Those who succeed in starting their own insurance agency comefrom many backgrounds, but share several common traits. They'reentrepreneurial, self-disciplined and are proactive networkbuilders. A look back in history reveals that insurance agents inthe United States were often community leaders, farmers, militaryheroes and politicians.

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People may not think of insurance as the most glamorousindustry, but in addition to offering stability, challenge andgrowth to those who pursue this professional path, it's steeped inhistory.

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Related: 3 key strategies for growing your insuranceagency

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Here's a look at the rich history of 15 insurance agencies fromacross the U.S.

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Does your P&C insurance agency have an interestinghistory? If so, share it with us by sending an emailto [email protected] withthe details. Your agency could be featured in a futurearticle.

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Abel InsuranceAgency — Coos Bay, Ore.

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The Abel Insurance Agency can be traced back to the 1940s, whenChet Isaacson left the local Huggins agency and started his owninsurance agency from scratch. Little is known about the earlyyears of the business until 1954, when Harry Abel Sr. landed a jobwith Chet Isaacson's insurance agency. Prior to joining theinsurance business, Abel was a logger who owned his own truck andhauled logs.

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One day while Abel was removing the binders in preparation forunloading at a dump site, logs shifted and started to roll off thetruck unexpectedly. The first log hit Abel and pinned him to theground. The other logs rolled off the truck as well, butfortunately for him, the first log that was pinning him to theground shielded him from being crushed. After hospitalization andremoval of his spleen, it took almost a year for him to recover,after which time he landed the position in Isaacson's agency.

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Just eight weeks after Abel started working, Chet Isaacsonsuffered a stroke and was unable to work and could barely speak.The stroke left him paralyzed on his left side and he never cameback to work. The responsibility of running the agency wasdelegated to Harry Abel, and he truly learned the business from theground up.

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Read more about the history of Abel Insurance Agency.

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Brooks, Todd& McNeil — Connecticut

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The early beginnings of the Brooks, Todd & McNeil insuranceagency began with George Davis Wadhams (born Jan. 1, 1800, inCornwall, Conn., and died June 11, 1862). He was a very energeticand enterprising person who became involved in many companies, wasone of the leading businessmen in Torrington, Conn., and was apioneer in manufacturing. In 1839, he was the first insurance agentto represent the Aetna Insurance Co. in Torrington.

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In 1861, Isaac W. Brooks (born Nov. 8, 1838 in Goshen, Conn.,and died 1916), was involved in continuing the insurance agency.From 1861 to 1872, Brooks and his brother John were partners in ageneral merchandise store in Goshen, Conn., where they also soldsteamship tickets and insurance as a part of the generalbusiness.

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Read more about the history of Brooks, Todd & McNeil.

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Back row from left to right: Jonathan Cross, executive vicepresident; Brent Cross, executive vice president; and Woodrow CrossII, account executive. Bottom row from left to right: Royce Cross,president, and Woodrow Cross, chairman. (Photo: Cross Agency)

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CrossInsurance — Bangor, Maine

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In 1923, Woodrow Cross, a 6-year-old living in the countrysideof Maine, entered into the world of business. With a two-wheelwagon strapped to his pony and a bag of seed, young Woodrow tookoff around town selling seed to neighbors and farmers. It wasat this young age that Woodrow began to develop the skillsessential to becoming a businessman and his own boss.

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Woodrow dabbled in other business ventures in his childhooduntil he began working at his father’s country store as ateenager. Woodrow worked with his father and learned from him,but for only a few short years. In 1938, Woodrow’s fatherabruptly passed away, leaving Woodrow, at 21-years-old, in chargeof running the store to support his mother and youngersiblings.

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Related: 5 tips for aspiring insurancebrokers

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Over the next 16 years, Cross ran the store, fought in World WarII in the Pacific Theater, married, and started a family. Itwas in 1954 that Cross and his wife, Janette, decided to makesome changes; Cross sold his store so he could spend more time withhis children, and the family moved to Bangor, Maine, so thechildren could attend better schools.

