Insull, Samuel, 1859-1938

Public utilities magnate, Chicago, IL. Born in England in 1859, Samuel Insull became the private secretary and bookkeeper for Col. George E. Gouraud, London agent of Thomas Edison, in 1879. Insull emigrated to the United States in 1881 to become the private secretary of Edison. While working for Edison he was in charge of establishing the Edison Machine Works at Schenectady, New York; the second Vice President in charge of the manufacturing and selling departments of Edison General Electric; and the second Vice President of the General Electric Company. Insull moved to Chicago in1892 to become the president of the Chicago Edison Company. There he established the first all-steam-turbine generating station in the world at the Fisk Street Station. He consolidated the electrical supply of Chicago into one company in 1907 by merging the Commonwealth Electric Company and the Chicago Edison Company, thus creating the Commonwealth Edison Company. Insull was president or chairman of many public utility companies including the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois; the Middle West Utilities Company; Peoples Gas, Light and Coke Company; the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad Company; and the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. He was chairman of the State Council of Defense of Illinois from 1917 to 1919 and the principal sponsor of the Chicago Civic Opera. Following the 1929 Stock Market Crash, Insull's companies collapsed and he was indicted for mail fraud, embezzlement, and violation of federal bankruptcy laws. After two federal trials, he was acquited on all charges. Samuel Insull spent the rest of his life abroad, dying in Paris, France, in 1938.

From the description of Samuel Insull papers 1799-1970 (bulk 1932-1935). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 85383717