William Hathaway Forbes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Hathaway Forbes | |
|---|---|
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| Born | October 31, 1840 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1897 (aged 56) Naushon Island, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Spouse | Edith Emerson |
| Children | 8 (6 sons and 2 daughters, including William, Edward and Alexander) |
| Parent(s) | John Murray Forbes Sarah Hathaway |
| Relatives | Ralph Waldo Emerson (father-in-law) John Malcolm Forbes (brother) Ruth Forbes Young (granddaughter) |
William Hathaway Forbes (October 31, 1840 – October 11, 1897) was an American businessman.
Forbes was born on October 31, 1840, in Milton, Massachusetts. His father, John Murray Forbes, was a French-born railroad magnate.
Forbes enrolled at Harvard University in 1857, but he was expelled in 1860.[1] During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he served in the 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry of the Union Army from 1861 to 1863, and in the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Massachusetts Volunteers from 1863 to 1865.[1] He was captured by the Confederate States Army on July 6, 1864, and imprisoned in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, until December 1864.[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1871.[1]
Career
Forbes started his career at J.M. Forbes & Co., an investment firm founded by his father.[1]
In the later 1870s, Forbes was approached by Gardiner Greene Hubbard and Thomas Sanders to invest in their Bell Telephone Company.[2] Not only did Forbes invest, he encouraged some of his wealthy acquaintances to do so too.[2] Subsequently, Forbes served as the President of the Bell Telephone Company from 1879 to 1887.[1][3]
Personal life
Forbes married Edith Emerson, the daughter of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.[3] They had six sons, Ralph Emerson Forbes, W. Cameron Forbes, John Murray Forbes (who died at age 17 of appendicitis),[4] Edward W. Forbes, Waldo Emerson Forbes and Alexander Forbes, and two daughters, Edith Forbes and Ellen Randolph Forbes.[1]
Death
Forbes died on October 11, 1897, on Naushon Island, Massachusetts.[3]
