Henry B. Plant

Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899) was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant System of railroads and steamboats.

Plant was born in 1819 in Branford, Connecticut. He entered the railroad service in 1844, serving as express messenger on the Hartford and New Haven Railroad until 1853, during which time he had entire charge of the express business of that road. He went south in 1853 and established express lines on various southern railways, and he organized the Southern Express Co. in 1861 and became its president. In 1879, he purchased the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad of Georgia, and later reorganized the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad, of which he became president. He purchased and rebuilt the Savannah and Charleston Railroad in 1880, now Charleston and Savannah. Not long after this, he organized the Plant Investment Co. to control these railroads and to advance their interests generally, and he later established a steamboat line on the St. John's river in Florida. From 1853 until 1860, he was general superintendent of the southern division of the Adams Express Co., and became president of the Texas Express Co. in 1867. In the 1880s, most of his accumulated railroad and steamship lines were combined into the Plant System, which later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

Plant is particularly known for connecting the previously isolated Tampa Bay area and southwest Florida to the nation's railroad system and establishing regular steamship service between Tampa, Cuba, and Key West, helping to spark significant population and economic growth in the region. To promote passenger traffic, Plant built the large Tampa Bay Hotel resort along his rail line through Tampa and several smaller hotels farther south, starting the area's tourist industry. His rival Henry Flagler similarly sparked growth along Florida's opposite coast by building the Florida East Coast Railroad, along with several resorts along its route.