Charles W. Harkness
Encyclopedia
Charles William Harkness (December 17, 1860 – May 1, 1916) was the son of Stephen V. Harkness
, an original investor in the company that became Standard Oil
, and his second wife, the former Anna M. Richardson.
Charles was born in Monroeville, Ohio
, and his early education was in Cleveland
. He earned a B.A.
from Yale College
with the Class of 1883. Harkness, his half-brother William L. Harkness
(Yale Class of 1881), and others help found Wolf's Head Society
, known originally as The Third Society, at Yale in 1883. Harkness married Miss Mary Warden.
While at Yale he was described as "care-free, happy, irresponsible as the rest of us." On his father's death in 1888, Charles inherited stock in Standard Oil
amounting to the second largest holding in the company, surpassed only by that of the Rockefeller family
. Harkness became a director at Standard Oil
and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad company, and managed his father's immense holdings.
Harkness was a member of the University Club of New York and the Morris County Golf Club
of Morristown, NJ.
He died suddenly in 1916, leaving a fortune estimated at $170,000,000.
at Yale is named after Harkness because his mother, Anna Harkness, provided a $3,000,000 donation to build the Memorial Quadrangle
of dormitories in his memory. Harkness tower contains a carillon
of 10 bells, the largest of which is inscribed "In Memory of Charles W. Harkness, Class of 1883, Yale College."
The Cleveland Museum of Art has a $100,000 permanent endowment
known as the Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, which was created through a donation from his widow, Mary Warden Harkness.
Stephen V. Harkness
Stephen Vanderburgh Harkness was an American businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, who invested as a silent partner with oil titan John D. Rockefeller, Sr. in the founding of Standard Oil.-Biography:...
, an original investor in the company that became Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
, and his second wife, the former Anna M. Richardson.
Charles was born in Monroeville, Ohio
Monroeville, Ohio
Monroeville is a village in Huron County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,433 at the 2000 census.Monroeville High School sports teams are known as the "Eagles".-Geography:Monroeville is located at ....
, and his early education was in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Yale College
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
with the Class of 1883. Harkness, his half-brother William L. Harkness
William L. Harkness
William Lamon Harkness was an American businessman. He was born in Bellevue, Ohio, the second son of Stephen V. Harkness and his first wife, Laura Osborne...
(Yale Class of 1881), and others help found Wolf's Head Society
Wolf's Head (secret society)
Wolf's Head Society is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Membership is recomposed annually of fifteen or sixteen Yale University students, typically juniors from the college...
, known originally as The Third Society, at Yale in 1883. Harkness married Miss Mary Warden.
While at Yale he was described as "care-free, happy, irresponsible as the rest of us." On his father's death in 1888, Charles inherited stock in Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
amounting to the second largest holding in the company, surpassed only by that of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
. Harkness became a director at Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad company, and managed his father's immense holdings.
Harkness was a member of the University Club of New York and the Morris County Golf Club
Morris County Golf Club
The Morris County Golf Club is located in Morristown, New Jersey and was founded in 1894. It was unique at the time in that it was established and operated by women...
of Morristown, NJ.
He died suddenly in 1916, leaving a fortune estimated at $170,000,000.
Legacy
Harkness TowerHarkness Tower
Harkness Tower is a prominent Collegiate Gothic structure at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.The tower was constructed between 1917 and 1921 as part of the Memorial Quadrangle donated to Yale by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her recently deceased son, Charles William...
at Yale is named after Harkness because his mother, Anna Harkness, provided a $3,000,000 donation to build the Memorial Quadrangle
Memorial Quadrangle
The Memorial Quadrangle at Yale University, USA, was donated by Anna M. Harkness with Harkness Tower named in memory of her son, Charles Harkness, Yale Class of 1883. Commissioned from James Gamble Rogers to supply much-needed student housing, the Quadrangle now consists of Saybrook College and...
of dormitories in his memory. Harkness tower contains a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
of 10 bells, the largest of which is inscribed "In Memory of Charles W. Harkness, Class of 1883, Yale College."
The Cleveland Museum of Art has a $100,000 permanent endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
known as the Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, which was created through a donation from his widow, Mary Warden Harkness.