Dade-St Johns County FlArchives Biographies.....McDonald, Joseph Albert ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 June 27, 2010, 1:54 pm Source: See below Author: See below Joseph Albert McDonald Along the East Coast of Florida, from Jacksonville on the North, to Miami on the South, only a few years since was a wilderness, wild and jungle-like, with only here and there a few sparse settlements of native fishermen, which were visited by irregular and desultory sailing craft; wild animals and the silent Seminole were the only living things to break the solitude, where once in a while a more than ordinarily brave traveller or hunter would be led by curiosity or in search of game as the case might be. Today where once it took weeks, the trip may be made in twelve hours, the traveller seated in a Pullman, over as fine a road as the country affords, stopping at will at towns and cities, with magnificent hotels as fine as the world can give. Indeed, one would think that the hand of magic must have wrought to effect such a wonderful development in so short a time; and the conjecture is not far wrong, for it was the magic hand of Henry M. Flagler that has effected the change. In so stupendous an undertaking as the conquest of the wilderness, the construction of several hundred miles of railroad and the great scheme of hotels, it was necessary that Mr. Flagler should have lieutenants to lead his forces and to carry out his ideas; and among the men of brains and energy who were employed none played a more important part than did the subject of this article, Joseph Albert McDonald. Joseph Albert McDonald was born during the fifties in the Province of Prince Edward Island. His father was James McDonald, who married Miss Ann McKinnon, both of whom, as their names would indicate, were descended from Scotch ancestors. As a lad Joseph A. McDonald attended the public schools of the Province and his education was received there. While quite young he learned the business of ship carpentering which he followed for twelve years, seven of which were spent in his native land, the remaining time in various parts of the United States. Later on he engaged in the business of contracting and building at Derby, Conn. In 1870 Mr. McDonald married Miss Elizabeth Wallace, of Derby, Conn. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McDonald of whom only one is now living, Mrs. John B. Reilly, who resides with her family in Miami. Mr. McDonald moved to Florida in 1881 and formed the business partnership with Mr. McGuire under the firm name of McGuire and McDonald, doing general contracting work. In 1886 the firm was engaged to build the famous Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotels at St. Augustine for the Standard Oil multi-millionaire, Henry M. Flagler, and later built the magnificent hotels at Ormond in 1891; the Royal Poinciana in Palm Beach in 1803: the Breakers in Palm Beach in 1895, which was destroyed by fire in 1905 and rebuilt by this firm the same year; the Royal Palm at Miami in 1896; and the Colonial at Nassau, Bahama Islands, in 1899, all built by the firm of McGuire and McDonald and known as the famous chain of East Coast Hotels, owned by Mr. Flagler but operated under the name of the Florida East Coast Hotel Company. In 1896 at the very birth of the city of Miami, Mr. McDonald built for himself the well known and popular Biscayne Hotel. a solid brick structure of three stories, which was an undertaking of no little magnitude in an infant city, and which has shown by the rapid development of Miami, that Mr. McDonald had a wonderful business foresight, well justified by the results. To this day, when Miami is thirteen years old the Biscayne Hotel is still one of the most popular hostelries of South Florida, and one of the most substantial buildings in Miami. When the Fort Dallas National Bank failed in 1907, and it was feared that the Bank of Bay Biscayne would be subjected to a run which might end in disaster, Mr. McDonald, with other leading business men of Miami, promptly rallied to the support of the threatened bank, and Mr. McDonald, by accepting the presidency, did much to restore confidence and to insure its stability. He also accepted the presidency of the Florida East Coast Ice Company when its affairs were entangled with the failure of the Fort Dallas National Bank and also succeeded in relieving it from financial embarrassment. In 1902 he organized the J. A. McDonald Lumber Company, of which he is president, it being a very successful business concern, which has done a large business from the beginning and increasing from year to year. He is also president of Halcyon Hall Hotel Company and vice-president of the Miami Transfer Company. It would be difficult to estimate the vast amount of good Mr. McDonald has done for the City of Miami, and he has always shown a lively interest in everything that seemed in his judgment to be for the good of the community. He took a prominent part in the work of organization and incorporation of the infant city, and during the first three years of its existence was an efficient member of the City Council. Being on such intimate terms with Mr. Flagler he was able to get that great financier to aid and cooperate with the city when so many improvements were needed and when its funds were very limited. His many very important doings in promoting the growth and welfare of Miami are by far too numerous to mention in detail, but it can be truthfully said that no important step has been taken in its history in which he has not rendered material and substantial aid. Mr. McDonald is a Democrat and always takes a lively interest in local and national elections. He is a leading member of the Roman Catholic Church at Miami and of the Knights of Columbus at St. Augustine. He belongs to the Jacksonville Lodge of Elks and to the Seminole Club of that city. He is always ready to help the needy but is so modest in what he does in a charitable nay, that none, except his nearest relatives or most intimate friends, have heard of any of the many deeds of that kind that he has performed. In a word, Mr. McDonald is a fine type of the American sturdy and successful business man, who, unspoiled by success, numbers his friends by the thousands. Taken in all he is one of the most popular citizens of Miami and no one ranks higher than he is in its social and business circles. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. II. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. MCCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/dade/photos/bios/mcdonald110gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/dade/bios/mcdonald110gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 7.3 Kb