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{{short description|American politician}}
⚫
'''Horatio Sawyer Earle''' (1855–1935) is known as the "Father of Good Roads" or simply Horatio "Good Roads" Earle.
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Horatio Earle
| image = Horatio Sawyer Earle (1855–1935).png
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Horatio Sawyer Earle
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1855|02|14}}
| birth_place = [[Mount Holly, Vermont|Mount Holly]], Vermont
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1935|12|25|1855|02|14}}
| death_place = [[Detroit]], Michigan
| burial_place =
| occupation = Transport engineer
| awards =
| spouse = {{Marriage|Agnes Lincoln|1874|1878|end=d.}}
| children = 1
| education =
| signature =
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
}}
⚫
'''Horatio Sawyer Earle''' (1855–1935), known as the "Father of Good Roads" or simply Horatio "Good Roads" Earle, was an American transport engineer.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Earle was born [[February 14]], [[1855]] on a farm in [[Mount Holly, Vermont|Mount Holly]], [[Vermont]]. He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878. Agnes died from tuberculosis later that year.
Earle was born February 14, 1855, on a farm in [[Mount Holly, Vermont]].<ref name=Progress>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Qqs-SQudMC&pg=PA398 |title=Men of Progress: Embracing Biographical Sketches of Representative Michigan Men |publisher=[[Evening News Association]] |location=Detroit, Michigan |page=398 |date=1900 |access-date=2023-02-22 |via=Google Books}}</ref> He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878. Agnes died from tuberculosis later that year.


Earle worked a series of jobs until becoming a traveling salesman for farm equipment at age 31. He married Anna Maria Keyes in 1882 and they had a son, George Lewis Earle the following year. On [[January 5]], [[1889]] the family moved to [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]] and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.
Earle worked a series of jobs until becoming a traveling salesman for farm equipment at age 31. He married Anna Maria Keyes in 1882 and they had a son, George Lewis Earle the following year. On January 5, 1889, the family moved to [[Detroit, Michigan]], and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.


==Road advocacy timeline 1898-1909==
==Road advocacy timeline 1898–1909==
*1898: Appointed by [[Edward N. Hines]], Chief Consul of the [[League of American Wheelmen]] (LAW) Michigan Division to chair a Good Roads committee.
*1898: Appointed by [[Edward N. Hines]], Chief Consul of the [[League of American Wheelmen]] (LAW) Michigan Division to chair a Good Roads committee.
*1899: Unanimously elected Chief Consul with a platform to eliminate [[bicycle racing]] from the League and push the [[Good Roads Movement]].
*1899: Unanimously elected Chief Consul with a platform to eliminate [[bicycle racing]] from the League and push the [[Good Roads Movement]].
*1900: Elected to the [[Michigan Senate]] as an LAW candidate.
*1900: Elected to the [[Michigan Senate]] as a LAW candidate.<ref>[https://mdoe.state.mi.us/legislators/Legislator/LegislatorDetail/5023 Michigan Legislative Biography-Horatio S. Earle]</ref>
*1901: Introduces a Michigan Senate Resolution which creates a State Highway Commission and is subsequently elected as chair.
*1901: Introduced a Michigan Senate Resolution which created a State Highway Commission and was subsequently elected as chair.
*1902: Proposes the Federal Government create an [[interstate highway]] system. Founds the American Road Makers (later to be renamed the American Road Builders Association (1910), and since 1977, known as the [[American Road & Transportation Builders Association]]).
*1902: Proposed the Federal Government create an [[interstate highway]] system. Founded the American Road Makers (later to be renamed the American Road Builders Association (1910), and since 1977, known as the [[American Road and Transportation Builders Association]]).
*1903: Appointed Commissioner of Highways by Michigan Governor [[Aaron T. Bliss]].
*1903: Appointed Commissioner of Highways by Michigan Governor [[Aaron T. Bliss]].
*1905: Introduces State Reward Road legislation, which creates a State Highway Department currently known as the [[Michigan Department of Transportation]] (M-DOT).
*1905: Introduced State Reward Road legislation, which created a State Highway Department currently known as the [[Michigan Department of Transportation]] (MDOT).
*1906: Introduces legislation that creates the [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]] Road Board whose initial members are [[Cass R. Benton]], [[Henry Ford]], and [[Edward N. Hines]].
*1906: Introduced legislation that created the [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]] Road Board whose initial members were [[Cass R. Benton]], [[Henry Ford]], and [[Edward N. Hines]].
*1908: Loses gubernatorial [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary.
*1908: Lost [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] gubernatorial primary.
*1909: Creates the World's first mile of [[concrete]] road on [[Woodward Avenue]] in [[Detroit]].
*1909: Created the world's first mile of [[concrete]] road on [[Woodward Avenue]] in Detroit.


