Huntington Hartford | |
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Hartford in 1968
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Born |
George Huntington Hartford II April 18, 1911 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | May 19, 2008 Lyford Cay, Bahamas |
(aged 97)
Resting place | Lakeview Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums |
Education | St. Paul's School |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Occupation | Heir to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company fortune, philanthropist and businessman |
Spouse(s) |
Mary Lee Eppling (m. 1931; div. 1939) Marjorie Steele (m. 1949; div. 1960) Diane Brown (m. 1962; div. 1970) Elaine Kay (m. 1975; div. 1981) |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) |
Edward V. Hartford Henrietta Guerard Pollitzer |
Relatives |
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Website | www |
George Huntington Hartford II (April 18, 1911 – May 19, 2008) was American businessman, philanthropist, stage and film producer, and art collector. He was also heir to the A&P supermarket fortune.
After his father's death in 1922, Hartford became one of the heirs to the estate left by his grandfather and namesake, George Huntington Hartford. After graduating from Harvard University in 1934, he only briefly worked for A&P. For the rest of his life, Hartford focused on numerous other business and charitable enterprises. He owned Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and had numerous other business and real estate interests over his lifetime including the Oil Shale Corporation (TOSCO), which he founded in 1955.
Hartford was once known as one of the world's richest people. His final years were spent living in the Bahamas with his daughter, Juliet.
Huntington Hartford was born in New York City, the son of Henrietta Guerard (Pollitzer) and Edward V. Hartford (1870–1922). He was named George Huntington Hartford II for his grandfather, George Huntington Hartford. His father and uncles, John Augustine Hartford and George Ludlum Hartford, privately owned the A&P Supermarket, which at one point had 16,000 stores in the U.S. and was the largest retail empire in the world. In the 1950s A&P was the world's largest grocer and, next to General Motors, it sold more goods than any other company in the world. Time magazine reported that A&P had sales of $2.7 billion in 1950. His maternal grandfather was from an Austrian Jewish family, and his maternal grandmother, who was Protestant, had deep roots in South Carolina. Hartford's father was a successful inventor and manufacturer who perfected the automotive shock absorber. Along with his brothers, Edward was also an heir to the A&P fortune and served as A&P's corporate secretary as well as one of three trustees that controlled A&P's stock.