Kate Mason Williams was a born in 1859. She met William Hofstra in Leadville, Colorado and they married in New Orleans. Kate was seven years older than William, but had been married and widowed at an early age. They decided to build a home of their own and came to New York.
The Hofstras bought the land for their home in 1903 in Hempstead, New York. The estate was approximately fifteen acres and was bordered by Fulton Avenue, a tree-lined thoroughfare that took them to the heart of Hempstead. Large estates and farms lay north and south of the avenue. In addition to the main house, there was a barn, greenhouse, garages, caretaker's cottage, and a small steam-heated structure, which was built for Mrs. Hofstra's cats.
She was Vice President of the Bide-a-wee Home Association in New York City from 1903 until her death in 1933. Mrs. Hofstra was President of the Atlantic Cat Club and offered the Hofstra Challenge Cup at the Madison Square Garden cat shows. Her fondness for animals prompted Mrs. Hofstra to leave ten thousand dollars to Bide-a-wee in her will. In addition, she left enough money to care for those pets that survived her. This included twenty-five cats, four dogs, and three parrots. Her housekeeper was to be entrusted with the care of the pets, and was willed a stipend, as well as enough money to build her own home, for this purpose.
When Kate’s husband died in 1932, he left her most of his estate. Kate died sixteen months later. Her will designated the property to be a memorial to her husband “for public, charitable, benevolent, scientific, or research purposes.” Following a suggestion from former Hempstead superintendent Truesdel Peck Calkins, the executors of her will established an extension branch of New York University on the Hofstra property. The two year school opened in 1937 and became an independent four-year college two years later. The college received an endowment of $700,000 from her estate in 1940.
Sources:
“Mr. & Mrs. Hofstra Founding a University.” http://www.hofstra.edu/library/libspc/libspc_archives_hofstras.html
Naylor, Natalie A. Women in Long Island’s Past. History Press, 2012.
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