Edward Tuck

Edward Tuck (August 24, 1842 – April 30, 1938)

Early life Tuck was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on August 24, 1842. He was the son of Sarah Ann Nudd (1810–1847) and political figure Amos Tuck (1810–1879). His half-sister was Ellen Tuck French (1838–1915), who was married to Francis Ormond French, President of the Manhattan Trust Company.

Tuck was educated at Philips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College, where he roomed with future College president William Jewett Tucker and was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity.

Career He began his career in 1864, he was appointed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln as the Vice Consul in Paris under U.S. Ambassador John Bigelow. In the following year, he resigned, shortly before the Franco-Prussian War, and joined the banking firm Munroe & Co., where he was made a partner in 1871.

He retired from banking in 1881, and, in 1889, went to live as an expatriate in France, where he donated an art collection valued at $5 million, and funds for hospitals and other institutions.

Philanthropy Upon graduating from Dartmouth College, Tuck made a donation of one dollar to the College for "unrestricted use." an aesthetic bypass and 3,800 ft private highway; the College President's House; the Tuck School, and its grouping of buildings; art works from his private collection; and large cash contributions. He then donated another $100,000, in 1901, to build the first Tuck Hall (now McNutt Hall). In 1929, after solicitation from Ernest Martin Hopkins, the 11th President of Dartmouth, Tuck donated 600 shares of Chase National Bank, which was sold for $567,766. His gifts to the Tuck School are estimated at over $18 million as of 2017.

Other recipients of Tuck's philanthropy included two hospitals (including Stell Hospital ), a school, the American University Center in Paris, art collections in France, and the restoration of Roman monument, Tropaeum Alpium. In addition, he donated funds to the New Hampshire Historical Society to build its New Hampshire History Building housing the Tuck Library, and donated to his alma mater, Philips Exeter Academy. His funeral was held at the American Cathedral in Paris, and he was buried alongside his wife at the Saint-Germain-en-Laye cemetery.

Legacy In 1929, Tuck received the Grand Cross as a promotion in the Legion of Honour, the highest award in the Legion the French Government can bestow. The Tucks were also awarded the Prix de Vertu by the French Academy in 1916, the first Americans to receive the award.

In Paris, Avenue Edward Tuck runs a short distance between the Petit Palais and the Place de la Concorde, parallel to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. In La Turbie, France, a street is also named Rue Edward Tuck.