USA > New York > The men of New York: a collection of biographies and portraits of citizens of the Empire state prominent in business, professional, social, and political life during the last decade of the nineteenth century, Vol. II > Part 1
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M.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GE
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01177 9607
m
840
THE MEN OF NEW YORK:
A COLLECTION OF BIOGRAPHIES AND PORTRAITS OF CITIZENS OF THE EMPIRE STATE PROMINENT IN BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL LIFE DURING THE LAST DECADE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
V. 2 VOL. II
BUFFALO, N. Y. GEO. E. MATTHEWS & CO. 1898.
840
a 3020
INDEX OF SUBJECTS IN VOL. II
[M, Manhattan Section ; E, Eastern : C, Chemung ; G, Genesee ; D, The Departed. ]
PAGE.
PAGE.
ABELL, HENRY E.,
Brooklyn,
61 M
CHESTER, ALDEN, .
Albany, .
20 E
ADAMS, EDWARD L .. ,
Elmira,
33 C CHILDS, HENRY A.,
Medina, .
IT G
ADAMS, REUBEN A.,
Rochester, 11 G
CHOATE, JOSEPII II.,
New York, 44 M
ADSIT, MARTIN,
Ilornellsville, 49 C CLEARWATER, A. T.,
Kingston, 66 E
ALMY, ELMER E., .
Rochester, 39 G CLEMENT, STEPHEN M.,
Buffalo,
18 D
ANDREWS, CHARLES,
Syracuse,
3 E
CLEWS, HENRY,
New York,
45 M
ANDREW'S, JUDSON B.,
Buffalo, 16 D
COMPTON, W. R.,
Elmira,
IS C
ANIBAL, NELSON HI.,
Gloversville,
97 E
CONKLIN, MELVIN M.,
New York, 64 M
AYER, FREDERICK F.,
New York, 41 M COXE, ARTHUR CLEVELAND,
CRANDALL, AZOR B.,
84 .
BAKER, JOIIN F.,
Batavia,
20 G
CUMMING, ALEXANDER,
Binghamton,
56 C
BALDWIN, FRANCIS E.,
Elmira,
57 C
CURTISS, GEORGE B.,
36 4
BARBER, AMIZI L., .
New York, 73 M
CUSHMAN, DANIEL B.,
Norwich,
18 G
BARNES, WILLIAM, JR.,
Albany,
17 E
DANA, CHARLES A.,
New York, = 65 4
BARROWS, SAMUEL J.,
Utica,
46 «
DANIELS, GEORGE 11.,
DAVENPORT, NELSON, DEPEW, CHAUNCEY M., DEXTER, SEYMOUR. .
Elmira,
19 C
BAXTER, ARCHIE E.,
Elmira,
50 C
DEYO, ISRAEL T .. .
Binghamton,
21 E
BELDING, MILO MI.,
New York,
42 M
DRUMMOND, ROBERT L., DUIIL, LOUIS,
Elmira, .
37 C
BERGHOLTZ, HERMAN,
Ithaca,
4 C
DUN, ROBERT GRAHAM,
New York,
46 M
BEST, ROBERT II .. .
Buffalo,
46 1)
DUNCAN, WILLIAM .A.,
Syracuse,
New York, 18 M
BOLAND, JAMES,
Buffalo, . 33 D
EATON, JAMES W.,
Albany, .
22 E
BORST, HENRY V.,
Amsterdam, 5 E
EUSTACE, ALEXANDER C.,
Elmira, .
51 C
BRACKETT, EDGAR T.,
Saratoga Springs, 18 44
EVANS, ASHIER B., .
Lock port,
51 D
BRADLEY, GEORGE B.,
Corning, 17 C
LASSETT, J. S.,
Elmira, 20 C
BROOKS, HARRY SAYER,
Elmira, 35 4
FASSETT, N. P.,
FELLOWS, ISAIAH, JR.,
Cohoes,
33 E
BURKE, II. V.,
.Amsterdam, 13 4
FLOOD, THOMAS S.,
Elmira, .
38 C
BURKE, THOMAS M. A.
