His biography “Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine” offers a fresh look into the life of industrialist Henry Flagler, and earned him the 2014 Bronze award in the “Florida Non-Fiction” category.
“I tried to develop a personal portrait of Flagler and the people around him, as well as to describe his railroad and hotel and land developments along the East Coast of Florida,” Graham told Historic City News local reporters. “The book is anchored in St. Augustine, but the story follows Flagler to Palm Beach, Nassau, and Key West — as well as New York and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.”
Since his retirement, Graham says the luxury of time has allowed him to complete the extensive research needed to complete his nearly 600-page book. Graham recalled long hours in the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library spent studying the dusty reels of microfilm and old society magazines of Henry Flagler’s heyday.
The retired professor was one of more than 200 writers to compete for the Florida Book Awards; an annual awards program that recognizes, honors and celebrates the best books about Florida published in the previous year.
St. Augustine’s 450th celebration motivated him to write the book, but so too did his curiosity about the hotel and railroad magnate’s mysterious ways.
“One question I asked was: Why did he leave Standard Oil — where he was the number two guy in the midst of its greatest success?” Graham said. “I think the answer is that he was someone who liked challenges. He liked creating things and he saw here in Florida the chance to do something on his own.”
Graham is also the author of “Flagler’s St. Augustine Hotels” and “The Awakening of St. Augustine”.
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