Armand Hammer
| Armand Hammer | |
|---|---|
Hammer in 1982
|
|
| Born |
May 21, 1898 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 1990 (aged 92) Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (B.A., 1919; M.D., 1921) |
| Occupation | Business magnate |
| Known for | Occidental Petroleum |
| Spouse(s) | Olga Vadina Von Root (1927–1943; divorced; 1 child) Angela Carey Zevely (?–1954; divorced) Frances Barrett Tolman (1956–1989; her death) |
| Parent(s) | Julius Hammer Rose Lifschitz Hammer |
| Relatives |
Victor Hammer (brother) Michael Armand Hammer (grandson) Armie Hammer (great-grandson) |
Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death, though he was known as well for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union.
Hammer's business interests around the world and his "citizen diplomacy" helped him cultivate a wide network of friends and associates.
He appeared frequently on television, commenting on international relations or agitating for research into a cure for cancer. As of 2016, he has been the subject of six biographies—in 1975 (Considine, authorized biography), 1985 (Bryson, coffee table book), Weinberg 1989, Blumay 1992, Epstein 1996, and Alef 2009; and two autobiographies (1932 and a best seller in 1987). His art collection and his philanthropic projects were the subject of numerous publications as well.
Hammer was born in New York City, to Russian-born Jewish immigrants, Julius and Rose (Lifschitz) Hammer. His father came to the United States from Odessa in the Russian Empire (today Ukraine) in 1875, and settled in the Bronx, where he ran a general medical practice and five drugstores.
Hammer claimed that his father had named him after a character, Armand Duval, in La Dame aux Camélias, a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. According to other sources, Hammer was named after the "arm and hammer" graphic symbol of the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP), in which his father had a leadership role. (After the Russian Revolution, a part of the SLP under Julius' leadership split off to become a founding element of the Communist Party USA.) Later in his life, Hammer confirmed that this was the origin of his given name.
...
Wikipedia