Joseph Wharton
Joseph Wharton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 11, 1909 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Industrialist, philanthropist |
| Known for | Advancing U.S. nickel and zinc industries; founder of Wharton School; co-founder of Swarthmore College |
Joseph Wharton (March 3, 1826 – January 11, 1909) was a prominent American industrialist and philanthropist who played a crucial role in advancing the U.S. nickel and zinc sectors. He founded the nation's inaugural facility for producing metallic zinc (spelter) and emerged as the leading American producer of both nickel and pig iron. Wharton's breakthroughs in creating malleable and magnetic nickel earned him a gold medal at the 1878 Paris Exposition. He was the largest shareholder of Bethlehem Steel, held major railroad interests, and owned vast mineral-rich properties containing iron, coal, copper, and gold ores. Additionally, he established the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was a co-founder of Swarthmore College.
Early life and education
Born in Philadelphia on March 3, 1826, Wharton was the fifth child among ten siblings born to William and Deborah Fisher Wharton. Raised in the Quaker tradition, his childhood was divided between the family residence in Center City Philadelphia and Bellevue, a rural estate near the Schuylkill River. His education included attendance at boarding schools in Byberry and West Chester, Pennsylvania, complemented by private tutors preparing him for college.
At sixteen, due to health issues, he spent three years working on a farm in East Fallowfield Township while studying chemistry with Martin Hans Boyè during winter months and learning French and German languages. Standing just over , Wharton was physically strong and engaged in sports such as horseback riding, swimming, and rowing—competing with the Camilla Boat Club affiliated with the Fairmount Rowing Association.
Honorary degrees were conferred upon him by both the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College.
Career
Beginning at age nineteen, Wharton served a two-year apprenticeship under an accountant where he developed expertise in business practices and bookkeeping. In 1847, he partnered with his brother Rodman to establish a white lead manufacturing enterprise. He also co-founded a cottonseed oil business that operated for four years before closing in 1849.
That same year, Wharton started a brick manufacturing company utilizing a patented machine designed to form dry clay bricks but eventually exited due to fierce competition and market volatility.
Zinc and nickel manufacturing
In 1853, Wharton became involved with the Pennsylvania and Lehigh Zinc Company near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, overseeing mining operations along with zinc oxide production. During the financial downturn of 1857–1858, he assumed control of the zinc works and successfully restored its profitability. By 1859, he had introduced metallic zinc (spelter) production within the United States, recruiting skilled Belgian workers and constructing sixteen furnaces; by 1863, output had reached nine million pounds.
At the request of James Pollock, Director of the U.S. Mint, Wharton explored domestic sources of nickel for coinage purposes. In 1863, he divested from his zinc ventures to focus on nickel production in Camden, New Jersey. He secured majority ownership of the Gap Mining Company located in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Following Congress's 1866 approval of a three-cent coin composed of copper-nickel alloy, Wharton's facility—renamed American Nickel Works—became central to his enterprise.
Although a fire destroyed his Camden plant in 1868, Wharton promptly rebuilt it using brick and stone. He pioneered processes for producing malleable nickel as well as nickel magnets, achievements that earned him a gold medal at the 1878 Paris Exposition.
For a quarter-century, Wharton's enterprise was the largest nickel manufacturer in the U.S., accounting for approximately 17% of worldwide production. As surface deposits at Gap mine diminished, he sourced ore from Canada’s Sudbury Basin. After the Civil War ended, demand for coinage decreased significantly leading to reduced Mint purchases; this forced Wharton to temporarily shut down operations in 1870 with threats of permanent closure.
By the 1870s, Wharton had accumulated several million dollars through his nickel ventures. He gained substantial profits supplying Prussia between 1873 and 1876. However, nickel prices plunged sharply in 1877 due to new discoveries in New Caledonia and the establishment of Société Le Nickel. By 1900 industry prospects had weakened; in 1902 Wharton collaborated with other companies to form the International Nickel Company. In 1905 his American Nickel Works merged with Orford Copper Company, marking his exit from direct involvement in nickel manufacturing.
