HENDERSON, J. Welles (Age 86) J. Welles Henderson, prominent Philadelphia maritime historian and lawyer, died peacefully at his home in Haverford, PA, on Saturday, May 5, 20076. Henderson had a non-stop love affair with the sea. As a child he played endlessly with boats in his bathtub and gave 50 cents to save the US Frigate Constitution; in return he received a small anchor made from material taken from the vessel. Throughout his life he continued collecting maritime objects and was known as a collector "par excellence" (his parents-in-law fondly called him the trash collector.) His collection is recognized by maritime experts as "unique, the finest of its type, and world class." Soon he ran out of space and his wife told him he HAD to either start a maritime museum or give the objects to one. He started the Philadelphia Maritime Museum in 1960 and it was renamed Independence Seaport Museum in the early 1990's. He served the museum as President or as an officer from its founding until he retired. As the years went by, he noticed that maritime museums throughout the world would emphasize only objects pertaining to vessels and officers but would rarely show anything about the ordinary sailors who used these objects. For over five decades he collected material to fill the gap; during the last three years of that period he started his "magnum opus" (assisted by co-author Rodney Carlisle), Marine Art & Antiques: Jack Tar, A Sailor's Life, 1750-1910. The book, published in 1999, has become a world-wide classic and renowned resource for research. Noted author and historian, David McCullough, praised it as "a real treasure chest of a book-sumptuous to look at, a delight to read, and sound in scholarship." Mr. Henderson was born August 29, 1920, in Germantown, PA, the son of the late Joseph W. Henderson and Anne K. Dreisbach. He graduated from St. George's School, 1939; Princeton University with an A.B. cum laude in 1943; and a J.D. from Havard Law School, 1949. He married Helen Lipscom in 1943 and was later divorced. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant. In 1949 he married Hannah Lowell Bradley; they were looking forward to celebrating their 58th anniversary this summer. His children are: Joseph W. Henderson, III of Berryville, VA; Elizabeth M. Henderson of Rumford, ME; David R. Henderson of New York City; G. L. Cabot Henderson of Nashua, N.H.; and T. Handasyd P. Henderson of Portola Valley, CA. In addition, he has eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was a board member of many art museums and/or historical museums, for he firmly believed in spreading knowledge and appreciation for Art and History. The trusteeships included the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Fairmount Park Art Association, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He served a term as President of the Port of Philadelphia Maritime Society and for many years he was an associate editor of American Maritime Law Cases. He was a member of the Visiting Committee for the Maritime Development of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. Mr. Henderson was particularly pleased to be a recipient of the Charles Francis Adams Award of the USS Constitution Museum. In 1961, shortly after John F. Kennedy's inauguration, word went out that he wanted to decorate the Oval Office with American maritime paintings. Mr. Henderson offered to loan the new President a choice of paintings and President Kennedy selected the US Frigate United States vs. the British Frigate Macedonian by Thomas Birch. The painting was just to the right of President Kennedy's desk in the Oval Office during his entire presidency. The professional side of Mr. Henderson's life included: first member then partner of Rawle & Henderson from 1950-79; he then went on to be a partner of Palmer Biezup & Henderson, 1979-2000. Both law firms practiced general law but also did admiralty law. He was a member of many local maritime societies dedicated to the Port of Philadelphia of Delaware Bay. After his appointment in 1960 to the office of Trustee of the Erdman Trust Wildlife Sanctuaries, he became interested in preserving the environment. In 1973 he was appointed a US delegate to the International Conference on Marine Pollution, Inter-Governmental Marine Consultative Organization in London. In 1974, President Nixon appointed him the US Commissioner General for the International Exposition on the Environment (known as EXPO '74) in Spokane, WA. He and his wife thoroughly enjoyed living that year in the Pacific Northwest away from the Northeast. Serving in this position he met many Japanese officials and was honored to be appointed by the Japanese government as the Honorary Consul General of Japan in Philadelphia in 1978. He served for 12 years retiring in 1990. His love of the sea continued to the end, but his truly abiding love affair was for his family. Although they were spread out all over the country, he enjoyed keeping in touch with them. Recognized as a true gentleman, he was in the correct sense of the word a "Gentle Man." Yet at the same time he was ready to fight for a cause in which he truly believed. He began the Philadelphia Maritime Museum with nothing but an idea, pencil, paper, and limited pocketbook. Burial services were private and the family is planning a memorial service in late summer or early fall. Contributions in his name may be made to Independence Seaport Museum, Penn's Landing at 211 S. Columbus Boulevard and Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3199. May 9, 2007 Spokesman-Review