Without the prominence of North American entrepreneurs throughout the 19th century, our current lives would be drastically different. Over the past decades, contributions made from entrepreneurs affiliated with the lumber and timber industry have changed the daily operations of modern society. Specifically the North American entrepreneurs, John R. Booth and Frederick Weyerhaeuser, have impacted these industries and benefitted the business economy as a whole. These well-known characters both mastered techniques of the lumber industry throughout their business career and have earned their title as the “Lumber King”. Although Booth and Weyerhaeuser contributed to the economy around the same time frame, they worked in separate countries and not in collaboration with each other. Many did not realize how big of an opportunity the lumber industry in the 19th century was, whereas Booth and Weyerhaeuser made sure to take advantage it. While these two influential individuals were raised differently and experienced incomparable life events, they both attain similar characteristics that helped them achieve their success.
Firstly, John R. Booth and Frederick Weyerhaeuser were both raised in an environment where the importance of work was stressed which evidently led to the introduction of their careers at a young age. Both living in religious households, Weyerhaeuser was Protestant his entire life while Booth was Presbyterian. Even though Weyerhaeuser was born and raised in Germany and Booth lived in Canada, they both grew up working around farms as their family was heavily involved with the agrarian lifestyle. Their fundamental experience within farming and agriculture may have influenced their decision to work at a saw mill as one of their first jobs. While Weyerhaeuser and Booth ventured through a series of different careers, it seems as if their main passion was lumbering due to their similar upbringing. Family and upbringing helped the two entrepreneurs realize their interests and gave them experience; however, their management style and work ethic is what made them unforgettable businessmen in the history of North America.
Weyerhaeuser and Booth have management styles that are different in some aspects and similar in others. Both of these entrepreneurs were constantly innovating to make their business more efficient and effective. Booth founded and took ownership of several companies in the milling business such as Upper Ottawa Improvement Company and Madawaska Improvement Company Limited. Similarly, Weyerhaeuser prospered in the milling business as he was elected as President at the Mississippi River Logging Company that employs tens and thousands of citizens . This way, both entrepreneurs were able to spread their risks and learn more about the lumbering industry first-hand. While Booth’s career path primarily consisted of railway and lumbering related occupations, his strong work ethic helped him become one of Ottawa’s most thriving businessmen. However, some critiqued Booth’s managerial style to be very autocratic and not collaborative with executives. Booth lacked organization which eventually led to numerous labour strikes. Contrastingly, Weyerhaeuser ensured that every piece of work was executed with detail and perfection - making him an ideal leader. Co-workers, friends, and peers thought of him as a sympathizing person while still fulfilling and exceeding his work obligations . From Weyerhaeuser’s multiple enterprises, his exceptional leadership soon created a network of lumber interests called the “Weyerhaeuser syndicate”. When presented with difficult situations, these two individuals seem to make the best out of it. During the economic downturn of 1874, Booth managed to accumulate timber at low prices which helped eliminate his dependence on suppliers. As well, Weyerhaeuser made high risk investments that people did not approve of, but luckily ended up in his favour. We see from these examples how Booth and Weyerhaeuser were chosen to oversee some of the largest milling operations in North America and attain similar leadership traits.
While the management style of Booth and Weyerhaeuser were both effective, these entrepreneurs seemed to live an isolated life outside of work. Booth detested publicity greatly to the extent that he did not attend his granddaughters wedding due to the unwanted press . Weyerhaeuser never attended public and social functions as well since he preferred to live in anonymity. Despite the similar introverted characteristics these two attain outside of the workplace, they were responded to quite differently. Booth’s positive influence on other people through work circled around public gatherings making everyone know about the successful Booth from either word of mouth or through the newspaper. On the other hand, Weyerhaeuser was one of the richest men at the time and made impactful contributions to lumbering yet most of the population did not know his name in the 19th century. Both of these entrepreneurs enjoyed the amusement of their work and did not let their public reputation get in the way of work ethics and goals no matter how the public perceived them. Their persistent drive to focus on work and not be distracted by social matters shows their level of commitment into succeeding.
Booth and Weyerhaeuser were involved in many fields of work throughout their career. Booth worked from a series of sawmills until he decided to open up his own. Naturally, he became involved with the Canada Atlantic Railway in 1879 and expanded his transportation networks. His involvement with the railway helped his lumbering through speed, freedom from labour costs, and less constraints on shipping. Even though Booth had bad luck with fire destroying his lumber and railways on many occurrences, he then entered the papermaking business in hopes to earn back his losses. Similarly to Booth, Weyerhaeuser was involved through a series of different work areas. Weyerhaeuser worked at a construction company in Illinois, until he was offered a night position at a mill. Soon Weyerhaeuser’s endeavours led him to involvement with numerous banks and railway companies. It is shown that Booth and Weyerhaeuser did not stick to only lumbering but instead explored different areas of work. They were able to be adaptive to opportunities that approached them which made their business approach more diverse in turn. Thus, their expertise in many different fields inevitably helped their business skills and success as an entrepreneur. In conclusion, John R Booth and Frederick Weyerhaeuser attain many similar skills that make them such memorable North American entrepreneurs. While there was some contrasting evidence, their family upbringing, management style, personality, and diversity seemed to benefit and contribute to their overall goal of success. They both prioritize many of the same values such as work, innovation, and being future-oriented. Even though many of the articles seemed to highlight the beneficial contributions of Booth and Weyerhaeuser more than the negative ones, the two entrepreneurs did make a positive impact on North American business history in the end. The lateral thinking and independent abilities of Booth and Weyerhaeuser are what I believe make them both such successful entrepreneurs and memorable business people today. They were able to make calculated investments and seize opportunities that many people would not; thus deserving of the name “Lumber King” to each of them.
Bibliography
“Biography of Frederick Weyerhaeuser”, (2011) in Portait and Biographical Album of Rock ooooIsland County, Access Genealogy, accessed February 25, 2014

Francesco L. Nepa, “Weyerhaeuser, Frederick”, (2000) American National Biography Online, ooooYork University Library, accessed February 25, 2014

“J.R. Booth’s Remarkable Career”, (1903) in Pulp and paper magazine of Canada, vol. 12, ooooUniversity of Toronto, Archive, accessed February 25, 2014 (pg. 476)

James E. Homans, editor “Weyerhaeuser, Frederick”, (1918) The Cyclopaedia of American ooooBiography, accessed February 25, 2014

Jamie Benidickson, “BOOTH, JOHN RODOLPHUS,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, oooovol. 15, University of Toronto/Universite Laval, 2003-, accessed February 25, 2014

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