Hugh Wheeler Sanford (April 22, 1879 – November 15, 1961) was an American businessman and writer from

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

. He was president and chairman of the board of Sanford-Day Iron Works and was chief of the ferro-alloys section of the

War Industries Board The War Industries Board (WIB) was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies between the War Department (Department of the Army) and the Navy Department. Becaus ...

. He wrote a number of books relating to economics and philosophy.

Early life

Hugh Wheeler Sanford was born on April 22, 1879, in

, to Emma (née Chavannes) and Edward Jackson Sanford. His father was a newspaperman in Knoxville. He was educated at Baker and Himel School in Knoxville. He graduated magna cum laude with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1900. His brothers were U.S. Supreme Court justice Edward Terry Sanford and newspaper publisher Alfred F. Sanford. His nephew was Adrian S. Fisher. His sister married congressman Hubert Fisher.

Career

In 1901, Sanford organized a foundry and machine shop. He would later become president and manager of Sanford-Day Iron Works. He was president of Sanford Investment Company, vice president of Knox Stove Works and the Journal and Tribune Company. He was also associated with the United Equipment Company and the New Imperial Company. He was associated with more than 100 U.S. patents. Sanford served on the

Council of National Defense The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial s ...

. On March 22, 1918, he was appointed a member of the

. He became chief of the ferro-alloys section of the board. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was chairman of the board of two companies manufacturing for the war effort. Sanford was chairman of the board of Sanford-Day Iron Works and Knoxville Metal Products Company. He was director of Fidelity Bankers Trust Company, Myers-Whaley Company, Kimball's Inc., Sanford Realty Company and Empire Building Association.

Publications

Sanford wrote a number of books on economics and philosophy. He wrote "The Business of Life" (1924), "Economics in a Nutshell" (1931), "A Major Premise of Albert Einstein" (1950) and "Philosophy Leading to Marxism" (1950). In his 1924 book "The Business of Life", Sanford argued that if the United States continues to grow as it has "in another 150 years she will have a population of approximately four billion people". In April 1925, ''New York Times'' critic

John Corbin John Corbin (May 2, 1870 – August 30, 1959) was an American dramatic critic and author. Career overview John Corbin was born in Chicago and educated at Harvard, where he was awarded the George B. Sohier Prize for literature. After his gradua ...

praised the book.

Personal life

Sanford married Margaret Woodruff on March 24, 1904. They had three sons and two daughters, Edward Jackson, Margaret Pauline, Hugh Wheeler Jr., Alfred Fanton II and Katherine Woodruff. His wife died in 1947. He married Anne (née Wilson) Kimball in 1953. He was a self-taught pianist. He was a member of the Episcopal Church and a member of the Harvard Club of New York. He was a Republican. His home was on Kingston Pike in Knoxville. Sanford died following a stroke on November 15, 1961, at Presbyterian Hospital in Knoxville. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Hugh W. 1879 births 1961 deaths Writers from Knoxville, Tennessee Businesspeople from Knoxville, Tennessee Harvard University alumni Ironmongers Council of National Defense 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers