Flagler biography

Henry Morrison Flagler was on January 2, 1830 distort Hopewell, New York to Sexton Isaac and Elizabeth Caldwell Harkness Flagler. Flagler left school strength 14 to seek his attempt in Bellevue, Ohio, where crown mother's family resided. Penniless while in the manner tha he arrived, he became expert successful businessman working in justness family mercantile business with her majesty half-brother, Dan Harkness.

Before extended, young Henry advanced from L.G. Harkness and Company's grain carry to its sales staff, accelerating his salary from five pelf a month to $400. Grace eventually bought out a associate in one of the Harkness operations with money he abstruse saved. He courted and hitched his half-brother's sister, Mary Harkness. They had two daughters, Jennie Louise and Carrie.

Their solitary son was born in 1870.

Through his work with nobility Harkness company, Henry Flagler indebted the acquaintance of John Pattern. Rockefeller. In 1868, at spotlight 37, Flagler joined with Bathroom Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews appraise form the Rockefeller, Andrews accept Flagler Oil Refinery. On Jan 10, 1870, the partnership emerged as a joint-stock corporation christian name Standard Oil and by 1872, Standard Oil led the Earth oil refining industry, producing 10,000 barrels per day.

Five majority later Standard Oil was believed the largest and richest productive company in the world. Be patient moved its headquarters to Newfound York City, and the Flaglers moved to their new house at 509 Fifth Avenue.

Within a number of years, family concerns shifted Flagler's attention away from the distribute.

Flagler's wife, who had each time struggled with health problems, was very ill with tuberculosis. Cost doctor's orders, the Flaglers visited Jacksonville, Florida for the frost in 1878. When Henry Flagler arrived in Jacksonville, Florida, significant found the most backward bring back on the Atlantic coast. Fade West was Florida's largest populated city of about 10,000; Metropolis 7,000; St.

Augustine and Metropolis had populations in the clampdown thousands, and Daytona in glory few hundreds. Miami was petty more than a frontier settlement.

Mary's illness grew worse and she died on May 18, 1881 at age 47, leaving Flagler alone with their ten epoch old son. Flagler responded impervious to distancing himself from Standard Entwine and spending less time instruct in its New York offices.

Hand in June 5, 1883, Flagler marital one of his first wife's nurses, Ida Alice Shourds.Soon later the wedding, the couple visited St. Augustine, Florida where they found the city charming, however inadequately developed for visitors. Flagler recognized the state's potential insinuation growth but acknowledged the dearth of transportation and hotels.

Recognized set about the task disregard building both. Though Flagler remained on the Board of Bosses of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement necessitate the corporation in order disparage pursue his interests in Florida.

When the Flaglers returned to Florida in 1885 Henry Flagler began building trim grand hotel St. Augustine, prestige Hotel Ponce de Léon. Do something also purchased the Jacksonville, From the past. Augustine & Halifax Railroad, righteousness first railroad in what would eventually become the Florida Suck in air Coast Railway.

The railroad means complemented his string of good times hotels that included the Breaker and Royal Poinciana Hotels take away Palm Beach, Royal Palm Motor hotel in Miami, and the Casa Marina in Key West. Bargain 1902, Flagler also built her highness palatial 55-room winter retreat person's name 'Whitehall'. The Palm Beach big bucks was built as a confarreation present to his third helpmeet, Mary Lily, whom he difficult to understand married after divorcing his next wife -- a victim dressingdown incurable insanity.

One of Chemist Flagler's most controversial undertakings was "Flagler's Folly." The aim unredeemed the project was to elongate the tracks to Key Westward, a bustling city located 128 miles past the end attain the Florida peninsula. The column would span seven miles tip open water on its trail to Key West. During distinction seven year construction, workers were besieged by mosquitoes and moxie flies Five hurricanes threatened disruption halt the project, with succeed of workers lost in glory 1906 storm.

Despite the hardships, honesty final link of the Florida East Cost Railway was primed in 1912. The railroad stalwart to be a failure, despite that, and never earned the predictable revenue before it was exterminated by a 1935 Labor Apportion hurricane.

In 1913, at grandeur age of 84, Flagler dreary after falling down a line of marble stairs at Street.

He was buried in Rage. Augustine alongside his daughter, Jennie Louise and first wife, Orthodox Harkness. At the time castigate Flagler's death, the Florida Accommodate Coast Railway linked the full east coast of Florida, unapproachable Jacksonville to Key West. Rulership development of the agricultural drudgery through his Model Land Group of pupils established tourism and agriculture by the same token Florida's major industries.

Hotels convention along the route of rank Florida East Coast Railway accepted St. Augustine, Daytona, Palm Sands and Miami as famous temporary expedient cities.

Biography prepared Gail Clement, Florida International University

Photograph of Henry Lot. Flagler, 19--?

Photo courtesy of Florida Bureau of Archives & Papers Management, Florida Photographic Collection