==Later years==
==Later years==
Earle unsuccessfully ran for mayor of [[Detroit]] in 1912. He was vice-president of the [[Detroit Newsboys Association]] for 25 years and president of the [[National Exchange Club]] from 1919 to 1921. In 1920 he lost the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary for Governor. His book "The Autobiography of 'by Gum' Earle" was published in 1929. Earle died in 1935. State Highway [[M-53_(Michigan_highway)|M-53]] in Michigan is called the Earle Memorial HIghway in his honor.
Earle unsuccessfully ran for mayor of [[Detroit]] in 1912. He was vice-president of the [[Detroit Newsboys Association]] for 25 years and president of the [[National Exchange Club]] from 1919 to 1921. In 1920 he lost the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary for Governor. His book ''The Autobiography of "by Gum" Earle'' was published in 1929. Earle died at his home in Detroit on December 25, 1935.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12319651/horatio-earle-dies-suddenly-good-roads/ |title=Horatio Earle Dies Suddenly: Good Roads Leader Is Stricken at 80 |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]] |page=1 |date=1935-12-26 |access-date=2023-02-22 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> State Highway [[M-53 (Michigan highway)|M-53]] in Michigan is called the Earle Memorial Highway in his honor.


==Quotes from Earle's 1929 Autobiography==
==Quotes from Earle's 1929 autobiography==


"I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country."
{{Quote|I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country.}}


"...the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division. The League was the first organization that promoted the building of better roads. The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle-paths along the side of public highways. The League fought for the privilege of carrying bicycles in baggage cars on railroads. The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."
{{Quote|...the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division. The League was the first organization that promoted the building of better roads. The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle-paths along the side of public highways. The League fought for the privilege of carrying bicycles in baggage cars on railroads. The League fought for equal privileges with [[horse-drawn vehicle]]s. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets.}}


==Michigan Registered Historical Site==
==Michigan Registered Historical Site==
Line 31: Line 52:
A plaque honoring Earle's efforts is located in a government building complex in Lansing, Michigan, directly west from the Capitol along the "mall" that corresponds with Michigan Ave. The plaque is located northwest of the footbridge that crosses Walnut.
A plaque honoring Earle's efforts is located in a government building complex in Lansing, Michigan, directly west from the Capitol along the "mall" that corresponds with Michigan Ave. The plaque is located northwest of the footbridge that crosses Walnut.


<blockquote>HORATIO EARLE -- In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quaqmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike. Bicycle clubs, such as the Leagues of American Wheeelmen, led the effort to "reform" roads nationwide. In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio "Good Roads" Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer "the Mighty Monarch Mud." A former sate senator, Earle served as state highway commissioner until 1909. Known as "the Father of Good Roads," Earle helped open the state to commerce and tourism. Monuments were erected in Cass City and Mackinaw City in his honor. Although aprecciative, Earle stated "the monument I prize most is not measured by its height, but its length in miles".
<blockquote>HORATIO EARLE -- In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quagmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike. Bicycle clubs, such as the Leagues of American Wheelmen, led the effort to "reform" roads nationwide. In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio "Good Roads" Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer "the Mighty Monarch Mud." A former state senator, Earle served as state highway commissioner until 1909. Known as "the Father of Good Roads," Earle helped open the state to commerce and tourism. Monuments were erected in Cass City and Mackinaw City in his honor. Although appreciative, Earle stated "the monument I prize most is not measured by its height, but its length in miles".


Registered state site No. 688, 2005
Registered state site No. 688, 2005
Erected by Employees and Friends of MDOT in its Centennial Year, 2005</blockquote>
Erected by Employees and Friends of MDOT in its Centennial Year, 2005</blockquote>

==Works==
⚫
*Horatio Sawyer Earle (1929). ''The Autobiography of "By Gum" Earle''. Lansing, Michigan: The State Review Publishing Company.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
⚫
*Horatio Sawyer Earle (1929). The Autobiography of "By Gum" Earle. Lansing, Michigan: The State Review Publishing Company.


