Jim and Gretchen Manton
History
Jim and Gretchen Manton met in New York City in 1933, he a casualty underwriter and she an aspiring actress. Jim moved to New York from his native England to work for American International Underwriter Corporation (later AIG), one of several companies established by C.V. Starr and developed by a group of close colleagues and advisors, Jim Manton among them. Gretchen arrived in New York City in 1928 from Villisca, Iowa after graduating high school. Her love of acting was sparked as a child, so she sought a cosmopolitan world better suited to her vivacious spirit. The couple married in 1936 and enjoyed a 67 year adventure together.
Jim and Gretchen’s only child, Diana, was born in New York City and she traveled extensively with them during her childhood. After college, Diana moved to Boston, where she met her husband, Hugh Morton, and began her life in New England. Their daughters, Julia and Sandra, were born and raised in New England, where they and their families still reside.
Jim’s success in business enabled the Mantons to create a foundation to support their local and artistic interests. In the early 2000s they appointed their daughter and granddaughters to serve on the Foundation board, thus beginning what is today an ongoing family project.
Upon Jim’s passing in 2005, the Manton trustees oversaw the first major grants from the Foundation. Grants to Tate Britain and the Clark Institute were made in support of Jim and Gretchen’s deep interests in the arts, and several other contributions were made in their beloved New York.