Clifford B. HarmonAmerican real estate developer Clifford B. HarmonBorn(1866-07-01)July 1, 1866Urbana, OHDiedJune 25, 1945(1945-06-25) (aged 78)Cannes, FROccupationsReal-estate developer, amateur aviator

Clifford Burke Harmon (July 1, 1866 - June 25, 1945) was a wealthy American real estate developer and founding partner of Wood, Harmon & Co., as well as a noted early amateur aviator.

Early life Clifford Burke Harmon was born on July 1, 1866, in Urbana, Ohio, the youngest child of William R. and Mary Wood ("Molly") Harmon. He had one older brother, William Elmer Harmon, born in 1862. His father William R. Harmon fought in the Civil War with the 70th Ohio Volunteers and later served as an officer with the "Buffalo Soldiers".

Harmon grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, attending the local public schools. In 1884 his mother died, followed by his father 6 months later.

Real estate success In 1887, Harmon's brother William approached him and his uncle Charles Wood with a business proposition. William had determined that there was money to be made by providing a way by which people interested in owning a home could purchase one in installments, making a small down payment and paying what they could monthly. This "Easy Pay Plan" opened the possibility of home and land ownership to large groups who might not otherwise be able to do so. Harmon and his uncle both liked the idea; together they pooled a total of $3000 to start Wood, Harmon & Co.

Their first development was near Loveland, Ohio, and consisted of 200 lots. With some well-crafted advertising, the development sold out in 4 days. Further developments were soon built in Ohio and western Pennsylvania, followed by expansion into various cities in the Midwest and the East Coast of the United States. Harmon relocated to Pittsburgh around 1891, then to Philadelphia in 1895.