Rash's Surname Index
Notes for James BIDDLE
By Leslie A. Pappas
Inquirer Staff Writer
James "Jimmy" Biddle, 75, a member of one of Philadelphia's oldest and most renowned families and a historic preservationist devoted to his family's estate, Andalusia in Bensalem, died at his home yesterday.
"He will be missed by many Philadelphians because he was a sixth-generation Philadelphian," said his daughter, Letitia C. Biddle.
Mr. Biddle was one of many well-known offspring of a family that included William Biddle, a friend of William Penn's, who came to New Jersey in 1681. Mr. Biddle was the great-great-grandson of financier, scholar and statesman Nicholas Biddle, who founded the second bank in the United States and maintained a sprawling Greek Revival-style mansion on the banks of the Delaware River in Bucks County. Other family members included Francis Biddle, who was Franklin Roosevelt's attorney general, and painter George Biddle. The Biddles were known as Philadelphia's first family.
Mr. Biddle was born at Andalusia on July 8, 1929, attended boarding school at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., and graduated from Princeton in 1951 with a degree in art and archaeology. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He married Louisa DuPont Copeland in 1959.
Mr. Biddle lived part time in New York and Washington, working as a curator of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and later serving as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation from 1968 to 1980.
"He leaves an enduring legacy," National Trust President Richard Moe said in a statement yesterday. "Jimmy played a major role" in shaping the National Trust and promoting the cause of historic preservation, Moe said.
The preservation of Andalusia, which Mr. Biddle inherited from his father, was one of his main interests. He opened a portion of it to the public in 1975. He lived in "The Cottage," a 20-room, eight-bedroom mansion near the "Big House," which is now overseen by the Andalusia Foundation.
Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo called Mr. Biddle "a friend of mine and certainly a friend of our community" who worked tirelessly to preserve the history of Andalusia and promote the arts through public concerts at the estate.
DiGirolamo described Mr. Biddle as a gentleman who was always "well-dressed, soft-spoken" and "very proper," a consensus builder who listened carefully, gave advice only when asked, yet could be "very direct in his answers and his opinions."
Besides his daughter and former wife, he is survived by daughter Pamela C. Biddle; son James C. Biddle; seven grandchildren; and devoted friend Paul Bridgewater.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Andalusia Foundation, Box 158, Andalusia, Pa. 19020. The service and internment will be private.
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