James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest (The Oklahoma Western Biographies Book 12)

James J. Hill certainly demonstrates the impact one willful individual can have on the course of history. We shall never see his like again, and that simple fact adds yet another dimension to the fascination his life will afford to each new generation.

Of course, his primary legacy lies in his railroads, the GN especially but also the NP, the Burlington, and the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle, which remained—after the Northern Securities decision—bound by a loose community of interest although not by a direct affiliation. The

Having retired as CEO of the Great Northern in 1907 and assumed the title of chairman of the board of directors, Jim Hill forfeited the latter title as well in 1912 and formally retired.

Like most of the other “robber barons” or “captains of industry,” and like most dynamic individuals of any generation, James Jerome Hill displayed what Allan Nevins once called “a sort of lunar dualism.” Beyond dispute, his positive traits were quite remarkable: a quick intelligence and power of analysis, an incredible power of will and personality

Not everything, however, that this remarkable man initiated led to success. A number of his lesser investments ended in failures, and so did at least one of his major undertakings. When Jim Hill first ventured into maritime commerce between Puget Sound and the Orient, he fully planned soon to increase his commitment, applying the same philosophy of

Blood poisoning caused his death.

Almost from the outset, Hill found his maritime venture, which proved so dissimilar from his railroad experience, a source of unending frustration.

The CP, with its government support, proved able once again to cause Jim Hill much more trouble on his turf than he could render them on theirs.

And like many of his fellow midwesterners, he railed at the imperialistic financial reign of the Northeast over other regions. In October 1912, Hill purchased two major financial institutions, the First National Bank and the Second National Bank, both of Saint Paul, and in 1913 he merged them under the name of the former. He poured nearly $4 millio