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While in Bangor, Cross sought out employment any way he could.He worked at a local mill and worked nights ensuring that cementproperly settled during the construction of the BangorAuditorium (now rebuilt and named the Cross InsuranceCenter). During this time, Cross began studying insurance, anarea of work he had wanted to learn more about ever since afriend encouraged Cross to purchase his agency many yearsbefore.

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After months of rigorous study, Cross became licensed to sellProperty & Casualty insurance, Fire insurance and Lifeinsurance. With license in hand and no office, Cross began theWoodrow W. Cross Agency — now known as Cross Insurance— from his kitchen table.

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Learn more about the historyof Cross Insurance.

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FordInsurance Agency Inc. — Eliot, Maine

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The Ford Insurance Agency was founded in 1910 by Mervin Ford asa part-time agency catering to the personal insurance needs oflocal residents. As the agency steadily grew in size, Ford retiredfrom his full-time employment at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard anddevoted all his energies to the insurance agency.

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Mervin's son, Wilson, joined the agency after serving in WorldWar II as a naval officer and continued to work with his fatheruntil Mervin retired in the 1960s. The personal lines approach,developed by Mervin, was then continued and expanded upon byWilson.

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In 1975, Gary L. Lonsinger joined the agency and started anexpansion from the personal lines approach to a complete multiplelines agency. Primary efforts were then directed toward commercialgrowth and expanding the agency's markets.

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Learn more about the history of the Ford Insurance Agency.

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Fred Daniel & SonsInc. — Tulsa, Okla.

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Fred Daniel Sr. had been working for a Tulsa judge when henoticed the need for providing protection for business andfamilies. Fred Daniel & Sons Inc. was founded in the 1920s tohelp fulfill this need.

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Fred Daniel Sr. was extremely involved in the insuranceindustry, serving as president of the Oklahoma Association ofInsurance Agents, Inc. from 1941-1942 and was the state nationaldirector in 1944.

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Following in their father’s footsteps, Fred Daniel Jr. and hisbrother, William, joined the agency in 1951 and 1955, respectively.Fred Daniel III joined the agency in 1982 and became president andowner in 2000.

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Learn more about Fred Daniel & Sons.

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Higgins &Rutledge Insurance — Boise, Idaho

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Prior to becoming Higgins & Rutledge Insurance, the agencywas the W.C. Robinson Co., a small loan business founded by WilliamColburn “June” Robinson Jr. in the early 1940s. When he beganfinancing aircraft, the need arose to provide insurance to protecthis growing investment, so he contacted the Royal Insurance Co. inSan Francisco, which provided authorization to write aircraftinsurance policies in his office.

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Seeing enormous opportunity, in 1946 Robinson hired Bert Higginsas the primary insurance agent and began offering coverage to meetthe needs of a growing community.

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Upon his retirement, Robinson sold the agency to Bert Higgins in1951. By that time, the company had evolved into a respectedinsurance agency and continued to expand under its newname — the Bert Higgins Agency.

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Read more about the historyof Higgins & Rutledge Insurance.

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JuddInsurance Agency Inc. — Birch Run, Mich.

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In the small logging town of Blackmar, Mich., during the middleof the Great Depression, the Judd Insurance Agency’s long historybegan. During a huge blizzard early in 1931, Carl Nuechterlein,then president of Frankenmuth Mutual, was returning home toFrankenmuth by train. Nuechterlein had been out of town on businesspurchasing reinsurance for Frankenmuth Mutual Fire InsuranceCo. The weather was so bad he couldn't make the six mile tripback to his home in Frankenmuth.

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Related: Tennessee trailblazer: Agency owner JuneTaylor

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George M. Judd, a local farmer, offered to put Nuechterlein upfor the night in his home across the street from the train depot.Nuechterlein and Judd engaged in many discussions throughout theevening and during breakfast the next morning. During thosediscussions Nuechterlein realized Judd’s relationship with themembers of the community and his involvement in business.

