author
R. Sturgis (Robert Sturgis) Ingersoll
b. 1891
Born into a prominent Philadelphia family, this American lawyer and civic leader became a major force in the city’s cultural life. He is especially remembered for his long service to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and for the philanthropy that helped shape its future.
1 Audiobook
Open That Door!
by R. Sturgis (Robert Sturgis) Ingersoll
About the author
Educated at St. Paul’s School and Princeton University, Robert Sturgis Ingersoll was born in Philadelphia on December 16, 1891. He later earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and built his career in the law, becoming associated with the Philadelphia firm Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll.
Beyond his legal work, he played an important part in Philadelphia’s arts and civic institutions. He served as president of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1948 to 1964 and helped establish its Board of Governors, reflecting a long commitment to the museum and to cultural philanthropy.
Ingersoll died in 1973, but his name remains closely linked with the museum world and with Philadelphia’s tradition of public-minded patronage. For listeners interested in authors connected to broader American cultural history, his life offers a glimpse of the close ties between law, philanthropy, and the arts in the early twentieth century.