David Eccles (businessman)
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David Eccles Sr | |
---|---|
Paisley, Scotland | |
Died | December 6, 1912 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | (aged 63)
Known for | Oregon Lumber Company Utah Construction Company Amalgamated Sugar Company Utah Electric Company Union Pacific Railroad Sumpter Valley Railway Mount Hood Railroad |
Spouses | |
Children | Marriner Stoddard Eccles George S. Eccles |
David Eccles Sr (May 12, 1849 – December 6, 1912) was an American businessman and industrialist who founded many businesses throughout the western United States and became Utah's first multimillionaire.
Biography
Eccles was born in
After struggling to make a living, the family moved to
In the Ogden area, he worked cutting wood and building homes. He worked as a freighter and for the
In 1874, he attended Louis F. Moench's school in Ogden. It was there he met Bertha Marie Jensen and married her in 1875. They had 12 children from this marriage.
While he had been working he saved up a considerable amount of money and put it to other uses. He started the Eccles Lumber Company and several other enterprises. Through supplying ties for railroads, he knew the local circumstances of where the railroads were building and the opportunities available. He opened lumber mills, shingle mills, planing mills, an electric plant, and other entities. He followed the railroads and opened mills in other locations in Oregon and Washington states. He and his associates built the Sumpter Valley and Mount Hood railroads. It was through these and other railroads that Eccles shipped the lumber and other goods to Utah.
Eccles met Ellen Stoddard, the daughter of his partner, John Stoddard. Under the practice of
A hard worker, Eccles was reported to have traveled over 44,000 miles (71,000 km) in 1904. While friends encouraged him to slow down, he preferred to "die in the harness." One of his hallmarks was integrity and self-reliance. His companies prospered on his no-debt plan and view of achieving success rather than money.
David always put his children to work early in life. They worked along with the crews on the railroads, mills, and lumber yards. They were taught as many aspects of the businesses as they were willing to learn. Several served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His children graduated from University of Michigan Law School, Columbia University, Brigham Young College, Utah State University, and University of Utah.
With the estimated $4-7 million he made, mostly from his Oregon enterprises, he invested heavily in Utah. He purchased stock in banks, canneries, insurance companies, railroads, factories, mills, mines, and various other companies. The Utah Construction Company built over 700 miles (1,100 km) of track for the Western Pacific Railroad and led the Six Companies in constructing the Hoover Dam. David Eccles served as the second president of Utah Construction Company after the death of long-term associate Thomas Dee. He also served as founder of a number of companies, one of which was the Amalgamated Sugar Company.
Eccles served on the Ogden City Council and as their mayor from 1888 to 1890. He was known for his aid to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for lending large amounts of money to it at no interest. At the time of his death, he was the president of 16 industrial corporations and 7 banks. He also was serving as a director in 24 other banks and industries. He is Utah's first multimillionaire.[1]
While running to catch the evening train from Salt Lake City to Ogden, Utah, he died of a heart attack in Salt Lake City on December 6, 1912, at the age of 63.
There are a host of organizations named after Eccles and his descendants. The David Eccles School of Business is at the University of Utah. The David Eccles Conference Center is in downtown Ogden, Utah
Descendants
- Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The Eccles Building that houses the headquarters of the Federal Reservein Washington, D.C. is named after him.
- George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
- David Christian Eccles
- Emma Eccles Jones – daughter of David Eccles, noted philanthropist and pioneer in early childhood education.[3] Both Utah State University and Southern Utah University have an Emma Eccles Jones Education Building.
- Spencer Eccles – grandson of David Eccles, a prominent financier and philanthropist in Salt Lake City, Utah
References
- ^ ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the originalon November 3, 2022, retrieved April 18, 2024
- ^ "Eccles Family Backs New Investment Firm, The Cynosure Group", PRWEB, June 5, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Deseret News (April 3, 1991). "Emma Eccles Jones, Philanthropist and Educator, Dies at 93". DeseretNews. Retrieved December 8, 2023.