Charles Tracy Barney (January 27, 1851 – November 14, 1907) was an American banker who was the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney's death sparked the Panic of 1907.
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Early life
Charles T. Barney was born on January 27, 1851, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ashbel H. Barney (1816–1886) and Susan (née Tracey) Barney. His father was a successful forwarding and commission merchant.
In 1857, the family moved to New York City, where his father was a director (1859–83), vice president (1867–69) and president (1869–70) of Wells Fargo & Company.
Barney attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Society, graduating in 1870. Following graduation he moved to New York and entered banking. With his mustache and beard and slightly thinning hair, Barney somewhat resembled his late, well-regarded father in appearance.