Arthur Harvey

{{other people|Arthur Harvey}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = |name = Arthur Harvey |honorific_suffix = |native_name = |native_name_lang = |image = Arthur_Harvey.jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |birth_date = {{birth date|1895|09|26}} |death_date = {{Death date and age|1976|03|22|1895|09|26}} |birth_place = [[Edom, Texas]] |death_place = [[Corpus Christi, Texas]] |burial_place = [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] |burial_label = [[Ft. Logan National Cemetery]] |burial_coordinates =  |nickname = |birth_name = |allegiance = |branch = |service_years = |rank = |service_number =  |unit = |commands = |battles = |battles_label = |awards = |spouse =  |relations = |other_work = |signature = |website =  }} '''Arthur Harvey''' (September 26, 1895 – March 22, 1976) was an American businessman best known as the namesake of the [[Harvey Park, Denver|Harvey Park]] neighborhood of Denver.

==Early life and World War I== Harvey was born in [[Edom, Texas|Edom]], Texas. At age 16 he left school to do manual labor and eventually enlisted in the Fifth Texas Infantry.<ref>Crowell, Evelyn Miller, ed. Texas Edition: Men of Achievement, John Moranz Associates, Dallas, Texas, 1948. pp. 66–67.</ref> He worked in the company office until he left for France in 1918 and was transferred to the Second Division of the Regular Army, where he was assigned to the [[9th Infantry Regiment (United States)|9th Infantry]]. Harvey was active from August 5, 1917, until August 18, 1919, receiving [[battle stars]] at [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|St. Mihiel]], [[Fourth Battle of Champagne|Champagne]], and [[Meuse-Argonne Offensive|Meuse-Argonne]] and exiting as a sergeant.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

==The IRS and oil== After his discharge, Harvey returned to Rusk County and farmed for a year, but the failure of the crop forced him to sell the land. He became a railway [[Post office|postal clerk]] in 1920. From 1923 to 1926, Harvey worked as chief clerk in [[San Antonio, Texas]], and in 1926 he began working for the [[Internal Revenue Service|Bureau of Internal Revenue]] Intelligence Unit, handling fraud investigations. In the course of auditing oil business, Harvey became well versed in the then new industry. He invested in a percentage of a 36-acre patch in the [[East Texas Oil Field]].{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Many of his subsequent prospects failed, but notable successes included patches in the East Long Lake field in [[Anderson County, Texas]], and the [[Spraberry Trend]] near [[Midland, Texas]].<ref name="time">{{cite magazine | author =  | title = OIL: The Spraberry Trend | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,859404,00.html | magazine = Time | location = United States | publisher = Time USA, LLC | date = 1951-10-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090907020926/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,859404,00.html | access-date = 2022-05-27 | archive-date = 2009-09-07 }}</ref>

==World War II== Harvey volunteered for military service in [[World War II]] and was commissioned a [[Captain (U.S. Army)|captain]] in the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]]. As an [[intelligence officer]] for the [[449th Bombardment Group]], he served in Italy, France, Yugoslavia, and Romania. He retired as a [[Major (United States)|major]].

==Post-war life== In 1948 he purchased a 320-acre ranch in [[Arapahoe County, Colorado]], and in 1950 purchased another 160 acres. After several failed ventures including a refrigerated storage business, Harvey was forced to sell most of the land to a private developer.<ref name="farmlands">{{cite book |last1=Catlett |first1=Sharon R. |title=Farmlands, Forts, and Country Life: The Story of Southwest Denver |date=2007 |publisher=Westcliffe Publishers |isbn=9781565795457 |pages=240 }}</ref> A [[planned community]] of 1,662 homes called [[Harvey Park, Denver|Harvey Park]] was created on the land around his remaining two acres. In 1962, Harvey sold his home and returned to Texas. He died on March 22, 1976, and was buried in [[Fort Logan National Cemetery]] in Denver, Colorado.

==Further reading== * Farmer, Garland R. ''Realm of Rusk County'', Published by The Henderson Times, 1951. {{OCLC|1440757}} pp. 185–188. * "Prominent Businessman Of Denver in 1950s Dies." ''[[The Denver Post]]'' 24 March 1976, late ed.: 32.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Arthur}} [[Category:1895 births]] [[Category:1976 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] [[Category:American company founders]] [[Category:Burials at Fort Logan National Cemetery]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Texas]] [[Category:Internal Revenue Service people]] [[Category:Military personnel from Texas]] [[Category:People from Van Zandt County, Texas]] [[Category:Texas Oil Boom people]] [[Category:United States Army Air Forces officers]] [[Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II]] [[Category:United States Army personnel of World War I]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]]