William C. Edenborn
William C. Edenborn | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 20, 1848 Plettenberg, Westphalia, Prussia |
| Died | May 13, 1926 (aged 78) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor Entrepreneur Businessperson |
| Known for | Invention of barbed wire manufacturing process Founding of Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company |
| Spouse | Sarah Edenborn (née Drain) |
William C. Edenborn (1848–1926) was an inventor, steel industrialist, and railroad magnate. He patented the design for a machine for inexpensive manufacture of barbed wire. Edenborn founded the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which operated between Shreveport, Louisiana, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, this railroad formed the Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad and eventually part of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.: 3
By the time of his death in 1926, Edenborn was reputed to be the wealthiest resident of Louisiana.: 3 The New Orleans Times-Picayune stated that Edenborn was "one of the most colorful and picturesque, and at the same time one of the least known, of the Louisiana captains of industry."