William S. Hofstra

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William S. Hofstra
Born
William Sake Hofstra

(1861-05-31)May 31, 1861
Holland, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMay 11, 1932(1932-05-11) (aged 70)
Hempstead, New York, U.S.
OccupationLumber entrepreneur
Known forNamesake of Hofstra University

William Sake Hofstra (May 31, 1861 – May 11, 1932) was a Dutch-American lumber entrepreneur and namesake of Hofstra University.

Early life[]

William Sake Hofstra was born on May 31, 1861, in Holland, Michigan.[1][2] He was the son of Sake Hofstra and Wilhelmina Zageweg, who were Dutch immigrants from Franeker in the province of Friesland.[2][3] The name "Hofstra", which is a short form of "Hoflandstra", means "from the courtyard/farmyard/garden" in Frisian and goes back to an ancestor from an estate near the village of Grou.[4]

Hofstra grew up in various cities in Michigan.[2] His family moved from Holland to Grand Rapids in 1863, where his father worked as a baker, and to Muskegon in 1867, where his father worked as a hotel keeper.[2] In 1875, his family built a home and a hotel in Muskegon.[2] A few years later, in 1880, Hofstra's mother died from typhus.[2]

Marriages and business[]

In 1881, Hofstra married Anna Laura Morton and they had two daughters, one of whom lived to adulthood.[2] Hofstra and his wife divorced, and he remarried to Kate Mason Wiliams, a widow originally from Boston, Massachusetts, who was seven years his senior, and they had no children.[2] Hofstra was involved in various lumber businesses in Michigan, Canada, New Orleans, Florida, and New York.[2] William Hofstra worked in the lumber business with Howard Brower as a partner in the Nassau Lumber Company and was a director of Price Brothers Company, another wood and paper products company based in Canada.[5]

In 1903, Hofstra and his second wife, Kate Mason (1854–1933), purchased the 15-acre Van Vranken Estate in Hempstead, New York, and hired H. Craig Severance to design their retirement home there, moving into the house in 1904.[6] To honor his Dutch roots, Hofstra called the estate "The Netherlands," which is now known as Hofstra Hall.[6] Hofstra died in 1932 and Kate died the following year.[7]

Hofstra University[]

Kate Hofstra bequeathed the family home and funding for a trust to honor her husband and left other bequests to St. George's Episcopal Church in Hempstead and to various friends and family.[4][7] In 1935, the trustees created a branch of New York University in the former Hofstra home, and by 1963, the institution was renamed Hofstra University.[7] The school's colors and the Hofstra seal honor the Dutch heritage of Hofstra.[8][9]

References[]

  1. ^ Digital Photo Collections, Hofstra University. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mr. and Mrs. Hofstra: Founding a University: The Beginning, Hofstra University. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. ^ Stieven Ramdharie, "Trump en Clinton gelijk in peilingen: ongekend aan vooravond debat" (in Dutch), de Volkskrant, 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b Hofstra History, Rootsweb, 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. ^ The Hofstra Family at 65, Hofstra University. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. ^ a b Mr. and Mrs. Hofstra: Founding a University: The Hofstra Home, Hofstra University. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Mr. and Mrs. Hofstra: Founding a University: Creating the University, Hofstra University. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  8. ^ Hofstra University's Annual Dutch Festival, About.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  9. ^ Gajus Scheltema, Russell Shorto, Heleen Westerhuijs, Exploring Historic Dutch New York: New York City - Hudson Valley - New ... (Courier Dover Publications, 2011), pg. 73.
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