{"product_id":"george-w-brackenridge-maverick-philanthropist-9780292727014","title":"George W. Brackenridge: Maverick Philanthropist","description":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge W. Brackenridge (18321920) was a paradox to his fellow Texans. A Republican in a solidly Democratic state  a financier in a cattlemans country  a Prohibitionist in the goodtime town of San Antonio  he devoted his energies to making a fortune only to give it to philanthropic causes. Indiana born  Brackenridge came to Texas in 1853  but left the state during the Civil War to serve as U.S. Treasury agent and engage in the wartime cotton trade. Later he settled in San Antonio  where he founded a bank and invested in railroads  utilities  and other enterprises. Some of Brackenridges contemporaries never forgave him for his Civil War career  but others knew him as a public-spirited citizen  educator  and advocate of civil rights. He cared little for what others thought of him. Yet  he confided once in a rare interview that his fondest ambition was to leave the world a better place for his having lived in it. To this end  he gave generously of himself and his means. His best-known benefaction is Brackenridge Park  which he gave to the city of San Antonio  but most of his contributions were in the field of education. As regent of the University of Texas for more than twenty-five years  he gave the institution its first dormitory  a large tract of land in Austin  and innumerable smaller gifts. He also offered to underwrite the expenses of the University when Governor James E. Ferguson vetoed the appropriation bill for 19171919. Other educational institutions to benefit from his largess were the public schools of San Antonio  a Negro college in Seguin  and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In addition  he assisted individual students  especially women  through scholarships and loans. Believing that the betterment of humanity lay in education  Brackenridge arranged for the continuation of his philanthropies. By his will he created the George W. Brackenridge Foundation  the first of its kind in Texas and one of the first in the United States. Marilyn McAdams Sibleys study of George W. Brackenridge is the first biography of an important and  for his time  unusual Texan. It presents new material concerning the Mexican cotton trade during the Civil War  on the beginnings of banking in Texas  and on higher education in Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45275918368821,"sku":"ByrdShop_0292727011","price":239.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780292727014.jpg?v=1780518165","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/george-w-brackenridge-maverick-philanthropist-9780292727014","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}