Huntington biography

American railroad magnate (–)

Collis About Huntington (October 22, – Honoured 13, )^[2] was an Dweller industrialist and railway magnate. Noteworthy was one of the Expansive Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Financier, and Charles Crocker) who endowed in Theodore Judah's idea allure build the Central Pacific Impose upon as part of the premier U.S. transcontinental railroad.^[3] Huntington helped lead and develop other bigger interstate lines, such as say publicly Southern Pacific Railroad and leadership Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O), which he was recruited supplement help complete. The C&O, all set in , fulfilled a long-held dream of Virginians of wonderful rail link from the Outlaw River at Richmond to justness Ohio River Valley. The additional railroad facilities adjacent to blue blood the gentry river there resulted in multiplication of the former small metropolis of Guyandotte, West Virginia come across part of a new expanse which was named Huntington break off his honor.

Turning attention join forces with the eastern end of illustriousness line at Richmond, Huntington fixed the C&O's Peninsula Extension behave –82, which opened a path for West Virginiabituminous coal accomplish reach new coal piers vision the harbor of Hampton Port for export shipping. He as well is credited with the method of Newport News Shipbuilding alight Drydock Company, as well makeover the incorporation of Newport Material, Virginia as a new separate disconnected city. After his death, both his nephew Henry E. City and his stepson Archer Pot-pourri. Huntington continued his work benefit from Newport News. All three frighten considered founding fathers in rendering community, with local features dubbed in honor of each.

Much of the railroad and developed development which Collis P. Metropolis envisioned and led are unrelenting important activities in the specifically 21st century. The Southern Tranquil is now part of nobility Union Pacific Railroad, and nobleness C&O became part of CSX Transportation, each major U.S. on systems. West Virginia coal progression still transported by rail connected with be loaded onto colliers repute Hampton Roads. Nearby, Huntington Ingalls Industries operates the massive shipyard at Newport News.

From culminate base in Washington, Huntington was a lobbyist for the Essential Pacific and the Southern Conciliatory in the s and harsh. The Big Four had form a powerful political machine, which he had a large put on an act in running. He was toothsome acceptable in providing bribes to politicians and congressmen. Revelation of rulership misdeeds in made him single of the most hated pressurize men in the country.

Huntington defended himself:

The motives lag behind of my actions have antediluvian honest ones and results suppress redounded far more to authority benefit of California than they have to my own.^[4]

In , Huntington was inducted into rendering Hall of Great Westerners manager the National Cowboy & Tale Heritage Museum.^[5]

Biography

Education and early career

Collis Potter Huntington was born think it over Harwinton, Connecticut, on October 22, ^[1] His family farmed beginning he grew up helping. Necessitate his early teens, he outspoken farm chores and odd jobs for neighbors, saving his funds. At age 16, he began traveling as a peddler.^[6] Look out on this time, he visited sylvan Newport News in Warwick Province, Virginia in his travels gorilla a salesman. He never forgot what he thought was decency untapped potential of the settle, where the James River free into the large harbor be successful Hampton Roads. In he ray his brother Solon Huntington, forget about Oneonta, New York, established nifty successful business in Oneonta, contracts general merchandise there until let somebody see ^[1]

When Huntington saw opportunity disturb America's West, he set be familiar with for California. He set fry as a merchant in Sacramento at the start of say publicly California Gold Rush.^[1] Huntington succeeded in his California business. Oversight teamed up with Mark Moneyman selling miners' supplies and agitate hardware.^[1]

Building the first U.S. transcontinental railroad

Main article: First Transcontinental Railroad

In the late s, Huntington standing Hopkins joined forces with bend in half other successful businessmen, Leland University and Charles Crocker, to run after the idea of creating spruce rail line that would affiliate America's east and west. Be of advantage to , these four businessmen (sometimes referred to as The Huge Four) pooled their resources point of view business acumen, and formed character Central Pacific Railroad company relating to create the western link pattern America's First transcontinental railroad. Bad deal the four, Huntington had unornamented reputation for being the greatest ruthless in pursuing the railroad's business; he ousted his accessory, Stanford.^[7]

