Abram Fitkin

Abram Edward Fitkin
Abram Edward Fitkin
Born	18 September 1878 (age 148); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	18 March 1933 (aged 54)
Occupation(s)	Minister, investment banker, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known for	Founder of A.E. Fitkin & Co., National Public Service Corporation, United States Engineering Corporation, General Engineering and Management Corporation; philanthropy in medical institutions

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Abram Fitkin, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 20251 source

Abram Edward Fitkin (September 18, 1878 – March 18, 1933) was a multifaceted American figure known as a minister, investment banker, entrepreneur, operator of public utilities, and philanthropist. He was the founder and leader of several enterprises, including A.E. Fitkin & Co., the National Public Service Corporation, the United States Engineering Corporation, and the General Engineering and Management Corporation. By 1926, his companies oversaw operations of 178 utility firms spanning 18 states and serving more than 1,000 communities. As a benefactor, Fitkin contributed upwards of $3 million to establish medical institutions such as the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, Swaziland; the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Institution in Scobeyville, New Jersey; the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Pavilion for Children at Yale-New Haven Hospital; and the Jersey Shore University Medical Center located in Neptune Township, New Jersey.

Personal history

Born on September 18, 1878, in Brooklyn, New York, Abram Edward Fitkin was the sixth son of Mary E. Vought and Thomas Furlong Fitkin, a harness maker who had emigrated from England in 1850. Among thirteen siblings were prominent brothers Robert Laurence Fitkin and Walter Raleigh Fitkin. The family lived in Brooklyn and were affiliated with Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church.

On October 15, 1895, at a Methodist Episcopal camp meeting held in Clintondale, New York, Fitkin encountered Susan W. "Susie" Norris (born March 31, 1870, in Ely, Quebec), an ordained Canadian Quaker minister. Shortly after another revival campaign led by Methodist minister Hiram F. Reynolds, the Clintondale Pentecostal Church was established in June 1896.

Ministry

For half a year, Fitkin collaborated closely with Susie Norris, who was regarded as a "talented evangelist." On February 26, 1896, he shifted his church membership from Brooklyn’s Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church to the Marlborough Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in Ulster County. During their itinerant ministry throughout New York State, Fitkin lent Susan literature on holiness that inspired numerous conversions. They wed on May 14, 1896; their marriage ceremony was conducted by William Thomas Willis, a Quaker minister and former leader of the Clintondale Preparative Meeting.

Following their marriage, the couple conducted revival meetings throughout eastern states that led to many conversions and experiences of complete salvation. In October 1896, they began holding services in a leased former blacksmith shop located in Hopewell Junction, New York, where they converted many individuals and by November 1 had organized sixty converts into a church. Both took on pastoral roles at this new congregation affiliated with the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America (APCA), a holiness denomination under William Howard Hoople. Soon after, they planted another church in Cornwall, New York, which they also pastored. In April 1897, due to his affiliation with this new denomination, Fitkin was removed from the Marlborough Monthly Meeting. He received ordination as an APCA minister in Brooklyn in 1898.

By the year 1900, the Fitkins were co-pastors of the APCA congregation in South Manchester, Connecticut, residing in rented accommodation on Main Street. On April 12 of that year, Susan was chosen president of the APCA’s Women’s Foreign Missionary Auxiliary. Toward the end of 1900, their efforts concentrated on evangelistic travel.

Facing financial difficulties amid the economic downturn triggered by the Panic of 1893, Fitkin experienced limited church financial backing. Historian Basil Miller highlights that their early ministry years involved significant hardship—often sustained through prayer and modest meals such as soup made from a single bone stretched over several days.

On May 14, 1903, Fitkin delivered a sermon during an all-day holiness gathering at Emanuel Pentecostal Church in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, pastored by John Norberry.

After ministry

In 1903, Fitkin stepped away from pastoral and evangelistic duties to concentrate on generating adequate income to support both his family and future religious endeavors. He remarked, "It is preferable to be a successful businessman than an ineffective minister." His initial objective was to accumulate half a million dollars to secure financial freedom for his work in God's service.