Water supply initiatives
The Bellevue Mansion estate, owned by the Wharton family in North Philadelphia, along with adjacent lands later incorporated into the city, was targeted for condemnation to make way for a new drinking water reservoir. In reaction to this, Wharton began purchasing territory in South Jersey throughout the 1870s, ultimately acquiring 150 square miles within the Pinelands region, which contained a pristine aquifer replenished by surrounding rivers and lakes. His objective was to transport this water to Philadelphia via a municipally controlled corporation responsible for laying water mains and installing pumps, funded through public investments in stocks and bonds. Nevertheless, resistance emerged from stakeholders in both Philadelphia and New Jersey, culminating in New Jersey legislation that banned the export of water.
Mining and railroad enterprises
Wharton expanded his business interests into various industrial sectors, including mining operations, manufacturing plants, and railroads. On his South Jersey properties, he founded a menhaden fish processing facility that produced fertilizer, implemented modern forestry management practices, and cultivated cranberry and sugar beet farms. In Port Oram, New Jersey, he grew iron production by operating furnaces with a combined capacity exceeding 1,000 tons daily.
His mineral holdings encompassed over 5,000 acres rich in ore as well as significant coal tracts—7,500 acres in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, plus 24,000 acres spread across West Virginia and New York. His mining assets included iron and copper mines located in Michigan alongside gold mines situated in Arizona and Nevada. Wharton also invested heavily in railroads such as the Reading Company, Lehigh Valley Railroad, San Antonio Railroad, Arkansas Pass Railroad, Oregon Pacific Railroad, and Hibernia Mine Railroad.
Bethlehem Steel
During the 1870s, Wharton became a key investor in the Bethlehem Iron Company—a leading manufacturer of pig iron and steel primarily serving railroad industries. He emerged as the largest shareholder and gained controlling interest, positioning the company as the foremost pig iron producer nationwide. In 1885, he secured a contract from the U.S. Navy for forged steel armor plates. The following year, Wharton traveled to England (Whitworth Company) and France (Schneider Company) to study advanced forging methods. This knowledge enabled Bethlehem Iron to establish America’s first high-strength steel forging facility capable of producing armor plating and naval guns.
Scientific pursuits
Wharton was an accomplished scientist with particular interests in astronomy and metallurgy. He authored papers that were presented to the American Philosophical Society, which honored him with membership in 1869.
Following the Krakatoa eruption of 1883–1884, Wharton studied the phenomenon of unusually vivid red sunsets observed globally. Utilizing his metallurgical microscope to examine snow dust near his residence, he identified glassy particles consistent with pumice debris originating from a Manila-bound ship delayed by Krakatoa’s volcanic fallout. He shared these findings during the American Philosophical Society’s 150th anniversary celebration in 1893.
Additionally, Wharton investigated applying the Doppler effect to light emitted by binary stars as a method for estimating their distance from Earth—drawing an analogy to how a train whistle’s pitch changes relative to its motion.
He held leadership roles such as president of the American Iron and Steel Association and participated actively in the Iron and Steel Institute. Politically engaged, Wharton played a prominent role advocating for Republican William McKinley’s presidential nomination.
Swarthmore College
In 1864, Joseph Wharton, together with his mother Deborah Fisher Wharton and other Hicksite Quakers from cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York, established Swarthmore College, a Hicksite Quaker institution located near Philadelphia. The college was created to fulfill the demand for a coeducational institution providing excellent education grounded in Friends' principles, yet not dominated by religious instruction.
Wharton made significant financial contributions, including $150,000 for the construction of Wharton Hall, $40,000 to endow the Chair of Economics and Political Science, $10,000 toward the library, $15,000 for a Friends Meeting House, and another $10,000 for a science building. Deborah Fisher Wharton served on the college’s Board of Managers from 1862 until 1870; Joseph followed from 1870 through 1909 and held the presidency from 1883 to 1907. He was a regular visitor to the campus and frequently addressed graduating classes.