Albany,
31 4
FLOWER, ROSWELL P.,
New York, 19 MI
BURROWS, GEORGE H., .
Buffalo,
17 L)
FOSTER, SAMUEL, . FRANK, AUGUSTUS,
Troy,
Warsaw,
35 1)
CALLICOT, T. C.,
Albany,
18 E
FUERTES, E. A., .
Ithaca,
40 C
CARPENTER, REESE,
New York, 43 M
CAINES, C. C.,
Poughkeepsie, . 15 E
CARROLL, CHARLES II.,
Rochester, 31 G
GOOD, JOIIN.
New York, 66 M
CASSIDY, DAVID D.,
Amsterdam, 7 E
GRACE, WILLIAM R.,
91 .
Troy,
92 .
BARTLETT, MYRON E., BATES, FREDERICK E ..
Caroline Depot, 3.1 C
New York, 18 M
BATTERSHALL, W. W.,
Albany,
47 E
DOANE, WM. CROSWELL, DOWNING, AUGUSTUS S., DOWNS, FRED L.,
Palmyra,
42 G
BECKWITH, GEORGE IL.,
Plattsburgh,
65 E
Medina, .
43 .
Auburn,
44 **
BLISS, CORNELIUS N ..
New York, 17 M
DUTCHER, JOHN B.,
BUCHANAN, CHARLES J.,
Albany, 48 E
BULGER, CHARLES N.,
Oswego, .
FISH, LEONARD F.,
Fultonville, . 10 -
BURWELL, GEORGE N.,
57 .
CUTLER, JAMES G.,
Rochester,
83 M
BARTLETT, FREDERIC W.,
Buffalo, 1I D
DANIELS, WILLIAM II.,
Ogdensburg, 14 E
5 -*
ANIBAL, ROBERT P., .
Johnstown, + COUDERT, FREDERIC R.,
Buffalo, 50 ₺
BAILEY, E. PRENTISS,
L'tica, 45 E
BARNES, ENOS W.,
Wellsville, 49 I)
Warsaw, 40 G
Binghamton, 3
BECKLEY, J. N., .
Rochester, 41 G
63 4
BENEDICT, HENRY HI.,
19 1)
BAYLESS, GEORGE C.,
Albany,
INDEX OF VOL. II- Continued
PAGE.
PAGE.
GREEN, GEORGE E., .
Binghamton, 52 C
MATTHEWS, J. N., .
Buffalo, 58 1)
HALLIDAY, SAMUEL D.,
Ithaca,
41 .4 MEEGAN, EDWARD J.,
40 E
HAMMOND, C. D.,
Albany, 68 E MEEGAN, THOMAS A.,
HASCALL, HIRAM W.,
Le Roy,
40 G MELDRUM, ALEXANDER,
Buffalo, 40 D
HATHAWAY, F. F., .
Plattsburgh, 69 E
MILLER, WARNER,
Ilerkimer, 54 E
HAWKES, THOMAS G., Corning, 51 C
MILLS, D. O.,
New York, 23 M
HAWLEY, FRANK W., HAYES, P. HAROLD,
Buffalo,
MINER, ASHER W.,
Cohoes,
56 IS
HEATH, G. WARREN, .
l'onda,
Plattsburgh, . 57 4
HEDSTROM, ERIC L., .
Buffalo, 12 1)
MOLLOY, FRANCIS J.,
Troy, . .
Plattsburgh, . 58 4
HIBBARD, H. M.,
Ithaca,
49 E
MORTON, LEVI P.,
Saratoga Springs, New York,
27 MI
HINCKLEY, HENRY L
Ithaca,
23 C MOTT, HOPPER S.,
HODGE, JOIIN,
Lockport,
20 D NEWELL, EDGAR A., NORTH, SAAFFORD E., 58 -
Batavia, .
25 G
HOLLISTER, WM. IL., JR., HORNBLOWER, WM. B.,
New York, 21 MI
O'BRIEN, DENIS,
Watertown, .
60 E
HOWARD, WESLEY O.,
Troy. .
23 E
O'BRIEN, JARVIS P.,
Troy, . .
43 .
