Villard; The Life and Times of an American Titan
New York, N.Y. Doubleday, 2001. First American Edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Hardcover. xiii, [1], 414, [4] pages. Inscribed by the principal author, Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave, on the title page. Inscription reads To Anna and Rinaldo, with much love! Alexandra. Book includes Illustrations, Preface, Acknowledgments, Epilogue, Notes, Bibliography, Photo Credits, and Index. Contains chapters on Rebellion; The Sorrows of Young Henry; The Lure of the Law; The Solitary Salesman; Quest for Recognition; The Reporter and the Rail-Splitter; All That Glitters; The Eve of '61; Look Away, Dixieland; First Blood; The Slaughter of the Innocents; Trampling Out the Vintage; Free at Last; Come In and Shut the Door; War Fever; In Sickness and in Health; Working on the Railroad; Upgrade, Downgrade; The Vanity of Human Wishes; and Sleepy Hollow. Alexandra de Borchgrave's and John Cullen's biography of her great-grandfather's rise from penniless and prospectless young German immigrant to prominence and wealth has the fast pace and rich detail of a good novel and the meticulous research of a good history. A Civil War correspondent who invented the news syndicate and knew and was admired by President Lincoln, he then entered the world of finance to tussle with the likes of J. P. Morgan in the building of American railroads and the founding of what became General Electric. Almost ruined in the panic of 1883, he returned to rebuild his empire and regain his place both in business and society. Alexandra decided early on to realize her daring dreams, to capture history through photographs, to co-author a biography of her great grandfather, railroad magnate and financier Henry Villard. Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway. Born and raised Ferdinand Heinrich Gustav Hilgard in the Rhenish Palatinate of the Kingdom of Bavaria, as a teenager, he emigrated to the United States without his parents' knowledge. He changed his name to avoid being sent back to Europe, and began making his way west, briefly studying law as he developed a career in journalism. He supported John C. Frémont of the newly established Republican Party in his presidential campaign in 1856, and later followed Abraham Lincoln's 1860 campaign. Villard became a war correspondent, first covering the American Civil War, and later being sent by the Chicago Tribune to cover the Austro-Prussian War. He became a pacifist as a result of his experiences covering the Civil War. In the late 1860s he married women's suffrage advocate Helen Frances Garrison, and returned to the U.S., only to go back to Germany for his health in 1870. While in Germany, Villard became involved in investments in American railroads, and returned to the U.S. in 1874 to oversee German investments in the Oregon and California Railroad. He visited Oregon that summer, and being impressed with the region's natural resources, began acquiring various transportation interests in the region. During the ensuing decade he acquired several rail and steamship companies, and pursued a rail line from Portland to the Pacific Ocean; he was successful, but the line cost more than anticipated, causing financial turmoil. Villard returned to Europe, helping German investors acquire stakes in the transportation network, and returned to New York in 1886. Also in the 1880s, Villard acquired the New York Evening Post and The Nation, and established the predecessor of General Electric. He was the first benefactor of the University of Oregon, and contributed to other universities, churches, hospitals, and orphanages. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Henry Villard, Journalism, Railroads, General Electric, Don Carlos Buell, William Lloyd Garrison, Abraham Lincoln, Northern Pacific Railroad, Army of the Potomac, Battle of Shiloh, Industrialist, Venture Capitalism, Thomas Edison, Lincoln-Douglas De
ISBN: 0385486626
[Book #81690]
Price: $75.00