William Wesley Burgiss (Burgess)

Title

William Wesley Burgiss (Burgess)

Description

W. W. Burgiss was the first president of Victor Mill. He became a major real estate investor in Greer, in Greenville County, and in the West Palm Beach area of Florida. He became Greenville County's first major philanthropist, entirely funding the Greenville Shriner's Children's Hospital and the W.W. Burgiss Charities, which remains in operation to this day.

birthday

August 12, 1863

Birthplace

Greenville, South Carolina

Death Date

March 19, 1945

Occupation

Cotton agent; textile mill executive; real estate investor

Biographical Text

William Burgiss was the son of Nichols F. Burgiss and Mary Evelyn Gilreath. He married Etta Bailey, daughter of W.C. Bailey, the first mayor of Greer.

William was born on a farm northwest of what would become Greer. By the age of 16 he was a clerk in a local tin shop. Soon after, he borrowed a cart and team from his father. He built an oak tank on the cart, filled it with about 300 gallons of water from the Reedy River, and sprinkled the streets of the Greenville business district.

One of his best friends, J.F. Richardson, was hired as a cotton agent for a ginnery in Charleston. Richardson offered Burgiss a 50-50 partnership. Richardson left the partnership to work at the Greenville News; Burgiss continued to run the business himself.

When the Greenville Cotton Oil Mill opened, a Greenville agency no longer made sense and the Charleston company cut him loose. His father ran a cotton mill in Greer with several others; he offered W.W. an opportunity to work at the mill. This gave William a good understanding of the mill business.

When he was 23 he courted Etta Bailey, the daughter of William Bailey — railroad depot agent and first mayor of Greer. They were married the following year, in 1887.

Burgiss worked in his father's mill for two years before deciding to go out on his own. He started a merchandising business in Greer, but it was a failure, both financially and in crushing his spirit. He said, “business was good on credit, but collections were poor.” During this time he gained a deep sense of compassion for the less fortunate, and made a commitment to God. Years later he described it this way: “Years ago I promised my Creator that if I prospered I would turn some of my profits to a good charitable cause.”

After struggling for several months, he went to Atlanta to meet with his creditors and turn over the business and merchandise to them. They encouraged him to stick with it and gave him more time. He was able to build the business to the place that he could close out the business and break even.

Once again out of work, he ran across a pamphlet in a Greer store which listed the buying prices of a northern cotton-buying agency. He wrote them, and soon had an agreement for 50 bales. The mill found that this cotton was of exceptionally good quality for their work, so they ordered much more; he was able to place many bales annually at a nice profit.

This was the first time that Burgiss had extra money to invest. He bought his first real estate at about 26 years of age.

In the summer of 1895, the Victor Manufacturing Company in Greers was organized by the election of Burgiss as president, secretary, and treasurer; JW Kendrick became vice-president. The mill was named after Burgiss's infant son, Victor. The company was undercapitalized, however, and Burgiss was driven out. He became president of Franklin Mill, also in Greers, and oversaw its design and construction in 1900; he left that position in 1904.

When his cotton agency and mill leadership ended, he turned to real estate full time, investing mostly in Greer and Greenville County.

Poor health led a doctor to recommend he visit Florida. He bought a $70,000 strip of beachfront in West Palm Beach in 1920. After that point he divided his investments between Greenville County and Florida. Two years later he sold one-third of it for about $70,000; later on he sold another third for more than $1.2 million.

With his promise to return profits to charitable work, Burgiss had written some donations into his estate. However, the sale of Florida land gave him enough money to consider active charitable giving. By chance, he happened across a pamphlet about the Shriner’s children’s hospitals. He was invited to Atlanta to visit the hospital there; he was “very much attracted” and began conversations with the Shriners and various leaders in the Greenville community.

On May 2, 1925, the Greenville News announced that W.W. Burgiss had established the county’s first charitable foundation, the W.W. Burgiss Charities, with about $1.2 million in assets. Weeks later, the board announced its first project would be the construction of the Greenville Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children. Initially restricted to white children, it opened to black children in the 1930s.

Declining health led him to move to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1937. He lived there until his death on February 8, 1945, and was buried with his family at Springwood Cemetery. His entire estate, except a few legacies, was left to Burgiss Charities; it continues to grant about $200,000 a year.

Bibliography

• The Greenville News, July 12, 1881, Page 4. Mountain Excursion.
• Winnsboro, SC News and Herald, August 22, 1895, Page 1. Palmetto Pencillings.
• The Greenville News, April 5, 1901, Page 8. Building Permits.
• Greenville News, May 2, 1925, Page 1. W.W. Burgiss Gives Tremendous Sum to Education and Charities.
• Gaffney Ledger, May 5, 1925, Page 6. Greenville Man Gives to Charity.
• Greenville News, Sep 25, 1927, Page 1. Donor of Plant has Interesting Life and Career.
• Greer Citizen, Bicentennial Issue, 1776. 1923 Greer Citizen Editor Told of Greer’s Progress.
• Greenville News, Nov. 29, 2006, City People, Page 2. Burgiss Charities set an example in Greenville.