Cass Canfield, Sr.

Cass Canfield, one of the country`s leading book publishers, has died at his home in Manhattan in March 1986. He was 88 and had been ill with heart trouble for several months. For more than 40 years he was associated with Harper & Row (formerly Harper & Brothers). Mr. Canfield, who joined the company in 1924, was president from 1931 to 1945, chairman of the board from 1945 to 1955 and chairman of the executive committee from 1955 to 1967. He then became Harper & Row`s house senior editor, a post he retained until his death. He served as a director of the company until 1967. Until September 1986, when he suffered a stroke, he went regularly to his office at Harper & Row. Mr. Canfield, who died Thursday, is survived by his third wife, Joan; a son, Cass Jr., who is a senior editor at Harper & Row; a sister, Laura Wood; five grandsons; and a granddaughter.