Norman Wait Harris

Norman Wait Harris
Born	August 15, 1846(1846-08-15) Becket, Massachusetts
Died	July 15, 1916(1916-07-15) (aged 69) Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Westfield Academy (1863)
Years active	1867–1916
Employer	N.W. Harris & Co. Harris Trust & Savings Bank Harris, Forbes & Co.
Known for	Banker, Philanthropist

Norman Wait Harris (August 15, 1846 – July 15, 1916) was an American banker. He founded Chicago-based N.W. Harris & Co., the predecessor of Harris Bank as well as its affiliate Harris, Forbes & Co. and later Harris, Hall & Co.

Biography

Harris was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts in 1846, son of Nathan Wait Harris and C. Emeline Wadsworth Harris. Harris was educated at Westfield Academy, graduating at age 17 to pursue a career in business. In 1867, at age 21, Harris joined the Union Central Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati, which he helped to found, as secretary.

In 1882, Harris founded the banking firm that would bear his name, N.W. Harris & Co. The firm was initially based in Chicago and would open offices in New York City and Boston. In 1907, Harris reorganized his banking business, founding the Harris Trust and Savings Bank, based in Chicago and Harris, Forbes & Co. based in New York.^[1]

Harris was also a director of AT&T.

Harris died at his summer home at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in 1916. Harris had been travelling on a tour of Asia when he suffered a heart attack in Japan. He arrived in Seattle in May 1916, where he remained briefly before returning home. Harris died just two months later in July 1916.^[2]

Philanthropy

Harris Hall at Northwestern University

In his later years, Harris was a philanthropist supporting a wide range of institutions, particularly in Chicago. Harris made substaintial gifts to the University of Chicago, which in 1924 endowed an "Institute of Politics";^[3] the Field Museum, where a $250,000 gift was used to fund a public school expansion; and the YMCA. In 1913, Harris gave $250,000 to Northwestern University construct the Harris Hall of Political Science and History (today known as Harris Hall).

Harris also gave a substantial gift to the Chicago Training School for Home and Foreign Missions, the largest training school of its kind for Methodist missionaries. Harris, who was actively involved with the Methodist Episcopal Church, donated the land for the construction of its main campus and chapel.

References

1. ^ NEW BANK IN CHICAGO.; Harris Trust and Savings Institution Has $3,000,000 Deposits. New York Times, February 05, 1907
2. ^ N.W. Harris Home, Ill. New York Times, May 1916
3. ^ Watered Gruel. TIME Magazine, May 5, 1924

• N.W. HARRIS, BANKER DIES IN WISCONSIN; Former President of Harris, Forbes & Co. New York Times, July 16, 1916
• Norman Wait Harris. Find a Grave Memorial

External links

• Harris-Maclean Family Papers at the Newberry Library

Persondata
Name	Harris, Norman Wait
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 15, 1846
Place of birth	Becket, Massachusetts
Date of death	July 15, 1916
Place of death	Lake Geneva, Wisconsin