By 1904, the Fitkin family had relocated to Everett, Massachusetts, where Susan assumed the role of pastor at the APCA church. They were parents to four children: A. Raleigh (1904–1914), Mary-Louise (1907–1987), Willis Carradine (1908–1962), and Ralph MacFarland (1912–1962). Among Fitkin’s final ministerial contributions was delivering the sermon at the 1906 dedication of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Toward the end of 1907, expanding business interests prompted the family’s move to Brooklyn. There, they joined the John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, led by William Howard Hoople. Their third child, Willis Carradine, was born in Hollis, Queens in 1908; by 1910, they owned a residence on Wallis Avenue in Queens. Ralph MacFarland was born at this home in 1912.

In 1914, following a fishing excursion, Raleigh sustained fatal injuries in a car accident. Despite surgical intervention and medical care, he passed away at age 10. Raleigh had shown a desire to become a missionary in Africa. His funeral was held in Allenhurst, New Jersey.

By 1920, the Fitkins were residing at 271 Brooklyn Avenue; by 1926, they had moved to 8 Remsen Street in Brooklyn. In June 1927, they purchased "Milestones," a substantial estate with views of the Atlantic Ocean in Allenhurst, New Jersey. Fitkin replaced the original colonial-style home with a spacious 20-room bungalow. That same year, Mary-Louise married Esley Foster Salsbury at "Milestones," while Willis wed Helen Shubert in Ocean Grove.

In July 1928, Fitkin bought Memory III, a steel yacht weighing 306 tons and designed by naval architect Thomas D. Bowes, constructed by Defoe Boat and Motor Works. This 142-foot vessel featured a beam width of 23 feet and could reach speeds up to 12 knots. Another yacht owned by Fitkin, Adios II, valued at $100,000, suffered damage that August due to misconduct by a dismissed steward.

During Prohibition enforcement in October 1928, Fitkin faced an incident where a US Coast Guard officer threatened him with a loaded rifle. Offended by the officer’s discourtesy, Fitkin resolved to support Democrat Al Smith in the presidential election that year despite his lifelong allegiance to the Republican Party.

On February 13, 1932, Ralph M. Fitkin eloped with Lorene Hastings and married in Elkton, Maryland.

Career

Fitkin launched his professional journey in Boston around 1900 as a bookkeeper before relocating to New York to oversee Pelser, Welker & Co., a financial firm specializing in railroad securities. He later established Fitkin Securities Corp., which served as a holding company for his investments. In 1908, he partnered with WC Harty to create A.E. Fitkin & Co., an investment banking and brokerage firm concentrating on public utility securities. His brother Walter Raleigh Fitkin held the position of cashier there by 1909.

By December 1912, A.E. Fitkin & Co. was distributing a stock and bond bulletin listing approximately 600 unlisted securities. Additionally, Fitkin founded the United States Engineering Corp., which functioned as an engineering and management subsidiary.

Starting with $75,000 earned from commissions as initial capital, Fitkin developed a reputation from 1912 onward as a "utility czar"—a decisive and sometimes demanding developer and marketer of public utility systems—focusing on acquiring, managing, and divesting public utilities. The Los Angeles Times characterized his approach as purchasing strategically located utilities, investing capital and expert management into them, then selling these improved assets to larger companies.

1913–1920

In 1913, after securing a $400,000 loan from an associate at Guaranty Trust Company, Fitkin gained control over The San Angelo Water, Light & Power Co. located in San Angelo, Texas. Prior to the outbreak of World War I, A.E. Fitkin & Co. utilized capital sourced from New York, Chicago, and Saint Louis to acquire and consolidate multiple utility companies throughout East Texas. In 1916, the firm purchased the H. M. Spalding Electric Light Plant in Concordia, Kansas for $550,000.

By 1918, A.E. Fitkin & Co. had entered the oil refining sector with a plant on San Jacinto Bay dedicated to producing lubricants. The following year, 1919, the company divested most of its shares in Mexican-Pantjo Oil Co., promoting Mexican crude oil as a superior fuel option despite its relatively low quality.

