Robert James Harbison III

4th generation head of Harbisons Dairies, founded in Philadelphia in 1865

In 1947, he joined Harbisons Dairies, becoming president and CEO in 1952. He was the fourth generation of Harbisons to lead the dairy founded by Robert Harbison in 1865. Under his leadership, Harbisons Dairies in Kensington grew to about 700 employees, with 385 home-delivery milk routes and six plants. As women joined the workforce, Mr. Harbison foresaw that supermarkets would replace home delivery as the source of milk, so he sought out Southland Corp., owner of the 7-Eleven convenience stores, as a business partner. Mr. Harbison stayed on for a decade, ending in 1978, and ran Southland's Eastern Dairies Division, consisting of Harbisons and Embassy Dairies in Baltimore. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of Sophia Ernst and Robert James Harbison Jr. He grew up in Frankford and moved with his family to Abington. He graduated from William Penn Charter School in 1940. In 1950, he married Elizabeth "Betty" Thompson. The two settled in Abington. They moved to Meadowbrook and, finally, Huntingdon Valley. She died in 2008. He is survived by sons James Prescott, John Robert, Stephen Bartley, and Jeffrey Thompson; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a brother. He majored in mathematics at Harvard College, enrolled in officer training, and graduated early so he could join the Marine Corps. He rose to the rank of captain. After World War II, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Relationships Interlocks Giving Data

Donors to Common Recipients

Recipients of donations from Robert James Harbison III also received donations from these orgs and people

Donor	Common Recipients
David Bockorny	John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, James E Rogan, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, New Republican Majority Fund, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, America's Foundation, Volunteer PAC, Freedom Works PAC
Ronald Krancer	John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, James Charles Greenwood, Pat Toomey, Bill McCollum, Jon D Fox, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, America's Foundation, Stewart J Greenleaf, Melissa M Brown, Mitt Romney
Allen Simon	John McCain, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, James E Rogan, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Black America's Political Action Committee, America's Foundation, GROWPAC, Pro-Growth Action Team, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney
Albert Galatyn Hill Jr	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Julius Caesar Watts Jr, Bill McCollum, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Freedom Works PAC, GROWPAC, Mitt Romney, Oliver North
Haley Barbour	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Jeff Sessions, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Bill McCollum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, New Republican Majority Fund, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, America's Foundation, Freedom Works PAC, GROWPAC
Charles R Schwab	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Fred Dalton Thompson, Julius Caesar Watts Jr, James E Rogan, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Mitt Romney
Kenneth M Duberstein	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Jon D Fox, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, GROWPAC, Mitt Romney
Richard C Walling	John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Julius Caesar Watts Jr, Jon D Fox, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Bill Jones, America's Foundation, Stewart J Greenleaf, Melissa M Brown, Mitt Romney
Erle Nye	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Volunteer PAC, Mitt Romney
Stanley Tate	John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Bill McCollum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Bill Jones, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney
Ross Farnsworth Sr	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Jeff Sessions, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, Bill Jones, America's Foundation, Pro-Growth Action Team, Mitt Romney, Oliver North
Woody Johnson	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Julius Caesar Watts Jr, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, New Republican Majority Fund, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, GROWPAC, Mitt Romney
Peter M Flanigan	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Fred Dalton Thompson, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, GROWPAC, Mitt Romney
Josephine Templeton	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Jon D Fox, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, America's Foundation, Melissa M Brown, Mitt Romney
Julie Finley	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, James Charles Greenwood, Fred Dalton Thompson, Julius Caesar Watts Jr, Bill McCollum, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, GROWPAC, Mitt Romney
David Girard-Dicarlo	John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, James Charles Greenwood, Pat Toomey, Jon D Fox, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Stewart J Greenleaf, Melissa M Brown, Santorum Majority Committee, Audrie Zettick Schaller
Charles R. Black	John McCain, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Katherine Harris, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, New Republican Majority Fund, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, America's Foundation, Volunteer PAC, Mitt Romney
Nicholas DeBenedictis	John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, Rick Santorum, James Charles Greenwood, Pat Toomey, Jon D Fox, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, America's Foundation, Stewart J Greenleaf, Melissa M Brown, Mitt Romney
Janet Berman	John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Bill McCollum, George W Bush, New Republican Majority Fund, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, America's Foundation, Stewart J Greenleaf, Volunteer PAC, Mitt Romney
Larry A Mizel	Elizabeth Dole, John McCain, Jeff Sessions, Arlen Specter, John Thune, George Allen, Rick Santorum, Pat Toomey, Bill McCollum, Rick Lazio, George W Bush, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rudy Giuliani, National Republican Congressional Committee, Keep Our Mission PAC, New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania, Mitt Romney

Updated almost 8 years ago

Types	Person, Business Person
Gender	Male
Birthday	1923
Date of death	Mar 15 '15

Robert James Harbison III

4th generation head of Harbisons Dairies, founded in Philadelphia in 1865

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