Henry Edwards Huntington

Henry Edwards Huntington (1850-1927), American railway executive and philanthropist. The nephew of Collis Potter Huntington, he was born in Oneonta, New York. He left school at an early age to work in a hardware store. In 1871 he became associated with his uncle's railway enterprises. After his uncle's death in 1900, he sold his major share in the Southern Pacific Company to the American financier Edward Harriman. Huntington became interested in urban mass transit, electric power development, and real estate and was responsible for much of the development of southern California. On his estate at San Marino, California, he built a library and an art gallery, both of which are now maintained as a public trust. The library has his vast collection of books, especially incunabula, and of paintings, featuring British masters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds.