Henry Villard Business Papers

German-born financier Henry Villard (1835-1900) was an important figure in American and international business during the second half of the nineteenth century. Villard played key roles in the financing of the transcontinental railroad in the United States, in promoting the Pacific Northwest, and in the development of the electrical industry in the United States and Germany. The collection primarily consists of business records created by Villard and his associates from 1862 to 1900, and cover Villard's life as a businessman and investor. The papers mainly concern Villard's railroad and electrical enterprises. Documentation includes correspondence, administrative records, financial papers, legal records, agreements, newspapers, newspaper clippings, reports, scrapbooks, maps, and patents.