T. S. Lippy

Thomas or Tom S. Lippy (c. 1860 1931[1]) was an American millionaire and philanthropist who struck it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush.[2]

Lippy was the athletic director of or an instructor at the Seattle YMCA before he and his wife Salome headed north in search of gold in 1896[3] or 1897 after an injury forced him to leave his YMCA job.[4] Some Scotsmen from Nanaimo had stakes claims Fourteen to Seventeen on Eldorado Creek.[5] They decided to abandon Sixteen and Seventeen in order to concentrate on some other claims. Lippy had a claim further up the creek but restaked Sixteen because his wife wanted a cabin, and there was timber there.[5][6] Salome Lippy was the first white woman in the area, until she was joined by Ethel Berry.[7][8] Clarence and Ethel Berry, who also became rich, were neighbors of the Lippys,[9] living a mile away.[8] On July 25, 1898, the Lippys arrived in San Francisco aboard the Excelsior, the first ship to reach the lower United States from the Klondike with now-wealthy prospectors; the Lippys brought with them gold valued, according to the Chicago Tribune, at "not less than $200,000."[10] He sold his holdings in 1903.[1]

With his wealth, he and his wife went on a worldwide tour, before building a lavishly decorated 15-room house in Seattle.[1] He gave generously to the YMCA, the First United Methodist Church[11] and the Anti-Saloon League, and donated the land for a five-story addition to the Seattle General Hospital.[1] He also set up a free hospital for miners in Dawson City, Canada,[12] and sent "a library of 1000 volumes" to Skagway, Alaska.[13]

He won the 1907 Pacific Northwest Amateur golf tournament[14] and was the Port Commissioner of the Port of Seattle from 1918 to 1921.[1]

Unfortunately, his business investments, "a mattress-and-upholstery company, a brick company, a trust-and-savings bank, and the Lippy Building", all failed, and he died bankrupt in 1931 at the age of 71.[1][15] However, his widow was provided with $50 a month from a hospital land agreement.[1][14] Salome Lippy died in 1938.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Berton, Pierre (November 6, 2015). The Klondike Fever: The Life And Death Of The Last Great Gold Rush. Pickle Partners Publishing. pp. 563–564. ISBN 9781786256737. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  2. "Wealthy Klondiker Here: T. S. Lippy Made His Money in Alaska and Is Doing Good With It". Los Angeles Herald. February 8, 1904.
  3. George Tibbits (July 13, 1997). "Klondike fever shakes Seattle". Juneau Empire. Associated Press.
  4. Berton, p. ?
  5. 1 2 Berton, p. 54
  6. Grainger, Alan (2005). The Klondike Chest. Trafford Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 9781412040693. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. "Women As Plucky Klondyke Pilgrims". Los Angeles Herald. August 8, 1897.
  8. 1 2 Company, W. B. Conkey (January 1, 2010). The Official Guide to the Klondyke Country and the Gold Fields of Alaska. Cosimo, Inc. pp. 145–148. ISBN 9781616404017. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  9. "Ethel Berry - Bride of the Klondike". National Postal Museum.
  10. "Treasure on the Nelson: Vessel Arrives at Seattle with a Million and a Half of Klondike Gold. ... Former Y. M. C. A. Instructor Brings a Fortune From the Frozen North.". Chicago Tribune. July 25, 1898.
  11. "Seattle's First Church Unveils 160-year timeline".
  12. "Cargo of Gold from Klondike.". Chicago Tribune. June 25, 1901.
  13. "Library for Skagway". The Daily Alaskan. January 10, 1900.
  14. 1 2 Francaviglia, Richard V. (September 1, 1997). Hard Places: Reading the Landscape of America's Historic Mining Districts. University of Iowa Press. p. 14. ISBN 9780877456094. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  15. David Germain (July 19, 1997). "Back To The Klondike Stampeder's Relatives Mark Alaska Gold Rush Centenial (sic) With Cruise". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press.

External links

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