Thomas Henry Blythe (born Thomas Williams;^ 1822–1883), was a Welsh-born American businessman; he became a successful self-made capitalist and tycoon after emigrating to San Francisco in the United States.[6] Blythe is most remembered for purchasing, developing, and subdividing the Palo Verde Valley in southern California, and obtaining primary rights to Colorado River water to irrigate the valley.[5] The city of Blythe, California, the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him.
Thomas Henry Blythe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Thomas Henry Williams [1] July 30, 1822[2] |
| Died | April 4, 1883 (aged 60)[3] |
| Burial place | Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Colma, San Mateo County, California 37°40′48″N 122°28′01″W / 37.680°N 122.467°W |
| Monuments | City of Blythe, California |
| Nationality | American (naturalized) |
| Occupation | Capitalist[4] |
| Known for | Obtaining primary water rights to the lower Colorado River, and using that water to develop the Palo Verde Valley in eastern Southern California,[5] and leaving an unsettled estate worth millions of dollars that became a sensational story over 25 years with numerous competing claims filed.[1] |
Biography
editBlythe was born on July 22, 1822, in Mold, Flintshire, Wales.[5]
The city of Blythe, California, the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him.
Blythe died in San Francisco on April 4, 1883 at the age of 60.[7] At the time of Blythe's death his estate was estimated to be worth around four million dollars. He died suddenly, and unexpectedly, without any family in the United States, and without a will or other instructions regarding his estate.[8] Almost 200 people initially claimed to be his legitimate heirs,[9] including three women each professing to be his wife.[10][11] Litigation of the estate spanned more than 25 years, but ultimately the entire estate was awarded to Blythe's illegitimate daughter, Florence Blythe.[12]
Honors and tributes
edit- The city of Blythe, California, originally named Blythe City by Blythe himself, still bears his name.[2]
- Other places and organizations bearing Thomas Henry Blythe's name:
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Robbins, Millie (4 June 1969). "Millie's Column: A Tough Tycoon's Soft Spot". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 64.
- ^ a b Gunther, pp. 59-61.
- ^ "Sudden Death of Thomas H. Blythe". Okland Daily Evening Tribune. 5 April 1883. p. 3.
- ^ "Local Breveties". Vol. 16. The Los Angeles Daily Herald. 10 November 1881. p. 4.
- ^ a b c Brown and Boyd, pp. 588-589
- ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Blythe's Millions; The Romantic History Fully Told". San Francisco Chronicle. Vol. XLIX. The Sunday Chronicle. 19 May 1889. p. 8.
- ^ "Appearance Day; Ninety-Seven Claimants to the Blythe Estate". Vol. XXII, no. 33. The Daily Examiner. 2 February 1886. p. 1.
- ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Florence Blythe, Judge Coffey Declares her to be Millionaire's Daughter". The Examiner, San Francisco. 1 August 1890. p. 1.
Bibliography
edit- Brown and Boyd, (John Brown Jr and James Boyd), History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, The Western Historical Association, 1922, Copyright: The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill.
- Gunther, Jane Davies. Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories, Riverside, CA, 1984. LOC catalog number: 84–72920.
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