Benjamin N. Duke calling card

Collection — Box: 10 - Small Collections, Folder: 13, Folder: 1

Identifier: NCC-0253

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of Benjamin N. Duke's calling card on which "Compliments of" is handwritten.

Dates

Creation: circa 1890s

Creator

Duke, Benjamin N. (Benjamin Newton), 1855-1929 (Person)

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Copyright Notice

There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions.

Biographical Information

Benjamin Newton Duke (April 25, 1855 – January 8, 1929), son of tobacco magnate George Washington Duke, became vice president of the American Tobacco Company in 1890 and the head of his family's new textile business in 1892. Duke and his brother James founded Southern Power in 1905 as a utility company to power Duke's textile mills, which steadily expanded and ultimately became the Duke Energy utility company. Duke also was a benefactor of Trinity University which relocated to Durham in 1892, and which was named Duke University in 1924 in honor of his family's endowment. Benjamin N. Duke's calling card exemplifies one category of stationery a wealthy American used to announce their presence, record a visit, request a meeting, or accompany a gift.