The Pacesetter: The Untold Story of Carl G. Fisher: Jerry M. Fisher
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Carl G. Fisher was an early 20th-century entrepreneur whose energy and gift for promotion carried him through a number of very successful and historically noteworthy ventures: He created the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its annual 500-mile race, and he was the motivating and organizing force behind the Lincoln Highway, the nation’s first transcontinental road. Fisher seems best known as the primary developer of Miami Beach, then little more than a tropical swamp. He similarly began to develop Montauk, Long Island, before going bankrupt during the Great Depression. This portrait was written by a Fisher relative to offset a general lack of biographical information about him. (Fisher’s first wife, Jane, wrote an earlier biography, Fabulous Hoosier.) Extensively researched, it gives significant detail about Fisher’s projects, yet at times it reads too much like a mere gathering of facts. Nonetheless, Fisher’s achievements deserve to be documented. Libraries in Indiana and South Florida ought to have this title, as should those with collections about American entrepreneurs.?David B. Van De Streek, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
1. Jane Fisher, Fabulous Hoosier. (New York: Robert M.
McBride and Co., New York, 1947), p. 38. 2. Howard H. Peckham, Indiana: A History. (New York: W.
W. Norton and Co., 1978), p. 104. 3. Polly Redford, Billion-Dollar Sandbar. (New York:
E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1970), p. 45. 4. Fisher, p. 37. 5. Ibid. 6. Redford, p. 45. 7. History of Decatur County, Indiana. (B. F. Bowen and Co.,
n.d.). 8. Carl Fisher, Letter to John Hertz, April 21, 1933. Carl
Fisher Collection, Historical Association of Southern
Florida, hereafter referred to as CF:HASF.INSIDEFLAP:
Carl G. Fisher did not live the American dream - he made the American dream. The dirt poor Indiana Boy built his dreams into vast fortunes, nothing was impossible to Carl G. Fisher. He had the vision to see, the daring to plan, and the courage to build.
Overlooked and forgotten by the editors of Who’s Who, Carl G. Fisher is at long last being recognized. A “Practical Visionary,” he created the first Transcontinental Highway, built the 500, developed Miami Beach, and Montauk, New York, known as “Miami Beach of the North.”
Now Jerry M. Fisher, a cousin of Carl’s, has written the definitive biography of the man who built what he dared to envision. Carl G. Fisher carved the playground of Miami Beach from the swamps of a mosquito infested jungle. He was “Mr. Miami Beach.” He sculpted Montauk, New York, and made Long Island a fashionable place to live. The Indianapolis 500 remains the worlds premier racing event. The Lincoln (Transcontinental) and Dixie highways, awesome accomplishments for their time or any, brought the country into the 20th century the way the railroad brought the country together in the 19th century.
Presidents called him a friend; the Gasoline Alley Gang of Ford, Chevrolet, and Firestone regarded him as a pacesetter. Al Capone considered him a nuisance. When Carl G. Fisher drove the pace car for the first Indy 500 in 1911 he was not only setting the pace car for that race, but for all Americans who venture onto highways on vacation.
“It [The Pacesetter] will be Carl Fisher’s coming out party. Since his death in 1939 at the age of 65, his life and accomplishments have been slipping into obscurity. Fisher was one of America’s great entrepreneurs, but too few today are aware that he also was a daredevil who raced bicycles and autos; that he established the Indianapolis 500 auto race; perfected automobile headlamps; was most responsible for the building of the Lincoln Highway, the country’s first transcontinental highway; and was the prime developer of Miami Beach.
. . . Fisher’s imagination and creativity were great. However, earlier essayists and reporters did not give him enough credit for being the promoter that he was.”
-Howard Kleinberg, special contributor for The Miami Herald — Publisher Comments
If The Pacesetter were a novel, it would be this unapologetically optimistic story of a half-blind entrepreneur who truly went from rags to riches in the early 20th century. This clever, humorous, and stunning biography of Carl G. Fisher finally reveals the fascinating nature of the man behind some of America’s most remarkable achievements. Although Fisher suffered from poor eyesight and left school at age twelve, he became a millionaire, rubbing elbows with Henry Ford and President Harding, and thumbing his nose at Al Capone. First selling bicycles, then automobiles, Fisher later developed the first effective headlight for cars. Few people today realize that it was Fisher who created the first transcontinental highway, from the east to west coast. He built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 as a proving ground for auto development, but it soon became home of the world’s premier auto race, the Indy 500. Fisher’s vision also led him to Miami Beach in 1913, where he created an international resort and playground for the rich out of a primordial mangrove swamp. Amidst his grand schemes, Fisher was also a bit of a character, a crafty showman. He loved to race bicycles and autos, and he kept an elephant as a pet. As sales gimmicks he dropped cars off of buildings and flew hot air balloons. The author, Jerry Fisher, is a cousin of Carl’s and he has produced a proud and very entertaining family tribute to this consummate promoter. — From Independent Publisher
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE GREAT AMERICAN LANDMARKS- THE INDY 500, THE DIXIE HIGHWAY, THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY, MIAMI BEACH AND MONTAUK, NEW YORK? ” . . a fascinating book about a fascinating but forgotten man. Fisher doesn’t whitewash his relative’s faults or embellish his assets. This is a cards-on-the-table biography. The Pacesetter is heavily notated and draws on hundreds of sources to light the shadows of a marketing genius who shunned the spotlight. [It] takes Fisher through his quarrels with Miami Beach resident Al Capone, the liquor Fisher hid during Prohibition, the developer’s fights with Florida’s anti-Semitism and racism, and the death of his only child, 26 days after the boy was born.”
(The reviewer gave the book a top four star rating)
(The Indianapolis Star
1998) “This clever, humorous, and stunning biography of Carl G. Fisher finally reveals the fascinating nature of the man behind some of America’s most remarkable achievements. Jerry Fisher… has produced a proud and very entertaining family tribute to this consummate promoter.”
(Independent Publisher
1998) [The Pacesetter] was written . . . to offset a general lack of biographical information . . . Extensively researched, it gives significant detail about Fisher’s projects. . . Fisher’s achievements deserve to be documented . . .
(Library Journal
1998) “This book is riveting, especially for a fan of biographies of people who achieve great things. If you like reading about achievers, and want to know more about the great builders of the 20th Century, you’ll love this book about Carl Fisher.
(Packards International 1998) . . . had it not been for Carl G. Fisher . . . it is highly unlikely there would have ever been any such thing as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Some of us have been fascinated by this extremely complex and rather mysterious person over the years and have wanted to learn much more. Now, through the efforts of his cousin Jerry Fisher, we finally can.”
(Donald Davidson, Journalist and Automobile Historian 1998)
Recipient of the National Award of the Antique Automobile Club of America(1999) — Publisher Comments
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