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Nuechterlein invited Judd to come by his office in Frankenmuthand consider becoming an agent with Frankenmuth Mutual. Later thatyear, Judd met with Nuechterlein at his office in Frankenmuth andstarted the George M. Judd Agency.

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For the next 20 years, George operated the agency and alsofarmed the 160 acre family farm.

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Learn more about the history ofthe Judd Insurance Agency.

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M.J. Knapp Insurance AgencyInc. — Richwood and La Rue, Ohio

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The M.J. Knapp Agency was established in 1934 by Martin JacksonKnapp. Marty was a railroad worker and was looking to supplementhis income upon retirement from the railroad. He opened an officeoff the north side of his house where people stopped to do businesswith him for years.

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When Martin’s son, Larry J. Knapp, had fulfilled his servicewith the Navy, he purchased the agency and managed it from 1968until 1996. Larry ran the business out of his home on State Route95. Larry and Marilyn’s daughter, Jennifer L. Conroy, bought theagency in 1996 after having worked there as a licensed agent since1983. She has since purchased Larry’s home/office since the passingof Marilyn, and runs the office much the same … out of the house.The agency still has that small town, homey feel as you walk in thedoor.

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More on the history ofthe M.J. Knapp Insurance Agency.

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Mavco InsuranceAgency Inc. — Hinsdale, Ill.

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The Mavco story began nearly a century ago, when Girard AloysiusMavon founded G.A. Mavon & Co. in 1916. Previously, he hadearned a reputation as a determined businessman, travelingdoor-to-door by bicycle, selling insurance to the locals as a fieldman for the Dubuque Fire and Marine Co.

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Once Mavon established his own general agency, he was able toopen an office on South Halsted Street in Chicago. He eventuallymoved to the Insurance Exchange Building in downtown Chicago, whereit remained for 50 years.

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In 1979, G.A. Mavon & Co. moved into its own distinctivebuilding at 10 W. Chicago Ave. in Hinsdale.

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Four generations have controlled company operations throughoutthe history of the organization.

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Read more about Mavco.

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Morris &Garritano Insurance — San Luis Obispo, Calif.

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In 1885, while hooves thumped the dust of Higuera Street,Archibald McAlister opened a “Lands, Loans, Rents & Insurance”office. Straightforward and amiable, McAlister earned thecommunity’s trust.

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A decade later, San Luis Obispoans elected McAlister mayor. Thatsame year, McAlister hired his son-in-law, Ernest Vollmer. After adecade of sharing work, McAlister retired, and his son-in-lawcontinued his tradition.

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Along with running Ernest Vollmer, Real Estate & Insurance,Vollmer served as an inheritance tax appraiser for the County ofSan Luis Obispo.

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Read more about the history of Morris & Garritano.

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ScarboroughInsurance — Gainesville, Fla.

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In 1961, Earl Scarborough left his position as an assistantfootball and baseball coach at his alma mater, the University ofFlorida, to start an insurance agency from scratch. His wife washis lone assistant, and they shared a desk in their home as theytried to build a Life and Health insurance practice.

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Like everything else in his life, he found success through acombination of hard work and determination and had a robust lifeinsurance practice by 1972, when his oldest son, Rick Scarborough,joined him in business after graduating from the University ofFlorida.

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Rick expanded the agency’s scope of services by entering intothe Property and Casualty insurance business. The agency grew withtime both organically and by the acquisition of other localagencies. In 1996, Rick’s son, Brian, joined the agency aftergraduating from the University of Florida, making ScarboroughInsurance a third-generation family business.

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Visit their website and learn moreabout Scarborough Insurance.

