Moses Taylor Pyne (December 21, 1855 – April 22, 1921), was an American financier and philanthropist, and one of Princeton University's greatest benefactors and its most influential trustee.

He was general solicitor of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad for eleven years before retiring to manage his financial interests, board memberships, and philanthropic activities.

Pyne decided early on in his life to dedicate himself to advancing the interests of his alma mater, and in 1884 gained a seat on the Board of Trustees of Princeton at age 28.

It was known to be very large but the point was one which he never cared to discuss.”[6] He poured an untold amount of money into the general fund, and while Pyne never disclosed how much, “it is known...that for several years he drew his own check to cover the deficit in the university budget.” [7] According to the Princeton Alumni Weekly: It became apparent [that] whenever the college needed a classroom building or a row of houses or a parcel of land, after a decent interval there it was – Pyne either by himself or with a group of friends had met the subscription and named it after someone else, e.g. McCosh Hall.

[8]Pyne served also as the chairman of the Committee on Grounds and Buildings, and the physical appearance, style and footprint of the Princeton campus are also due to his vision, in advocating for Collegiate Gothic architecture, and generosity, in the form of the hundreds and hundreds of acres that Pyne bought and gave to the University, free of charge: “The choice of the uniform and beautiful architectural style which enriches the[clarification needed] and Princeton campus was largely his work.

Pyne believed that permanent eating clubs established in their own clubhouses was the key to stabilizing the social life of campus, and he provided generous loans and architectural advice to help this process along.

[20][21]  Founded in 1918 by Grant, Henry Fairfield Osborn (Pyne's Princeton classmate and close friend), and the eugenicist Charles Davenport, the Galton Society was created to attract selected "scholars" to the study of "racial anthropology.

[24] When he died in 1921, the Wall Street Journal wrote the following in his obituary: A man of most exemplary character, of the finest culture and the possessor of millions, the greatest gifts in the power of succeeding administrations in Washington were at his command but were always brushed aside.

A director in powerful financial and business institutions, he considered his trusteeship in Princeton University the greatest honor and most worthy task that fell to his lot.