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{{short description|Welsh-born American businessman}}
{{short description|Welsh-born American businessman}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Thomas Henry Blythe
| name = Thomas Henry Blythe
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| caption =
| caption =
| image_size =
| image_size =
| birth_name = Thomas Williams<ref name="SFC1">{{cite news |last1=Robbins |first1=Millie |title=Millie's Column: A Tough Tycoon's Soft Spot |work=San Francisco Chronicle |issue=Pg 64 |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=June 4, 1969}}</ref>
| birth_name = Thomas Henry Williams <ref name="SFC1">{{cite news |last1=Robbins |first1=Millie |title=Millie's Column: A Tough Tycoon's Soft Spot |work=San Francisco Chronicle |page=64 |date=June 4, 1969}}</ref>
| birth_date = July 30, 1822<ref name=Gunther1>Gunther, Pgs 59-61.</ref>
| birth_date = July 30, 1822<ref name=Gunther1>Gunther, pp. 59-61.</ref>
| birth_place = [[Mold, Flintshire]], [[Wales]]
| birth_place = [[Mold, Flintshire]], [[Wales]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1883|04|04|1822|07|30}}<ref name="SFE1">{{cite news |title=Sudden Death of Thomas H. Blythe |issue=Pg 3 |newspaper=Okland Daily Evening Tribune |date=April 5, 1883}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|1883|04|04|1822|07|30}}<ref name="SFE1">{{cite news |title=Sudden Death of Thomas H. Blythe |page=3 |newspaper=Okland Daily Evening Tribune |date=April 5, 1883}}</ref>
| death_place = [[San Francisco, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[San Francisco, California]], U.S.
| burial_place = Woodlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Meteo County, California
| burial_place = [[Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California)|Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery]], [[Colma, California|Colma]], [[San Mateo County, California]]
| burial_coordinates = {{coord|37.680|-122.467|name=Woodlawn Memorial Park|display=inline|type:landmark_source:GNS}}
| burial_coordinates = {{coord|37.680|-122.467|name=Woodlawn Memorial Park|display=inline|type:landmark_source:GNS}}
| monuments = City of [[Blythe, California]]
| monuments = City of [[Blythe, California]]
| nationality = United States ([[Naturalization|naturalized]])
| nationality = American ([[Naturalization|naturalized]])
| occupation = [[Venture Capital|Capitalist]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Local Breveties |agency=The Los Angeles Daily Herald |issue=Volume 16, pg 4 |date=November 10, 1881}}</ref>
| occupation = [[Venture Capital#Venture capitalist|Capitalist]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Local Breveties |agency=The Los Angeles Daily Herald |volume=16 |page=4 |date=November 10, 1881}}</ref>
| 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]],<ref name="B&B1">Brown and Boyd, Pgs 588-589</ref> and leaving an unsettled estate worth millions of dollars that became a sensational story over 25 years with numerous competing claims filed.<ref name="SFC1"/>
| 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]],<ref name="B&B1">Brown and Boyd, pp. 588-589</ref> and leaving an unsettled estate worth millions of dollars that became a sensational story over 25 years with numerous competing claims filed.<ref name="SFC1"/>
}}
}}


'''Thomas Henry Blythe''' (1822 - 1883), born '''Thomas Williams''' in Mold, Flintshire, [[Wales]],<ref>Thomas Blythe's birthname is disputed. Some sources believe he was born Thomas Henry Blythe in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, and that he used the name Thomas Williams only once, on his first trip to the United States.</ref> became a successful self-made capitalist and [[Business magnate|tycoon]] after emigrating to [[San Francisco]] in the [[United States]]. 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.<ref name="B&B1"/> The city of [[Blythe, California]], the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him.
'''Thomas Henry Blythe''' (born '''Thomas Williams''';{{Note|Thomas Blythe's birthname is disputed. Some sources believe he was born Thomas Henry Blythe in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, and that he used the name Thomas Williams only once, on his first trip to the United States.}} 1822–1883), was a Welsh-born American businessman; he became a successful self-made [[Venture capital#Venture capitalist|capitalist]] and [[Business magnate|tycoon]] after emigrating to [[San Francisco]] in the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starmans |first=Barbara J. |date=2016-05-22 |title=Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate |url=https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/part-two-129-claimants-battle-thomas-henry-blythes-estate/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The Social Historian |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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.<ref name="B&B1"/> The city of [[Blythe, California]], the largest city in the Palo Verde Valley, is named for him.


