Jerome Davis Greene

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"Jerome Greene" redirects here. For the American lawyer and philanthropist, see Jerome L. Greene. For the maracas player with Bo Diddley, see Jerome Green.
Jerome Davis Greene
A black and white photo of Jerome Greene sitting on a wicker chair with his legs crossed at the knees, looking to the left, wearing a three-piece suit. Jerome D. Greene and 3369-11 are written at the top of the photo.
Jerome Greene in 1910 at age 35–36
Born(1874-10-12)October 12, 1874
Yokohama, Japan
DiedMarch 29, 1959(1959-03-29) (aged 84)
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)Banker, Philanthropist, and Secretary
Known for
Parents
RelativesSiblings:
Extended family:
Signature
Jerome D. Greene

Jerome Davis Greene (October 12, 1874 – March 29, 1959) was an American philanthropist, secretary, trustee, and banker. He served in prominent positions in several major organizations and trusts including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute for Government Research, now known as the Brookings Institution. Greene was a Harvard alumnus, joint secretary for the First world war reparations committee, and helped to found the American Social Hygiene Organization. He was a partner of Lee, Higginson & Co. when it collapsed due to the Kreuger & Toll match scandal. Greene is a descendant of Roger Sherman, a Founding Father of the United States and the great-great-nephew of William M. Evarts.

Early life, family, and personal life

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Childhood

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Greene was born on October 12, 1874 in Yokohama, Japan[1][2] to American missionary parents Reverend Daniel Crosby Greene and Mary Jane Forbes Greene. Mr. and Mrs. Greene were the first missionaries that were sent to Japan by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions of the congregational church.[3] He spent his early life in Japan before moving to the United States for high school.[4]

Lineage

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Greene had seven siblings, three older and four younger.[5][1]

Jerome Davis Greene's extended family includes several notable figures.[1] An abbreviated family tree follows:

Adult life

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On April 28, 1900, Greene was married to May Tevis (1874–1941) at the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, PA[6] In 1900, a poem that Greene wrote named "Teki-teki-no. A little Jap tragedy" appeared in The Century Magazine, May Tevis provided illustrations.[7]

Teki-teki-no – A little Jap tragedy by Jerome D. Greene (1900), printed in The Century Magazine.

On June 14, 1902, their son Jerome Crosby Greene was born.[2] Mrs. May Greene died on June 30, 1941 after a year long illness.[8] On August 21, 1942, a year after his first wife died, Greene married his second wife, Dorothea R. "Thea" Dusser de Barenne at Dr. Daniel Greene's home. Dorothea Dusser de Barenne was a scientist from Holland, holding both a bachelor's and master's degrees from Smith College where she also taught neurophysiology.[9] A month after Greene retired in 1943, Mrs. Greene gave birth to Greene's second son, David.[10][11]

Education

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Two photos of Jerome Davis Greene, as a teenager and college age, from the Twenty-fifth anniversary report of the Harvard College Class of 1896.

Greene moved to the United States when he was 13 years old and attended Newton High School.[12] He graduated high school in 1892 and entered Harvard University. Greene attended the winter semester of 1896/1897 at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where he joined the Faculty of Law after receiving his Artium Baccalaureus in 1896. While in Europe he traveled extensively, visiting several major cities including London, England and Venice, Italy.[2] When Greene returned to the United States, he attended Harvard School of law, leaving in 1899.[12] In 1915, Greene received his Artium Magister degree from Rutgers University.[13]

Harvard

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Jerome D. Greene (second row, third from the left, directly behind Pres. Coolidge) standing in for Chas W. Eliot, Pres. Emiritus of Harvard Univ to receive a medal for distinguished service awarded by President Coolidge from the Roosevelt Memorial Assoc.

In 1901, Greene took his first position at Harvard University as secretary to President Charles William Eliot.[14] He held the position of secretary to the President of Harvard and Harvard Corporation until 1910,[15] serving under President Eliot and his successor, A. Lawrence Lowell.[16] In 1934, Greene returned to Harvard as the Director of the Harvard Tercentenary celebration.[17][18] Between 1911 and 1950, Greene served three terms on the Harvard Board of Overseers. He also resumed his role as secretary to the Harvard Corporation under University President James B. Conant.[9] He retired in 1943.[19]

Rockefeller Institute and Foundation

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Through Greene's role as secretary for the Harvard Corporation, he came into contact with John D. Rockefeller and subsequently joined the Rockefeller Institute, first as secretary to Rockefeller and then as the first General Manager of the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research.[20]

