John Wilson Wheeler, whose name is familiar to every housewife who owns or wants to own a sewing machine, was born in Orange, Franklin county, Massachusetts, November 20, 1832, being the second of nine children. He was the son of a carpenter-farmer, and was educated in a district school. When about fourteen years of age he began to follow the trade of his father, and continued to do so until he was twenty-three years old. But he was not satisfied with his narrow surroundings, and so when the opportunity came for him to accept a place in a little grocery store in Fitchburg at one hundred and twenty-five dollars a year and his board he gladly accepted it. Returning to Orange some time later, he became a clerk in the store of one Daniel Pomeroy, finally succeeding the latter in the business, which he conducted for three years longer. Selling out, he became clerk in the claim agency of D. E. Chency, one of the leading men of the village. By this time he had established a reputation for ability and integrity, and so it came about that Mr. Chency and another of his friends loaned him two thousand dollars on his personal security to buy a grocery store. The venture was successful and was only given up in 1867, in order that Mr. Wheeler might become a partner in the firm of A. E. Johnson & Co. that had just started in a small way to make sewing machines. After some years of struggling the firm was turned into a corporation under the name of the Gold Medal Sewing Machine Company, Mr. Wheeler being secretary and treasurer. In 1882 the name was again changed to that of the New Home Sewing Machine Company. Of this corporation Mr. Wheeler was vice-president, as well as secretary and treasurer. He later became president, but subsequently resigned, but retained the office of treasurer, as well as being a member of the board of directors. How the business has grown from small beginnings to its present extensive status is a story that is familiar to everyone who knows somewhat of the sewing machine industry. The company employs nearly six hundred men and turns out about four hundred machines daily. Mr. Wheeler is alsopresident of the Orange savings bank and of the Orange national bank, and has been president of the Orange Power company and the Orange board of trade. He has furthermore held office with the Boston mutual life insurance company, is the director of the Athol and Orange City railway company, is president of the Leabitt Machine company, of the Orange good government club and is vice-president of the Home Market club. He married Almira E. Johnson, by whom he had three daughters, only one of whom survives. He is the owner of much real estate, and is erecting a mansion near Orange at the cost of $150,000.
George F. Baer, when a boy, worked on his father’s farm in Somerset county, Pennsylvania. He was recently chosen president of the Philadelphia & Reading and New Jersey Central railroad systems, two of the most important transportation corporations in the country. He is also identified with many enterprises of a diversified and extensive nature. He is still in the prime of life, and the secret of his so attaining is an open one—he did not waste time. Young Baer attended school for but a few years, and then entered the office of the Somerset Democrat to learn the printing trade. But he did not permit himself to retrograde in his studies, but instead pored over books and practiced writing at night. When sixteen years of age he managed to get a year’s tuition in the Somerset academy and afterward secured a position as clerk in the Ashtola Mills, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At the end of twelve months he was made chief clerk. Resigning, he entered the sophomore class at Franklin and Marshall colleges. Next, and in conjunction with his older brother, he bought the Democrat. Then the war broke out and the brother enlisted. Mr. Baer, then hardly nineteen years of age, ran the paper alone. In 1862 he, too, got the war spirit and went to the front. He was mustered out in 1863 and forthwith began to read law with his two brothers. After practicing in Somerset for four years, he went to Reading, where he was retained by the attorney of certain railroads that were trying to compete with the Philadelphia & Reading railroad. The opposing company finally decided that he was worth more for them than against them and so made him its legal adviser. From that time up to his election as president of the corporation he had been its solicitor. He is also interested in coal mines, paper manufacture, banks and insurance corporations, is married and has five daughters.
August Belmont, builder of the New York City subway, began his career with the handicap of great wealth. His father, August Belmont, senior, was one of the richest and best known American bankers. His son August was graduated from Harvard University in 1875, and for a time gave himself up in large measure to the usual occupations of the youth of fortune. But as he grew older he interested himself more and more in the great banking business established by his father. In the course of a few years he became, on his own account, a power in the financial world. He is now an officer or director in many banking, railway, manufacturing andother corporations. In addition to these he has been a strong supporter of the best art, literary, patriotic and other American activities, being a member of numerous associations devoted to such movements. He has taken an active part in politics, and is much interested in the breeding of thoroughbred race-horses. His most conspicuous activity, however, has been the building of the subway, which has added so greatly to the transportation facilities of the metropolis.
Another railroad man who has risen from a place of obscurity to a position of prominence is Alexander Johnston Cassatt, who has been president of the Pennsylvania railroad company since June, 1899. Like George H. Daniels, of the New York Central railroad, he started life as a rodman, in 1861, in the employ of the corporation of which he is now the head. Mr. Cassatt preferred to begin at the foot of the ladder for the sake of the knowledge of the primary details of the business which his so doing gave him, instead of making use of the influence as he probably could have obtained in order to assure him a less humble position. He was born in Pittsburg, December 8, 1839, and was educated at the University of Heidelberg and the Rensselaer Polytechnique institute. After his experiences as rodman, by force of sheer industry and integrity, he rose from place to place until, in 1871, he was made general superintendent of the Pennsylvania system and general manager of the lines east of Pittsburg. Between 1874 and 1882 he held the offices of third vice-president and second vice-president, was elected director in 1883 and was made president of the road in 1899. “Thoroughly ground yourself in the elementaries of your chosen business, and then stick to it,” is Mr. Cassatt’s advice to young men. He is a thorough believer in the old axiom that “a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
George Henry Daniels, who in his capacity of general passenger agent of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad, is probably better known personally or by repute to the traveling public, than any other man in this country, was born in Hampshire, Kane county, Illinois, December 1, 1842. He began his railroad career as a rodman in the engineering corps of the Northern Missouri railroads, and from that humble position has risen, not rapidly perhaps, but slowly and certainly, until he has the passenger transportation responsibilities on his hands of what is probably the greatest railroad in the United States. After some years of strenuous work, he became, in 1872, the general freight and passenger agent of the Chicago and Pacific railroad, and in 1880 was made ticket agent of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific road. After a number of varied experiences, all of which were in the west, and were connected with positions of great responsibility, he acted as assistant commissioner or commissioner for several roads, and in April, 1889, was rewarded for his years of faithful service by being appointed to the position which he now holds. No small portion of Mr. Daniels’s success is due to his personal tactfulness and unfailing courtesy; or, as someone has put it, he knows how to grant a favor without placing the grantee under an obligation, and he knows how to refuse a request without offending the individual who makes it.
