Arthur Briggs Farquhar (September 28, 1838 – March 5, 1925) was an American businessman, multi-millionaire and writer.

[2][5] On April 4, 1856, he moved to York to live with the family of Edward Jessop, a friend of his father and future father-in-law.

[3] In 1861, the W.W. Dingee & Co. factory burned down and Farquhar took over the liabilities and assets in 1862, and the company became known as the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works.

[4][6] To keep the business going during the American Civil War, Farquhar secured a contract with the government to supply chairs and stretchers to hospitals.

[1][6] The company was known worldwide for its agricultural machinery, including its Farquhar Ajax steam traction engines, vertical baler, corn and cotton planters and threshing machines.

[1][9] The company supplied hydraulic powder presses, boilers, sterilizers, shot trucks and machine tools during World War I.

[1][7] Farquhar wrote a piece for McClure's about his experience, including meeting Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton in Washington, D.C., after the battle.

[13] In 1911, Farquhar purchased the Sharon estate in Olney, Maryland, the home of his grandfather.