Harriet White Fisher

Harriet White Fisher Andrew was an American known for being the first woman to circle the globe in a Locomobile.

Harriet White Fisher
Harriet White Fisher, about 1909
NationalityAmerican
Born(1861-03-31)March 31, 1861
Crawford County, Pennsylvania
AchievementsFirst woman to circle globe in a Locomobile

Birth and early life

Harriet White was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania on March 31, 1861.[1] She was the daughter of Oscar A. White and Hannah Fisher, and was educated at The Young Women's Classical Seminary in Cleveland Ohio.[2] At the time of the Johnstown Flood she took care of victims.[3] Wu Tingfang, Chinese diplomat and politician, called Mrs. Harriet White Fisher "The most wonderful woman in America."[4]

Marriages

Her first known marriage was to Clark Fisher.[5] They were married in London, England on July 20, 1898. The report of their marriage in the Trenton Evening Times states the bride's name as Mrs. White, a widow who moved to Flushing, Queens in 1896. However, a later interview of Harriet Fisher, stated she was a "White" by birth and her mother was distantly related to her husband.[2] Fisher died in 1903.[6] She married again on April 27, 1912 to Sylvan Alfredo Andrew, an officer in the Argentine Navy, in Manhattan. It was described as a quiet ceremony in the press because the groom's brother had died on the Titanic a few days earlier.[7]

Train accident

On October 8, 1902 two Pennsylvania Railroad passenger trains collided in Menlo Park, New Jersey.[8] Harriet Fisher was severely injured. A report of her injuries stated she was in Presbyterian Hospital (New York City) for eight weeks, hospitalized with fractured hips, spinal injury, and internal injury.[9]

Steel industry

After her husband's death, Harriet Fisher took over the management of Eagle Steel Works (later named Fisher & Norris Anvil Works) in Trenton, New Jersey. She was the only woman member of the National Association of Manufacturers. She is quoted in The Washington Post in 1911, describing her involvement in the business:

"Though I liked machinery even when a child," said Mrs. Fisher, "it was my husband's illness and the desire which every woman has to help in an emergency that led me to enter the Eagle Works, of which Mr. Fisher was the head. I went in as the 'boss'; but I soon learned that if I was to be respected by my employees, I would have to know more than they did. To this end, I began as a regular apprentice, learned to temper steel, chisel the face of an anvil, mold vises and make rails. In fact, I took a complete course in every department of the business, from melting pig-iron to bidding for contracts. Before I was through, I learned really to love the work with iron and steel, the whir of the machinery, and the sound of the forge."[10]

Her wealth was reported at $2,000,000 in 1906.[11] "She underbid her rivals on part of the Panama Canal equipment and has made $1,000,000 on that feature of her plan's output." [12]

First woman to drive around the world

Initial reports prior to her setting off on the journey revealed her car was built in Bridgeport, Connecticut, it was 40 Horsepower with no special equipment. It was a four-seater and her planned companions were Harold Fisher Brooks (a relative), a chef named Albert, and a maid. She also traveled with a pet monkey, a Bull Terrier and a Pug.[13] The planned route was to ship the car to England, travel to her Italian villa at Lake Como, and then on through Egypt, Russia, India, towards their final destination of Japan.[14] A bon voyage party was announced in July 1909 at the Automobile Club of America[15] and the party set off on July 19, 1909.[16] It was reported that she arrived at Lake Como by November 1909.[17] A contemporary newspaper account, stated that Fisher and her entourage had completed their journey to their destination of Japan and that the travelers and the vehicle were back in San Francisco, California.[18] She arrived in Tarrytown, New York on August 16, 1910, completing her journey around the world.[19] Fisher wrote a book about her adventure titled A Woman's World Tour in A Motor.[20]

Bibliography
  • A Woman's World Tour in a Motor, by Harriet White Fisher, Lippincott 1911
  • Around the World in 1909:Harriet White Fisher and Her Locomobile, by Lisa Begin-Kruysman (American History Press - 2014), ISBN 978-1939995070[21]

References
  1. U.S. Passport Application, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 97; Volume #: Roll 0097 - Certificates: 16331-17230, 22 Nov 1909-20 Dec 1909
  2. The Universal Woman, The Los Angeles Times, 20 September 1914, p. 32
  3. Fisher-White, The New York Times, 30 July 1898, p. 7
  4. Wu Tin Fang, Chinese Minister, Pays Tribute to Mrs. Fisher, Trenton Evening News, 13 July 1908, p. 7
  5. Clark Fisher Married. Trenton Evening Times, 29 July 1898, p. 1
  6. "Clark Fisher (1835-1903) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  7. Mrs. Harriet Fisher Weds, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 30 April 1912, p. 3
  8. One Killed, Twelve Hurt In Pennsylvania Wreck, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 8 October 1902, p. 2
  9. The Central New Jersey Home News, 23 January 1903, p. 2
  10. Mrs. Clark Fisher, Ironmistress, The Washington Post, Women Who Count 22 October 1911, p. 69
  11. Rich Woman's Auto Kills Laborer, The Chicago Tribune, 7 April 1906, p. 5
  12. Woman Iron Founder is Admired in China, The Coffeyville Daily Journal, 15 January 1912, p. 5
  13. Woman Makes World Tour With Pets in Automobile, The San Francisco Call, 18 June 1910, p. 18
  14. This Daring Woman to Circle Globe in AutoThe Indianapolis Start, 27 June 1909, p. 49
  15. Mrs. Fisher Will Tour Around The World in a Locomobile, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 13 July 1909, p. 19
  16. Around The World By Auto, The New York Times, 17 August 1910, p. 9
  17. Mrs. Clark Fisher Had Great Trip in Locomobile, The Trenton Evening Times, 20 November 1909, p. 8
  18. Is Now On Final Lap of Trip Around The World, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 3 July 1910
  19. Mrs. Fisher Back, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 16 August 1910, p. 2
  20. A Woman's World Tour in a Motor, by Harriet White Fisher, published 1911
  21. Begin-Kruysman, Lisa (2014). Around the World in 1909: Harriet White Fisher and Her Locomobile. American History Press. ISBN 978-1939995070.
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