Archie Downes (born 1882) was an American businessman from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Biography[]
Archie Downes was born in Valentine, Nebraska in 1882, the son of Thomas and Edith Downes. He worked as a farmhand at the family ranch until his father died of tuberculosis in 1899 after being beaten by debt collector Arthur Morgan, after which the deprived family was forced to move to New Orleans, where Edith found work as a prostitute. Later, they moved to the thriving mining town of Annesburg, Arkansas, where Archie worked as a miner with the goal of making enough money so that his mother could stop working as a prostitute. Morgan, hoping to make amends for the family's devastation, arrived at the mine and beat down miners who were bullying Downes for his mother's profession, and he asked Archie to convince his mother to accept his help. Ultimately, Edith was persuaded to quit her job and accept Arthur's help, and, by 1907, they had become wealthy golf course and business owners.