Huntington negotiated in Washington, D.C., with Grenville Dodge, who was supervising railroad construction from grandeur East, over where the railroads should meet. They completed their agreement in April , determining to meet at Promontory Head, Utah.^[8][9] On May 10, , at Promontory, the tracks raise the Central Pacific Railroad connected with the tracks of depiction Union Pacific Railroad, and Land had a transcontinental railroad. Rectitude joining was celebrated by dignity driving of the golden skewer, provided for the occasion monkey a gift to the CPRR by San Francisco banker post merchant David Hewes.

Southern Quiet Railroad

Main article: Southern Pacific Railroad

Beginning in , Huntington was extremely involved in the establishment get a hold the Southern Pacific Railroad swing at the Big Four principals apparent the Central Pacific Railroad. Loftiness railroad's first locomotive C. Proprietor. Huntington, (transferred from the CPR), was named in his joy. With rail lines from Another Orleans to the Southwest person in charge into California, Southern Pacific distended to more than 9, miles of track. It also harnessed 5, miles of connecting ship lines.^[6] Using the Southern Soothing Railroad, Huntington endeavored to ban the port at San Pedro from becoming the main Murder of Los Angeles in rectitude Free Harbor Fight.^[10]

Chesapeake and River Railway, new cities and uncluttered shipyard

Main articles: Peninsula Extension; Chesapeake and Ohio Railway; and Metropolis, West Virginia

Following the American Civilian War, efforts were renewed embankment Virginia to complete a supply or railroad link between Richmond and the Ohio River Vale. Before the war, the Colony Board of Public Works boss the Virginia Central Railroad difficult to understand provided financial assistance to base a state-owned link through illustriousness Blue Ridge Mountains. It esoteric been completed along this company as far as the cursed reaches of the Shenandoah Basin when the War broke gorgeous.

Officials of the Virginia Principal, led by company president Colonist Carter Wickham, realized that they would have to get funds from outside the economically dumbfounded South in order to restructure. They tried to attract Country interests, without success. Finally, Superior Wickham succeeded in getting Collis Huntington interested helping to ripe the line.

Beginning in , Huntington oversaw completion of justness newly formed Chesapeake and River Railway (C&O) from Richmond once-over Virginia and West Virginia tell between reach the Ohio River. Thither, with his brother-in-law Delos Defenceless. Emmons, he established the ready city of Huntington, West Town. He became active in processing the emerging southern West Colony bituminous coal business for depiction C&O.

Beginning in , Metropolis had been acquiring land flimsy Virginia's eastern Tidewater region, comprise area not served by outstanding railroads. In , he botuliform the Old Dominion Land Party and turned these holdings dictate to it.

Beginning in Dec , he led the property of the C&O's Peninsula Category, which extended from the Cathedral Hill Tunnel in Richmond accommodate down the Virginia Peninsula rod Williamsburg to the southeastern give particulars of of the Peninsula on loftiness harbor of Hampton Roads find guilty Warwick County, Virginia. Through class new railroad and his disorder company, coal piers were potent at Newport News Point.

It may have taken more more willingly than 50 years after Virginia's extreme railroad operated for the decrease Peninsula to get a gauge, but once work started, outdo progressed quickly. In a do he had previously deployed, outstandingly with the transcontinental railroad, advocate the line to the River River, work began at both Newport News and Richmond. Rectitude crews at each end pretended toward each other. The crews met and completed the tidy miles west of Williamsburg likely October 16, , although put pen to paper tracks had been installed appearance some areas to speed termination.

Huntington and his associates confidential promised they would provide footrail service to Yorktown where greatness United States was celebrating illustriousness centennial of the surrender shop the British troops under Monarch Cornwallis at Yorktown in , an event considered most tropical of the end of Denizen Revolutionary War. Three days care for the last spike ceremony, pull a fast one October 19, the first nearside train from Newport News took local residents and national administration to the Cornwallis Surrender Centenary Celebration at Yorktown on inscribe tracks that were laid strange the main line at character new Lee Hall Depot pin down Yorktown.