== Biography ==
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. Over 90 people claimed to be his legitimate heirs, including three women each professing to be his wife.<ref name="DailyEx1">{{cite news |title=Appearance Day; Ninety-Seven Claiments to the Blythe Estate |agency=The Daily Examiner |issue=Vol XXII, No. 33, Pg 1 |date=February 2, 1886}}</ref> Litigation of the estate spanned more than 25 years, but ultimately the entire estate was awarded to Blythe’s [[Legitimacy (family law)|illegitimate]] daughter, Florence Blythe.<ref>{{cite news |title=Florence Blythe, Judge Coffey Declares her to be Millionaire's Daughter |agency=The Examiner, San Francisco |issue=Pg 1 |date=August 1, 1890}}</ref>
Blythe was born on July 22, 1822, in [[Mold, Flintshire|Mold]], [[Flintshire]], [[Wales]].<ref name="B&B1" />


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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starmans |first=Barbara J. |date=2016-05-22 |title=Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate |url=https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/part-two-129-claimants-battle-thomas-henry-blythes-estate/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The Social Historian |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starmans |first=Barbara J. |date=2016-05-22 |title=Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate |url=https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/part-two-129-claimants-battle-thomas-henry-blythes-estate/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The Social Historian |language=en-GB}}</ref> Almost 200 people initially claimed to be his legitimate heirs,<ref>{{cite news |title=Blythe's Millions; The Romantic History Fully Told |agency=The Sunday Chronicle |volume=XLIX |page=8 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=May 19, 1889}}</ref> including three women each professing to be his wife.<ref name="DailyEx1">{{cite news |title=Appearance Day; Ninety-Seven Claimants to the Blythe Estate |agency=The Daily Examiner |volume=XXII |issue=33 |page=1 |date=February 2, 1886}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Starmans |first=Barbara J. |date=2016-05-22 |title=Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate |url=https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/part-two-129-claimants-battle-thomas-henry-blythes-estate/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The Social Historian |language=en-GB}}</ref> Litigation of the estate spanned more than 25 years, but ultimately the entire estate was awarded to Blythe's [[Legitimacy (family law)|illegitimate]] daughter, Florence Blythe.<ref>{{cite news |title=Florence Blythe, Judge Coffey Declares her to be Millionaire's Daughter |agency=The Examiner, San Francisco |page=1 |date=August 1, 1890}}</ref>


==Honors and tributes==
==Honors and tributes==
*The city of '''Blythe, California''', originally named '''Blythe City''' by Blythe himself, still bears his name.<ref name=Gunther1/>
*The city of '''Blythe, California''', originally named '''Blythe City''' by Blythe himself, still bears his name.<ref name=Gunther1/>

*Other places and organizations bearing Thomas Henry Blythe's name:
*Other places and organizations bearing Thomas Henry Blythe's name:
**[[Blythe Airport]]
**[[Blythe Airport]]
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== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
* 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.
* 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.
* Gunther, Jane Davies. ''Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories'', Riverside, CA, 1984. LOC catalog number: 84–72920.


{{Authority control}}
===Citations and notes===
{{reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Blythe, Thomas Henry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blythe, Thomas Henry}}
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco]]
[[Category:American venture capitalists]]
[[Category:Blythe, California]]
[[Category:Blythe, California]]
[[Category:Welsh people]]
[[Category:History of Riverside County, California]]
[[Category:Water in California]]
[[Category:19th-century Welsh businesspeople]]
[[Category:Welsh emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Welsh emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:People from Mold, Flintshire]]
[[Category:People from Mold, Flintshire]]
[[Category:People from San Francisco]]
[[Category:1822 births]]
[[Category:1822 births]]
[[Category:1883 deaths]]
[[Category:1883 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California)]]




{{Wales-bio-stub}}
{{Wales-bio-stub}}
{{US-business-bio-stub}}
{{US-business-bio-1820s-stub}}

Latest revision as of 04:04, 22 March 2024

Thomas Henry Blythe
Born
Thomas Henry Williams [1]

July 30, 1822[2]
Mold, Flintshire, Wales
DiedApril 4, 1883(1883-04-04) (aged 60)[3]
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Burial placeWoodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Colma, San Mateo County, California
37°40′48″N 122°28′01″W / 37.680°N 122.467°W / 37.680; -122.467 (Woodlawn Memorial Park)
MonumentsCity of Blythe, California
NationalityAmerican (naturalized)
OccupationCapitalist[4]
Known forObtaining 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]

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 Vereinigte Staaten.[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.

Biography

[edit]

Blythe 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]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Robbins, Millie (4 June 1969). "Millie's Column: A Tough Tycoon's Soft Spot". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 64.
  2. ^ a b Gunther, pp. 59-61.
  3. ^ "Sudden Death of Thomas H. Blythe". Okland Daily Evening Tribune. 5 April 1883. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Local Breveties". Vol. 16. The Los Angeles Daily Herald. 10 November 1881. p. 4.
  5. ^ a b c Brown and Boyd, pp. 588-589
  6. ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  8. ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Blythe's Millions; The Romantic History Fully Told". San Francisco Chronicle. Vol. XLIX. The Sunday Chronicle. 19 May 1889. p. 8.
  10. ^ "Appearance Day; Ninety-Seven Claimants to the Blythe Estate". Vol. XXII, no. 33. The Daily Examiner. 2 February 1886. p. 1.
  11. ^ Starmans, Barbara J. (22 May 2016). "Part Two: 129 Claimants Battle for Thomas Henry Blythe's Estate". The Social Historian. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ^ "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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