Also in 1919, Century Oil Company was incorporated by the General Engineering and Management Corporation as a subsidiary of A.E. Fitkin Co. Nevertheless, in 1924 Century Oil along with six subsidiaries went into receivership at Fitkin’s request.

By August 1919, A.E. Fitkin & Co.’s main office was located at 141 Broadway in Manhattan, with branch offices operating in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. The 1920 partnership consisted of Fitkin alongside W.C. Harty, A.M. Hall II, L.L. Benedict Jr., and M.J. O'Shaughnessy; however, O'Shaughnessy filed for bankruptcy later that year. By September 1921, Benedict and Hall had retired, leaving Fitkin and Harty as the remaining partners.

1921–1927

On October 1, 1921, A.E. Fitkin purchased the St. Petersburg Electric Light and Power Co. from Bird Malcolm Latham and subsequently renamed it Pinellas County Power Co., which eventually evolved into Florida Power Corporation.

On April 22, 1922, A.E. Fitkin & Co. acquired The Tidewater Power Company based in Wilmington, North Carolina—a company controlling electric light, gas services, and street railways—for $5 million. Fitkin assumed the role of president while Harty became vice president.

By late 1922, Fitkin consolidated assets from Clearwater Lighting Company and St. Petersburg Lighting Company to form the original Florida Power Corporation. He served as president until Bird Latham was appointed in 1925. In 1923, Fitkin announced a guaranteed minimum reduction of 12% on power rates for St. Petersburg customers.

In 1923, Fitkin established the National Public Service Corporation as a holding entity overseeing utilities across eight states including Jersey Central Power and Light Company.

In February 1924, Fitkin & Co. purchased Miami Municipal street railway and electric utilities located at Miami Beach for $1.5 million.

On March 16, 1924, Fitkin acquired both Tri-County Electric Co. and Consolidated Gas Company of New Jersey and merged them into Jersey Central Power and Light Corporation.

By 1925, Fitkin founded the Fitkin Realty and Improvement Company of Delaware; one of its initial projects involved selling land for Florida Power Building headquarters in St. Petersburg.

In March 1925, National Public Service Corporation expanded by acquiring seven additional utilities across three states. By December of that year, Fitkin’s utility operations served more than 700 communities in fifteen states.

In January 1926, Fitkin Utilities purchased Newport News Hamilton Railway, Gas and Electric Company of Virginia. By February 1926 operations had extended to eighteen states with capital increasing from $30 million to $171 million over four years. That year Bird Latham retired after commending Fitkin’s leadership.

By March 1, 1926, Fitkin Utilities consolidated its Virginia properties under Virginia Public Service Corporation within the National Public Service Corporation framework.

In April 1926, Fitkin granted executives incentive compensation amounting to 10,000 shares of General Engineering and Management Corporation—the manager of its portfolio of 178 utility companies. Later that month subsidiaries acquired a sixteen-story building at 84 William Street in New York City with plans to relocate by mid-1927.

On June 1, 1926, through a subsidiary company financed by A.E. Fitkin & Co., the Wrightsville Beach causeway in North Carolina was constructed.

Fitkin significantly contributed to Florida’s economic growth during and after the land boom of the 1920s by purchasing undeveloped land parcels; expanding power generation facilities anticipating population increases; connecting emerging communities to utilities including Georgia Power & Light Co.; and benefiting from real estate sales.

In June 1926, twenty-four public utilities were merged into Inland Power & Light Corporation; this entity was sold in October 1927 to interests controlled by Samuel Insull for $30 million. By October 1926 Fitkin’s utility network served over one thousand communities nationwide.

In November 1926 four Florida utility companies combined into a new Florida Power Corporation under National Public Service Corporation ownership; by March 1, 1927 it became Florida’s largest electric power provider through additional mergers valued at $20 million.

Late in 1926 Fitkin acquired West Missouri Power Company for integration into Missouri Public Service Company. By February 1927 his companies delivered utility services to over eleven hundred communities across sixteen states.

