Flagler, Henry M.

Flagler, Henry M. (Morrison) (1830–1913) capitalist, philanthropist; born in Hopewell, N.Y. He met John D. Rockefeller in Ohio in 1844 before he made his own modest fortune in the grain business. He then went to Michigan, where he engaged in a failed venture to manufacture salt. Returning to Ohio, he took up the grain business, but when Rockefeller came to him with plans for developing the new oil business, he formed the firm of Rockefeller, Andrews and Flagler (1865), which became Standard Oil in 1870. Flagler stayed with the company until 1911 and made a fortune, but he left the operations to Rockefeller and turned his own attention to Florida. He organized the Florida East Coast Railway (1866), which eventually extended to Key West (1913), built numerous hotels along Florida's coast, and helped establish agriculture and fruit-growing in Florida. In addition to his $40 million in commercial investments in Florida, he donated large sums to build schools, hospitals, and churches.