Henry I. Harriman
Encyclopedia
Henry I. Harriman was an American
public utility
executive and President of the United States Chamber of Commerce
from 1932 to 1935.
, New York
, in 1873, he graduated from Wesleyan University
in 1895, received his bachelor of laws
in 1897 from New York Law School
, and his Ph.D.
from Wesleyan University in 1930.
He initially worked in the textile industry
in Massachusetts
, where he received patent
s for several automatic loom
s. In time, he became head of the Stafford Company, which manufactured his looms. He left the textile industry and engaged in the buying and selling of water right
s in the Deep South
before returning to the New England
to build hydroelectric dams
and form the New England Power Company
and the Connecticut River Power Company. Harriman Dam on the Deerfield River
, built in 1924, was named for him. He served as president of the New England Power Company and (until 1927) its parent, the New England Power Association, and on the board of directors of several regional New England power companies.
He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Boston Elevated Railway
, Boston Chamber of Commerce (from 1917 to 1919), Division of Metropolitan Planning for Greater Boston, and the Massachusetts State Planning Board. In 1918, he was appointed a regional director of the War Industries Board
.
from 1933 to 1935. Active in political causes, in 1937 he was appointed a delegate to the International Labour Conference (serving for many years) and the American Youth Congress
.
He had two children, Gordon Douglas Harriman and Eunice Alberta (Harriman) Milliken.
Toward the end of his life, he lived in Newton, Massachusetts
. He died on July 5, 1950, after a long illness at his daughter's home in Needham, Massachusetts
. His home in Newton, the Henry I. Harriman House
, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public utility
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
executive and President of the United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
from 1932 to 1935.
Early life and career
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1873, he graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1895, received his bachelor of laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1897 from New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
, and his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Wesleyan University in 1930.
He initially worked in the textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where he received patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for several automatic loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s. In time, he became head of the Stafford Company, which manufactured his looms. He left the textile industry and engaged in the buying and selling of water right
Water right
Water right in water law refers to the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious...
s in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
before returning to the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to build hydroelectric dams
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
and form the New England Power Company
National Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
and the Connecticut River Power Company. Harriman Dam on the Deerfield River
Deerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its namesake town...
, built in 1924, was named for him. He served as president of the New England Power Company and (until 1927) its parent, the New England Power Association, and on the board of directors of several regional New England power companies.
He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Boston Elevated Railway
Boston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway was a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Massachusetts, now the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operating rapid transit, streetcars and buses in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was formerly known as the West End Street Railway.The...
, Boston Chamber of Commerce (from 1917 to 1919), Division of Metropolitan Planning for Greater Boston, and the Massachusetts State Planning Board. In 1918, he was appointed a regional director of the War Industries Board
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
.
Chamber of Commerce and later life
He was president and director of the United States Chamber of CommerceUnited States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
from 1933 to 1935. Active in political causes, in 1937 he was appointed a delegate to the International Labour Conference (serving for many years) and the American Youth Congress
American Youth Congress
American Youth Congress was an early youth voice organization composed of youth from all across the country to discuss the problems facing youth as a whole in the 1930s. It met several years in a row - one year it notably met on the lawn of the White House. The delegates are known to have caused...
.
He had two children, Gordon Douglas Harriman and Eunice Alberta (Harriman) Milliken.
Toward the end of his life, he lived in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. He died on July 5, 1950, after a long illness at his daughter's home in Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. His home in Newton, the Henry I. Harriman House
Henry I. Harriman House
Henry I. Harriman House is a historic house in the French château style at 825 Centre Street in Newton, Massachusetts. It was built in 1916 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990....
, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.