George Jay Gould, whose name is so generally identified with high finance, is the son of the late Jay and Helen Day (Miller) Gould. He was born in New York in 1858 and received his education at the hands of private tutors or in private schools. Inheriting a genius for finance and an instinct for railroading, he has succeeded in successfully conducting those vast enterprises and investments which were brought into existence by his father. Mr. Gould is an ardent devotee of field sports, particularly those of which horses are a part and portion. He married Miss Edith Kingdon, who was at one time a member of Augustin Daly’s Dramatic Company in this city. By her he has two sons, both of whom are as fond of strenuous sports as is their father. Nevertheless he does not permit his pastimes to interfere with his business affairs, and is a familiar figure in the financial districts of New York City. He has been president of the Little Rock and Fort Worth railroad, Texas and Pacific railroad, International and Great Northern railroad, Manhattan Elevated railroad, Missouri Pacific railroad, and the St. Louis and Iron Mountain and Southern railroad. Mr. Gould is a good specimen of the young American who does not let his great wealth hamper his activities.
The placing of young men in positions of extreme responsibility seems to be peculiar to this country. Abroad such positions are usually held by persons of mature or advanced years. That the commercial world of America does not suffer from its departure from European customs in the respect cited is evidenced by its commercial and mercantile progress. Clement Acton Griscom, Jr., manager of the great American line of steamers is a case in point. He was born in 1868 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1887. His father is Clement Acton Griscom, Sr., president of the line. Griscom, the manager, entered the service of the company the day following his last examination at college and two weeks before he received his diploma. He first worked as office boy in the freight department at a salary of $3.00 per week, and, as the story goes, although a college graduate and the son of the president, the other employes treated him exactly as they did the other boys. His business progress then was something in this order: junior clerk at $5.00 per week; junior clerk in the passenger department, $7.00 per week; clerk in the ticket department, dock clerk from 7 a. m. until 6 p. m., assistant to the manager of the Chicago office, assistant to the general manager in New York, supervisor at the head of the purchasing board steward departments, and finally manager. It will be seen that young Griscom had to “hoe his own row” completely, and, although at the time he, like the ordinary boy, objected to so doing, he now recognizes the wisdom of his father in compelling him to learn all there was to be learned. Under Mr. Griscom’s management, the American Line flourishes. He is also president of the James Riley repair and supply company, a director of the Maritime Exchange and is interested in a number of other enterprises. He married the daughter of General William Ludlow, and his friends say that his home life has had a determining influence on his career in general.
Intimates of James J. Hill, the transportation giant of the northwest, say that the ambition of his life is toencircle the world with a system of railroads and steamships, all of which shall be under his guiding hand. He has nearly attained it. He owns the Great Northern railway, which stretches from Seattle, Washington, to St. Paul and Duluth, Minnesota. He is proprietor of the line of steamers which ply between Duluth and Buffalo. He is largely interested in the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, which covers the territory between Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. He is organizing, in Europe, a steamship company whose vessels shall have for their terminal ports Seattle, Washington, on the one side, and Vladivostok, Yokohama and Hong Kong on the other. He is now reaching out across the Pacific to Seattle, intending to connect his Great Northern road with the Trans-Siberian road, and the man who controls all these huge enterprises earned them from humble beginnings, and asserts that the principle that has enabled him to reach power and affluence is simply that of economy. When he earned five dollars a week he saved; now that he is the owner of an income the size of which he can hardly pass upon, he saves, not in miserly fashion, but he detests unnecessary expenditure. Mr. Hill was born near Guelph, Upper Canada, September 16, 1838. He was educated at Rockwood academy and started life in a steamboat office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hard and continuous work brought its reward in the shape of his being made agent for the Northwestern Packet company in 1865. Then he branched out for himself, establishing a fuel and transportation business on his own account. From that time on his rise was rapid. He founded the Red River Transportation company, 1875; organized the syndicate which secured control of the St. Paul and Pacific railroad, became the president of the organized road and finally merged it with other lines into the Great Northern system of which he is now president. Mr. Hill is married and has several sons, all of whom are following the railroad business.
One of the many railroad presidents who began life on a farm is Melville Ezra Ingalls. He was born at Harrison, Maine, September 6, 1842. Brought up on his father’s farm, he had his full share of hard work during boyhood. He was first educated at Burlington academy, later at Bowdoin college, and graduated from the Harvard law school in 1863. Establishing himself in practice in Gray, Maine, he soon found that the village was too small for his hopes and ambitions, so he removed to Boston. There he became identified with political affairs and was elected a member of the Massachusetts senate in 1867. In 1870 he was made the president of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette railroad, which was then in a bankrupt condition. A year later he was made receiver for the road. Then it was that Mr. Ingalls’ genius for railroading began to show itself. With the aid of the organization in 1873 and 1880, he put the successor of the road, which was the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago, on a sound footing, subsequently consolidating it with other roads under its final title of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis railroad, now known as the “Big Four” system. Mr. Ingalls is president of the road, and up to February, 1900, was also president of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. Mr. Ingalls’ successes have left him the same charitable, genial and approachable individual that he was when a struggling lawyer in a little village in Maine.
Alexander Graham Bell, whose name is so clearly associated with the invention and the development of the telephone, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 3, 1847. He was educated at the Edinburgh and London universities, and on graduating went to Canada in 1870, in which country he spent two years endeavoring to decide on a vocation. Later he located in Boston, where he became professor of vocal physiology at the Boston university. It was during this period that he became interested in and made an exhaustive series of experiments culminating in an application for a patent which was granted February 14, 1876. The history of the invention, which is second in importance only to the electric telegraph, is well known to the public. Without going into details, it is only necessary to say that Mr. Bell, like all other successful inventors, had to face and overcome the popular prejudices, and had to protect his rights in the courts through interminable law suits. The place that the telephone fills in the social and commercial economy of the world to-day is also too well known to need emphasis. Professor Bell is also the inventor of the photophone, and is interested in the current scientific efforts of the American association to promote the teaching of the deaf and dumb. Scientific honors have been showered upon him in connection with his inventions. In 1881 the French government awarded him the Volta prize, and he is the founder of the Volta bureau. He is also the author of many scientific and educational monographs.
