Henry Flagler: A Biography

Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913) is perhaps best remembered for his impact on the development on tourism in the state of Florida, including constructing a rail line to Key West, but his earlier career as a founder of Standard Oil had no less of an impact in the economic fortunes of the United States in the late nineteenth century. In this comprehensive biography Willie Drye traces Flagler's story from his birth in New York State, his first job working for his uncle in Republic, Ohio, at the age of fourteen, his success in the grain and whisky businesses, and his acquaintance with John D. Rockefeller that led to the establishment of Standard Oil.

When Flagler's wife fell ill in the late 1870s, her physician encouraged the couple to travel to Florida to get away from the less salubrious climate of the northeast. There Flagler envisioned a new winter playground for the wealthy, constructing elegant hotels as well as his own Palm Beach estate, Whitehall. Ever the Gilded Age tycoon, his crowning achievement was the Florida East Coast Railroad, which linked the Florida Keys with the mainland. Though not without controversy-he was alleged to have leased convicts from Florida labor camps-he remains a seminal figure in the development of Florida as the nation's most popular tourist destination.