Lamon V. Harkness
Lamon Vanderburgh Harkness | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Bellevue, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 1915 (aged 65) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, horse breeder, yachtsman |
| Known for | Significant shareholder in Standard Oil; prominent horse breeder; inducted into Harness Racing Hall of Fame |
Lamon Vanderburgh Harkness (January 6, 1850 – January 17, 1915) was a prominent American entrepreneur and significant shareholder in Standard Oil. His involvement stemmed from his father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a key silent partner during the company's inception.
Early life
Lamon was born in Bellevue, Ohio to Stephen Vanderburgh Harkness (1818–1888) and Laura Osborne Harkness (1815–1852), who passed away when he was just two years old. In 1854, his father remarried Anna M. Harkness. By 1865, the family relocated from Monroeville to Willoughby, Ohio, near Cleveland. Lamon had two half-siblings: Charles W. Harkness and Edward Harkness.
Career
At age 16, Lamon acquired a ranch near Eureka, Kansas and began working in the cattle industry by 19. Around this period, his father joined forces with John D. Rockefeller to establish Standard Oil, significantly enhancing the family's fortune.
Subsequently, Lamon moved to Kansas City, Missouri to pursue opportunities in banking. Following his father’s death in 1888, he settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, where in 1891 he purchased the William Avery Rockefeller mansion, featuring 22 bedrooms on a 34-acre estate.
Horse breeding
In 1892, Lamon bought Walnut Hall Farm in Donerail, Kentucky, transforming it into a leading facility for breeding Standardbred horses used in the harness racing sector. By 1904, Walnut Hall had expanded to encompass 2,000 acres and housed approximately 100 mares. The farm’s Big Barn, constructed in 1897 with 52 stalls and auction amenities, remained functional well into the 21st century at the Kentucky Horse Park. Upon his death in 1915, Walnut Hall had grown to cover 5,000 acres with a stable of around 1,400 horses and was inherited by his descendants. Today, parts of the farm are incorporated into the Kentucky Horse Park and continue under family stewardship.
In recognition of his impact on the industry, Lamon Harkness was inducted posthumously into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1958.
Yachting
An avid yachtsman, Harkness owned the SS Wakiva, which was commissioned for service with the United States Navy during World War I from 1917 to 1918. He was affiliated with several prestigious organizations such as The New York Athletic Club, Columbia Yacht Club, The New York Yacht Club, and Greenwich Indian Harbor Yacht Club.
Personal life
Harkness married Martha Frances Johnson (1853–1905) and maintained several residences including Walnut Hall Farm, a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and a property in East Hampton (town), New York. They had three children:
- Lela Harkness (1873–1946), who married Ogden M. Edwards.
- Harry Stephen Harkness (1880–1919), who married twice—first to Marie M. Marbeck and later to Florence Streuber; after his passing at age 38, Florence remarried Robert Whitslar Schuette.
- Myrtle Harkness (1883–1962), who wed California businessman A. Kingsley Macomber, noted as a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder, and subsequently married Pasha Ilhamy Hussein.
Lamon Harkness passed away in 1915 at his daughter’s ranch, Rancho Cienega de los Paicines in California. His estate was valued at approximately $100 million at that time (equivalent to several billion today). He and his wife are interred at Woodlawn Cemetery located in The Bronx, New York.
Inheritance tax litigation
After Harkness passed away, conflicts emerged regarding which state held authority over the inheritance tax, given his multiple domiciles in New York, Kentucky, California, and Connecticut. The matter was brought before the State Supreme Court, where The Harkness Estate successfully maintained that he was not a resident of New York at the time of his death, resulting in a substantial effect on the estate's tax responsibilities.