The development and general use of the “arc” electric light is to a very great extent the outcome of the researches of Charles F. Brush. While the “arc” was by no means unknown to electricians prior to Mr. Brush’s development of it, it was he who was responsible for its becoming a commercial possibility. Mr. Brush was born in Euclid, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, March 17, 1849. His father was Colonel Isaac Elbert Brush, his mother being Delia Wissner (Phillips) Brush. Both parents came from old lines of American families. After periods spent in public schools in Ohio, Mr. Brush attended the Cleveland high school and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1869. From the first he displayed a fondness for electricity and chemistry, and subsequent to his graduating became an analytical chemist and consulting chemical expert in Cleveland. All this time, however, he was studying electricity, foreseeing the time when it would be one of the chief factors of modern civilization. In 1877 he devoted himself entirely to electrical affairs and a year later presented to the public the light with which his name is identified. In 1880 the Brush Electric Company was formed and the “arc” light grew in favor. A year later it was introduced into England and on the continent. Nevertheless Mr. Brush had the usual experience of inventors, but was successful in litigation and has the satisfaction of knowing that his claims of priority of invention have been recognized by the leading scientific societies in the world. He is interested in a number of electrical enterprises, is a member of many clubs and scientific and charitable institutions. In 1875 he married Mary E. Morris, of Cleveland, by whom he has three children.
Santos Dumont, who has attained world wide publicity in connection with his daring and novel experiments in ærostatics, is still a young man. He was born in Brazil in 1873 and is of French ancestry, although his father was also a Brazilian by birth. The Santos Dumont plantations at San Paulo are said to be the largest in the country in question, so large indeed that a small railroad runs around it, which is used for the transportation of labor and products. At an early age Santos Dumont developed a taste for mechanics and the railroad was his constant study and delight. When still a boy he was sent to France to be educated, and in that country, some thirteen years since, began to experiment with automobiles, abandoning them, however, in 1893, for ærostatics. His first ascents were made in spherical balloons, but he quickly adopted those of cylindrical form. He has practically invented the dirigible balloon of to-day through the medium of his ingenious arrangement of screws, rudders, motors, cars, shifting weights, etc. He was the first to give up the net and attach his car to the balloon itself. On July 12, 1901, he sailed from St. Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and around in Paris. He has made over half a dozen machines and is engaged on others. During his experiments he has had more than one narrow escape from death, but these have had little or no effect upon his nerve or his enthusiasm.
Peter C. Hewitt—who is much in the eye of the scientific world by reason of his invention of an electric “convertor” and his discovery of a wonderful method of electric lighting—is the grandson of the late Peter Cooper, the philanthropist. Mr. Hewitt was born in New York city in 1861, his father being Abram Stevens Hewitt, who held the office of mayor of the metropolis from 1887 to 1889. After being educated by private tutors, he entered the Columbia university, New York city, and on graduating therefrom studied for some years in a technical school in New Jersey. Afterward he became connected with the glue factory established by his grandfather and owned by his father. But that bent toward scientific investigations which seems to have been born in him, prompted him to devote himself to experimental work in the laboratory. A portion of the result of such work has already been alluded to. There are not wanting indications that the electric light devised by Mr. Hewitt will, to a very great extent, take the place of that now furnished by the arc or incandescent filament. It is described as “soft sunlight.” Mr. Hewitt is married, his wife being Lucy, daughter of the late Frank Work. He is popular socially, and his private charities prove that he has inherited his grandfather’s great-heartedness to no small degree.
John P. Holland, the inventor of the submarine boat which bears his name, is an Irishman by birth. He is now about sixty years of age, hale, hearty and devoted to the task of improving the wonderful craft of which he is the creator. Mr. Holland reached this country early in the 70’s, but long before that he had come to the conclusion that much of the naval warfare of the future would be done beneath the water rather than on its surface. He states that his convictions in this respect were the outcome of a newspaper account of the fight between the Monitor and Merrimac,which he read about two weeks after the occurrence of that historical conflict. From that time on, he began to form plans and make models for submarine torpedo boats or destroyers. He not only had to contend with great mechanical difficulties, but even when his boat was so far perfected that it could be submitted to the authorities, he encountered prejudices and opposition of the strongest. As the matter now stands, the most conservative of naval experts have become convinced of the importance of the Holland submarine, that, too, not only in this country but abroad. The United States now owns a number of the boats, as does Great Britain. Mr. Holland, when he first came to this country, was a school teacher, and, like the majority of inventors who are not capitalists, had a hard time of it for many years. He was at length fortunate enough to interest some moneyed men in his invention and was enabled to devote himself entirely to it. It is said that his creations provide for every contingency, both above and below water. It was only after prolonged tests of their efficiency that the U. S. government added them to the navy.
This is eminently the age of young men, and William Marconi is a case in point. He was born at Marzabotto, Italy, September 23, 1875, his father being an Italian and his mother an Englishwoman. After being educated at the universities of Bologna and Padua, he, at a very early age, began to evidence a liking for scientific pursuits. Happily for the world at large, Marconi’s father was so placed financially that he could permit of his son following his inclinations to the utmost. After some preliminary work, young Marconi instituted a series of experiments in order to test the theory, which at that time was a theory only, that electric currents under certain conditions are able to pass through any known substance. The result was that when but fifteen years of age he invented an apparatus for wireless telegraphy, which attracted the attention of Sir William Henry Preece, engineer and electrician-in-chief of the English postal service. The apparatus was tested in England and with success. For the next few years Marconi was engaged in perfecting his system. Public attention was called to his further successes in 1897 by messages being sent from Queen Victoria on land to the Prince of Wales (now King Edward), some miles distant on the Royal yacht. Later the British government engaged Marconi to install a number of wireless stations around the southern coast of England, and from that time on, wireless telegraphy has become an accepted fact with civilized governments all the world over. He came to this country in 1889, where he made more experiments and organized and incorporated a company for the commercial use of his methods. At the present writing messages have been successfully sent between England and America, a greater number of liners are equipped with the Marconi apparatus, and the same remark applies to the warships of the United States and European powers.
