The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Greater New York and Mount Sinai Hospital were granted $1,000,000 each by the James Foundation of New York, Inc., a charitable foundation established by railroad industrialist Arthur Curtiss James, who died in 1941. The gifts were part of $96,000,000 in grants to universities and other institutions announced today prior to the liquidation of the Foundation which will dissolve December 31.
Mr. James was one of the 10 or 12 wealthiest men in the country but also one of the least known to the public. He inherited $26,000,000 from his father, a railroad man and miner, in 1907. The son built up a railroad empire in the West that covered a quarter of the country and included one-seventh of the entire railroad mileage in the United States. He gave away millions during his lifetime but laid down one rule in making his contributions–recipients were not to give out any publicity on the gift, or it would be canceled.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
