Harvey Firestone | |
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Harvey Firestone (1915) |
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Born | Harvey Samuel Firestone December 20, 1868 Columbiana, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | February 7, 1938 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
(aged 69)
Occupation | Founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company |
Spouse | Idabelle Smith Firestone |
Children | Harry (12–16 April 1897) Harvey, Jr. Russell (1901-1951) Leonard Raymond (1908-1994) Roger (1912-1970) Elizabeth (1914-1941) |
Harvey Samuel Firestone (December 20, 1868 – February 7, 1938) was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires.
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Family background
Firestone was born on the Columbiana, Ohio farm built by his paternal grandfather. He was the second of Benjamin and Catherine (née Flickinger) Firestone's three sons; Benjamin had a son and a daughter by his first wife.
Firestone's paternal great-great-great grandfather, Nicholas Hans Feuerstein, immigrated from Berg/Alsace/France[1], in 1753, and settled in Pennsylvania.[2] Three of Nicholas's sons - including Harvey's great-great grandfather, Johan Nicholas - changed their surname to "Firestone".[3] Firestone's birthplace was moved years later to Greenfield Village, a 90-acre (360,000 m2) historical site founded by Henry Ford.
On 20 November 1895, Firestone married Idabelle Smith,[4] and had seven children. Andrew Firestone, William Clay Ford, Jr. (the son of Henry Ford's grandson William and Harvey and Idabelle's granddaughter Martha), and Nick Firestone are among their great-grandchildren.
Education and career
After graduating from Columbiana High School, Firestone worked for the Columbus Buggy Company in Columbus, Ohio before starting his own company in 1890, making rubber tires for carriages. In 1926 he published a book, Men and Rubber: The Story of Business, which was written in collaboration with Samuel Crowther.[5]
Death
In 1938, Firestone died peacefully at his vacation home in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 69.[6]
The Millionaires' Club
Firestone, Ford, and Thomas Edison were generally considered the three leaders in American industry at the time, and often worked and vacationed together. All three were part of a very exclusive group titled "The Millionaires' Club."
Honors
The main library of Princeton University is named Firestone Library in his honor. It is among the largest university libraries in the world. In 1973, Firestone was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. Firestone High School in Akron, Ohio, is named in his honor. He also has a memorial there.
See also
References
- ^ Familytreemaker.genealogy.com
- ^ "Shirer Family Genealogy Project, Person Page 1670" ancestry.com 18 October 2010
- ^ "Shirer Family Genealogy Project, Person Page 1687" ancestry.com 18 October 2010
- ^ "Shirer Family Genealogy Project, Person Page 11733" ancestry.com 18 October 2010
- ^ Men and Rubber: The Story of Business. By Harvey Samuel Firestone, in collaboration with Samuel Crowther. London: William Heinemann & Co., printed in U.S.A., 1926.
- ^ "Harvey Firestone is Dead in Florida. Rubber Manufacturer Dies in Sleep at His Miami Beach Estate. He Was 69.". New York Times. February 8, 1938, Tuesday. "Harvey S. Firestone, a farm boy who built one of the largest rubber businesses in the world, died of a coronary thrombosis as he slept early today in the great mansion of Harbel Villa, an ocean-front estate he acquired in 1924. He was 69 years old."
External links
- Firestone Tires
- Firestone Tires' Timeline
- Harvey Firestone at the Internet Movie Database
- Academy of Achievement's biography on Firestone
- Info Please biography on Harvey Firestone
- NNDB biography on Harvey Firestone
- Automotive Hall of Fame biography on Harvey Firestone
- About Firestone Canada
- Harvey Firestone - Find-a-grave memorial page