George Westinghouse was born at Central Bridge, New York, October 6, 1846. Ten years later his parents removed to Schenectady, where he was educated in the public and high schools, spending much of his time in his father’s machine-shop. During the Civil war he served in the Union army. At its close he attended Union college, Schenectady, for two years.In 1865 he invented the device for replacing railroad cars on the track. In 1868 he invented and successfully introduced the Westinghouse air-brake. From time to time he has modified and improved this, one of the most notable of his inventions. He is also the inventor of many other devices connected with railroads, such as signals, automatic and otherwise, electric devices of several sorts and other things which make for the efficiency of transportation in general. He is the president of twelve corporations, a member of many scientific societies, and is also the recipient of medals and decorations from the king of Italy, the king of Belgium and other European notables. It is not too much to say that without the Westinghouse inventions railroading as we know of it to-day would hardly be possible. Apart from adding much to the safety of railroad travel, the Westinghouse brake permits paradoxically enough of speeds being attained which would not be possible under old-time conditions. Mr. Westinghouse’s inventive genius has been largely rewarded in a financial manner.
Edward Cooper, one of the more prominent merchants of New York, was born October 26th, 1824. He is the son of Peter Cooper, the philanthropist, and, like his father, has, during the course of a busy life, done much for the well being of the people of the municipality in which he lives. Mr. Cooper was educated in New York public schools and is a graduate of Columbia university. Throughout his life he has been more or less active in New York political affairs, and, while a consistent Democrat, has had no hesitation in putting principle before party. He was one of the leaders of the successful movement which overthrew the infamous Tweed ring. From 1879 to 1881 he was mayor of New York and added to his reputation by the honesty and energy of his administration. Mr. Cooper is associated with his brother-in-law, Abram S. Hewitt, in the conduct of the Trenton Iron Works, New Jersey Steel Works and other enterprises of a like nature. He is a good example of the man who does not permit his business affairs or his wealth to interfere with his obligations as a citizen.
Robert Curtis Ogden was born at Philadelphia, July 20th, 1836, and is the son of the late Jonathan Curtis Ogden. He was educated in private schools in the city of his birth. On March 1st, 1860, he married Ellen Elizabeth Lewis, of Brooklyn. Since 1885 he has been a partner in the firm of John Wanamaker. His business acumen, as well as his bent toward philanthropic and religious work, has eminently fitted him to hold the responsible position which he occupies in the firm’s affairs. In spite of the many commercial duties which are part and portion of Mr. Ogden’s every-day life, he nevertheless finds time to attend to the many philanthropic enterprises in which he is interested. In 1889 he acted as a member of the State Johnstown Flood Relief Commission, which accomplished much in the way of relieving the sufferers from the disaster in question. He is also a director of the Union Hill Theological seminary,trustee of the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama and is first vice-president of the Pennsylvania Society of New York. Mr. Ogden takes an active part in church matters and is the author of several books and pamphlets, including “Pew Rentals and the New Testament—Can They Be Reconciled?” “Sunday School Teaching,” etc. As a contributor to the magazines, he is well known, some of the articles from his pen which have attracted much attention being “Getting and Keeping a Business Position” and “Ethics of Modern Retailing.” Mr. Ogden takes an active interest in the welfare of the young people employed by him and his partners.
Henry Siegel, whose name is identified with those huge so-called department stores, which are cities of commerce inclosed within four walls, was born March 17, 1852, at Enbighein, Germany. His father was the burgomaster of the village, and he himself was one of a family of eight children. Two of his brothers, on attaining manhood, came to this country and were fairly prosperous. The letters that they sent home acted as fuel to the ambitions of Henry, and so when seventeen years of age he sailed for America, and obtained a position in Washington, District of Columbia, in a dry goods house at a salary of three dollars per week. By dint of hard study at night schools he managed to get a fair English education and next became traveler for a clothing house. After some years of hard work, he and his brothers began business for themselves in Chicago and fortune followed their efforts. In 1887 he founded the well-known firm of Siegel, Cooper & Co., of Chicago, again prospered, and in 1896, together with his partners, opened a vast store on Sixth avenue, New York. In 1901 he sold out his interest in the New York enterprise, but immediately acquired the old-established firm of Simpson, Crawford & Co. He simultaneously disposed of his interest in the Chicago concern. A year later he bought a half-interest in the firm of Schlessinger & Mayer, of Chicago. Not content with these undertakings, early in 1903, he began to build a store at Thirty-fourth street and Broadway, New York, and also purchased an entire block in Boston on which he proposes to erect a building which shall dwarf those of which he is already the owner. And so the little German who began life as an errand boy is now one of the merchant princes of America.
Frank W. Woolworth was born at Rodman, New York, April 13, 1852. He passed his boyhood on his parents’ farm, was educated at a district school, and graduated from the Commercial college at Watertown, New York. His start in life was as a clerk in a dry goods store at Watertown. In 1878 he originated the popular five and ten-cent store, which, thanks to his energy and acumen, has attained such marvelous popularity. His employers, Moore & Smith, at his suggestion, bought $50 worth of the cheapest sort of goods and put them with other old shop-worn goods on the counter, displaying the sign “Any article on this counter five cents.” The stock was sold the first day, and Mr. Woolworth then decided to have a five and ten-cent store of his own. Borrowing $325, he opened a place in Utica, New York. The public patronized him and at the end of six weeks he had a net profit of $139.50. In 1869 he removed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he opened a store,and next another at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Both of these ventures were successful and he now has stores in nearly every large city in the country, there being eight of such in New York alone. He was married, in 1876, to Jennie, daughter of Thomas Creighton, of Pictou, Ontario, Canada, and has three daughters. Mr. Woolworth’s career is a practical commentary on the value of the maxim that it is unwise to “despise the day of small things.”
