"The grand old man of the Pacific,""the dean of American shipping," and "self-made shipping magnate" are a few of the phrases often used in reference to Captain Robert Dollar. Having left school at age twelve, he truly was a self-made man who rose through the ranks of the lumber industry to ownership, and later, found success in the shipping industry as well. Owning numerous shipping lines, Dollar Steamship Lines and American Mail Lines among them, Dollar was known for his early establishing of routes in the Far East as well as around-the-world service. Dollar attributed much of his success to both his wife and Christian practices and lived in good health until two years before his 1932 death at age 88.

This portrait of Dollar in his later years is likely in the late 1920s.

Handwritten on sleeve: Rob't Dollar.
Webster & Stevens number: 119651

Caption information sources: Articles on May 16, 1932 from The San Francisco Chronicle, The Seattle Daily Times, and the Marine Digest.