Matthew Newkirk

Matthew Newkirk
Matthew Newkirk
Born	Template:Birth date; Pittsgrove, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	May 31, 1868 (aged 74); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, railroad executive, financier, philanthropist
Known for	President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad; benefactor of educational institutions

Matthew Newkirk (May 31, 1794 – May 31, 1868) was a prominent American entrepreneur, railroad executive, financier, and benefactor. As president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), he orchestrated the consolidation of four railroads, establishing the inaugural continuous rail connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Additionally, he held a directorship at the Second Bank of the United States and invested in enterprises such as the Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company and the Cambria Iron Company.

Newkirk served on the board of Girard College and maintained a 34-year trusteeship at Princeton University. His philanthropic efforts extended to supporting Lafayette College, leading the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, and co-founding the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania. He also contributed land to Fairmount Park. The Newkirk Viaduct Monument in Philadelphia honors his significant impact.

Early life and military service

Born on May 31, 1794, in Pittsgrove, New Jersey, Newkirk was the eighth child among nine siblings born to Cornelius and Abigail (Hanna) Newkirk. At age sixteen, he relocated to Philadelphia to apprentice with Joseph and Collin Cooper, merchants specializing in dry goods on Front Street, where he acquired valuable commercial skills until he was twenty-one.

During the War of 1812, he enlisted as a corporal in the Second Company, Washington Guards of the First Regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers.

In 1817, Newkirk wed Jane Reese Stroud; tragically, she passed away from tuberculosis after only twenty-one months of marriage.

Career

Together with his sister Mary, he established a dry goods shop on North Second Street in Philadelphia. The venture prospered and expanded its reach as far as New Orleans.

Beginning in 1821, he entered into a business partnership with William Heberton for wholesale and retail operations at 95 Market Street, which lasted until 1824. The following year, he formed a mercantile alliance with Charles S. Olden, who would later become governor of New Jersey.

In 1832, Newkirk acquired the Brandywine Springs resort near Wilmington, Delaware, investing in its enhancement.

After withdrawing from retail trade in 1839, he assumed a directorship at the second United States Bank, overseeing deposits for notable individuals including Daniel Webster.

He was elected to Philadelphia’s Select Council—an early municipal governing body—where he played a role in city affairs prior to its restructuring.

In 1835, Newkirk commissioned Thomas Ustick Walter to design a marble residence at 13th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia; this home featured fresco work by Nicola Monachesi.

That same year marked his acquisition of major stock holdings in both the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad and the Baltimore and Port Deposit Railroad. He spearheaded fundraising and construction initiatives that connected Philadelphia with Wilmington and Baltimore by rail. The resulting Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), established in 1838 through merger, provided uninterrupted rail service along this corridor—much of which forms part of today’s Amtrak Northeast Corridor.

Among PW&B’s milestones was constructing the first permanent bridge over the Schuylkill River south of Market Street—the Newkirk Viaduct—named in his honor. In recognition of his leadership, the railroad presented him with an ornate silver service set.

Newkirk also engaged in Pennsylvania’s coal industry via investments in the Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company and joined Johnstown’s Cambria Iron Company in 1854. His real estate holdings extended across eleven states; at one time he was Philadelphia’s largest property owner.

A close associate of Henry Clay, Newkirk often hosted Clay during his visits to Philadelphia. A committed Presbyterian, he served as an elder at Central Presbyterian Church for thirty-four years.

Philanthropy

Matthew Newkirk played a significant role as a founder, officer, or benefactor of numerous higher education institutions. In 1843, he made the most substantial financial contribution to the University of Delaware up to that date, donating $100 (equivalent to roughly $ today). The university's library continues to expand its collection through the Matthew Newkirk Memorial Fund.

He held the position of president at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, provided financial support to Lafayette College, served on the board of Girard College, and was a trustee at Princeton University for 34 years, holding the distinction of being its longest-serving trustee at the time of his passing. In 1853, Newkirk was instrumental in founding the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania, which became the eighth engineering institution established in the United States.

Additionally, Newkirk contributed land that facilitated the growth of Fairmount Park and presided over the Pennsylvania Temperance Society as its leader.

Death and legacy

On August 14, 1838, the board of the PW&B honored Newkirk by naming the Schuylkill River bridge after him and commissioning the Newkirk Viaduct Monument at its western terminus.

Newkirk passed away on May 31, 1868, in his Philadelphia residence and was laid to rest at Laurel Hill Cemetery. He left behind one son, Matthew Newkirk, who was a Presbyterian clergyman. His estate included over $1 million (approximately $ today) allocated to his family, along with a $500 bequest to Philadelphia's Central Presbyterian Church designated for book acquisitions.

Eight years following his death, his family sold his Philadelphia mansion to the Society of the Sons of St. George. The society renamed it "St. George's Hall" and used it as their headquarters until it was demolished in 1903. The mansion’s front colonnade was preserved and is now exhibited at Princeton Battlefield State Park in New Jersey.

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