Editing Stephen Girard (section)

== Philanthropy and Legacy ==

Girard's will devoted the bulk of his estate to charitable purposes, the most significant being the establishment of Girard College for "poor white male orphans"—terms that reflected his era's limitations while his philanthropic ambition transcended them. The institution, which finally opened in 1848 after extensive legal challenges, provided boarding education to orphaned boys whose circumstances Girard's own youthful struggles may have informed. The magnificent campus, designed by Thomas Walter, created educational environment whose grandeur exceeded most American universities.<ref name="mcmaster"/>

His bequest to the City of Philadelphia for police and street improvements, and his provisions for charitable purposes throughout the city, demonstrated concern for urban welfare that extended beyond the college that bears his name. His will's administration, which required decades of litigation before its provisions could be fulfilled, delayed but did not prevent the philanthropic outcomes he intended. The eventual desegregation of Girard College in the 1960s, following Cecil B. Moore's campaign, removed the racial exclusion that Girard's eighteenth-century will had specified.<ref name="adams"/>

Stephen Girard died on December 26, 1831, his estate eventually disbursed according to his elaborate will. His legacy includes Girard College's continued operation, the financial institutions that descended from his bank, and the model of immigrant success that his career provided. Girard represents what America promised to talented newcomers willing to work—wealth beyond European aristocracy's imagination, deployed finally for purposes that transcended personal enrichment.<ref name="mcmaster"/>