Phoebe Hearst

Phoebe Apperson Hearst (December 3, 1842 – April 14, 1919) was the mother of William Randolph Hearst.

She was born in Franklin County, Missouri. At the age of 19, she married George Hearst, who later became a U.S. Senator. Soon after their marriage the couple moved to San Francisco, California, where Phoebe gave birth to their only child, William Randolph Hearst, in 1863.

A major benefactor of the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman Regent of the University of California, serving on the board from 1887 until her death. Also in 1887, she contributed to the establishment of the National Congress of Mothers, which evolved eventually into the National Parent-Teacher Association. In 1900, she co-founded the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC. A public elementary school near the National Cathedral School bears her name. [http://www.hearstdc.org/contact.htm]

She was a member of the Bahá'í Faith. She briefly travelled to Akko and Haifa in Palestine (modern day Israel) on pilgrimage, arriving on December 14, 1889. She later wrote, "Those three days were the most memorable days of my life" [cite book | author=Effendi, Shoghi | title=God Passes By | location=Wilmette | publisher=Bahá'í Pub. Trust | year=1974 | id=ISBN 0-87743-020-9]

She died at her home in Pleasanton, California, aged 76, on April 13, 1919, during the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, and was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) |url=http://www.hearstcastle.org/history/phoebe_hearst.asp |work= |publisher=Hearst Castle |date= |accessdate=2007-06-18 ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Mrs. Phoebe Hearst Dies in California. Her Son, W.R. Hearst, at Her Bedside When the End Came. Lived on the Frontier. Gave Millions to University of California and Cathedral School for Girls. Her Gifts to Art and Education. A Leader in Washington. |url= |quote=Pleasanton, California, April 24, 1929. Mrs. Phoebe Apperson Hearst, widow of George Hearst, who was United States Senator from California, and mother of William Randolph Hearst, the publisher, died at her home here today, after an illness of several weeks. |publisher=New York Times |date=April 24, 1929 |accessdate=2007-06-21 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2345&pt=Phoebe%20 Hearst Place of burial]
* [http://www.pta.org/ap_our_history_decade_1117143473593.html History of the PTA 1897-1899] The founding of the organization by Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney.
* [http://genealogy.wikia.com/wiki/Phoebe_Elizabeth_Apperson_(1842-1911) Genealogy of Phoebe Apperson]