Charles Emory Culpeper

Born 1874 in Rome, GA. Died 1940 in New York City.

Listeners to National Public Radio may have heard references to certain programs being sponsored by the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation. This foundation, with close to $200 million in assets at the end of 1997, gave nearly $8 million in 1997 towards the support of health research, education, arts and culture. If you've ever wondered who Charles was, here's a biography taken from the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation website.

Charles Emory Culpeper, one of the pioneers in the bottling and marketing of Coca-Cola, was born in Rome, Georgia, on May 11, 1874. He died in New York City on February 2, 1940, at the age of 65. In his will Mr. Culpeper directed that a foundation be established to acquire ultimately the bulk of his fortune and apply the income and, if need be, the principal to charitable purposes.

Mr. Culpeper was raised as one of nine children on the family farm near Rome, Georgia. Although he never finished high school, he was industrious, first working as a clerk in a country store in the Rome area and later as a traveling salesman.

Some time in the mid-1890's, Mr. Culpeper went to Baltimore and then to Philadelphia where he worked at various jobs until, in 1899, he accepted a job selling Coca-Cola syrup to soda fountains in Philadelphia. In 1904 he commenced employment as a salesman for the Coca-Cola Bottling Works of Newark and of New York. In 1917 Mr. Culpeper bought the two companies with $160,000 of borrowed funds. Subsequently, with Mr. Culpeper at the helm, the New York and New Jersey companies were combined and became The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York. The company prospered under Mr. Culpeper's leadership so that at the time of his death in 1940, his stock in it comprised the bulk of his substantial fortune.

Although Mr. Culpeper became a resident of Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1913 and lived there until his death, he never forgot his roots in Georgia. He was always deeply concerned with the betterment of humanity. In constructing the grant program of the Foundation, the Board of Trustees has been mindful of Mr. Culpeper's concerns as applied to the needs of the present day.

Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Charles E. Culpeper Foundation Announce Merger

10 Jun 1999
Business Wire
Copyright 1999, Business Wire

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 1999--The Rockefeller Brothers Fund of New York City and the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation of Stamford, Connecticut announced today that the New York Secretary of State has approved a merger of the two foundations. The merger will take effect July 1, 1999 and the resulting foundation will be known as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Inc.

Following the merger, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund will have investment assets with a current market value of approximately $650 million and will continue the major grantmaking programs of the two foundations. The Charles E. Culpeper name will be perpetuated, for the indefinite future, through continued use in connection with two established programs: the Charles E. Culpeper Scholarships in Medical Science and the Charles E. Culpeper Biomedical Pilot Initiative.

On completion of the merger, four of the six Trustees of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation will join the governing board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Mr. Francis J. McNamara, Jr., Chairman, President, and Trustee of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, will retire after more than thirty years of service. Mr. Colin G. Campbell, currently Vice Chairman and Trustee of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, will continue as President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. All current Trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund will continue in their positions. Mr. Steven C. Rockefeller will remain Chairman of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Dr. Neva Goodwin will continue to serve as Vice Chairman. Four members of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation's staff will join the staff of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Reflecting on the merger, Francis J. McNamara, Jr. said: "I am confident in the superlative stewardship that can be expected from the Trustees of the new Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The vision of Charles Emory Culpeper and the legacy of his foundation in supporting programming in health, education and arts and culture will be sustained."

Colin G. Campbell said: "For the past three decades, Frank McNamara has guided the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation with wisdom and prudence. We are honored to participate in this merger of two leading American philanthropic institutions. Together, we will be able to pursue our shared goal--to improve the well-being of all people, in an increasingly interdependent world--more efficiently and effectively."

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Inc. will operate out of current facilities at 437 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022-7001. World Wide Web: www.rbf.org Telephone: 212.812.4200

Background

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Inc. (1940 - June 30, 1999)

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund was founded in 1940 as a vehicle through which the five sons and daughter of Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., could share a source of philanthropic advice and combine their philanthropic efforts to better effect. Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., made a substantial gift to the Fund in 1951, and in 1960 the Fund received a major bequest from his estate. Together, these constitute the Fund's basic endowment.

The Fund's total assets at the end of 1998 were $462,855,000. During 1998 the Fund expended approximately $17.5 million on grants and program management, with the following emphases: sustainable resource use, world security, the nonprofit sector, K-12 and early childhood education, New York City, and South Africa. An additional $3.8 million was expended on philanthropic activities carried out directly by the Fund--including a special two-year Project on World Security; administration of the RBF Fellowship and Leadership programs for Minority Students Entering the Teaching Profession; preservation and public visitation programs at the Pocantico Historic Area; and conferences at the Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

The Charles E. Culpeper Foundation (1940 - June 30, 1999)

The Charles E. Culpeper Foundation was incorporated in 1940 and funded by a bequest of Mr. Charles Emory Culpeper . The Foundation received the bulk of his personal fortune and was established to apply the income and, if need be, the principal, to charitable purposes.

The Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation

Charles E. Culpepper was married to Daphne Seybolt. Daphne died in 1976 without children and directed in her will the establishment of the Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation. The Foundation, founded in 1983, focuses its giving on education, health care, and human services. It has funded environmental education programs in the past and provided other support to conservation-minded groups

Culpepper Ancestry: Charles Emory Culpeper (#34406), who dropped the extra "p", was the son of Elam Culpepper, a Baptist minister in rural northwest Georgia. He had no children and is buried at West Union Baptist Church Cemetery, Curryville, Gordon County, GA. Also in that cemetery are some of the Culpepper family who descend from William Culpepper, born 1808.