Elliott Cresson

Elliott Cresson
BornMarch 2, 1796
Philadelphia
DiedFebruary 20, 1854 (1854-02-21) (aged 57)
Philadelphia
Occupation(s)Merchant, philanthropist

Elliott Cresson (March 2, 1796 – February 20, 1854) was an American philanthropist who gave money to a number of causes after a brief career in the mercantile business. He 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. Cresson was a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and a strong supporter of the Philadelphia branch of the American Colonization Society, a group fighting slavery that relocated former slaves and free African Americans to colonies in Liberia.[1] Cresson was called "the most belligerent Friend the Society ever had."[2]

  1. ^ The Franklin Institute. Donors of the Medals and their histories. The Elliott Cresson Medal - Founded in 1848 - Gold Medal Archived 2010-05-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Fox, 1919, p. 99