Edward Hines

Edward Hines

Edward Hines (1863-1931), the founder of Edward Hines Lumber Co., was born in Buffalo, NY, the only son of an Irish immigrant family of seven children. When he was two years old, his family moved to the Chicago area. From the age of 14 he worked in the lumber industry. In 1892, at the age of 29, he founded Edward Hines Lumber Co. He met with immediate success, outselling all of his competitors in the city during his first year in business. Over the years, he expanded his business interests considerably. His company had operations throughout the upper Midwest, and, indeed, the nation. There were Hines lumber yards on Howard Street and Western Avenue The company owned the world’s largest sawmill in Virginia, Minnesota. Mr. Hines died in 1931. However, the business he founded exists today, and is operated by the third generation of his family.

Originally published in the 2009 Founders’ Day booklet