Who is Edwin Gould?
Edwin Gould (1866-1933) was one of six children of Jay Gould, the Wall Street and railroad tycoon who made his fortune in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By age 27, Edwin had achieved his own success as a Wall Street broker and speculator, married Sarah Shrady, and inherited from his father’s estate to make a fortune of twenty million dollars. Edwin was fond of his mother-in-law, Hester Shrady, who donated much of her time and wealth to The Sheltering Arms Children’s Services. Her efforts impressed Edwin and Sarah so much that they began making contributions of money, food and clothing to charitable organizations. When the Gould’s son, Edwin, Jr., was accidentally shot while on a camping trip, a basket of roses arrived at the funeral from the children of Sheltering Arms, one rose from each child. Moved by this kindness, Gould determined that he would devote his fortune to the welfare of children. In 1923, through a special act of the New York Legislature, he establis
