On the condition that Anderson get the city's streets paved, Henry Flagler agreed to buy a portion of that land. His next project was the Ponce de Leon Hotel, now part of Flagler College. [44], Although Flagler remained on the board of directors of Standard Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the corporation to pursue his interests in Florida. Racked with bronchitis and unable to do much for herself, Mary joined Henry in the Buckingham Hotel. It was Henry M. Municipal, State, and Federal government officials questioned how many limits they should place on these "Captains of Industry." He recruited Henry Flagler to join him, and the youth went to Ohio at age 14, where he started work in 1844 at a salary of US$5 per month plus room and board. Col Henry Ostrom & Elizabeth Flagler? Dr. George G. Shelton, a graduate of New York's Homeopathic Medical College, was assisted by three nurses when Henry Flagler's daughter Jennie Louise Benedict died in 1889 following post-partum complications while journeying to visit her father on board the yacht Oneida headed to St. Augustine. So, the Flagler family (Henry, Mary, little Harry, Jennie, and her first husband, John Arthur Hinckley) spent the winter of 1877-1878 in St. Augustine. "1892-A Year of Crucial Decisions in Florida", This page was last edited on 2 December 2022, at 15:49. Middle child Carrie died just before Christmas in the same year that Henry's mother died (1861). Augustine. Mary Lily outlived her first husband, Henry Flagler and inherited his huge fortune, married again three years later, and died under suspicious circumstances at aged fifty. Volume 86, Number 514, 1893. [43], When Flagler's first wife Mary (ne Harkness) fell sick, his physician recommended they travel to Jacksonville for the winter to escape the brutal conditions of the North. She documented the company's espionage, price wars, heavy-handed marketing tactics, and courtroom evasions. [citation needed], In 1862, Flagler and his brother-in-law Barney Hamlin York (18331884) founded the Flagler and York Salt Company, a salt mining and production business in Saginaw, Michigan. Because Henry Flagler had not yet claimed Florida as his own, Savannah, Georgia was considered to be the last bastion of civilization on the East Coast. Though Henry Flagler didn't join in on the war, it certainly affected his career choices. He is also known as a founder of the cities of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida. After two years of institutionalization and much assessment by the courts, Ida Alice Shourds Flagler was legally ruled incurably insane in 1899. [9], By 1869, there was three times more kerosene refining capacity than needed to supply the market, and the capacity remained in excess for many years. In 1853 Mary married Henry Morrison Flagler and together they were parents of three children. "I never had an animus against their size and wealth, never objected to their corporate form. In 1853, young Henry followed suit when Lamon Harkness' middle daughter, Mary, became his first wife. In a few years, it seems he embraced the life of a wealthy widower. After his first wife's death, Flagler developed a . However, much to Flagler's chagrin, he had no legal grounds to be granted a divorce from Alice in New York or Florida. Due to the harsh working and living conditions in the railway construction camps, many workers became victims of debt slavery. We Floridians have a very specific image of Henry Flagler in our minds: he is an old man with bright eyes cast in bronze. The couple had two daughters, Jennie Louise, born in 1855, and Carrie, born in 1858. In a few years, it seems he embraced the life of a wealthy widower. A Second Wife and a Second Career. Today, when you ask someone if they know about Henry Flagler, they are likely to answer with a shake of their head and a shrug. As you go through the . By 1896, Flagler's railroad, the Florida East Coast Railway, reached Biscayne Bay. "Especially since her father would have never stepped foot in the house. Henry Flagler didn't leave the sanitarium wanting, however, as Alice's estate (to which only her Flagler-hired guardians had direct access) was full of Standard Oil stocks. Henry Flagler was seventy-one, whilst his beaming bride was thirty-four. Control of the Flagler fortune largely passed into the hands of Mary Lily Kenan's family of sisters and brother, who survived into the 1960s. [1] The Royal Poinciana Hotel was at the time the largest wooden structure in the world. "Historical Person Profile: Henry Flagler." Henry Flagler's most monumental accomplishment was realized only a year before he died. [33], Upon his ascent to the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt initiated dozens of suits under the Sherman Antitrust Act and coaxed reforms out of Congress. However there were many reports harsh working conditions and forced indebtedness to the company, and malfeasance by labor agents who hired men for the railway. The Early Years of The Ponce de Leon: Clippings from an Old Scrap Book of those days. He was instrumental in stopping an Al-Qaeda attack on the USS Seahawk battlegroup (which the Watertown was a part of). However, Smith had fallen on some hard times and sold the hotel to Henry Flagler not long after it opened in 1888. Henry is also best known as, Entrepreneur best known as the founder of Standard Oil and for helping to develop what came to be known as the Florida East Coast Railway. Dan married Lamon's eldest daughter, Isabella, in 1849 (yes, they were first cousins). When Mary contracted tuberculosis, at her doctor's recommendation they traveled . The top-ranked Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is named for Flagler and his wife, who was an early benefactor of UNC along with her family and descendants. Henry Morrison Flagler Museum: Very Disappointing - See 1,507 traveler reviews, 1,197 candid photos, and great deals for Palm Beach, FL, at Tripadvisor. Ida Alice (ne Shourds) Flagler had been a caregiver for Mary. Seven years later he became a senior salesman with a salary of $ 400 per year. In the early 1900s Flagler, affiliated with John D. Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company, conceived and oversaw the construction of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, paving . Sets with similar terms swee1122 By 1849, Flagler was promoted to the sales staff at a salary of $40 per month. Graham, Thomas. Having had no prior experience in the salt industry, the Flagler & York company flopped and Henry lost around $100,000 ($100K in 1865 is nearly $2 million in 2022). In 1885, Standard Oil moved its corporate headquarters to New York City to the iconic 26 Broadway location. Second Marriage, Second Sojourn to St. Augustine After a time, Flagler began to turn over some of his duties at Standard Oil to younger blood. After many years of work, it opened on January 10, 1888, and was an instant success. Visually exquisite, the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church was built by Henry Flagler in 1889. As he went, Flagler spent exorbitant amounts of money to build hotels in certain cities along the way. The state provided incentive in the form of 3,840 acres (15.5km2) for every mile (1.6km) of track constructed.[49]. Flagler and Rockefeller eventually prevailed and the railroad sold all its oil interests to Standard. Henry Flagler had realized his dream and slipped quietly from this world at his ocean cottage 'Nautalis' on May 20, 1913, in Palm Beach, Florida. This project sparked Flagler's interest in creating a new "American Riviera." For the train, see, Alleged use of convict leasing and debt peonage, Martin, p. 56, quoting Edwin Lefevre, in "Flagler and Florida" from, Joe Knetsch, "The Peonage Controversy and the Florida East Coast Railway,", University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Madoff scandal stuns Palm Beach Jewish community", "292: Colonel Joseph D. Potts Leader in the Pennsylvania on LiveAuctioneers", "The Story of Convict Leasing in Florida", "Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes: Online Sunshine", "Slavery Revisited: Peonage in the South", "How slave labor built the state of Florida decades after the Civil War", "Abstracts of Reports of the Immigration Commission, Vol II", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Flagler&oldid=1125174074, Jennie Louise (March 18, 1855 March 25, 1889), Knetsch, Joe. Henry is originated from United States. In 1853, Flagler married Mary Harkness, the daughter of Lamon Harkness - owner of the general store where he was formerly employed. University Press of Florida. July, 1975. pg. Along with cheques and stocks, Flagler also gifted his wife with a new estate in Palm Beach, Florida. [33] Ohio was especially vigorous in applying its state anti-trust laws, and finally forced a separation of Standard Oil of Ohio from the rest of the company in 1892, the first step in the dissolution of the trust. From there on out, Dr. Anderson was a major supporter and confidant of Henry Flagler, often acting as his business liaison in St. Augustine when Flagler was out of town. Flagler is quoted to have responded thusly: "There was once a good church member who had always lived a correct life until well advanced in years. Anderson owned a large tract of orange groves west of the Governor's House along King Street the main thoroughfare of St. Augustine and wanted to sell it to Flagler. [26], Its vast American empire included 20,000 domestic wells, 4,000 miles of pipeline, 5,000 tank cars, and over 100,000 employees. The current sanctuary building that is seen today was built in the late 1880s and early 1890s by gracious donations from Henry Morrison Flagler. [21], Standard Oil gradually gained almost complete control of oil refining and marketing in the United States through horizontal integration. This conflict created a breach between father and son that lasted until Henry Flagler was on his deathbed. Flagler and Rockefeller finally gave up their dream of controlling all the world's oil refining. During the Gilded Age, this new class of robber barons like Flagler, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt were shaking up American society. This field trip will walk you through the life of Henry Morrison Flagler and the great impact he made on South Florida. Flagler encouraged fruit farming and settlement along his railway line and made many gifts to build hospitals, churches and schools in Florida. He was a founder of Standard Oil. In 1869, Henry Flagler began buying out small oil refineries on behalf of John D. Rockefeller, who had it in his mind to monopolize the oil industry in Ohio. Seasons 4, 6-7. In fact, this was a struggle that was occurring all over the country. Perhaps because of the economic success that Flagler's industries had delivered to the state or perhaps because of direct funding being delivered to individual senators, Flagler was able to convince the legislature to pass a little bill for him in April of 1901. This touched off a firestorm of protest from independent oil well owners, including boycotts and vandalism, which eventually led to the discovery of Standard Oil's part in the deal. In fact, after completing the eighth grade, he decided to leave home and went to Ohio to find his fortune. A deal brokered by Henry Clay Frick exchanged Standard's iron interests for U.S. Steel stock and gave Rockefeller and his son membership on the company's board of directors. These certificates became traded by speculators, thus creating the first oil-futures market which effectively set spot market prices from then on. In 1885 he decided to build a luxury hotel there which would attract the country's elite. Flagler's stepbrother Stephen V. Harkness invested $100,000 (equivalent to $1.94million in 2021[6]) on the condition that Flagler be made a partner. Generally, we are not often able to share specifics about the man himself. the Trust and Non-Profit Organization established by Flagler's grand-daughter Jean Flagler Matthews, to preserve Whitehall, has . [23] The firm was attacked by journalists and politicians throughout its existence, in part for these monopolistic methods, giving momentum to the antitrust movement. "[59], In March 1913, Flagler fell down a flight of marble stairs at Whitehall. Rockefeller. Immediately, she began taking advantage of the fortune she had married into like any budding socialite, she loved gowns, jewelry, and yachts. These included, among many others, Continental Oil, which became Conoco, now part of ConocoPhillips; Standard of Indiana, which became Amoco, now part of BP; Standard of California, which became Chevron; Standard of New Jersey, which became Esso (and later, Exxon), now part of ExxonMobil; Standard of New York, which became Mobil, now part of ExxonMobil; and Standard of Ohio, which became Sohio, now part of BP. The National Petroleum Exchange opened in Manhattan in late 1882 to facilitate the oil futures trading. Eldest daughter Jennie Louise died when she was a young woman (more on her later). It is one of his most significant projects, because it was constructed as a memorial to Flagler's only daughter, Jenny. Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil. [51] In 1901, Flagler bribed the Florida Legislature and Governor to pass a law that made incurable insanity grounds for divorce, opening the way for Flagler to remarry. By the mid-1860s, Cleveland had become the center of the oil refining industry in America and Rockefeller left the grain business to start his own oil refinery. He himself is located to the side of them. Flagler wanted to take advantage of additional trade with Cuba and Latin America as well as the increased trade with the west that the Panama Canal would bring. "[24] To the critics Flagler and Rockefeller replied, "In a business so large as ours some things are likely to be done which we cannot approve. Flagler was the only person to be divorced under the law before it was repealed in 1905. Rockefeller retained his nominal title as president until 1911 and he kept his stock. Asylum records from this era show women being admitted and held for ailments such as "suppressed menses", "mental {or} religious excitement", and the infamous catch-all "hysteria". Louis Comfort Tiffany (who was about ten years into his monumental career) was hired to decorate the hotel and craft its windows. According to historian David Leon Chandler, Henry Flagler is believed to either have bought a deferment in 1862 or provided the government supplies instead of service. "Flagler's Magnificent Hotel Ponce de Leon," FL: The Florida Historical Quarterly, Issue 54, Volume 1. His body was sent to St. Augustine on May 23 where he was laid to rest along side of his his first wife Mary Harkness in the Memorial Presbyterian Church mausoleum built for his daughter Jennie Louise. He is known as the father of St. Augustine, Mia After a time, Flagler began to turn over some of his duties at Standard Oil to younger blood. One day when very old he went on a drunken spree. Carrie died at the age of 3. IT HAD BEGUN 26 YEARS EARLIER, IN 1891, when Henry Morrison Flagler, the uncrowned "king" of Florida, who had made a vast fortune as a founding partner of Standard Oil of Ohio, met Mary Lily Kenan . Researching those perspectives is like playing the telephone game with the dead; something is bound to get confused.). She married Frederick L. Tuttle 1867-1886), and they had two children, Frances Emeline 1868 and Henry 1870. [39] According to Allan Nevins, in John D. Rockefeller (p 292), "Standard Oil was born as a big enterprise, it had cut its teeth as a partnership and was now ready to plunge forward into a period of greater expansion and development. Henry Flagler: A Man of Big Dreams Henry Flagler was born on January 2, 1830. Indeed, Mary Harkness Flagler's ailments first brought Henry Flagler to Far Florida. Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913) built this church to the glory of God as a memorial to his daughter, Jennie Louise Flagler Benedict, who passed away as a result of childbirth in 1889. The same year that she arrived in New York, her doctors insisted that she spend the winter in a kinder climate. However, this kindly nickname does not do justice to the full story of Flagler, who was nearly fifty years old when he first set foot in Florida in 1878. As Henry's businesses prospered, they moved to New York City. Harry and Annie's daughter Jean Louise Flagler made Palm Beach a large part of her life. I wish I had the brains to think of it. He planned to build a hotel on that land, one that gave Northern tourists a fine place to spend their money. It kept oil prices low to stave off competitors, made its products affordable to the average household, and, to increase market penetration, sometimes sold below cost if necessary. One of Flagler's other St. Augustine Hotels, the Casa Monica, was originally built by Franklin W. Smith, who built the Villa Zorayda. Though he didn't recognize him through his medicinal stupor, Henry Flagler's only son, Harry Harkness, was at his father's bedside alongside Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, whom Harry was actually meeting for the first time. Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street. The voyage was harrowing and long northern tourists traveled by railroad, steamship, and mule-driven omnibus. He was 83 years old. At least, not yet. After a few short weeks, the family all moved back to New York, much to the detriment of Mary Harkness Flagler's health, which got progressively worse in the coming years. Indeed, there was a legal loophole provided to affluent Americans they were allowed to pay $300 to the government and hire a substitute to serve in their place. Harry, her son, was eleven years old. 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