Mary (Polly) Hoopes Beeman (1905-1994) was a philanthropist and a leading sponsor of visual arts, music, and culture in Glens Falls. She served on numerous boards of arts and cultural organizations, including the Hyde Collection Art Museum, Lake George Opera Festival, Crandall Library, and the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra. She was also active with the Red Cross and the Glens Falls Hospital Guild. In addition, she served on the board of Finch, Pruyn & Company, a leading manufacturer of paper in Glens Falls. Polly Hoopes Beeman was the daughter of Maurice Hoopes (1870-1949) and Eliza Pruyn. Maurice Hoopes was a Glens Falls industrialist and banker, president for many years of the Finch, Pruyn & Company. He married Mary Pruyn (1872-1951), daughter of Samuel Pruyn, a founder of Finch, Pruyn & Company.
The Hoopes family resided in Glens Falls and was well acquainted with the family of Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948). Polly Hoopes Beeman was a close friend of Charles Evans Hughes's daughter Elizabeth Hughes Gossett (1908-1981) and her husband William T. Gossett, a lawyer and Vice President and General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. Maurice Hoopes was also a friend of Robert Porter Patterson (1891-1952), a native of Glens Falls, who served as Secretary of War from 1945-1947.
From the description of Polly Hoopes Beeman collection, 1911-1980. (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155418013
