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Daniel O'Day
Daniel O'Day in 1872
President of the People's Bank of Buffalo
In office 1889–1906
Preceded by	Inaugural holder
Succeeded by	Arthur D. Bissell
Personal details
Born	(1844-02-06)February 6, 1844 County Clare, Ireland
Died	September 13, 1906(1906-09-13) (aged 62) Royan, France
Spouse	Louise Newell
Children	11, including Daniel Jr.
Known for	Director of Standard Oil

Daniel O'Day (February 6, 1844 – September 13, 1906) was an Irish-American banker who was a close personal friend of John D. Rockefeller.

Early life

O'Day was born on February 6, 1844, in County Clare, Ireland, the son of Michael and Mary O'Day. His father brought the family to America in 1845, settling on a farm in Cattaraugus County, New York, where he grew up and received his education.

Career

He attended the public schools in Buffalo before beginning his business career in the freight yards there. After four years in Buffalo, he went to the oil regions of Pennsylvania, then in its infancy. In 1870, he became custodian of Bostwick & Tilford, which was involved in the Southern Improvement Company. He was one of five original men who organized the Standard Oil Company. In 1873, O'Day began constructing pipelines of his own, of which the first was the American Transfer Line which ran from Emlenton to the producing fields of Clarion County. These consolidated into the United Pipe Lines System which became the National Transit Company, of which he was an executive until his death when he was serving as vice president. He was also instrumental in the construction of the first pipe lines from the oil fields into New York City. In 1884, he became one of the organizers and president of the Northwestern Ohio Natural Gas Company, capitalized at $6,000,000. O'Day retired from active participation in Standard Oil's affairs during 1905 and his place was largely taken by his son, Daniel Jr.

He served as president of the People's Bank of Buffalo and was a director of the Atlantic Coast Realty Co., the Buffalo General Electric Co., the Buffalo Natural Gas Co., the Seaboard National Bank of New York, the Brooklyn Dock and Terminal Co., the Buffalo, Thousand Islands and Portland Railroad Co., the Cataract Power and Conduit Co., the Colonial Safe Deposit Co., and the Colonial Trust Co. of New York.

Philanthropy

O'Day donated $10,000 towards the $30,000 construction cost of St. Mary's, a Roman Catholic church in Deal, New Jersey, near his country estate.

Personal life

O'Day was married to Louise Newell (d. 1891), a daughter of Anthony H. Newell and Delia (née Burke) Newell. Together, they lived at 128 West 72nd Street and were the parents of eleven children, including:

• Daniel O'Day Jr. (1870–1916), who married Caroline Love Goodwin, daughter of Sidney Prior Goodwin, in 1901.
• Florence O'Day (1883–1983), who married John William Hallahan III in 1906.
• Ruth O'Day (1887–1969), a writer who married William Butler Boyd. After his death in 1933, she married publisher Victor Frank Ridder.
• Geraldine O'Day (1889–1908), who died unmarried.
• Dorothy O'Day (1891–1957), who married John Howard Sheble Jr. in 1915.
• John O'Day (1893–1948), who fought in World War II.

O'Day died on September 13, 1906, while on vacation in Royan, France, due to an arterial hemorrhage, likely caused by overwork. His funeral was held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Manhattan and was attended by John D. Rockefeller, his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and several Standard Oil company officials.

References

1. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time. J.T. White Company. 1910. p. 175. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
2. Who's Who in America. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, Inc. 1900. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
3. ^ "STANDARD OIL'S TRAFFIC PIONEER, O'DAY, IS DEAD; One of the Trust's Five Leaders Stricken in France. HE ALWAYS FOUGHT TO WIN And Bore the Brunt of the Early Attacks -- Built the First Pipe Line Into New York". The New York Times. 14 September 1906. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
4. Times, Special to The New York (3 July 1905). "A NEW ST. MARY'S DEDICATED.; Daniel O'Day and ex-Senator Smith Aided Church at Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
5. "DIED -- O'DAY--Daniel". The New York Times. 1 June 1916. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
6. "Hallahan-O'Day Wedding April 18". The New York Times. 31 March 1906. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
7. "J.W. HALLAHAN, 3d, KILLED.; Daniel O'Day's Son-in-Law Crushed by an Elevator at Cape May". The New York Times. 2 July 1910. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
8. "WILLIAM B. BOYD, PUBLISHER, DEAD; Resident of This City Head of Home News Company of New Brunswick, N. J." The New York Times. 9 February 1933. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
9. Times, Special to The New York (4 March 1969). "Mrs. Victor F. Ridder, 81, Dead; Writer and Widow of Publisher". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
10. "Died -- O'DAY--Geraldine O'Day". The New York Times. 13 October 1908. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
11. Times, Special to The New York (17 June 1915). "DOROTHY O'DAY A BRIDE.; Daughter of Late Standard Oil Official Weds J. H. Sheble, Jr". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
12. "FUNERAL OF DANIEL O'DAY.; The Rockefellers and Standard Oil officials Attend the Services". The New York Times. 16 October 1906. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

• 1844 births
• 1906 deaths
• Standard Oil
• People from County Clare