Frick Family Genealogy & History

Henry Clay Frick was a prominent American industrialist, financier, and art patron known for founding H. C. Frick & Company and serving as chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company. He played a significant role in forming U.S. Steel and amassed substantial real estate holdings in Pennsylvania. Despite controversies, including his opposition to unions and involvement in the Johnstown Flood, Frick's legacy includes the renowned Frick Collection in Manhattan, featuring old master paintings and fine furniture.

Frick was born in West Overton, Pennsylvania, as a grandson of Abraham Overholt, owner of a successful whiskey distillery. His father, John W. Frick, was of Swiss descent and faced business difficulties, while his mother had German ancestry.

Wilhelm Frick was a prominent Nazi politician and war criminal, born on 12 March 1877 in Alsenz, Germany. He served as Minister of the Interior in Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943, playing a key role in formulating the Nuremberg Laws and consolidating Nazi power. Frick was also a member of the Council of Ministers for Defense of the Reich and was later executed for war crimes in 1946. His career began with involvement in the Nazi Party after the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, and he was the first Nazi minister in Thuringia.

Frick was the youngest of four children born to Wilhelm Frick Sr., a Protestant teacher, and his wife Henriette Schmidt. He was educated at the University of Munich, Heidelberg, and Humboldt University of Berlin, earning a doctorate in law. Frick married Elisabetha Emilie Nagel in 1910, with whom he had two sons and a daughter, before their divorce in 1934. He remarried Margarete Schultze-Naumburg and had another son and daughter.

Helen Clay Frick (1888–1984) was an influential American philanthropist and art collector, known for her profound contributions to art history and philanthropy. She established the Frick Art Reference Library in New York, integral to documenting Western art history, and founded an art library at the University of Pittsburgh. Her dedication to preserving art and culture extended to the creation of the Frick Art Museum. Helen's environmental efforts include the establishment of Frick Park in Pittsburgh and Westmoreland Sanctuary in New York, highlighting her commitment to both art and nature.

Helen was the daughter of Henry Clay Frick, a prominent coke and steel magnate, and Adelaide Howard Childs. She was deeply influenced by her father's wealth and controversial legacy as a partner in Carnegie Steel and a notorious figure in labor disputes. Helen's early life was marked by family tragedies, shaping her upbringing amidst wealth and loss on the Frick estate in Pittsburgh, known as Clayton. Her education was overseen by a Swiss governess, and she quickly became involved in her father's art pursuits, showcasing her early interest in art collection and curation.

Childs Frick (1883-1965) was a distinguished American vertebrate paleontologist known for his significant contributions to the American Museum of Natural History. A major benefactor of the Museum's Department of Paleontology, he founded the Frick Laboratory and facilitated the collection of over 200,000 fossil mammals, greatly enhancing the understanding of North American camels. His expeditions to the American West and philanthropic efforts, such as supporting the rediscovery of the Bermuda Petrel, underscore his impact on paleontology and conservation.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Childs Frick was the son of prominent industrialist Henry Clay Frick and Adelaide Howard Childs. Raised on the family estate, Clayton, he later moved to New York City. He married Frances Shoemaker Dixon and had four children. His familial ties are marked by the estrangement from his sister Helen Clay Frick after their father's will favored her. Childs Frick's legacy includes his Roslyn Harbor estate, now the Nassau County Museum of Art, and his connection to Bermuda, where landmarks bear his name.