Editor, Journalist, and Curator of American Letters

Joseph Benson Gilder was a discerning editor and literary organizer whose contributions helped shape American journalism and culture at the turn of the 20th century. Born in Flushing, New York, on June 29, 1858, Joseph was the youngest of the distinguished Gilder siblings and part of a remarkable intellectual dynasty that included poet Richard Watson Gilder, literary critic Jeannette Leonard Gilder, composer John Francis Gilder, and explorer William Henry Gilder.

Joseph co-founded The Critic, a leading literary journal of the time, alongside his sister Jeannette. The publication became a central platform for literary commentary and book reviews in Gilded Age America, praised for its intellectual clarity and editorial sophistication. He later served as literary advisor to the Century Company, and was appointed U.S. Commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1900, underscoring his national stature in literary and cultural affairs.

While less publicly associated with Four Brooks Farm than his brother Richard and sister-in-law Helena de Kay Gilder, Joseph was very much part of the Gilder family’s artistic and intellectual circle that flourished there. Four Brooks was not just a retreat—it was a living expression of the family’s values: culture, conversation, and civic engagement. Joseph’s role as editor and connector placed him in regular collaboration with the thinkers and creators who gathered at the farm.

He also served as a mentor and literary role model to the next generation of Gilders, including Rodman de Kay Gilder and Rosamond Gilder, who would carry the family’s legacy into the 20th century.

Joseph died in London on December 9, 1936, and is buried in Bordentown Cemetery, New Jersey, with other members of his extraordinary family.