James "Buck" Duke: A Powerful Force of Growth

James "Buck" Duke: A Powerful Force of Growth. . (left panel) , From humble beginnings, James Buchanan "Buck" Duke became one of America's foremost business leaders and philanthropists of the twentieth century., With his father, Washington, and brother Ben, he built W. Duke and Sons, based in Durham, NC. It led in developing the mass-produced cigarette. By the late 1890s, Buck Duke's American Tobacco ranked among the largest corporations in the world., Buck Duke went on to invest in banking, railways, textile mills … and the new technology of hydroelectric power. In 1904, he launched Charlotte-based Southern Power - which became the utility giant Duke Energy. Duke's engineers dammed rivers to create Lake Wylie, Lake Norman and more, producing electricity across the Carolinas., (captions) , James Buchanan "Buck" Duke, 1923 photo shows Duke Power's newly built hydroelectric station and dam creating Mountain Island Lake northwest of Charlotte. Photos: courtesy of Duke University Photography and the Duke University Archives, (right panel) , The Duke Endowment , The Duke Endowment, established in 1924, became one of America's largest private foundations. Buck Duke wrote the indenture creating The Duke Endowment at his mansion, which still stands in Charlotte's Myers Park., The Endowment's gifts transformed small Trinity College into Duke University, assisted Davidson College, Furman University and Johnson C. Smith University, and aided rural churches, health care and children's services throughout North and South Carolina., Creating this sculpture , "(Descriptions of Mr. Duke) are peppered with accounts of his tireless work ethic and ambition. These traits animate the whole sculpture. He strides forward, his coat billowing behind, as he moves into the world of change and possibility at the turn of the century. A man of few words in public and avoiding publicity, his face remains determined and pensive." , Sculptor J. Brett Grill, (captions) , Duke Chapel - Duke University Campus, Durham, N.C., Michigan-based artist J. Brett Grill is best known for his statue of President Gerald Ford at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.