Harvey Edward Fisk
Harvey Edward Fisk | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 1944 (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, author |
| Known for | Financial writing, investment banking |
Harvey Edward Fisk (March 26, 1856 – October 8, 1944) was a prominent American financier and author specializing in financial topics. At the time of his passing, he was the last surviving son of Harvey Fisk, who established the banking firm Fisk & Hatch in 1862, instrumental in securing funds for the Union during the Civil War. Harvey Edward collaborated with his brother Pliny Fisk, a leading investment banker before World War I, overseeing their father’s enterprise.
Biography
Born in Jersey City in 1856 to Louisa Green of Trenton, Fisk completed his studies at Princeton University in 1877 before joining Fisk & Hatch. The firm restructured in 1885 as Harvey Fisk & Sons, concentrating on railroad securities.
In 1898, Fisk departed from the family business and, a year later, joined forces with George H. Robinson to establish the investment banking firm Fisk & Robinson. Upon his retirement on January 13, 1915, their partnership dissolved. The company persisted as Robinson & Co., located at 26 Exchange Place, with new partners involved. Subsequently, Fisk returned to Harvey Fisk & Sons and later became a research writer at Bankers Trust Company in 1918, focusing on public finance literature. Among his significant contributions was an estimate placing World War I direct costs at $223 billion. He concluded his tenure at Bankers Trust in 1930.
In 1909, Fisk sold his Manhattan townhouse at 12 East 53rd Street, a five-story American basement-style residence featuring a 37.6-foot-wide frontage and notably deep rooms, designed by Raleigh C. Gildersleeve and constructed by Charles T. Wills. The property was purchased for $400,000 by William L. Harkness, an heir to Standard Oil, including all interior furnishings.
Fisk was deeply involved in charitable activities, sponsoring a boys’ club on New York’s West Side and supporting fundraising efforts for Mercer Hospital in Trenton. Up until his death, he served as honorary curator of the Benjamin Strong collection related to industry and finance at the Princeton University Library.
Family
In 1879, Harvey Edward Fisk married Mary Lee Scudder. Mrs. Fisk was devoted to social causes, actively supporting the Riverside Association and assisting the United States Navy during World War I by providing clothing for injured servicemen. She also held leadership positions within the Sorosis Club and was a lifelong member of both the New Jersey Society of the Colonial Dames of America and the Daughters of the American Revolution. At her passing, she resided at the Madison Square Hotel, located at 37 Madison Avenue.
Harvey E. Fisk’s siblings included Pliny Fisk; Charles J. Fisk, a banker and former Mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey; Wilbur C. Fisk, who served as president of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Company; and Alexander G. Fisk, also engaged in banking. Harvey and Mary had two sons—Harvey E. Fisk Jr., residing in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Kenneth Fisk from Roseland, New Jersey—as well as three sisters: Mary Louis Fisk; Mrs. Samuel Wood Thurber of Princeton; and Mrs. John Warren DuBois Gould of New York City. Harvey Edward Fisk passed away at age 88 on October 8, 1944.