You may not know the name James R. Anthony, but Floridians, who pay no state income tax, owe him a debt of gratitude.
Vic DiGenti had never heard of Anthony either, or the part he played in Florida’s history, but he has meticulously documented the life and times of this pivotal Florida businessman in his new book, “James R. Anthony: The Banker Who Shaped Florida's History.” DiGenti will appear at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, to discuss and sign his book.
DiGenti, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident and award-winning author, has worked as a ghostwriter and biographer for the past nine years, helping people write their personal and family histories. He said it’s extremely rare to find the kind of detailed historical records he used to write the Anthony book. When Anthony’s granddaughter asked him to write her grandfather’s biography, she loaned him five detailed journals her grandfather wrote documenting his family and business affairs.
“It became evident,” DiGenti said, “that Anthony’s life story was Florida’s story, and this would be as much a history book as a biography. The early 1900s saw profound changes in the Sunshine State, and Anthony was both an observer and a participant.”
The book documents Anthony’s rise from poor Georgia farm boy to become what one historian called “Florida’s King of Chain Banks.” Readers will learn how he found success in multiple fields and helped shape Florida’s future during the frenetic boom and bust years of the early 1900s.
Anthony worked with iconic oil and railroad tycoon Henry Flagler and helped create a state banking system of 60 financial institutions. He became president of the Florida Banking Association in 1924.
While initially written solely for the Anthony family and their friends, the book is now available for purchase, and early readers have praised it, writing, “DiGenti’s vivid and cinematic style make for page-turning reading …” and “This book may turn out to be one of the most inspirational, entertaining, and educational memoirs you’ll ever read.”
The book is available at Amazon.com and some area bookstores.
DiGenti is a member of the Association of Ghostwriters and the Florida Writers Association and is on the Board of the Beaches Museum. He lives and works in Ponte Vedra Beach with his wife and four frisky cats.
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