Robert A. Long
Encyclopedia
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He lived most of his life in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and founded the city of Longview, Washington
Longview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...
and the town of Longville, Louisiana.
R. A. Long was born December 17, 1850, in Shelbyville
Shelbyville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.5 people per square mile . There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 544.4 per square mile...
Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He was one of nine children born to Samuel M. Long and Margaret Kinkead White in Shelby County
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 42,074. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Its county seat is Shelbyville...
. His parents were Samuel M. and Margaret K. (White) Long. His mother was a cousin of Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn
Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn
Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn was a Democratic Representative and Senator from Kentucky. He was the younger brother of Kentucky governor Luke P. Blackburn. Blackburn, a skilled and spirited orator, was also a prominent trial lawyer known for his skill at swaying juries.He was born near Spring...
(October 1, 1838 – September 12, 1918), and his older brother Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Luke P. Blackburn
Luke P. Blackburn
Luke Pryor Blackburn was a physician, philanthropist, and politician from the US state of Kentucky. He was elected the 28th governor of Kentucky, serving from 1879 to 1883. Until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003, Blackburn was the only physician to serve as governor of Kentucky...
(June 16, 1816 – September 14, 1887), both of Kentucky. Three of his older brothers, Thomas
Thomas Long
Thomas Long was an Ontario merchant and political figure. He represented Simcoe West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative from 1875 to 1883....
, E. S. and Belvard, served in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
but Robert was too young.
By 1906, Long owned 250000 acres (1,011.7 km²) of pine in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and converted it into 61 lumberyards. As the timber land was deforested in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, he moved to Washington State and bought 270000 acres (1,092.7 km²) of Douglas fir. There he became a pioneer in reforestation realizing the need for conservation.
Biography
He moved to Columbus, KansasColumbus, Kansas
Columbus is the second largest city and county seat of Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg, Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,312.-History:...
in 1873 where his uncle, C. J. White, was a banker. He then started a hay bale company along his cousin Robert White and a friend, Victor B. Bell. Victor Bell's father, Dr. J. B. Bell, was president of the Kansas City Savings Bank. Robert Long was 24 years old but his two partners had not yet reached the age of majority. The hay venture failed but the three were able to sell the lumber from the hay sheds. Seeing that lumber was in demand they order more lumber and a load was delivered to the R. A. Long & Company on April 30, 1875. Business was good and the partners opened more yards. In 1877 the youngest partner, Robert White, died and the remaining partners bought out his share. Robert and Victor formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company
Long-Bell Lumber Company
In 1887, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, Kansas. The Long-Bell Lumber Company branched out using balanced vertical integration to control all aspects of lumber from the sawmills to the retail lumber yard...
in Columbus, Kansas.
Also while in Columbus he bought 1520 acres and developed a profitable coal mine with two shafts at Stone City. The location exist only on historical maps, as the town no longer exists today, but was just east of NW 40th street south of the junction of NW Meir road, which is northwest of Columbus.
Family
In 1874, Long met nineteen year old Martha Ellen Wilson. She was a Quaker and became a school teacher. After a year of courtship the two were married December 16, 1876. A son lived only a few weeks but the couple had two daughters. In 1879, Sally America Long (Ellis) was born, and in 1881 their youngest daughter, Loula Long (Combs) (d. 1971) was born.Long-Bell Lumber Company
In 1887, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, Kansas. The headquarters was moved to Kansas City where it remained until sold.In 1889, Samuel H. Wilson, Robert's brother-in-law, that began with the company in 1887, took over the retail department, a position he held until his death on October 20, 1903. In 1891 the capital stock was increased to $500,000 and Robert Long's future as a lumber baron was sealed. The Long-Bell Lumber Company was vertically integrated
Vertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
from the forest to the lumber yard and became the world's largest lumber company in the early 1900s. Long-bell Lumber Company was a Strong Force bringing His planned City Longview,WA to Life. Before He sold to International Paper
International Paper
International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...
in 1956. IP "International Paper" was a Large reason people came to Longview.With Long Bell,International Paper,Weyerhaeuser,Fibre,,Longview,WA became an Industrial Hub.
