Thomas Henry Blythe (born Thomas Williams; 1822–1883), was a Welsh-born American businessman; he became a successful self-made

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

and

tycoon A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

after emigrating to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Blythe is most remembered for purchasing, developing, and subdividing the

Palo Verde Valley The Palo Verde Valley (Spanish: ''Valle de Palo Verde'') is located in the Lower Colorado River Valley, next to the eastern border of Southern California with Arizona, United States. It is located on the Colorado Desert within the Sonoran Desert ...

in southern California, and obtaining primary rights to Colorado River water to irrigate the valley. The city of

Blythe, California Blythe is a city in eastern Riverside County, California, United States. It is in the Palo Verde Valley of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River, approximatel ...

, the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him.

Biography

Born on July 22, 1822, in

Mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The city of

, the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him. At the time of Blythe's death his estate was estimated to be worth around four million dollars. He died suddenly, and unexpectedly, without any family in the United States, and without a will or other instructions regarding his estate. Almost 200 people initially claimed to be his legitimate heirs, including three women each professing to be his wife. Litigation of the estate spanned more than 25 years, but ultimately the entire estate was awarded to Blythe's

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

daughter, Florence Blythe.

Honors and tributes

*The city of Blythe, California, originally named Blythe City by Blythe himself, still bears his name. *Other places and organizations bearing Thomas Henry Blythe's name: **

Blythe Airport Blythe Airport is seven miles west of Blythe, in Riverside County, California, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''general aviation'' facility. History Blythe Airport was est ...

Blythe Heat The Blythe Heat were a professional baseball team based in Blythe, California. They played in the Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league affiliated with the North American League. They began play in 2007 and played th ...

** Blythe Intaglios ** Blythe Intake ** Blythe Mesa Solar Power Project ** Blythe Photovoltaic Power Plant

References

Bibliography

* Brown and Boyd, (John Brown Jr and James Boyd), ''History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties'', The Western Historical Association, 1922, Copyright: The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill. * Gunther, Jane Davies. ''Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories'', Riverside, CA, 1984. LOC catalog number: 84–72920. 19th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from San Francisco American venture capitalists Blythe, California History of Riverside County, California Water in California Welsh businesspeople Welsh emigrants to the United States People from Mold, Flintshire People from San Francisco 1822 births 1883 deaths Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California) {{US-business-bio-stub

Biography

Honors and tributes

See also

References

Bibliography