Greene left the Rockefeller Institute in 1912[21][22] to begin work on the opening of the Rockefeller Foundation.[12] In Greene's first role with the Rockefeller Foundation he worked as the press agent during early 1913. While in this station, Greene campaigned to the United States Congress for a bill that would allow the Rockefeller Foundation to gift US$100,000,000 (equivalent to about $3,181,481,480 in 2024) to the US government.[23] On May 22, 1913 at the first meeting of the Rockefeller Foundation,[24] Greene was elected as secretary and subsequently re-elected on January 21, 1914 at the first annual meeting of the Foundation.[25] He served as secretary and trustee of the Foundation from 1913 to 1917[26][27] and as a member of the Board of Directors for one year ending in 1917.[25] During his time with the Rockefeller Foundation Greene also served on the Executive Committee of the Rockefeller Foundation for the International Health Commission. Greene's responsibilities at the foundation included, but were not limited to, creating the Foundations annual report,[28] coordinating communications with members and other agencies, and serving as a member of the finance committee.[29]

Greene returned to the Foundation as secretary and trustee in 1928 and served until 1939.[27] During this period he also served as a trustee for the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research and General Education Board.[30]

Philanthropic work

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Beginning in 1913, and lasting until his death in 1959, Greene was a member of the Century Association. He was elected for membership on March 1, 1913 at the age of 38, he was proposed by members Albert Bushnell Hart and Austen G. Fox.[4]

In 1916, Greene was a founding member of the American Social Hygiene Organization alongside John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Charles Eliot. Later he became a member of the board of directors.[12][31]

On July 24, 1938, Greene was appointed as a trustee for the Boston Symphony Orchestra,[32] and by 1942 he was the President of the Board of Trustees.[9]

Lee, Higginson & Co

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In 1917, Greene resigned his position at the Rockefeller Foundation to join the Lee, Higginson & Co. investment banking firm[12] and Higginson & Co, bankers of London.[33] Greene worked for the firm for 15 years from 1917 to 1932,[15] much of the time spent as Chief Officer. In 1926, Greene is listed as a partner of the firms New York branch.[34] It was during his time with Higginson & Co that Greene moved to London.[a][15] In 1932, Greene was involved in a congressional hearing in regards to Ivar Kreuger's Match company scheme because of his role as a partner of Higginson and Company's London branch.[35] The bank collapsed and Greene lost much of his fortune due to the financial loss of the incident.[4]

International travel and politics

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By 1915 Greene is noted as a member of the American branch of the Round Table group,[15] with this relationship strengthening during his time in Paris as joint secretary to the Reparations Committee at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and 1920.[15] Following Greene's work with the Round Table group, an invitation only lobbying group organized by Lionel Curtis, a movement that evolved from Lord Milner's Kindergarten,[36] Greene became a founding member of the Institute of Pacific Relations in 1925.[37]

In 1932, Greene was appointed as the third Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.[38] The appointment was announced on October 19, 1932. He taught at the college for the ten week semester beginning in January 1933.[39] After completing his term at University College of Wales, Greene remained in the country traveling, writing, and conducting independent study.[39]

After leaving Wales, Greene returned to the United States to take a position as the Director of the Harvard University Tercentenary Celebration.[17]

Retirement and death

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In 1943, Greene retired from his position at Harvard Corporation.[16]

Greene died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 29, 1959.[20] He was 84. He was survived by his wife - Dorothea R. "Thea" Dusser de Barenne (1913–2002), his sons - Jerome Crosby Greene (1902–1961)[40] and David, two grandchildren – Jerome Davis Greene 2nd and Mrs. Andrew Crichton, and three great-grandchildren.[10] His service was led by Reverend Gardiner M. Day at Memorial Church of Harvard University on March 31, 1959.[16]

See also

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  • Roger Sherman Greene (1881–1930), Jerome D. Greene's younger brother, also closely tied to the Rockefeller Foundation

Notes

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  1. ^ "For fifteen years (1917-1932) he was with the Boston investment banking firm of Lee, Higginson, and Company, most of the period as its chief officer, as well as transferring to the London branch." - Skousen, The Naked Capitalist, p 49

