Henry Homes Porter (1835-1910)

He was born in Machias, Maine, and became a prominent businessman whose career was deeply connected to Chicago's development as a major industrial city. He became a pioneer in the railroad industry during the mid-to-late nineteenth century, focusing particularly on the Chicago region and the near Northwest. He held a firm belief that consolidating smaller rail lines into fewer, stronger railroads would better serve the nation's transportation needs. This philosophy drove him to become a powerful force in making Chicago the railroad hub it is today. His business interests extended far beyond transportation, and most notably he was also a founder of U.S. Steel. In the early 1900s, he created the Chicago Clearing & Transfer Company, which developed an industrial district that became one of the nation's first industrial real estate firms. He lived in a mansion on Wabash Avenue in Chicago (see images) and bought "Maple Lawn" on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In his later years, he wrote a short autobiography for his children and grandchildren, which was privately printed in 1915. He married Eliza, daughter of George French, and they had 3-children. He left a $2-million estate.