John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Guggenheim was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish descent on December 30, 1867, the son of Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara Guggenheim, and was the younger brother of Daniel Guggenheim and Solomon R. Guggenheim. He attended Central High School and the Peirce School of Business Administration, both in Philadelphia.

Career

After graduating from Peirce School of Business Administration, Guggenheim relocated to

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...

, where he worked as the chief ore buyer at M. Guggenheim's Sons, his father's mining and smelting company. In 1898, he was the Republican candidate for

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of Government of Colorado, Colorado's state government and is cha ...

, but withdrew after riots broke out at the state convention in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

, during which one man was killed and several injured. He was a

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

U.S. Senate

In 1907, Simon Guggenheim was elected as a Republican to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, representing Colorado from 1907 to 1913. During his term in the Senate, he chaired the Committee to Establish a University of the United States, and the Committee on the Philippines. While he was in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, one of Guggenheim's older brothers, Benjamin Guggenheim, died in the RMS ''Titanic'' catastrophe.

Business

After his U.S. Senate term expired, he and his wife Olga returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Guggenheim joined the board of American Smelting and Refining Company, and was later appointed chairman of the board. From 1919 to 1941, he was the company's president.

Personal life

After moving to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

in 1892, Guggenheim married Olga Hirsch on November 24, 1898, at the

Waldorf Astoria New York The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. To celebrate their marriage, the Guggenheims provided a

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

dinner to 5,000 poor Manhattan children. Their first child, John Simon Guggenheim, was born in 1905. To commemorate the event, Simon Guggenheim made an $80,000 donation () to the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

to build a namesake building, Simon Guggenheim Hall. At the time, it was the largest private grant ever made to a state institution. In 1907, Olga gave birth to their second son, George Denver Guggenheim. In 1909, Simon donated a law school building at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

. In 1922, Guggenheim's son John died of mastoiditis just before leaving for college. In 1925, in his memory, Guggenheim and his wife established the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...

. In 1939, the Guggenheims' second son, George, committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in a Manhattan hotel at the age of 32.

Death

On November 2, 1941, Guggenheim died in

, at age 73. He is interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

References

External links

"How We Got Guggenheim Hall"
Simon Guggenheim's donation and its backstory, CU Alumni Magazine, Feb. 1, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Guggenheim, Simon 1867 births 1941 deaths 1904 United States presidential electors 20th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in metals American people of Swiss-Jewish descent American philanthropists Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Colorado Republicans Simon Guggenheim Jewish American people in Colorado politics Jewish United States senators Jews from Colorado Jews from Pennsylvania New York (state) Republicans Politicians from Philadelphia Republican Party United States senators from Colorado 20th-century United States senators