Harry Garner Haskell Jr. (May 27, 1921 – January 16, 2020) was an American businessman and Republican politician from

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. He served as mayor of Wilmington from 1969 to 1973 and represented Delaware in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1957 to 1959.

Early life

Haskell was born in Wilmington, the son of Elizabeth (Denham) and Harry Garner Haskelll, a

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

executive. He was educated at

Tower Hill School Tower Hill School is a private college preparatory school in Wilmington, Delaware, offering instruction for pre-school through 12th grade. History Tower Hill was founded in 1919. The school is situated at the high point of Wilmington's neighbo ...

in Wilmington, and St. Mark's School, Southborough, Massachusetts. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

from 1940 until 1942 when he enlisted in the

United States Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for R ...

. He was made an ensign in 1943 and was discharged as a

lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

in 1946.

Career

Haskell was the personnel manager of Speakman Co. in 1947 and 1948, and president of Greenhill Dairies, Inc., from 1948 until 1953, and then owner and operator of Hill Girt Farm in

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester counties, Pennsylvania, United States, comprising the unincorporated area, unincorporated communities of Chadds F ...

. He was secretary of the Departmental Council of the

United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

in 1953 and 1954, consultant to the special assistant to U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

in 1955, and president of the University of Delaware Research Foundation. Haskell was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions from 1952 until 1984 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative

Harris McDowell Harris Brown McDowell Jr. (February 10, 1906 – November 24, 1988) was an American farmer and politician from Middletown in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly ...

. Haskell voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwigh ...

. He served in the Republican minority in the 85th Congress but lost his bid for a second term in 1958 to McDowell. Haskell served from January 3, 1957, until January 3, 1959, during the administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was elected mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, in 1969, serving one term until 1973, being as of 2023 the most recent Republican to serve as mayor of Wilmington. In 1970, he was appointed a member of the President's National Reading Council and was president of

Abercrombie and Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Febru ...

. He also worked with Computer International, Computer Time Sharing, Inertial Motors Corps, and Interpoint Corp.

Advocacy

He was a founding member of the Brandywine River Museum and Conservancy in Chadds Ford and served on the board for over fifty years. He was also instrumental in creating two empowerment and mentor groups, in Worcester, Massachusetts and Wilmington Delaware; Dynamy and Delaware Futures, respectively.

Personal life

On January 16, 2020, Haskell died in his home in Chadds Ford. He was 98 years old. At the time of his death he had eight children, nineteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

Electoral history

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haskell, Harry G. Jr. 1921 births 2020 deaths United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Delaware Eisenhower administration personnel Mayors of Wilmington, Delaware Military personnel from Delaware People from Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania Princeton University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni United States Coast Guard officers Tower Hill School alumni