Baker, Lorenzo Dow, 1840-1908

LC control no.	n 87896885
Descriptive conventions	rda
Personal name heading	Baker, Lorenzo Dow, 1840-1908 *Browse this term in* LC Authorities or the LC Catalog
Variant(s)	Baker, L. D. (Lorenzo Dow), 1840-1908 Baker, Dow, 1840-1908
See also	Founded corporate body: Boston Fruit Company *Browse this term in* LC Authorities
Associated country	United States Jamaica
Located	Wellfleet (Mass.) Port Antonio (Jamaica)
Birth date	18400315
Death date	19080621
Place of birth	Wellfleet (Mass.)
Place of death	Boston (Mass.)
Field of activity	Banana trade Shipping
Affiliation	United Fruit Company Boston Fruit Company L.D. Baker and Company
Profession or occupation	Merchants Ship captains
Found in	Bartlett, W.R. Lorenzo Dow Baker and the development of the banana trade ... 1977. LC data base, 9/29/87 (hdg.: Baker, Lorenzo Dow, 1840-1908) Encyclopedia of Latin American history and culture, 2008, viewed online 4 August 2014 (Baker, Lorenzo Dow (1840-1908); b. 15 March 1840; d. 21 June 1908; native of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, leading Cape Cod shipowner, and a principal founder of the modern banana-exporting industry in the Caribbean; first brought a small cargo of bananas from Jamaica to New Jersey in 1870; in subsequent years he greatly expanded this trade, developing it between Jamaica and Boston; in 1884 he led the formation of the Boston Fruit Company, which in 1899 merged with Minor C. Keith's Tropical Trading & Transport Company [no publications in OCLC database, 4 August 2014] and other banana interests to become the United Fruit Company; Baker continued to serve the company as its representative in Jamaica until just before his death in Boston) Bartlett, W. Randolph. Lorenzo Dow Baker and the development of the banana trade between Jamaica and the United States, 1881-1890, 1977: leaf ii (one of the pioneers of the Caribbean banana trade; procuring fruit and transporting it from Jamaica to the United States; his efforts in fruit production, shipping, and marketing) leaf iii, etc. (L.D. Baker; known as "Dow Baker" in his Cape Cod hometown of Wellfleet, Massachusetts; American schooner captain; born March 15 1840, in Wellfleet; first voyage to the Caribbean in 1870; in 1879, formed L.D. Baker and Company [no publications in OCLC database, 4 August 2014] in Port Antonio, Jamaica; by 1881, had moved himself and his family to Jamaica, established himself as an independent banana businessman in Port Antonio; purchased own banana-cultivating properties; built wharves and other fruit processing facilities at Boundbrook and Bowden; expanded his fruit exporting business; details regarding the formation of Boston Fruit Company are scarce; the influence of Baker, Jesse H. Freeman, and Andrew W. Preston regarding Boston Fruit Company's activities is a matter of controversy; Jesse H. Freeman formed an unincorporated association with L.D. Baker and Company, in a contract signed January 20, 1885, which was later to be known as the Boston Fruit Company; the original Boston Fruit Company agreement, March 3, 1885, was signed by Freeman and 8 other businessmen, including Preston; in later years, after the formation of the Boston Fruit Company, Preston was able to rise rapidly in the ranks, in the Boston office; in February 23, 1888, Boston Fruit Company Association was reorganized into a Limited Partnership; Freeman, Baker, and Preston became the general partners; the company's name, headquarters, and purpose did not change; the activities of L.D. Baker and Company were put under the direction of the Boston office; Boston Fruit Company was incorporated October 3, 1890, after the January 29 death of Freeman; Baker was made president, and Preston became general manager; Baker continued to reside in Port Antonio, Jamaica, and to run Boston Fruit Company from Jamaica, which he had come to regard as his home, his adopted island; in 1899, Preston conducted negotiations with M.C. Keith in secret, without Baker's knowledge; decision anounced in April 1899; Baker was forced into semi-retirement; the considerable assets of Boston Fruit Company were absorbed by the newly formed United Fruit Company; Preston became the first president of the United Fruit Company; for the next 9 years, Baker divided his time between Cape Cod and Jamaica; in 1908, sought medical care in Boston but died shortly after his arrival there, on June 21) Wikipedia, 4 August 2014: Lorenzo Dow Baker (Lorenzo Dow Baker; an American sailor, ship's captain, and businessman whose voyage from the Orinoco to Jamaica and then to Philadelphia launched the modern banana production industry; in 1878 he joined forces with Andrew Preston to form the Boston Fruit Company, the first in several successive partnerships that led to the formation of the United Fruit Company, now Chiquita Brands International)