Daniel M. Harkness
| Daniel M. Harkness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
September 26, 1822 Milan, Ohio United States |
| Died |
August 5, 1896 (age 74) Bellevue, Ohio |
Resting place | Bellevue Cemetery (Bellevue, Ohio) |
| Residence | Bellevue, Ohio |
| Occupation | Business investor, Standard Oil |
| Spouse(s) | Isabella Harkness |
| Children | 5 Children, 3 Died in childbirth, daughter Katie who died at the age of 8 and son William L. Harkness |
| Parent(s) | Dr. David M. Harkness and Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness |
Daniel M. Harkness was born in Milan, Ohio in 1822 to Dr. David M. Harkness and Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness.
He played an important role in the formation of Standard Oil. His younger half-brother on his mother's side, Henry Flagler, and his older half-brother on his father's side, Stephen V. Harkness, were two of the original five founding partners of Standard Oil along with John D. Rockefeller. It was through Daniel's prodding that Henry Flagler came to Ohio where he ultimately connected with Stephen V. Harkness and John D. Rockefeller who then started Standard Oil. Daniel ended up being a major stockholder in Standard Oil making him one of the wealthiest individuals of his day.
Early Days & Standard Oil
In 1837 Dan Harkness moved to Bellevue, Ohio from Hopewell, NY to live with his uncle L.G. Harkness. He later moved to Republic, Ohio to work in the Harkness store there. Dan encouraged his half-brother Henry Flagler to join him in Republic and Henry made the journey from Hopewell in 1844.[1] The two worked for a while in Republic and then moved to Bellevue, Ohio to become more involved in the grain and distillery business. In fact, Dan married his Uncle L.G.'s daughter Isabella and Henry married her sister Mary. They both did very well in Bellevue. Henry however decided to venture into the salt business in Michigan, but it did not go well. When Henry Flagler came back from Michigan busted from his failed salt mine investment, Daniel helped bail him out by lending him money.[2] Henry decided that he may have better luck in Cleveland, so he moved there in 1866 and had an office in the same building as Rockefeller.
Dan and his family remained primarily in Bellevue, taking over the home that Henry Flagler had built in Bellevue, "The Gingerbread House".
Personal life
Daniel's wife Isabella died in 1864 and later Daniel contributed the funds to build Harkness Memorial First Congregational Church next door to his home, completed in 1887. Interestingly, he stipulated that the church must not have a bell since he didn't want to have them chiming so loudly and disturbing him next door. The church is still standing in Bellevue to this day.
Daniel was a trustee of Standard Oil. When Daniel died in 1896 his estate, estimated to be $35 million, mostly in Standard Oil stock, was left to his only surviving child, William L. Harkness. This $35 million would equate to approximately $1 billion in 2013.[3][4]
