Bryan Winslow Newkirk, II

Bryan Winslow Newkirk, II

Born- December 18, 1888 Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, USA

Died- January 1966 (77) doing business in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

My Great-Uncle Bryan built an empire from very meager means. He was born in Wilmington, NC and started out as a salesman. If you can sell yourself then you can sell absolutely anything, he would say. One newspaper article that I get a kick out of states this, " Bryan W. Newkirk, The financial colossus of Canada, is the son of an aristocratic North Carolina family with a tradition more of gentility than big business". Love it, LOL

He moved to Atlanta and became a member of the 4th estate working for the Atlanta Constitution. Then much like my Grandfather who had a Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealership in Wilmington became the state representative for the Hupmobile in Florida.

In 1923 he became Vice President and sales manager for Coral Gables Inc. the organization responsible for establishing the City of Coral Gables, Fla, which now counts its property value in terms of Billions and billions. The Newkirk Family maintained a home that took up an entire block until his daughter in law passed away in 1998.

At one time he had a total of 4000 salesmen and 200 executives operating under him.

After the success of Coral Gables, he started many companies with him at the helm. Owning the Faraday Uranium Mine in Canada that had a $55 million dollar contract with the Canadian Government. He also headed the Canadian Northwest Mines & Oils Ltd. He was invested in Oil wells in the Middle East, Diamond Mines in Africa and was truly a World Industrialist and a Visionary.

Everyone has heard of the beautiful Florida Keys. Well, Uncle Bryan bought and developed one of the Keys called Duck Key.

The story he would tell was that he was playing golf with a Judge, who along with his wife owned the undeveloped island. All he would talk about was wanting to sell the island. So Bryan said he bought it on about the 9th hole so he could enjoy the rest of his game, haha.

He put over $3 million into the island. He pumped in two million cubic feet of fill, dug four miles of canals, installed over 40 miles of fresh water lines and built 10 ½ miles of paved roads. He also built himself a 30-room private home and constructed a quarter million dollar nursery.

In 1955, tragedy struck when he lost his son, Bryan III to polio at the very young age of 37. As you can imagine he lost interest in Duck Key then. As he had no one to give his keys to the Kingdom that he had built. He never retired and passed away from a heart attack while doing business in Cornwall, England in 1966.

He bought a 112-foot yacht and named her “Louvicourt” after his first successful mine. He would sail her from Toronto to Wilmington, NC and pick up his brother Arthur Sr. and wife Zora and then sail down to Duck Key, several times a year.

He was an avid yachtsman who owned and outfitted a crew and yacht that participated in several Olympics.

Among his friends were Kings and Queens and actors and actresses and other businessmen, famous and infamous people like lawyer Roy Cohn who had a home on Duck Key that Bryan had gifted him.

He loved his family, donated lots of his money to various causes and even helped out to restore my 3rd Great Uncle's, Dr. William Crawford Wilkings, 20-foot memorial gravestone that the Democratic party put up for him after he was the last person to die from a political duel in the South in 1856 (but that's another story). He also built the steps to the beautiful Confederate Memorial, where both of these monuments still stand in Oakdale Cemetery, Wilmington, NC. Where Bryan is laid to rest with his wife Lucille, brother, Arthur and parents and grandparents as well and numerous other Newkirks.

He built a beautiful memorial garden in honor of his son on Duck Key. But sadly in the early 1990's they tore it down to expand the hotel there. All that is left is a plaque in Bryan III's honor.

At one time his Companies did more in business than the entire County of New Hanover, Wilmington, North Carolina.. Over $450 million in one year.

In the late 1950's he was worth over $100 million dollars. That is over a billion in today's money.

Truly a life enjoyed and well spent!

http://activerain.com/…/shark-key-and-duck-key-real-estate-…

https://www.hawkscay.com/

http://www.duckkeyonline.com/duck_key_history/resort_growth.htm