Obituary of Henry van Ameringen

September 9, 2020

Henry van Ameringen died on September 9th, 2020, at his home in New York City. He was born on October 19th, 1930, in South Orange, New Jersey.

Henry retired from International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) as European Vice-President in charge of fragrance marketing. He served on the board of the van Ameringen Foundation, a family foundation that deals with mental health and mental illness in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. He also served as President of the H. van Ameringen Foundation, a personal foundation that concentrates on HIV/AIDS, LGBT issues, mental health, reproductive justice, prison reform, and marijuana legalization, mostly in New York City. He served as co-founder and trustee of Galvan Foundation, a private operating foundation using community economic development and grantmaking to address poverty and inequality in the City of Hudson, NY.

He previously served on the board of Fountain House, where people with mental illnesses can find a job, a clubhouse, and friends. He also served as co-chair of the Board of Directors of In The Life Media, the award-winning nationally televised newsmagazine about LGBT people. Considered to be one of the first gay major donors, Henry gave at a level and in a way that made a sizable impact in philanthropy, focusing on ways to support those who are often marginalized or most in need. Henry graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and spent decades of his life in Paris.

Henry is survived by his spouse, T. Eric Galloway, along with six nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his two siblings, Patrica van Ameringen Kind and Lily Auchincloss. Donations in his name can be made to Fountain House (fountainhouse.org) or Lambda Legal (lambdalegal.org).