Crane, Josephine Boardman, 1873-1972

Josephine Boardman Crane: philanthropist; trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Pierpont Morgan Library; and supporter of the Dalton School. Crane was associated with performers, artists, and authors including Padraic Colum, Marianne Moore, and Glenway Wescott.

Josephine Boardman Crane was born November 1, 1873 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of William Jarvis Boardman and Florence Sheffield. The family moved to Washington, D.C. where she met and, in 1906, married Winthrop Murray Crane, then United States Senator from Massachusetts. Between 1907 and 1917, Josephine and Winthrop Crane had three children: Stephen, Bruce, and Louise. Following her husband's death in 1920, Josephine Boardman Crane moved to New York City where she pursued philanthropic interests, serving as trustee for a number of cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Morgan Library. Crane's interest in education led to her early support of Helen Parkhurst's Dalton plan and eventually of the Dalton School in New York. From the 1920s through the early 1960s, Crane hosted a range of cultural events, including musical performances, lectures, and literary gatherings that brought together performers, artists, and members of New York society. During this period she maintained extended relationships with the writers Padraic Colum, Marianne Moore, and Glenway Wescott. On July 9, 1972, Josephine Boardman Crane died at her home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.