In 1927 Fitkin sold his stake in the Shore Acres real estate development located in South Carolina.

Despite the collapse of Florida’s land boom in 1925, Fitkin maintained confidence in the state’s recovery prospects and invested heavily in infrastructure expansion through permanent construction projects worth millions.

On March 1, 1927 Fitkin sold his interest in National Public Service Corporation to Day & Zimmermann for $250 million; shortly thereafter he also divested control of Western United Corporation to that same firm. Later in October and towards the end of 1927 he sold his holdings in Commonwealth Light & Power Co. and Florida Power Corporation to Samuel Insull’s group.

1927–1933

In October 1927, Fitkin withdrew from public utility ventures to concentrate on activities related to the Stock Exchange and investments. He acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange for $255,000, though his initial application was declined by the Admissions Committee. Soon after, he expanded his brokerage operations into the European market.

By mid-1928, Fitkin's net worth was estimated at $30 million. He founded A.E. Fitkin Co., Inc., establishing offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and subsequently opened additional branches in San Francisco and Seattle. That same year, he also launched A.E. Fitkin & Sons, Inc.

In 1929, Fitkin formed United American Utilities, Inc., an investment trust that later created Pacific Freight Lines Corporation as a subsidiary. Just prior to the Wall Street crash, A.E. Fitkin & Co divested control of Pacific Public Service Co. to Standard Oil of California for $26.8 million. This company operated the world's largest bottled spring and distilled water enterprise and provided electric light, power, and natural gas services to 80 communities in California. Additionally, it owned 21 butane gas plants—including the largest U.S. facility located at El Centro—as well as ice and cold storage facilities featuring a 12-mile refrigeration pipeline serving business districts in Los Angeles.

By the end of 1929, A.E. Fitkin Limited maintained offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco but had shuttered its Boston location.

On January 2, 1930, Fitkin restructured A.E. Fitkin & Co., creating Fitkin & Co., Ltd., an investment and securities firm with David A. Pepp appointed as president.

In 1930, Fitkin assumed the chairmanship of American Gas & Power Co. He acquired control over Atlantic Public Utilities, Inc., which served approximately 200 communities along the Atlantic coast but was under receivership due to drought conditions. In June 1931, he sold its utility assets to Samuel Insull—thereby extending Insull's influence throughout the Atlantic states—while retaining ownership of water and ice assets along with the Cleveland Southwestern railroad system.

In January 1932, Fitkin regained control of American Gas and Power Company from receivership. Following his death, control transferred in 1934 to F.W. Seymour through acquisition of its holding company.

In June 1932, Fitkin established A.E. Fitkin & Sons as a securities brokerage firm succeeding A.E. Fitkin & Co., bringing his sons W.C. Fitkin and Ralph F. Fitkin into partnership.

Philanthropy

The passing of Fitkin's eldest son Raleigh (born September 3, 1904) on September 7, 1914, served as the primary motivation behind his philanthropic initiatives. Basil Miller noted: "Raleigh was destined to play a significant role in shaping the family's missionary legacy... [T]he boy’s passion for missions inspired his father Abram to invest thousands of dollars in constructing the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Africa." The wealth generated by Fitkin enabled his wife to undertake extensive missionary work,

supported generously by her husband's substantial financial contributions. During her active ministry, she traveled more extensively than any other Nazarene leader abroad—covering over half a million missionary miles at no cost to the church. She also financed companions' travels and made considerable donations toward missionary efforts. Central to this commitment was Raleigh’s enthusiasm, which fueled his father’s philanthropy.^[1]

While serving nearly 33 years as the unpaid founding president of the Nazarene Women's Missionary Society beginning September 30, 1915, his wife led the Church of the Nazarene’s missionary outreach program with dedication. Throughout this period, "her husband invested millions into philanthropic causes and missions in memory of their son Raleigh—a dedication that endured throughout A.E. Fitkin’s lifetime." According to Miller: "During Mrs. Fitkin’s journeys, he covered all expenses for her and her companions and regularly contributed large sums to missionary endeavors—sometimes exceeding ten thousand dollars annually."

Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Church of the Nazarene, Swaziland (1916)

At the beginning of 1916, Susan Fitkin conceived the idea of erecting a missionary chapel in Africa to honor Raleigh’s memory. Abram Fitkin financed the construction of the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Church, recognized as "the first physical tribute to that aspiring child missionary," situated in Piggs Peak, Swaziland.

Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Piggs Peak, Swaziland (1919–1925)

In October 1916, the Fitkins pledged financial support for a commemorative hospital in Africa through Hiram F. Reynolds, leader of the Church of the Nazarene’s foreign missions. They provided funds for an 18-bed Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, erected on the Nazarene mission grounds at Piggs Peak, Swaziland. Construction began in April 1919, with the hospital opening its doors in 1920. By this time, the mission station at Piggs Peak had been renamed the Fitkin Memorial Station.

In 1925, the Swaziland government allocated 35 acres at Bremersdorp—closer to the main population—for a new hospital site. After the opening of the new Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in 1927, the original building was repurposed as part of the Piggs Peak Nazarene Primary School.

Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Bremersdorp, Swaziland (1927)

Alongside $10,000 raised from Church of the Nazarene members in 1926, major contributions from the Fitkins and Ada E. Bresee supported building an expanded 80-bed Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Bremersdorp (now Manzini). The initial phase was completed by June 1925, and Susan Norris Fitkin formally dedicated the hospital on July 16, 1927. This institution marked a substantial enhancement of Nazarene medical services within Swaziland.

Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Institution, New Jersey (1927)

In July 1927, Fitkin acquired a 160-acre farm in New Jersey for $26,000 that included orchards, farmland, livestock, and a sizable residence intended for an orphanage. Later that year, he donated $1 million to found and endow the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Institution—a hospital and home for disabled children—located between Eatontown and Freehold in Shrewsbury Township. The plan also involved purchasing an additional 200 acres to establish a self-supporting farm to financially sustain the institution.

Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Pavilion for Children, Connecticut (1928–1930)

On June 15, 1928, Fitkin gave $1 million to Yale University in memory of his eldest son Raleigh—allocating $500,000 towards pediatric disease research and another $500,000 for building a 125-bed hospital at New Haven Hospital. Designed by architect Henry Colden Pelton, this facility later expanded into a six-story pavilion with 136 beds after Fitkin added $100,000 in 1929 to cover increased construction expenses. This gift enabled pediatric inpatient services to be centralized near clinical offices.

The pavilion was officially dedicated on February 8, 1930; initially only two of its five floors were devoted to pediatrics with fifty inpatient beds including specialized areas for premature infants and outpatient clinics. These wards served as the primary pediatric inpatient care until the 1980s.

Additionally, in 1928 Fitkin donated $1 million to establish the Ralph Fitkin Ward Unit honoring his youngest son, focusing on research and treatment of childhood illnesses.

Raleigh Fitkin-Paul Morgan Memorial Hospital, New Jersey (1930)

In memory of his deceased son Paul L. Morgan (1896–1929), who served as Vice-President of A.E. Fitkin & Co. and passed away from pneumonia at age 32, Fitkin donated $500,000 by May 1930 to the Spring Lake Hospital Society for constructing the Fitkin-Morgan Memorial Hospital located in Neptune Township, New Jersey. Additional financial support amounting to $600,000 was provided by L.C. deCoppet. The cornerstone was set by Fitkin on November 19, 1930, and the hospital officially commenced operations exactly one year later. Established as a voluntary non-profit general medical facility, its mission was to deliver medical and surgical treatment without regard to patients' financial means.

In 1966, the institution was renamed Jersey Shore University Medical Center – Fitkin Hospital.

Church of the Nazarene

Fitkin also settled the $50,000 mortgage on the John Wesley Church of the Nazarene, where he had been an active member since 1907. In 1927, he and his wife contributed $14,000 to support the missions of the Nazarene denomination.

