Harvey S. Firestone, Jr.
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| Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. | |
| Born | April 20, 1898 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Died | June 1, 1973 Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Occupation | Vice President of Firestone Tires |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Parke Firestone |
Harvey Samuel Firestone, Jr. was chairman of the board of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Firestone was born in Chicago, the son of Harvey Firestone, Sr. and Isabelle Firestone. After graduating from Asheville (N.C.) High School in 1916 and, after service in World War One as a naval aviator, Princeton University in 1920, Firestone was placed in charge of the company's steel products division at the age of 23 [1], and took over the leadership of the company in 1941. Firestone helped establish the comjpany's supply and service stores, and guided its operations during World War II.
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[edit] Firestone Tire in Liberia
During World War One, Britain and the Netherlands controlled 98 percent of the raw materials necessary for the production of rubber. In 1922, the Rubber Restriction Act was passed in Britain, and the costs that the Firestone Companny paid for its supplies rose. Starting in 1924, Firestone, Jr., was assigned to travel world-wide in search of locations where the company could grow its own rubber. After visits to Asia and to Mexico, Firestone settled on the West African nation of Liberia as the base for Firestone Plantations Company. Harvey Jr. arranged for the lease of 1,500 square miles of Liberian territory, a little more than 3 percent of that nation's area. The 12,000 Liberian employees were paid low wages, because, as former employee Arthur Hayman described, the Liberian government felt that "men with money in their pockets would eventually have demanded the ballot," [2]
Harvey, Jr. married Elizabeth Parke Firestone in 1921. Their children were: Martha Firestone, who married William Clay Ford, Sr.; and Harvey Samuel Fire stone III who died in Havana. [3]
His grandson William Clay Ford, Jr., is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ford Motor Company.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Current Biography 1944, pp205-07
- ^ Arthur Hayman, Lighting Up Liberia, quoted in Current Biography at p207
- ^ "Harvey Firestone 3d Dies in Havana Fall", New York Times, May 6, 1960, Friday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Havana, May 5, 1960, Harvey S. Firestone 3d plunged to his death from the twentieth floor of a Havana luxury hotel tonight, six hours after arriving here from Miami. The victim, who was 32 years old, was the son of Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., chairman of the board of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company."
- Almanac of Famous People (eighth ed.), 2004
