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Very quickly the industry consolidated into four major players—Swift, Armour, Hammond, and Nelson Morris, another Chicago slaughterer—with a few other firms, like Wilson or the Cudahys, holding the fifth position from time to time.
Charles R. Morris • The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy
His singleminded approach was so successful that he was able to buy into the Harkness family business within a few years, and shortly afterward made the acquaintance of one of his Cleveland counterparts in the grain-brokerage chain, one John D. Rockefeller.
Les Standiford • Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
Key West was also ideally located as a coaling station for Navy ships patrolling the strategic waters of the Caribbean. In short, Flagler argued, Key West would become the foremost port on the Atlantic coast of the United States.
Les Standiford • Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
With a huge war chest and no public security holders, Rockefeller could fight a no-quarter war for as long as Scott and Potts chose to bleed. Characteristically, he kept the war very focused. As A. J. Cassatt, a later Pennsylvania president, told a House committee, “They simply insisted that they could not make any arrangement with us for the trans
... See moreCharles R. Morris • The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy
He had, after all, an advantage that earlier transcontinental rail builders had lacked. Since they had built rapidly to secure their land grants, they had located their West Coast termini early in the process. In contrast, Hill had built his road slowly, developing its hinterlands as it went. Now, surveying his final link, he had the nice advantage
... See moreMichael P. Malone • James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest (The Oklahoma Western Biographies Book 12)
As Ivar explained, the desires of the three parties were clear: American investors wanted high returns, European governments wanted US dollars, and the match industry wanted monopoly power. The resources also were clear: American investors had dollars, European governments had the power to grant monopolies within their territories, and the match in
... See moreFrank Partnoy • The Match King: Ivar Kreuger, The Financial Genius Behind a Century of Wall Street Scandals
New York was a city divided by water, split by rivers and bays. Every modern water crossing within the city’s borders, not only those above the water but those beneath it, not only every bridge but every tunnel constructed within the city’s borders for the use of motor vehicles since 1909, was now under the control of authorities that he controlled
... See moreRobert A. Caro • The Power Broker
An 1889 act of the Florida legislature set aside some 10 million acres of land to be deeded to entrepreneurs willing to build new railway lines and thereby bolster the state’s economic infrastructure. As a result, Flagler was able to lay claim to eight thousand acres for every mile of track he built. In the end, he would control more than two milli
... See moreLes Standiford • Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
He now became one of the first men in the business to see the looming shadows of coming events and to act accordingly. Assessing the status of his prosperous regional railroad, he came to see it as one component in an evolving national transportation system. The day of prosperous, independent, regional roads must soon end; the future lay in integra
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