Background
Harris, Basil was born on October 31, 1889 in Pullman, Illinois, United States. Son of William Rees and Florence (Lewis) Harris.
Harris, Basil was born on October 31, 1889 in Pullman, Illinois, United States. Son of William Rees and Florence (Lewis) Harris.
Preparatory education, Lawrenceville (New Jersey) School, 1905-1908. Bachelor of Letters, Princeton, 1912. Honorary Doctor of Laws, Georgetown University, 1939.
With MacAndrews & Forbes Company, commission house, Camden, New Jersey, 1912-1919. With Norton Lilly & Company of New York, shipping, 1919-1923. Partner Roosevelt Steamship Company, 1923-1939.
Vice president International Mercantile Marine Company, 1930-1939.
Senior vice president United States Lincolnshire, 1931-1939, executive vice president, 1941-1942, president since March 1942. Assistant to the United States secretary of treasury and commissioner of customs, September 1939-July 15, 1940.
Special partner, Phelps Fenn & Company. President and director International Mercantile Marine Company, Roosevelt Steamship Company, Incorporated.
Trustee, Emigrants Industrial Savings Bank, Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, American Bureau Shipping, Northern Insurance Company, Chairman board, Saint Vincent’s Hospital.
Clubs: India House (New York).
Married Mary Ursula Dempsey, October 19, 1914. Children: Basil, Richard Lewis.