Lawyer and civic leader William Church Osborn (1862-1951) was a longtime trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also served on the boards of a number of charitable and educational institutions, including the Children's Aid Society and his alma mater, Princeton University. Although he never ran for elective office, Osborn was active in the political arena as organizer and president of the Society to Prevent Corrupt Practices at Elections, as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, and as founder, president, and chairman of the Citizens Budget Commission. Osborn was first elected a trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 1904. He later served as Vice President (1932-1941), President (1941-1947) and Honorary President (1947-1951). Significant events during the period of Osborn’s leadership of the Metropolitan include the celebration of the Museum’s 75th anniversary, the construction of several new building wings, and the appointment of Francis Henry Taylor as the institution’s fifth Director. Osborn made several important gifts of artwork to the Museum, including such paintings as Edouard Manet’s “The Spanish Singer” and Paul Gauguin’s “Two Tahitian Women.” Through his bequest he left to the Metropolitan works by Monet, Pissarro and William Blake.