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Carl G. Fisher

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   Carl Graham Fisher (1874-1938) of Indiana, an American automotive and
   real estate entrepreneur. photo credit U.S. Library of Congress, May
   1909
   Enlarge
   Carl Graham Fisher (1874-1938) of Indiana, an American automotive and
   real estate entrepreneur. photo credit U.S. Library of Congress, May
   1909

   Carl Graham Fisher ( January 12, 1874 - July 15, 1939) was an American
   entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly
   tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real
   estate development industries.

   Regarded as a promotional genius for most of his life, he was a bicycle
   enthusiast and became involved in bicycle and later auto racing. After
   being injured in stunts, he helped develop paved racetracks and
   roadways. An Indiana native, Fisher helped organize the Indianapolis
   Motor Speedway, and operated what is believed to be the first
   automobile dealership in the United States.

   In 1913, Fisher conceived and helped develop the Lincoln Highway, the
   first road across America. He followed that in 1914 with the conception
   of the Dixie Highway, which first led from Indianapolis, and eventually
   extended in several northern branches from the Mid-West U.S. at the
   Canadian borders to southern mainland Florida. Under his leadership,
   the initial portion was completed within a single year, and he led an
   automobile caravan to Florida from Indiana.

   At the south end of the Dixie Highway in Miami, Florida, Fisher became
   involved in the successful real estate development of the new resort
   city of Miami Beach, built on a largely unpopulated barrier island and
   reached by the new Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay directly at the
   terminus of the Dixie Highway. Fisher was one of the best known and
   active promoters of the Florida land boom of the 1920s. By 1926, he was
   worth an estimated $100 million, and redirected his promotional efforts
   when the Florida real estate market bubble burst after 1925. His final
   major project, cut short by the Great Depression, was a "Miami Beach of
   the north" at Montauk, located at the eastern tip of Long Island, New
   York.

   His fortune was lost in the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great
   Depression in the United States which followed shortly thereafter. He
   found himself living in a small cottage in Miami Beach, doing minor
   work for old friends. Nevertheless, years after his fortune had been
   lost, at the end of his career, he took on one more project, albeit
   more modest than many of his past ventures, and built the famous
   Caribbean Club on Key Largo, intended as a "poor man's retreat."

   Although he had lost his fortune and late in life considered himself a
   failure, Fisher is widely regarded as a very successful man in the long
   view of his life. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in
   1971. In a 1998 study judged by a panel of 56 historians, writers, and
   others, Carl G. Fisher was named one of the 50 Most Influential People
   in the history of the State of Florida by The Ledger newspaper. PBS
   labeled him "Mr. Miami Beach." Fisher Island, one of the the wealthiest
   and most exclusive residential areas in the United States, just south
   of Miami Beach, is named for him.

Youth, disability, early career, bicycles

   Carl Fisher was born in Greensburg, Indiana, nine years after the end
   of the American Civil War, the son of Albert H. and Ida Graham Fisher.
   Apparently suffering from alcoholism, a problem which would also plague
   Carl later in life, his father left the family when Fisher was a child.
   Suffering from severe astigmatism, it was difficult for Carl to pay
   attention in school, as uncorrected astigmatism can cause headaches or
   eyestrain, and blur vision at all distances. He quit school when he was
   twelve years old to help support his family.

   For the next five years, Fisher held a number of jobs. He worked in a
   grocery and a bookstore, then later he sold newspapers, tobacco, candy,
   and other items on trains departing Indianapolis, a major railroad
   centre not far from Greensburg. He opened a bicycle repair shop in 1891
   with his two brothers. A successful entrepreneur, he expanded his
   business and became involved in bicycle racing and later, automobile
   racing. During his many promotional stunts, he was frequently injured
   on the dirt and loose gravel roadways, leading him to become one of the
   early developers of automotive safety features. A highly publicized
   stunt involved dropping a bicycle from the roof of the tallest building
   in Indianapolis, which brought on a confrontation with the police.

Automobiles: parts and sales

   Auto racing pioneer Carl G. Fisher at the Harlem racetrack, near
   Chicago, Illinois photo from U.S. Library of Congress
   Enlarge
   Auto racing pioneer Carl G. Fisher at the Harlem racetrack, near
   Chicago, Illinois photo from U.S. Library of Congress

   In 1904, Carl Fisher was approached by the owner of a U.S. patent to
   manufacture acetylene headlights. Soon Fisher's firm supplied nearly
   every headlamp used on automobiles in the United States as
   manufacturing plants were built all over the country to supply the
   demand. The headlight patent made him rich as an automotive parts
   supplier and led to friendships with notable auto magnates. Fisher made
   millions in 1909 when he sold his Prest-O-Lite automobile headlamp
   business to Union Carbide.

