Salem Howe Wales (October 4, 1825 – December 2, 1902) was an American journalist, politician, and philanthropist who held various leadership offices in the

government of New York City The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the ...

, served as managing editor of the ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'', and co-founded the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. Wales was father-in-law to U.S. Senator and Secretary of War

Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...

, who served as President of the

Union League The Union Leagues were quasi-secretive men's clubs established separately, starting in 1862, and continuing throughout the Civil War (1861–1865). The oldest Union League of America council member, an organization originally called "The Leagu ...

of New York, while Wales served as Vice-president.

Early life and education

Wales was born in Wales, Massachusetts, to parents Oliver Wales and Lucy Tiffany. His father was a woolen manufacturer. Wales attended local public schools before moving to New York, where he attended the Academy of

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

and then clerked for a New York City importer from 1846 to 1848. After Massachusetts natives

Orson Desaix Munn Orson Desaix Munn (June 11, 1824 – February 28, 1907) was the publisher of ''Scientific American''. Biography Orson Desaix Munn was born on June 11, 1824, in Monson, Massachusetts. He received his education at the academy in his native town, ...

and

Alfred Ely Beach Alfred Ely Beach (September 1, 1826 – January 1, 1896) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, publisher, and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is known for his design of the earliest predecessor to the New York City Subwa ...

purchased the ''

'', Wales became its managing editor from 1848 to 1871. He was New York State's commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1855 and executive committee member of the

United States Christian Commission The United States Christian Commission (USCC) was an organization that furnished supplies, medical services, and religious literature to Union troops during the American Civil War. It combined religious support with social services and recreationa ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Political career

An opponent of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

, Wales was appointed president of the

New York City Department of Parks The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...

when reform-minded Republican mayor

William Frederick Havemeyer William Frederick Havemeyer (February 12, 1804 – November 30, 1874) was an American businessman and politician who served three times as mayor of New York City during the 19th century. Early years Havemeyer was born in New York City at No. 31 ...

took office in 1873. After Havemeyer died in office, Wales ran for mayor on the Republican ticket, losing the 1874 general election to Democratic nominee William H. Wickham. Immediately after the election, acting mayor Samuel B. H. Vance appointed Wales president of the New York City Department of Docks, where he served from 1874 to 1876. He returned to the parks department commission from 1880 to 1885, serving as the commission's president for several of those years. Wales was a delegate to the

Republican National Conventions The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of ...

in 1872 and 1876.

Civic involvement

Wales was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and served as treasurer and as a trustee for many years. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania and the New York Homeopathic Medical College and served as board presidents for both. Governor

John Alden Dix John Alden Dix (December 25, 1860 – April 9, 1928) was an American businessman and politician who served as 38th governor of New York from January 1911 to January 1913. A native of Glens Falls, New York, Dix attended Cornell University befor ...

named him to the board of Middletown State Hospital in 1911–12. Wales served on the boards of the National Bank of North America, the Hanover Fire Insurance Company, the Southampton Bank, and the Rogers Memorial Library in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. He also served on the commission that oversaw the building of the East River Bridge.

Eastman Johnson Jonathan Eastman Johnson (July 29, 1824 – April 5, 1906) was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance. He was best known for his genre paintings, paintings of ...

painted Wales' portrait in 1882. The portrait is in the collection of the

Union League Club of New York The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hi ...

, which Wales served as a vice president and chair of the executive and financial committees for many years. He was one of the men responsible for the construction of the club's current headquarters.

Personal life

Wales married Frances Elizabeth Johnson of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, in 1851. They had four children: Edith, Clara Frances, Edward Howe, and Joseph Howe. In 1878, Clara married

, Secretary of State, and President and Chairman of many foundations for

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

. Edward's daughter, Ruth Wales, married horticulturist and collector

Henry Francis du Pont Henry Francis du Pont (May 27, 1880 – April 11, 1969) was an American horticulturist, collector of early American furniture and decorative arts, breeder of Holstein Friesian cattle, and scion of the powerful du Pont family. Converted into ...

in 1916, a member of the

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817), a French minor aristocrat. Currently residing in the U.S. states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Du Ponts have been ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wales, Salem Howe 1825 births 1902 deaths Politicians from Hampden County, Massachusetts Scientific American people American science journalists 19th-century American journalists American magazine editors 19th-century American businesspeople Commissioners in New York City Commissioners of docks and ferries of the City of New York People associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (state) Republicans Politicians from New York City 19th-century American philanthropists American art patrons