Henry E. Huntington and the Creation of Southern California

Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1992. First ed., first printing (full number line). 229 pages: illustrations, maps; 24 cm. Fine in near fine jacket with mildly sunned spine, now in archival mylar. ISBN: 9780814205532, 9780814205563

Henry E. Huntington, nephew and protégé of Southern Pacific Railroad magnate Collis Huntington, decided to invest his fortune in developing interurban railroads serving the Los Angeles Basin, beginning in 1898 and working through 1920. With enough capital to put railroads where he felt they would work best, he exerted considerable influence on the early growth of Southern California. He also invested in a number of other regional industries, and as an avid collector of rare books and art, he and his second wife Arabella created a notable cultural legacy as wellContents: Introduction: Metropolitan entrepreneurship and the Los Angeles basin. Business beginnings. Apprenticeship years in San Francisco, 1892-1901. Trolleys, real estate, and electric power, 1898-1903. Shaping the basin and developing the economy, 1903-1907. Changing course and shifting gears, 1908-1913. Twilight of the business triad, 1914-1917. Organized labor, 1900-1920. Conclusion: The Huntington legacy.