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sherman, T.T. (1920). Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England: Some Descendants of the Immigrants, Captain John Sherman, Reverend John Sherman, Edmund Sherman and Samuel Sherman, and the Descendents of Honorable Roger Sherman and Honorable Charles R. Sherman. T. A. Wright. pp. 252, 370–372. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
    • For the Evarts, p. 252
    • For the Greenes, pp. 370-372
  2. ^ a b c "Jerome Davis Greene". Harvard college class of 1896 – Twenty-fifth anniversary report. Harvard college class of 1896. 1921. pp. 225–228. hdl:2027/hvd.32044107299943 – via Hathitrust.
    • For marriage to Tevis, birthdate of son, and degrees, p. 225
    • For information of European travel during college, p. 225
    • pp256–228: secretary and administrative positions in various organizations.
    • p228
  3. ^ Webster, John C. (John Calvin) (1884). Memorialia of the class of '64 in Dartmouth college. Chicago, Shepard and Johnston, printers. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Jerome Davis Greene". The Century Association Archives Foundation. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  5. ^ Webster, John C. (John Calvin) (1884). Memorialia of the class of '64 in Dartmouth college. Chicago, Shepard and Johnston, printers. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Marriage of May Tevis and Jerome D. Greene". The Philadelphia Times. 15 April 1900. p. 31. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  7. ^ Jerome D., Greene (1900). "Teki-teki-no". The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. 59 (April). New York: The Century Company: 966. hdl:2027/uc1.32106008929421 – via Hathitrust.
  8. ^ "May Greene". The Boston Globe. July 1, 1941. p. 19. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Harvard Official Weds Scientist in Society Event". The Springfield Daily Republican. August 21, 1942. p. 8. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Jerome Davis Greene Rites at Harvard Tuesday". The Boston Globe. March 30, 1959. p. 20. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  11. ^ "Jerome D. Greenes Parents of Baby Son". The Boston Globe. August 5, 1943. p. 13. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e "JEROME GREENE ' OF HN1RI) DIIS; Retired Investment Banker Was University Secretary Under Three Presidents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  13. ^ University, Rutgers (1916). Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Rutgers ... The University. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  14. ^ "Baron Komura in Boston". Boston Evening Transcript. September 6, 1905. p. 4. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e Skousen, W. Cleon. The Naked Capitalist. Verity Publishing. ISBN 978-0-934364-60-7.
    • available on the Open Library
    • For information on Round Table membership, p. 33
    • For information on funds provided to the IPR, p. 44
    • For brief overview of professional life, pp. 48–49
    • For information on IPR connection, pp. 49–50
  16. ^ a b c "Jerome D. Greene Dead at 84 | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Harvard University. Tercentenary Celebration Office. Records of the Tercentenary Celebration Office : an inventory". oasis.harvard.edu. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  18. ^ "HARVARD PREPARES FOR TERCENTENARY; Session of World Scholars and Exhibition Will Start Three-Month Observance in 1936. BOX OF 1836 TO BE OPENED College Alumni Will Uncover Contents Sealed at an 'Adjournment for 100 Years.'". The New York Times. December 16, 1934. p. 79. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  19. ^ "J.D. Greene Harvard Aide". Evening Star. Associated Press. March 30, 1959. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Research Group Founder Dies". Santa Barbara News-Press. March 30, 1959. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  21. ^ "New Position for Jerome D. Greene". The Boston Globe. November 5, 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  22. ^ "HENRY JAMES, BEAD OF ANNUITY BOARD; Winner of '30 Pufitzer Prize for Biography Dies u Novelist's Nephew, Philosopher's Son". The New York Times. December 15, 1947. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  23. ^ "To Give Away $100,000,000". The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel. February 4, 1913. p. 9. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  24. ^ "The Rockefeller Foundation - History: 1913 - 1919". www.rockfound.org.
  25. ^ a b "Rockefeller Jr. shows vast fund has no limitation". The New York Times. Jan 25, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  26. ^ Information Annual. R.R. Bowker Company. 1917. p. 118.
  27. ^ a b "History of the Department of International Politics". www.aber.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  28. ^ The Rockefeller Foundation Annual Report Special Edition 1915 (PDF) (Report). 1915.
  29. ^ "Rockefeller's Foundation Work Stated". The Pittsburgh Post. January 25, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  30. ^ "DIMES: Online Collections and Catalog of Rockefeller Archive Center". dimes.rockarch.org. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  31. ^ "(Mixed Material) Corporate Records. Annual Reports. Program Reports. General Reports. (Box 019, Folder 05),". University of Minnesota Libraries, Social Welfare History Archives. Retrieved 22 Oct 2025.
  32. ^ "IN BOSTON SYMPHONY POST; Jerome D. Greene Elected a Trustee of the Orchestra". The New York Times. July 25, 1938. p. 18. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  33. ^ "Mrs Curtis Guild will Vote for Smith". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe. Sep 12, 1928. p. 25. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  34. ^ United States Investor. Frank P. Bennett & Company. 1926. p. 25.
  35. ^ Stock Exchange Practices: Hearings ... Seventy-second Congress, First Session, on S. Res. 84, a Resolution to Thoroughly Investigate Practices of Stock Exchanges with Respect to the Buying and Selling and the Borrowing and Lending of Listed Securities, the Values of Such Securities and the Effects of Such Practices, Volume 2, Parts 4-6, 1933, pp. 1150, 1173, 1224, retrieved October 23, 2025
  36. ^ Kendle, John Edward (April 30, 1975). The Round Table movement and imperial union. Toronto ; Buffalo. ISBN 978-0-8020-5292-6. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  37. ^ "Scientific Method". The Sun. 12 January 1932. p. 13. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  38. ^ Jones, Joanna. "Timeline of Events : Department of International Politics , Aberystwyth University". www.aber.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  39. ^ a b "Banker Joins Welsh College as Professor". The Republican. 20 October 1932. p. 9. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  40. ^ "U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985". Ancestry.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

Further reading

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