Robert Allerton

Robert Allerton
The Man in Black (Robert Henry Allerton), 1913, by Glyn Philpot
Born(1873-03-20)March 20, 1873
DiedDecember 22, 1964(1964-12-22) (aged 91)
OccupationPhilanthropist
Known forDonating thousands of artworks, trustee for Honolulu Academy of Art
Parents

Robert Henry Allerton (March 20, 1873 – December 22, 1964), born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, was the son and heir of First National Bank of Chicago co-founder Samuel Allerton.[1] He was a philanthropist who served as a trustee and honorary president for the Art Institute of Chicago, becoming one of its benefactors by donating thousands of artworks.[2] He also became a trustee for the Honolulu Academy of Art, leaving a trust that funds the Academy to this day.[3]: 398 

Robert Allerton traveled around the world buying statues and other works of art. Many were placed on his estate ″The Farms″ in Piatt County, Illinois. In 1946, Allerton donated the estate, which was renamed the Robert Allerton Park to the University of Illinois. More than 100 statues as well as many other artworks can be found there. He was instrumental in the founding of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, which now includes Allerton Garden, his former property on the island of Kauaʻi in the state of Hawaii.[4]

  1. ^ "ALLERTON LEFT $20,000,000.; Chicago Banker Bequeathed Fortune to Family and Gift to Servant" (PDF).
  2. ^ "About Robert Allerton". Allerton Retreat and Park Center. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Syrett, Nicholas L. (2013). ""Lord of a Hawaiian Island": Robert and John Gregg Allerton, Queerness, and the Erasure of Colonization in Kaua'i: Robert and John Gregg Allerton, Queerness, and the Erasure of Colonization in Kaua'i". Pacific Historical Review. 82 (3): 396–427. doi:10.1525/phr.2013.82.3.396. ISSN 0030-8684. JSTOR 10.1525/phr.2013.82.3.396.
  4. ^ "Allerton Garden History". National Tropical Botanical Garden. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023.