William H. Forbes
| William Howell Forbes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 November 1837 New York, United States |
| Died | 10 July 1896 (aged 58) Newburgh, New York, US |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven, Massachusetts |
| Residence | New York, Hong Kong |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Spouse(s) | Deborah "Dora" Perry Delano |
| Parent(s) | Paul Siemen Forbes Valeria Medora Forbes |
| Relatives |
Robert Bennet Forbes (uncle) John Murray Forbes (uncle) Sara Ann Delano (sister-in-law) James Roosevelt I (brother-in-law) Franklin Delano Roosevelt (nephew) |
William Howell Forbes (25 November 1837 – 10 July 1896) was an American businessman in Hong Kong. He was the head partner of the Russell & Co. and was the 11th chairman of the board of Directors of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1879 to 1880. He was the uncle of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
William Forbes was born on 25 November 1837 in New York, United States to the Forbes family. He was the eldest son of Paul Siemen Forbes (1808–86), who travelled to China in 1857 joined his cousin John Murray Forbes who had been heavily involved in China trade and served as partner in Russell & Co., prominent American trading firm in the Far East, and as the United States Consul in Canton. William had two younger brothers, Henry De Courcy Forbes (1849–1920) and Paul Revere Forbes (1860–1936).
Forbes married Deborah "Dora" Perry Delano (1847–1940), daughter of Warren Delano (1809–1898), also a partner at the Russell & Co., in Paris in 1867 after a period of engagement. Dora's young sister, Sara Ann Delano, married James Roosevelt I and gave birth to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who later became the 32nd President of the United States. William was also one of Franklin's godfathers.
Like many family members before him, William Forbes joined the Russell & Co. as a partner in 1865 in the trading firm when the American Civil War was about to end. At that time the Russell & Co. was engaged in the Anglo-American steamship rivalry on the Yangtze River. The Russell & Co. saw the opportunity to introduce American-produced steamboats to the new treaty ports along the Yangtze Basin, as the Qing government underwent a massive industrialisation project. It relied on the friendship with Chinese compradors and merchants as well as the fund from some British companies to found the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company.
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