Louisiana
When the railroad entered Louisiana Robert Long was among the earliest to set up shop. He purchased land in many parts of the state to begin lumber harvesting to supply the needs of his giant lumber company.Bon Ami
In 1900 the Long-Bell Lumber Company organized the King-Ryder Lumber Company at Bon Ami, Louisiana. By 1904 the mill was producing 300,000 board feet of lumber daily which made it the largest in the area at the time.DeRidder
In 1903 Long-Bell organized the Hudson River Lumber Company in DeRidder and built a sprawling mill across the tracks from Washington street. Kansas City Southern Railroad and the Sante Fe Railway ran through Deridder.Lake Charles
Long-Bell bought out the two mills of the Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company in Lake Charles on March 16, 1906. This included 105,000 acres and 36 miles of the Lake Charles and LeesvilleLeesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
rails that was renamed the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad. This purchase included seven locomotives and 120 log cars and a total of 58.599 miles of tracks.
Longville
With the new rail, renamed the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad -L.C.& N., which formed part of the Atlantic System of the Southern Pacific Company. Long-Bell looked for and found a site along the line for a new mill. In October, 1906, a new location was set to be cleared for the Longville Long Leaf Lumber Company and town. A town arose to support the mill that included a three-story, 60-room hotel, 163 cottages for white and black workers, a large commissary with $30,000 worth of supplies, a school, complete machine shop, roundhouse, car repair shop, and blacksmith shop.Ludington
Circa 1913 Long-Bell acquired the Ludington Lumber Company and transferred 3000 acres (for $157,000) to shore up the stumpage (uncut lumber) reserve. When the mill burned in 1920 there were an estimated 2500 residents in the town meaning it rivaled FullertonFullerton, Louisiana
Fullerton is an unincorporated community in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. Fullerton was once an industrial community based around a large lumber mill...
. With the stumpage reserve dwindled the mill was not rebuilt so the town began to disappear. The planer was converted to a hardwood flooring mill, which was moved to DeRidder in 1927, when all operation at Longville ceased.
Washington
He founded the city of Longview, WashingtonLongview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...
, a "planned city" built in 1923 near two of Long-Bell's lumber mills. He personally donated funds for the city's public library, first high school, train station, YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
hall and its Monticello Hotel
Monticello Hotel (Longview)
The Monticello Hotel is a hotel and apartment building in Longview, Washington. It was given to the city by founder R. A. Long in the early 1920s....
. The mills were advertised as the largest in the world.
A newspaper was planned along with the city and on January 27, 1923 the first issue of Longview News
The Daily News (Longview)
The Daily News is the primary newspaper of Longview, Kelso, Washington, and Cowlitz County, Washington. It is owned by Lee Enterprises, which acquired the newspaper with its 2002 purchase of Howard Publications. Howard, in turn, had purchased the paper in 1999 from Ted and John Natt, grandsons of...
came off the press. Mr. Long was the principle stock holder until his death on March 15, 1934, and in a family trust until 1947. In 1981 The paper won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Mount St. Helen's eruption.
R.A Long properties
Long had a real estate company as well as owning many acres of land and buildings across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Washington D.C. to Washington state
Corinthian Hall
Long's home in Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, named Corinthian Hall, was completed in 1911. The 72-room French Renaissance mansion, located on Gladstone Boulevard, was Kansas City's first million-dollar home, is now the Kansas City Museum
Kansas City Museum
The Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall is a small museum in the historic Northeast Neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Also known as the R.A...
. On November 14, 1980 the building was entered into the NRHP as the R.A. Long House.
R. A. Long Building
In 1907 the R.A. Long BuildingR.A. Long Building
R.A. Long's Long-Bell Lumber Company had outgrown the office space in the Keith & Perry Building. Expanding operations and the need for a larger headquarters resulted in the construction of the R.A. Long Building completed in 1907. This was the first all-steel framed building in Kansas City,...
, a Beaux-Arts skyscraper in downtown Kansas City was built at 928 Grand Avenue. On January 8, 2003 the building was listed on the NRHP.
