Andrew Benoni Hammond (July 22, 1848– January 15, 1934) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

lumberman. He developed the Missoula Mercantile Co. He built the Bitterroot Valley Railroad and the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad. He was president of the Hammond Lumber Co. and the Hammond Steamship Co.

Biography

Hammond was born in Saint-Léonard,

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on July 22, 1848. He left home at 16 years old to work in the logging camps of Maine and Pennsylvania. He arrived in Montana in 1867, worked as a woodcutter and store clerk, eventually becoming a partner in the mercantile firm of Bonner, Eddy and Company. Under Hammond's management this became the Missoula Mercantile Company, the largest mercantile between St. Paul and Portland.

Hammond Lumber Company Hammond Lumber Company was a logging and resource extraction company operating in Humboldt County, CA. History In 1892, Vance Lumber Company purchased the Humboldt Bay frontage from Samoa Land and Improvement Company for construction of a large s ...

was founded when Hammond purchased the Samoa sawmill, the largest mill in Humboldt County in 1900. He built the Bitterroot Valley Railroad, the Philipburg Railroad, and the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad. He was president of the Hammond Lumber Co. and the Hammond Steamship Co. Hammond and his partners received the contract to build the intermountain section of the

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railway line, from Helena to Spokane. In the 1890s, Hammond moved to the West Coast and built two more railroads. In 1900, he began to assemble one of the largest lumber companies on the West Coast, including the world's largest redwood lumber company and the world's largest lumber yard in Los Angeles. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Hammond was the largest supplier of

Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth- ...

wood to the

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, which needed it to manufacture airplanes. Hammond is most known for his role in the poaching of federal timber during his years in Montana, and his anti-union efforts during the early twentieth century. Ironically, much of the Hammond Lumber Company lands that were illegally acquired under the federal

Timber and Stone Act The Timber and Stone Act of 1878 in the United States sold timberland in surveyed public lands of the United States within the states of California, Oregon, and Nevada, and in the Washington Territory. The legislation specifically noted that milita ...

in Humboldt County eventually formed the bulk of

Redwood National and State Parks The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one United States national park and three California state parks located along the coast of northern California. The combined RNSP contain Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Red ...

. In 1956, Hammond's heirs sold the company's California stakes to

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...

Death and legacy

Hammond died on January 15, 1934, in

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, at age 85. He married Florence Abbott in 1879, in Missoula. They had a son, Leonard C. Hammond., who was a flying ace in World War I. The community of Hammond, Oregon was named for him, and his wife gave her name to

Florence, Montana Florence (Salish: čp̓úƛ̓us ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ravalli County, Montana. County Line Rd is on the northern edge of the city limits dividing it from Missoula County, Montana. The population was 821 at the 2020 census. His ...

. '' SS A. B. Hammond'' a

liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

built by

California Shipbuilding Corporation __NOTOC__ California Shipbuilding Corporation built 467 Liberty and Victory ships during World War II, including ''Haskell''-class attack transports. California Shipbuilding Corporation was often referred to as Calship. History In 1916 the ' ...

of Los Angeles, is named after him.

Hammond Shipping Company

Hammond opened the Hammond Shipping Company with ships to transport his lumber products. In 1929 the line was called the Christenson-Hammond Lines. *Hammond Shipping Company wooden ships built at Hammond Lumber in

Fairhaven, California Fairhaven (formerly Rolph) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located west-southwest of downtown Eureka, at an elevation of above sea l ...

built: (Hammond Lumber purchased the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

in 1910 and sold yard in 1919) *''Necanicum'' built in 1912 fate Scrapped 1939 *''Mary Olson'' built in 1913 fate Burnt at

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in 1919 *''Santiam'' built in 1916 fate Burnt at

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in 1936 *''Flavel'' built in 1917 fate Wrecked off

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in 1923 *''Trinidad'' built in 1918 fate Wrecked off Willapa in 1937 *''Halco'' built in 1918 fate Wrecked off

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in 1925

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Hammond Shipping Company was active in charter shipping with the

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and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

. The ship was run by its Hammond Shipping Company crew and the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

supplied

United States Navy Armed Guard The United States Navy Armed Guard was a force of United States Navy gunners and related personnel established during World War II to protect U.S. merchant shipping from enemy attack.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merc ...

s to man the deck guns and radio. The most common armament mounted on these merchant ships were the MK II 20mm Oerlikon autocannon and the 3"/50, 4"/50, and

5"/38 The Mark 12 5"/38-caliber gun was a United States dual-purpose naval gun, but also installed in single-purpose mounts on a handful of ships. The 38-caliber barrel was a mid-length compromise between the previous United States standard 5"/51 low ...

deck guns.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M

/ref> ** Merchant navy ships: * * *SS ''Gretna Victory'' *SS ''Grinnell Victory'' *SS ''Marquette Victory'' * *, now a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

*SS ''Walter Wyman'' *SS ''Josiah Earl'' *SS ''Robert G. Cousins'' *SS ''Edward Bates'', sank in 1944 after torpedo *, sank off Alaska by the Japanese submarine I-7.

Companies

Hammond owned or had the controlling interest in: * Missoula Mercantile, retail store * Big Blackfoot Milling Co. * Flour mill at Bonner * Grain elevators in western Montana * Missoula Real Estate Association, owners of Florence Hotel and the Hammond Block * First National Bank of Montana * South Missoula Land Company, residential homes on the Clark Fork River * Missoula Water Works and Milling Company * Missoula Street Railway Company, horse drawn cars * Missoula Publishing Company owners of the Missoulian * Missoula Valley Improvement Company, owners the local cemetery * Hammond Shipping Company * Hammond Lumber Company

Footnotes

External links

http://www.armed-guard.com/pbtnh.html THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE NAMES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, A. B. 1848 births 1934 deaths History of Missoula, Montana