The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

Insurance and Financial ServicesFounded 1810- HQ today: Hartford, Connecticut

Founders

Who Founded The Hartford Insurance Group?

Nathaniel Terry · Founded 1810 · HQ today: Hartford, Connecticut

Who founded The Hartford Insurance Group?

The Hartford Insurance Group was founded by Nathaniel Terry in 1810. It is now led by Christopher Swift.

Founders: Nathaniel Terry
Founded: 1810
Headquarters: Hartford, Connecticut
Number of founders: 1
Current CEO: Christopher Swift (since 2014)

Where was The Hartford Insurance Group founded?: The Hartford Insurance Group was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1810.
When was The Hartford Insurance Group founded?: The Hartford Insurance Group was founded in 1810.
Who started The Hartford Insurance Group?: The Hartford Insurance Group was founded by Nathaniel Terry.
How old is The Hartford Insurance Group?: The Hartford Insurance Group is 216 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

The Hartford Fire Insurance Company was chartered in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, with Nathaniel Terry as its first president. Its reputation was made in December 1835, when the Great Fire of New York ruined many insurers; company president Eliphalet Terry pledged to pay claims in full, and the episode became central to the brand's story of paying when catastrophe strikes.

Nathaniel Terry

Co-founder 1810

Background

Terry was a prominent Hartford civic figure in the early 19th century, active in local business and Connecticut politics, which placed him among the merchants who backed the city's first fire insurer.

Role at The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

Nathaniel Terry was a Hartford, Connecticut lawyer, merchant and politician who served as the first president of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company after its 1810 charter. He later served as a U.S. Congressman from Connecticut. The company he helped launch became the predecessor of today's The Hartford Insurance Group. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

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Christopher Swift

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2014 – Present

Swift is widely credited with finalizing the salvation of The Hartford. While his predecessor stopped the bleeding, Swift rebuilt the company into a modern, profitable, and disciplined underwriter. His strategic acquisitions provided crucial product diversification, while his focus on digital transformation modernized the company's legacy claims processing infrastructure, ensuring that The Hartford remains a dominant force in the domestic insurance market. His pragmatic vision and operational execution have permanently restored the company's top status among top-tier American commercial property and casualty insurers.

Liam McGee

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2009 – 2014

Liam McGee saved The Hartford from complete corporate collapse. His willingness to dismantle a portion of the company's historic business model provided the essential liquidity required to repay the federal government bailout funds and restore the confidence of credit rating agencies. Although he passed away shortly after stepping down, his decisive, uncompromising leadership during the crisis laid the foundation for the company's subsequent recovery.

Ramani Ayer

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1997 – 2009

Ayer's tenure represents both the zenith and the near-destruction of the historic Hartford conglomerate. While his expansion into variable annuities generated unprecedented, record-breaking profits during the bull markets, the strategy ultimately exposed the company to catastrophic, existential risk during the 2008 global financial meltdown. His retirement in 2009 marked the definitive end of The Hartford's era as a broad, diversified global financial services conglomerate.

Donald R. Frahm

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1988 – 1997

He retired in 1997 and Ramani Ayer succeeded him.

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Who Founded The Hartford Insurance Group? FAQ

Who founded The Hartford and in what year was the company established?

The Hartford began as the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, chartered in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810 by a group of local merchants. Nathaniel Terry served as its first president.

How did The Hartford survive and honor all claims during the Great New York Fire of 1835?

During the catastrophic Great New York Fire of December 1835 (which bankrupted most New York insurance companies), The Hartford's president Eliphalet Terry traveled by sleigh to Manhattan, pledged his personal fortune and the company's entire assets to guarantee 100% of claims were paid, establishing The Hartford's well-known reputation for financial integrity.

Who founded The Hartford?

It was founded by a group of wealthy local merchants, led by Nathaniel Terry (the first president). Because Hartford, Connecticut, was a massive hub for river trade, the merchants originally pooled their money to insure maritime shipping, eventually expanding into fire insurance to protect American businesses.

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