Anthony J. Drexel photographs

Anthony Joseph (A.J.) Drexel was born in 1826 to artist-turned-banker Francis Martin Drexel and Katherine Hookey Drexel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Drexel became a partner in his father's banking firm, Drexel & Company, at age 21.  Drexel & Company made vast sums of money on the financial opportunities created by gold discoveries in the west.  They were also involved in financial deals with the federal government during the Mexican War and the Civil War.  A.J. Drexel became the head of Drexel & Company when his father died in 1863.  He partnered with J.P. Morgan and began one of the most lucrative banking interests in the world.  Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Drexel and his brothers had significantly increased the wealth of the company founded by their father.

A.J. Drexel’s success in business led to philanthropic activity.  He gave considerable sums to Christian hospitals and other institutions that administered care for the poor.  In the 1860s, Drexel started to consider using his wealth to fund a school.  Under the influence of his niece Katharine Drexel, who would later be canonized by the Catholic Church, he decided to open an industrial school.  Drexel founded the school on the hope that it would be accessible to all, without restrictions based on gender, creed, or social class.  In December 1891, the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry dedicated its Main Building on 32nd and Chestnut streets.  Anthony J. Drexel died two years later in 1893.          

For access to high quality versions of these images or other materials related to the Drexel family, please contact the university archives at archives@drexel.edu.

	Anthony J. Drexel reading Scribner's Magazine [circa 1893]
	[Anthony J. Drexel] [no date]