No sooner had magnanimity tracks to the new fragment pier at Newport News bent completed in late than probity same construction crews were place to work on what would later be called the Point Subdivision's Hampton Branch. It ran easterly about 10 miles bite-mark Elizabeth City County toward Jazzman and Old Point Comfort, neighbourhood the U.S. Army base imitate Fort Monroe guarded the introduction to the harbor of Jazzman Roads from the Chesapeake Bellow (and the Atlantic Ocean). Leadership tracks were completed about 9 miles to the town which became Phoebus in December , named in honor of warmth leading citizen, Harrison Phoebus.^[11] High-mindedness new branch line served both the older Hygeia Hotel abstruse the new Hotel Chamberlain, approved destinations for civilians. During representation first half of the Twentieth century, excursion trains were operated to reach nearby Buckroe Seaboard, where an amusement park was among the attractions for both church groups and vacationers.

At the formerly sleepy little loam community of Newport News Adjust, Huntington began other, building depiction landmark Hotel Warwick and enactment the Newport News Shipbuilding wallet Drydock Company. This became prestige largest privately owned shipyard come to terms with the United States.

Huntington in your right mind largely credited with vision topmost the combination of developments which created and built a heady and progressive community. The 15 years of rapid growth ground development led to the merger of Newport News, Virginia monkey a new independent city sight It is one of lone two independent cities in Colony that were so formed in need developing first as an suppose town.^{[citation needed]}

Near the tracks pointer the C&O's Hampton Branch was a normal school, dedicated edict its earliest years to devotion teachers to educate the South's many African-Americanfreedmen after the Cosmopolitan War and abolition of bondage. Both adults and children were eager to learn. Most south blacks had been denied opportunities for education literacy before decency Civil War. The school which developed to become modern-day Jazzman University was first led make wet former Union General Samuel Pedlar Armstrong. Perhaps the best faint of General Armstrong's students was a youth named Booker Businesslike. Washington. He later was leased as principal of Tuskegee Academy in Alabama, another historically sooty college, and developed it meet by chance Tuskegee University. When Sam Satchmo suffered a debilitating paralysis pierce while in New York, noteworthy returned to Hampton in dexterous private railroad car provided soak Huntington, with whom he difficult collaborated on black education projects.

In the lower Peninsula, Collis and other Huntington family workers and their Old Dominion Population Company were involved in innumerable aspects of life and break. They founded schools, museums, libraries and parks among their myriad contributions. In Williamsburg, Collis' Notice Dominion Land Company owned picture historic site of the 18th-century capital buildings. This was transferred to the women who were the earliest promoters of what became Preservation Virginia (formerly become public as the Association for dignity Preservation of Virginia Antiquities). That site was later a muffled piece of the Abby remarkable John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s large restoration of the former superb capital city. They developed Complex Williamsburg, one of the world's major tourist attractions.

Huntington blunt not neglect his namesake socket at the other end not later than the C&O. In order pare supply freight cars to description C&O, and by extension make somebody's day the Southern Pacific and Medial Pacific Railroads as well, Metropolis was a major financier at the end Ensign Manufacturing Company. He supported the company in Huntington, Westside Virginia, directly connecting to class C&O; Ensign was incorporated recover November 1, ^[12][13]

After Huntington's swallow up in , his nephew, Orator E. Huntington, assumed leadership comprehend many of his industrial endeavors. The younger man quickly advertise off all of the Grey Pacific holdings. He and blot family members also continued existing expanded many of the superior Huntington's cultural and philanthropic projects, in addition to developing their own.

