Robert Livingston Ireland Jr.
Robert Livingston Ireland Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 1981 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, benefactor, plantation proprietor, quail hunter, yachtsman |
| Known for | Leadership at Consolidation Coal Company; philanthropy; ownership of plantations; sailing |
Robert Livingston Ireland Jr. (February 1, 1895 – April 21, 1981), commonly known as "Liv," was a distinguished American entrepreneur, benefactor, plantation proprietor, quail hunter, and yachtsman based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Early life
Ireland was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Robert Livingston Ireland Sr. (1867–1928), a well-known businessman in Cleveland, and Kate Benedict Ireland (1871–1936). His sister, Elisabeth Ireland—referred to as "Miss Pansy"—married Parker Barrington Poe and inherited the family estate, Pebble Hill Plantation, located in Thomasville, Georgia, from their maternal grandfather. Following their parents’ divorce in 1918, his father remarried Esther Wood in 1920, while his mother wed Perry Williams Harvey.
On his father's side, his grandfather was attorney John Busteed Ireland, who descended from prominent ancestors such as Jonathan Lawrence of the Continental Army and William Floyd, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. His paternal grandmother, Adelia Duane (née Pell) Ireland, traced her lineage to Robert Livingston the Elder of Livingston Manor and Thomas Pell of Pelham Manor.
Ireland’s education included attending University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, preparatory studies at The Taft School in Connecticut, graduating from Asheville School in 1914, and pursuing mining engineering at Yale University. He interrupted his Yale studies during World War I to join the Naval Reserve Flying Corps.
Career
His professional life was largely connected with the M.A. Hanna Company, established by his maternal grandfather, Howard Melville Hanna, who was the brother of Ohio Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna. Ireland also had significant involvement with the Consolidation Coal Company. Between 1920 and 1924, he worked at the Pennsylvania-based Susquehanna Collieries Company, a subsidiary of Hanna Coal. Upon returning to Cleveland in 1924, he became assistant to the general manager at Consolidation Coal Company (SCC), advancing to manager by 1929 and president by 1931. Following Consolidation Coal’s acquisition of Hanna Coal, he held the positions of chairman of the executive committee and later vice-chairman of the board until retiring in 1966.
Philanthropy
Ireland played an influential role as a civic leader and political figure, serving on numerous boards and financially supporting the arts despite his personal disinterest in opera and classical music. His first wife and daughter Louise were avid opera supporters who championed the Metropolitan Opera’s Cleveland tours. Locally recognized for announcing these performances with a loud noise maker before withdrawing to attend to his work, he maintained a distinctive presence. Politically active within the Republican Party, his association with Governor Jim Rhodes led to funding for The Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals being named in his honor.
He held several leadership positions including president of Hawken School's board (Cleveland), trustee at St. Timothy's School (Baltimore), and finance committee member for various Cleveland organizations such as the Day Nursery Association, Visiting Nurse Association, Benjamin Rose Institute, and University Hospitals. Additionally, he served as a board governor at Western Reserve University and was a trustee for the Cleveland Zoological Society.
Plantations and sailing
An enthusiastic sportsman, he jointly owned two quail hunting estates—Ring Oak Plantation and Foshalee Plantation—located in Leon County, Florida, alongside his associate David S. Ingalls. Eventually, they divided the properties, with him maintaining sole ownership of Foshalee.
A dedicated sailor, he possessed several vessels named Pandora (I-IV) and navigated along the U.S. East Coast and through the Bahamas, operating from his homes in Pemaquid Harbor, Maine, and Nassau Harbor Club, Bahamas. As an active member of the Cruising Club of America, he regularly took part in the Bermuda Race. In the Bahamas, his local expert was Vivian Alvin (Old Pot) Pinder from Spanish Wells, renowned for his exceptional spear fishing skills.
Personal life
On February 9, 1918, he wed Margaret "Peg" Allen (1894–1961), originally from Chicago and a graduate of the Brearley School. She was deeply involved in Republican politics within Cuyahoga County, Ohio, serving as chair of the county's Republican Women's Committee from 1953 to 1957 and acting as an alternate delegate at the 1952 and 1956 Republican National Conventions. Together they had four children:
- Louise Ireland (1918–2012), who married Gilbert W. Humphrey in 1939.
- Robert Livingston "Tim" Ireland III (1920–2002), a banker at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., married Jacqueline Mayhew; following her passing, he remarried Anne Sweetser. His son Thomas Ellis Ireland married Nancy Suzanne Roosevelt, granddaughter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Melville Hanna Ireland, who held a position as an officer at the brokerage firm Blair & Co.
- Kate Ireland (1930–2011), a philanthropist who resided at Foshalee Plantation with her partner Pamela Anne Cundle.
After Margaret's death in 1961, he remarried in 1967 to Louise Davis (née Ireland) Grimes; the couple had no children. He died on April 21, 1981, and was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetery.