Barron Collier
Encyclopedia
Barron Gift Collier was an American advertising
entrepreneur
, who became the largest landowner and developer in the U.S. state of Florida
, as well as, the owner of a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers. He also owned a telephone company and a steamship line.
Collier was born in Memphis, Tennessee
. He quit school at age sixteen to work for the Illinois Central Railroad
. Within four years, he started his own business, the Consolidated Street Railway Advertising Company of New York City. By age twenty-six, he already was worth a million dollars.
Collier married in 1907 to Miss. Juliet Gordon Carnes, also a native of Memphis. In 1911, the Colliers visited Fort Myers, Florida
, on vacation, and fell in love with the area. So, they bought nearby Useppa Island
for the sum of $100,000. The island was reputed to be the place where the Spanish pirate, Jose Gaspar
, had held one of his favorite female captives named Useppa a century earlier, hence the name.
Collier was an avid fisherman and established the Izaak Walton Club
at their Useppa Island resort. Named for the seventeenth century author of The Compleat Angler, it became one of the most exclusive sporting clubs in the world. Collier next developed golf courses and improved a hunting club, the Rod and Gun Club, in Everglades City, Florida that also attracted wealthy tourists. Over the next decade, the Colliers went on to acquire more than a million acres (4000 km²) of land in Southwest Florida
, making them the largest private land owners in the state. He invested millions of dollars to transform and develop the wilderness, including drainage of the Everglades
and construction of the Tamiami Trail
. For his influence and investment in the state's future, the Florida legislature named the newly-created Collier County
in his honor on May 8, 1923.
Barron Collier's tremendous energy was manifest in other areas. He was involved in the national Boy Scout
movement. In New York he served as special deputy commissioner for public safety, and introduced the use of white and yellow traffic divider lines on highways. Following the Lindbergh kidnapping
in March 1932 he was an influential figure persuading the U.S. government to join INTERPOL
in 1938. Interpol originally had been formed in 1923. He was decorated by nine foreign governments.
His wife, Juliet Carnes Collier, appeared on the cover of the U.S. edition of the Tatler
in the early 1930s.
Collier died March 13, 1939 in Manhattan
, survived by his wife and three sons, Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. Although the Great Depression
had strained his finances and slowed development of their Florida lands, the next generations of his family would continue his development work in subsequent decades.
The family members participated in many sports, including a keen interest in motorsports, especially road racing
that led to the sons, Miles and Sam, founding of the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933, which became the Sports Car Club of America
(SCCA) in 1944. Miles, Cameron Argetsinger
, and Briggs Cunningham
were instrumental in founding Watkins Glen
near one of their summer retreats. Juliet worried about the risks of racing and tried to influence her sons against it, however, Sam died in a racing accident. The renowned automobile collection of Briggs Cunningham was purchased by a member of the Collier family and ceased to be publicly available.
The Collier County Public School System named Barron Collier High School in honor of Barron Gift Collier, Sr.
Extended family
Barron Collier and his wife, Juliet Gordon Carnes had three sons, Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel. Barron Jr.
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, who became the largest landowner and developer in the U.S. state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, as well as, the owner of a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers. He also owned a telephone company and a steamship line.
Collier was born in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He quit school at age sixteen to work for the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
. Within four years, he started his own business, the Consolidated Street Railway Advertising Company of New York City. By age twenty-six, he already was worth a million dollars.
Collier married in 1907 to Miss. Juliet Gordon Carnes, also a native of Memphis. In 1911, the Colliers visited Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
, on vacation, and fell in love with the area. So, they bought nearby Useppa Island
Useppa Island
Useppa Island is a barrier island located in Lee County, Florida. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Club. On May 21, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, due to its...
for the sum of $100,000. The island was reputed to be the place where the Spanish pirate, Jose Gaspar
Jose Gaspar
José Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla , was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneers," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Though he is a popular figure in Florida folklore, no evidence of his existence...
, had held one of his favorite female captives named Useppa a century earlier, hence the name.
Collier was an avid fisherman and established the Izaak Walton Club
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
at their Useppa Island resort. Named for the seventeenth century author of The Compleat Angler, it became one of the most exclusive sporting clubs in the world. Collier next developed golf courses and improved a hunting club, the Rod and Gun Club, in Everglades City, Florida that also attracted wealthy tourists. Over the next decade, the Colliers went on to acquire more than a million acres (4000 km²) of land in Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida is a region of Florida , United States located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades...
, making them the largest private land owners in the state. He invested millions of dollars to transform and develop the wilderness, including drainage of the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
and construction of the Tamiami Trail
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....
. For his influence and investment in the state's future, the Florida legislature named the newly-created Collier County
Collier County, Florida
Collier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 251,377. The U.S. Census Bureau 2007 estimate for the county is 315,839...
in his honor on May 8, 1923.
Barron Collier's tremendous energy was manifest in other areas. He was involved in the national Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
movement. In New York he served as special deputy commissioner for public safety, and introduced the use of white and yellow traffic divider lines on highways. Following the Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
in March 1932 he was an influential figure persuading the U.S. government to join INTERPOL
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
in 1938. Interpol originally had been formed in 1923. He was decorated by nine foreign governments.
His wife, Juliet Carnes Collier, appeared on the cover of the U.S. edition of the Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
in the early 1930s.
Collier died March 13, 1939 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, survived by his wife and three sons, Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. Although the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
had strained his finances and slowed development of their Florida lands, the next generations of his family would continue his development work in subsequent decades.
The family members participated in many sports, including a keen interest in motorsports, especially road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
that led to the sons, Miles and Sam, founding of the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933, which became the Sports Car Club of America
Sports Car Club of America
The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional racers.-History:...
(SCCA) in 1944. Miles, Cameron Argetsinger
Cameron Argetsinger
Cameron Argetsinger was a sports car enthusiast, lawyer and auto racing executive best known for creating the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York and making it the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix from 1961 through 1980...
, and Briggs Cunningham
Briggs Cunningham
Briggs Swift Cunningham II was an American entrepreneur and sportsman, who raced automobiles and yachts. Born into a wealthy family, he became a racing car constructor, driver, and team owner as well as a sports car manufacturer and automobile collector.He skippered the victorious yacht Columbia...
were instrumental in founding Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
near one of their summer retreats. Juliet worried about the risks of racing and tried to influence her sons against it, however, Sam died in a racing accident. The renowned automobile collection of Briggs Cunningham was purchased by a member of the Collier family and ceased to be publicly available.
The Collier County Public School System named Barron Collier High School in honor of Barron Gift Collier, Sr.
Extended family
Barron Collier and his wife, Juliet Gordon Carnes had three sons, Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel. Barron Jr.