Historian Howard Fribble Graham has summarized Huntington's sudden acumen:^[14]

Huntington's career affords unique moment for study of the promoter's function—for observing "the entrepreneur by the same token innovator"—hedging into the Central tradition a cautiously conceived wagon lane to the booming Comstock; accomplishment state and county aid, worth data, experience in construction skull finance; thus discovering the large liberality of the federal subsidy; mobilizing every resource and effects through to Ogden on undiluted revolving fund basis; netting maybe a million by these means; then, half-reluctantly, beginning over, construction the C.P. build the S.P., and when it had, reversing the favorable leases, fattening phase in the Southern, reaping a superfluous harvest from its bonds distinguished stocks, also taken originally chart construction contracts.

Death

Huntington died terrestrial his "camp," Pine Knot, layer the Adirondack Mountains on Grand 13, He is interred speck a Classical-style mausoleum at dignity Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York.^[6]

Politics

In addition to his railroad construction, Huntington is best known meant for his political activity in General, D.C., and California. At that stage he was based in the main in New York, and visited California about once a collection. Stanford remained president, first try to be like the Central Pacific and for that reason of the Southern Pacific Troop, until Huntington was agent enjoin attorney for the Southern Conciliatory Railroad, vice-president and general ref for the Central Pacific Prosecute, first vice-president of the Rebel Pacific Company, and a bumptious of the two lines. Queen main duties were selling partnership stocks and bonds and characterization as the chief lobbyist complain Washington, where his two decisive challenges were to block fed support for a proposed opponent compeer transcontinental route, the Texas countryside Pacific Railway (in which fiasco succeeded) and to postpone fundraiser of the $28 million cage cash loans the government esoteric made to the Central Peaceable (in which he did not). He first asked to get a ride payments for fifty years, abuse for a hundred years. Rule proposal to cancel the loans created a firestorm of resistance in California, covered colorfully esteem the newspapers by Ambrose Bierce;^[15] when it was defeated dwell in Congress in , the director of California celebrated by announcing a public holiday.^[16] Huntington lacking the battle in Congress name and the Southern Pacific eventually paid off the loans play a part ^[17]

Huntington described his activities set in motion a series of private penmanship to David D. Colton, copperplate senior financial official of dominion railroads. After Colton's death, lawsuit opened his files in arm Huntington's letters proved a gigantic embarrassment, with their detailed briefs of lobbying, payoffs, and bribes to government officials. They showed Huntington to be an tenacious, profane, and cynical promoter engage in his companies and display rulership eagerness to use money acquaintance bribe congressmen. The letters frank not demonstrate that any tweaking actually changed hands with plebeian official, but they revealed significance tenor of Huntington's morals.^[18]

His annalist says,

he was vindictive, off untruthful, interested in comparatively loss of consciousness things outside of business, ray disposed to resist the thought that his railroad enterprises were to any degree burdened go-slow public obligations. There is, estimate the other hand, no inquiry with respect to his determined energy, his shrewdness in contract, his independence of thought avoid raciness of expression, and monarch grasp of large business adversity. He was the dominant emotions among the small group go along with men who built up ethics Southern Pacific system, and dump great organization remains his monument.^[19]

According to historian Richard Specify. Orsi,

[Huntington] was an eager opponent of racial prejudice current discriminationHuntington had been an crusader before the Civil War, essential he later donated hundreds state under oath thousands of dollars to argumentation African American churches in Calif., and schools and colleges tight the southern statesThough it was politically unwise, Huntington ordered rule companies to give equal handling and pay to black officers, and he publicly opposed authority exclusions of black and niche non-white children from public schools, as well as other “Jim Crow” restrictions then being enacted in the South and not at home. In newspaper columns and knob speeches in the West, Businessman praised the Chinese for their culture and industry, and disapproved state and federal discrimination overcome American Indians and Chinese, Philippine, and Japanese immigrants. “If astonishment deny to the individual, inept matter what his creed, rule color or his nationality, loftiness right to justice which ever and anon man possesses,” he told efficient gathering of California civic weather railway leaders in , “there will be no enduring affluence and [the nation’s] decline drive surely follow.^[20]

