Henry Stewart Goldey

Henry’s father, Jacob, had three siblings named Harriet, William, and Charles. When Henry was born, his siblings were also named Harriet, William, and Charles. Henry was named after his grandfather. He was only three years old when his father drowned in the ocean at Atlantic City, New Jersey during the Fourth of July holiday. 

Jacob was 38, a mail carrier for the Philadelphia post office, and it was reported he was the victim of a shark attack. His body was recovered July 10, 1855 and buried in his father’s plot in Brooklyn, New York. (Mount Moriah Cemetery had only opened for business a few weeks earlier.)

His widow, Anna Maria Goldey, was pregnant at the time with her fifth child, whom she named after her husband. She remained a single mother until each child was grown and married. After  her daughter Harriet died in 1881, a plot was purchased here in Section 203 and Jacob’s remains were moved from New York to be beside his daughter.  

Two years later Henry was 30 years old and walking the aisle with his bride, Katherine Wright of Delaware. The man she married at Newark Methodist Episocpal Church had already compiled quite a strong resume in the field of education. 

As a child, Henry presumably followed his older brothers who attended Girard College, which was (and still is) a boarding school for elementary and secondary students who were financially needy and orphaned. When those years were over he finished his work in a teacher-training program at Millersville State Normal School in Lancaster County, now Millersville University. 

He then studied at National School of Elocution and Oratory and taught in the high schools at York and Lancaster. Henry was the principal at Newark High School in Delaware when he met his future wife. He graduated a short time later from Bryant and Stratton Business College in Philadelphia.

The timing was perfect because, just as he graduated, there was an opening for a headmaster of that college and Henry got the job. His experience there motivated him to start a business school of his own in Wilmington, Delaware. 

Wilmington Commercial College began with five students in 1886 but had over 100 by the end of the first year, including 17 women. In a few years it was known as Goldey’s Commercial College and eventually shortened to Goldey College. The key to recruiting was intensive newspaper advertising but the biggest selling point was practical training in a short amount of time, plus the high job placement rates and the testimonials of both satisfied graduates and employers.

The couple known affectionately as Harry and Katie worked side by side over the years but remained childless. They poured themselves into the lives of their students almost as if they were their own. 

They were equally involved at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, where Henry was Sunday School superintendent and on the board of trustees. Such dedication naturally spilled over into his work, seamlessly combining Christian principles with the way the school was run and the students were taught. Business leaders and ministers were frequent guest speakers who urged the students to establish a reputation for ethical behavior and a high moral character.

In the early years of the new century, Henry’s health grew weaker so he sold his interest in the school to three associates by 1909. This story was shared at a 25th anniversary celebration in 1911, honoring the founder’s vision and fortitude. Just about a year later, “Professor Goldey” died of a stroke.

The school continued to flourish, even after one of the business teachers left to open his own school. In 1951, after decades of competition, W.H. Beacom’s college merged with Goldey.

In the years since, Goldey-Beacom College moved to a suburban campus, became fully accredited, added intercollegiate athletics, and now offers 48 academic programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

The professor’s estate was placed in trust for his wife’s use until she died in 1949. While this statement at the end of his obituary says his school was his greatest devotion, his will indicates otherwise. Most of the residue was bequeathed to their church, the denomination’s Missionary Society, and a variety of other Christian causes about which he was passionate throughout his lifetime.

His and Katie’s plot in Section 203 includes the burials of his parents and each of his four siblings, plus the spouse of one of them.