Horatio Earle
Encyclopedia
Horatio Sawyer Earle is known as the "Father of Good Roads" or simply Horatio "Good Roads" Earle.
, Vermont
. He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878. Agnes died from tuberculosis later that year.
Earle worked a series of jobs until becoming a traveling salesman for farm equipment at age 31. He married Anna Maria Keyes in 1882 and they had a son, George Lewis Earle the following year. On January 5, 1889 the family moved to Detroit, Michigan
and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.
from 1919 to 1921. In 1920 he lost the Republican
primary for Governor. His book "The Autobiography of 'by Gum' Earle" was published in 1929. Earle died in 1935. State Highway M-53
in Michigan is called the Earle Memorial HIghway in his honor.
"...the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division. The League was the first organization that promoted the building of better roads. The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle-paths along the side of public highways. The League fought for the privilege of carrying bicycles in baggage cars on railroads. The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."
Early life
Earle was born February 14, 1855 on a farm in Mount HollyMount Holly, Vermont
Mount Holly is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,237 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.77%, is water.-Demographics:...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878. Agnes died from tuberculosis later that year.
Earle worked a series of jobs until becoming a traveling salesman for farm equipment at age 31. He married Anna Maria Keyes in 1882 and they had a son, George Lewis Earle the following year. On January 5, 1889 the family moved to Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.
Road advocacy timeline 1898-1909
- 1898: Appointed by Edward N. HinesEdward N. HinesEdward N. Hines , was a member of the Wayne County, Michigan, Road Commission from 1906 to 1938. He is one of the most important innovators in road development....
, Chief Consul of the League of American Wheelmen (LAW) Michigan Division to chair a Good Roads committee. - 1899: Unanimously elected Chief Consul with a platform to eliminate bicycle racingBicycle racingBicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
from the League and push the Good Roads MovementGood Roads MovementThe Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between the late 1870s and the 1920s. Advocates for improved roads led by bicyclists turned local agitation into a national political movement....
. - 1900: Elected to the Michigan SenateMichigan SenateThe Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
as an LAW candidate. - 1901: Introduces a Michigan Senate Resolution which creates a State Highway Commission and is subsequently elected as chair.
- 1902: Proposes the Federal Government create an interstate highway system. Founds the American Road Makers (later to be renamed the American Road Builders Association (1910), and since 1977, known as the American Road and Transportation Builders AssociationAmerican Road and Transportation Builders AssociationEstablished in 1902, the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association advocates strong investment in transportation infrastructure to meet public demand for a safe and efficient business transportation network....
). - 1903: Appointed Commissioner of Highways by Michigan Governor Aaron T. BlissAaron T. BlissAaron Thomas Bliss was a U.S. Representative from and the 25th Governor of the US state of Michigan, and was from Saginaw-Early life in New York:...
. - 1905: Introduces State Reward Road legislation, which creates a State Highway Department currently known as the Michigan Department of TransportationMichigan Department of TransportationThe Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...
(M-DOT). - 1906: Introduces legislation that creates the Wayne CountyWayne County, Michigan-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
Road Board whose initial members are Cass R. Benton, Henry FordHenry FordHenry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, and Edward N. HinesEdward N. HinesEdward N. Hines , was a member of the Wayne County, Michigan, Road Commission from 1906 to 1938. He is one of the most important innovators in road development....
. - 1908: Loses gubernatorial RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary. - 1909: Creates the World's first mile of concreteConcreteConcrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
road on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
Later years
Earle unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Detroit in 1912. He was vice-president of the Detroit Newsboys Association for 25 years and president of the National Exchange ClubNational Exchange Club
The National Exchange Club – a service organization with 700 clubs and more than 21,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico – celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011. The Exchange Club was officially started in 1911 as a national organization in Detroit, Michigan. Its second...
from 1919 to 1921. In 1920 he lost the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary for Governor. His book "The Autobiography of 'by Gum' Earle" was published in 1929. Earle died in 1935. State Highway M-53
M-53 (Michigan highway)
M-53 is a gateway route to The Thumb region of the US state of Michigan, carrying vacationers to the many cottages and resorts located on Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron in the vicinity of Caseville and Port Austin. This highway is also used to transport agricultural and manufactured products from the...
in Michigan is called the Earle Memorial HIghway in his honor.
Quotes from Earle's 1929 Autobiography
"I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country.""...the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division. The League was the first organization that promoted the building of better roads. The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle-paths along the side of public highways. The League fought for the privilege of carrying bicycles in baggage cars on railroads. The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."
Michigan Registered Historical Site
A plaque honoring Earle's efforts is located in a government building complex in Lansing, Michigan, directly west from the Capitol along the "mall" that corresponds with Michigan Ave. The plaque is located northwest of the footbridge that crosses Walnut.HORATIO EARLE -- In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quaqmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike. Bicycle clubs, such as the Leagues of American Wheeelmen, led the effort to "reform" roads nationwide. In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio "Good Roads" Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer "the Mighty Monarch Mud." A former sate senator, Earle served as state highway commissioner until 1909. Known as "the Father of Good Roads," Earle helped open the state to commerce and tourism. Monuments were erected in Cass City and Mackinaw City in his honor. Although aprecciative, Earle stated "the monument I prize most is not measured by its height, but its length in miles".
Registered state site No. 688, 2005
Erected by Employees and Friends of MDOT in its Centennial Year, 2005
