Robert S. Brookings

Robert Somers Brookings ( born January 22, 1850 in Cecil County, Maryland, † November 15, 1932 in Washington, DC) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was known in particular by 1916 he founded the Brookings Institution.

Life

Brookings, who with his brother Harry Brookings grew up after the early death of his father in 1852 as an orphan, first worked in the household goods Wholesale of Samuel Cupples, was there along with his brother, later manager and then partner and the company built then ever further. He founded The thus acquired assets not only charity, but founded in 1916, the Brookings Institution, an independent organization and think tank for research, education and publication focused on public policy in the fields of economics, foreign policy and governance.

In addition, he was not only 1895 Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis and a Trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, but also the author of several books such as Industrial Ownership, its economic and social Significance (1925, German title The democratization of American economy ) economic Democracy ( 1929) and The Way Forward ( 1932).