William Waldorf Astor, the capitalist and author, born in New York city, March 31, 1848 is the son of the noted John Jacob and Charlotte Augusta (Gibbs) Astor. He was educated chiefly by private tutors, among whom was a professor of the University of Marburg. At the age of 23 he was taken into the offices of the Astor estate in order to master the details of each department. Recognizing the need of a thorough legal education, he studied for two years in the Columbia Law School, being admitted to the bar in May, 1875. His father being convinced of the son’s exceptional business ability, subsequently gave him absolute control over all of his property. In 1877 Mr. Astor was elected a member of the New York state legislature from the Eleventh Assembly District, defeating the Tammany Hall and the Independent Democratic candidates. In 1879 he was elected to the state senate and in 1881 was nominated for congress in the district formerly represented by Levi P. Morton, but was defeated by Roswell P. Flower. In August, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Mr. Astor Minister to Italy. While in Rome he spent much time in studying the early history of the country, and on returning home, in 1885, published his novel, Valentino, which embodies his researches in the mediæval history of Italy. His later novel, Sforza, also deals with Italy in the Middle Ages. Mr. Astor has built the New Netherlands hotel, on Fifth avenue and Fifty-ninth street, New York city, and Hotel Waldorf Astoria, the latter on the site of the old Astor residence. In September, 1890, Mr. Astor moved to London, England, where he has entered upon a notable career in journalism. He now owns the Pall Mall Gazette, and has founded the Pall Mall Magazine. He is and has been a stockholder and director in several American railroads. He has other interests outside of his vast real estate holdings. On June 6, 1878, he was married to Mary Dahlgren, daughter of James W. Paul, of Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Astor died in 1894.
When the long-sought-for opportunity to become a banker came to the ambitious young man, now the financier, Henry Clews, he did not let his chances pass him. He was born in Staffordshire, England, August 14, 1840, coming of a good old English family. His father, an able business man, intended Henry for the ministry of the Established Church of England. But at the age of fifteen the boy, visiting America with his father, became so interested in the country and its people that he gave up all idea of becoming a clergyman, and, with his parents’ consent, settled in the United States. His firstposition in this country was as a clerk with an importing firm, in which he rose to a position of responsibility. In 1859 he became a member of the firm of Stout, Clews & Mason, which subsequently became Livermore, Clews & Co. At the outbreak of the Civil War Secretary Chase invited him to become agent for selling government bonds. His unfaltering faith in their worth was shown by his subscribing to the National loan at the rate of five million or ten million dollars per day, even going into debt by borrowing on the bonds. This materially strengthened the public confidence in the government’s course of action. When Mr. Chase was congratulated upon his success in placing the war loans, he said: “I deserve no credit; had it not been for the exertion of Jay Cooke and Henry Clews I could never have succeeded.” Mr. Clews founded and organized the famous “Committee of Seventy” that successfully disposed of the “Tweed Ring.” After the Civil War, besides establishing a distinctive banking business, he became one of the largest negotiators of railroad loans in America or Europe. The present firm of Henry Clews & Co. was established in 1877, its members pledging themselves never to take any speculative risks. Mr. Clews has for many years been treasurer of the “Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” and is also connected with many city institutions and financial corporations. He married Lucy Madison, of Worthington, Kentucky, a grandniece of ex-President Madison. He is a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines and the author of Twenty-eight Years in Wall Street.
America’s richest woman, Mrs. Hetty Green, is like the majority of wealthy persons, not only able to keep, but to increase her riches. Her genius for finance is admittedly equal to that possessed by any of those individuals whose names are identified with vast and progressive wealth. She was born November 21, 1835, in New Bedford, Mass., her maiden name being Hetty Howland Robinson. Not long after her birth her father, Edward Mott Robinson, died, leaving her a large fortune. She was educated at the Mrs. Lowell’s school in Boston. In 1876 she married E. H. Green, of New York City. From thence on she began that financial career which has made her famous. Mrs. Green is said to be interested in nearly every large corporation all over the world. She also has large real estate holdings in a number of cities in this country, and is interested in many enterprises of a general nature. She personally manages her business affairs, and is a familiar figure in Wall Street, and “downtown” New York. Her formula for getting rich is that “Economy is the secret of making money.”
John Pierpont Morgan was born at Hartford, Conn., April 17, 1837. His mother was a daughter of the Rev. John Pierpont, a noted clergyman, poet, author and temperance worker. He was educated at the English high school at Boston and at the University of Gottingen, Germany, from whence he graduated in 1857. On returning to the United States he became associated with the banking house of Duncan, Sherman & Co., of New York city. In 1860 he severed his connection with that firm and began business for himself. In 1864 he formed the firm of Dabney, Morgan & Co. Meantime he had become representative of the house of GeorgePeabody & Co., of London, and during the Civil War he was able, through this connection, to render substantial assistance to the Federal government. In 1871 he organized the firm of Drexel, Morgan & Co., and by the death of Mr. Drexel, in 1893, he became senior partner. In 1895 the firm title was changed to J. P. Morgan & Co. He is also head of the firms of J. P. Morgan & Co., of London; Morgan, Hayes & Co., of Paris, and Drexel & Co., of Philadelphia. Mr. Morgan is generally known as the “King of Trust Magnates,” on account of his having engineered so many mercantile and financial consolidations; in fact, he has been instrumental in forming the majority of the great corporations or trusts. He gives large sums to charity, is a liberal patron of art, and is a member of all the leading clubs of New York and other cities. In 1865 he was married to Frances Louise, daughter of John Tracy. He has one son, John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., and three daughters. Mr. Morgan’s vast operations are not confined to this country. He is an active power in English and Continental financial circles.
The owner of what is believed to be the largest individual income in the world began his business life as a poorly paid clerk in a small provincial firm. John Davison Rockefeller was born at Richford, New York, on July 8th, 1839. He was educated in the local public schools. In 1853 his parents moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where, while still a boy, he obtained a position as clerk in a general commission house. When nineteen he went into business for himself by becoming a partner in the firm of Clark & Rockefeller, general commission merchants. Subsequently the firm admitted another partner, and under the title of Andrews, Clark & Co., engaged in the oil business. Its so doing, so it is said, was due to the sagacity of Mr. Rockefeller, who was one of the few men of the period who recognized the future and gigantic possibilities of the oil industry. Later changes were made in the organization of the firm, and in 1865, under the name of William Rockefeller & Co., it built the Standard Oil Works at Cleveland. In 1870 the works were consolidated with others and were then known as the Standard Oil Company. From time to time other oil interests were acquired, and in 1882 all were merged into the Standard Oil Trust. Ten years later, however, the trust was dissolved, and from that time to the present the various companies of which it was composed are operated separately, with Mr. Rockefeller at the head of the business as a whole.
