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MercurysBall2 ago

The school was founded on April 14, 1898, with an endowment by Col. Oliver H. Payne.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Hazard_Payne

Oliver Hazard Payne (July 21, 1839 – June 27, 1917)[1] was an American businessman, organizer of the American Tobacco trust, and assisted with the formation of U.S. Steel, and was affiliated with Standard Oil. He is considered one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, having left an enormous fortune.

He was the son of Henry B. Payne, a businessman, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator, and Mary (née Perry) Payne. He was named for Oliver Hazard Perry, a relative of his mother. He was the uncle of William Payne Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney. He was also the uncle of Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton.

Payne began his career shortly after the war, investing in iron and then oil refining. His oil interests were the first acquired by Standard Oil, and he became a trustee of that firm.[3] He was charged with bribing members of the Ohio Legislature to attain a Senate seat for his father (before the U.S. Senate was directly elected), and with bribing the Democratic Party to name his brother-in-law United States Secretary of the Navy, though the charges were dropped.

Payne, who did not marry nor have children, died at his home, 852 Fifth Avenue in New York City, on June 27, 1917.[1] He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

William Payne Whitney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payne_Whitney

William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 – May 25, 1927) was an American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family. He inherited a fortune and enlarged it through business dealings, then devoted much of his money and efforts to a wide variety of philanthropic purposes. His will included funds to expand the New York Hospital, now called NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, where the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic was established.

Whitney family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_family

Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney; Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Voat post: On the art world, occult groups and military links: SHAEF, Biltmore Estate, Monument's Men, and Psyop Units

The Whitney Museum was founded by a Vanderbilt and that made me think of the recent posts on the Biltmore Estate (like this one). Around that time was a military unit SHAEF, which also dealt with art and psychological operations/propaganda and began the Rainbow Unit of the military.

Just a reminder, Gloria Vanderbilt did an interview with Charlie Rose about the suicide of her elder son (I suppose she trusted him) where she mentions that she was just 13 feet away from her son when he went over the ledge

So I guess it's no surprise that as the Biltmore Estate was used to 'store art' during WW2, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney would go on to found the Whitney Museum of Art.

MercurysBall2 ago

Whitney Museum news: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/warren-kanders-resigns-whitney-13036/

Warren B. Kanders, the vice chair of the Whitney Museum in New York, said that he will resign from his position after more than half a year of protests against his ownership of Safariland, a company that produces tear-gas canisters and other supplies used by the military and law enforcement.