Atherton Blight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atherton Blight (November 10, 1834 – November 4, 1909) was a Philadelphia lawyer, businessman, author, diarist, and philanthropist who traveled extensively in the middle of the 19th century to Europe and southwest Asia. Blight was also a founding member of the Art Club of Philadelphia,[1] a major stockholder in the Newport Casino, and a member of the millionaires club of the Gilded Age.
Atherton Blight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 10, 1834 Philadelphia, United States |
| Died | November 4, 1909 (aged 74) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupations | Lawyer, author, diarist and philanthropist |
| Spouse |
Anna Loring "Nina" Greenough
(m. 1847–1897) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Richard Saltonstall Greenough (father in law) |
Blight was born in Philadelphia, the son of George James Blight (1772–1836) and Maria Gillingham (1798–1865).[2] He descended from a long line of Philadelphia merchants and lawyers.[3] It is known that he was named in honor of a Philadelphia lawyer, and relative, Humphrey Atherton (1788–1845).[4][5] Blight was born to immense wealth and privilege. His father died shortly before his birth, and as one of his 5 surviving children the younger Blight received a share of the paternal estate, totaling almost US$123,000.[6] This was equivalent to US$4,498,653 As of 2024[update].[7]
Blight attended school in Philadelphia, and was interested in the arts and music. He was a regular Shakespearean enthusiast at the home of William Henry Furness, whose son Horace Howard Furness was a close friend and a fellow Harvard scholar.[8] They were roommates at Harvard.[9] He had a series of musical essays published during this period in New York City.[10]
He graduated from Harvard University in 1854.[11][12] As a young man in his twenties, Blight traveled extensively overseas. At the age of 20, he embarked on a two-year cultural tour of Europe accompanied by Horace,[13] initially to London in October 1854, and then onto Paris.[14] He subsequently met up with a fellow Harvard alumni James Savage Jnr.[15] He immersed himself into the German and Austrian culture. Inspired by this time in Aigen, Salzburg, he purchased Erdenheim Farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 1855, however he did not return to sign the deed, and nominated a third party. His sister died shortly afterwards. Again he chose not to return home to Philadelphia, choosing to continue his journey into Spain, and onto the Levantine region and Egypt. After Turkey and Crimea, he traveled to Greece and Corfu, then a British protectorate. He kept a travel diary of his extensive tour of Europe, the Middle East and Crimea, which took place between 1855 and 1856.[16] Whilst in Jerusalem, he visited Warder Cresson, a former Quaker, also from Philadelphia, who converted to Judaism and became an early Zionist after having been appointed as the first U.S. Consul to Jerusalem in 1844. It's unsure when he returned to the U.S., however he received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard in 1858.[6]
Although a farm proprietor, Blight was not inclined to dedicate himself to a career in farming, instead preferring the intricacies of law. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1859.[17] Erdenheim farm was sold to Aristides Welch during October 1862 and subsequently this farm became notable for the breeding of racing horses.[6] During the American Civil War he served as one of the directors of the United States Sanitary Commission, a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers, with Blight having access to General George B. McClellan. Blight's understanding and exposure to the British Sanitary Commission, which had been set up during the Crimean War (1853–1856) informed the setting up of its US counterpart.[18] He also served in a committee promoting recruitment of minorities during 1863.[19] After the American Civil War he was involved with the Freedmen's Bureau.
His philanthropic causes in Philadelphia revolved around the needs of war veterans and the sanitary requirements of a fast-growing city. He was pivotal in a number of infrastructure improvements that would benefit all the inhabitants of the city. He was a member of the Philadelphia Fountain Society.[20] He also served as treasurer for various good causes.
Once Blight had started a family in the mid-1870s, he joined the set of wealthy families who were drawn to Newport, Rhode Island in the summers. It became an annual pilgrimage given that the fresh sea breeze appealed to those who could afford it. Eventually it became his primary residence.
