Danford N. Barney
Encyclopedia
Danford Newton Barney was an American expressman who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company from 1853 to 1866.
Some writers have incorrectly rendered Barney's given name as "Danforth", but his brother Ashbel H. Barney
spelled it "Danford" in a notice to Wells Fargo shareholders in 1869, and D.N. Barney himself signed the articles of incorporation of the New York Elevated Railroad in 1871 as "Danford N. Barney".
Barney was born in 1808 at Henderson, New York
, the son of John and Sarah (Grow) Barney. He was a descendant of Jacob Barney of Bradenham, Buckinghamshire
, England
, who settled at Salem, Massachusetts
, about 1630. John Barney was a farmer in Jefferson County, New York
, when his sons Danford (1808) and Ashbel (1816) were born.
As a young man, Danford Barney went to Sacketts Harbor, New York, where he was cashier in a bank. On October 8, 1833, he married Cynthia Maria Cushman, daughter of Peter Newcomb Cushman and Sally (Kellogg) Cushman. The couple were the parents of three children:
In 1842 Danford Barney and his brother, Ashbel, went to Cleveland, Ohio
, and engaged in business as forwarding and commission merchants as Danford N. Barney & Company. The Danford Barneys resided in Cleveland at 24 Public Square and later 169 Euclid Street.
Cynthia Barney died on August 5, 1843. Barney married on January 26, 1847, Azubah Latham, the daughter of William Harris Latham and Azubah (Jenks) Latham of North Thetford, Vermont
. Azubah was a sister of Charles F. Latham, later treasurer of Wells Fargo & Company, and a first cousin of Milton Latham
, United States Senator from California
in 1860-63. Barney and his second wife were the parents of the following children:
Danford Barney moved in 1849 to Buffalo, New York, where he was a commission merchant and proprietor of a bank. When Edwin Barber Morgan
resigned as president of Wells Fargo & Company on November 26, 1853, Barney was elected to succeed him. He was also elected to the board of directors, of which he remained a member until 1870.
In 1856 he moved to New York City. Besides serving as president and a director of Wells Fargo, Barney was also a director of John Butterfield
's Overland Mail Company, organized in 1857 to provide government mail coach service from Tipton, Missouri
, to San Francisco, California
, by way of El Paso, Texas
, and Yuma, Arizona
.
On April 15, 1863, Danford Barney, Benjamin Pierce Cheney
and William Fargo
were appointed a committee in New York to go to California "in the best interests of the company". Traveling by stage, they spent most of July, all of August, and most of September 1863 in California looking after the company's affairs. Similarly, on February 8, 1865, Barney was asked to visit London
"in reference to a financial agency of the California Railroad" (i.e., the Central Pacific Railroad
, the western portion of the transcontinental railroad
then under construction).
Barney was President of Wells Fargo until the company was merged into the Holladay Overland Mail and Express Company on November 1, 1866. The surviving company was thereupon renamed Wells Fargo & Company. Louis McLane
was elected president as the two companies made a smooth merger transition.
After the death of her father in 1868, Azubah Barney purchased the Latham family home in North Thetford. After the death of Azubah in 1875, the house passed to her daughter Lucy, who owned it until her death in 1940.
In 1870 Danford Barney retired from the board of directors of Wells Fargo. He was one of the incorporators of the New York Elevated Railroad in 1871.
Danford N. Barney died at the Windsor Hotel in New York City on March 8, 1874. Azubah Barney died December 4, 1875. In her will she left $5,000 to start a library in Thetford named for her father.
Some writers have incorrectly rendered Barney's given name as "Danforth", but his brother Ashbel H. Barney
Ashbel H. Barney
Ashbel Holmes Barney was an American banker and expressman who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company in 1869-1870.-Early life:...
spelled it "Danford" in a notice to Wells Fargo shareholders in 1869, and D.N. Barney himself signed the articles of incorporation of the New York Elevated Railroad in 1871 as "Danford N. Barney".
Barney was born in 1808 at Henderson, New York
Henderson, New York
Henderson is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,360 at the 2010 census. The town is named after William Henderson, the original land owner....
, the son of John and Sarah (Grow) Barney. He was a descendant of Jacob Barney of Bradenham, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who settled at Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, about 1630. John Barney was a farmer in Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
, when his sons Danford (1808) and Ashbel (1816) were born.
As a young man, Danford Barney went to Sacketts Harbor, New York, where he was cashier in a bank. On October 8, 1833, he married Cynthia Maria Cushman, daughter of Peter Newcomb Cushman and Sally (Kellogg) Cushman. The couple were the parents of three children:
- Danford Newton Barney, d. 1861, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.