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Shattuck & GrummettInsurance — Juneau, Alaska

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When Shattuck & Grummett’s history began in Juneau, the townwas little more than a frontier mining camp. On Jan. 1, 1898, whenHenry Shattuck and E.F. Cassell established an insurance agency,the oldest insurance agency operating in Alaska today, wasborn.

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By 1900, Henry’s brother, Allen, who had come to Juneau with himin 1897, joined him in the insurance agency, now called Shattuck& Co. Allen’s son, Curtis, joined in 1930.

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The history of the Grummett Insurance Agency begin in 1945, whenStan Grummett purchased the Juneau Insurance Agency from the FrankBurns Co., which had been operating since 1932. Following a strokein 1954 that left Stan Grummett partially disabled, Grace Grummettstepped in to learn insurance and successfully continue thebusiness.

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The 1960s brought new blood to the agencies. Allen and RogerShattuck joined their father, Curtis, and Mike and Roger Grummettjoined their mother, Grace, in the operation of these competingagencies. The Shattuck & Grummett Inc. was formed in 1971 whenthese two long-time competitors merged.

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Read more about the history ofShattuck & Grummett Insurance.

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SoucyInsurance Agency — Woonsocket, R.I.

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Soucy Insurance Agency was started in 1914 by Adelard L.Soucy, a first-generation French Canadian born in Manville, R.I.Adelard Soucy was a leader in the community and representedWoonsocket in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. In 1918,he was elected mayor of Woonsocket and served four terms.

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From 1945 through 1994, Adelard's son, Rodrigue, turned thebusiness his father had started out of a room in his house into athriving insurance and real estate agency. His brother, AdelardJr., worked for the company for over 30 years, spearheading theburgeoning real estate division.

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Over the next four decades, the company witnessed tremendousgrowth. In 1994, David Soucy became the third member of the Soucyfamily to take the helm as president.

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Watch a video and learn more about the SoucyInsurance Agency.

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Tobey & Merrill Insurance —Hampton, N.H.

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Tobey & Merrill Insurance Inc. of Hampton, N.H., might beknown as the “little business that could.” The company has survivedtwo World Wars, tremendous social change, and economic ups anddowns, to find itself still going strong in the same communitywhere it began more than 100 years ago.

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The insurance business was started by the Rev. Edgar Warren in1908, at a time when the world was in the midst of vast andexciting changes. Automobiles and telephones were gaining inpopularity, with Henry Ford’s Model-T debuting that year. Americanswere reading Jack London and Henry James, and flocked to seenickelodeon picture shows. Unrest was brewing in Europe, but theUnited States was still at peace. Amid this backdrop, the littleinsurance company took hold, and became a solid part of the Hamptonbusiness community.

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In 1915, Warren sold the business to Herbert L. Tobey, who wasbasically looking for something new to do. He had a successfuldye-selling business, but with the advent of World War I, could nolonger get the dyes he required. Insurance seemed like a soundventure, and for good measure, Tobey also opened a real estatebusiness.

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In 1916, with the business continuing to grow, Tobey hired C.Ruth Noyes as his assistant. In 1917, she married Dean B. Merrill,who has just returned from the war. Soon after, Merrill joinedTobey in the agency. By 1920, they had become partners, and theagency became known as Tobey & Merrill.

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Learn more about the history of Tobey & Merrill Insurance.

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WhiteInsurance Agencies — Glenwood Springs &Aspen, Colo.

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Steve White began his insurance career in 1974, and introducedQBE Farmers Union Insurance to the farming and ranching communityof Worland, Wyo., in 1976. Moving the young White family toGlenwood Springs in the Roaring Fork Valley of western Colorado in1979, he assumed the management of the historical QBE Farmers UnionInsurance office.

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The agency had been established as one of the earliestcontinuous businesses in the area, serving the rural community withpart-time agents since the 1930s. These agents had been ranchers,mail carriers, real estate agents and bankers, and the time hadcome to establish a full service-based agency.

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Find out more about the White Insurance Agencies.

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Related: How 7 P&C insurers got theirstart