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…

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 Co…

Harmon had already taken the lead in developing several properties in the New York metropolitan area, notably Pelhamwood starting around 1909 and continuing to develop Harmon-on-Hudson (now part of Croton-on-Hudson), initially developed in 1903 as an artists colony. He also continued with real-estate development in other cities such as Philadelphia, such as the development of Penfield in Haverford…

In September 1909 he was the subject of a large search when he flew solo over western Massachusetts and lost contact with those on the ground; Harmon landed safely and returned to city via car and train. In October 1909 at the St. Louis Centennial balloon race Harmon again set a flight duration record of 48 hours 26 minutes as well as an altitude record of 24,000 feet in his gas balloon New York.…

Harmon attempted to land on the property of his father-in-law E.C. Benedict but could not locate it in the fading light of the day, instead landing nearby. On landing he hit a patch of rough grass which broke the chassis of the airplane. For the flight, Harmon was awarded the Doubleday-Page Trophy. Harmon and Glenn Curtiss, 1910 In September 1910 Harmon won the Harvard Cup at the Boston Aviation M…

In December 1911 he announced retirement from balloon racing and airplanes at the behest of his wife, father-in-law, and various business associates. Harmon returned to flight in November 1913 while spending time in England, participating in a flight from London to Paris with Claude Grahame-White. In April 1915 he, along with several other aviators and wealthy friends, participated in a scheme to…

Wreckage of Harmon's biplane at the Boston aviation meet In December 1928 Harmon sent a proposal to the League of Nations for an international air force that could be used by the League to prevent wars. While the proposal received some support, it was never seriously considered. In September 1930 Harmon made a flight in Villacoublay, France, commemorating his Long Island Sound crossing; with him o…

Personal life Clifford Harmon married Zephyr Hord on September 18, 1887, in Dayton, Ohio; they divorced sometime after 1898. Harmon was later engaged to be married to Blanche Freeman, but broke the engagement in April 1904 to marry Louise Adele Benedict, daughter of Commodore Elias Cornelius (E.C.) Benedict. Freeman sued Harmon for breach of promise in 1909 (after initially suing for $100,000 and …

He met Madeline Keltie, an opera singer 24 years his junior, in 1924 at the American embassy in Rome, Italy. In May 1925 Harmon was involved in a fistfight in Monte Carlo with Arthur St. John over St. Johns unwanted advances towards Keltie. Keltie and Harmon were engaged to be married in July 1925; the marriage was postponed in November 1925 and the engagement was broken in early 1927. Later in 19…

In his will he left $48,431 for the continuation of the Harmon Trophy. He was interred the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial, Draguignan, Departement du Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Legacy Per stipulations in the agreements related to developing Harmon-on-Hudson, the Metro-North Railroad station Croton-Harmon is named after Harmon. When the hamlet of Harmon was annexed by the villa…

July 10, 1907. p. 3. ↑ "Pelhamwood Property". The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer. April 14, 1909. p. 10. ↑ "Welcome to the Village of Croton-on-Hudson" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-02-16. ↑ "Government Interested". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 4, 1909. p. 1. ↑ "Balloon "Indian" Smashes Record". Paxton Daily Record. June 8, 1909. p. 1. ↑ "Mountains Be…

October 14, 1910. ↑ "Off to the East As Darkness Fell". The Evening Kansan-Republican. July 11, 1911. p. 8. ↑ "Announces he never would fly again". Mamaroneck Paragraph. February 1, 1912. p. 6. ↑ "Harmon to Attempt London-Paris Flight". The Washington Times. November 13, 1913. p. 14. ↑ "Harmon Offers Cup To Replace Bennett Trophy". The Indianapolis Star. December 21, 1924. p. 26. 1 2 "Harmon Air P…

Harmon International Cup to be competed for by amateur golfers ... ↑ "Big Refinery for Tulsa". Morning Examiner. February 21, 1912. p. 5. ↑ "Harmon and Hord". The Dayton Herald. September 19, 1887. p. 3. ↑ "A decree was refused in the divorce case". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. January 4, 1898. p. 3. ↑ "Greenwich". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 31, 1904. p. 23. ↑ "Two Daughters of Millionaires …

Harmon, American aviation enthusiast, was recovering tonight from the effects of having drunk a quantity of disinfectant ... ↑ "$48,431 To Harmon Fund. Sum Willed by Air Enthusiast to Maintain Trophy Awards". The New York Times. October 27, 1948. Retrieved 2013-12-29. A trust fund of $48,431 has been established from the residue of the estate of the late Clifford B. Harmon, Westchester real estate…