Benjamin Newton Duke

Benjamin Newton Duke
Born	Template:Birth date United States
Died	January 8, 1929(1929-01-08) (aged 73) New York City, United States
Occupation(s)	Industrialist, philanthropist
Known for	Vice-president of American Tobacco Company, co-founder of Duke Energy

Benjamin Newton Duke (April 27, 1855 – January 8, 1929) was a prominent American industrialist and philanthropist involved in the tobacco, textile, and energy sectors. He held the position of vice-president at the American Tobacco Company and was a co-founder of Duke Energy.

Life and career

Benjamin was the son of industrialist Washington Duke and Artelia Roney. His older half-brother was Brodie Duke, while his full brother was James Buchanan Duke. In 1875, he wed Sarah Pearson Angier, and the couple had two children: Mary Lillian Duke and Angier Buchanan Duke. The family commissioned portraits by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla in 1911.

Beginning his career in his father’s tobacco enterprise, Benjamin became vice-president of the American Tobacco Company by 1890. Two years later, in 1892, he spearheaded the Duke family’s inaugural textile operation located in Durham, North Carolina. Together with James, he established the Southern Power Company in 1905—later renamed Duke Energy—primarily to provide electricity to their textile manufacturing facilities. Over the following twenty years, this company grew to supply power to more than 300 cotton mills and various industries throughout North and South Carolina’s Piedmont region.

Benjamin also contributed significantly to North Carolina’s economic development through investments in railroads and banking institutions. After Trinity College relocated to Durham in 1892, he became one of its principal benefactors, offering generous financial support for campus buildings and scholarships. From 1926 until his death in 1929, he donated approximately $3 million (equivalent to over $30 million in 2005) to twenty-seven institutions of higher learning across the southern United States.

In recognition of his contributions, Duke University established the Benjamin Newton Duke Scholars program. This full scholarship is awarded to students demonstrating academic excellence alongside a dedication to service and civic responsibility. Recipients participate in two summer service projects: one within an economically disadvantaged community in the Carolinas and another abroad.

Benjamin Newton Duke passed away in New York City in 1929. He was laid to rest with his father and brother James in Memorial Chapel on the Duke University campus.