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From: "Jean Rice" <>
Subject: [IGW] William R. GRACE (1832-1904) - Co. Cork -- Entrepreneur So. America & Mayor NYC
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 13:43:33 -0800

BIO: William Russell GRACE (1832-1904) was born in Co. Cork, Ireland, and became one of the wealthiest international businessmen of his time. A trip to Peru in 1850 led to a partnership in the British shipping firm Bryce & Co. By the 1860s, Grace and his brother Michael had developed the company into Grace Brothers & Co., the most powerful company trading along the western coast of South America. In 1865 Grace moved to New York City, where he established the North American office of W. R. Grace & Co. The company's success and his investments in South America (including the funding of Peru's efforts in the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific) made Grace a millionaire. Although he was not officially an American citizen, Grace allied himself with the Democratic Party and became the first Irish Catholic mayor of NYC in 1880, and was reelected in 1882. He was active in Irish nationalist causes like the Land League in the early 1880s and helped organize a relief effort when famin!
e again threatened Ireland in 1879.

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• [IGW] William R. GRACE (1832-1904) - Co. Cork -- Entrepreneur So. America & Mayor NYC by "Jean Rice" <>