Vere Foster

Vere Henry Louis Foster (1819-1900) was an Anglo-Irish philanthropist, educationalist, and humanist who devoted his life to aiding the Irish poor, particularly during the Great Famine, by organizing relief efforts, improving emigrant conditions, and establishing the Irish Female Emigration Fund.[1][2] He pioneered affordable copy books for handwriting education, with millions sold across Ireland, Britain, and the US, and helped found the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation in 1868.[2][3] Foster spent his fortune on charity, assisting over 20,000 emigrants until he died impoverished in Belfast.[6][7]