How was Girard’s
health described by Mr. Simpson?
Stephen Simpson remarked that Girard’s eyesight and hearing
were beginning to suffer which may have led to his accident.
What do we know about Girard’s accident?
He was seriously
injured while crossing the street near Second and Market, on December 22, 1830.
The December 22, 1830 issue of The
United States Gazette reported that he was knocked down by a wagon whose
wheel hit his head and lacerated his ear.
He returned to his banking business after remaining secluded for two
months.1
Another newspaper added
however that Girard was quite able to help himself, that he retained his
self-possession perfectly and seemed more pained by the fact that the accident
had attracted attention than by the wound which he had received though it was
said that the wound was far from trifling. Girard later wrote that the wheel of
the wagon went over his head.2
How did Girard react
when he was faced with needing a surgical procedure as a result of his
accident?
He was quoted as saying:
“Go ahead doctor. I am an old sailor and can stand pain.”3
Was Girard seriously
hurt?
He was hurt more seriously than he thought. He was confined
to bed for two months as inflammation set in, which he also blamed on the
doctors. He was in excruciating pain and chased his clerk from his room,
wanting to hear about no business.4
How might one describe
the year between Girard’s accident and his death?
Although weakened by his accident, Girard was bent on
carrying out a full schedule of activities. His mind was still clear, although
his sight and hearing were diminishing.
Had it not been for influenza that seized the city of Philadelphia
during the cold month of December and did not spare Girard, but weakened him
further with pneumonia, he might have lived many more years.
What were the last
words spoken by Stephen Girard before he died?
After lying in a stupor, he arose from his bed. Placing his
weak, thin hand on his forehead, he exclaimed: “How violent is this disorder!
How very extraordinary it is!” He then died without speaking again.5
When did Stephen
Girard die?
Stephen Girard died on December 26, 1831 during an influenza
epidemic in Philadelphia which had taken a high toll of the city’s population.
He contracted the disease that quickly developed into pneumonia and proved to
be fatal. His death came about six months after his purchase of the forty-five
acre farm. At the time of his death, Girard had well passed his eighty-first
year. For more than fifty-five years, he had been a resident of Philadelphia;
yet such was the secluded life he led, so careful had he been to keep his
affairs, both private and business, to himself, that nothing concerning his
life was known. The sketches of his career, therefore, which appeared in the
newspapers of the city after his death, were wanting in detail and of no value.6
What
occurred at the time of Girard’s death?
When Girard died, the authorized
trustees of his will took possession of the assets of the bank, proceeded to
close its affairs as speedily as possible transferring the assets to his
executors as a part of his estate.
How did Girard
behave, knowing he would not survive his attack of influenza and pneumonia?
As he never exhibited any concern for his life, he now
displayed no fear of death which was meeting him, as he always hoped, in the
midst of active labor.7
Was Girard alone at the moment of his death?
His faithful slave,
Hannah, was at his bedside when he died. She had served Girard for more than
fifty years and was generously rewarded in Girard’s will.
What comments did
Stephen Simpson make when Girard died?
Stephen Simpson wrote
of Girard: “As a citizen Mr. Girard
discharged his duties with exemplary
zeal fidelity and rigor. He was repeatedly elected a member of councils; and
gave his time, which to him was always money, to the improvement of the city.
As a director of the bank and insurance company, he always did his duty never
falling short of his portion of labor and often exceeding it.”
What prejudices did Girard face during his lifetime?
Girard lived in a time
when there were intense political, national, racial and religious controversies.
That he was a Frenchman brought against him from some quarters a prejudice
which was strong against that nation. Girard's religious independence made him
the object of intolerance during his life and particularly so after his death.
His identification with the pronounced republican views of the time brought
much political antagonism upon him, certain it is he had a cordial dislike for
the English and after the Jay Treaty, he wrote terming it "infamous" and calling
the English a “worthless and contemptible nation.” After citing some of the
indignities which England had heaped upon America at that time and America's
seeming supineness he concluded: “I must say our government deserves it.” As a
Frenchman, Girard was naturally identified with the republicans in the
demonstration against Jay's Treaty with England.8
How was Girard’s funeral reported?
The account of the
Girard funeral which appeared in the United
States Gazette relates that after the members of the family came, the
mayor, the recorder of the city, the city councils and the members of a society
of which Girard was a member arrived.9
How soon after Girard’s death was the will opened?
On the day after his
death, the will was opened in order that any directions, or wishes, regarding
his funeral might be duly respected. None were found, but it then became known
that large bequests had been made to the City and many charitable and
benevolent institutions, and it was decided to formally invite them to be
represented at the funeral.10
At Stephen Girard’s funeral what were the comments
made by Nicholas Biddle?
Mr. Biddle said: “He
has now taken his rank among the great benefactors of mankind. From this hour
that name is destined to survive to the latest posterity and while letters and
the arts exist he will be cited as the man who with a generous spirit and a
sagacious foresight bequeathed for the improvement of his fellow men the
accumulated earnings of his life.”11
It was Nicholas Biddle,
Girard's friend, Director of the Second Bank of the United States, and Chairman
of the Building Committee who recommended that the architect include Grecian
columns on the main building of the College. Biddle's home, Andalusia, built
about 1794, has similar columns.
How did the people of Philadelphia react to Girard’s
funeral?
For more than forty
years, Philadelphia had not seen so many people in attendance at a funeral.
There were about three thousand people crowding the streets. Not since the
death of Benjamin Franklin had there been such a large turnout.
Where was Stephen Girard buried?
He was buried in the
vault he built for Baron Henri Lallemand, his nephew, in the Holy Trinity
Catholic Cemetery at Sixth and Spruce Streets.
Bishop Kendrick refused to permit a Catholic burial mass because the
Masons would not remove their ceremonial aprons. Twenty years later, his remains were
reinterred in the Founder's Hall vestibule at Girard College behind a statue by N. Gevelot, a French sculptor living in Philadelphia.
How does Professor Wagner speak of this statue?
Dr. Wagner said that
the face was copied from a death mask taken at the direction of Dr. John Y.
Clark. He continued that the artist Gevelot had never seen Girard but was
obliged to formulate details from descriptions by untrained observers.12
At what point during his eighty-one years did Girard
at last begin to enjoy the luxury his vast wealth could easily afford?
Having wealth was not about having luxury. He
was more attuned to the Quaker philosophy which held to a simple life with no
ostentatious display.
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