2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 477

Celebrating the life of Henry Furlong Baldwin.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 20, 2025

Agreed to by the Senate, January 23, 2025

WHEREAS, Henry Furlong Baldwin of Northampton County, a respected leader in the banking industry who served as the longtime president of the former Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company and as a former chair of the Nasdaq Stock Market, died on December 7, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Furlong Baldwin grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Calvert School and the Gilman School before graduating from Princeton University, where he was an All-American lacrosse player; and

WHEREAS, after serving his country as a member of the United States Marine Corps, Furlong Baldwin joined Baltimore's Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company in July 1956; over the course of his career, he counted checks in the proof and collections department, served as a bank teller, worked in the loan cage, and posted in the general ledger, a canvas-covered compendium of transactions that was approximately two feet high at the time; and

WHEREAS, in 1968, Furlong Baldwin was selected as president of Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company; he subsequently served as chair and chief executive officer of the bank and president and chief executive officer of its parent company, Mercantile Bankshares Corporation; and

WHEREAS, Furlong Baldwin's disciplined and cautious management helped keep the bank stable and independent during his tenure; he also helped guide the bank into commercial lending and acquired numerous smaller banks that thrived and maintained much of their own independence under his strategic leadership; and

WHEREAS, Furlong Baldwin's success was rooted in his ability to quickly understand people and forge strong bonds based on trust and mutual respect; he inspired others through his self-confidence, toughness, and reliability; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career, Furlong Baldwin was devoted to civic engagement and offered his wisdom and insights to the board of trustees at Johns Hopkins Medicine; he also enhanced cultural life in Baltimore by supporting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Walters Art Museum, and many other exceptional nonprofit organizations; and

WHEREAS, Furlong Baldwin made his home at Eyre Hall in Cheriton, where he enjoyed sailing and hunting geese; his commitment to philanthropy extended to the Commonwealth, serving on the boards of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, George Washington's Mount Vernon, and the Stratford Hall Historic Preserve; and

WHEREAS, Furlong Baldwin will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Eyre and Molly, and their families, including his granddaughter, Grace; his companion of 37 years, Louise Hayman; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Henry Furlong Baldwin, a distinguished leader in the banking industry and a true Virginia gentleman; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Henry Furlong Baldwin as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his life.