Huntington was born in 1850 in
Oneonta, New York, to Solon Huntington and his wife. His uncle
Collis P. Huntington became one of
The Big Four who were instrumental in creating the
Central Pacific Railroad, one of the two railroads that built the transcontinental railway in 1869. Huntington later worked with his uncle, holding several executive positions under him with the
Southern Pacific. Collis Huntington died in 1900, and Henry Huntington assumed the leadership role with
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in
Virginia. Huntington expected to assume control of the Central and Southern Pacific after his uncle's death, but he was blocked by bondholder's representative
James Speyer, forcing him to sell his interests to
E. H. Harriman. In 1898, Huntington bought the narrow gauge city-oriented
Los Angeles Railway (LARy), known as the "Yellow Car" system. In 1901, he formed the sprawling interurban, standard gauge
Pacific Electric Railway (PE), known as the "Red Car" system centered at 6th and Main streets in Los Angeles. Huntington succeeded in this by providing passenger-friendly streetcars on round-the-clock schedules, which the railroads could not match. In 1905, Huntington,
A. Kingsley Macomber, and William R. Staats developed the
Oak Knoll subdivision located to the west of his
San Marino estate in the oak-covered hilly terrain near
Pasadena. By 1910, the Huntington trolley systems spanned approximately of Southern California. At its greatest extent, the system contained over 20 streetcar lines and 1,250 trolleys, most running through the core of Los Angeles and serving such nearby neighborhoods as the
Crenshaw district,
West Adams,
Echo Park,
Westlake,
Hancock Park,
Exposition Park,
Vernon,
Boyle Heights, and
Lincoln Heights. The system integrated the
Mount Lowe Scenic Railway above
Altadena, California in the
San Gabriel Mountains.
Huntington Hotel The Huntington Hotel was originally named Hotel Wentworth when it opened on February 1, 1907. Financial problems and a disappointing first season forced it to close indefinitely. Henry Huntington purchased the Wentworth in 1911, renaming it the Huntington Hotel. It reopened in 1914, transformed into a winter resort. The 1920s were prosperous for the hotel, as Midwestern and Eastern entrepreneurs discovered California's warm winter climate. The hotel's reputation for fine service began with long-time general manager and later owner Stephen W. Royce. By 1926, the hotel's success prompted Royce to open the property year-round. The "golden years" ended with the stock market crash and the
Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s. By the end of the 1930s the hotel was vibrant again. When
World War II began, all reservations were cancelled and the hotel was rented to the Army for $3,000 a month. Following the war, the Huntington's fortunes improved again. In 1954 Stephen Royce sold the hotel to the
Sheraton Corporation, serving as general manager until his retirement in 1969. The hotel operated until 1985, when it closed because of its inability to meet seismic standards. The structure was built of reinforced concrete in 1906. After a -year major renovation, the hotel reopened in March 1991 as the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa. The hotel completed a $19 million renovation in January 2006; it changed hands in early 2007 and became Langham Brand International, Huntington Hotel & SPA. ==Personal life==