W. Barklie Henry

William Barklie Henry (December 5, 1867 – December 24, 1930) was an American stockbroker and yachtsman. He became a millionaire as the co-founder of Henry & West, later known as West & Company, a brokerage firm in Philadelphia. Described as "one of the most expert yachting sailors" in the United States,[1] he was a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia and the New York Yacht Club, winning many yachting races held off the coast of Long Island.

W. Barklie Henry
Born
William Barklie Henry

(1867-12-05)December 5, 1867
Quaker City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 1930(1930-12-24) (aged 63)
Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationSt. Paul's School
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
OccupationBanker, yachtsman
Spouse(s)Alice Belknap
Mary Pancoast Conaway
Children2
RelativesHarry Payne Whitney (daughter-in-law's father)
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt (stepdaughter)
William W. Belknap (father-in-law)

Early life

Henry was born December 5, 1867, in Quaker City, Pennsylvania.[2] His father, Morton Henry, was an attorney. One of his cousins married Anthony Joseph Drexel Jr., son of Anthony Joseph Drexel, investment banker and the founder of Drexel University.[1]

Henry was educated at St. Paul's School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1889.[1]

Career

Henry began his career as the president of the Standard Supply & Equipment Company. The company was a supplier of goods to the railroads.[1] In 1910, Henry co-founded Henry & West, a brokerage firm, with William West. Their office was on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Henry remained a partner until 1914. It later became known as West & Company. Henry became a millionaire.[1]

During World War I, Henry joined the United States Navy, where he served as lieutenant commander of the secret service division of the 4th naval district.[1] He became a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.[1]

Henry was a yachtsman. He was a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia, where he served as rear commodore,[3] and the New York Yacht Club.[1][4] He was the winner of many yachting races held off the coast of Long Island.[5] He was described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "one of the most expert yachting sailors" in the United States.[1]

Personal life, death and legacy

Henry was married twice. He first married Alice Belknap (1874–1962), daughter of the 30th United States Secretary of War, Brigadier General William W. Belknap, on June 7, 1898.[6][7] They had a son, Barklie McKee Henry (1902-1966), who married Barbara, the daughter of Harry Payne Whitney and a daughter, Alice Ellen (1906-1989), who married Hans von Briesen.[1][4] Henry's marriage to Belknap ended in divorce.[8]

His second wife, Mary Faris Pancoast Conaway, was the widow of John L. Conaway, a renowned horseman.[9] They wed in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1912.[9] They resided at Pine Cottage in Rosemont.[1] She predeceased him on July 20, 1930 in England.[10] Henry was a member of the Philadelphia Club and the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.[1]

Henry died on December 24, 1930 in Palm Beach, Florida, at 63.[11] His stepdaughter, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt, married yachtsman Harold Stirling Vanderbilt in 1933, and she became a socialite and philanthropist.[5]

References
  1. "W. Barklie Henry, Banker Yachtsman, Dies In Palm Beach". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 26, 1930. pp. 1, 7. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Joyce, J.S.G. (1919). Story of Philadelphia. Rex print. house. p. 382. Retrieved June 17, 2018. WILLIAM BARKLIE HENRY, banker, Philadelphia, was born in the Quaker City, December 5, 1867, the son of Morton Pearson and Annie (McKee) ...
  3. Brown, H. (1901). The History of American yachts and yachtsmen. Spirit of the Times Publishing Company. p. 40. ISBN 978-5-88332-555-6. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  4. "W. Barklie Henry Was Philadelphian". The Scranton Republican. Scranton, Pennsylvania. December 26, 1930. p. 11. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ""Most Eligible Bachelor" Marries". St Louis Post-Dispatch. September 16, 1933. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces. Army and Navy Journal Incorporated. 1898. p. 825. Retrieved June 17, 2018. t Washington, D. C., June 7, 1898, Mr. Barclay Henry to Miss Alice Belknap, daughter of the late Gen. W. W. Belknap, former Secretary of War.
  7. The Capital. Capital Publishing Company. 1898. p. 9. Retrieved June 17, 2018. ... that of Miss Alice Belknap, daughter of the late W. W. Belknap, once Grant's secretary of war, to Mr. William Barklie Henry, of Philadelphia, which took ...
  8. Hunt, R.D.; Van de Grift Sanchez, N. (1930). California and Californians. California and Californians. The Lewis publishing company. p. 232. Retrieved June 17, 2018. ... van Kaathoven and Mrs. Alice (Belknap) Henry, who had divorced her first husband, W. Barklie Henry, a well known banker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  9. "Mrs. 'Jack' Conaway Now Banker's Bride. Horseman's Widow Married To W. Barklie Henry, of This City, At Bar Harbor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 15, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved June 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Estate Totals $389,983". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 30, 1930. p. 14. Retrieved June 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "W. BARKLIE HENRY, PHILADELPHIAN, DIES; Retired Banker Stricken at Palm Beach--Family Socially Prominent. FATHER WAS A BAR LEADER His Only Son Is Husband of Daughter of the Late Harry Payne Whitney". The New York Times. December 26, 1930. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
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