Barron Collier

Did You Know?

• He bought Useppa Island in Lee County for $100,000 in 1911 and eventually owned 90% of Marco Island.
• Collier agreed to finish the Tamiami Trail on the condition that a new county be named in his honor, leading to the creation of Collier County on May 8, 1923.
• His sons founded the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933, which was renamed the Sports Car Club of America in 1944.
• Samuel (Sam) Collier died in a racing accident at Watkins Glen in 1950.

History

Barron Collier was born in Memphis, Tennessee and dropped out of school at 16 to take a job with the Illinois Central Railroad. Just four years later, he started his own company in New York City, the Consolidated Street Railway Advertising Company. In 1907, he married Juliet Gordon Carnes, who also came from Memphis. The couple visited Fort Myers, Florida on vacation in 1911 and were drawn to the area, purchasing Useppa Island in Lee County for $100,000.

Over the next ten years, the Colliers accumulated more than 1.3 million acres across Southwest Florida, from the Ten Thousand Islands to Useppa, and from present-day Naples into the Everglades City and Big Cypress regions. They also owned 90% of Marco Island, making them the state’s largest private landowners. A passionate fisherman, Collier founded the Izaak Walton Club at the Useppa Island resort, which grew into one of the world’s most exclusive sporting clubs.

He later built golf courses and upgraded the Rod and Gun Club, a hunting club in Everglades City. He poured millions into draining the Everglades and building the Tamiami Trail. When construction on the western side near Naples hit financial trouble, Collier agreed to complete the highway on the condition that a new county be named after him. The Florida Legislature created Collier County on May 8, 1923, with Everglades (now Everglades City) as its seat.

He also owned a large estate called Overlook in Pocantico Hills, New York, bordering the Rockefeller family’s property. It featured a private theater and a racing club, and the Rockefellers bought it after his death; it is now part of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Collier helped fund the Union Church of Pocantico Hills alongside the Rockefellers. He died in Manhattan on March 13, 1939, leaving his wife and three sons—Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel—and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Personal relationships

Collier's three sons—Barron Jr., Miles, and Samuel—inherited his business after his death. All served in World War II and then took charge of the family enterprise, broadening its horizons into various sectors. Each died prematurely: Barron Jr. in 1976, Samuel in a 1950 car racing accident, and Miles from a viral infection in 1954. The sons were passionate about car racing and founded the Automobile Racing Club of America.

John H. Phipps, a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, was Collier's friend and business collaborator on projects including the development of Useppa Island and construction of the Hotel Pennsylvania; both were avid fishers and hunters and members of the Izaak Walton Club. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was Collier's mentor and friend; they met in 1905, and Collier supported Roosevelt's conservation projects and progressive stances, visiting him at Sagamore Hill and joining a hunting expedition in Louisiana.

Business associate Henry Flagler influenced Collier's vision for Florida, and Collier collaborated with Flagler's Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to bring rail service to Southwest Florida.