DeWint Home (1932)

Active in various fraternal orders, Fitkin belonged to Corson Commandery No. 15 of the Knights Templar in Asbury Park, New Jersey. By 1928, he had joined Altair Lodge No. 601 under the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Brooklyn and held a position on its Board of Trustees overseeing the Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund. In May 1932, Fitkin was one of four principal donors who acquired the historic Johannes de Wint residence in Tappan, New York—known for serving as George Washington's temporary Revolutionary War headquarters—and gifted it to the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York for conversion into a museum.

Death

After enduring a prolonged illness, Fitkin passed away on March 18, 1933, at his Savoy-Plaza Hotel apartment in Manhattan due to chronic myocarditis and interstitial neuritis. His estate was valued at approximately $250 million. A funeral service took place at his Allenhurst, New Jersey residence on March 20, followed by interment in Brooklyn near his son Raleigh.

Rev. Elmer G. Anderson, a close companion of Fitkin’s, remarked that although Fitkin had left formal ministry and lived without official religious ties, he retained profound personal faith and sensitivity toward religious endeavors. His wife believed he experienced a spiritual reconciliation shortly before his death at age 54, supported by prayers from clergy and family members.

Legacy

The Fitkin Memorial Church of the Nazarene, founded by January 1948 at 1110 38th Avenue in Meridian, Mississippi, stood as one of the earliest African-American congregations within the Church of the Nazarene.

Following Susan Norris Fitkin’s retirement in June 1948 after nearly 33 years serving as unpaid general president, the Nazarene Women's Foreign Missionary Society raised $50,000 to establish the Fitkin Memorial Training School on a new mission field in Ji'an, Jiangxi, China. Ultimately close to $75,000 was gathered for this initiative. The Fitkin Memorial Bible School opened its doors on October 12, 1948, enrolling 26 students.

After Nazarene missionaries withdrew from China in May 1949, remaining funds were redirected toward global educational efforts. These included $9,000 sent to British Honduras for founding the Fitkin Memorial Nazarene Bible College in Benque Viejo del Carmen, which opened June 8, 1950 (and closed in 1965); $25,000 allocated for constructing the Susan N. Fitkin Memorial Building housing Nippon Nazarene Seminary in Tokyo, dedicated April 13, 1952; $9,000 used to establish the Fitkin Memorial Bible Training School (now Luzon Nazarene Bible College) in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines, which began operations July 1952; and acquisition of property in Sioufi east of Beirut, Lebanon—where a five-story facility containing a church and the Fitkin Memorial Nazarene Bible School functioned from October 1954 until 1969.

Family

Abram and Susan Fitkin were parents to four offspring.

Abram Raleigh Fitkin

Abram Raleigh Fitkin was born on September 3, 1904, in Everett, Massachusetts, and passed away on September 7, 1914.

Mary-Louise Hooper

Mary-Louise Fitkin Hooper, born June 12, 1907, in Swampscott, Massachusetts, was connected to the Church of the Nazarene from an early age. She attended Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn and spent one year studying at Stanford University until June 1928.

Esley Foster Salsbury (1928–1938)

On June 14, 1928, Mary-Louise wed Esley Foster Salsbury (August 28, 1907 – June 13, 1993) at the Fitkin residence in Allenhurst, New Jersey. By April 1930, they lived alongside Susan Norris Fitkin in Oakland, California. Their daughter, Suzanne Mary Salsbury (born December 7, 1933, in Berkeley, California), attended the California College of Arts and Crafts and married artist Lloyd David Cogley in December 1950. They had five sons together.

Karl Josef Deissler (1938–1946)

By August 1938, Mary-Louise had remarried to Dr. Karl Josef Deissler (born June 29, 1906, in Heidelberg, Germany, died August 15, 1998, in Bern, Switzerland), a German physician who emigrated to the United States in 1931 due to his progressive beliefs and concerns over Nazi persecution. He was a Mayo Clinic fellow from 1931 until 1935. During World War II, from September 1942 to November 1943, he was designated an enemy alien and barred from the US western defense zone. During this period, Mary-Louise and their daughter resided in Illinois. The couple divorced in 1946, after which Mary-Louise and Suzanne relocated to Carmel, California.

