What made entrepreneurs like Henry Ford, James J. Hill, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry J. Kaiser so successful? Thoreau, of course, is a special case as he only dabbled at being an entrepreneur, so the Antiplanner’s answer to this question will focus more on the other three.

Ford, Hill, and Kaiser had three characteristics in common (most of which Thoreau lacked). First, they were absolute workaholics. All of them worked long hours for at least six days a week for almost their entire adult lives. Hill and Kaiser were working on entrepreneurial projects up to a few days before their deaths; Ford quit only because he was getting senile and his wife made him turn the company over to his grandson, Henry Ford II.

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For parts I, II, III, and IV, see Henry J. Kaiser, Entrereneur, Henry J. Kaiser: The War Years, Henry J. Kaiser, Industrialist, and Henry J. Kaiser, Hawaiian Booster.

Henry Kaiser created an empire worth tens of billions of dollars and earned a personal fortune of $2.5 billion. Yet he is almost forgotten today. On his death, he divided his fortune between his second wife, Ale, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which was created to support the Kaiser medical program. His son, Edgar, received nothing because he was “otherwise cared for.”

Edgar replaced his father as chairman of the various Kaiser companies. But his personal investments in these companies was small, which may be why he was unable to keep the companies going. Edgar probably had a net worth of about $50 million, which is insignificant compared with Henry’s worth.

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For parts I, II, & III, see Henry J. Kaiser, Entrepreneur, Henry J. Kaiser: The War Years, and Henry J. Kaiser, Industrialist.

Late in life, Henry J. Kaiser became one of the earliest and biggest boosters of the Hawaiian tourist industry. He built the territory’s first destination resort, the Hawaiian Village Hotel. He built a large housing development named Hawaii Kai. He encouraged the airlines to increase flights to Hawaii. And he bought television and radio stations, both in Hawaii and on the mainland, to promote tourism.

Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village resort in the early 1960s. The pink on the right are catamarans; the radio tower at left is probably for Kaiser’s station, KHVH.

Because of his cement interests, Kaiser had visited Hawaii before the war, but — ever the workaholic — he wasn’t much interested in vacationing. In 1951, however, his wife Bess died. Less than four weeks later, Kaiser stunned his colleagues and shocked Oakland social circles by marrying Bess’ nurse, who was just half his age. Alyce “Ale” Kaiser opened his eyes to new ventures and ideas.

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