Old Philadelphians

Last updated

Old Philadelphians, also called Proper Philadelphians [1] or Perennial Philadelphians, [2] are the First Families of Philadelphia, that class of Pennsylvanians who claim hereditary and cultural descent mainly from England, also from Ulster, Wales and even Germany, and who founded the city of Philadelphia. They settled the state of Pennsylvania.

Contents

They are considered part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment, along with other wealthy families such as Boston Brahmins of Boston and The Four Hundred of New York City. [2] These families were influential in the development and leadership of arts, culture, science, medicine, law, politics, industry and trade in the United States. [2] They were almost exclusively white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), [3] and most belonged to the Episcopal church and Quakerism. [4]

Families

In 1963, Nathaniel Burt, a chronicler of Old Philadelphia, wrote that of Philadelphia's most notable early figures were listed in "the ancient rhyme, rather out-of-date now, called the Philadelphia Rosary," which goes:

Morris, Norris, Rush and Chew,
Drinker, Dallas, Coxe and Pugh,
Wharton, Pepper, Pennypacker,
Willing, Shippen and Markoe. [5]

Burt's full list of prominent families (with those in the poem in italics):

Members of these families are generally known for being fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and well educated. These families often have deeply established traditions in the Quaker and Episcopal faiths. [6] Many Old Philadelphia families intermarried and their descendants summer in Northeast Harbor, Desert Island, Maine. [2] Many of these families trace their ancestries back to the original founders of Philadelphia while others entered into aristocracy during the nineteenth century with their profits from commerce and trade or by marrying into established Old Philadelphia families like the Cadwaladers and Biddles and Pitcairns. [2] [7]

Clubs and societies

Old Philadelphia exclusive clubs and societies [1] [2]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 See generally, Baltzell, Nalle , "Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia" and "Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class."
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 See generally, Burt.
  3. Ivory, Karen (2011). Philadelphia Icons: 50 Classic Views of the City of Brotherly Love. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 52. ISBN   9780762767656.
  4. Baltzell, E. Digby (2011). Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class. Transaction Publishers. p. 236. ISBN   9781412830751.
  5. Pronounced "MarKOO." Burt, p. 44.
  6. Burt, p. 70-77.
  7. "Hall Family of Tacony, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania". JSTOR. The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine.
  8. Burt, p. 269.
  9. Burt, p. 19.
  10. Burt, p. 141-51.
  11. Burt, p. 95.
  12. Burt, p. 274-77.
  13. Burt, p. 305.
  14. 1 2 Burt, p. 301-08.
  15. ""The Perennial Philadelphians: The Anatomy of an American Aristocracy" (1999)". Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  16. Baltzell, "The Protestant Establishment Revisited" p. 104.
  17. Burt, p. 301.
  18. Burt, p. 261-65.
  19. Burt, p. 268.
  20. Burt, p. 285-95.
  21. Burt, p. 266-68.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Anglo-Saxon Protestants</span> Sociological category in the US

In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or WASP is a sociological term which is often used to describe white Protestant Americans of Northwestern European descent, who are generally part of the white dominant culture or upper-class and historically often the Mainline Protestant elite. Historically or most consistently, WASPs are of British descent, though the definition of WASP varies in this respect. WASPs have dominated American society, culture, and politics for most of the history of the United States. Critics have disparaged them as "The Establishment". Although the social influence of wealthy WASPs has declined since the 1960s, the group continues to play a central role in American finance, politics, and philanthropy.

Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is generally distinguished by immense wealth which is passed on from generation to generation. Prior to the 20th century, the emphasis was on aristocracy, which emphasized generations of inherited noble status, not just recent wealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentlemen's club</span> Members-only private club

A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally set up by men from Britain's upper classes in the 18th and succeeding centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racquet Club of Philadelphia</span>

The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club of America list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knickerbocker Club</span> Gentlemens club in New York City

The Knickerbocker Club is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most aristocratic gentlemen's clubs in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxwell Struthers Burt</span> American poet

Maxwell Struthers Burt, was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer.

Edward Digby Baltzell Jr. was an American sociologist, academic and author. He studied the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant establishment and is credited with popularizing the acronym WASP. He was also a best-selling author whose books were popular with both scholars and the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Philadelphia</span> Overview of the culture of Philadelphia (USA)

The culture of Philadelphia goes back to 1682 when Philadelphia was established by William Penn, founder of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia emerged quickly as the largest and most influential city in the Thirteen Colonies.

The American upper class is a social group within the United States consisting of people who have the highest social rank, due to a lineage associated with wealth, pedigree, and economic wealth. The American upper class is distinguished from the rest of the population due to the fact that its primary source of income consists of assets, investments, and capital gains rather than wages and salaries. The American upper class is estimated to include 1–2% of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Graves</span> American cricketer

Nelson Zwinglius Graves was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Graves was one of the Philadelphian cricketers that played from the end of the 19th century through the early years of the next. He played a total of 34 first-class matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Hope Reed</span> American educator (1808–1854)

Henry Hope Reed was an American educator. He was considered the star of the faculty at University of Pennsylvania and was an early champion of poet William Wordsworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Barge Club</span>

University Barge Club of Philadelphia is an amateur rowing club located at #7 in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. The club's founding, in 1854, is considered the "dawn of organized athletics in the University of Pennsylvania." Known as "the upper-class rowing club," UBC is a founder, and the most senior member, of the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States, the Schuylkill Navy.

The Vesper Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #10 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1865 as the Washington Barge Club, the club's name was changed to Vesper Boat Club in 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Three (colleges)</span> Historical term used in the United States to refer to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton

The Big Three is a historical term used in the United States to refer to Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. The phrase Big Three originated in the 1880s, when these three colleges dominated college football. In 1906, these schools formed a sports compact that formalized a three-way football competition which began in 1878. This early agreement predated the Ivy League by nearly a century. Today, the term is used to refer to the comparable levels of prestige, tradition, elitism, and academic and intellectual superiority affiliated with the schools. The rivalry remains intense today, though the three schools are no longer national football powerhouses, and schools continue to refer to their intercollegiate competitions as "Big Three" or "Harvard-Yale-Princeton" meets.

Charles John Horter is an American competitive sailor and Olympic medalist, who competed in the 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympic Trials. He won a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, together with Donald Cohan and John Marshall. A former captain of the Drexel University sailing team, Horter is also a past commodore of both the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia and the Island Heights Yacht Club. While competing in various Olympic Trials, Horter served in the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, America's first and oldest volunteer cavalry unit. Horter has been inducted into both the Drexel University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Barnegat Bay Sailing Hall of Fame. Horter has three sons and currently resides in Philadelphia with his wife, Tricia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Kirk Price II</span> American lawyer

Eli Kirk Price II was a prominent American Philadelphia lawyer, called "the foremost civic and cultural leader in early twentieth-century Philadelphia". He was the commissioner of Fairmount Park during the planning and development of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, of which he was one of the principal planners. Later, he was instrumental in obtaining funding for the new Philadelphia Museum of Art building and was President of the museum from 1926 to 1933.

Radnor Hunt is the oldest continuous fox-hunting club in the United States recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America.

The Rittenhouse Club was a private institution and social club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1875 to allow "businessmen, intellectuals and artists to socialize in a congenial, friendly atmosphere."

Isaac G. Gordon was a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1887 and chief justice from 1887 to 1889.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel Burt</span> American classical composer

Nathaniel Burt was an American composer, teacher, poet, novelist and social historian. A lecturer at Princeton University and Westminster Choir College, he is best remembered for his 1963 New York Times bestseller, The Perennial Philadelphians.

References