Alexander Dawson Henderson, Jr. (February 16, 1895 - July 8, 1964), was a business leader, philanthropist, and long-time mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Florida. He was Vice President and Director of the California Perfume Company (CPC), which later became Avon Products. He was well known in South Florida for his philanthropic work in the support of the Henderson Clinic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Early life
Alexander D. Henderson was born on February 16, 1895, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Alexander. D. Henderson Sr. and Ella Margaret Brown. He was the grandson of Joseph Henderson (pilot) and brother to Girard B. Henderson.
Military
At age 22, Henderson volunteered for the U. S. Army during World War I at the Student Officer Training Camp in the Ramapo, Rockland, New York precinct. Because of his military experience while at the New York Military Academy, he became a Lieutenant in the Cavalry, stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was also stationed at Company D, Hughes High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
California Perfume Company
In 1919, Henderson took a position with the California Perfume Company. On February 14, 1920, Henderson married Mary Barnes Anthony at her parents Ridgewood home in New Jersey. They had two children, Alexander D. Henderson III and Mary Ella. By 1925 Henderson had become Vice President and a Director of CPC. In 1936, he married Lucia Maria Ernst, whom he met at CPC. On March 9, 1946, he and Lucy had a son, A. Douglas Henderson who was born in New York City.
On October 6, 1939, The California Perfume Company changed its name to Avon Products Inc. In 1951, Henderson retired from Avon and moved to Hillsboro Beach, Broward County, Florida.
Politics
Henderson was the Mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Florida for six consecutive years (1958-1964).
Philanthropy
In 1960, Henderson gave stocks in Avon to the Henderson Mental Clinic of Broward County for emotionally disturbed children in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The clinic was renamed Henderson Clinic of Broward County in 1961.
The A. D. Henderson Foundation was founded in 1959 by Henderson and his wife, Lucy E. Henderson. The foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children through education.
On September 30, 1965, his wife, Lucy E. Henderson, donated $750,000 to the Florida Atlantic University Endowment Corporation in memory of her late husband, Alexander D. Henderson.
On April 19, 1967, the Chapel of Saint Andrew, located on the campus of Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida, was dedicated in memory of Alexander D. Henderson. The Chapel of Saint Andrew is an Episcopal Church.
Education
Throughout his life Henderson gave generous support to educational institutions. He was active in establishing (1953) and supporting the Hillsboro Country Day School in Hillsboro Beach and the Saint Andrew's Episcopal School for Boys in Boca Raton. He contributed generously to the Saint Andrew's establishment including the administration classroom building, Henderson Hall.
On December 1, 1968, the A.D. Henderson University School at the Florida Atlantic University College of Education was dedicated in his honor. The school was made possible by a gift to the state and Florida Atlantic University from his wife, Lucy E. Henderson. The Alexander D. Henderson University School (ADHUS) is a public elementary and middle school (K-8) and legislated school district operating as an educational laboratory on the FAU's Boca Raton campus.
Death
On July 8, 1964, Henderson died at the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He was 69 years old. Henderson's body was brought back from the Waterman Funeral Home in Boston to the Kraeer Funeral Home in Pompano Beach, Florida. He was interned at the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central in Fort Lauderdale in Mausoleum Unit 1, Section No. 67, South. His second wife, Lucia Ernst Henderson is buried in the Companion Crypt.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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