April 26, 2006
Growing Up Guggenheim
Peter Lawson-Johnson
Author and Old Guard Member
Minutes of the 30th Meeting of the 64th Year
Vice President Giordmaine called the meeting to order at 10:15 AM. There were 108 members and visitors in attendance. The invocation was led by John Marks.
Vice President Giordmaine noted that our Membership Chairman, Don Dickason, was recovering from quadruple by-pass surgery.
The minutes of our preceding meeting on April 19th were presented by Henry King, summarizing Princeton Professor Gilbert Rozman's talk on the impact of the North Korean Crisis on Northeast Asia.
No guests were present. Three (3) visitors were present. Joan Fleming introduced her brother, John Newman, and his wife, Margaret. John Frederick introduced his wife, Jean.
Chairman Charlie Jaffin presented the Report of the Nominating Committee on behalf of himself, Seymour Meisel, Betty Sanford and Nick Wilson. The Committee recommended the election of the following Officers and Committee Chairmen for the ensuing program year:
For President: Joseph Giordmaine
For Vice President: George Hansen
For Secretary: Alfred Kaemmerlen
For Treasurer: Thomas Cawley
For Recording Secretary: John Frederick
For Assistant Secretary: Robert Thompson
For Assistant Treasurer: John Lasley
For Chairman of the following committees:
Arrangements: Philip Cruickshank
Historian: John Marks
Hospitality: Raymond Thompson
Membership: Charles Stennard
Program: David Dodge
Nominating: Charles Jaffin
University Relations: William Bonini
Phil Cruickshank called attention to the display of the various sizes of the photograph of the members of the Old Guard that were available for purchase.
Henry King introduced our esteemed member and speaker, Peter Lawson-Johnston. (Since, as the British say, Peter is "one of us", I will take the liberty of referring to him and his family members in these minutes by their first names.) A grandson of Solomon R. Guggenheim, Peter attended Lawrenceville School, served in the United States Army and then attended and graduated with honors from the University of Virginia. He then went to work for a succession of family companies. Peter became a partner of Guggenheim Brothers, the entity that developed the family mining enterprises, and from 1969 through 1998, he served as President and then Chairman of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Henry recommended Peter's recent book, "Growing Up Guggenheim,"as a "good read," a judgment that I can confidently confirm from my own experience.
Peter's great-grandfather, Meyer, and his father, Simon, had emigrated from Switzerland in 1848 and settled in Philadelphia. At first they manufactured and sold stove polish. In 1881 Meyer acquired a flooded silver and lead mine in Colorado, drained off the water and made the mine profitable. From this initial investment, he and his seven sons expanded into other highly successful mining ventures, mainly in copper.
Peter gave a wide-ranging account of his early life and family encounters, sprinkled with anecdotes: the initial remark from his father whom Peter at age 20 had not seen since the age of 3 ("Peter! By Jove you've grown!"); his Army duties as a hotel desk clerk in Rome attempting futilely to prevent young ladies from gaining access to upper floors; Grandfather Solomon's remark during a call of nature at Mount Vernon ("I want you to be able to tell your grandchildren someday that you and your grandfather watered George Washington's lawn!"); tourists in Peggy Guggenheim's palazzo in Venice, at the graves of her dogs with names and dates prominently displayed, remarking how sad it was that her daughters had died so young.
Peter stated that he was the product of a mother who had three husbands and a father who had five wives, not a promising background for a young man growing up in surroundings of wealth. But from his mother, Barbara, he acquired a strong work ethic that she displayed primarily in her passion for breeding and showing horses.
In 1928 Baroness Hilla Rebay encouraged Solomon to begin his collection of non-objective art. In 1937 he established his Foundation to manage the collection and was later inspired to hire Frank Lloyd Wright to design a masterful museum building to house it. After Solomon's death, cousin Harry Frank Guggenheim became the leader and patriarch of the family. In September 1968 he summoned Peter to his hospital room where he told Peter to read a copy of Harry's Will. Peter realized to his dismay that Harry was choosing Peter to be the next head of the family.
Peter and the Guggenheim's curator, Thomas Messer, negotiated to acquire Cousin Peggy's art collection for the Museum. Peggy agreed on condition that her collection remain in Venice ("Even if Venice sinks I want my collection in Venice!") where it is housed today in her palazzo on the Grand Canal. With the assistance of curator, Thomas Krens, there followed the remarkable partnership with the City of Bilbao, Spain, and the construction of the fabulous Frank Gehry museum building there. Subsequent ventures have led to museums in Berlin (in partnership with Deutsche Bank) and in Las Vegas. Substantial support was forthcoming from patrons and financiers, including Peter Lewis and Ronald Perelman.
By the time Peter retired as Chairman, the Guggenheim Museum was the foremost world-wide cultural institution devoted to the display of non-objective art--an extraordinary benefaction to the people of this country and the world. Earlier Peter had asked his cousin, Harry, why he had chosen Peter to be the next leader of the Guggenheim family. Harry had replied, "Because you're a gentleman and have a wonderful family!" But Harry had doubtless perceived other qualities as well: perseverance and the charm and judgment that enables one to inspire others to support one's vision of what a cultural institution may become. And above all, an abiding sense of stewardship, a sense that great wealth entails great responsibilities.
What inspired a handful of entrepreneurs and families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries--Andrew Carnegie, the Rockefellers, the Guggenheims--to make such extraordinary contributions to our cultural heritage, in some cases before the incentive of estate tax charitable deductions? Why did these impulses occur in some families and not in others? So often the maxim--rags to riches to rags in three generations--was sadly illustrated. How do we instill the attributes of character that give rise to this genius for responsible philanthropy? In our age in which the display of greed is occasionally so prominent, unaccompanied by any redeeming charitable inclination, we would do well to ponder the example of the Guggenheims and the origins of their traits of character and precepts that led to such noteworthy acts of public generosity.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W. Ufford, Jr.
