Mary Williamson Averell

Mary Williamson Averell
Averell with her husband, c. 1909
Born	(1851-07-22)July 22, 1851 New York City, United States
Died	November 7, 1932(1932-11-07) (aged 81) Washington, D.C., United States
Residence	Arden in Turner, New York
Spouse(s)	E.H. Harriman
Children	Henry Neilson, Cornelia, Carol A., William Averell, Edward Roland Noel
Parent(s)	William J. Averell

Mary Williamson Averell (July 22, 1851 – November 7, 1932) was an American philanthropist and the wife of railroad executive E. H. Harriman. Born in New York to a successful family, Averell married Harriman in 1879. Averell's father introduced Harriman to the railroad business. After Harriman's death, his wife was left with between $70 and $100 million. She became dedicated to philanthropy, donating the land that became Harriman State Park and largely funding the development of the controversial Eugenics Record Office. Averell had several children; her son, W. Averell Harriman became governor of New York and her daughter Mary Harriman Rumsey founded the Junior League.

Mary Williamson Averell was born on July 22, 1851 in New York City. She was tutored at home and completed her education at a finishing school with the "expectation that one day she would become a fine wife and mother for some young man of equal or greater social standing than the Averells." Mary’s father, William J. Averell was a successful New York banker and president of the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad.

After her marriage to Harriman, Mary's father offered Harriman a seat on his railroad's board, which led to a career in railroads and an extraordinary fortune. In 1886, that fortune allowed E. H. to purchase 7,863 acres (31.82 km²) of heavily forested land on the western shore of the Hudson River at Highland Falls in New York; this was expanded to 20,000 acres (81 km²) within two years by the purchase of 40 additional properties. The estate, named Arden, came to include dairying, horse breeding and mining. As one of his neighbors put it, "He collects mountains as other men collect china."

By the start of the 20th century, lumbering and quarries were beginning to encroach on the tranquility of the region. When, in 1909, the state of New York acquired a parcel of land at Bear Mountain to build a new prison, Harriman approached New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes with a proposal to extend the Palisades Interstate Park with a donation of thousands of acres and one million dollars as an endowment for its management if the governor would agree to locate the prison somewhere else. In September 1909, E.H. Harriman died, but the offer was ultimately accepted, and Mary and her son Averell completed the gift.