Johns Hopkins (1795-1873)

He made a fortune through savvy investments and lived between Baltimore and "Clifton" (see images) that he bought from the heirs of Henry Thompson. He transformed Clifton into the Italianate villa still seen today (similar to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight) where, among others, he entertained the future King Edward VII. He was a Quaker, and being unmarried, in his lifetime he put his fortune and business mind to work for the benefit of the poor and newly-freed slaves. He created free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools regardless of race, sex, age, or religion, but especially focused on the young. When he died in 1873, he left $1-million to his relatives but his bequests of $7-million founded numerous institutions that still bear his name, notably Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University. His gift to the university (the first American university based on the European research institution model) was, at the time, the largest bequest ever made to an American educational institution. The university also incorporates the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; Johns Hopkins Carey Business School; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.