Drexel, Anthony Joseph

Drexel, Anthony Joseph drĕkˈsəl [key], 1826–93, American banker and philanthropist, b. Philadelphia. He entered (1838) at an early age the well-known banking firm of Drexel and Company, founded by his father, Francis Martin Drexel, an Austrian immigrant. Anthony became a partner, and later under his dominant leadership the firm expanded extensively. Drexel Institute (now Drexel Univ.), opened in 1892, was the most important of his many philanthropies.

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