Hal Haskell

Harry Garner Haskell Jr. (May 27, 1921 – January 16, 2020) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He served as mayor of Wilmington from 1969 to 1973 and represented Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1957 to 1959.

Harry G. Haskell Jr.
Haskell in 1957
Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware
In office
January 7, 1969  January 9, 1973
Preceded byJohn E. Babiarz Sr.
Succeeded byThomas C. Maloney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Delaware's At-large district
In office
January 3, 1957  January 3, 1959
Preceded byHarris B. McDowell Jr.
Succeeded byHarris B. McDowell Jr.
Personal details
Born
Harry Garner Haskell Jr.

(1921-05-27)May 27, 1921
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 2020(2020-01-16) (aged 98)
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary "Mimi" Carey (née Foster) Haskell
(m. 1947; died 2008)
Domestic partnerRuth du Pont Lord (2009-2014; her death)
Residence(s)Wilmington, Delaware
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationBusinessman
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Coast Guard
Years of service1943 1946
RankLieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Early life

Haskell was born in Wilmington, the son of Elizabeth (Denham) and Harry Garner Haskelll, a DuPont executive.[1] He was educated at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, and St. Mark's School, Southborough, Massachusetts. He attended Princeton University from 1940 until 1942 when he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard Reserve.[2] He was made an ensign in 1943 and was discharged as a lieutenant (junior grade) in 1946.

Career

Haskell was the personnel manager of Speakman Co. in 1947 and 1948, and president of Greenhill Dairies, Inc., from 1948 until 1953, and then owner and operator of Hill Girt Farm in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. He was secretary of the Departmental Council of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953 and 1954, consultant to the special assistant to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955,[2] and president of the University of Delaware Research Foundation.

Haskell was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions from 1952 until 1984 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Harris McDowell. Haskell voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.[3] He served in the Republican minority in the 85th Congress but lost his bid for a second term in 1958 to McDowell. Haskell served from January 3, 1957, until January 3, 1959, during the administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was elected mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, in 1969, serving one term until 1973, being as of 2023 the most recent Republican to serve as mayor of Wilmington.

In 1970, he was appointed a member of the President's National Reading Council and was president of Abercrombie and Fitch. He also worked with Computer International, Computer Time Sharing, Inertial Motors Corps, and Interpoint Corp.[4]

Advocacy

He was a founding member of the Brandywine River Museum and Conservancy in Chadds Ford and served on the board for over fifty years. He was also instrumental in creating two empowerment and mentor groups, in Worcester, Massachusetts and Wilmington Delaware; Dynamy and Delaware Futures, respectively.[2]

Personal life

On January 16, 2020, Haskell died in his home in Chadds Ford. He was 98 years old.[5] At the time of his death he had eight children, nineteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.[2]

Electoral history

Election results
Year Office Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1956 U.S. Representative Harry G. Haskell Jr. Republican 91,538 52% Harris B. McDowell Jr. Democratic 84,644 48%
1958 U.S. Representative Harry G. Haskell Jr. Republican 76,099 50% Harris B. McDowell Jr. Democratic 76,797 50%
1968 Mayor Harry G. Haskell Jr. Republican John E. Babiarz Democratic

References

  1. House, United States. Congress (1958). "Hearings".
  2. "Harry G Haskell Jr Obituary". delawareonline.com. January 23, 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  3. "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
  4. "Harry G. Haskell Jr. '44". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  5. "Former Wilmington mayor and congressmen Hal Haskell dies at 98".
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