The Yerkes family is of Dutch origin, and Charles Tyson Yerkes was born June 25, 1837, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was educated at the Friends’ School and the Central High School in his native city, and entered business life as clerk in a flour and grain commission house. He worked without salary, since, in those days, it was counted a privilege to be connected with first-class houses. Because of his close attention to his duties he was presented with fifty dollars at the end of his first year’s service. In 1859 he opened a stock broker’s office in Philadelphia. During the Civil War he dealt heavily in government, state and city bonds. The panic occasioned by the Chicago fire caught him heavily indebted to the city for bonds sold for it. The authorities demanded settlement; but, being unable to pay in full, he made an assignment. In 1873he commenced the recuperation of his fortune, and with success. In 1880 he made a trip to Chicago, and, becoming convinced of the opportunities the west offered to financiers, he joined an “improvement syndicate,” of which he later became sole owner. Subsequently he sold his interest in it and opened a banking house in Chicago. In 1886 he obtained control of the North Chicago Railway Company. He added other systems, and finally united several corporations under the title of the Chicago Consolidated Traction Company. Mr. Yerkes was a chief factor in getting the Columbian Exposition for Chicago. He is a devoted lover of art, and possesses a unique collection of pictures. His successful efforts to introduce New World street transportation methods into England are a matter of recent record. In 1861 Mr. Yerkes was married to Mary Adelaide Moore, of Philadelphia.
The republican leader in the senate, Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, was born in Foster, Rhode Island, November 6, 1841. After having received a common school and academy education, he became engaged in mercantile pursuits in Providence, being entirely successful therein. While a very young man, Mr. Aldrich became interested in the conduct and welfare of public schools. He became so prominent in connection with efforts looking to school improvements that in 1871 he was elected president of the Providence common council. In 1873 he was a member of the Rhode Island legislature, and at 1876 was its speaker. It was about this period that Mr. Aldrich began to take an active part in national politics, in consequence of which he was made member of congress in 1879, holding that office until 1883, when he resigned in order to take a seat in the senate. Since that time he has been more or less continuously in the public eye. He is chairman of the committee of rules of the Fiftieth congress, and is, as already stated, republican leader in the senate. While Mr. Aldrich is not a brilliant orator, he has a remarkable instinct for organization, and it is that faculty more than any other that has obtained for him the prominent position in the Republican party which is now his.
William Jennings Bryan was born in Salem, Marion county, Illinois, March 19, 1860. He got an elementary education at home from his mother until he was ten, and then attended public school until his fifteenth year, studying thereafter for two years at Whipple academy, Jacksonville, which he left in order to enter Illinois college. During his college course he was prominent in literary and debating societies and on his graduation, in 1881, delivered the valedictory of his class. For the next two years he studied law in the Union law college, and in the office of Lyman Trumbull, and upon his admission to the bar began to practice at Jacksonville. In 1884 he removed to Lincoln, Nebraska, and became a member of the law firm of Talbot & Bryan. He soon became active in politics, his first public reputation being made in the campaign of 1888. In 1890 he was sent to congress. In 1892 he was renominated and again elected. In 1896 he was a delegatefrom Nebraska to the national convention of the Democratic party at Chicago, where his brilliant speech in defense of free silver caused his nomination as candidate to the presidency of the United States. After a most remarkable campaign he was defeated. He was a colonel of the Third Nebraska Volunteers during the Spanish-American war, and at its termination returned to Nebraska, resuming his political activities. He edits and publishes The Commoner, a weekly periodical, in which he sets forth his political principles. Mary E. Baird, of Perry, Illinois, whom he married in 1884, has borne him three children.
There are very few people who begin political life as early as Arthur Pue Gorman. He was born March 11, 1839, and at thirteen years of age became a page in the United States senate. In 1866 he was appointed revenue collector in Maryland, which office he held until 1869, when U. S. Grant became president. From 1875 to 1879 he was state senator, and from 1881 to 1899 he was United States senator from Maryland. From 1869 to 1875 he was member of the Maryland House of Delegates. In spite of his limited schooling, he managed by wide and careful reading and practical experience to secure an education in general and in public matters in particular, which has procured for him the position of a notable political leader. It was largely through Mr. Gorman’s management that Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency after an uninterrupted series of democratic defeats for a quarter of a century. Calmness of temper, courage, self-reliance and honesty are the qualities which he possesses, which, too, inspire respect and which win him triumphs. He is an able speaker and a master of parliamentary law. He has strikingly impressed himself upon national affairs, and his name has often been voiced in the press as a fit candidate for the presidency.
Marcus Alonzo Hanna, one of the most prominent figures in national republican affairs, was born September 24, 1837, at New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Ohio. His father was a grocer in that village. Young Hanna was educated at local schools, and in the Western Reserve college and Kenyon college, Ohio. When not in school he was helping his father in the latter’s store, and cut short his academic course in order to clerk for his father, who had decided on opening a place of business in Cleveland. Until he was twenty he thus worked, receiving a small salary for so doing. In 1861 his father died, and young Hanna became heir to the business, which he continued to run until 1867. During that year he sold out and laid the foundations of the vast fortune which he now possesses. Mr. Hanna is interested in banks, railroads, mines of many sorts, especially coal, steamship lines, etc. At a comparatively early age he became interested in political questions, into the solving of which he threw himself with characteristic earnestness. For many years he has been chairman of the republican national committee, and in that capacity he secured the nomination of the late President McKinley, as well as obtaining a second term for him. Mr. Hanna is United States senator from Ohio, having been elected to that office in 1897. In his own words, his success may be explained thus: “I was never penniless, because I always saved. I was never hopeless, because I would not be discouraged, and I always felt assuredthat present endeavors would bring forth future fruit.”
Carter Henry Harrison, Jr., was born in Chicago, April 23, 1860. He is the son of the late Carter Henry Harrison, one of the builders of the City of Chicago, who was its mayor five times. Carter Henry Harrison, Jr., was educated in the public schools, in educational establishments in Altenburg, Germany, at St. Ignatius college, Chicago, and the Yale law school, from which he graduated in 1883. On December 14, 1887, he was married to Edith, daughter of Robert N. Ogden, of the Court of Appeals, New Orleans. He followed his father’s profession of law and the real estate business. He also was the publisher of the Chicago Times, 1891 and 1893; was elected mayor of Chicago as a democrat, April 6, 1897, 1899, 1901 and 1903. Mr. Harrison has the courage of vigorous opinions politically, municipally and in other ways. While some may differ from him as to his beliefs and methods, even these admit his possession of those qualities which enable him to successfully fulfil duties that are usually relegated to much older men.