Longview Farm
Longview FarmLongview Farm
Longview Farm in Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States was built by Robert A. Long. In planning the farm Long again turned to Henry F. Hoit of Hoit, Price and Barnes, as he had designed Corinthian Hall and the R.A. Long Building. George Kessler was chosen as the landscape architect. The farm and...
was built in 1913-1914, in eastern Jackson County, on the outskirts of Kansas City. The 2000 acres (8.1 km²) farm had 42 buildings and 250 acres of clipped lawns, extensive flower beds, and four greenhouses, in later years fresh carnations and gardenias were shipped daily. Portions of the farm are now sites of Longview College
Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City)
Metropolitan Community College is a community college system in Missouri, United States. The system consists of five separate campuses located in Kansas City, Independence, and Lee's Summit. The five campuses have a total enrollment of over 21,000 students per semester...
and of Longview Lake
Longview Lake
Longview Lake is a freshwater reservoir in parts of Kansas City, Lee's Summit, and Grandview, all in Jackson County, Missouri. The reservoir is part of U.S...
. The farm was listed on the NRHP on October 24, 1985.
Liberty Memorial
Long was a driving force behind the creation of Kansas City's Liberty MemorialLiberty Memorial
The Liberty Memorial, located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I and houses the The National World War I Museum, as designated by the United States Congress in 2004.. Groundbreaking commenced November 1, 1921, and the city held a site dedication...
, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
museum and monument. He was the president of the Liberty Memorial Association, very successful at soliciting donations, as well as a major contributor. In less than a year the organization collected 2.5 million dollars. The monument was dedicated on November 11, 1926.
R.A. Long High School
The R.A. Long High School was a gift to the city of Longview, Washington in 1923 from Robert Long. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The school was one of several buildings that Long built from personal funds.Longview,WA is one of the first planned citys.
A Bust of Robert A. Long is located at the Civic Circle.
Religion
Long was involved in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America. It is often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples...
, as well as his family, until his death. Loula remained faithful to the Longview Chapel Christian church (Disciples of Christ) until she died and was celebrated as one of the longest attending members.
Other ventures
He was an early investor in the Kansas City Southern Railroad as a source of transportation for his raw material and products.Longview Development Company was formed for handling real estate in Longview, Washington.
Associations
Mr. Long was very active and along with many business ventures was a member of several associations.Southern Pine Association
Mr. long was the president of the Southern Pine Association founded in 1915. The name was changed in 1970 to the Southern Forest Products Association with a division being the Southern Pine Council and is still active today.The National Lumber Manufacturer’s Association
Being in the forest industry it was only natural Mr. Long belonged to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. The name was changed to the National Forest Products Association in 1965. In 1993 the name was changed to American Forest and Paper Association.Other organizations and memberships
- The American Christian Mission Society
- The National Brotherhood of Disciples of Christ
- An organizer of the Pension Plan and Trustee of the Pension Fund of the Disciples of Christ.
- The Christian Board of Publication. A large publishing house for religious books of faith that he purchased.
- The International Convention of Christian Churches.
- He was a part of Men & Millions Movement of the Christian Church
- A Trustee of the Bible College of Missouri
Passing of an icon
When Robert Long died in 1934 he left a legacy that included a city he built and named, churches of which he helped build the buildings, 13 lumber mills, 110 retail lumber yards, a sash and door factory, many warehouses, and towns that owe their existence, at least in some part, to his businesses.A bronze bust of the city of Longview, Washington's founder, by Seattle sculptor Victor Alonzo Lewis, was placed in the renamed R. A. Long Park on August 24, 1946.
The end of a giant company
In 1956, International Paper Company (IP) purchased all remaining holdings of the Long-Bell Lumber Company and renamed it IP-Long-Bell. With the lumber depleted and the mill being antiquated IP-Bell ceased operations in 1960 and the mills were dismantled and sold. Some of the giant old-growth beams were used to build Microsoft-founder Bill Gates’ mansion in Medina on Lake Washington.Sources
- Biography of Robert Alexander Long from A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, written and compiled by William E. Connelley, Secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, copyright 1918
- Robert A. Long (PDF), speech by J.C. Nichols, April 30, 1925.
- History of Longview, Washington
- Liberty Memorial web site
- Kansascity.com
- "Ours to Give: The Long Legacy of an American Family", Video Documentary
- R. A. Long Historical Society
- Long history
