1. Elizabeth Ann or Anne Plankinton was an American philanthropist in the early 20th century, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton.
19 Facts About Elizabeth Plankinton
1. 2.
Elizabeth Plankinton was known as "Miss Lizzie" and the people of Milwaukee called Plankinton the "municipal patroness" because of her generosity.
3.
Elizabeth Plankinton made a large donation that built the first YWCA in Milwaukee.
4.
Elizabeth Plankinton purchased an elaborate large-scale pipe organ for the newly constructed city auditorium.
5.
Elizabeth Plankinton's fiance abandoned her for a dancer from Minneapolis.
6.
Elizabeth Plankinton was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 27,1853.
7.
Elizabeth Plankinton was a daughter of John Plankinton and Elizabeth Brasker.
8.
Elizabeth Plankinton's older brother, William, was born in 1844 and her sister, Hannah, in 1851; Hannah died of a heart condition in 1870 when Plankinton was seventeen.
9.
The Elizabeth Plankinton House was a three-bedroom mansion in the upscale Milwaukee neighborhood of west Grand Ave that was built by businessman and millionaire John Plankinton and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
10.
The marriage never took place, as on September 18,1887, Park abandoned Elizabeth Plankinton and married a dancer from Minneapolis instead.
11.
Distraught, Elizabeth Plankinton completely lost interest in the mansion, rejecting her wedding gift and never living in the residence which bore her name; instead, she travelled the world.
12.
Elizabeth Plankinton followed in her father's footsteps as a humanitarian and was affectionately called "Miss Lizzie" by the citizens of Milwaukee.
13.
Elizabeth Plankinton continued the tradition of philanthropy and historical records show that Miss Plankinton gave many gifts to the citizens of Milwaukee for their benefit.
14.
Elizabeth Plankinton purchased a $10,000 pipe organ for the then-new half million dollar 1909 Milwaukee Auditorium.
15.
Elizabeth Plankinton's most notable gift was a George Washington bronze statue for the city of Milwaukee, first announced in January 1885.
16.
Some time before World War I, Elizabeth Plankinton built a large home in Dresden, Germany, where she spent several months of the year.
17.
Elizabeth Plankinton was trapped there when the war broke out, and the government impounded her property in the United States.
18.
Elizabeth Plankinton visited Milwaukee after the war, but was in Europe as her health deteriorated, and she died in Lucerne in Switzerland in 1923.
19.
Elizabeth Plankinton was buried in the Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, with her mother, father, step mother, brother, and sister, near the Plankinton family obelisk erected after her father's death.