William C. Edenborn (1848–1926) was an inventor, steel industrialist, and
railroad magnate
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 ...
. He patented the design for a machine for inexpensive manufacture of
barbed wire. Edenborn founded the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which operated between
Shreveport, Louisiana, and
.
Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, this railroad formed the
Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad and eventually part of the
Kansas City Southern Railroad
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
.
By the time of his death in 1926, Edenborn was reputed to be the wealthiest resident of Louisiana.
''
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...
'' stated that Edenborn was "one of the most colorful and picturesque, and at the same time one of the least known, of the Louisiana captains of industry."
Personal life
Edenborn was born to parents Jacob Edenborn and Antoinette Edenborn (née Hessmer) on March 20, 1848, in
Plettenberg
Plettenberg (; Westphalian: ''Plettmert'') is a town in the Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Plettenberg is located to the west of the Sauerland hills. The highest elevation of the town area is in the ''Ebbegebir ...
,
Westphalia, Prussia.
As a child, he attended private schools. However, his parents both died when Edenborn was twelve years old. After his parents death, his sister Lena and he were without financial resources and so they lived with the Keyser family who were relatives of the Edenborns.
Because of his limited finances, Edenborn obtained an
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
at a steel-wire manufacturing plant in Plettenberg, Germany. Here Edenborn learned about
metal work
Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
and the wire production business.
In 1867, Edenborn emigrated to the United States with his cousin Herman Keyser, whom he had befriended, initially living in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. In the United States, Edenborn continued in the wire production business, obtaining work as a
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
at a wire mill in
Frankstown, Pennsylvania
Frankstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.
The CDP is in central Blair County, on the west side of Frankstown ...
.
During this
Post-Civil War Expansion of the United States, there was much demand for steel-wire and various other wire products. In 1869, Edenborn moved to St. Louis, Missouri, at which time he worked with local businessman F.M. Ludlow in the design and construction of a wire mill. Edenborn carried out this work partly on a futures basis, a start in his ownership of wire production enterprises. He continued to work with Ludlow, as manufacturing manager until 1874. At that time, Edenborn took on sales responsibilities at another of Ludlow's enterprises, the Ludlow-Saylor Wire Company.
Edenborn supplemented his
on-the-job training On-the-job training (widely known as OJT) is an important topic of human resource management. It helps develop the career of the individual and the prosperous growth of the organization. On the job training is a form of training provided at the work ...
with a business course at Jones's Commercial College in St. Louis. In 1875, he took leave from Ludlow's enterprises for a leave-of-absence in Europe to refresh his knowledge of state-of-the-art wire technology.
Marriage and later years
In 1876, Edenborn married Sarah Drain of
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. They had two children, one of whom they adopted.
Both children died at young ages, one of a horseback riding accident and the other of
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
.
His wife Sarah also served as a business confidant for the rest of Edenborn's life. She often accompanied him on his frequent business trips.
Following their relocation to Louisiana, at a time when Edenborn had already acquired considerable wealth, he and his wife maintained two homes. One was in New Orleans, and the other was a plantation home near
Atlanta, Louisiana, which he named Emden after the
Ems River
The Ems (german: Ems; nl, Eems) is a river in northwestern Germany. It runs through the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, and discharges into the Dollart Bay which is part of the Wadden Sea. Its total length is . The stat ...
in Europe.
During his time in New Orleans, Edenborn and his wife lived modestly despite their wealth. His business enterprises paid him a salary of $200 per year. The couple's New Orleans home was a modest house at 8018 Hampson Street in the
Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans.
Edenborn developed an extensive network of friends and acquaintances during his life and career. He befriended others, such as singer
Leadbelley Ledbetter, whom Edenborn frequently visited while Ledbetter was incarcerated at
Angola State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...
.
He was reputed to be a generous
philanthropist, although the extent of his philanthropy is unknown since his gifts were generally done anonymously. He was a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
throughout his business career.
In 1918, during United States involvement in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Edenborn was accused by federal authorities of being in violation of the
Sedition Act of 1918
The Sedition Act of 1918 () was an Act of the United States Congress that extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a ne ...
, because of a public statement Edenborn made that
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
was not a threat to US soil. He was arrested and briefly detained, with no charges being pressed.
Edenborn spent most of the latter years of his life at the Emden Plantation home. He died in 1926 of
vascular diseases
Vascular disease is a class of diseases of the blood vessels – the arteries and veins of the circulatory system of the body. Vascular disease is a subgroup of cardiovascular disease. Disorders in this vast network of blood vessels can cause a ...
and was buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport.
His estate was contested for many years.
As of 2017, Emden Plantation is no longer extant.
Estate disposition
Edenborn died without a will in 1926 and left no surviving children or forced heirs. Consequently, his widow, Sarah, succeeded to his entire estate, then valued at more than $12 million.