   Fisher also entered the business of selling automobiles (with his
   friend Barney Oldfield, according to the Lost Indiana website. ). The
   Fisher Automobile Company in Indianapolis is considered most likely the
   first automobile dealership in the United States. It carried multiple
   models of Oldsmobiles, Reos, Packards, Stoddard-Daytons, Stutz, and
   others. Fisher staged an elaborate publicity stunt in which he attached
   a hot air balloon to a white Stoddard-Dayton automobile and flew the
   car over downtown Indianapolis. Thousands of people observed the
   spectacle and Fisher triumphantly drove back into town, becoming an
   instant media sensation. Unbeknown to the public, the flying car had
   its engine removed to lighten the load, and several identical cars were
   driven out to meet it, to allow Fisher to drive back into the city.
   Afterwards, he advertised "The Stoddard-Dayton was the first automobile
   to fly over Indianapolis. It should be your first automobile too."
   Another stunt involved pushing a car off the roof of a building and
   then driving it away, to demonstrate its durability.

Marriage & personal life

   In 1909 Fisher married a young woman while he was engaged to another.
   Fisher's previous fiancée sued him for a breach of promise. Meanwhile,
   he and his new wife Jane went on a business trip for their honeymoon.
   The couple divorced in 1926.

   "Blossom Heath" was Fisher's estate in Indianapolis. Completed in 1913,
   it was built on Cold Springs Road between the estates of his two
   friends and Indianapolis Motor Speedway partners, James A. Allison and
   Frank H. Wheeler. The house included portions of an earlier house on
   the site and featured a 60-foot-long living room with a 6-foot-wide
   fireplace where logs burned all day. There were twelve bedrooms and a
   huge glass-enclosed sun porch. Fisher built a house for his mother on
   the southern part of the estate. The estate also included a five-car
   garage, an indoor swimming pool, a polo course, a stable, an indoor
   tennis court and gymnasium, a greenhouse, and extensive gardens. A
   newspaper article dated February 2, 1913 described the simple dignity
   of the house. Unlike some of his friends and neighbors, Fisher built a
   large but simple house decorated primarily in yellow, his favorite
   colour. It did not contain exotic woodwork, elaborate carvings, or
   extensive decoration.

   In 1928, after Fisher moved permanently to Miami Beach, the Fisher
   Estate in Indianapolis was leased and later purchased by the Park
   School for Boys. The Fisher mansion was damaged by fire in the 1950s
   and the rear portion of the house was demolished and replaced with a
   classroom wing during 1956-57. The property was sold to Marian College
   in the 1960s and combined with two nearby estates into one 110 acre
   campus. Today the Fisher house (Fisher Hall), garage (Kavanaugh Hall),
   pool house (Art Annex), stable (Padua Hall), Mrs. Fisher’s cottage
   (Civic Theatre Offices), and a small outbuilding remain on the Marian
   College campus.

Auto racing: the "Brickyard"

   early Indianapolis Motor Speedway photo U.S. Library of Congress
   Enlarge
   early Indianapolis Motor Speedway photo U.S. Library of Congress

   In 1909, Fisher and several other Indianapolis businessmen invested in
   what would become the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is now
   surrounded by the city of Indianapolis. The first race ended in
   disaster and was halted and canceled when only halfway completed. The
   loose rock track led to numerous crashes, fires, terrible injuries to
   the race car drivers and spectators, and deaths. Ironically, such a
   thrilling race would probably be considered a success today.

   Undeterred, Fisher convinced the investors to pave the now famous
   "brickyard" track with 3.2 million paving bricks. Attracting 80,000
   spectators to the first 500 mile (800 km) race on Memorial Day May 30,
   1911, at $1 admission, the Speedway reopened and hosted the first in a
   long line of five hundred mile (800 km) races known as the Indianapolis
   500.

The Lincoln Highway

   Lincoln Highway scene in New Jersey photo U.S. Library of Congress
   Enlarge
   Lincoln Highway scene in New Jersey photo U.S. Library of Congress

   In 1913, foreseeing the automobile's impact on American life, Carl
   Fisher conceived and was instrumental in the planning, development, and
   construction of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America,
   which connected New York City to San Francisco. Fisher estimated the
   highway, an improved, hard-surfaced road stretching almost 3,400 miles
   (5,472 km), would cost ten million dollars. Fellow industrialists Frank
   Seiberling and Henry Bourne Joy helped Fisher with their promotional
   skills, together creating the Lincoln Highway Association. Much of the
   highway was paid for by contributions from automobile manufacturers and
   suppliers, a policy bitterly opposed by Henry Ford.

