The individuals who joined Mary Duke Biddle in signing the Foundation's agreement of trust on September 14, 1956, comprised a diverse range of business and professional accomplishments. They had in common an appreciation, based on years of the closest family and business relationships, of the Founder's hopes for the Foundation. In addition to Mary Duke Biddle, the other founding trustees were:

Nicholas D. Biddle
Mary Duke Biddle's son was born in New York City in 1921. Biddle graduated from Harvard University in 1944, and served as attache to the United States Embassy in Madrid. He served on the New York City Youth Board and its Research Institute from 1957 to 1965. He was aboard member of the Banks Street School, the Northside Center for Child Development Inc., Boys Harbor Inc., the Boys' Athletic League, the Spanish Institute of New York City, and the American Council for Nationalistic Service. He died in 2004.

Freeman J.Daniels
Born in Beverly, West Virginia, in April 1902, Daniels graduated from Davis and Elkins College, where he later earned an honorary LL.D.degree. He received his master's and LL.B.degrees from the University of Virginia and subsequently served as a trustee of its graduate school for twelve years. A member of the American Bar Association, he served on the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He also served as a trustee on the Marjorie Merriweather Post Foundation. He served as director of City Bank Farmers Trust Company, the Crucible Steel Company of America, and Erwin Mills Inc., among others. He assisted Mary Duke Biddle in the formulation of ideas for her Foundation, and was the author of the agreement of trust whereby The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation was created.

Francis R.Pemberton
Born in Summit, New Jersey, in 1894, Pemberton graduated from Princeton University. In World War I, he served as a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps in Great Britain, and in World War II with the United States Air Force. He was a member of the Wall Street house of Pemberton, Berman and Company, and was later a loan officer with the New York subsidiary of the American Trust Company of San Francisco (the precursor to Wells Fargo Bank). A banker and broker of long experience, he became the financial counselor to Mary Duke Biddle in 1945.

Thomas L.Perkins
Born in Newport News, Virginia, in 1905, Perkins received his LL.B.at the University of Virginia and became a member of the American Bar Association and of the Association of the Bar ofthe City of New York. He was named a Foundation trustee in 1957 to replace Bert Stiles. Like his father before him, Perkins had a long and intimate association with the Duke family. He served as chairman of the trustees of The Duke Endowment (whose legal agreement his father had drawn for James B.Duke) and was a trustee of Duke University. Perkins would goon to become chairman of the board of the Duke Power Company.

James H.Semans
Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1910, Semans graduated from the Lawrenceville School, Princeton University, and The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Following his residency at Johns Hopkins, he served as chief of urologic surgery in Atlanta, where he was vice president of the Medical Association of Georgia. In 1953, he moved to Durham, where he became a professor of urology at the Duke University School of Medicine and married Mary D.B.T. Semans. He served as vice president of the National Paraplegia Foundation, was the first president of the United Medical Research Foundation of North Carolina Inc., and was appointed to the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. He also served as the inaugural chairman of the board of trustees of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Mary D.B.T.Semans
Mary Duke Biddle's daughter was born in New York City in 1920. She graduated from Duke University in 1939. She married Dr. Josiah C.Trent, with whom she had four daughters. After Dr. Trent's untimely death, she met and married Dr. James H.Semans in 1953. The couple had three children, and collectively pursued philanthropic and public service activities in Durham and across North Carolina. While a member of the Durham City Council, Semans acted as mayor pro tem for two years. She served as a board member of the North Carolina Museum of Art, and as a trustee of Duke University and The Duke Endowment.