The railroad tycoon who built Chicago : a biography of William B. Ogden / Jack Harpster.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harpster, Jack, 1937-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ogden, William B. (William Butler), 1805-1877.

Ogden, William B.

Railroads--United States--Biography.

Railroads.

Mayors--Illinois--Chicago--Biography.

Mayors.

Chicago (Ill.)--Biography.

Chicago (Ill.).

Chicago (Ill.)--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (328 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Biography of William B. Ogden

Place of Publication:

Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

William Butler Ogden was a pioneer railroad magnate, one of the earliest founders and developers of the city of Chicago, and an important influence on U.S. westward expansion. His career as a businessman stretched from the streets of Chicago to the wilds of the Wisconsin lumber forests, from the iron mines of Pennsylvania to the financial capitals in New York and beyond. Jack Harpster s "The Railroad Tycoon Who Built Chicago"" " "A Biography of William B. Ogden"is the first biography of one of the most notable figures in nineteenth-century America. Harpster traces the life of Ogden from his early experiences as a boy and young businessman in upstate New York to his migration to Chicago, where he invested in land, canal construction, and steamboat companies. He became Chicago s first mayor, built the city s first railway system, and suffered through the Great Chicago Fire. He had diverse business interests that included real estate, land development, city planning, urban transportation, manufacturing, beer brewing, mining, and banking, to name just a few. Harpster, however, does not simply focus on the business mogul; he delves into the heart and soul of the man himself Ogden was a dedicated family man, a noted raconteur, a respected philanthropist, and a friend to many of the era s rich and powerful. "The Railroad Tycoon Who Built Chicago" is a meticulously researched and nuanced biography set against the backdrop of the historical and societal themes of the nineteenth century. It is a sweeping story about one man s impact on the birth of commerce in America. Ogden s private life proves to be as varied and interesting as his public persona, and Harpster weaves the two together into a colorful tapestry of a life well and usefully lived. "

Contents:

Cover

Book Title

Copyright

Contents

Figures and Tables

Preface

1. Prelude

2. The Little Railroad That Could

3. Stately Edifices and Lofty Spires

4. Go West, Young Man

5. The Benevolence of the Butcher

6. Mister Mayor

7. Harnessing the Iron Horse

8. The First Businessman

9. The Best of Everything

10. Building an Empire

11. An Overgrown Gawk of a Village

12. The Minnow Swallows the Whale

13. The Gates of Hell

14. Out of the Ashes

15. A Whole-Souled Man

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Author Bio

Back Cover.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-280-69723-7

9786613674197

0-8093-8680-1

1-4416-4501-2

OCLC:

608691544