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.bikeleague.org League of American Bicyclists website]
*[https://www.bikeleague.org League of American Bicyclists website]
*[http://www.artba.org/about_artba/history/overview.htm American Road & Transportation Builders Association website]
*{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315113018/http://www.artba.org/about_artba/history/overview.htm|title=American Road and Transportation Builders Association website|date=March 15, 2005}}
*[http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/transportation/earlisms.html Michigan History Online]
*{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050511103359/http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/transportation/earlisms.html|title=Michigan History Online|date=May 11, 2005}}
*{{Find a Grave|13166713}}
*[http://www.michigan.gov/images/mhc_mhm_horatio-earle_49262_7.gif Photo of Earle]



{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Horatio}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Horatio}}
[[Category:1855 births]]
[[Category:1855 births]]
[[Category:1935 deaths]]
[[Category:1935 deaths]]
[[Category:Cycling in the United States]]
[[Category:Transport engineers]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Mount Holly, Vermont]]
[[Category:People from Vermont]]
[[Category:Republican Party Michigan state senators]]
[[Category:Transportation engineers]]
[[Category:Cycling advocates]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Detroit]]
[[Category:Politicians from Detroit]]
[[Category:Writers from Detroit]]
[[Category:Writers from Vermont]]

Latest revision as of 19:24, 22 February 2023

Horatio Earle
Born
Horatio Sawyer Earle

(1855-02-14)February 14, 1855
Mount Holly, Vermont
DiedDecember 25, 1935(1935-12-25) (aged 80)
Detroit, Michigan
OccupationTransport engineer
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Agnes Lincoln
​
​
(m. 1874; died 1878)​
Children1

Horatio Sawyer Earle (1855–1935), known as the "Father of Good Roads" or simply Horatio "Good Roads" Earle, was an American transport engineer.

Early life

[edit]

Earle was born February 14, 1855, on a farm in Mount Holly, Vermont.[1] He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878. Agnes died from tuberculosis later that year.

Earle worked a series of jobs until becoming a traveling salesman for farm equipment at age 31. He married Anna Maria Keyes in 1882 and they had a son, George Lewis Earle the following year. On January 5, 1889, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.

Road advocacy timeline 1898–1909

[edit]

Later years

[edit]

Earle unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Detroit in 1912. He was vice-president of the Detroit Newsboys Association for 25 years and president of the National Exchange Club from 1919 to 1921. In 1920 he lost the Republican primary for Governor. His book The Autobiography of "by Gum" Earle was published in 1929. Earle died at his home in Detroit on December 25, 1935.[3] State Highway M-53 in Michigan is called the Earle Memorial Highway in his honor.

Quotes from Earle's 1929 autobiography

[edit]

I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country.

...the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division. The League was the first organization that promoted the building of better roads. The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle-paths along the side of public highways. The League fought for the privilege of carrying bicycles in baggage cars on railroads. The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets.

Michigan Registered Historical Site

[edit]

A plaque honoring Earle's efforts is located in a government building complex in Lansing, Michigan, directly west from the Capitol along the "mall" that corresponds with Michigan Ave. The plaque is located northwest of the footbridge that crosses Walnut.

HORATIO EARLE -- In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quagmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike. Bicycle clubs, such as the Leagues of American Wheelmen, led the effort to "reform" roads nationwide. In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio "Good Roads" Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer "the Mighty Monarch Mud." A former state senator, Earle served as state highway commissioner until 1909. Known as "the Father of Good Roads," Earle helped open the state to commerce and tourism. Monuments were erected in Cass City and Mackinaw City in his honor. Although appreciative, Earle stated "the monument I prize most is not measured by its height, but its length in miles".

Registered state site No. 688, 2005

Erected by Employees and Friends of MDOT in its Centennial Year, 2005

Works

[edit]
  • Horatio Sawyer Earle (1929). The Autobiography of "By Gum" Earle. Lansing, Michigan: The State Review Publishing Company.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Men of Progress: Embracing Biographical Sketches of Representative Michigan Men. Detroit, Michigan: Evening News Association. 1900. p. 398. Retrieved February 22, 2023 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Michigan Legislative Biography-Horatio S. Earle
  3. ^ "Horatio Earle Dies Suddenly: Good Roads Leader Is Stricken at 80". Detroit Free Press. December 26, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved February 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
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