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Harrison, Ben

Last Name: Harrison
First Name: Ben
Dates:
1913 - 1993 (Life/Active Dates)
Biography/History: Ben Harrison made his mark as President of the Spokane Stock Exchange, the last open auction market stock exchange in the United States. From its start in 1899 until it closed 92 years later, the Exchange handled the stock trades of almost every mining operation in Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Mining District. Harrison began his career as a messenger for a Spokane brokerage just months before the 1929 stock market crash. He served as President of the Exchange for 12 years (1954-63) and later opposed efforts to automate or diversify into non-mining stocks. “Electronic stocks go bankrupt overnight, and you’ve got nothing. A mining company goes broke, you’ve still got the mine.” Harrison continued working as a broker and trader until he died at his desk near the Exchange trading floor in the Peyton Building.
Related Participants:
Related Objects:
3256.1 (Signboard, Spokane Stock Exchange Board, 1962)