Oliver Harriman

For his son, the American heir and stockbroker, see Oliver Harriman Jr.

Oliver Harriman (September 16, 1829 – March 12, 1904) was an American businessman and member of the wealthy Harriman family.^[1]

Oliver Harriman
Born	September 16, 1829 New York City, NY, U.S.
Died	March 12, 1904(1904-03-12) (aged 74) Mount Kisco, New York, U.S.
Other names	American
Occupation	Businessman
Spouse	Laura Low
Children	8, including Anne, Oliver, Jr., J. Borden, and Herbert
Relatives	E. H. Harriman (nephew), W. Averell Harriman (grandnephew)

Early life

Oliver Harriman was born on September 16, 1829, in New York City.^[2][3] His parents were Orlando Harriman (1790–1867) and Anne Ingland (1795–1853).^[4] His brother, Orlando Harriman, was the father of railroad tycoon Edward H. Harriman and grandfather of New York Governor W. Averell Harriman.^[5]

His grandfather, William Harriman,^[4] emigrated from England in 1795 and engaged successfully in trading and commercial pursuits.^[6]

Career

Harriman began his career in the dry goods commission house of McCurdy, Aldrich & Spencer.^[2][3] Later, with James Low, his father-in-law, Harriman co-founded Low, Harriman & Co., "one of the best known and wealthiest" dry goods firms in New York City.^[3]

Harriman served on the Boards of Directors of Bank of America, the Guaranty Trust Company of New York (which later merged with J.P. Morgan & Co.), and the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (later known as Mutual of New York).^[2]

Personal life

Harriman married Laura Low (1834–1901),^[4] the daughter of James Low, the founder of Low, Harriman & Co.^[3][7] They had five sons and three daughters who were prominent in New York and Westchester society:^[1]

• James Low Harriman (1856–1928),^[8] who married Elizabeth Templeton Bishop (1865–1934),^[9] daughter of Heber R. Bishop^[10][11]
• Emmeline Harriman (1860–1938), who married, successively, William Earl Dodge III (d. 1880), Stephen H. Olin (1847–1925), and Howland Spencer.^[12]
• Anne Harriman (1861–1940), who married, successively, Samuel Stevens Sands Jr. (1856–1889), Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr. (1834–1901), and William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849–1920)
• Oliver Harriman, Jr. (1862–1940),^[13] who married Grace Carley (d. 1950) in 1891.^[14][15]
• Jefferson Borden Harriman (1864–1914), who married Florence Jaffray Hurst (1870–1967) in 1889.^[16]
• Joseph Harriman (c. 1865–1925),^[17][18] who married Eugenia "Jean" McLane.^[19]
• Herbert Melville Harriman (1873–1933), who was married to Isabella Hunnewell (1871–1968) in 1894. They divorced in 1906 and in 1908, he married Mary Madeline Brady (1866–1930). After their divorce in 1921, he married Sarah Jane Hunter (1891–1933) in the same year.^[20]
• Lillie Harriman (b. 1870),^{[citation needed]} who married William Riggin Travers Jr., and Frederick Christian Havemeyer III (b. 1879) in 1906.^[3][21] She filed for divorce from Havemeyer in 1925.^[22]

He was the owner of a residence in Riverdale, Bronx.^[23]

Harriman died on March 12, 1904, in Mount Kisco, New York.^[2][3] His estate was worth US$20 million.^[24][23] His will stipulated that his wife would inherit their house in Riverdale as well as US$500,000 annually, while his sister, Rosamond H. Owen, would receive US$25,000.^[23]

Descendants

His granddaughter, Mary Bishop Harriman was married to Count Pierre Lecomte du Noüy (1883-1947).^[8]

References

1. "DEATH OF OLIVER HARRIMAN.; Prominent in City's Commercial and Social Life for Many Years". The New York Times. 13 March 1904. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
2. "Death of Oliver Harriman" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, New York. March 13, 1904. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
3. "Oliver Harriman". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. March 13, 1904. p. 52. Retrieved November 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Burke, Arthur Meredyth (1908). The Prominent Families of the United States of America, Vol. I. London: The Sackville Press, Ltd. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
5. Delatiner, Barbara (14 April 2002). "Two Congregations Have Roots in Past". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
6. "Edward H. Harriman". PBS. Retrieved 2012-11-22. Edward Henry Harriman was born in New Jersey [sic] in 1848. His father was an ordained deacon in the Presbyterian Church, his mother a well-connected socialite from New Jersey. ...
7. "DEATH LIST OF A DAY | James Low". The New York Times. 19 May 1898. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
8. "J.L. HARRIMAN LEFT $10,000.; Remainder of Fortune Inherited From Father Goes to Widow". The New York Times. 20 May 1928. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
9. Times, Special To The New York (6 March 1934). "MRS. J. L. HARRIMAN DIES IN BALTIMORE; ;Daughter of Organizer of First Elevated Railroads Here-Native of New York. LIVED IN PARIS FOR YEARS Husband Was Related to Late Railroad Financier -- Sister Was Mrs. J. F. D. Lanier". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
10. Cutter, William Richard (1913). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. Lewis historical publishing Company. p. 758. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
11. The Successful American. Press Biographical Company. 1903. p. 565. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
12. Times, Special To The New York (14 August 1938). "MRS. EMELINE H. OLIN IS DEAD AT NEWPORT; Daughter of Oliver Harriman Is Stricken After Brief Illness". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
13. "Oliver Harriman, Stock Broker, Dies" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, New York. August 15, 1940. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
14. "Mrs. Harriman, 77, Civic Leader, Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, New York. March 29, 1950. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
15. "SOCIETY DINNER AND DANCE; Mr. and Mrs. O. Harriman, Jr.'s, Wedding Anniversary Observed. Cotillion with Pretty and Amusing Favors Succeeds the Repast and Is in Turn Followed by Supper". The New York Times. 29 January 1904. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
16. “J. Borden Harriman, Ex-Banker, is Dead,” New York Times, 1914-12-01.
17. Times, Special To The New York (6 December 1925). "JOSEPH HARRIMAN BURIED.; Many Members of Newport Summer Colony at the Funeral". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
18. "JOSEPH HARRIMAN DIES OF PNEUMONIA; Brother of Mrs, W. K. Vanderbilt and Cousin of Joseph W. Harriman. HIS ILLNESS VERY BRIEF Led Retired Life in NewportFurleral There Next Saturday' Morning". The New York Times. 3 December 1925. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
19. "JOSEPH HARRIMAN, 35, IS DEAD OF PNEUMONIA; Nephew of Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt and Mrs. J. B. Harriman Was Well Known in Newporg". The New York Times. 3 August 1934. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
20. "H.M. HARRIMAN DIES IN IRELAND; Youngest Son of Late Oliver Harriman and Brother of Mrs. W.K. Vanderbilt. ONCE WAS GOLF CHAMPION Won American Amateur Title in 1899 After Giving Up Plan for Rail Career at $18 a Week". The New York Times. 4 January 1933. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
21. The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Press Publishing Company (The New York World). 1911. p. 528. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
22. Times, Wireless To The New York (25 June 1925). "TWO OF THE HARRIMANS SEEK PARIS DIVORCES; Mrs. Lillie Harriman Havemeyer and Mrs. Ethel Harriman Russell File Petitions". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
23. "Big Estate Divided. Will of Oliver Harriman Leaves Twenty Million to His Immediate Family". The Pittsburgh Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. April 10, 1904. sec. 2, p. 3. Retrieved November 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "Oliver Harriman Leaves $20,000,000". The Evening World. New York, New York. April 9, 1904. p. 3. Retrieved November 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.