Havemeyer was the third generation of his family in the sugar business and oversaw the expansion of the family firm into the American Sugar Refining Company which dominated the sugar industry in the late 19th century.
Havemeyer var tredje generation af en slægt, der arbejdede i sukkerbranchen, og han var ansvarlig for udvidelsen af familiefirmaet til American Sugar Refining Company, som var førende på sukkerfremstillingsområdet i slutningen af 1800-tallet.