H. Wendell Endicott was a descendant of the prominent Massachusetts-based Endicott family, which operated the very successful Endicott Johnson Shoe Company. A private investor, Endicott was a member of the Board of Trustees of Public Reservations, a member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a member of the Board of Directors of Chase National Bank, R.H. Macy & Co., the First National Bank of Boston and Sears Roebuck. His cultural interests included affiliations with the Metropolitan Opera Company and the Boston Opera Association.
His home, known as the Endicott Estate, is now part of MIT.