Book excerpt: Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913) was a railroad tycoon and partner with John D. Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company. Although most of his fortune was made in the North, he devoted the better part of his life and his wealth to the development of Florida. Published in 1949, Florida's Flagler was the first biography of Flagler, tracing his life from his heritage and youth through his early dealings in grain, his association with Rockefeller, and his later activities in Florida. Sidney Walter Martin presents a colorful and authoritative account of the accomplishments and failures of this controversial figure.