Lenox, James

James Lenox, (born Aug. 19, 1800, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Feb. 17, 1880, New York City), American philanthropist and pioneer book collector.

Lenox’s father was a wealthy Scottish merchant from whom Lenox inherited several million dollars as well as valuable properties in New York City. A graduate of Columbia College (1818) and a member of the bar, Lenox devoted the bulk of his life to collecting rare books, manuscripts, and art objects and to public and private philanthropy. His special interests in collecting were Bibles, books about North and South America, early Americana, first-person accounts of the great voyages of the age of discovery, and all editions of the works of John Bunyan, William Shakespeare, and John Milton. The collection was originally intended for the use of scholars but in 1870 was made available to the public. In 1895 the Lenox Library (containing about 85,000 volumes), the Astor Library, and the Tilden Foundation were consolidated to become the New York Public Library.