William A. M. Burden Explained

William Armistead Moale Burden Jr.
Office:U.S. Ambassador to Belgium
President:Dwight D. Eisenhower
Term Start:1959
Term End:1961
Predecessor:John Clifford Folger
Successor:Douglas MacArthur II
Birth Name:William Armistead Moale Burden Jr.
Birth Date:April 8, 1906
Birth Place:Manhattan, New York
Death Place:Manhattan, New York
Occupation:Banker, diplomat, philanthropist
Residence:Sea Change
Education:Harvard College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Children:4
Relatives:Shirley Burden (brother)
I. Townsend Burden (grandfather)
Florence Vanderbilt Twombly (grandmother)
Hamilton McKown Twombly (grandfather)

William Armistead Moale Burden Jr. (April 8, 1906 – October 10, 1984) was an American banker, art collector, and philanthropist who served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium under President Eisenhower.[1]

Early life

Burden was born on April 8, 1906, in Manhattan to William Armistead Moale Burden Sr. (1877–1909),[2] and Florence Vanderbilt (née Twombly) (1881–1969).[3] His younger brother, Shirley Carter Burden (1908–1989), was a prominent photographer.[4] Their paternal grandparents were I. Townsend Burden (1838–1913)[5] [6] [7] and Evelyn Byrd Moale (1847–1916),[8] the daughter of William Armistead Moale (1800–1880) of Baltimore, Maryland,[9] who was a descendant of the Carter and Byrd families of Virginia. Burden's grandfather was an owner of Burden Iron Works, which was founded by his great-grandfather, Henry Burden (1791–1871).[10]

His maternal grandparents were Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly, a granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt,[11] and Hamilton McKown Twombly.[12]

Burden attended and graduated from Harvard College in 1927. He also attended special aviation courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career

In 1927, after his graduation from Harvard, he was hired as an aviation research analyst at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. From 1932 to 1938, he worked for Scudder, Stevens and Clark. In 1935, while at Scudder, he was elected a director of the United Air Lines Transport Corporation.[13] In 1940, he was named to the board of trustees of Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.[14]

During World War II, he was Special Assistant for Research and Development to the Secretary of the Air Force. In 1947, after the War, he joined Smith, Barney & Co. as an aviation consultant.[15]

In 1949, he founded William A. M. Burden & Co., an investment company intended to pool and manage his family's money.[16] The firm is considered a pioneer in the "family office" space and continues to this day, managing half a billion dollars as of 1998.[17] Unlike other Vanderbilt descendants, Burden "saw the fortune dissipating into smaller and smaller chunks and was determined to protect his own progeny."[17]

In 1959, he was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.[18] He served in this role from 1959 until 1961.

Burden served on the board of trustees of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City from 1943 until his death. He was elected President of the Board in 1953, succeeding Nelson Rockefeller, who resigned to accept appointment as Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.[19] Burden resigned as president in 1959, to become Ambassador,[20] and was succeeded by Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller, the wife of John D. Rockefeller III.[21] He resumed the presidency again afterwards from 1961 until 1965.[22] [23] He donated works to be auctioned off for the Museum, including Paul Cézanne's Apples, in 1960.[24] He also served as a trustee of Columbia University, a member of the board of the Smithsonian Institution,[25] director of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairman of the Institute for Defense Analysis.[1]

Residence

In the 1940s, Burden and his wife commissioned Wallace K. Harrison, an architect who was involved in the design of Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and the United Nations Building in New York, as well as Isamu Noguchi, the artist,[26] to design a summer home for them in Maine. The original 4,500 square-foot house, known as "Sea Change," was completed in 1947 and in the early 1980s, an indoor swimming pool was added bringing the home up to 6,500-square-feet.

