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Fred Harvey




California ]]
Fred Harvey (1835-1901) was an entrepreneur who developed the '''Harvey House''' lunch rooms, restaurants, and hotels, which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe Railway . His partnership with the railroad began in 1876. At its peak, there were 84 Harvey Houses. They continued to be built and operated into the 1930s and 1940s. Harvey was the head of the Fred Harvey Company .

Prior to the founding of the Harvey Houses, lunchrooms serving rail passengers in the Western United States were deplorable. Harvey hired women to staff his restaurants at a time when the Western states offered few respectable jobs for women other than as teachers or domestics. He paid up to USD $17.50 per month (with free room and board) and advertised in the East to attract employees. He set high standards for efficiency and cleanliness in his establishments. Food was always served on china, and customers were required to wear coats.

A Fred Harvey museum is located in the former Harvey residence in Leavenworth, Kansas .

A movie musical entitled " The Harvey Girls ", starring Judy Garland , Cyd Charisse , and Angela Lansbury and based on a near-pulp novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams was made in 1946. It won the Academy Award for Best Song for "On The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe".


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