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Mrs Russell (Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage)

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"MRS. RUSSELL SAGE [MARGARET OLIVIA ] (1828-1918), American philanthropist, was born at Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 8 1828, being descended on her father's side from Capt. Miles Standish. After graduating in 1847 from the Troy (N.Y.) Female Seminary, afterwards known as the Emma Willard School, she taught, first in Philadelphia, and later in Syracuse and Troy until 1869 when she became the second wife of Russell Sage ( see 23.1002). She proved herself a shrewd business woman and for several years before his death had full control of his affairs. She had long been interested in charities, and in estimating the services of Sage himself it should be remembered that he left to her without restriction his entire fortune, over $64,000,000, doubtless foreseeing its probable final distribution to charity. In 1907 the Russell Sage Foundation was incorporated under the laws of the state of New York, for the "improvement of social and living conditions of the United States of America," and to it she gave $10,000,000. The Foundation made many surveys of social and educational conditions in various states and issued many publications dealing especially with housing improvement and reform. In 1912 Mrs. Sage bought Marsh off the Louisiana coast, containing about 79,000 ac., later turned over to the state as a permanent refuge for birds. She died in New York City Nov. 4 1918. Her will provided that after enumerated bequests to relatives and friends amounting to about $1.2,000,000, the residue, some $36,000,000, should be divided into 52 parts and variously distributed to many colleges, museums, hos p itals, charitable institutions, Bible societies and missions. To most of these she had made gifts during her lifetime. The largest portion, seven parts, was left to the Russell Sage Foundation. It was estimated that during her life she had made public gifts of some $40,003,000.