Mary Flagler Cary


Mary Flagler Cary was heir to part of the Standard Oil fortune and became a notable philanthropist, mainly through the charitable trust established at her death.

Biography

She was the granddaughter of Henry Morrison Flagler, one of the founders of Standard Oil, and inherited 20,000 shares of Standard Oil from her father Harry Harkness Flagler on his death in 1952. She had married Melbert Cary, who died in 1941.
Mrs Cary and her husband were significant collectors. Their main acquisitions were music manuscripts, playing cards, and the work of great printers. Mrs Cary also built a collection of trees on her large estate at Millbrook, New York.
The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust was established at her death. It has donated major collections as follows:
The Trust wound up its remaining work in 2009.