The Pacesetter: The Untold Story of Carl G. Fisher [Hardcover]

Jerry M. Fisher (Author)

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Comp-Type Pub; 1st edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882897218
• ISBN-13: 978-1882897216
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,360,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jerry Fisher never imagined the consequences of writing what is widely recognized as the premier biography (there are three) of his relative, Carl Graham Fisher when his book, "The Pacesetter," was published in 1998. His original objective was to pay tribute to a truly remarkable man whose contributions to shaping the American way of life in the 20th Century have never been appreciated on a broad scale. Known to some as "Mr. Miami Beach," Carl was an indomitable entrepreneur whose accomplishments ranged from delivering the first viable automobile headlight to founding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, developing Miami Beach, establishing New York's Montauk resort community and leading the effort to build the first transcontinental highways - leading some to call him "the father of our modern freeway system." Those were just his biggest ideas. Few know of Carl or his contributions. Few, except for those that have read Jerry Fisher's book.

What Jerry Fisher didn't count on was how his book would touch so many lives, and, in return, challenge him. People from around the country and even across the oceans began contacting him. They gave him ideas and more information even Jerry did not previously have. And they posed lots of questions like, "What ever happened to Carl and Jane's adoptive son Jackie?" Connecting the dots, Jerry Fisher not only found the answers to that question and many others but recognized a community of interest focused on Carl Fisher had emerged. With the new information that was flowing in from interested parties Jerry felt he had no choice but to update his book.

But there was another motivation to write the book welling up in Jerry. Something even deeper, more personal and emotionally charged rose up as an unintended consequence of writing "The Pacesetter." Jerry found he had a half-brother he had not only never met before, but never knew existed.

"It was a wonderful and incredible discovery. My brother is four years older than me and we have grown quite close since we met," Jerry says.

Just as Carl Fisher's father Albert had deserted his family when Carl was very young, so had Jerry's father, who was named after Carl Fisher, left him and his mother behind. An understandably painful experience, Jerry had chosen never to speak - let alone write - of it before. Through these circumstances, Jerry made a totally unexpected connection to Carl Fisher. He was presented with letters written by the great entrepreneur criticizing Jerry's father and his irresponsible behavior toward his family as well as other transgressions. Carl's letters written to a judge about actions taken by Jerry's father reveal additional insight into Carl Fisher and his moral grounding even when dealing with a family member. Jerry sensed that the pain Carl's father inflicted on him was reflected in this correspondence that seemed to span decades to touch his heart. There were more than words to write - there was haunting emotion.

"Those letters were very painful, very disturbing to read. They opened old wounds that had never healed. And somehow, I knew that Carl Fisher was feeling the same kind of pain when he wrote them," Jerry says.

Another very special communication came some time ago that inspired Jerry tremendously. It was a letter from the two-time Pulitzer Prize award winning author and historian, David McCullough.

"David McCullough wrote me a two page handwritten letter about my book "as author to author" which I have framed above my desk today. Any time I feel down I just look at that picture and all is well again. That is the the power of words and letters," Jerry says.

Jerry's new-found personal connection with Carl sharpened his understanding of the man. With the current economic crisis rooted in real estate values so much in the news, Jerry felt a crushing weight of empathy for what Carl Fisher endured late in life when his empire was decimated by his massive losses in Florida real estate value in the 1920's. Equipped with more than just facts, but now a deeper understanding of the personal side of Carl Graham Fisher, Jerry now needs to tell this story - just as so many others need to read it. The new, updated version of "The Pacesetter," will reveal much more about Carl Fisher and what drove him. This is so timely with this year's centennial anniversary of the founding of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and soon the same anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500. Both were birthed in the fertile mind of Carl Fisher.

For the memory of Carl Fisher this book will be a lasting monument to a man who promoted his products but shunned personal limelight. For Jerry Fisher it is a coming home of sorts. A reconciliation with a family legacy as painful as it is glorious. For the rest of us it is an inspiration in human possibilities and what can be achieved by thinking bigger than our obstacles and working so hard they wither under our passion.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Jerry Fisher!, April 10, 2004

By 

Mark G. Dill (Cary, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pacesetter: The Untold Story of Carl G. Fisher (Hardcover)

Anyone with any interest in auto racing or how 20th Century America needs this book. Painstakingly assembled, Jerry Fisher expertly defines one of the most charasmatic figures of the first half of the century. The fertile imagination of Carl Graham Fisher conceived and birthed the greatest automobile competition in the world, the Indianapolis 500, and then proceeded to will the playground metropolis of Miami, Florida up from wet sand. A marvelously unvarnished chronicle of a passionate, creative, generous, and, yes, flawed human being. Hats off to Jerry Fisher.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bookviews, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pacesetter: The Untold Story of Carl G. Fisher (Hardcover)

" The name Carl G. Fisher may not ring bells today, but it was this man who created the first transcontinental highway, built the Indy 500, developed Miami Beach, Florida and Montauk, New York . . . .One can only say "Thank You", Jerry for writing a wonderful biography, a splendid piece of history, and a story that provides an insight into an America where a poor Indiana boy could fulfill his dreams."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It gives a great picture of American History!!, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pacesetter: The Untold Story of Carl G. Fisher (Hardcover)

I had never heard of Carl Fisher until this riviting book appeared in print. Facts that I never knew about were brought to my attention. For example: he is the creator of the Indy 500 and Maimi Beach. All of his accomplishments are beyond belief!