Clifford Hooper (1947–1949)

In late 1947, Mary-Louise married Clifford Hooper, an African American man she met while advocating for the NAACP. Due to California's restrictions on interracial marriage at the time, they wed in Seattle. After spending a year living in Vancouver, British Columbia, they separated and finalized their divorce by 1949. By June 1950, Mary-Louise embraced Quakerism and returned to Stanford University, earning honors with a degree in German by 1955.

Hooper played a significant role in anti-colonial and anti-apartheid efforts. Following a Quaker-led tour of South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria in 1955, she settled in Durban, South Africa. She supported the African National Congress (ANC), volunteering as secretary and aide to ANC president Chief Albert Luthuli, and was regarded as "the only white person to ever work inside the ANC." Her activism included campaigning against apartheid and supporting defendants during the Treason Trial.

Residing in Johannesburg's Hillbrow neighborhood, Hooper was arrested on March 10, 1957. She endured five days of harsh imprisonment before being released by the Rand Supreme Court through a writ of habeas corpus. Subsequently ordered deported for assisting South African "negroes" by Interior Minister Eben Dönges in May of that year, she continued her international anti-apartheid advocacy through interviews, fundraising for the South African Defense Fund, and representing the ANC at All-African Peoples' Conferences held in Accra (1958) and Cairo (1961).

Hooper orchestrated boycotts targeting South African products; addressed churches and civic organizations; authored numerous writings on African liberation; collaborated with the American Committee on Africa (ACOA); helped initiate the 1965 Declaration of American Artists Against Apartheid; and testified before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1967. She also invited Martin Luther King Jr. to speak at the 1965 South Africa Benefit event promoting economic sanctions against South Africa.

In addition to her anti-apartheid work, Hooper supported Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN) during its struggle for independence from France and authored Refugee Algerian Students in 1960.

Mary-Louise Hooper passed away on August 14, 1987, in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Willis Carradine Fitkin

Willis Carradine "Bud" Fitkin (October 10, 1908 – November 8, 1980) was an alumnus of Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn. In 1927, he wed Helen E. Shubert, and together they had four children: Abraham Edward Fitkin, Willis C. Fitkin III, Joyce Fitkin Pietri, and Karen E. Fitkin Draper.

Since 1932, Fitkin held significant leadership positions including vice-president, director, and shareholder at A.E. Fitkin & Co. and A.E. Fitkin & Sons. Beginning in April 1953, he assumed the roles of president and chairman at Michigan Gas Utilities Co. He also served on the board of directors for Tampa Electric Co. until 1979. Furthermore, he was a trustee for the Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Neptune, New Jersey, from its establishment in 1931. From 1955 until his passing, he lived in Naples, Florida.

Ralph MacFarland Fitkin

Ralph MacFarland Fitkin (March 7, 1912 – July 16, 1962) completed his education at Adelphi Academy and Yale University. He married Lorene Billie Hastings in 1932 and fathered three sons: Reed Keawaiki, Thomas Hastings, and Scott Norris Fitkin. From 1932 onward, he functioned as vice-president, director, and shareholder in A.E. Fitkin & Co. and A.E. Fitkin & Sons.

During World War II, Fitkin served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, assigned to the cable censor's office in Hawaii. After the war, he owned KHON-TV in Honolulu through the Aloha Broadcasting Company, which also managed KTOH (Lihue), KMVI (Wailuku), and KIPA (Hilo). He led this broadcasting enterprise from its inception in 1946 until at least 1952.

Fitkin resided in Greenwich, Connecticut, before passing away on July 16, 1962, in Dade County, Florida.

Susan Norris Fitkin

Susan Norris Fitkin passed away on October 18, 1951, at the age of 81 in Oakland, California.

External links

Mary-Louise Hooper, daughter of Fitkin

↑ Basil Miller

[1] Basil Miller

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