Oakleigh Thorne

Oakleigh Thorne
Born(1866-07-31)July 31, 1866
New Hamburg, New York
NationalityAmerican
Other namesW.O.S. Thorne
Occupation(s)Businessperson, publisher, cattle breeder
Years active1890s-1940s
Known forPulling Trust Company of America through Panic of 1907
Political partyRepublican[1]
SpouseHelen Seymour Stafford
Parent(s)Charlotte (Pearsall) Thorne, Edward Thomas Thorne
AwardsTwo Grand Championships at the International Live Stock Exposition

W.O.S. Thorne, more generally known as Oakleigh Thorne (July 31, 1866 − May 23, 1948), was an American businessperson, a publisher of tax guides, a banker, and a philanthropist.[2] Among his early ventures were the consolidation of brickyards on the Hudson River,[2] and later he was president of the National Switch and Signal Company and Westinghouse Electric's vice president.[2] In 1900 he came to New York City as vice president of the International Banking and Trust Company, becoming president.[2] That company became the Trust Company of America,[2] of which Thorne was serving as president. He helped the company survive a bank run during the Panic of 1907, securing the backing of J. Pierpont Morgan and European sources.[3] He served as a director of Wells Fargo & Company from 1902 to 1918.[4] In addition to his connection with Commerce Clearing House, Wells Fargo, and the Trust Company of America, Thorne was a director of the Corporation Trust Company and of the Bank of Millbrook.[5] After purchasing Briarcliff Farms in 1918,[6] he became a breeder of champion Angus cattle. He was inducted into the Angus Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame in 1934.[7]

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