James Sloss
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| James Withers Sloss | |
| Born | April 7, 1820 Limestone County, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Died | May 1890 |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
James Withers Sloss was a planter, industrialist, founder of Sloss Furnaces, and a leading figure in the early development of Birmingham, AL.
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[edit] Early life
Sloss was born Limestone County in northern Alabama. His parents were Scottish-Irish. Though he had little formal education, he bought a store in Athens, AL. By successfully handling his store and his plantation, he quickly became one of the richest men in Alabama. After serving as a Colonel in the Civil War, he became president of the Nashville and Decatur railroad line. He became a leading figure in encouraging Alabama's industrial development after the war, and in 1871 he convinced the L & N railroad to finish a line of track between Birmingham and Decatur.
[edit] Work in Birmingham
Sloss knew that all of the ingredients needed to make iron were present in Birmingham. Along with Henry DeBardeleben and James Aldrich, Sloss formed the Pratt Coal and Coke Company; it became the largest mining operation in the area. Through the work of the company, Sloss became the first person to prove that iron could be made in Birmingham purely from Alabama's iron ore, Alabama's coke, and Alabama's coal.[1] Again working in conjunction with DeBardeleben, Sloss founded a furnace company in 1880 and started construction in 1881. It opened in 1882 under the name of the "City Furnaces," though it is today known as Sloss Furnaces. Sloss retired in 1886.
He also served as president of the Birmingham water works.[2]
[edit] Legacy
- Sloss's success in bringing a railroad to Birmingham transformed the new community into a thriving city.[3]
- Because of the deal that Sloss brokered with them, L & N invested $30 million in mines, steamships, and other Alabama industry in the 1870s.[4]
- Sloss was so influential in the development of the city of Birmingham that the Birmingham press suggested in 1881 that he be elected state governor:
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- "His excellent business qualifications, brilliant intellect, splendid character, and fine executive ability, all combined, make him the grandest man in Alabama today for our chief executive. He is the very personification of Christian manhood and integrity, possessing the qualifications of head and heart which we should emulate."[5]