HOWE, JOIIN B.,
Rochester,
17 G O'CONNOR, EDMUND, .
Binghamton, 25 ℃
HULETTE, FRANK P.,
Arcade,
New York, 48 M OAKES, THOMAS F., OTIS, NORTON P .. 18 G Warsaw, 21 D OTTENDORFER, OSWALD,
..
51 44
HURD, CLARK W., .
Elma, Batavia,
20 G
PALMER, O. W.,
KImira,
55 C
INGALLS, CHARLES R.,
Troy, .
51 E
PARKE, C. M., .
Gloversville,
87 E
JACKSON, JAMES II.,
Dansville,
12 G PARKHURST, JOHN F.,
Bath, .
26 C
JACOBS, JONAS,
Elmira,
43 C PARSONS, CHARLES, .
New York,
71 M
JENKINS, ARTHUR,
Syracuse,
70 E PARSONS, FRANK M.,
Weedsport,
31 G
JENKS, WILLIAM F.,
Norwich,
8 C
PARSONS, WILLIAM H.,
New York,
14 MI
JOHNSON, I. SAM.,
Warsaw, . 21 G
PATTERSON, CHARLES F.,
Troy, .
26 E
JONES, HADLEY,
Little Falls, . 98 E
PEASE, F. S.,
Buffalo,
47 I>
JUDSON, JOIEN B.,
Gloversville,
80 4
PERRY, ISAAC G.,
Binghamton,
58 C
KAUFMAN, WM. IL.,
Amsterdam, . 99 4 PIERCE, JAMES F., .
Brooklyn, 52 MI
KEACH, CALVIN E.,
Lansingburgh, 35 4 PIERCE, JAMES IL.,
Bloomingdale, 28 E
KECK, JEREMIAII. .
Johnstown,
81 4
PITCHER, JAMES R.,
New York,
53 MI
KNIPP, CHARLES H., .
Elmira,
24 C
POOLE, MURRAY E.,
Ithaca.
12 ℃
KOEHLER, THEODORE,
Long Island City, 69 M
PORTER, HORACE, .
New York,
28 ME
KOSTER, JOIN S.,
I.yon Falls, .
86 E
POTTER, DELCOUR S.,
Glens Falls,
76 E
KRUM, HOBART,
Schoharie, 53 0 POTTER, HENRY CODMAN,
New York, .
37 M
L'AMOREAUX, JESSE S.,
Ballston Spa, 71 PRATT, CHARLES R.,
Elmira, .
13 C
LANG, GERHARD,
Buffalo, 38 D
PRIEST, GEORGE E .. .
Ithaca,
44 .
LANSING, JAMES,
Troy, . 72 E
PROCTOR, WILLIAM L.,
Ogdensburg,
61 F
LATHROP, AUSTIN.
Corning.
9 C
RAY, GEORGE W., .
Norwich,
59 C
LAWRENCE, ABRAM B.,
Warsaw, 82 G
REID, WHITELAW,
New York,
55 A1
LLOYD, WILL L.,
Albany, . 38 E
RILEY, JOHN B.,
Plattsburgh,
63 E
LOW, SETH,
New York, 22 MI
ROBERTS, JAMES HI., .
Binghamton,
14 C
LYON, JAMES B.,
Albany,
82 E
ROCHE, WILLIAM J.,
Troy, .
29 E
McCALL, JOIIN A.,
New York, 13 M
ROGERS, WILLIAM F.,
Buffalo,
28 C
MCCOOK, ANSON G.,
66
36 +
ROOSEVELT, THEODORE,
New York, 80 M
MCDONNELL, JOHN Q.,
Buffalo, 39 D
ROOT, FRANCIS IL.,
Buffalo,
26 1)
MCDONOUGH, JOHN T.,
Albany,
24 E
ROSS, FRANK W.,
Elmira,
61 C
MCKEEVER, R. T.,
Gloversville, 84 4 ROWE, CHARLES H.,
Dansville.
H1 G
MCKENZIE, JOHN M.,
Batavia. . 24 G RUSSELL, LESLIE W.,
Canton, .
