James J. Storrow

James Jackson Storrow II (1864–1926) was a Boston-area investment banker instrumental in forming General Motors and its third president (for just two months, 1910-11). He was a partner with Henry Lee Higginson, founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1910, he led the campaign to dam the Charles River to create the Charles River Basin and preserve and improve the riverbanks as a public park. The basin also eliminated tidal harbor pollution and the basin's low-tide odors. Storrow Drive, a highway that now runs along the river, is named for him, despite his never having advocating such a highway and his wife's vocal opposition to it.

He was the second national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1925 until his death in 1926 ; he posthumously received the fifth Silver Buffalo Award presented in 1926.

His wife, Helen Osborne Storrow, was a prominent international Girl Scout leader.

See also

*Storrow Drive

References

* "James J. Storrow, Noted Banker, Dies". "New York Times". March 14, 1926. page E11