One of the most prominent and promising young men in the political life in the United States is Joseph Wingate Folk, who was elected governor of Missouri in the fall of 1904. Though Governor Folk’s rise has been a very rapid one, it has been the result of qualities which make for the most substantial and enduring kind of political success. Dominating factors of Governor Folk’s career have been honesty and a rigid performance of duty. For these he has courted defeat and failure, has even undergone danger to his life. He has refused to listen for a moment to some of the largest financial offers that have ever been made to tempt a servant of the people to betray his trust. Not only has the power of money, but also the corrupt personal influence of many able men, been brought to bear upon him in his work as circuit attorney in St. Louis. Many of his friends, even, endeavored to persuade him that his course of action toward the political leaders in St. Louis would result only in disaster to himself. But Governor Folk’s invariable answer was that he accepted public office for no other purpose than to do his duty.
The result has been a great surprise to both his friends and enemies, and the introduction of an uplifting influence in American politics. Governor Folk has won a great personal triumph in his election to the governorship of Missouri, and the indications are that he will rise to still greater heights. His prominence and influence are rendered all the more notable by the fact that he is only thirty-five years old, and rose from the position of an obscure lawyer to American leadership in the short space of four years.
Governor Folk was born in the town of Brownsville, Tenn., in 1869. He finished his college education at Vanderbilt University, where he was known as a clever, whole-souled young man who devoted much attention to his books, but by no means neglected athletics and the general life of a college boy. He was admitted to the bar in 1890, and began the practice of law in St. Louis, where for some years his experiences were those of the average struggling young attorney. During this period of his career he became a friend of Henry W. Hawes, who was afterward one of his bitterest political enemies. Hawes rapidly rose to a position of considerable power in St. Louis, andwhen, in 1900, he was asked by the Democratic boss of the city, Edward Butler, to suggest a likely man for the place of circuit attorney, he at once recommended his friend Folk. Butler knew very little of the young lawyer, but on the strength of Hawes’ word he accepted him as being sufficiently pliable to serve the corrupt uses of the political machine.
Folk was elected and immediately inaugurated the now celebrated campaign against the corrupt practices of both his political supporters and his enemies. It was the former who suffered chiefly in the execution of Governor Folk’s ideas as to his duty. They were at first astonished, then incensed, and finally panic-stricken. Many of those who helped to elect him to office were sent to prison. Others were compelled to take flight to avoid the same fate. The St. Louis political machine, one of the most corrupt in existence, was shattered. It was a herculean task which Governor Folk had mapped out for himself, but his courage, steadfastness and ability carried him to a triumphant conclusion of it, and now he stands before the country as a political leader of the highest type.
Frank Swett Black was born at Limington, Maine, March 8, 1853. He graduated from Dartmouth, 1875. He entered professional life as the editor of the Johnstown, New York, Journal. Later he became reporter of the Troy Whig, New York. He was a clerk in the registry department of the Troy postoffice, during which time he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1879. He was a member of congress in 1895 to 1897, and in 1897 was elected by the republicans as governor of New York state. He also won distinction as a trial lawyer and has defended a number of notable cases, among which was the celebrated case of Rollin B. Molineaux.
The young man who wishes to succeed in the profession of law would do well to study the life of the lawyer, Frederick René Coudert, whose every act has been marked by fairness and courtesy. He was born of French parentage in the city of New York in 1832, receiving his early education at his father’s school in that city. At the age of fourteen he entered Columbia college, graduating with highest honors in 1850, his address on that occasion calling forth much comment from the press. During the next few years he busied himself with newspaper work, teaching and translations, besides studying law; and at the age of twenty-one was admitted to the New York bar. His brothers, Lewis and Charles Coudert, Jr., joining him in the practice of law, they formed the firm of Coudert Brothers, one of the oldest and largest law firms of New York city, and of which Frederick R. Coudert is the recognized head. He has achieved quite a reputation as a speaker and lecturer; and among his most notable addresses might be mentioned one at the centennial celebrationof Columbia college, 1887; an eloquent speech in favor of the Democratic union during the campaign of Tilden in 1879, and his public addresses on the arrival of Bartholdi’s statue of liberty and the statues of Lafayette and Bolivar. He has been quite active in the political work of the democratic party, but avoiding, rather than asking, public functions, several times having declined nominations which signified election to the bench of the Supreme Court. Mr. Coudert played a prominent part in the election of President Cleveland in 1884. Mr. Coudert’s abilities have been of great service in other fields. He was the first president of the United States Catholic Historical Society, holding the office several terms; for years president of the Columbia college alumni association; for years government director of the Union Pacific railroad; for a long time trustee of Columbia and Barnard colleges and of Seton Hall College, New Jersey, besides being the director in numerous social and charitable organizations. In 1880 Seton college awarded him the degree of LL.D., which degree was also given by Fordham college in 1884, and, in 1887, he received from Columbia college the degree of J. U. D. As a mark of recognition the French government presented him with the Cross of the Legion of Honor, which decoration he has also received from the governments of Italy and Bolivia.
A sturdy Scotch ancestry has given to the lawyer, James Brooks Dill, that pertinacity and determination which successfully overcomes all obstacles. He was born in Spencerport, New York, July 25, 1854, the oldest child of the Rev. James Horton and Catherine (Brooks) Dill. Four years after his birth his parents removed to Chicago, but upon the death of his father, in 1863, he removed with his mother to New Haven, Connecticut, continuing his studies in the elementary branches. After studying at Oberlin, Ohio, from 1868 to 1872, he entered Yale, graduating in the class of 1876. He now taught school and studied law, and in 1877 came to New York, where he obtained a position as instructor in Stevens’ Institute, Hoboken. Mr. Dill was graduated with the degree of LL.D. from the University law school in 1878, as salutatorian, and was then admitted to the bar of New York. Corporation law was made one of his special studies, and, in 1879, he won an important corporation case which soon established his reputation as a corporation lawyer and an authority on this particular subject. His marked business ability, combined with a clear legal mind, made his services sought by the many large and influential corporate interests. He was married in 1880 to Miss Mary W. Hansell, daughter of a Philadelphia merchant, thereupon removing to Orange, New Jersey. He became an active worker in the municipal and social improvement of the Oranges, organizing a People’s Bank, of which he has always been a director and counsel. He also assisted in establishing the Savings Investment and Trust Co., becoming director and vice-president. He is now director in the Seventh National Bank of New York City, the Corporation Trust Company of New Jersey, the American School of Architecture at Rome, the New England State Railway Company of Boston, the Central Teresa Sugar Company and others.
