Stephen Girard and the gift he left his nation

By Steven H. Biondolillo

If Stephen Girard (1750-1831), the founder of Philadelphia's Girard College, were alive today, he would do two things:

First, he would offer a resounding hear-hear to the Aug. 27 decision by Orphans' Court Judge Joseph O'Keefe to prevent the current leadership of the school from suspending its high school and boarding programs, thereby distorting his far-reaching vision and 1831 bequest.

Second, he would marvel at the number of Girard alums - about 26,000 - a number large enough to populate a small city.

No doubt his heart would swell with pride at what his school's graduates have contributed to this city and nation. Among them are captains of business and industry, renowned practitioners of the professions, widely respected scholars and teachers, accomplished artists and artisans, master tradesmen, military, political, and religious leaders, and dedicated public servants.

In order to grasp the magnitude of Girard's vision, accomplishment, and impact, we must first consider his multidimensionality. For 183 years, Girard has borne four principal titles: banker, merchant, mariner, philanthropist. In today's brand-conscious culture, however, his titles would be pared to American Business and Humanitarian Genius.

The modest Girard would not have liked the label genius. But if a genius is someone who aims at a target no one else can see and hits it, then that term fits Girard.

As a banker, mariner, and merchant, Girard was among the first American business leaders to see and realize the incredible value of integrating the full business cycle, from finance and resource acquisition to production and distribution. As a result, Girard accrued an unprecedented fortune, becoming the nation's first multimillionaire and, by the time of his death, its wealthiest citizen.

Next, consider Girard's critical contribution to the people of Philadelphia during the yellow-fever epidemic of 1793. When most prominent Philadelphians fled the city, Girard remained and tended personally to the sick and dying. Historians rightly consider this to be one of his greatest humanitarian accomplishments.

Utterly underappreciated, however, is the fact that Girard's actions during the epidemic were also a business achievement. Girard stepped into the incoherent world of 18th-century medical practice and helped organize it, establishing a prototype of the modern hospital.

But as brilliant as Girard was in business, his grandest achievement lies squarely in the humanitarian realm, with the founding of Girard College, which opened its doors in 1848.

Girard clearly understood the critical importance of providing for and educating indigent children as a way to ensure a safe and vital democracy. If the nation wasn't providing opportunity - and hope - to its citizens, civil society could be undermined. It was a legacy that saw the nation and its orphans through crises from the Civil War to the crack epidemic of the 1980s to today.

With his bequest, more than any other American in history, Stephen Girard forestalled an untold amount of social and economic desperation. He could have built monuments to himself in the form of libraries, museums, or parks. Instead, for 166 years and counting, Girard College has made possible the productive lives of 26,000 of America's disenfranchised sons and daughters. Imagine how another handful of such gifts could alter the destiny of the nation.