Austin E. Lathrop

Austin E. Lathrop

Austin Eugene "Cap" Lathrop (1865-1950) was an industrialist and outspoken opponent of Alaska statehood. He has been called "Alaska's first home-grown millionaire." [http://www.alaska.net/~ejtower/mining.html]

"Cap" Lathrop was born in 1865 in Lapeer County, Michigan to Eugene Lathrop and Susan Miriah Parsons Lathrop. He was expelled from school in the ninth grade for damages caused when he tampered with a water heater.

After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Lathrop moved to that city and worked for a time as a contractor. He made plans to settle in Anacortes, but the Panic of 1893 disrupted his business and he was forced to return to Seattle.

In 1895, he purchased a steam ship, the "L.J. Perry", and embarked on a new venture, transporting goods to the Territory of Alaska. Once the Klondike Gold Rush started, business picked up, and soon he was transporting both prospectors and the goods that they required.

In 1901, Lathrop married a widow, Mrs. Cosby McDowell of Seattle. The ceremony took place in Valdez, Alaska, where Lathrop had taken up residence. The marriage did not last, however, and within a year Mrs. McDowell Lathrop and her daughter relocated to Seattle.

In 1902, Lathrop's California-Alaska Mining and Development Company set up a camp at the mouth of the Kluvesna River, and in 1903, Lathrop drilled unsuccessfully for oil in Cold Bay.

Lathrop moved to Cordova, where in 1911, he was elected mayor. In 1916, he converted a clothing store into a movie theater, "The Empress". He went on to construct an "Empress" movie theater in Anchorage (1916) and Fairbanks (1927), as well as the "Lacey Street Theater" (Fairbanks, 1936-1940) and the "Fourth Avenue Theater" (Anchorage, 1947).

From 1920 to 1922, Lathrop served in the Alaska Territory House of Representatives.

In 1924, he produced "The Chechahcos", the first feature-length film shot entirely in Alaska.

Lathrop moved to Fairbanks, and in 1929, purchased the "Fairbanks Daily News-Miner". In 1937, he began work on the building that would house KFAR, Alaska’s first radio station. The call-letters formed an acronym for "Key for Alaska’s Riches". KFAR made its inaugural broadcast on October 1, 1939. In 1948, Lathrop opened Alaska's second radio station, KENI in Anchorage.

Lathrop feared that Alaska statehood would entail taxes and regulations that would harm business, and the "Daily News-Miner" took a stance challenging pro-statehood Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening.

On July 26, 1950, Lathrop was killed in an accident when he was struck by railroad car in the yard of his Suntrana coal plant.

Legacy

Lathrop High School was constructed in Fairbanks in 1955, and named to honor the late Fairbanks resident.

Austin Lathrop is said to have been the model for the character of "Zeb 'Czar' Kennedy" in Edna Ferber's 1958 novel, "Ice Palace". Kennedy was played by Richard Burton in the 1960 film adaptation.

The Austin E. Lathrop Residence Hall of the University of Alaska Fairbanks was opened in 1962.

In 1988, "Alaska Business Monthly" nominated Lathrop to the "Alaska Business Hall of Fame".

References

* [http://www.alaska.edu/opa/eInfo/index.xml?StoryID=245 Biography at the University of Alaska]
* [http://homepage.mac.com/jcrossley/wc/wc131/wc131_103.htm Austin Eugene Lathrop genealogy]
* [http://www.alaska.net/~ejtower/mining.html "Mining, Media, Movies"]

Bibliography

* Tower, Elizabeth A. "Mining, Media, Movies: Cap Lathrop’s Keys for Alaska’s Riches" 1991
* Tower, Elizabeth A. "Alaska's First Homegrown Millionaire" 2006 (ISBN 1594330395)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lathrop — may refer to:;places:*Lathrop, California, city in San Joaquin County, California, United States *Lathrop, Missouri, city in Clinton County, Missouri, United States *Lathrop Township, Pennsylvania, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United… …   Wikipedia

  • Lathrop High School — Infobox Secondary school name = Lathorp High School picture = principal = Karen Gaborik established = type = Public secondary grades = 9–12 city = Fairbanks state = Alaska country = USA enrollment = 1,181 faculty = campus = newspaper = The… …   Wikipedia

  • Fairbanks Daily News-Miner — The paper s April 7, 2009 front page Type Daily newspaper Format …   Wikipedia

  • Alaska Statehood Act — The Alaska Statehood Act was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 7, 1958, allowing Alaska to become the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959. History: The Road to Statehood Alaska s struggle for statehood was a long and difficult one.… …   Wikipedia

  • Alaska — This article is about the U.S. state of Alaska. For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). Alaskan redirects here. For other uses, see Alaskan (disambiguation). State of Alaska …   Wikipedia

  • The Chechahcos — is a 1924 silent film about the gold rush days in the Klondike. Chechahco , more commonly spelled cheechako , is a Chinook Jargon word for newcomer , and the film focuses on a group of would be prospectors sailing for Alaska.The film was directed …   Wikipedia

  • 1838 Mormon War — Mormon War Date August 6 – November 1, 1838 Location Northwest Missouri, United States Result Mormons stripped of property and expelled from Missouri …   Wikipedia

  • Liste de zoologistes — Attention, il n est pas d usage en zoologie d utiliser d abréviation pour les noms des auteurs (contrairement aux usages de la botanique, voir ici). Cette liste ne constitue pas une liste officielle. Nous attirons l attention du lecteur sur son… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lydia Sigourney — Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), née Lydia Howard Huntley, was a popular American poet during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the Sweet Singer of Hartford . Most of her works were published… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste De Zoologistes —  Attention, il n est pas d usage en zoologie d utiliser d abréviation pour les noms des auteurs (contrairement aux usages de la botanique, voir ici). Cette liste ne constitue pas une liste officielle. Nous attirons l attention du lecteur sur …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”