Danford N. Barney

Danford Newton Barney (March 4, 1808 – March 8, 1874) was an American expressman who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company from 1853 to 1866. Early life Barney was born in 1808 at Henderson, New York, the son of John Barney (1775–1863) and Sarah (née Grow) Barney. His father was a farmer in Jefferson County, New York, when Danford and his younger brother Ashbel were born. He was a descendant of Jacob Barney of Bradenham, Buckinghamshire, England, who settled at Salem, Massachusetts, about 1630. Through his brother, he was uncle to Charles T. Barney, the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney's death sparked the Panic of 1907. Career As a young man, Barney went to Sacketts Harbor, New York, where he was cashier in a bank. In 1842, Barney and his brother, Ashbel, went to Cleveland, Ohio, and engaged in business as forwarding and commission merchants as Danford N. Barney & Company. Barney resided in Cleveland at 24 Public Square and later 169 Euclid Street.