Insull: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Utility TycoonThis is a reprint of a previosly published work. It dewals with Samuel Insull, who was Thomas Edison's private secretary and founded the business of centralized electric supply. He organized the Edison General Electric Company. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 36
Page vii
... head- lines in the summer of 1932 , telling you of the failure of a gas and electric empire that had operated in thirty - something states , and of a million investors losing two or three billion dollars ( " The biggest business failure ...
... head- lines in the summer of 1932 , telling you of the failure of a gas and electric empire that had operated in thirty - something states , and of a million investors losing two or three billion dollars ( " The biggest business failure ...
Page 12
... head clerk in Insull's office was also the shorthand clerk and a young man of some enterprise and ability . On Sam's first day at work the clerk told Insull that his handwriting was abominable and that he must practice writing ...
... head clerk in Insull's office was also the shorthand clerk and a young man of some enterprise and ability . On Sam's first day at work the clerk told Insull that his handwriting was abominable and that he must practice writing ...
Page 16
... head book- keeper in the office , and he initiated Insull into corporate finance by taking him , as a secretary , to countless conferences with bankers and businessmen . Gouraud also encouraged his secretary to familiarize himself with ...
... head book- keeper in the office , and he initiated Insull into corporate finance by taking him , as a secretary , to countless conferences with bankers and businessmen . Gouraud also encouraged his secretary to familiarize himself with ...
Page 21
... to go about it , and how much could be realized upon them . To the last detail , Insull had the information in his head , together with every other item of potentially useful information about Edison's affairs in Europe . By four in.
... to go about it , and how much could be realized upon them . To the last detail , Insull had the information in his head , together with every other item of potentially useful information about Edison's affairs in Europe . By four in.
Page 22
... heads preserved in the Edison Laboratory National Monument , Insull became corporate secretary of virtually all Edison's companies during the first month with Edison ; all such jobs paid him a salary . Edison's Financial Factotum • 23 ...
... heads preserved in the Edison Laboratory National Monument , Insull became corporate secretary of virtually all Edison's companies during the first month with Edison ; all such jobs paid him a salary . Edison's Financial Factotum • 23 ...
Contents
1 | |
25 | |
Chicago | 55 |
Intimates | 74 |
The Big Shot | 102 |
Or The Short Happy Life of Samuel Insull | 133 |
The War | 162 |
191723 | 188 |
Common terms and phrases
alternating current annual reports April bank bankers became began bonds Budd cent central station Chicago Daily Chicago Edison Chicago Herald Chicago newspapers Chicago Tribune coal committee Commonwealth Edison Company Commonwealth Electric cost customers Eaton Edison directors Edison G.E. Edison Illuminating Companies Edison Laboratory National Electric Company Electric Light employees franchise friends Gas Company Gladys Herald and Examiner History of Commonwealth holding company Illinois Council industry Insull companies Insull Papers Insull's interview investment J. P. Morgan John Josephson July June June 11 June 25 Junior labor Laboratory National Monument Libertyville Light Company Martin meetings Memoirs Middle West Utilities minute books Munroe operating organization pany passim plant political politicians Power Company previously cited Public Service Public Utilities rates Samuel Insull Scheel securities sell Sept Stilwell stockholders Stuart tion traction Utility Corporations Villard West Corporation Wisconsin Yerkes York
Popular passages
Page v - I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill ; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Page 2 - I have erred, but my greatest error was in underestimating the effect of the financial panic on American securities and particularly on the companies I was working so hard to build. I worked with all my energy to save those companies. I made mistakes, but they were honest mistakes. They were errors in judgment, but not dishonest...
Page 21 - I was naturally prepared to accept him as a hero. With my strict English ideas as to the class of clothes to be worn by a prominent man, there was nothing in Edison's dress to impress me. He wore a rather seedy black diagonal Prince Albert coat and waistcoat, with trousers of a dark material, and a white silk handkerchief around his neck, tied in a careless knot falling over the stiff bosom of a white shirt somewhat the worse for wear. He had a large wide-awake...
Page 23 - If he were exhausted he might more likely be asleep in the middle of the day than in the middle of the night, as most of his work in the way of inventions was done at night. I used to run his office...