- father of Danford Newton Barney (January 10, 1859-February 23, 1936), HartfordHartford, ConnecticutHartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
Electric Light Company- father of Danford Newton Barney, Jr. (July 21, 1892,-May 21, 1952), poet
- father of Danford Newton Barney (January 10, 1859-February 23, 1936), Hartford
- Sarah Maria Barney, d. May 1, 1910, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; wife of Russell SturgisRussell SturgisRussell Sturgis was an American architect and art criticof the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870.-Early life and marriage:...
(1836–1909). - Newcomb Cushman Barney, b. May 10, 1839, Sacketts Harbor, New York.
In 1842 Danford Barney and his brother, Ashbel, went to Cleveland, Ohio
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...
, and engaged in business as forwarding and commission merchants as Danford N. Barney & Company. The Danford Barneys resided in Cleveland at 24 Public Square and later 169 Euclid Street.
Cynthia Barney died on August 5, 1843. Barney married on January 26, 1847, Azubah Latham, the daughter of William Harris Latham and Azubah (Jenks) Latham of North Thetford, Vermont
Thetford, Vermont
Thetford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. The population was 2,617 at the 2000 census. Villages within the town include East Thetford, North Thetford, Thetford Hill, Thetford Center, Rices Mills and Post Mills. The town office is in Thetford...
. Azubah was a sister of Charles F. Latham, later treasurer of Wells Fargo & Company, and a first cousin of Milton Latham
Milton Latham
Milton Slocum Latham was an American politician, and served as the sixth Governor of California and as a member of the federal U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Latham holds the distinction of having the shortest governorship in California history, lasting for five days between...
, United States Senator from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1860-63. Barney and his second wife were the parents of the following children:
- Arthur Latham Barney, b. August 24, 1849, Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. - Belle Barney, wife of Walter Scott Gurnee of New York City.
- Lucy Latham Barney, wife of John B. Mott of Bellport, Long Island, New York.
Danford Barney moved in 1849 to Buffalo, New York, where he was a commission merchant and proprietor of a bank. When Edwin Barber Morgan
Edwin Barber Morgan
Edwin Barber Morgan was an entrepreneur and politician from the Finger Lakes region of western New York. He was the first president of Wells Fargo & Company, founder of the United States Express Company, and director of American Express Company...
resigned as president of Wells Fargo & Company on November 26, 1853, Barney was elected to succeed him. He was also elected to the board of directors, of which he remained a member until 1870.
In 1856 he moved to New York City. Besides serving as president and a director of Wells Fargo, Barney was also a director of John Butterfield
John Warren Butterfield
John Warren Butterfield was an operator of stagecoach and freight lines in the mid-19th century in the American Northeast and Southwest. He founded companies that became American Express and Wells Fargo. Butterfield also founded the Butterfield Overland Express and from 1858 to 1861 operated a...
's Overland Mail Company, organized in 1857 to provide government mail coach service from Tipton, Missouri
Tipton, Missouri
Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,261 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Tipton is located at ....
, to San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, by way of El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, and Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
.
On April 15, 1863, Danford Barney, Benjamin Pierce Cheney
Benjamin Pierce Cheney
Benjamin Pierce Cheney was an American businessman, and a founder of the firm that became American Express.-Early life:Cheney was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire on August 12, 1815, to Jesse and Alice Cheney. The family were descended from John Cheney, who was recorded in Roxbury,...
and William Fargo
William Fargo
William George Fargo , pioneer American expressman, was born in Pompey, New York. From the age of thirteen he had to support himself, obtaining little schooling, and for several years he was a clerk in grocery stores in Syracuse....
were appointed a committee in New York to go to California "in the best interests of the company". Traveling by stage, they spent most of July, all of August, and most of September 1863 in California looking after the company's affairs. Similarly, on February 8, 1865, Barney was asked to visit London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
"in reference to a financial agency of the California Railroad" (i.e., the Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
, the western portion of the transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
then under construction).
Barney was President of Wells Fargo until the company was merged into the Holladay Overland Mail and Express Company on November 1, 1866. The surviving company was thereupon renamed Wells Fargo & Company. Louis McLane
Louis McLane
Louis McLane was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland. He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a member of the Federalist Party and later the Democratic Party. He served as the U.S. Representative from Delaware, U.S. Senator...
was elected president as the two companies made a smooth merger transition.
After the death of her father in 1868, Azubah Barney purchased the Latham family home in North Thetford. After the death of Azubah in 1875, the house passed to her daughter Lucy, who owned it until her death in 1940.
In 1870 Danford Barney retired from the board of directors of Wells Fargo. He was one of the incorporators of the New York Elevated Railroad in 1871.
Danford N. Barney died at the Windsor Hotel in New York City on March 8, 1874. Azubah Barney died December 4, 1875. In her will she left $5,000 to start a library in Thetford named for her father.