Victor Hammer (businessman)

Victor Hammer (b. 1901 in New York City, d. July 21, 1985)cite web|url=https://tigernet.princeton.edu/directory/searchDrilldown.asp?IDNumber=49495651514848504848|title=Victor Hammer '21|accessdate=2008-09-30] , was a businessman, founder and owner of the famed Hammer Galleries in New York City, and the younger brother of Armand Hammer.

Victor attended Princeton University, where he graduated in 1921 with a degree in Art Historycite web|url=http://www.hammer.ucla.edu/collections/2/|title=The Armand Hammer Collection|accessdate=2008-09-30] .

Victor was business partner to his brother Armand Hammer on several business ventures, including Hammer Galleries in New York City, founded in 1928 as a way to funnel profits made in Soviet Russia out of that countrycite web|url=http://www.hammergalleries.com/html/news.asp|title=Gallery News|accessdate=2008-09-30] . At one point, British Intelligence believed Hammer Galleries was a front for Soviet Intelligencecite book | last = Epstein| first = Edward Jay| title = Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer| publisher = Da Capo Press|origdate=1999-09-09|edition=paperback|date=1999-09-09|isbn=978-0786706778|pages=152|quote=British Intelligence ... had even monitored the movements of his brother Victor in Egypt (then a British protectorate) on the suspicion that the Hammer Galleries were a front for the Soviet intelligence service.] . The Hammer brothers had been in contact with Soviet authorities for a number of reasons, such as famine relief as well as when the Soviets sought a buyer for the treasures of the Hermitage as a way to earn hard currencycite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAL/is_/ai_n27208350|accessdate=2008-09-30|title=Collecting for his country: Robert Oresko applauds a definitive biography of Andrew Mellon, which illuminates his key role in the creation of the National Gallery in Washington, DC] . Victor was responsible for acquisitions for Hammer Galleries, including the so-called Romanov Treasures and Fabergé eggscite web|url=http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/williams/abstracts/university/carmouche.htm|title=T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection interview of Virginia Carmouche|accessdate=2008-09-30] . In 1937, Time Magazine described Victor and Armand as "Two of the most startling characters in the U. S. art world are the Brothers Armand and Victor Hammer, one with a medical degree, both friends of Soviet Russia."cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,770808,00.html|title=Hammer Icons|accessdate=2008-09-30|date=1937-08-16] .

Victor Hammer was a prolific philanthropist. He, along with his brothers Harry and Armand, purchased Campobello Island and donated it to the US and Canada as the countries' first joint park, known as Roosevelt Campobello International Parkcite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=26018|title=Remarks at the Signing of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Agreement|accessdate=2008-09-30|quote=Among those present were the Hammer brothers who had earlier purchased Campobello, summer home of President Roosevelt, from his son Elliott. Dr. Armand Hammer, of Los Angeles, president of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and co-owner with his brothers, Harry and Victor, of the Hammer Galleries in New York City, donated Campobello Island to the United States and Canada in the hope that it would be used as a meeting place for conferences to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.]

References

External Links

* [http://www.hammergalleries.com/ Hammer Galleries, New York City]

This article is about Victor Hammer, businessman and brother of Armand Hammer. There is another article for painter and typographer Victor Hammer.