Mary Moody Northen
| Mary Moody Northen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mary Elizabeth Moody February 10, 1892 Galveston, Texas, USA |
| Died | August 25, 1986 (aged 94) Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Galveston Memorial Cemetery, Hitchcock, Texas, U.S. |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Occupation | Insurance & Banking Executive Philanthropist |
| Known for | Financial & Philanthropic Endeavors |
| Spouse(s) | Edwin Clyde Northen |
| Parent(s) |
William Lewis Moody, Jr. Libbie Rice (Shearn) Moody |
| Relatives | Shearn Moody, Jr. (Nephew) |
Mary Elizabeth Moody Northen (10 February 1892 – 25 August 1986) was an American financier and philanthropist from Galveston, Texas. She was the daughter of financial and insurance tycoon William Lewis Moody, Jr. and aunt of businessman Shearn Moody, Jr.
Northen was born to William Lewis Moody, Jr. and Libbie Rice Moody (née Shearn) on February 10, 1892 in Galveston, Texas and was one of four children. Mary Elizabeth married Edwin Clyde Northen in 1915, however they had no children. Instead, Northen focused most of her time on her father's "financial empire", including sitting on various boards of companies and dining with her father every evening to discuss business.
Upon the death of her father, William Lewis Moody, Jr., she was named president or chairman of the board of more than 50 corporations her father had controlled, including the American National Insurance Company which, at the time of Moody's death, was the biggest insurance company west of the Mississippi River. She was also named chairman of the board for the Moody National Bank. Northen continued to maintain control over the family's companies, until her own death in 1986.
In 1942 her parents set up the Moody Foundation, to which their estate was transferred after their deaths. . The Foundation awards grants to various civic and environmental causes in Texas. Northen was installed as chairman of the foundation after her father's death and continued to run the foundation until her own death in 1986. Today the Moody Foundation has grown into a $1.197 billion USD charitable foundation, making grants throughout the state of Texas.
Through her work with the Moody Foundation she helped to fund the restoration of many historic structures in Galveston, including an abandoned Santa Fe Railroad depot and office building, turning it into a railroad museum, and the 1877 iron sailing bark Elissa. Under Northen's direction, the Moody Foundation also provided seed money to help establish the Texas A&M University at Galveston
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