The Henry Phipps family of the Unite States was founded by Henry Phipps, Jr., the son of an English shoemaker who emigrated in the early part of the 19th century to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before settling in Pittsburgh. When a child, Henry Phipps was a friend and neighbor to Andrew Carnegie. As an adult, he was Carnegie's business partner in Carnegie Steel Company and became a very wealthy man as the company's second largest shareholder and investments in real estate. After selling his stock in Carnegie Steel, Phipps became a leading advocate of housing for the poor and a major philanthropist. He believed that those who have achieved great wealth should give back for the public good and create institutions dedicated to that purpose.