Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead

Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead (1854–1929) was the founder and chief benefactor of the "Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony" located in Woodstock, New York. Early life and influences He was born in 1854 in Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England. He was the son of a wealthy mill owner and industrialist from whom he received a large inheritance, which was later used to establish Byrdcliffe. In his earlier years, he attended school at Harrow. Later, he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, where he obtained his Master of Arts degree in 1880. While studying at Oxford, he became a student of John Ruskin, who helped influence Whitehead's interest in a utopian society based upon art, craftsmanship, and unity. These views were further developed by his friendship with William Morris, who was the principal exponent of the European Arts and Crafts Movement. Oxford was also the place where Whitehead met his future wife. Move to America