The Dukes of Durham, 1865-1929

by Robert F. Durden

This is the history of Washington Duke and two of his sons, Benjamin Newton Duke and James Buchanan Duke. Although numerous other members of the family play their parts in the story it focuses primarily on the three men who were at the center of the economic and philanthropic activities which made the Dukes of Durham one of America's famous families. The Dukes operated closely and constantly as a family, and only in that context is their full story told.In the years after the Civil War, Washington Duke proved to be an unusually able industrialist and a conscientious, Methodist philanthropist. He was, in fact, a major Southern pioneer in both industry and philanthropy. His two sons by a second marriage were remarkably devoted to each other as well as to their father. Both sons also reflected traits of thier father. While Benjamin N. Duke and James B. Duke had life-long involvement with the business world--first in tobacco, then textiles, and finally electric power--as well as with philanthropy, they actually developed complementary specializations. Benjamin N. Duke, the older of the two, served as the family's primary agent for philanthropy from his early manhood in the late 1800's until he gradually became semi-invalid after 1915. James B. Duke, on the other hand, early displayed a marked talent, even a genius, for business. Toward the end of his life, with the establishment of The Duke Endowment late in 1924, he emerged as one of the nation's major philanthropists, ranking alongside Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. A central theme of this book is, however, that the Endowment, despite its magnitude and far-reaching scope, was essentially the institutionalization and culmination of a pattern of family philanthropy that emerged in the 1890's and for which the older brother, Benjamin N. Duke, had always been the primary agent. Thus, the story of James B. Duke, who was and has remained much the more well-known of the two brothers, cannot properly be told out of the family context from which he emerged and in which occurred most of the important phases of his life.Washington Duke, as a small, land-owning yeoman farmer, was typical of the great majority class not only in ante-bellum North Carolina but in the South as a whole. Only after the war, when he and his sons emerged as large-scale industrialists and philanthropists, did the Dukes become atypical. Their story is, then, both agricultural and industrial, both Southern and national. Born North Carolinians, they moved onto a national, even global, stage. Yet all the while they kept deep roots, as well as vast investments of capital, in the Old North State, and they poured many millions into philanthropy, largely in the two Carolinas. Based largely on manuscript sources, many of them hitherto unused, this is the first study of the Duke family. The "New South," as recent historians have told us, may not have been so new--but it was certainly different in important ways, and the Dukes loomed large among those who helped to make it so.

Genres: Nonfiction

295 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative on both the Duke family and the early history of Duke University…would recommend to any Duke student/grad or anyone interested in learning more about Durham, NC. I hadn’t really realized 1) how progressive the Dukes were for their time and 2) how significant they were to the economic development of the Carolinas.

[Andres Cordoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal book recounting the early history of Durham and the all important role the Dukes had to play in it. A must read for any recipient of the Duke Endowment in an era of uncertainty, and take, not give. Amidst this modern world, the philanthropy of the generations of Dukes to Trinity College and to create Duke University is truly without match. The author walks you through this journey without bias, showing the many foibles of the characters but sounding a tocsin to any exaggeration or aberration's of the peculiar characters involved. Like any good story, the background is adequately set by Washington Duke's tobacco ventures and J.B. Duke's power ventures, both of which set the stage for what is to come. As a story about the Duke's their wise investments form the majority of the work, as well as the political and personal intrigue of the time. To me however, the most interesting part is their relationship with Trinity College, the establishment of the Duke Endowment, and most importantly the distinct existence of Duke University, already rising up to the elite tier to which it now comfortably sits. These chapters are beautifully written, largely with the help of the papers of William Few. Though ample set-up is given to the endowment, it is a regret of mine that only a few paragraphs are given a piece to the smaller, but much more numerous donations of Benjamin Duke that added the scholarships that moved and move the university (and others) forward. Still, the work stands as a stellar history in a philanthropy far less covered than the Carnegie's, Vanderbilt's and Peabody's of the world, and just as important to observe in the unequal society we find ourselves in today.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and informative history of a North Carolina family that rose from the ashes of the Civil War to become one of the richest American families of its time and who left to posterity an endowment funding a wide system of educational institutions, hospitals, and churches in the Carolinas. The family's combination of resilient hard work, business acumen, and philanthropic spirit is awe-inspiring. Their collaboration with visionary leaders of higher education and medical services in shaping world-class educational and medical institutions is noteworthy.

I was struck, in particular, by:
- the story of Washington Duke's move from simple tobacco farmer into the leader and sales representative of a network of neighboring local farmers and the entrepreneurial head of a cigarette-making factory that grew into the highly successful, industry-dominating American Tobacco Company; and,
- the further story of James Buchanan Duke's envisioning and developing a major endowment that supported a wide array of charitable organizations while continuing to oversee the private sector source of the majority of the revenue supporting its philanthropic work - the Duke Endowment and Duke Power.

Robert F. Durden was a Professor of History at Duke University and has authored several works focused on the history of the Duke family and Trinity College/Duke University.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to see how the Duke family interacted with the people of the state of North Carolina through their industries and their philanthropy

[Yaaresse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Durden, professor emeritus of history with Duke University, may know more about George Washington Duke, his sons, and their legacy than anyone alive. This history of the Durham Dukes as a family, as businessmen, and as involved members of their community is even-handed, realistic, and well-researched without ever becoming dry or wooden.

Using letters, company documents, newspaper articles and interviews, Durden manages to show the distinct personalities, strengths/weaknesses, and varied interests of the Duke patriarch and his three sons in a way that brings them alive to the reader. He shows them in the context of history and place. It’s no easy feat to make anti-trust lawsuits, textile mill finances or college endowments entertaining, but Durden neatly does just that.

I appreciate that he wrote the Duke men in a realistic and balanced manner, neither ignoring their less flattering moments nor resorting to adulation and hyperbole. The shared antipathy of the Dukes and Wrights was well known locally, as were Washington Duke’s depressions in his final decade and Brodie Duke’s weakness for drink and frequent business missteps. (At the same time, both men were well-liked and well-respected by their community.) I also appreciate that he wrote about the Durham/Orange physical, social and political environments in a way that was realistic and recognizable. It’s clear he is not only familiar with the nuances of the area and its culture, but he has respect for the area and its people.

Altogether, this was a fascinating read, one I recommend highly to anyone with an interest in the Durham branch of the Duke family, the history of post-Civil War industrial growth in the South and/or North Carolina history. Very enjoyable and informative.

[Seth Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read. It blended together biography and history very well which I quite enjoyed.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice history of the Duke family. Go Duke!!