The Existential Joys of Fred Stark Pearson (1861-1915): Engineer, Entrepreneur, Envisioner

In an age of technology miracles - the birth of electric trolleys and rapid transit, the first large scale generation of electricity, and ever-more-globalized businesses-- a young engineer named Fred Stark Pearson stood head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. An innovator who built systems and built businesses from the emerging inventions of the age, Pearson could claim to have been the central figure in creating the pioneer transit systems in Boston and New York as well as building entire electric utility systems, generating plants, mining, and railroad systems, and more across three continents. Little known today, Pearson was the ultimate 'mover and shaker' of his time, masterminding businesses in North and South America and in Europe; setting standards for quality, reliability, and public service while also earning handsome profits for himself and his investors. Raised in the entrepreneurial and technical ferment of 19th century Massachusetts, Pearson showed early promise and his career blossomed promptly upon graduation from Tufts College. Because of his tragic death, along with his beloved wife Mabel, on the Lusitania in 1915, his potential was only partially realized and his legacy obscured. A driven man, and a family man, Pearson's good works - and great accomplishments - are finally brought back into focus through a masterful biography of the man and the enterprises he created and shaped. It is intended that Fred Stark Pearson be remembered as an exemplary engineer-entrepreneur, and that this book both instruct and stimulate the creativity of young engineers today.