William James "Fingy" Conners (January 3, 1857 – October 5, 1929) was an American newspaper publisher, businessman, and politician from New York.
[2] Conners left public school when he was 13, working as a porter on various steamers that travelled on the Great Lakes between Buffalo and Duluth.
In 1895, he handled over 3 million tons of bulk freight and employed around 3,000 men, making him the world's largest contractor in the business.
After a month, the shipping companies negotiated directly with Bishop Quigley and the new union, effectively cutting Conners out of the grain business.
The new corporation took control of all the railroad-owned boats in the Great Lakes, consisting of three passenger steamers and 21 freighters.
He started to become interested in developing Florida in 1918, when he purchased and reclaimed 7,000 acres of swamp in the Everglades that then produced sugar cane and fruit.
In 1924, he built the Conners Highway, which stretched 51 miles across the state and directly linked the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.
[8] Conners had a large farm in Florida along the shore of Lake Okeechobee that raised thoroughbred cattle and hogs.
He entered into a contract with the state of Florida to build the Harding Memorial Bridge across the Kissimmee River, which was built in record time.
In 1925, he set aside a million dollar fund for the William J. Conners Foundation, the proceeds for which went to the poor and needy.