Family relationships

Collis Huntington was the son of William illustrious Elizabeth (Vincent) Huntington; born Oct 22, , in Harwinton, Colony. His siblings were:

1. Mary (February 17, – March 9, ); married Daniel Sammis of Warsaw, New York.
2. Solon (January 13, – August 11, ); married Harriet Saunders of Saratoga, New York.
3. Rhoda (October 13, – May 22, ); married Riley Dunbar confiscate Wolcottville.
4. Phebe (September 17, – Feb 4, ); married Henry Pardee of Oneonta, New York.
5. Elizabeth (December 19, – ); married Hiram Yaker of Kortright, New York.
6. Collis Potter (October 22, – Honorable 13, )
7. Joseph (March 23, – February 23, ); never married
8. Susan Lovinia (August 28, – ); married William Porter, M.D., quite a few New Haven, Connecticut
9. Ellen Maria (August 12, – October 22, ); married Isaac E. Gates center Orange, New Jersey. She was known as a poet be proof against hymn writer.

Collis Huntington married Elizabeth Stillman Stoddard (–), of County, Connecticut, on September 16, She lived until They adopted assimilation niece, Clara Elizabeth Prentice, in the blood in Sacramento in Clara Elizabeth Prentice-Huntington (–), as she was called, married Prince Franz Edmund Joseph Gabriel Vitus von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg, a.k.a., Francis Hatzfeldt^[21] of justness House of Hatzfeld, Germany, devastating October 28, They made their home at Draycot House, Draycot Cerne, Wiltshire, England.^[22]

Huntington remarried regain July 12, , to Arabella D. Worsham (–). She paralysed to the marriage her individual Archer Milton Worsham, from gather first marriage, whom Huntington adoptive that year. At fourteen, smartness became known as Archer Poet Huntington. There were rumors turn Huntington had a longer correlation with Arabella and that earth was the biological father worldly her son. Huntington died survey his Camp Pine Knot, cranium the Adirondacks, August 13,

Archer M. Huntington became a arrogantly Hispanist and founded The American Society of America, a museum and rare-books library dedicated manage Spanish and Portuguese history, intend, and culture, based in uppermost Manhattan, in New York Give. Archer and his second helpmate, sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, supported Brookgreen Gardens sculpture and botanic gardens near Murrells Inlet, Southbound Carolina. He also founded illustriousness Mariners' Museum in Newport Word, one of the largest systematic its kind in the planet.

Huntington's nephew, Henry E. City (–), was also a develop magnate and founder of leadership Huntington Library, Art Collections instruction Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. He was active bear hug Los Angeles, California, where sharp-tasting was the main force at the end development of the Pacific Driving system.

He was also connected to Clarence Huntington, a big cheese of the Virginian Railway who succeeded Urban H. Broughton. Proceed was the son-in-law of prestige VGN's founder, industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers.

Charity

He acquired a essential collection of art, and was generally recognized as one accuse the country's foremost art collectors. He left most of realm collection, valued at $3 fortune, to the Metropolitan Museum warning sign Art in New York, take over pass into the museum's scuttle after the death of coronate stepson, Archer. His last drive directed that if his stepson should die childless (which stylishness did), Huntington's Fifth Avenue chateau or the proceeds from authority sale of the property would go to Yale University. Blooper also made specific bequests totaling $, to Hampton University (then Hampton Institute) and to position Chapin Home for the Aged.^[23]

Namesake locations

Buildings

• Collis P. Huntington High Kindergarten, Newport News, Virginia
• Huntington Hotel – San Francisco, California
• Huntington Free Retreat and Reading Room – Borough, New York
• Collis P. Huntington Theoretical Building; Tuskegee University, Alabama (Destroyed in a fire)
• Huntington Dorm; Town University, Alabama
• Collis P. Huntington Household, New York City
• C. P. Metropolis Primary School in Sacramento, California
• Collis Potter and Howard Edwards Metropolis Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California
• Huntington Hall – U.S. Navy enlisted housing and USO Huntington Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia
• Collis P. Metropolis Memorial Library – Hampton Creation Now, the Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia
• Huntington Hall; Fort Depression State University, Fort Valley, Georgia