The Dixie Highway

   Carl Fisher next turned his attention to creating the Dixie Highway, a
   network of north-south routes extending from the Upper Peninsula of
   Michigan to southern Florida, which he felt would provide an ideal way
   for residents of his home state to vacation in southern Florida. In
   September 1916, Fisher and Indiana Governor Samuel M. Ralston attended
   a celebration opening the roadway from Indianapolis to Miami.

Miami Beach

   The future City of Miami Beach became Fisher's next big project. On a
   vacation to Miami around 1910, he saw potential in the swampy,
   bug-infested stretch of land between Miami and the ocean, and in his
   mind transformed the 3,500 acres (14 km²) of mangrove swamp and beach
   into the perfect vacation destination for his automobile industry
   friends -- he called it "Miami Beach". He and his wife bought a
   vacation home there in 1912 and he began acquiring land.
   Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach,
   Florida opened in 1913 as the "longest wooden bridge in the world."
   photo from Florida Photographic Collection
   Enlarge
   Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach,
   Florida opened in 1913 as the "longest wooden bridge in the world."
   photo from Florida Photographic Collection

   The Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay between Miami and the barrier
   island that became Miami Beach was built by John S. Collins
   (1837-1928), an earlier farmer and developer originally from New
   Jersey. Collins, then 75 years old, had run out of money before he
   could complete his bridge. Fisher loaned him the money in trade for 200
   acres (0.8 km²) of land. The new 2 1/2 mile (4 km) wooden toll bridge
   opened on June 12, 1913. It replaced an old ferry service and connected
   Miami Beach and the mainland, providing a critical link between the
   established city of Miami and the new town. The Collins Bridge was
   awarded the title of being "longest wooden bridge in the world."

   Fisher financed the dredging of Biscayne Bay to create its vast
   residential islands. He later built several landmark luxury hotels
   including the famous Flamingo Hotel and attracted the wealthy and
   celebrated to visit the community, several of whom took up permanent
   residence there. At the south end, he built a huge hotel-casino with
   Roman swimming pool and a Dutch windmill. But, while wealthy people
   came to vacation, only a few were buying land or building homes. The
   U.S. public was apparently slow to catch on to the vacation land and
   homes Carl envisioned for Florida. Fisher's investments at Miami Beach
   were not paying off, at least not until he again utilized his
   promotional skills which had worked so well years earlier in Indiana.
   Carl Fisher built a huge hotel-casino at the south end of Miami Beach,
   Florida
   Enlarge
   Carl Fisher built a huge hotel-casino at the south end of Miami Beach,
   Florida

   Ever the innovative promoter of the Florida land boom of the 1920s, PBS
   tells of his efforts to draw attention to Miami Beach. Carl had
   acquired a baby elephant named "Rosie" who was a favorite with
   newspaper photographers. In 1921, he got free publicity all across the
   country with what we would call today a promotional "photo-op" of Rosie
   serving as a ' golf caddy' for vacationing President-elect Warren
   Harding. Billboards of bathing beauties enjoying white beaches and blue
   ocean waters appeared around the country. Fisher even purchased a huge
   illuminated sign proclaiming "It's June in Miami" in Times Square in
   New York City.

   During the Florida land boom of the 1920s, real estate sales took off
   as Americans discovered their automobiles and the paved Dixie Highway,
   which through no coincidence led to the foot of the Collins Bridge.
   There were less than 1,000 year-round residents of Miami Beach in 1920.
   In the next 5 years, the resident population of the Miami Beach area
   grew 440%.

   The art of the swap, which helped fund the Collins Bridge, was
   apparently the source of great satisfaction to Carl Fisher. He had
   bought another 200 acres (0.8 km²) that now form Fisher Island from
   Dana A. Dorsey, South Florida's first African American millionaire, and
   had begun some development there in 1919. He traded Fisher Island to
   William Kissam Vanderbilt II of the famous and wealthy Vanderbilt
   family in exchange for a 250 foot yacht in 1925. Vanderbilt used the
   property to create an enclave even more luxurious and exclusive than
   many of Miami Beach's finest.

   By 1926, Fisher was worth an estimated $100 million, and could have
   been financially secure for life. However, Carl Fisher was always known
   for moving from project to project, and success had never stopped him
   from attempting something new. When she had earlier hoped that he would
   slow down at some point, in her 1947 book, his ex-wife Jane Watts
   Fisher quoted him as replying "I don't have time to take time."
   Instead, he redirected his promotional efforts to yet another new
   project far to the north.

