Electa Matilda Ziegler

Electa Matilda Ziegler
BornApril 13, 1841
Schuylerville, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 1932
New York City
Occupation
  • magazine publisher
  • philanthropist
Notable worksMatilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind
Spouse
  • Edward Gamble (divorced);
    ​
    (m. 1886)​

Electa Matilda Ziegler (née, Curtis; after first marriage, Gamble; after second marriage, Ziegler; April 13, 1841 – September 1, 1932) was an American philanthropist who founded the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind.

Early life

Electa Matilda Curtis was born in Schuylerville, New York, the daughter of Henry D. and Electa Abel Curtis.[1][2]

Career

After her second husband's death in 1905, Ziegler commanded a significant fortune.[3] She took an interest in the education of blind students because of her son, Charles, who was blinded in an accident as a child. In 1907, she established a monthly magazine known as the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, which was printed in braille and other raised-print (embossed) systems.[4] Edited by Walter G. Holmes,[5] the Ziegler offered 48 pages of fiction, scientific articles, current events, instruction in handiwork, and occasionally raised maps.[6] Through the generosity of Ziegler, it was furnished without charge, and by a special provision of the U. S. Congress, it was sent free to every blind person in the United States or Canada who could read braille.[7][6] Helen Keller said of Ziegler, "She must realize the happiness and encouragement which the magazine has brought during twenty-five years to the dwellers of darkland. Thousands upon thousands utter with affection her name."[2]

Personal life

Curtis's first marriage was to Edward Gamble; they had a son, Charles, before they divorced. Charles Gamble died in 1917.[2] Her second marriage, on July 22, 1886, was to William Ziegler (1843–1905), an industrialist who co-founded the Royal Baking Powder Company. The Zieglers adopted a daughter, Florence,[8] and a son, William Ziegler Jr. (1891-1958),[9] who became president of the American Foundation for the Blind.[3]

Death and legacy

Electa Matilda Ziegler died in 1932, aged 91 years, in New York City.[2][10] The E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind continues her work by funding research on blindness and eye disease;[11][12] the magazine ceased hard-copy and audio publication in 2009.[13]

References

  1. ^ "…And There Was Light". London: Forgotten Books. 2013. pp. 7–8. Archived from the original (Reprint, 1932) on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Blind Magazine's Founder is Dead". The Indianapolis Star. September 2, 1932. p. 7. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Sanders, Jack (December 6, 2019). "Ridgefield notables: Matilda Ziegler, Heiress aided the blind". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Matilda Ziegler Magazine". Outlook for the Blind. 16: 74. Autumn 1922.
  5. ^ Koestler, Frances A. (2004). The Unseen Minority: A Social History of Blindness in the United States. American Foundation for the Blind. pp. 530–531. ISBN 978-0-89128-896-1.
  6. ^ a b Jernigan, Kenneth. "Of Braille and Memories and The Matilda Ziegler" The Braille Monitor 30(6)(June/July 1987).
  7. ^ White 1918, p. 45.
  8. ^ Williams, Greg H. (January 10, 2014). World War II U.S. Navy Vessels in Private Hands: The Boats and Ships Sold and Registered for Commercial and Recreational Purposes Under the American Flag. McFarland. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-4766-0040-6.
  9. ^ Ziegler (aka Brandt) v. Ziegler and Ziegler. Supreme Court Appellate Division- First Department.
  10. ^ "MRS. ZIEGLER LEFT $250,000 TO CHARITY; More Than One-Fourth of the Estate Goes to Foundation in East 42d Street. KIN RECEIVES THE RESIDUE Ten Relatives Share Distribution After Provision for Several Bequests in Cash". The New York Times. September 9, 1932. p. 22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "About Us". E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "The E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind, Inc. Awards $960,000 for Vision Research". Business Wire. September 20, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Frye, Daniel B. (December 2009). "The Ziegler Abandons Hard-Copy and Recorded Publication". Braille Monitor. Retrieved June 30, 2020.

Source attribution