Mary Clark Thompson

Mary Clark Thompson (1835 – July 28, 1923), born Mary Lee Clark, was a noted philanthropist and wife of banker Frederick Ferris Thompson.

Mary Lee Clark was born in Naples, New York in 1835 to Myron Holley and Zilpha Watkins Clark. She moved with her family to Canandaigua, New York when she was about two years old.

She attended various schools in Ontario County, including the Ontario Female Seminary.

Mary's father Myron was elected Governor of New York State in 1855, and the family took up residence in Albany, the state's capital. It was in Albany that she met her future husband, Frederick Ferris Thompson, son of prominent New York banker John Thompson. The couple were married on June 17, 1857 in Canandaigua.

Although the Thompson's principal residence was at 283 Madison Avenue in New York City, the couple spent their summers in Mary's girlhood home of Canandaigua on an estate they purchased in 1863. The estate was named Sonnenberg (means "sunny hill" in German) when they purchased it. In 1885, they tore down the farmhouse and replaced it with a 40-room Queen-Anne style mansion.

The Thompsons became generous benefactors to multiple organizations and established themselves as philanthropists. Some of the more notable institutions benefited by Thompson endowments and donations include Williams College, Vassar College, and Teacher's College (now Columbia University). Mrs. Thompson was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a great benefactor to the Bronx Zoo and Woman's Hospital.

...
Wikipedia