The most notable figure of the judiciary of this country is undoubtedlyChief Justice Melville Weston Fuller, of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is in every way the ideal dignitary of the bench, impressive as to appearance, forceful in forensic oratory, learned in the law and unblemished as to reputation, personal and professional. He was born February 11, 1833, at Augusta, Maine, coming of sterling New England stock. Graduating from Bowdoin college in 1853, and later educated at Harvard law school, he, in 1855, was admitted to the bar. Forming a law partnership in the town of his birth, he later established there a Democratic paper known as The Age, of which he became assistant editor. The venture was successful and The Age became a power in political circles in Maine. Young Fuller was also elected president of the common council, and city attorney for the town. But Augusta was too small a sphere for the rising young lawyer, so in 1859 he went to Chicago, where he opened a law office. Simultaneously he took an active part in Illinois politics. It was not long before he became a recognized political leader locally. In 1863 he became a member of the Illinois legislature, in which capacity he confirmed the beliefs of those who regarded him as a coming man. He was delegate to a number of Democratic national conventions, in each of which he was a prominent figure. President Cleveland appointed him chief justice on April 30, 1888, and he was confirmed and seated the year following.
John William Griggs was born at Newton, New Jersey, July 10, 1849. He was graduated from Lafayette college in 1868, and, after studying law, was admitted to the bar in 1871. He practiced law at Paterson until 1876, in which year he was elected a member of the New Jersey general assembly. In 1886 he was president of the New Jersey senate. He was elected governor of New Jersey in 1896, which office he resigned to accept the office of attorney-general of the United States. He resigned the attorney-generalship in 1901.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the son of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the poet and essayist, was born at Boston, March 8, 1841. He graduated from Harvard in 1861, and from the Harvard law school in 1866. During the Civil war he served three years with the Massachusetts volunteers, and was wounded in the breast in the battle of Balls Bluff, and again wounded at the battle of Antietam. At the close of the war he engaged in the practice of law in Boston, and was editor of the Law Review from 1870 to 1873. In 1882 he became professor at the Harvard law school. In the same year he was made assistant justice in the Supreme judicial court, Massachusetts, and on August 2, 1899, he was made chief justice of the same court.
William Travers Jerome, who, by reason of being the district attorney of the metropolis, his power of pungent political oratory and his strenuous work as a municipal reformer, is one of the best known and decidedly one of the most interesting figures in the current history of New York, is still a young man. He was born April 18, 1859, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, receiving his initial education at the local public school and from private tutors; he took a classical course at Amherst college, and next was a student at the Columbia university law school of New York city. He was admitted to thebar in 1884 and became connected with a New York law firm. From the first he gave evidence of being the possessor of those qualities which later made him famous. As a lawyer his learnedly aggressive methods brought him popularity and many fees. As a justice of the court of special sessions, he lived up to the reputation that he had established on the bench. When, a few years since, he threw himself into the political whirlpool, he gave the country-at-large an excellent example of the man who has waited for his opportunity, recognizes it when he sees it and grasps it forthwith. It is not too much to say that Mr. Jerome did more than any one man, or, for that matter, any one group of men to free New York from certain evil influences which had fastened themselves upon it and its citizens. Here is what he says relative to his political success, but his remarks apply equally to success of all kinds: “A young man must have strong convictions of the right kind, hold to them through thick and thin, be willing to accept defeats smilingly, if necessary begin his work all over again, but still stick to it—and victory is assured.”
Another of the numerous successful jurists whose ancestry is Irish. He was the son of John and Mary McKenna, his father being from Ireland and his mother from England. He was born at Philadelphia, August 10, 1843, and was educated in the public schools and at St. Joseph college until 1855, when the family removed to Benicia, California, where he entered St. Augustine college and took up the study of law. Directly afterward he graduated and was admitted to the bar. In 1865 he was elected district attorney of Solano county. He served in this capacity for two terms. In 1873 he was elected to the legislature, and one year later the republicans nominated him for congress, but he was defeated, and not only on this occasion but again in 1878. In 1884, however, he was elected, and a year later entered congress, where he remained, by re-election, until 1891. As a member of the ways and means committee he had a great deal to do with important tariff legislation. In 1892 President Harrison appointed him circuit judge. In 1897 he entered McKinley’s cabinet as attorney-general, but in December of the same year was appointed judge of the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed Justice Field. He was married in San Francisco, 1869, to Amanda Borneman.
Alton Brooks Parker comes from good old New England stock. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, May 14, 1851. Later his family moved to Cortland, New York, in which place he was educated, graduating from the normal school at that place. He spent three years in teaching, and then entered a law school at Kingston, New York, and afterward took a course at the Albany law school, where he was graduated in 1872. After being admitted to the bar, he formed a partnership with W. S. Kenyon at Kingston, New York. In 1877 Mr. Parker was elected surrogate of Ulster county, and was again re-elected in 1883. Two years later he was appointed, by Governor Hill, justice of the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Hon. Theodoric R. Westbrook. At the end of the year he was elected justice for the full term. In January, 1889, the second division of the Court of Appeals was created, and Judge Parker was appointed toit, he being the youngest member who ever sat in the Court of Appeals in New York city. The second division court was dissolved in 1892, and at that time Governor Hill appointed him member of the general term of the first department, where he continued until 1895. He has always been active in politics and has been a delegate to nearly every state convention, and also to the national convention in 1884 which nominated Grover Cleveland. In 1895 he was chairman of the Democratic state executive committee. In 1897 he was elected by a majority of over sixty thousand to the office of chief justice of the Court of Appeals, the highest judicial office in the state of New York. He has often been mentioned as a possible candidate for president by the Democratic party. He was married October 16, 1873, to Mary L. Schoonmaker.