George V. Forman

George V. Forman
Born December 3, 1841
Milford, New Jersey
Died October 22, 1922(1922-10-22) (aged 80)
Buffalo, New York
Resting place Mount View Cemetery in Olean, New York
Nationality American
Alma mater Princeton University
Occupation Lawyer, Banker
Employer Eastern Oil Co.
Oil City Trust Co.
The Fidelity Trust & Guaranty Co.
Spouse(s) Martha Forman
Children Howard Arter Forman
George Alfred Forman
Mary (Forman) Goodyear
Anson Goodyear (son-in-law)

George V. Forman (1841-1922) was a founder of VanderGrift, Forman & Company, which became part of the Standard Oil Company.[1] Forman was also a prominent Buffalo banker in the late 1800s and early 1900s, founding the "The Fidelity Trust and Guaranty Company" which later merged with the Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company to become M&T Bank.[2]

Early life

George V. Forman was born in 1841 to Hamilton Forman (1808-1879) and Mary Van (Syckel) Forman (1822-1913).[3] He was born near Milford, New Jersey in 1841. After graduating from Princeton University in 1861, he practiced law in Trenton, New Jersey. Later he moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, where with Capt. J. J. Vandergrift, he established the "Oil City Trust Co.," of which Forman was president for a time.[4]

"Manufacturer's & Traders National Bank" on the left and "Fidelity Trust Company" on the right, 1916

Business career

While a resident of Olean, New York, and a member of the "Exchange National Bank of Olean," Forman organized the "Eastern Oil Co.". incorporated in West Virginia. He then came to Buffalo, New York to be president of the company.[4]

In May 1893, Forman, along with John J. Albright, John Satterfield, and Franklin D. Locke, founded The Fidelity Trust and Guaranty Company of Buffalo, New York,[2] of which he became president.[5] In 1909, E. B. Green was commissioned to build the "Fidelity Trust Building", today known as "Swan Tower" and owned by Ellicott Development Co., located at 284 Main Street in Buffalo.

Forman, a very punctual man, according to Anson Goodyear, "every morning left his house at a certain hour and met George Williams at his house just above North Street, to walk to the Fidelity Building together. Mr. Forman boasted a very prominent corporation and leaned backward to achieve his balance. Mr. Williams was emaciated and bent forward to achieve his. It was a procession on which people checked their watches."[4]

Personal life

Forman was married to Martha C. Forman, also from New Jersey, with whom he had three children. In 1893, Forman built the beaux arts classical mansion, now known as the "Forman-Cabana House," for his family at 824 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York in the present day Delaware Avenue Historic District. The home was designed by Green & Wicks with E. B. Green serving as the principal designer. The home is fronted by prominent columns and features yellow Roman brick, the round arched front entrance has flanking paired fluted Ionic pilasters.[4]

George V. Forman died in Oct. 22, 1922.[4][5] He is buried at Mount View Cemetery in Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York[3]

Descendents

George Forman and his wife had three children:[4]

Legacy

In December 1925, the Fidelity Trust Company, with $35 million in assets, merged with Manufacturers and Traders Bank, founded in 1856, with $64 million in assets, under the new name Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company. The $100 million company was headed by Fidelity's President, 36-year-old Lewis G. Harriman. Harriman and a group of investors including A. H. Schoellkopf, from the founding family of the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company, and James Forrestal, who would become the first United States Secretary of Defense, owned enough shares to control both Fidelity and M&T.[18]

References

  1. "Candace F. Byers Becomes a Bride". The New York Times. June 22, 1986. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 Eck, Susan. "The Marine: by any other name and address". wnyheritagepress.org. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 "George V Forman". findagrave.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 LaChiusa, Chuck. "The Forman-Cabana House / Conners Children's Center". buffaloah.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 Josker, Carl. "George V. Forman Residence". pbase.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 Wachadlo, Martin (2006). Gracious living in Buffalo: Oakland Place. Buffalo, N.Y.: Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier. ISBN 0978847636.
  7. Bailey, Budd. "The Birth of the Franchise". sabresfans.com. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  8. "Georgia (Forman) Elliott Collyer". findagrave.com. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  9. Waggoner, Walter H. (June 26, 1979). "John Collyer, at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  10. The Business Council, Official website, Background
  11. Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris Elected Chairman, The Business Council, dow.com, October 19, 2012
  12. "OIL MAN LEAVES ' EMPLOYEES GIFTS". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 8, 1925. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  13. "Dies on Ship". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 29, 1925. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  14. 1 2 "George A. Forman, With Bride, on Florida Trip" (PDF). Buffalo Courier-Express. December 12, 1936. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  15. "George A Forman". findagrave.com. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  16. "Kyril Scherbatow, 90, A Russian Prince, Dies". The New York Times. April 16, 1993. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  17. "Guide to the Anson Conger Goodyear Collection". library.yale.edu. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  18. "M&T Bank Celebrates 150 Years". mandtbank.com. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
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