William Jay Schieffelin (1866-1955)

He was educated at Trinity School, Tivoli, NY; Columbia College School of Mines (1887); and, Munich University (Ph.D., 1889). He joined the family firm of Schieffelin & Co., wholesale druggists, becoming its President in 1906. In 1891, he married his wife and they were the parents of nine children. In 1898, he was commissioned a Captain and fought in the Spanish War with the 12th New York Volunteers. He was influenced by his great-uncle, Henry Maunsell Schieffelin, and championed the rights of education for African-Americans while being a staunch crusader for government reform. He was President of  the Citizens Union; Fellow of the London Chemical Society; and, Member of the American Chemical Society.