Arthur Briggs Farquhar

Arthur Briggs Farquhar (September 28, 1838 – March 5, 1925) was an American businessman, multi-millionaire and writer. He was the founder of A.B. Farquhar Company in York, Pennsylvania.

Early life Arthur Briggs Farquhar was born at The Cedars in Sandy Spring, Maryland, on September 28, 1838, to Margaret (née Briggs) and William Henry Farquhar. He attended school at the Sandy Spring Friends Meetinghouse and later the Hallowell Boarding School in Alexandria, Virginia, founded by his uncle Benjamin Hallowell. From an early age, he had an interest in the manufacture of agricultural machinery.

He was the nephew of Isaac Briggs.

In 1889, the company was renamed as the A.B. Farquhar Company and he became president. The company supplied hydraulic powder presses, boilers, sterilizers, shot trucks and machine tools during World War I.

Civil War Twice during the Battle of Gettysburg, Farquhar rode into Confederate lines to negotiate with Brigadier General John Brown Gordon about the Confederate occupation of York. After Gettysburg, he volunteered in the field hospitals and helped the wounded. Together, they had five children: Benjamin Hallowell Farquhar, named after educator Benjamin Hallowell

Later life and death In 1875, Farquhar built the Edgecombe estate in York. In 1911, Farquhar purchased the Sharon estate in Olney, Maryland, the home of his grandfather. He restored the old log house on the property and built a mansion nearby. He had been hit by an automobile years earlier.

Awards and legacy In the 1880s, he created the Farquhar Park and a pavilion in York. On August 21, 1897, Farquhar donated land to the city of York in the northwestern part of the city. In 1902, he received an honorary degree from Kenyon College. In 1999, York County Chamber of Commerce awarded the Keystone Award to Farquhar posthumously.