Kate Macy Ladd was an American philanthropist. She was the first president of Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation.
Background
Kate Macy Ladd was born in New York City, the younger daughter and second of three children of Josiah Macy, Jr. , and Caroline Louise (Everit) Macy. Valentine Everit Macy was her brother. Although her given name was Catherine Everit, she was known throughout her life as Kate. Her great-grandfather Josiah Macy, a Quaker from Nantucket Island, had founded the New York shipping and commission house of Josiah Macy & Son. Her father, a businessman and investor, became an official of the Standard Oil Company. Her mother was the daughter of Valentine Everit, a Brooklyn leather merchant.
Education
Kate received her education from private tutors. In 1925, she received an honorary M. A. from New Jersey College for Women.
Career
As a young woman Kate traveled extensively in Europe. When her father died in 1876, she inherited a sizable fortune. Reared in the tradition of Quaker humanitarianism, Mrs. Ladd continued her family's interest in philanthropy. She made substantial donations to the Maine Seacoast Missionary Society, to the Y. W. C. A. , and to various civic, educational, and relief organizations.
As a friend and supporter of Martha Berry, she gave generously to the Berry Schools in Georgia. She was also a friend of Lillian Wald and a contributor to the Henry Street Settlement in New York City. In 1908 Mrs. Ladd established Maple Cottage in Far Hills, New Jersey, a summer retreat and rest home for "professional and working women of refinement who are unable to pay for proper accommodations while convalescing from illness, recuperating from impaired health or otherwise in need of rest. " For thirty-five years an average of about 300 women per year were guests there for two-week periods.
Personal misfortune determined the course of much of Mrs. Ladd's philanthropy. An invalid throughout most of her adult life, confined to her room or to a wheelchair, she was deeply influenced by two of her physicians, S. Weir Mitchell of Philadelphia and Ludwig Kast of New York City. These men developed in her an interest in hospital services and medical care, and much of her giving was channeled into those fields. She gave an infirmary to the New Jersey College for Women (later Douglass College), and she made numerous gifts for the support of a long list of hospitals and visiting nurse services in several states. She also supported New York City's United Hospital Fund, to provide free hospital care for the poor.
When Mrs. Ladd decided to establish a memorial to her father, she asked Dr. Kast to conduct a critical study of medical research in order to determine the areas most in need of support and the most effective way for philanthropy to assist medical progress. Acting upon the findings of the study, in 1930 she established the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation; Kast became its first president. Mrs. Ladd directed that the initial endowment of $5, 000, 000 be used to support fundamental research in the areas of health and medicine, especially when the problems required study in correlated fields, "such as biology and the social sciences. " She increased the endowment during her lifetime, and at her death the foundation received the bulk of her estate, bringing her total gift to about $19, 000, 000.
Although strongly influenced by her Quaker heritage, she became a Presbyterian after her marriage. Her health worsened with age, and during the last several years of her life she was completely bedridden. She died of arteriosclerosis at her home in Far Hills and was buried with her husband in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City. At her death, provisions of her husband's will became effective creating the Kate Macy Ladd Fund and leaving more than $10, 000, 000 for the support of various charities. Specific provision was made for the establishment of the Kate Macy Ladd Convalescence Home at the Ladds' Far Hills estate, where the work of Maple Cottage was continued.
Achievements
The most significant of her many contributions to philanthropy was the creation of the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation of New York City. The foundation funded research and studies on health topics including the process of aging, endocrinology, nutrition, and convalescent care. During the World War II foundation provided aid for war veterans and launched specific research into treatments for surgical shock and burns, antibiotics such as sulfa and penicillin, and biological studies on the use of heavy hydrogen.
Views
Quotations:
Her views on philanthropy were set forth in her letter of gift establishing the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation. "In an enlightened democracy, " she wrote, "private organized philanthropy serves the purposes of human welfare best, not by replacing functions which rightfully should be supported by our communities, but by investigating, testing and demonstrating the value of newer organized ideas from which may gradually emerge social functions which in turn should be taken over and maintained by the public. "
Personality
A woman of considerable personal beauty, Mrs. Ladd had a kind and gracious personality and a keen sense of the responsibility that goes with wealth.
Connections
On December 5, 1883, Kate was married to Walter Graeme Ladd, a young lawyer from Brooklyn. They had no children. Her husband died in 1933.
