A millionaire refused to pay an excess baggage fee of less than nine dollars. Twenty-three years later, his estate received over $18,000 from the transportation company. Who was the millionaire, which court ordered the payment, and why was it so large?

looney_tunes

I haven't found a millionaire yet, but there are a number of outraged stories about this man who was told that a spare set of his prosthetic legs would be charged as excess baggage! Apparently, the airline eventually backed down. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3379570/Disabled-man-told-to-pay-to-take-prosthetic-legs-on-holiday.html Aug 21 09, 2:30 AM

queproblema

This millionaire didn't live to see the airline industry--or even the Wright Flyer--take off. He did protest, "It's the principle," as doggedly as the amputee in the story above, and was a firm believer in "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Aug 21 09, 4:36 PM

looney_tunes

Sounds like Cornelius Vanderbilt, but if so I haven't located the incident. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt Aug 22 09, 4:44 AM

queproblema

He was a contemporary of the Commodore's, but the railroad he sued was the Pennsylvania. I already gave a clue that should save you a great deal of labor. Aug 22 09, 2:18 PM

looney_tunes

Yeah, I noted the clue and investigated Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the mechanical reaper, but without finding any suitable incident. I did note with interest that his father Robert certainly started the development of the machine, and the family considered him the actual inventor, although Cyrus registered the patent. He was also the main financial support of the Seminary of the Northwest (later renamed McCormick Seminary) for many years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_McCormick http://www.vaes.vt.edu/steeles/mccormick/bio.html http://www.astro.virginia.edu/research/observatories/26inch/history/reaper.php http://www.mccormick.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=30 Adding the name of the railroad led straight there! In 1862 McCormick refused to pay the excess baggage fee when he and his family were traveling from Philadelphia to Chicago, so the baggage master would not issue him a baggage check ticket; his luggage was not returned because it had already been loaded, and it went on to Chicago where the station was struck by lightning, and his baggage burned in the resulting fire. He sued for the value of the expensive clothes and jewelry, and the case went to the Supreme Court 4 times before the Court of Appeals decided in his favor in 1865. A NY Times article about the incident can be found at this link. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D03E1D91130E433A25753C3A9629C94649FD7CF Aug 22 09, 4:08 PM

queproblema

Toot-toot for Looney_tunes! I'm not sure the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case four times even though that's what the NY Times said in 1865. But it did at least once. McCormick was known for his temper and his stubbornness. The surplus baggage fee was $8.70. The value of the burned baggage was $7193. The extra $10,000 represented 23 years of interest. "McCormick did not for a moment regard this case as trivial. It involved a principle." http://books.google.com/books?id=hMPCdiuOGY0C&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=mccormiick+baggage+case&source=bl&ots=uK1IOQOaj5&sig=NtemYN3JJ-3xu0nbDiRgvkKWC50&hl=en&ei=SHWQStHKEoOosgPlsK0M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false "This ruling...set the present day legal policy that a carrier of passengers also assumes liability for their luggage — thanks to the untiring efforts of Mr. McCormick." http://www.visitdunkeld.com/scottish-trivia-213.htm Aug 22 09, 5:12 PM