Armand Hammer
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For other uses, see Armand Hammer (disambiguation).
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer 82.jpg
Hammer in 1982
Born May 21, 1898
New York City, U.S.
Died December 10, 1990 (aged 92)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater Columbia University (B.A., 1919; M.D., 1921)
Occupation Business magnate
Known for Occidental Petroleum
Spouse(s)
Olga Vadina Von Root
(m. 1927; div. 1943)
Angela Carey Zevely
(div. 1954)
Frances Barrett Tolman
(m. 1956; died 1989)
Children Julian Armand Hammer
Relatives
Victor Hammer (brother)
Casey Hammer (granddaughter)
Michael Hammer (grandson)
Armie Hammer (great-grandson)
Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898[1] – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957[2] until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist", he was known as well for his art collection and his close ties to the Soviet Union.[3][4]
Hammer's business interests around the world and his "citizen diplomacy" helped him cultivate a wide network of friends and associates……
……Association with the Gore family
A 2003 interview with Aleksey Mitrofanov (Russian: Алексей Митрофанов) erroneously places the Hammer and Gore families close to each other in Europe.[76][77] Occidental's coal interests were represented for many years by attorney and former U.S. Senator Al Gore, Sr., among others. Gore, who had a longtime close friendship with Hammer, became the head of the subsidiary Island Creek Coal Company, upon his election loss in the Senate in November 1970.[47][78] Much of Occidental's coal and phosphate production was in Tennessee, the state Gore represented in the Senate, and Gore owned shares in the company.[e] Former Vice President Al Gore, Jr. received much criticism from environmentalists, when the shares passed to the estate after the death of Gore, Sr., and Gore, Jr. was a son and the executor of the estate.[79][80] Gore Jr. did not exercise control over the shares, which were eventually sold when the estate closed.[81][82]
Hammer was very fond of Gore, Jr. and, in 1984, under Hammer's guidance, Gore, Jr. sought Tennessee's Senate office previously held by Howard Baker. Hammer supposedly promised Gore, Sr. that he could make his son the president of the United States. It was under Hammer's encouragement and support that Gore Jr. sought the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1988.[83][84]