William Fortune (May 27, 1863 – January 28, 1942) was a wealthy American businessman, journalist, and civic leader who was a prominent figure in the development of Indianapolis, Indiana, for more than five decades.
Fortune retained the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, until the nonprofit James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association was formed in 1922.
Fortune helped plan the construction of the Commercial Club's eight-story building, Indianapolis's first "skyscraper," which opened in 1893, the same year he served as executive director of the twenty-seventh encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, the city's first major convention.
William Harrison Fortune served as a corporal in the 1st Indiana Cavalry Regiment during the American Civil War and found work as a blacksmith and watchmaker after mustering out of the military, but he frequently suffered from ill health.
In late 1881 he joined General James C. Veatch in conducting interviews and taking notes of conversations with several people in nearby Spencer County, Indiana, who had known Lincoln during his youth.
Fortune never remarried and spent the rest of his life actively involved in business and civic affairs, which included leadership roles in local and national philanthropies.
Fortune was active as a member of the Indianapolis Commercial Club, led efforts to elevate railroad tracks in the city, founded a local chapter of the American Red Cross, participated in community fundraising efforts, and became an advocate for paving Indianapolis streets and the Good Roads Movement, among other business and civic interests.
In 1888 Fortune continued a career in journalism during a brief stint as editor of the weekly Sunday Press before joining the Indianapolis News in 1889 as a reporter and editorial writer for the next two years.
Fortune's call to the Indianapolis Star on a rotary-dial phone preceded the installation of the Bell Telephone's dialing system by several years.
[15] For more than five decades Fortune was an active promoter for the city of Indianapolis, where he was involved in civic affairs and philanthropic organizations, including several that he helped establish.
[12] In 1890 Fortuned collaborated with Colonel Eli Lilly to found the Commercial Club, the forerunner to the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, which was established in 1911.
[1] In addition to other activities with the Commercial Club, Fortune was involved in planning construction of its new eight-story building, the city's first "skyscraper," which opened in 1893.
[1][22] Fortune also collaborated with Colonel Lilly and other members of the Commercial Club to secure Indianapolis's selection as the site for the twenty-seventh encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893, the city's first major convention.
[15][23] During the economic depression of 1893–94 Fortune supported the Commercial Club's program to aid workers and helping 2,000 local families through the winter months.
Fortune purchased the historic home in 1920 and retained the property until 1922, when the nonprofit James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association was formed and assumed management of the site.
Fortune helped organize disaster relief for tornado victims in Indiana and led efforts to equip a base hospital prior to its relocation in France during World War I.
Fortune's other wartime efforts included organizing and leading a local War Chest drive in 1918 that raised more than $500,000 in a single week.
Fortune and the ship’s other passengers called at ports in Portugal, Gibraltar, Algeria, Italy, Egypt, India, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Sumatra, Java, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, and Japan, as well as cities such as Hong Kong, Honolulu, and San Francisco.
One memorable land excursion included a train trip from Calcutta, India, to Rangoon, Burma (present-day Yangon, Myanmar).
Although he led the commission's initial efforts to erect a George Rogers Clark memorial, Fortune resigned in 1928 following disagreements with other committee members.
Fortune also acquired and donated in 1930 a 30-acre (12-hectare) site along Cold Spring Road in Indianapolis for construction of a U.S. Veterans Health Administration hospital that was completed in 1931.
[12][30] In his later years, Fortune joined Madeline and Bowman Elder, his daughter and son-in-law, and their family at their estate home at Trader's Point, northwest of Indianapolis.
In addition to his active involvement with the city's Commercial Club and Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce projects, Fortune was a founder and organizer of the Indianapolis chapter of the American Red Cross, which continues to provide social services to aid to those in need, and War Chest fundraising efforts, a predecessor to the city’s present-day United Way organization.
For example, conflicts over goals and priorities lead to his resignation as chairman of the George Rogers Clark Sesquicentennial Commission in 1928 and as president of American Peace Society in 1930.