Charles T. Hinde
Charles T. Hinde | |
---|---|
Depauw University in 1884) (dropped out) | |
Occupation(s) | Business magnate, philanthropist |
Known for | Co-founding the Hotel del Coronado |
Board member of | Coronado Beach Company Spreckels Bros. Commercial Co. Halliday Brothers Galena, Dubuque and St. Paul Packet Co. St. Louis & Memphis Packet Co. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Global Grain & Milling Co. San Diego Electric Railway Co. Hinde, Verhoeff, & Co. Chas. T. Hinde & Co |
Spouse | Eliza Halliday |
Children | Camilla Hinde |
Parent(s) | Thomas S. Hinde and Sara Cavileer Hinde |
Relatives | Dr. Thomas Hinde (grandfather) Edmund C. Hinde (brother) Frederick Hinde Zimmerman (nephew) Harry Hinde (nephew) William P. Halliday (brother-in-law) Charles H. Constable (uncle) |
Signature | |
Charles T. Hinde (July 12, 1832 – March 10, 1915) was an American industrialist,
In the late 1880s Hinde was invited to San Diego by his close friend E. S. Babcock to invest in and run several businesses, including the Hotel del Coronado and the Spreckels Brothers Commercial Company with John D. Spreckels. Hinde vastly increased his personal fortune during his time in southern California, and he helped spur the economy of the region. Towards the end of his life he donated much of his wealth to further various projects in the Californian city of Coronado and its surrounding area, some dedicated to the memory of his daughter Camilla, who died in Evansville, Indiana, at the age of 13.
Early years
Hinde was born in
Hinde attended elementary and middle school in
Hinde's first employment in river transportation was as a clerk on a boat that operated between
Railroad business
Steamboats began to see strong competition from the railroads after the post-Civil War replacement of the rail lines, and after a brief episode of poor health in 1870, Hinde sold his interests in the river navigation business and turned his attention to railroads. He went to Louisville, Kentucky, to rest, and by chance became a shipping agent for the
Southern California
In Evansville, Hinde had become acquainted with the
In California, Hinde again became involved in various businesses and investments. Initially, he was the commercial agent and manager for the Santa Fe Wharf, working with Spreckels and Babcock. Later, he was one of the founders of the Spreckels Brothers Commercial Company, owning a one-third interest. The company imported coal, cement, and general merchandise. Hinde's most important and lasting investment was the Hotel del Coronado on Rancho San Diego Island, which was owned by the Coronado Beach Company, originally capitalized with US$3 million. At the time of capitalization the company directors were Babcock, Spreckels, Hinde, H .W. Mallett, and Giles Kellogg. They formed the company on April 7, 1886,[10] and started construction on the hotel. The company also undertook numerous other investments in the Coronado area,[11] but their plans were interrupted by the Panic of 1893, a severe recession and bank run caused by a bubble in the railroad business. The economy did not begin to recover until 1897, and after a multiple year slump the property market in southern California began to recover. As with his original switch from the navigation to railroad business, Hinde's move from railroads to hotels dramatically increased his personal fortune. From its founding until his death in 1915, Hinde remained vice president and treasurer of the Coronado Beach Company and the Spreckels Brothers Commercial Company.[12]
Later life and legacy
At the age of 72, Hinde began to invest in property and mines in New Mexico as a hobby. Primarily, Hinde used his nephews, Harry Hinde and Frederick Hinde Zimmerman, to alert him to new business opportunities. The local newspapers reported on his investments, but he only experienced modest profits.[13]
Hinde bought the most expensive car on offer at the 1910 California Auto Show, a mammoth 72-horse power
Hinde was well connected among the elite businessmen and politicians of the time, owing to his extensive business interests. One of his closest friends was
Towards the end of his life, Hinde gave to many charities in southern California, and he was particularly generous to Coronado and San Diego.. He funded the construction of Christ Episcopal Church in Coronado, together with its parish center and rectory, all dedicated to his deceased daughter, Camilla. Even though Hinde was generous in his gifts, he remained modest and low-key throughout his life. He did not like receiving credit for his philanthropy, perhaps the reason his contributions were overlooked in the years following his death.[18] Hinde bequeathed a large part of his estate to his sister Belinda's son, Frederick Hinde Zimmerman, who used the money to build the Grand Rapids Hotel on the Hinde family farm in Mount Carmel. Hinde left an even larger portion of his estate and his house in Coronado to his nephew, Harry Hinde.[9]
Hinde died in Coronado on March 10, 1915, aged 82. In accordance with his wishes, the funeral service held in the Episcopal Church that he built for the residents of Coronado was modest. Hinde is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, San Diego, California.[17] His estate papers show that in addition to his other businesses, Hinde was a part-owner of the Los Angeles-based Global Grain & Milling Company, founded in 1898 and run by Will E. Keller.[19]
References
Notes
- ^ Historians believe that Hinde attended the university because his father was a close friend of Francis Asbury (1745–1816), a fellow leader in the Methodist community.[1]
Citations
- ^ a b The Ladies' Repository, Volume 12. (Google eBook), L. Swormstedt and J. H. Power, 1852.
- ^ 1850 Federal Census.
- ^ a b Smythe, William Ellsworth. "San Diego and Imperial Counties, California: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement", Volume 2. (Google eBook) The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.
- ^ St. Louis & Memphis Packet Co. v. Parker, 59 Ill. 23 (1871).
- ^ The Cairo Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1879.
- ^ MacMullen, Jerry. "They Came By Sea: A Pictorial History of San Diego Bay". W. Ritchie Press, 1969.
- ^ Flannigan, Kathleen. The Journal of San Diego History, Winter 1987, Volume 33, Number 1.
- ^ Olten, Carol. "Hinde Site and Foresight," The San Diego Union, September 13, 1987.
- ^ a b Nolan, John Matthew. "2,543 Days: A History of the Hotel at the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River", pp. 30–45.
- ^ United States v. Coronado Beach Co., U.S. Supreme Court, 255 U.S. 472 (1921).
- ^ Phillips, Morris. Abroad and at Home: Practical Hints for Tourists (Google eBook) Brentano's, 1891.
- ^ "Treasurer of Spreckels Company is Dead". The Evening News San Jose California, March 11, 1915.
- ^ "Personal," Los Angeles Herald, April 29, 1905.
- ^ "Auto Show To Close Tonight," Los Angeles Herald, February 26, 1910.
- ^ Martin, Albro. "James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest," Minnesota Historical Society Press, May 1, 1991.
- ^ History of Riverside County, California: With Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County who have been Identified with its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present. (Google eBook), Elmer Wallace Holmes, Historic Record Company, 1912.
- ^ a b "Obituary of Captain Charles T. Hinde", Daily Republican Register. March 13, 1915.
- ^ McGrew, Clarence Alan. City of San Diego and San Diego County: The Birthplace of California, Volume 1. (Google eBook) American Historical Society, 1922.
- ^ Estate of Charles T. Hinde.
External links
- City of Mount Carmel website
- "Kirk House", at Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church