Henry Hornblower (June 8, 1863 – April 1, 1941) was a prominent American investment banker and founder of the firm of

Hornblower & Weeks Hornblower & Weeks was an investment banking and brokerage firm founded by Henry Hornblower and John W. Weeks in 1888. At its peak in the late 1970s, Hornblower ranked eighth among member firms of the New York Stock Exchange in number of retail ...

Early life

Hornblower was born in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

on June 8, 1863. He was a son of Edward Thomas (1828–1901) and Martha Boyd (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Whiting) Hornblower (1824–1873). He came from a distinguished family. Reportedly, "the name of 'Hornblower' is one of the features of Boston and the old Bay State. It is a name that has flourished through generations... The line of Hornblowers in Boston and New England has been an honorable one as far back as family prestige can be traced."Copper Curb & Mining Outlook
Vol. 9, #1, September 27, 1911, p.14-15 He graduated from the Cotting High School of

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 census. History ...

in 1878.

Career

In 1879, Hornblower started his career by entering his father's financial business, Hornblower and Page. In 1888, Henry Hornblower and

John W. Weeks John Wingate Weeks (April 11, 1860July 12, 1926) was an American banker and politician from Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as Mayor of Newton from 1902 to 1903, a United States representative from 1905 to 1913, United States Senator fr ...

(later

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

under

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

) formed a partnership which in time became a financial power in this part of the country. Hornblower was a member of the governing committee of the

Boston Stock Exchange The Boston Stock Exchange (now NASDAQ BX, formerly ''BSE'') is a regional stock exchange located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1834, making it the third-oldest stock exchange in the United States. On October 2, 2007, NASDAQ agreed t ...

and its president in 1911-1912. Among the corporations of which he was a director were the First National Corporation, the

First National Bank of Boston BankBoston was a bank based in Boston, Massachusetts, which was created by the 1996 merger of Bank of Boston and BayBank. One of its predecessor banks started in 1784, but the merged BankBoston was short-lived, being acquired by Fleet Bank in 199 ...

, the Hoosac Mills, the New England Power Association, the

Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives op ...

, and the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank. He remained active in some of these after his retirement from the firm of

in 1936.

Personal life

On May 12, 1886, Hornblower married Harriet Frances "Hattie" Wood (1864–1955) of Arlington, where they lived for thirty-six years. In 1922, they moved to 89 Mt. Vernon Street in Boston. Together, they were the parents of: * Ruth Hornblower (1887–1970), who married Robert Wrisley Atkins (1889–1948) in 1910. They divorced in 1927 and she married Chester Noyes Greenough (1874–1938) in 1931. After his death, she married Lawrence Whitfield Churchill (1885–1959) in 1953. * Helen Hornblower (1889–1986), who married Alfred Reuben Meyer (1888–1962). * Ralph Hornblower (1891–1960), who married Eleanor Greenwood (1896–1983). Hornblower was a member of the

Algonquin Club The Algonquin Club of Boston, also known as The Quin House, is a private social club in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1886. Originally a business-themed gentlemen's club, it is now open to men and women of all races, religions, and national ...

Exchange Club The National Exchange Club – a service organization with 700 clubs and more than 21,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico – celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Michigan, by businessmen who w ...

, Union Club, and

Boston City Club The Boston City Club (est.1906) of Boston, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsə ...

, of the

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club, Boston, Massachusetts, serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceived in Boston in 1854 with the co ...

, and of the

Brookline Country Club The Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is the oldest golf-oriented country club in the United States. (The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854, was the first country club for any sport.) It holds an important place in ...

. Amateur athletics attracted him and led him to serve as treasurer of the New England Olympic Club in 1912. Unostentatiously he supported good causes such as the North American Civic League for Immigrants, of which he was a trustee. He died of a heart attack, after a round of golf with friend Donald Ross, at

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 13,124. It is home of the historic Pinehurst Resort, a Golf resort, which has hosted multiple United States Open Champion ...

on April 11, 1941. His grandson, Henry Hornblower II, founded

Plimoth Plantation Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded in 1947. Formerly Plimoth Plantation, it replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English coloni ...

, the living history museum in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

in 1947.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornblower, Henry People from Lawrence, Massachusetts 1863 births 1941 deaths Presidents of the Boston Stock Exchange