Charles Barney Harding
Charles Barney Harding | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1899 Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 1979 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, banker |
| Known for | Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, Smith, Barney & Co., and the New York Botanical Gardens |
Charles Barney Harding (September 11, 1899 – October 25, 1979) was a prominent American financier who held leadership positions as chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, Smith, Barney & Co., and the New York Botanical Gardens.
Early life
Harding was born on September 11, 1899, in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania and was raised in a townhouse on Fifth Avenue. He was the firstborn among four siblings to banker James Horace Harding (1863–1929) and Dorothea Elizabeth Allen Barney (1871–1935). His brothers and sisters included Catherine (née Harding) Tailer, noted socialite and philanthropist Laura Barney Harding, and banker William Barclay Harding. His father held directorships at the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad as well as the New York Municipal Railways System.
On his mother's side, his grandparents were Charles D. Barney and Laura Cooke Barney, herself the daughter of Philadelphia financier Jay Cooke. Charles D. Barney established the brokerage firm Charles D. Barney & Co. in 1873, a company that Harding’s father would later help oversee.
Harding received his education at the Groton School before graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1920. He served as a field artillery lieutenant for two years and subsequently joined the U.S. Navy Reserve prior to World War II. Called to active duty in May 1941, he served until 1945, concluding his military career with the rank of captain.
Career
In 1922, Harding began working with the family firm, Charles D. Barney & Co., becoming a partner by 1925. The company merged with Edward B. Smith & Co. in 1937 to create Smith, Barney & Co., which officially started operations on January 1, 1938. During his tenure, Harding emphasized recruiting graduates from business schools and introduced a rigorous eight-and-a-half-month training curriculum known as "Harding Tech." After completing his service in the Naval Reserve, he resumed his role as senior partner in January 1946. In May 1964, he relinquished the presidency to Nelson Schaenen but continued as CEO. By December 31 of that year, he retired from his chairman position, which was then assumed by his brother who served as vice chairman.
In the late 1930s, Harding held a position as governor of the New York Stock Exchange and contributed to updating its constitution before serving as chairman from May 1940 until May 1941; he chose not to pursue reappointment due to his upcoming Naval duties.
Following his retirement from Smith, Barney & Co., Harding dedicated himself to philanthropic leadership roles including chairmanships at the New York Botanical Gardens, the Arthritis Foundation—where he led from 1970 through 1976—and long-term service as treasurer of the Frick Collection. Although he stepped down from these chairmanships later in life, he maintained active involvement until his passing.
Personal life
In 1926, Harding married Marion Choate (1905–1979), daughter of attorney Joseph H. Choate Jr. and Cora Lyman Oliver Choate, and granddaughter of U.S. Ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate. The couple resided in Manhattan and had two children:
- Joan Harding (1927–2011), who wed Thomas James King Jr., son of Thomas J. King, Sr., in 1950.
- Robert Shaw Oliver Harding (b. 1931), who first married Nancy Joyce Dickey—daughter of Col. Joseph Kingsley Dickey—in 1958; following their divorce, he married Diana Pike in 1966, granddaughter of Mayor Edwin Upton Curtis.
The Hardings spent winters in Barbados and summers at their residence on Martha's Vineyard. Charles Harding enjoyed sailing and trout fishing along coastal areas of New Jersey and Cape Cod.
He passed away at his Rumson, New Jersey home on October 26, 1979.
External links
- Reese Papers: Family Portraits housed at the Marist College Library