Beinecke, Walter,, Jr.,, 1918-2004

Biography

Walter Beinecke, Jr. (Hamilton College Honorary Degree 1966; Life Trustee), was born 20 February, 1918, in Manhattan, NY, and died 23 May, 2004, in Nantucket, MA. Beinecke enlisted in the merchant marines at age 15 and, though he never attended college, eventually served as an executive for S&H Green Stamp Company. He was elected to the Hamilton College Board of Trustees in 1960, a position he held until his death, and was awarded an honorary degree from Hamilton in 1966. While serving as the Chairman of the Hamilton Trustee Committee on Planning, he was instrumental in the planning and building of Kirkland College, where he was appointed as a trustee in 1968. During his life, Beinecke made substantial donations to the Rare Book Collections of Hamilton College and Yale University. A shrewd businessman, Beinecke was also instrumental in the revitalization and restoration of the island of Nantucket, eventually being awarded the National Historic Preservation Award by President Reagan in 1989.

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