William R. Kenan Jr.

William Rand Kenan Jr. (1872–1965) was an American businessman.[1][2]

Early life

William Rand Kenan Jr. was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on April 30, 1872.[2] He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1894.

Career

He started his career by establishing plants for acetylene production in the United States, Australia and Germany.[1][2] In 1896, he worked for Union Carbide (now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company) in Niagara Falls, New York.[2]

Between 1899 and 1900, he helped develop Florida's east coast with oilman Henry Flagler.[1] This included the construction of the Florida East Coast Railway and the Florida East Coast Hotel Company, including the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.[2]

In 1901, Flagler married Kenan's sister, Mary Lily Kenan.[1] In 1904, he married Alice Pomroy, whom he had met at Flagler's home.[2] After Flagler's death in 1913, Mary Lily and Flagler's surviving two sisters inherited his estate.[1][2] In 1917, Mary Lily died and Kenan inherited most of Flagler's estate.[1]

He moved to Lockport, New York, his wife Alice's hometown, and ran the Western Block Company, the largest maker of block and tackle in the United States.[2] He maintained Randleigh Farm, a model dairy farm for research with Jersey cattle.[2] He spent the rest of his life writing and donating resources to philanthropic endeavors.[2]

Death and legacy

Kenan died in 1965. In 1986, the Kenan Center was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1] It houses the Kenan Institute for the Study of Private Enterprise as well as the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and William R. Kenan Jr. Fund.[1] Moreover, the Kenan Memorial Stadium and the Kenan–Flagler Business School at UNC are named for him. Eighty-five endowed professorships at colleges and universities in the United States are named for him.[3]

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kenan Center
  3. ↑ Johns Hopkins University

External links

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