Simon Guggenheim Biography

Simon Guggenheim

One of seven sons of Meyer Guggenheim, he worked with his brothers in the family's mining and metal processing firm. He served as president from 1919–41 of the American Smelting and Refining Company, which had merged with the Philadelphia Smelting and Refining Company in 1901. He represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 1907–13. As an heir to the vast Guggenheim fortune, and its sense of social responsibility, he was a generous benefactor of many educational and medical institutions, but is best remembered for establishing with his wife the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, which gives annual grants to scholars and creative individuals