23 Facts About Elliott Cresson

Elliott Cresson was an American philanthropist who gave money to a number of causes after a brief career in the mercantile business.

Elliott Cresson established the Elliott Cresson Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1848, and helped found and manage the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, today's Moore College of Art and Design.

John Elliott Cresson died in 1814, and Elliott Cresson continued to reside, unmarried, at 730 Sansom Street with his widowed mother until his death.

In 1824, Elliott Cresson left the business to pursue philanthropic goals.

Elliott Cresson was interested in the idea of moving freed slaves and African-American citizens to Africa, an idea shared for a few years in the late 1820s by Boston abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.

Elliott Cresson felt that ex-slaves, surrounded as they were by white people of greater means, found it too difficult to lift themselves up.

Elliott Cresson's belief was that new circumstances among a primarily black culture would effect a beneficial change in character for the former slaves.

Elliott Cresson joined the Philadelphia organization known as the Young Men's Colonization Society, a branch of the American Colonization Society, and soon became its strongest, most active member.

Elliott Cresson joined in an effort by the Philadelphia and the New York City auxiliaries to act more independently.

Elliott Cresson traveled to Liberia in early 1833 to help establish the colony, sent on his way by a poem from Lydia Sigourney which finished with:.

Elliott Cresson worked to stop the damage caused by Garrison's reversal, and wrote Garrison directly on two occasions.

In spite of his efforts, Elliott Cresson was partly blamed for the withdrawal of some Southern state auxiliaries from the national organization.

The Port Elliott Cresson colony was attacked in 1835 by Bassa tribesmen who were incited by Spanish slave traders.

Elliott Cresson traveled the South in the late 1830s to promote colonization of Liberia, and wrote in 1840 that the whole region, particularly Kentucky, seemed ready to send its slaves to Liberia.

In late 1824, Elliott Cresson was nominated and elected to the Franklin Institute, becoming a life member.

Elliott Cresson was among these 17 directors and was elected president at the first meeting.

Elliott Cresson wrote to James Madison in 1829 to ask a favor.

Elliott Cresson subscribed to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, a special library collection.

Elliott Cresson bought stock in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Elliott Cresson died at age 58 in Philadelphia on February 20,1854, of gangrene.

Elliott Cresson was buried at The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Elliott Cresson gave artist Thomas Sully $500 in his will; Sully had painted two portraits of Elliott Cresson, one in 1824 and another in 1849.

The Franklin Institute continued awarding the Elliott Cresson Medal, known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, for distinguished work in science until 1998 when they reorganized their endowed awards under one umbrella, The Benjamin Franklin Medals.