| Notes |
- John R. Hanify (page 274)
Nearly every businessman has some sort of relaxation—some sport or hobby which brings him rest and change from the daily routine of work. For some it is athletics, for others reading, for others the making of collections of one kind or another. For John R. Hanify, founder and head of J. R. Hanify Co., lumber manufacturers and dealers, it is yachting.
"When, just a few weeks ago, Mr. Hanify won with his racing sloop Westward the magnificent gold cup offered by King George V of Great Britain he but demonstrated again his prowess as a sailor of yachts. He did not gain for himself by this latest coup a reputation as a yachtsman. The reputation was already his.
Throughout, the career of John R. Hanify has been a succession of personal efforts rightly directed. Born in New York City Sep-tember 15, 1862, his father was Francis Hanify, at one time in charge of the damage claims department of the Inman line of steamships, and his mother was Bridget (Ryder) Hanify. He attended St. Francis Xavier College in New York, but in 1876, following his mother's death, accompanied his father to California. The intention was to return to New York, but the elder Hanify passed away a few months after his arrival on the Coast and the boy was left to shift for himself. He was not quite 14 years old.
Mr. Hanify succeeded in landing a position as office boy with the Moore & Smith Lumber Company. Thus began a successful 17 years' connection with this firm. He rose from office boy to book-keeper, to cashier, to office manager and finally became general manager of the concern, and gained valuable practical experience in the manufacturing end of the industry.
In 1893 Mr. Hanify went into business for himself under the firm name "J. R. Hanify," accepting the selling agency for various sawmills. After three or four years he took in as a partner Albert C. Hooper, son of John A. Hooper, and changed the firm name to J. R. Hanify & Co. At the same time he became interested in the manufacture as well as them sale of lumber, and began building sailing vessels and steamers for the transportation of their products. The firm also became owners of a substantial tract of timberland in Humboldt County, and of 50 per cent of the stock of the Bucksport & Elk River Railroad Co., connecting the Elk River lumber mill with the shipping point on Humboldt bay.
Mr. Hanify purchased the assets of the co-partnership in 1905 and Mr. Hooper retired from the firm. For a little more than a year Mr. Hanity operated alone, but in April 1907, incorporated under the name of the J. R. Hanify Co., allowing each of his older employees to acquire a substantial interest in the business. He has built six steamers, although he now operates but three, having disposed of the smaller ones. One of his largest vessels is the Francis Hanify, a combination tanker and lumber carrier designed for coast-to-coast trade through the Panama Canal. He also has built eight sailing vessels, three of which he now operates.
In civic affairs Mr. Hanify has been actively interested. For a number of years he was a member of the appeals committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He also was a member of the Commerce Chamber party that about three years ago visited Japan to further the commercial relations between San Francisco and the Orient.
Ever since he was 15 or 16 years old Mr. Hanify has been deeply interested in amateur yachting. The first sloop he owned was the Myrtle, a 32-foot boat. Since that time he has built three schooner yachts, although the only one he owns at present is the Martha. He has built two motorboats and still operates one of them, the Scout.
The sloop "Westward is Mr. Hanify's pride. It was built especially for the Panama-Pacific Exposition races and was designed by William Gardner of New York, designer also of the Vanitie, which has been competing with the Resolute as a candidate for the defense of the American cup. The Westward has won every time she has started. She has won one race for the Sir Thomas Lipton cup, which must be won three times, and also brought to her owner the beautiful King George cup last August.
Mr. Hanify was for two years commodore of the San Francisco Yacht Club, in 1909-10, and is a member also of the Corinthian Yacht Club of New York. He is a director of the Olympic Club of San Francisco, and a member of the Pacific Union, Bohemian and others.
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1862 - 1922 (59 years)