Ralph Hornblower (February 26, 1891 – September 18, 1960) was an American business executive who was the senior partner in

Hornblower & Weeks Hornblower & Weeks was an investment banking and brokerage firm founded by Henry Hornblower and John W. Weeks in 1888. At its peak in the late 1970s, Hornblower ranked eighth among member firms of the New York Stock Exchange in number of retail ...

, an investment banking firm established by his father,

Henry Hornblower Henry Hornblower (June 8, 1863 – April 1, 1941) was a prominent American investment banker and founder of the firm of Hornblower & Weeks. Early life Hornblower was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on June 8, 1863. He was a son of Edward Thomas ...

, and John W. Weeks.

Early life

Hornblower was born on February 26, 1891 in

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Europe ...

. He played for the

Volkmann School The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school in Dedham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. It educates 638 boys and girls in grades 7–12. The school's campus border ...

's track and hockey teams and was a member of the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson is the nickname of the college sports teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate Varsity team, varsity sports teams for women and men at Harva ...

freshman hockey and golf teams. He spent three seasons as the starting right wing for Harvard's varsity hockey team and was elected team captain his senior season. He suffered a broken jaw in the January 31, 1911 game against

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

and missed the remainder of the season. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1911 and that December was a founding member of the

Boston Athletic Association ice hockey team The Boston Athletic Association ice hockey team was an American amateur ice hockey team sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association that played in the American Amateur Hockey League, United States Amateur Hockey Association, and Eastern Amateur H ...

. Hornblower was a top amateur golfer and won the 1915

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit dedicated to organized sports, with a focus on running, in the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Mar ...

golf championship. In 1916, Hornblower married Eleanor Greenwood, daughter of former

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president ...

Levi H. Greenwood. They had two sons, Ralph Hornblower Jr. and Henry Hornblower II, and a daughter Martha (Hornblower) Gibson McCarthy. The family resided in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Hobe Sound, Florida Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States, located along Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 13,163 at the 2020 census, up from 11,521 in 2010. Geography Hobe Sound ...

Business career

Hornblower joined Hornblower & Weeks in 1911. He was admitted to partnership after founder John W. Weeks retired from the firm on January 1, 1913. He left the firm during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

to serve as a Lieutenant in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. In 1942, the firm merged with the G.M.-P. Murphy & Co. In 1948, he suffered a heart attack and ended his active participation in the firm. During his career, Hornblower was a director of numerous companies, including the

Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine, Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-genera ...

and the Saco-Lowell Shops. In 1925, Hornblower helped organize the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and served as a vice president and member of the league's board of governors during its only season in existence. Hornblower died on September 18, 1960 at Jordan Hospital in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornblower, Ralph 1891 births 1960 deaths Boston Athletic Association ice hockey players Businesspeople from Boston Golfers from Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey players People from Hobe Sound, Florida United States Navy personnel of World War I