[Hessmer v. Edenborn, 195 La. 575, 199 So. 647 (La. 1941)] Earlier, in 1908, Edenborn had executed a will, under which Paul Hessmer and others were named as legatees; but in 1919 Edenborn signed another document revoking the 1908 will.
[Hessmer, 195 La. at 578, 199 So. at 648] Years after Sarah had been placed in possession of the entire estate, Hessmer and the other legatees under the 1908 will initiated litigation arguing that the 1919 revocation was invalid, and sought to have the 1908 will admitted to probate.
In a 1941 decision, the Louisiana Supreme Court held that the 1919 revocation was valid, thus confirming Sarah Edenborn's succession to the entire estate.
Career
Wire and cable industry
In 1877, on his return from his leave-of absence in Europe, Edenborn founded the St. Louis Wire Mill Company with business associate O.P. Saylor by leasing the manufacturing facility first built by F.M. Ludlow. Edenborn then had a succession of business interests and technical inventions related to wire manufacture and expanding its markets. These included acquisition of smaller barb wire producers, enabling him to consolidate the industry. He conducted his wire business with various business partners. Most notably, with
John Warne Gates, Edenborn formed the Consolidated Steel and Wire Company.
Edenborn's inventions significantly reduced the cost of production of barb-wire, enabling Edenborn's wire company to control approximately 75% of the market.
Besides the lower cost, Edenborn's barb wired production process resulted in a more humane form, one that was less injurious to farm animals.
In standard practice, Edenborn's patented inventions were all in his own name without direct assignment to his corporate holdings. He granted royalty-free licenses to the companies that he owned and licensed his inventions elsewhere in the world for a significant royalty.
New markets and opportunities
By the latter part of the 19th century, the market for telegraph and telephone wire expanded significantly, and Edenborn's companies capitalized on this opportunity. He established a series of new wire companies to take advantage of the growth opportunities and to capitalize on his inventions. Some of Edenborn's new companies included the Harrison Wire Company, Missouri Barbed Fence Company, Western Union Barbed Wire Fence Company. He also acquired the Harrison Wire Company of St. Louis, Missouri.
Subsequently, under Edenborn's direction, Consolidated Steel and Wire Company merged with six other companies in the wire industry to form the
American Steel and Wire Company. This firm was incorporated under Illinois state law in 1898 and became known colloquially as the "wire trust". Edenborn and Gates remained principle stockholders in the new firm. The firm was the world's largest producer of barb wire and steel wire products at the time.
As the owner and manager of the American Steel and Wire Co., Edenborn took action to mutually beneficial relations between labor and management. This included establishing the Employees' Benefit and Insurance Association, providing insurance and a pension at the company's expense, to benefit his employees.
In 1901, Edenborn sold his ownership of the wire companies to
J.P. Morgan for $100 million, putting him among the wealthiest people in the United States at the time.
These companies then became part of the
US Steel Corporation
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...
. As a result of the acquisition of his companies, Edenborn served on the
board of directors and on the
executive committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
of US Steel Corporation until his resignation in 1909.
During his time with the American Steel and Wire Company, Edenborn is reputed to have said:
Railroads and land
Toward the end of the 19th century, as his business interests in wire and cable diminished, Edenborn pursued diverse business interests including cotton, forestry products, and railroads. He and his wife visited Shreveport, Louisiana, for which Edenborn perceived that the town's cotton and forestry products businesses were under-served by railroads. For this reason, Edenborn began investing in land and railroads in
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. Within a short period of time, he acquired more than a million acres of land in Louisiana. He established the Shreveport and Red River Valley Navigation Railroad Company.
In 1898 Edenborn created the Louisiana Central Construction Company for construction of his railroads, with a mix of freight and passenger service beginning in that year. One of his construction practices was to choose very low grades for the routes of the railroad so as to hold construction costs to a minimum. At times, Edenborn purchased used
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
and
railroad locomotives to minimize costs. He also built branches of the railroad, such as the Colfax and Northern Railway in order to better serve the local
timber industry
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
.
Initially Edenborn's railroad had no competition, although the Louisiana and North West Railroad, the Arkansas Southern Railroad, and the Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad soon appeared. The competition caused Edenborn to extend his service ultimately to New Orleans. Early on, Edenborn used a mix of rail and steamboat service for the extension to New Orleans, and, in this way, his railroad could serve the lucrative
cotton trade of the region.
Around the same time, Edenborn and
John Warne Gates invested in another regional railroad, the Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Gulf Railroad, which served a corridor near Shreveport. Edenborn and Gates reorganized the railroad at which time it became known as the Kansas City Southern Railway Company. Edenborn served on the railroad's board of directors from 1900 to 1902.
He eventually became chairman of the board of the
Kansas City Southern Railroad
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
.
In 1903, Edenborn created the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company. This new company pursued service of Edenborn's network of Louisiana railways all the way into New Orleans. The service into New Orleans commenced in 1906. His railroads started passenger service into New Orleans the following year.
Public funding and politics
As Edenborn sought to expand his railroad, he often pursued public funding to offset construction costs.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...
was a rising local politician at the time, from an influential political family. Long and his political family opposed Edenborn's pursuit of public funding, which set the stage for a political feud between Edenborn and Huey Long. This feud persisted for the rest of Edenborn's career.
![NOTerminalLOCDetroitA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/NOTerminalLOCDetroitA.jpg)
Edenborn had been managing his Louisiana railroads from his home in New York City. He relocated to New Orleans, coincident with the start of his railroad service into the city. By that time, his railroad was approximately 306 miles long, with ferry service to cross the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
in order to enter the city of New Orleans. The railroad carried various types of freight, especially timber, cotton, sugar, and oil. Edenborn at times leased trackage rights to other railroads. The railroad billed itself as the "Short Line Through Louisiana".
While Edenborn continued to spend money expanding the railroad and purchasing rolling stock and suitable ferry service, he compromised on track maintenance. In 1918, Huey Long became a member of the Louisiana Railroad Commission. In that position, Long pressured Edenborn to provide suitable upkeep on the railroad. Financial records indicate that the railroad was earning a low
return-on-investment, even though it appeared to meet Edenborn's
cash flow needs. Long's pressure on Edenborn subsided when Long became governor of Louisiana.
Edenborn continued to expand the railroad. In 1923, Edenborn's Louisiana Railway & Navigation Co. purchased a route to
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, in a $700,000 cash transaction. Subsequently, the railroad went through a succession of name changes, from the Louisiana Arkansas & Texas Railroad to the Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad.
After his death, his wife Sarah Edenborn became
chief executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of their railroad. She was the first woman to hold such a position at a railroad in the United States.
Sarah Edenborn sold the railroad to railroad executive
Harvey Couch in a transaction that was completed just before the
1929 stock market crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
.
Experimental farming
Edenborn used his Emden Plantation and its surrounding land as an
agricultural experiment station
An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...
. Among his agricultural endeavors, he experimented with improved peanut production using advice he received from
George Washington Carver. At Emden Plantation, Edenborn invented an apparatus for improved distillation of
pine oil
Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of species of pine, particularly ''Pinus sylvestris''. Typically, parts of the trees that are not used for lumber - stumps, etc. - are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, ...
for
turpentine
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a spec ...
manufacture, for which he received a United States patent. He worked on means of farming silkworms, improved cotton harvest, and pest protection of cotton plants. Edenborn was also involved in a
reforestation
Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting.
Management
A debat ...
effort in the nearby community of
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010. Three governors of the state of Louisiana were from Winnfield. .
Recognition
![William Edenborn aground after the Mataafa Storm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/William_Edenborn_aground_after_the_Mataafa_Storm.jpg)
A
Great Lakes freighter ship, the
SS ''William Edenborn'', was named after Edenborn. The ship ran aground in 1905 in a storm, five years after its launching. The ship was severely damaged, although it was restored to service, operating until its decommissioning in 1962. Another Great Lakes freighter ship was named after his wife, the SS ''Sarah Edenborn''.
Edenborn Avenue in
Metairie, Louisiana, is named after him, as was the Edenborn Post Office in
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,231. Known as the "Jambalaya Capital of the World", it is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival, which was first held in 1968. ...
.
Edenborn named a
railroad depot in
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the
Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,07 ...
, "Hessmer" after his mother's surname at birth. A village eventually was built around this depot, and it became known as
Hessmer, Louisiana
Hessmer is a village in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 802 at the 2010 census.
History
The rail depot which served the area was named "Hessmer" in 1902 by William Edenborn, railroad tycoon. The village was incorp ...
.
United States patents
* Edenborn, William C.; Griesche, Gustav. Barb-wire Machine. US 270,646, United States Patent and Trademark Office, January 16, 1863.
* Edenborn, William. Machine for Coiling Wire. US 480,565A, United States Patent and Trademark Office, August 9, 1892.
* Edenborn, William. Wire-Fencing Machine. US 653,889, United States Patent and Trademark Office, July 10, 1900.
* Edenborn, William. Apparatus for Extracting Resin and Allied Products. US 1,351,629, United States Patent and Trademark Office, August 31, 1920.
References
Further reading
* Coleman, Glen. ''The Man Who Fenced the West''. Osthoff-Thalden Publishers, 1984, .
* The library at
Louisiana State University at Shreveport maintain
a collection of Edenborn's papers
* Fair, James R. The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway: the Story of a Regional Line. Northern Illinois University Press, 1997, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edenborn, William C.
1848 births
1926 deaths
19th-century American inventors
Businesspeople from New Orleans
Businesspeople from Louisiana
American agriculturalists