William Hale Harkness (1900 - 1954)

Born 13 Jul 1900 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Grant) Montgomery — married 13 Jun 1932 in Rye, Westchester, New York, United States

Husband of Rebekah Semple (West) Harkness — married 1 Oct 1947 in New York City, New York, United States

Died 12 Aug 1954 at age 54 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, United States

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Biography

Bill Harkness was one of the heirs of the Standard Oil fortune. He was an attorney and philanthropist.

William was born in 1900.^[1] His parents were William Lamon Harkness and Edith Hale.

He was married twice. His first wife was socialite Elizabeth Buffy Grant, whom he married 13 June 1932 in Rye, New York. Marriage Announcement:^[2]

"Rye, N.Y., June 13 (AP)--Miss Elizabeth Grant, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Pierce Grant of Manursing Island, Rye, was married to William Hale Harkness, son of Mrs. Will L. Harkness of New York City and Cleveland this afternoon in Christ Episcopal Church. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Drury, headmaster of St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H." Their marriage ended in divorce.

He married Rebekah Semple West 1 October 1947 in New York City. Here's the marriage announcement:^[3]

Bridal Couple to Reside in New York

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Ingalls have returned from New York where they went for the wedding of Mrs. Ingalls' brother, Mr. William Hal Harkness and Mrs. Rebekah West Pierce which took place Wednesday in New York, with only the families present. Officiating at the service was Rev. George Russell, chaplain of Presbyterian Hospital

Mrs. Harkness is the daughter of Mrs. and Mrs. Allen Tarwater West of St. Louis. By her marriage to Mr. C. Dickson Walsh Pierce, she has two children. She was educated at the John Burrough School in St. Louis and at Farmata School in Aiken, S.C. Mr. Harkness, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William L. Harkness of Cleveland, attended St. Paul's School at Concord, N. H., and was graduated in '22 from Yale, and three years later from the Harvard Law School. He served three years in England and Belgium as a lieutenant colonel in the A. A. F. By his former marriage he has one daughter, Ann. William L. Harkness Hall at Yale was given by the Harkness family and is a memorial to the bridegroom's father, who was one of Yale's prominent alumni. The couple will reside in New York.

He passed away in 1954. His remains were buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.^[4]

Obituary:^[5]

W. H. Harkness, Philanthropist, Dies at 54 in R.I.

Watch Hill, R. I., Aug. 13--William Hale Harkness, 54, New York City philanthropist and owner of the "Holiday House" estate here, died in Westerly Hospital last night.

He served in Word War Ii as aa lieutenant-colonel in the Army Air Force in Washington and overseas. He was educated at St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.: Yale and Harvard Law School.

Mr. Harkness was for years associated with the New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Hadley. He left the firm to set up an office to manager his investments. H was a director of several corporations.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6JZ-315 : 23 February 2021), William Hale Harkness, 1917-1918.
2. ↑ Boston Herald Tuesday, Jun 14, 1932 Boston, MA Page: 13.
3. ↑ Plain Dealer Saturday, Oct 04, 1947 Cleveland, OH Page: 16 .
4. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial for William Hale "Bill" Harkness.
5. ↑ Boston Herald Saturday, Aug 14, 1954 Boston, MA Page: 14

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