Personal life

On February 16, 1931,[27] he was married to Margaret Livingston Partridge (1909–1996), at Saint Thomas Church in Manhattan.[27] She was a daughter of sculptor William Ordway Partridge (1861–1930) and a niece of Bishop Sidney Catlin Partridge.[28] On her mother's side, she was a granddaughter of William H. Wetmore and great-great-great-granddaughter of Chancellor Robert L. Livingston.[28] Together, they were the parents of four sons:[29]

Burden died on October 10, 1984.[39]

Legacy

In 1971, together with his mother and brother, he donated Burden Auditorium to Harvard Business School in honor of his father, William A. M. Burden Sr., who graduated from Harvard in 1900, and his son, William A. M. Burden III, who graduated from Harvard in 1953 and Harvard Business School in 1955, both of whom died young.[1] [40] The hall was designed by Lincoln Center architect Philip Johnson.[40]

His estate in Mount Kisco, New York was later purchased and subdivided in the 2000s.[41]

His granddaughter, Wendy Burden,[42] wrote a memoir entitled Dead End Gene Pool about her family,[43] including her grandfather William, who in the waning years of his life “had a bathroom and dressing room lined with two inches of foam to avoid bruising himself. Once, while visiting Paris, he had a private secretary in New York order seven new Mercedes-Benzes — one to be delivered within a few hours."[44]

After his death, in 1985 his widow donated "eleven masterworks" from his estate to the Museum of Modern Art.[45] Paintings included:[45]

Image Artist Title !Year
Link Ptolemy 1953
Link Young Bird 1928
Link Bird in Space 1941
Link The Three Windows, the Tower and the Wheel 1912
Link Diary of a Seducer 1945
Link Trafalgar Square 1939-43
Corona (Water Lilies) c. 1920
Link Two Acrobats with a Dog 1905
Link Still Life with Red Bull's Head 1938
Mirror and Cherries 1947
Link The Channel at Gravelines, Evening 1890

Published works

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Burden, William A.M. (William Armistead Moale), 1906-1984. William A.M. Burden Papers, 1934-1938: A Finding Aid. oasis.lib.harvard.edu. Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School, Harvard University. 20 September 2017.
  2. News: W.A.M. BURDEN DIES OF STRANGE MALADY; Chronic Recurrent Fever the Only Name Physicians Can Give It -- No Remedy. AN ATHLETE AT HARVARD Married Miss Twombly, Granddaughter of the Late W.H. Vanderbilt, in 1904.. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 3 February 1909.
  3. News: Mrs. William A.M. Burden Dies; Donor to Church and Schools. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 19 November 1969.
  4. News: Shirley Burden, 80, a Writer-Photographer. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 5 June 1989.
  5. News: I. T. BURDEN, VICTIM OF APOPLEXY; Well-Known Figure In New York and Newport Passes Away at Age of' 75. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 24 April 1913.
  6. Book: The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography Being The History of The United States. 1916. James T. White & Company. New York. 327. 19 September 2017.
  7. News: BURDEN ESTATE IN TRUST.; Value Estimated at "More Than $20,000" -- $10,000 to Church.. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 3 May 1913.
  8. News: MRS. I. TOWNSEND BURDEN; Widow of Iron Manufacturer Dies of Heart Disease in-Her 70th Year. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 30 April 1916.
  9. Book: Magruder. Alexander Contee. Miller. Oliver. Brewer Jr.. Nicholas. Stockett. John Shaaf. Brantly. William Theophilus. Perkins. William Henry. Tiffany. Herbert Thorndike. Coan. Malcolm J.. Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Maryland. 1917. 553. 19 September 2017.
  10. Book: William F. Burden, Born in Troy, Rensselaer County, N.Y., March 14, 1830. Died at Troy, N.Y., December 7, 1867. 1867. 7. 19 September 2017.
  11. Gill. Brendan. No Tears. 20 September 2017. The New Yorker. 18 June 1955.
  12. News: WORLD OF FASHION AT THE TWOMBLY WEDDING; William A.M. Burden Marries H. McK. Twombly's Daughter. FIFTH AVENUE IS CROWDED Ceremony at St. Thomas's Church -- Mr. and Mrs. Burden Will Go to the Far East on Honeymoon.. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 13 April 1904.
  13. News: On Air Lines' Board.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 14 April 1935.
  14. News: Central Hanover Names Aviation Man to Board. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 17 April 1940.
  15. News: Joins Smith, Barney & Co.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 8 October 1947.
  16. News: INVESTMENT FIRM FORMED; William A. M. Burden & Co. Plans to Handle Own Capital. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 19 July 1949.
  17. Lenzner. Robert. Achieving immortality via the family office. 20 September 2017. Forbes. 12 October 1998.
  18. News: Envoy in the Air Age; William Armistead Moale Burden. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. September 4, 1959.
  19. News: MUSEUM NAMES BURDEN; He Succeeds Nelson Rockefeller at Modern Art Institution. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 29 June 1953.
  20. Book: Elderfield. John. American Art of the 1960s. 1991. The Museum of Modern Art. 9780870704581. 88. 20 September 2017.
  21. News: Museum of Modern Art Names 2. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 1 November 1959.
  22. News: ART MUSEUM ELECTS; Burden, Ex-Ambassador to Belgium, Named Chairman. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 5 March 1961.
  23. News: Modern Museum Names President. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 19 June 1965.
  24. News: Auction of 50 French Art Items Will Aid Modern Museum Drive. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 24 February 1960.
  25. News: Smithsonian Nominee Backed. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 14 June 1962.
  26. Book: Herrera. Hayden. Listening to Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi. 2015. Macmillan. 9780374281168. 186. 20 September 2017.
  27. News: MISS M.L. PARTRIDGE WEDS W.A. BURDEN; Old New York Families Fill St. Thomas's at Ceremony Performed by Bishop Manning. SILVER AND GOLD COLORS Bride, the Daughter of Late Sculptor, Is Given in Marriage by HerMother--A Choral Service. Full Choral Service. Among the Guests.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 17 February 1931.
  28. News: MISS PARTRIDGE ENGAGED TO WED; Troth of Daughter of Late Sculptor to William A.M. Burden Told by Her Mother.FIANCEE 1927 DEBUTANTE Her Fiance, a Descendant of Commodore Vanderbilt, GraduatedFrom Harvard With Honors.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 October 1930.
  29. News: Viladas. Pilar. Catching the Wave. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 24 February 2010.
  30. News: WILLIAM BURDEN 3D IS RULED A SUICIDE. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 1 March 1962.
  31. News: LESLIE HAMILTON MARRIED IN CHAPEL; She is Bride of William A. M. Burden Jr. at Milton, Mass.-- Reception Held in Home. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 16 June 1951.
  32. News: ROBERT L. BURDEN. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 19 June 1974.
  33. News: Son to the W. A. M. Burdens. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 18 May 1937.
  34. News: Kissinger. Henry. The Need To Belong; THE NUREMBERG PARTY RALLIES: 1923-39. By Hamilton T. Burden. Foreword by Adolf A. Berle. Illustrated. 206 pp. New York: Frederick A. Praeger. $5.95.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 17 March 1968.
  35. News: Erie County Real Estate Transactions. 20 September 2017. The Buffalo News. 24 August 2013.
  36. News: BURDEN, Hamilton T.. 20 September 2017. The Buffalo News. 28 March 2015.
  37. News: Jean Elizabeth Poor Lynch to Wed Ordway Partridge Burden in October. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 7 July 1991.
  38. News: Ms. Lynch Wed To O. P. Burden. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 October 1991.
  39. News: Pace. Eric. WILLIAM BURDEN, EX-MUSEUM PRESIDENT, DIES. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 11 October 1984.
  40. Web site: Burden Hall - About Us. www.hbs.edu. Harvard Business School. 20 September 2017.
  41. News: Beaver. William S.. IN BUSINESS; Acres of Affordable Housing On Chappaqua's Drawing Board. 19 September 2017. The New York Times. 16 June 2002.
  42. Web site: Dead End Gene Pool. 20 September 2017. New York Social Diary. 10 March 2010.
  43. News: Ferris. Jaime. The Sad Saga of the Vanderbilts. 20 September 2017. Litchfield County Times. July 8, 2010.
  44. News: Wadler. Joyce. A Vanderbilt Descendant Laughs Off Dysfunction. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 24 March 2010.
  45. Web site: THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART ANNOUNCES RECEIPT OF MAJOR GIFT FROM THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM A. M. BURDEN. moma.org. The Museum of Modern Art. 20 September 2017. November 1985.
  46. News: Warner. Edward. The Grounding of the Axis Air Lines in South America; THE STRUGGLE FOR AIRWAYS IN LATIN AMERICA. By William A.M. Burden, Special Aviation Assistant to the Secretary of Commerce. 229 pp. New York: The Council of Foreign Relations. $5.. 20 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 June 1943.
  47. Peggy and I: A Life Too Busy For a Dull Moment New York Public Library, call no. JFE 88-1291