FOLGER, HENRY CLAY

born June 18, 1857, New York, N.Y., U.S. died June 11, 1930, Brooklyn, N.Y. American lawyer, business executive, and founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. At Amherst College Folger won prizes in English composition and oratory, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and developed an interest in Shakespeare. After graduation in 1879 he studied law at Columbia University, earning the LL.B. degree in 1881. As a student he worked for Pratt and Company, which was part of the Standard Oil group of companies. In 1908 he became a director of the Standard Oil Company of New York and in 1911 became its president. Under his direction the firm prospered, and he was made chairman of the board in 1923. A man of diverse cultural interests, he gradually built up a collection of Shakespeareana. In 1928 he announced plans for a library of Shakespearean materials, which was built on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.