Vice President Giordmaine noted that our Membership Chairman, Don Dickason, was recovering from quadruple by-pass surgery.
The minutes of our preceding meeting on April 19th were presented by Henry King, summarizing Princeton Professor Gilbert Rozman's talk on the impact of the North Korean Crisis on Northeast Asia.
No guests were present. Three (3) visitors were present. Joan Fleming introduced her brother, John Newman, and his wife, Margaret. John Frederick introduced his wife, Jean.
Chairman Charlie Jaffin presented the Report of the Nominating Committee on behalf of himself, Seymour Meisel, Betty Sanford and Nick Wilson. The Committee recommended the election of the following Officers and Committee Chairmen for the ensuing program year:
For President: Joseph Giordmaine
For Vice President: George Hansen
For Secretary: Alfred Kaemmerlen
For Treasurer: Thomas Cawley
For Recording Secretary: John Frederick
For Assistant Secretary: Robert Thompson
For Assistant Treasurer: John Lasley
For Chairman of the following committees:
Arrangements: Philip Cruickshank
Historian: John Marks
Hospitality: Raymond Thompson
Membership: Charles Stennard
Program: David Dodge
Nominating: Charles Jaffin
University Relations: William Bonini
Phil Cruickshank called attention to the display of the various sizes of the photograph of the members of the Old Guard that were available for purchase.
Henry King introduced our esteemed member and speaker, Peter Lawson-Johnston. (Since, as the British say, Peter is "one of us", I will take the liberty of referring to him and his family members in these minutes by their first names.) A grandson of Solomon R. Guggenheim, Peter attended Lawrenceville School, served in the United States Army and then attended and graduated with honors from the University of Virginia. He then went to work for a succession of family companies. Peter became a partner of Guggenheim Brothers, the entity that developed the family mining enterprises, and from 1969 through 1998, he served as President and then Chairman of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Henry recommended Peter's recent book, "Growing Up Guggenheim,"as a "good read," a judgment that I can confidently confirm from my own experience.
Peter's great-grandfather, Meyer, and his father, Simon, had emigrated from Switzerland in 1848 and settled in Philadelphia. At first they manufactured and sold stove polish. In 1881 Meyer acquired a flooded silver and lead mine in Colorado, drained off the water and made the mine profitable. From this initial investment, he and his seven sons expanded into other highly successful mining ventures, mainly in copper.
Peter gave a wide-ranging account of his early life and family encounters, sprinkled with anecdotes: the initial remark from his father whom Peter at age 20 had not seen since the age of 3 ("Peter! By Jove you've grown!"); his Army duties as a hotel desk clerk in Rome attempting futilely to prevent young ladies from gaining access to upper floors; Grandfather Solomon's remark during a call of nature at Mount Vernon ("I want you to be able to tell your grandchildren someday that you and your grandfather watered George Washington's lawn!"); tourists in Peggy Guggenheim's palazzo in Venice, at the graves of her dogs with names and dates prominently displayed, remarking how sad it was that her daughters had died so young.
Peter stated that he was the product of a mother who had three husbands and a father who had five wives, not a promising background for a young man growing up in surroundings of wealth. But from his mother, Barbara, he acquired a strong work ethic that she displayed primarily in her passion for breeding and showing horses.
In 1928 Baroness Hilla Rebay encouraged Solomon to begin his collection of non-objective art. In 1937 he established his Foundation to manage the collection and was later inspired to hire Frank Lloyd Wright to design a masterful museum building to house it. After Solomon's death, cousin Harry Frank Guggenheim became the leader and patriarch of the family. In September 1968 he summoned Peter to his hospital room where he told Peter to read a copy of Harry's Will. Peter realized to his dismay that Harry was choosing Peter to be the next head of the family.
Peter and the Guggenheim's curator, Thomas Messer, negotiated to acquire Cousin Peggy's art collection for the Museum. Peggy agreed on condition that her collection remain in Venice ("Even if Venice sinks I want my collection in Venice!") where it is housed today in her palazzo on the Grand Canal. With the assistance of curator, Thomas Krens, there followed the remarkable partnership with the City of Bilbao, Spain, and the construction of the fabulous Frank Gehry museum building there. Subsequent ventures have led to museums in Berlin (in partnership with Deutsche Bank) and in Las Vegas. Substantial support was forthcoming from patrons and financiers, including Peter Lewis and Ronald Perelman.
By the time Peter retired as Chairman, the Guggenheim Museum was the foremost world-wide cultural institution devoted to the display of non-objective art--an extraordinary benefaction to the people of this country and the world. Earlier Peter had asked his cousin, Harry, why he had chosen Peter to be the next leader of the Guggenheim family. Harry had replied, "Because you're a gentleman and have a wonderful family!" But Harry had doubtless perceived other qualities as well: perseverance and the charm and judgment that enables one to inspire others to support one's vision of what a cultural institution may become. And above all, an abiding sense of stewardship, a sense that great wealth entails great responsibilities.
What inspired a handful of entrepreneurs and families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries--Andrew Carnegie, the Rockefellers, the Guggenheims--to make such extraordinary contributions to our cultural heritage, in some cases before the incentive of estate tax charitable deductions? Why did these impulses occur in some families and not in others? So often the maxim--rags to riches to rags in three generations--was sadly illustrated. How do we instill the attributes of character that give rise to this genius for responsible philanthropy? In our age in which the display of greed is occasionally so prominent, unaccompanied by any redeeming charitable inclination, we would do well to ponder the example of the Guggenheims and the origins of their traits of character and precepts that led to such noteworthy acts of public generosity.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W. Ufford, Jr.