A little-remembered Gilded Age millionaire helped make milk safe for American kids through his ‘retail giving’

His achievements as a philanthropist are not widely known today because he did not create a grantmaking foundation that outlasted him.

By: Leslie Lenkowsky, Indiana University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 11, 2026

Words: 1,627

Last Updated: 1 week ago

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By Leslie Lenkowsky, Indiana University

The 1844 edition of the widely used schoolbook written by William H. McGuffey, “Newly Revised Eclectic Fourth Reader,” includes a dialogue about the difference between “true and false philanthropy”:

Mr. Fantom: I despise a narrow field. O for the reign of universal benevolence! I want to make all mankind good and happy.

Mr. Goodman: Dear me! Sure, that must be a wholesale sort of a job: had you not better …

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