Captains of Industry (ep13) Robert Dollar

Robert Dollar, also known as Captain Robert Dollar (1844–1932), was a Scots-American industrialist born in Bainsford, Falkirk, Scotland. The title "Captain" was honorary and he was called the "Grand Old Man of the Pacific". Both were bestowed after his entry into the shipping industry. Dollar became a lumber baron, shipping magnate, philanthropist; he was also a Freemason. His biography and an extensive introduction by him is contained within the book, Men Who Are Making the West 1923.

California Governor James Rolph Jr. said at the time of his death, "Robert Dollar has done more in his lifetime to spread the American flag on the high seas than any man in this country." He made the cover of Time magazine on 19 March 1928, with several writings concerning his business', and was given a long obituary in the 23 May 1932, issue.

At age 22, Robert took over running a camp as Director of the English and American Lumber Company. His first venture into the lumber industry began when he bought a lumber camp, but it failed. This did not deter him, and, apparently learning from his mistakes, he bought other camps that were successful. He bought camps and timberland in Canada, then in the upper peninsula of Michigan and finally in Northern California.

Departure of the steamer Robert Dollar from Seattle for Nome, Alaska ca. 1900
In 1888, the family moved to San Rafael, California, and Robert bought timberland and logging camps in Sonoma, a mill and lumber business at Usal in Mendocino county, and other places such as Oregon and as far north as British Columbia. Among his purchases was timberland known as "Dollar's Meeker tract." This section still had redwood trees. A portion of this tract, located on the Russian River, was sold to the Bohemian Club of San Francisco and is now the Bohemian Grove.

In 1906, Robert bought a Victorian style home in San Rafael and named it "Falkirk," after his birthplace in Scotland. He lived there until his death. He left the estate to his family and it was purchased by the community in 1975 for $250,000. The name Falkirk was retained as the Falkirk Cultural Center.

Shipping magnate
In 1895, he acquired his first vessel, a single steam schooner called Newsboy, to move his lumber from the Pacific Northwest to markets down the coast. Thus began his entry into the shipping industry that included lumber, commodities, mail, and passengers. In the process he became a San Francisco shipping magnate who entered the lumber trade in Canada. In 1903, Robert and his three sons incorporated their interests into the Robert Dollar Company. In 1910, Dollar built an 11-story office building in San Francisco, headquarters of the Dollar Steamship Company, which was expanded in 1919.[10] During the inter-war years, his freighters plied the Pacific and were a common sight from Canada to Canton, San Francisco to Shanghai, and Tacoma to Tokyo.

In 1923, the purchase of seven "president" ships owned by the U.S. Government allowed Dollar, at the age of 80, to pioneer his successful round-the-world passenger service. Pacific Mails, a U.S. company going back to the 1850s with the Panama-California and trans-Pacific routes, was taken over by Dollar in 1925 that added 8 more ships, and he also signed a contract with Grace Steamship Company.