Arthur Briggs Farquhar (September 28, 1838 – March 5, 1925) was an American businessman, multi-millionaire and writer.[1] He was the founder of A.B. Farquhar Company in York, Pennsylvania.
A. B. Farquhar advertisement for its Ajax steam engine
On April 4, 1856, he moved to York to live with the family of Edward Jessop, a friend of his father and future father-in-law. Three days after arriving, he became an apprentice at W.W. Dingee & Co.[1][7] In 1858, he became a partner of the firm.[3] In 1861, the W.W. Dingee & Co. factory burned down and Farquhar took over the liabilities and assets in 1862, and the company became known as the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works.[4][6] To keep the business going during the American Civil War, Farquhar secured a contract with the government to supply chairs and stretchers to hospitals.[7] In 1876, the factory caught fire again and the factory was rebuilt and expanded to a 500,000 square feet facility.[8]
Initially a pacifist, Farquhar did not want to profit off of European war contracts.[7] In 1916, he served as a member of the American Manufacturers Export Association's American Industrial Commission to France and was appointed to the Pennsylvania Defense Organization in 1917.[1][9] The company supplied hydraulic powder presses, boilers, sterilizers, shot trucks and machine tools during World War I.[7] In 1952, the company was sold to Oliver Farm Equipment Company.[7]
He was also the owner of the York Gazette and the president of York Hospital.[1][8] He was state commissioner from Pennsylvania and Commissioner of Europe for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.[1][3] He was also elected as president of the National Association of Executive Commissioners.[1] He was a delegate to the first National Conservation Congress and served as director of the National Conservation Association.[1][3] He was also vice president and director of the United States Chamber of Commerce.[1][9] In 1911, he was elected to the York Chamber of Commerce and held the position of president until 1914.[7][10]
Civil War
Twice during the Battle of Gettysburg, Farquhar rode into Confederate lines to negotiate with Brigadier General John Brown Gordon about the Confederate occupation of York. After Gettysburg, he volunteered in the field hospitals and helped the wounded.[1][7] Farquhar wrote a piece for McClure's about his experience, including meeting Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton in Washington, D.C., after the battle.[5]
Francis Farquhar, graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, president of A.B. Farquhar Company from 1925 to 1944, president of York Hospital and York National Bank[2][7][11]
In 1875, Farquhar built the Edgecombe estate in York.[13] In 1911, Farquhar purchased the Sharon estate in Olney, Maryland, the home of his grandfather. He restored the old log house on the property and built a mansion nearby.[2]
Farquhar died on March 5, 1925, at Edgecombe.[1][14] He had been hit by an automobile years earlier.[1][14] He was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in York.[15]
Awards and legacy
In the 1880s, he created the Farquhar Park and a pavilion in York.[4][10]
On August 21, 1897, Farquhar donated land to the city of York in the northwestern part of the city.[4]
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