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Dr. Mease was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, and a founding member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. In 1814 he helped found the Athenaeum of Philadelphia; among the original 139 charter shareholders, Dr. Mease held share number 7, and served as the Athenaeum’s first vice-president.

In 1800, Dr. Mease married Sarah Butler, the daughter of South Carolina Senator Pierce Butler. They had two sons who later changed their last names from Mease to Butler as a prerequisite for inheriting their grandfather Senator Butler’s vast fortune. One of the sons, Pierce Butler, married the renowned English stage actress Fanny Kemble.

Dr. James Mease died in Philadelphia in 1846.
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Biddle belonged to many Philadelphia civic organizations, among them: the Athenaeum of Philadelphia (which he helped found in 1814), the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. Additionally, Biddle served as President of the Girard College Board of Trustees and was instrumental in fulfilling Stephen Girard’s vision of building a school for poor orphaned boys.

As a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Biddle advocated for the reestablishment of a national bank. In 1816, the second Bank of the United States was chartered, and in 1819, Monroe, now president of the United States, appointed Biddle to the board of directors of the Bank. In 1822 Biddle became president of the Bank, serving in that role until 1839, when it became increasingly clear that President Andrew Jackson’s refusal to renew the Bank’s charter all but guaranteed the Bank’s failure. The Bank ultimately closed in 1841.

Throughout his career, Biddle often took respite at his country residence known as Andalusia. In 1811 Biddle had married Jane Craig, and in 1814 obtained her parents’ large house located 14 miles north of Philadelphia overlooking the Delaware River. He commissioned architect Thomas Ustick Walter (who had designed Girard College) to transform the existing Craig house into a Greek Revival masterpiece. Biddle applied his lifelong interest in the arts, architecture, and experimental agriculture to develop the home and gardens into a stately and serene estate. Today, Andalusia is a National Historic Landmark open to visitors.

Nicholas Biddle died at Andalusia in 1844 at the age of 58.
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Artist Lois Harper Wyman, a descendant of William Strickland, painted this portrait of her ancestor in 1952, copying from an original portrait by an unknown artist. ]]>
Oval mat. Gilt and gesso frame: Inner frame is oval, outer frame is serpentine oblong with floral and foliate scroll decoration at corners. (Frame is identical to frames for 1977.05.01-03)]]> Oval mat. Gilt and gesso frame: Inner frame is oval, outer frame is serpentine oblong with floral and foliate scroll decoration at corners. (Frame is identical to frames for 1977.05.01-02, and 1977.05.04)]]>
Today that hospital continues as the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, a teaching hospital in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, affiliated with the University of Paris Descartes.
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