Johns Hopkins

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and abolitionist

Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most of his life.

Prudent early 19th-century investments in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) (that eventually led to a directorship and elevation to the chairmanship), and a rise to the position of president at Baltimore's allowed Hopkins to retire at an early age.

Hopkins was a staunch supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union, often using his Maryland residence as a gathering place for Union strategists.

He was a Quaker and supporter of the abolitionist cause, though he may have had slaves at an earlier stage of his life.

Hopkins was a philanthropist his whole life, but the trait became very evident after the Civil War. His concern for the poor and newly freed slave populations drove him to create free medical facilities, orphanages, asylums, and schools to help alleviate the impoverished conditions for all, regardless of race, sex, age, or religion, but especially focused on the young.

Following his death, his bequests founded numerous institutions bearing his name, most notably Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University system (including its academic divisions: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies).

At the time, it was the largest philanthropic bequest made to an American educational institution.