Edward Julius Berwind

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Edward Julius Berwind

| image = Edward Julius Berwind a Coal Mine owner.jpg

| caption =

| office = President of Berwind-White Coal Mining Company

| term_start = 1890

| term_end = 1930

| predecessor = Charles Frederick Berwind

| successor = Charles E. Dunlap

| birth_date = {{birth date|1848|06|17}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1936|08|18|1848|06|17}}

| death_place = Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.

| death_cause =

| resting_place = West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| residence = The Elms, 2 East 64th Street

| nationality =

| other_names =

| known_for =

| education = United States Naval Academy

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{marriage|Sarah Vesta Herminie Torrey
|1886|January 5, 1922|reason=her death}}

| children =

| parents =

| relations = Charles F. Berwind (brother)
Julia A. Berwind (sister)

}}

Edward Julius Berwind (June 17, 1848 – August 18, 1936) was an American businessman who founded the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company and served as head of the company from 1886 to 1930.

Early life

Berwind was born on June 17, 1848, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of five sons born to German immigrants Augusta (née Guldenferring) Berwind (1821–1904) and John Berwind (1813–1893).{{cite book |last1=Group |first1=Berwind |last2=Berwind |first2=Charles Graham |title=The History of Berwind, 1886-1993 |date=1993 |publisher=Berwind Group |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6v0IAQAAMAAJ |access-date=4 November 2019 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Ingham |first1=John N. |title=Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders |date=1983 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313239076 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0001ingh/page/69 69]-70 |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0001ingh |url-access=registration |access-date=4 November 2019 |language=en}} Among his siblings was brother Charles Frederick Berwind, the first president of Berwind-White, and sister Julia A. Berwind, a social welfare activist who in later life lived with Edward.{{cite news |title=Julia A. Berwind, a Society Figure; Leader Here and in Newport Dies -- Did Welfare Work |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/05/18/101463961.pdf |work=The New York Times |date=May 18, 1961 |access-date=2009-09-08 }}

Berwind was appointed to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in July 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln, and graduated in June 1869 as a midshipman. He was promoted to ensign in July 1870 and to master (equivalent to the modern rank of lieutenant, junior grade) in March 1872. He was placed on the Retired List in May 1875. While in the Navy, he served during the Franco-Prussian War and as an ensign, met the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who became a lifelong friend of Berwind.

During the Grant administration, he served as a naval aide at the White House.

Career

Upon leaving the Navy, Berwind went into business with his older brother, Charles, and Judge Allison White; co-founding Berwind, White & Company, which was incorporated as Berwind-White in 1886. Berwind worked closely with J. P. Morgan in the consolidation, reorganization, integration, and expansion of his coal mining operations. In his day he was also considered to be the world's largest individual owner of coal mining properties. Berwind also refused to bargain with his employees, making his mines among the last open shops in the coal fields.

Berwind and Peter A. B. Widener established the New York subway system. Berwind, along with Widener, was a director of International Mercantile Marine Company which owned the White Star Line and, subsequently, the RMS Titanic.A legacy company continues to operate today as the [http://www.berwind.com Berwind Company] Berwind controlled the steamship business in New York and Philadelphia and supplied much of the coal used by the ships of the US Navy. After his brother's death in 1890, Edward became sole manager of the company.

Personal life

In 1886, Berwind was married to Sarah Vesta Herminie Torrey (1856–1922), at Leghorn, Italy, where her father was U.S. consular agent. Sarah was a daughter of Franklin Torrey, a prominent sculptor, and Sarah Lincoln (née Spinney) Torrey. Her brother was Charles Franklin Torrey, who inherited the residue of her estate.{{cite news |title=Mrs. Berwind Gems Valued AT $376,944; Will Leaves Entire Collection to Husband, E.J. Berwind, Coal Operator. Total Estate is $479,719 Brother, C.F. Torrey, Gets Bulk of the Residue--Two $5,000 Bequests Made to Charity. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/12/27/102909430.pdf |access-date=4 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=27 December 1922}}

After the death of his wife in 1922,{{cite news |title=Mrs. Edward J. Berwind |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/07/98967640.pdf |access-date=4 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=7 January 1922}} his sister served as hostess for Edward in New York and Newport.

File:Berwind tomb West Laurel Hill.JPG]]

He died on August 18, 1936, at his home, 2 East 64th Street in New York City.{{cite news |title=E J. Berwind Dies; Coal Operator, 88; Said to Have Been Country's Largest Individual Owner of Bituminous Mines. Also a Patron of Arts Colleague of J. Pierpont Morgan Had Wide Railroad, Utilities and Steel Interests. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/08/19/87978791.pdf |access-date=4 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=19 August 1936}} After a funeral held at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York, he was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, along with his wife, in a mausoleum (modeled after the Tower of the Winds in Athens) that was designed by Horace Trumbauer, the architect of The Elms, his summer home in Newport, Rhode Island.{{cite news |title=Berwind Services Today |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/08/21/88687907.pdf |access-date=4 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=21 August 1936}} His sister Julia and nephew, Charles E. Dunlap, were his principal beneficiaries.{{cite news |title=Sister Chief Heir in Berwind Will; She Gets $100,000 and Life Estate in One-third of the Residue. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/08/27/88690973.pdf |access-date=4 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=27 August 1936}}