Henry Morgan Tilford (June 14, 1856 – December 3, 1919)[1] was an American oilman. Tilford served as president of the
Continental Oil Company from 1893 to 1907, and as president of
Standard Oil of California from 1900 to 1911.
Early life
Tilford was born in
Lexington, Kentucky on June 14, 1856. He was the son of Catherine Hunt (
née Curd) Tilford (1824–1908)[2] and John Boyle Tilford (1812–1878), a banker and founder of the
First National Bank of Lexington.[3] His siblings included Richard Curd Tilford, Mary Jane (née Tilford) Chastain, Wesley Hunt Tilford,[4] Edward Alfred Tilford, and Frank Vincit Tilford.[2]
As a child, his family home was next door to the home of
Henry Clay and
John Hunt Morgan,[5] and Henry obtained his early education in the South and then moved north to New York City with his father and brothers.[1][6]
Career
With
Jabez A. Bostwick, Tilford founded Bostwick & Tilford, a company that owned barges, lighters and a large refinery on the
East River with headquarters at 138 Pearl Street in Manhattan. It was eventually acquired by
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company in 1887.[6] After the merger, Tilford headed up Standard's operations on the West Coast, known as
Pacific Coast Oil Company,[6] which later became
Standard Oil of California (and today is known as
Chevron).[7] Upon his return to the New York, the Tilfords purchased the
Henry William Poor mansion at
Tuxedo Park designed by
T. Henry Randall and he served various Standard Oil companies, including as president of Central Oil Company of Denver, president of the
Standard Oil of Ohio, vice president of the
Standard Oil Company of New York, and a "director in nearly all of the subsidiaries of the parent organization."[1] By 1907, Tilford owned 6,000 shares.[8]
Tilford retired in the Spring of 1911, however, in 1917, he joined the company's board of directors following the death of
John Dustin Archbold in 1916. Two years later, Tilford was succeeded by
Walter C. Teagle, who served as president of
Standard Oil of New Jersey from 1917 until 1937.[8] At the time of his death, he was associated with the
National Fuel Gas Company.[1]
Personal life
On November 12, 1885,[2] Tilford was married to Isabelle Weart Giles (1856–1941).[9][10] Isabelle was the daughter of John Chrystie Giles and Isabella Lee (née Weart) Giles.[11] Together, they were the parents of:[12]
Isabelle Tilford (1887–1956),[13] who married David Wagstaff (1882–1951), the son of
Alfred Wagstaff Jr. and a
Harvard graduate who was a member of the investment and merchant banking firm,
Dominick & Dominick.[14]
Katherine Hunt Tilford (1890–1970),[15] who married Stanley Grafton Mortimer (1890–1947),[16] a son of
Richard Mortimer, in 1910.[17]
Annette Tilford (1900–1946),[18] who married Amory Lawrence Haskell (1893–1966)[19] in September 1923.[18]
Tilford died on December 3, 1919, at the age of 63 at his home, 24
West 52nd Street in Manhattan.[1] He was buried at
St. Mary's Church Cemetery in
Tuxedo Park, New York.[20] His estate was valued at over $20,000,000 and he left approximately $17,000,000 to his family.[21] In his will, he created trusts for each of his daughters where they received income from the trust until age 48 at which point they received the principal.[8]
After his death, his widow, who at $5,000,000 in 1920 had "the largest personal possessions among New Yorkers",[22] remained socially prominent in Tuxedo Park and
Palm Springs.[23] She was known as "one of the reigning dowagers of Tuxedo Park" for four decades.[24] According to author
Sally Bedell Smith, "her annual debutante dinners before the Autumn Ball determined which young women were approved for New York society."[25] Mrs. Tilford, who gave up her New York townhouse to live at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, died at Woodland, her Tuxedo estate in 1941.[9]
Descendants
Through his daughter Isabelle, he was the grandfather of Hunt Tilford Wagstaff (1909–1971)[26][27] and David Wagstaff (1910–1984).[27]
Through his daughter Annette, he was the grandfather of Anne (née Haskell) Ellis (1924–2006);[36] Margaret Riker (née Haskell) Ross (1925–1999),[37][38] whose family home, the
Boudinot–Southard Farmstead, was located next to
Lord Stirling Park;[39] and Amory Lawrence Haskell Jr. (1928–1970).[40]