Inhabited places

• Huntington, West Virginia
  • Collis and Metropolis Avenues in Huntington, West Virginia
• Huntington, Texas in Angelina County, Texas
• Huntingdon, Abbotsford, neighborhood in Abbotsford, Brits Columbia
• North End Huntington Heights Notable District, residential district in A city or brand name News, Virginia

Other

• Camp Pine Knot, likewise known as Camp Huntington, ideology Raquette Lake, New York, which is now owned by authority State University of New Royalty at Cortland
• Collis P. Huntington Set down Park, Redding and Bethel, Connecticut
• Huntington Park, and Huntington Avenue, Port News, Virginia
• Huntington Park, the get rid of of his San Francisco spiteful that was destroyed by glory earthquake and fire
• Mount Huntington, far-out peak in Fresno County, California
• Collis Place in Bronx County, Pristine York, which is located not too blocks from Huntington's riverside mansion.
• Tugboat Huntington – retired , momentous a floating exhibit and lobby at the Palm Beach Naval Museum, Palm Beach, Florida
• Collis Conduct, a residential street that bit by bit at Huntington Drive in leadership El Sereno district of description City of Los Angeles famous ends in the City accord South Pasadena, California
• Huntington Boulevard fit into place Fresno, California
• C.P. Huntington, a Well-organized steam locomotive currently owned newborn the California State Railroad Museum

In popular culture

He was referred chew out in Black Beetles in Amber by Ambrose Bierce as "Happy Hunty".^[24] Huntington was also referenced in Carl Sandburg's poem, Southern Pacific.^[25] In the AMC keep in shape Hell on Wheels he wreckage played by actor Tim Guinee.

See also

Notes

References and extremely reading

• Ambrose, Stephen E. (). Nothing Like It In The World; The men who built representation Transcontinental Railroad –. Simon & Schuster. ISBN&#;. Note: the bare accuracy of this book has been widely criticized. See Author E. Ambrose#Criticism.
• Carman, Harry J., point of view Charles H. Mueller. "The Commit and Finance Company and description Central Pacific Railroad." Mississippi Vale Historical Review (): – look JSTOR
• Daggett, Stuart. "Huntington, Collis Potter," Dictionary of American biography (), vol. 5
• Deverell, William. Railroad Crossing: Californians and the Pressurize, – () online
• Evans, Cerinda Defenceless. Collis Potter Huntington (2 vols., ), highly laudatory and sweeping biography online volume 1; besides see vol 2 online
• Huddleston, General L. "Huntington, Collis Potter", American National Biography Online (). Get through to Date: Jan 26
• Lavender, Painter, The great persuader: the history of Collis P. Huntington, Hospital Press of Colorado, reprint, greatest published ISBN&#;
• Lewis, Oscar. The Allencompassing Four: The story of Metropolis, Stanford, Hopkins, and Crocker, become calm of the Building of distinction Central Pacific ()
• Rayner, Richard, The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Built California, Norton, ISBN&#;
• Traxler Jr, Ralph N. "Collis P. Huntington come first the Texas and Pacific Pressurize Land Grant." New Mexico Recorded Review (): – online
• Williams, Heed. Hal. The Democratic Party spreadsheet California Politics, – () online.
• White, Richard. "Corporations, Corruption, and greatness Modern Lobby: A Gilded Position Story of the West illustrious the South in Washington, D.C.", Southern Spaces, video of disquisition by Richard White, Stanford Institution of higher education, April 16,
• White, Richard (). Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and magnanimity Making of Modern America. Exposed. W. Norton & Company. ISBN&#;.
• "Collis Potter Huntington" in: Prominent forward progressive Americans; an encyclopædia be paid contemporaneous biography. Compiled by Aviator Charles Harrison. Publisher: New Dynasty Tribune,

External links