Quotes About Flagler

Flagler had a lean, handsome face and was highly susceptible to female charm.

Rockefeller followed Flagler's business adventures in Florida with sympathy but at a distance.

Never deterred by restrictive laws, Flagler switched his legal residence to Florida and applied his influence with state legislators.

By threatening to strip the others of their oil traffic, the Pennsylvania had placed the Erie and New York Central in a vulnerable position, and Rockefeller and Flagler decided to use this leverage to wring extreme concessions from them.

The tricky part for Rockefeller and Flagler was how to supplement their capital without relinquishing control; the solution was to incorporate, which would enable them to sell shares to select outside investors.

In exchange for this extraordinary concession, Rockefeller and Flagler didn't simply try to squeeze the railroads—they were much too shrewd and subtle for that—but offered compelling incentives.

Rockefeller advised silence, and Flagler desisted from further comment.

What makes Flagler's ethics consequential for Rockefeller's career was that he was the mastermind of many negotiations with the railroads—the single most controversial aspect of Standard Oil history.