E. Claiborne Robins
Edwin Claiborne Robins Sr. | |
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Statue of Robins at the University of Richmond | |
| Born | July 8, 1910 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 1995 (aged 84) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education |
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| Occupations |
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| Employer | A.H. Robins |
| Known for |
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Edwin Claiborne Robins Sr. (July 8, 1910 – July 6, 1995) was chief executive of A.H. Robins pharmaceutical company and a philanthropist.[1]
Education and career
Robins was born July 8, 1910 in Richmond, Virginia.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond and earned a pharmacy degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1933.[1]
Career
A.H. Robins
Robins' grandfather, Albert Hartley Robins, started a drug store in Richmond, Virginia in 1866. Robins joined the family business and expanded A.H. Robins into a Richmond-based multinational that produced products such as Robitussin cough syrup and ChapStick lip balm.
Philanthropy
Robins served as a trustee at the University of Richmond beginning in 1951. In 1969, when the university faced financial difficulty, he donated $50 million in company stock and $10 million in cash as a challenge grant—then the largest gift ever made to an American university.[2][3][4]
The university's executives, headed by then-president E. Bruce Heilman and vice president H. Gerald Quigg, directed the successful effort,[5] ultimately leading to a $60 million addition to the university's endowment.[6]
His generous support is commemorated through named landmarks such as the Robins Center arena and the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business. Robins and his wife also made substantial contributions to the Medical College of Virginia, including nearly $3 million for a health professions building, and funded scholarships at Virginia Union University.[1]
Death
Robins died on July 6, 1995 at the age of 84.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "E. Claiborne Robins Sr., 84, Executive and Benefactor". The New York Times. July 7, 1995. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ "History of the University of Richmond: Milestones – University of Richmond". Archived from the original on 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
- ^ Reuben E. History of the University of Richmond, 1830-1971. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1977. p. 160.
- ^ "Major Private Gifts to Higher Education". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ^ E. Bruce Heilman, An Interruption That Lasted a Lifetime: My First Eighty Years, AuthorHouse, 2008.
- ^ "Major Private Gifts to Higher Education". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2017.