Convicted Monopolist Henry Flagler, Cross-Examined at FLAGLER COLLEGE

Last night, I asked Tom Rahner, former Flagler College Drama Department Chair, playing convicted oil monopolist HENRY MORRISON FLAGLER, about how he felt when he read the Supreme Court's 1911 Standard Oil Divestiture Decree, regarding his business practices (and those of JOHN DAVISON ROCKEFELLER I).

In character, Tom Rahner (playing FLAGLER), replied that he was "very angry" and that it was all Teddy Roosevelt's fault, stating that he had supported Roosevelt, whom he had regarded as crazy, to be Vice President, to get him out of the way as New York Governor. "And then McKinley up and died in us." Rahner as FLAGLER then said he was "only" the Comptroller of Standard Oil of New Jersey by the time the Supreme Court decided the case, in 1911.

Asked by another resident how many legislators he had bribed to change Florida's divorce law, FLAGLER said "I personally didn't bribe anyone," adding that most of the money went to fund the University of Florida.

There was a near-capacity crowd of some 700 people. Mayor Boles told Rahner/FLAGLER that he was proud to live in a town with "a collection of so many creative and varied background people of any city."

For a good time, read the Supreme Court's decision (below) and remember that here in St. Augustine, hagiography of convicted monopolist HENRY MORRISSON FLAGLER is almost as popular as hagiography of murderer PEDRO MENENDEZ de AVILES, our City's founder, who ordered the first anti-Gay hate crime in North America (in 1566).

I admire Mayor Joe Boles for having the perspicacity to call on me at the latest installment of "First America," the series on St. Augustine history, and Tom Rahner, for knowing his subject and answering questions just as FLAGLER would have done. Boles looked reluctant, but I'm told a lot of people were pointing at my raised hand.

What a great night for history in our Nation's Oldest City.

It was almost as fun as the time when the EXXON Chief Economist showed up at my International Business and Oil class at Georgetown University, and I got to cross-examine him about antitrust issues for some 20 minutes. I'm told that the EXXON Chief Economist went to dinner with International Business Diplomacy students, at which point he attempted for two hours the historical antitrust points I had made in twenty minutes.