Joseph Wharton | |
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![]() Wharton in 1902 | |
Born | |
Died | January 11, 1909 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 82)
Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Occupation | Industrialist |
Political party | Republican[1] |
Spouse |
Anna Corbit Lovering
(m. 1854) |
Children | Joanna W. Lippincott, Mary L. Wharton, Anna W. Morris. |
Signature | |
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Joseph Wharton (March 3, 1826 – January 11, 1909) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was instrumental in the development of the nickel and zinc metal industries in the United States. He created the first plant in the United States to produce metallic zinc, or spelter, and became the largest producer of nickel and pig iron in the country. His innovations in malleable nickel and magnetic nickel won him the gold medal at the Paris exposition of 1878. He was the largest shareholder in Bethlehem Steel, held multiple investments in railroads, and owned vast amounts of land containing iron, coal, copper and gold ores. He founded the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was one of the founders of Swarthmore College.