children were notable in their own rights. Stern gave each of the three children money to begin their own foundations. Son Philip M. Stern (1926–1992) was a Democratic Party
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
, philanthropist, and writer. His books included criticisms of the
political establishment In sociology and in political science, the term the establishment describes the dominant social group, the elite who control a polity, an organization, or an institution. In the praxis of wealth and power, the Establishment usually is a self-s ...
and the
legal profession Legal profession is a profession in which legal professionals study, develop and apply law. Usually, there is a requirement for someone choosing a career in law to first pass a bar examination after obtaining a law degree or some other form of l ...
, and he wrote treatises on
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
. His noted books included "The Best Congress Money can Buy" and "The Oppenheimer Case", among others. He died in 1992 at age 66. Daughter Audrey Stern Hess (1924–1974) served as director and as president of the Citizens' Committee for Children, in addition to being president of the National Girls Club. She served as a trustee to the
John F. Kennedy Library The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963). It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighborhoo ...
and held board memberships at the Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation and the
Osborne Association Osborne Association is a New York-based nonprofit that provides direct services to individuals and families affected by incarceration and advocates for criminal justice reform. Osborne has offices throughout New York—including Brooklyn, The Bro ...
. Hess was appointed by the
Kennedy Administration John F. Kennedy's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 35th president of the United States began with Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his ...
and the Johnson Administration to advisory positions for the Federal Reformatory for Women and the National Council on Alcoholism. She was married to art critic and author Thomas B. Hess. Audrey Hess passed away in 1974 at age 50. First son Edgar Bloom Stern Jr. (1922–2008) served in the US Army's Signal Officer Corps in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. With Edgar Sr, he founded
WDSU-TV WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's New Orleans Central Business District, Centra ...
, the first commercial television station in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Through his Royal Street Corporation, Edgar Jr pursued real estate developments, especially in New Orleans and Aspen, Colorado. He lived in
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...
and on the
San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...
from 1968 until his death. For his merits early in his career, Edgar Bloom Stern Sr. was invited to join the exclusive Boston Club of New Orleans, despite its reputation at the time for
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. Stern declined the invitation on learning that close Jewish friends would be unable to join. Stern continued to prosper in New Orleans business circles even though he was excluded from much of the city's society because of the widespread antisemitism of the time. Stern's brother S. Walter Stern was also in the cotton business and was a philanthropist in the city of New Orleans.


Legacy

In 1936, Edgar and Edith Stern founded the Stern Family Foundation, ultimately distributing $25 million. Believing that foundations became bureaucratic if they persisted too long, Edgar Stern and Edith Stern chartered the Stern Family Foundation to spend itself out of existence. The spending was complete in 1986. The fund was noted for sometimes supporting unconventional causes. For example, in addition to its support for inner-city causes, it on occasion supported challenges by shareholders to encourage social responsibility of corporations, public-interest law firms, tenant groups, and the
anti-nuclear movement The Anti-nuclear war movement is a new social movements, social movement that opposes various nuclear technology, nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified them ...
. It preceded other foundations in supporting black voter registration in the Deep South. Edgar Stern and his wife Edith Stern built a home in suburban
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, during the period 1939–1942, intending from the start to open the house to the public as an educational institution. The home was built in
Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...
style. The home was partially opened to the public in 1968 and fully opened as a museum and gardens in 1980. Edgar Stern and wife Edith Stern also maintained a summer home in
Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 United States census ...
.


Awards and honors

In 1931 the
New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...
newspaper presented Stern with its Loving Cup Award for his service in founding Dillard University. A replica of the trophy is on his tomb at
Metairie Cemetery Metairie Cemetery is a historic cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, founded in 1872. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume it is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits ...
in New Orleans. Government, civic, and religious leaders gathered in New Orleans in 1953 to recognize Stern's philanthropic accomplishments. In the presentation, then New Orleans Mayor deLesseps S. Morrison referred to Stern as "Mr. Citizen of 1953". The Stern Science Hall at Dillard University was dedicated in 1953. The Edgar B. Stern Tennis Center in New Orleans is named in his honor, which was subsequently renamed the Atkinson-Stern Tennis Center to commemorate Nehemiah Atkinson.


Gallery

File:SternHouse1947.jpg, 1947 Home of Edgar Stern at Longue Vue Gardens File:WDSU logo.jpg, WDSU-TV logo, station founded by Stern File:DillardFrontJan06.jpg, Dillard University File:LouisianaAv7June2006HospitalA.jpg, Flint-Goodridge Hospital Building as it appeared in 2006 File:Atkinson–Stern Tennis Center, New Orleans.jpg, Entrance to the Atkinson - Stern Tennis Center in Uptown New Orleans File:Stern Family Grave in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.jpg, Stern family tomb


References


External links


A photograph of Edgar and Edith Stern
can be viewed online.
Bureau for Governmental Research
* History of th
Royal Street Corporation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Edgar B Philanthropists from Louisiana Businesspeople from New Orleans Harvard University alumni People from Lenox, Massachusetts Rosenwald family 1886 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists Jews from Louisiana