Montauk, Long Island

   In 1926, Fisher began working on a "Miami Beach of the north". His
   project at Montauk at the eastern tip of Long Island in New York was to
   provide a warm season counterpart to the Florida development. He and
   four associates purchased 9,000 acres (36 km²) and built a luxurious
   hotel, office building, marina, and attractions. The project built
   roads, planted nurseries, laid water pipes and built houses.

   However, after the real estate boom became a land "bust" in Florida
   around 1925, followed by a devastating hurricane in September 1926
   which wiped out much of Miami Beach, hit Fisher's investments hard, and
   tourism dropped off severely. His financing for the Montauk project was
   dependent upon income from the Miami properties. Then, the Stock Market
   Crash of 1929 struck, and the Montauk project went into receivership in
   1932.

Decline, final project: a poor man's retreat

   Caribbean Club in Key Largo, Florida was Fisher's last project 1950s
   era photo from Florida Photographic Collection
   Enlarge
   Caribbean Club in Key Largo, Florida was Fisher's last project 1950s
   era photo from Florida Photographic Collection

   The losses in his real estate ventures and the Stock Market Crash of
   1929 left Fisher virtually penniless. Always a man whose lifeblood
   seemed to be new dreams and projects, by the mid 1930s, he was living
   in a small cottage on Miami Beach and received a US$500 per month
   salary from his former partners to do promotional work.

   Shortly before his death, as what turned out to be his last project,
   Fisher developed and built Key Largo's Caribbean Club, a fishing club
   for men of modest means, "a poor man's retreat." Ever the promoter,
   Fisher would probably have appreciated the value as about 8 years after
   his death, the Caribbean Club became famous as the filming site for the
   1947 film Key Largo starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. In
   2006, filled with Bogart memoriablia, it is still in business as a
   tourist attraction.

   Carl G. Fisher died July 15, 1939 at age 65 of a stomach hemorrhage in
   a Miami Beach hospital, following a lengthy illness compounded by
   alcoholism. He was interred at the family mausoleum in Indianapolis.

Legacy

   Carl Graham Fisher monument at Miami Beach, Florida photo Florida
   Photographic Collection
   Enlarge
   Carl Graham Fisher monument at Miami Beach, Florida photo Florida
   Photographic Collection

   Will Rogers remembered Carl Fisher as a Florida pioneer with these wry
   words:

          "Fisher was the first man to discover that there was sand under
          the water . . . [sand] that could hold up a real estate sign. He
          made the dredge the national emblem of Florida."

   Howard Kleinburg, an author and Miami Beach historian described Fisher:

          "If you look at Fisher's entire life, it's a marathon. It's a
          race. It was a race to achieve the top of whatever field he was
          in at the time. Everything he did he went into it with his
          heart, his soul, his money, and he would not stop until he
          reached the end. He wanted to be there the quickest and
          first..."

   In 1947, Jane Fisher, his ex-wife (who married him in 1909 and was
   divorced in 1926), wrote a book about his life. Fabulous Hoosier was
   published by R.M. McBride and Co. She wrote:

          "He was all speed. I don't believe he ever thought in terms of
          money. He made millions, but they were incidental. He often
          said, 'I just like to see the dirt fly.'"

   In 1971, Carl Graham Fisher was inducted into the Automotive Hall of
   Fame.

   In 1998, PBS produced a program about Fisher titled Mr. Miami Beach a
   part of the American Experience series.

   Carl Fisher's legacies include promotion and distribution of sealed
   beam headlight bulbs in the U.S. auto industry, his early automobile
   dealership, the Indianapolis 500, and a national system of paved
   highways in the United States which followed the trends established by
   the National Auto Trails and the transcontinental east-west Lincoln
   Highway and the north-south Dixie Highway. He has also a school in
   Speedway in his name titled Carl G. Fisher Elementray School

   In modern times, Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island (with the
   huge Tudor-style hotel he built now a condominium project) remains a
   small but popular tourist destination. The Miami Beach area has some of
   the most valuable real estate in the world, home of the revitalized
   South Beach area with its restored art deco buildings and Fisher Island
   at the southern tip. And, at Speedway, Indiana, just outside
   Indianapolis, each Memorial Day, the race cars still pound the famed
   "brickyard" at the Indianapolis 500.

   Today, Fisher's life story may also be regarded as an inspiration and
   source of hope and resourcefulness for persons with disabilities.
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