Wharton School
Joseph Wharton authored extensively on economic subjects such as protective tariffs and business cycles. At a time when formal business education was rare and typically limited to apprenticeships or on-the-job experience, he envisioned an academic institution dedicated to teaching business development and management while preparing students to handle economic fluctuations.
In 1881, he donated $100,000 to the University of Pennsylvania to create the "School of Finance and Economy", with the mission of training students for success in commerce. His curriculum emphasized economic protectionism in line with his support for American manufacturing. Over time, the school broadened its academic offerings to include political science and social sciences alongside its core focus on business management and finance.
The Wharton School became a pioneer in practical business education and has maintained its status as one of the premier business schools worldwide. However, in 2023, it notably dropped out of the Financial Times MBA rankings for the first time since their inception.
Final years and death
Wharton remained vigorous in both his professional endeavors and physical activities well into his later years. Up until age 72, he enjoyed skating on the pond at his Ontalauna estate near Philadelphia and regularly took evening walks with family members. He refrained from tobacco use and consumed alcohol sparingly. Approaching 80 years old, he visited his silver mine in Nevada by canoeing down the Colorado River and entering the mine itself; at 81, he traveled to Germany accompanied by his grandson Joseph Wharton Lippincott, where they met Kaiser Wilhelm II and dined aboard the kaiser's yacht.
A passionate reader and poet, many of Wharton's verses were inspired by his travels, including journeys to Europe, Cuba, Mexico, and Nevada’s mining regions.
In 1907, while in London, Wharton suffered a stroke. Although he returned home afterward, his health steadily deteriorated. The following year, he founded the Wharton Steel Company with assets surpassing $10 million by consolidating his interests in coke production, iron manufacturing, limestone quarries, pig iron operations, and railroads under one organization. After a subsequent fall further impaired his condition, he passed away at Ontalauna on January 11, 1909, aged 82. He was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Personal life
On June 15, 1854, Wharton married Anna Corbit Lovering. After briefly residing with her family post-marriage, they settled near 12th and Walnut streets in Philadelphia. The couple had one daughter named Joanna. While overseeing zinc operations in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Wharton lived separately from his family who stayed in Philadelphia.
In 1856, he leased a house in Philadelphia before moving with his family to Bethlehem. Following the sale of his zinc interests, they returned to Philadelphia where Wharton purchased a 63-acre property in the Branchtown area and constructed a Second Empire style mansion called "Ontalauna".
Wharton was affiliated with the Union League of Philadelphia. During the 1880s, he acquired land in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where he built an estate known as "Marabella" to serve as a summer retreat.
He was grandfather to publisher Joseph Wharton Lippincott, great-grandfather to publisher Joseph Wharton Lippincott Jr., and great-great-great-grandfather of former UCLA Bruins and Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen.
Legacy
In 1908, Wharton contributed a 25-acre wooded tract to the city of Philadelphia for the creation of a public park. Later, in 1954, the Wharton family divested significant land holdings within the South Jersey Pinelands to the state of New Jersey, which now form the core area of Wharton State Forest.
To commemorate the centennial of the Wharton School’s establishment in 1981, a special 18-cent stamp featuring Joseph Wharton was issued. Additionally, in 1997, he was honored with induction into the National Mining Hall of Fame.
The municipality originally known as Port Oram in New Jersey was renamed Wharton to pay tribute to him.
Publications
- On Two Peculiar Products in the Nickel Manufacture, American Journal of Science, s2-49(147), 365–368, 1870
- Memorandum Concerning Small Money and Nickel Alloy Coinage, Collins, 1877
- Article discussing zinc production, American Journal of Science, September 1871, p.168
- Dust from the Krakatoa Eruption of 1883, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 32 (193), 343–345
- Correspondence on water supply proposals, Evening Bulletin, June 17, 1891
- The Creed in the Discipline, Philadelphia: Allen, Lane & Scott, 1892
- Speculations Upon a Possible Method of Determining Distance of Certain Variably Colored Stars, American Journal of Science and Arts: Series II, Vol 40:190–192, 1865
- Mexico, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1902
References
Citations
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- 19th-century American businesspeople
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- Bethlehem Steel people
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