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Amherst H. Wilder 1828 - 1894 (click to enlarge)

The Wilder Foundation's beginnings can be traced back to 1906, when three charities were established in the names of a philanthropic Saint Paul businessman, Amherst Holcomb Wilder; his wife, Fanny Spencer Wilder; and their daughter, Cornelia Day Wilder Appleby.

The Wilder family's vision was to aid and assist the poor, sick, aged, and otherwise needy people of Saint Paul without regard to, or discrimination on account of any such persons by reason of their nationality, sex, color, religious scruples or prejudices. This progressive and inclusive purpose has guided the Foundation throughout its history and remains the mission of the organization.

Wilder was one of Saint Paul's pioneer businessmen. He came to the city in 1859 from his home in Lewis, New York, and over time accumulated a fortune in the development of the Northwest. A bold and versatile entrepreneur, Wilder's diversified interests included trading, freight and stage coach transportation, railroading, lumbering, banking, insurance, real estate and merchandising.

Shortly after arriving in Saint Paul, Wilder met Fanny Spencer, who had come to the city from Utica, New York, to visit her brother, a clerk of the United States District Court. Amherst and Fanny married in1861. Their daughter, Cornelia Day, was born in 1868. It is believed that it was Cornelia's lifelong volunteer work that influenced the Wilders to leave their estate to help the less fortunate. Continue...