William Edenborn
| William Edenborn | |
|---|---|
William Edenborn (ca. 1880s)
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| Born |
March 20, 1848 Plettenberg, Westphalia, Prussia |
| Died | May 13, 1926 (aged 78) Shreveport, Caddo Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Residence |
(1) Emden Plantation |
| Occupation | Businessman; Inventor |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Drain Edenborn (married 1875–1926, his death) |
| Children | Two daughters who died in childhood |
(1) Emden Plantation
Winn Parish, Louisiana
William Edenborn (March 20, 1848 – May 13, 1926) was a businessman, inventor and philanthropist, born in Plettenberg in the Westphalia region of the Ruhr River Valley of the former Prussia, since Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1866 as a "financially poor youth yet rich in vision and courage" and eventually became a citizen.
In 1860, Edenborn began an apprenticeship with a steel wire maker. After his arrival in the United States, Edenborn first settled in Pittsburgh, where he found work as a mechanic in the wire industry. He eventually made his way to St. Louis, where he built the first wire mill west of the Mississippi river in 1870 and married the former Sarah Drain (1856–1944) in October 1876.
In 1882, Edenborn invented a machine that dramatically simplified the manufacturing process for barbed wire, as well as a new type of barbed wire that was less likely to injure cattle. These inventions brought success to Edenborn's company, which soon merged with that of John Warne Gates and ultimately became the American Steel and Wire Company, which held a monopoly on the steel wire industry in the United States. Edenborn served as the president of the American Steel and Wire Company until it was acquired by J.P. Morgan in 1901 during the formation of U.S. Steel.
In 1898, Edenborn had launched construction of the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which extended from Shreveport to New Orleans and linked areas of his adopted state where the lack of transportation had prevented the development of industry. The railroad cost some $20 million. The project pumped $50 million into the state's economy. The obituary describes Edenborn as "fearless in this giant undertaking and was entirely unaided by finances other than his own." In addition to Emden in Winn Parish, the Edenborns maintained a residence in New Orleans, where they spent most of their later years to be near the railroad business office.
He was also a chairman of the board of the Kansas City Southern Railroad. With William Buchanan and Harvey C. Couch, Edenborn also owned the short-line, the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway.
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