Ethnicity Jewish Children Lester Crown | Name Henry Crown Citizenship United States | |
Known for founded the Material Service Corporation and the Henry Crown and Company Spouse(s) Rebecca Kranz (deceased)Gladys Kay Similar People Lester Crown, James Crown, Susan Crown | ||
Parents Arie Krinsky, Ida Krinsky Grandchildren James Crown, Susan Crown | ||
The henry crown fellowship program
Henry Crown (June 13, 1896 – August 14, 1990) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Among other things, he founded the Material Service Corporation, which merged with General Dynamics in 1959. At the time of his death, he was a billionaire. Henry Crown and Company, of which he is the namesake, is an investment firm that owns or has interests in a variety of business assets. From 1951 to 1961, he was the owner of the Empire State Building.
Contents
- The henry crown fellowship program
- Henry crown sports pavilion renovations complete
- Early Years
- Material Service Corporation
- Philanthropy
- Personal life
- References
Henry crown sports pavilion renovations complete
Early Years
Crown (birth name Henry Krinsky) was born in 1896 to Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. He was third of seven children of a sweatshop worker, Arie Krinsky, and his wife Ida. His father changed the family name to Crown while Henry was a boy. Crown did not attend school past the eighth grade. In 1915, at the age of 19, he started a company with his older brother Sol selling steel. Sol later died of tuberculosis.
Material Service Corporation
In 1919, on borrowed capital of $10,000, Crown established (with his brother Irving) the Material Service Corporation (MSC). In its first year the company made a profit of $7,000 on sales of $218,000. MSC sold gravel, sand, lime, and coal to builders in the Chicago area.
Crown gained a controlling interest in General Dynamics in 1959, when he merged the company with MSC. By this time, MSC was a $100 million company.
Philanthropy
According to his own claim, Crown had given away "nine figures" in his philanthropic pursuits by the time he turned 79. His beneficiaries included the University of Chicago, Brandeis, Stanford, Northwestern and the St. Lawrence University student investment fund.
Personal life
Crown was married twice. His first wife Rebecca (née Kranz) Crown, died in 1943. His second wife was Gladys (née Kay) Crown. Crown had three children: Robert Crown (1921–1969), Lester Crown (born June 7, 1925) and John J. Crown (1929–1997), a Cook County judge.