Uncovered the story of insurance in America / Katherine Hempstead.
| Author/creator | Hempstead, Katherine |
| Other author | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024] |
| Description | xvi, 376 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Birth of a business: fire and life insurance in the nineteenth century -- A permanent body of barnacles: the beginning of state regulation -- The road to Armstrong: life insurance in the progressive era -- The life insurance moment: the problem of unmet demand -- Collusion and its discontents: fire insurance in the progressive era -- Little fires everywhere: the battle over fire insurance rates -- Accidents and mishaps: the early days of casualty insurance -- Private governments: property and casualty owners meet the federal government -- From public service organization to squirrel cage operation: life insurances meets the new deal -- Stuck in the age of containment: the piecemeal development of health insurance -- Clean risks: who deserves auto insurance? -- Hard markets: navigating catastrophes. |
| Abstract | "Lieutenant Frederick Henry Beecher was planning to make a visit home to see his family that Spring in 1868, when he received an order to embark on a new mission. Civil War General Phil Sheridan asked him to assist Major George "Sandy" Forsyth in recruiting and leading a unit of fifty elite civilian scouts, to search for Cheyenne and Sioux warriors and engage them in combat. Beecher was stationed at Fort Wallace in Kansas and had previously engaged with the Cheyenne during an attack on the Fort in the summer of 1867. He was known to be a good shot, and Major Forsyth thought highly of his skills, describing him as "...brave and modest, with a love of hunting and a natural taste for plainscraft; he was a splendid specimen of a thoroughbred American, and a most valuable man in any position requiring coolness, courage and tact." Ongoing conflict between nomadic Native peoples and civilians placed pressure on the under-resourced U.S. Army, leading to the use of civilian scouts. Beecher helped assemble a group known for their tracking skills, and they set off from Fort Hayes, Kansas, heading west for Fort Wallace. They arrived in September and soon learned of an attack on a freight train about thirteen miles east. The next morning, under Forsyth's command, they set out in pursuit of the raiders, following their trail into Yuma County Colorado. The scouts soon lost the trail, yet their travels did not go unnoticed. As they made camp on the south bank of the Arikakee River, a large party of Cheyenne and Sioux gathered nearby for a massive surprise attack"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2024015182 |
| ISBN | 9780190094157 (hardback) |
| ISBN | (epub) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |