 
Our Founders
Julius S. Rippel was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 21, 1868. He was one of six children born to Godfred C. and Susan (Seivert) Rippel. The family had come to America from Bavaria following the political disturbances of 1848 in Germany. J.S.’ father settled in Newark where he ran a woolen goods store. After J.S. was orphaned at age five, his four older sisters assumed his upbringing. Although he never finished grammar school, at a later date he attended Coleman’s Business College in Newark. J.S. began his career with Graham and Company, stockbrokers and steamship agents, in 1887. This connection continued until 1891 when, although only 23 years old, he organized J.S. Rippel and Company, dealers in local investment securities and in New Jersey municipal bonds. Through their preeminence in the municipal bond market, J.S. Rippel and Company eventually financed most of the important cities and towns in New Jersey. J.S. brought to his work a thorough knowledge of financial principles and the underlying credit structure of American business. By the mid 1920’s, his net worth was estimated at $40 million – more than $625 million in today’s dollars. Almost all of this was lost in the Great Depression of 1929. A man of firm convictions, J.S. was also a conspicuous figure in the business community who exerted important influence on the affairs of New Jersey and the region. Many honors were conferred upon him and he served on numerous boards. When he was elected president of the New Jersey Bankers Association in 1933, he assumed official leadership of his profession in the State. During the turbulent years following the Great Depression, Julius S. Rippel proved to be a forceful and constructive leader. His vigorous defense of sound banking principles and the traditional American governmental and economic system won wide recognition as a spokesman both for his profession and for a larger group which adhered to the concepts of "constitutional Americanism." Toward the end of his life, J.S. had begun public efforts to create another foundation called the J.S. Rippel Foundation. It was never fully incorporated; he died two weeks before meeting with the Attorney General to discuss the details of the charter. Among the purposes of that foundation were improving American government and the system of taxation. The mandate to create the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation only became known after his death. While he remained actively at the head of his firm to the day of his death in 1950 at age 82, J.S. never attained his goal of once again claiming $40 million in assets. His wealth at the time of his death exceeded $20 million. |
In 1898, Fannie Estelle Traphagen of Newark, New Jersey married J.S. Rippel. We know she was President of the Society for the Relief of Respectable Aged Women from 1929 to 1936, but otherwise, little is known about Fannie. We imagine that she was a woman of her time and responsible for maintaining the household that allowed J.S. to thrive in the regional business community. She died quite some time before her husband and there were no children in their marriage. His love and respect for Fannie may be best noted by the fact that J.S. included in his will the creation of a foundation to be named in her honor, which would focus on cancer, heart disease, elderly women and hospitals. More than half a century later, the only change to the charter has been to separate elderly and women into two distinct categories.
Even as Fannie provides the spiritual core to the Foundation, it is J.S. who we must remember for his generosity and foresight – as well as some astute tax planning. While his decision was seemingly unpopular by some accounts, it was his lifelong effort and his specific directive that created the Foundation, designated its focus and began its record of more than 50 years of giving.