George W. Olmsted

George Welch Olmsted (1874 – 1940) was an American businessman who founded the Long Island Lighting Company in 1911.[1][2] He was also a philanthropist and led the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America.[3]

George W. Olmsted
Born
George Welch Olmsted

(1874-05-18)May 18, 1874
Ridgway, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 1940(1940-01-15) (aged 65)
Ludlow, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of the Long Island Lighting Company, 1911
SpouseIva Catherine Groves (m. 1904)
Parent(s)Samuel Ashbel Olmsted and Frances (Welch) Olmsted

Formative years

Born in Ridgway, Pennsylvania on May 18, 1874, George W. Olmsted was a son of Samuel Ashbel Olmsted and Frances (Welch) Olmsted. He was also related to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York City's Central Park.

On June 17, 1904, Olmsted married Iva Catherine Groves.[2][4]

Business career

In 1911, Olmsted founded the Long Island Lighting Company.[5]

During late 1939 and early 1940, he was a member of the board of directors of the Queens Borough Gas and Electric Company.[6]

Public service

As an adult, Olmsted was active in the Boy Scouts of America.[7] In 1926, he purchased and donated the land for the Chief Cornplanter Council camp, now known as Camp Olmsted. He was the chairman of the BSA National Camping Committee. In 1931, Olmsted received the Silver Buffalo Award for his service to youth.[8]

Death

Olmsted had a heart attack on Friday evening, January 12, 1940, and died at his home in Ludlow, Pennsylvania on Monday, January 15, 1940 at 10 p.m.[9][10] Following funeral services at his home at 2:30 p.m. on January 18,[11] he was buried at the Oakland Cemetery in Warren, Pennsylvania.[12]

He was survived by his wife and son, Robert G. Olmsted, who succeeded him in February 1940 as a member of the board of directors of the Long Island Lighting Company.[13]

Notes
  1. "Long Island Lighting Co. Mortgage". New York Times. 4 June 1911. p. XX7. ProQuest 97145055.
  2. "Olmsted Family History Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine", Olmsted Manor Retreat Center, Our History. Retrieved 30 March 2007.
  3. "Tributes to George W. Olmsted." Warren, Pennsylvania: Warren Times-Mirror, January 20, 1940, p. 4 (subscription required).
  4. "Executors' Notice: In the Estate of George W. Olmsted." Kane, Pennsylvania: The Kane Republican, February 29, 1940, p. 7 (subscription required).
  5. Electric Lighting Trust for Suffolk: Long Island Lighting Co. Is Taking Over Several Local Concerns." Brooklyn, New York: Times Union, January 18, 1911, p. 10 (subscription required).
  6. "F. S. Koons Named Utility Director." Brooklyn, New York: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 9, 1940, p. 19 (subscription required).
  7. "Tributes to George W. Olmsted," Warren Times-Mirror, January 20, 1940.
  8. "George W. Olmsted, In Memoriam." Kenosha, Wisconsin: Kenosha News, March 15, 1940, p. 15 (subscription required).
  9. "George W. Olmsted" (death notice). Warren, Pennsylvania: Warren Times-Mirror, January 16, 1940, p. 4 (subscription required).
  10. "Tributes to George W. Olmsted," Warren Times-Mirror, January 20, 1940.
  11. "George W. Olmsted: Rites for Utilities Official." New York, New York: Daily News, January 17, 1940, p. 231 (subscription required).
  12. "Geo. W. Olmsted Dies Monday: Outstanding Philanthropist, Public Utilities Executive and Boy Scout Backer Suffers Heart Attack: Burial in Oakland Cemetery, Warren." Brockway, Pennsylvania: The Brockway Record, January 19, 1940, front page (subsription required).
  13. "L. I. Lighting Elects." Brooklyn, New York: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 17, 1940, p. 3 (subscription required).
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