64
MCKINSTRY, WILLARD D
Watertown, 85 1
RYAN, STEPHEN,
South Otselic, 12 C
MCLEAN, ARTHUR .A.,
Newburgh, 100 0
SAGE, RUSSELL .. .
New York, .
72 M
MCMILLAN, DANIEL,
York, . 24 D
SAWYER, A. II .. .
Watertown,
SS E
MCNUTT, JOSEPH G.,
Troy, .
39 E
SAXTON, CHARLES T ..
Clyde,
26 G
MANNING, W. S.,
-Albany.
25 4 SCATCHERD, JAMES N.,
Buffalo, 28 D
MARTIN, CYRUS B.,
Norwich,
10 C
SCHEU, SOLOMON, .
MARVIN, RICHARD P.,
Jamestown,
25 D . SCOTT, RUFUS,
Wellsville,
75 .
Ogdensburg,
59 E
HOFFELD, RUDOLPH,
Buffalo,
Troy, . 34 E
NOYES, HENRY T.,.
Rochester, 33 ª
HUDSON, CHARLES I.,
New York, 70 M
49 4
IIUMPIREY, WOLCOTT
28 " . PADDOCK, FREDERICK G.,
Malone,
75 E
HAYT, STEPIEN T.,
Corning, . 4 C MITCHELL, J. H., 11 E MOFFITT, SFFPHEN,
HEES, JAMES LEDLIE,
Fonda,
12 E
MOORE, CHARLES H .
HEWITT, ABRAM S., New York, 67 M MORGAN, J. PIERPONT, 21 C MORIARTA, DOUGLAS C.,
New York, 25 M
86 E
HILL, DAVID B.,
Albany,
Pittsford, 19 G MIENE, JOHN M.,
Geneseo, . 13 G
Friendship, 51 b
Albany, .. 74 4
LEWIS, SIMEON D.,
23 «
RICHARDSON. JACKSON.
Elnira, .
27 C
KINNEAR, PETER,
Albany. .
52 ·
PLANT, HENRY B.,
64 .
HUTCHINS, HORACE S., .
·
INDEX OF VOL. II -- Continued
PAGE.
SEWARD, WILLIAM H., .
Auburn, . 35 G
VAN ETTEN, JOHN E.,
Kingston,
02 E
SHAW, ALBERT D.,
Watertown, .
77 E VAN HORN, BURT,
Lockport,
30 I)
SHEPARD, SIDNEY,
New Haven, 29 D VAN VLIET, DE FOREST,
Ithaca,
15 C
SHOEMAKER, J. MONROE,
Elmira, ..
New York, 31 M
WALKER, JAMES E.,
Ilornellsville,
32 4
SKINNER, CHARLES R.,
Albany, 30 E
WALKER, JOHN BRISBEN,
New York, . 59 MI
SNELL, JACOB,
Fonda,
101 .
WARDWELL, GEORGE S.,
Buffalo, 45 D
Buffalo,
42 D
WEBB, WM. SEWARD,
New York, 75 M
Kingston,
89 E
WELLINGTON, Q. W.,
Corning,
46 C
SWETT, ALBERT L.,
Medina,
27 G
WELLS, J. STEWART,
Binghamton,
6.1 C
TAGGART, ISAAC II.,
Buffalo,
56 D
WENDELL, JOHN D., .
Fort Plain,
102 E
TELLER, JOHN D., .
Auburn,
37 G
WILKESON, JOHN, .
Buffalo,
$1 D
THAVER, LEWIS V.,
Troy,
44 E
WILLARD, ERNEST R.,
Rochester,
38 G
THOMAS, ORLANDO F.
Lyons,
15 G
WILLARD, FRANCIS A.,
Newburgh,
93 E
THORNTON, THOMAS,
Buffalo,
44 1)
WILLIAMS, GIBSON T.,
Buffalo,
13 D
THURBER, F. B.,
New York, .
57 M
WILLIAMS, ROGER D.,
Ithaca,
48 C
TIERNEY, EDWARD M., TIFFANY, CHARLES L., . TILFORD, FRANK,
Binghamton,
80 C
WINSLOW, BRADLEY,
Watertown,
103 E
New York, . 58 M
WISE, JAMES D,
15 «
WRAY, ALBERT A.,
Brooklyn,
60 M
TODD, LEROY G.,
Ithaca,
45 C
WRIGHT, HORTON D.,
Gloversville.
94 E
TOWNSEND, MARTIN I.,
Troy,
90 E
WRIGHT, MAURICE L.,
Oswego, .
95 G
TOZIER, LEMUEL I ... .
Batavia,
28 G
VATES, HENRY j., .
Jamestown,
14 D
TRACY, BENJAMIN F.,
New York,
39 M
YOUMANS, EDWARD B.,
Elmira,
15 C
63 C WALES, THERON A., .
Elmira, .
SIMMONS, J. EDWARD,
SPRAGUE, EBEN CARLETON. STEPHAN, FRED'K, JR., STRONG, WILLIAM L.
New York, 38 M
WELLS, EDWIN M.,
Syracuse,
78 F
79 ..
PAGE.
1
MANHATTAN SECTION
In the Manhattan Section are pub- lished the biographies of subjects from . the counties of Kings, New York, Queens, and Westchester.
£
MEN OF THE MANHATTAN SECTION
John H. McCall, as president of one of the largest insurance corporations in the world, occupies an important position in the commercial and finan- cial affairs of the metropolis, and of the country at large. Like so many of the prominent men of the United States, he owes his success to steady, persis- tent effort, and to a sort of genius for doing the right thing in the right way, without any of the adven- titious aids that lift some men into prominence.
Born in Albany less than fifty years ago, Mr. McCall received his education in the public schools of that city, and afterward took a course in a com- mercial college. At eighteen years of age he left school, and began to make his way in the world. For a couple of years he was employed in the assort- ing house for state currency at Albany, but he soon became bookkeeper in the Albany office of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Co. He had not been long in this position before he made up his mind to devote himself to the business of life insur- ance, and this determination he has consistently fol- lowed ever since.
Mr. McCall began his long connection with the insurance department of the state of New York when he was about twenty years old, obtaining a clerkship under George W. Miller, then superintendent of the department. After two or three years devoted to statistical and actuarial work in the office, he was appointed to the responsible position of examiner of companies ; and four years later he became deputy superintendent. In this capacity he made himself so valuable to the department that he was retained in office under two Republican superintendents, though he is himself a Democrat. The business of insurance was at that time in a most demoralized condition, and the insurance department of the state had need to use prompt and vigorous measures to'
protect policy holders from unscrupulous companies, and restore public confidence in those that were worthy of it. Mr. McCall proved himself equal to the occasion ; and succeeded in driving out of the field a large number of irresponsible companies, and in sending some of their officers to prison for making false reports to the insurance department. In 1883, when a new superintendent was to be appointed, Mr. McCall refused to allow the insurance companies to urge his name ; but the bankers and business men of the state took up his cause, and presented to Gover- nor Cleveland a strong petition in his favor. For the next three years, therefore, he served as state superintendent of insurance; but in 1886, when Governor Hill offered him a reappointment, he declined it, preferring to accept a more important position elsewhere.
By this time Mir. McCall had gained a wide reputa- tion for his thorough knowledge of all matters relat- ing to the business of insurance, for his tried ability and unimpeachable integrity ; and many positions of responsibility might have been his for the asking, or indeed, without the asking. He accepted the office of comptroller of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York city, and for the next six years filled that position with distinguished ability. In February, 1892, the president of the New York Life Insurance Co. resigned, owing to grave charges against the management of that institution which had been made by the New York Times, and sus- tained after full investigation. After a successful career of nearly half a century this corporation, with its 200,000 policy holders, found itself in need of a strong hand to guide its fortunes, and above all, to restore public confidence. The board of trustees. by a unanimous vote, elected Mr. McCall to the office of president, and the event has proved the
14
MEN OF NEW YORK-MANHATTAN SECTION
wisdom of their choice. No man could have been better qualified to revive the prestige of the institu- tion, and put it once more in the front rank among similar organizations ; and this he did in a remark- ably short time. No company now stands higher in public esteem than the New York Life.
JOHN A. MCCALL
Mr. McCall has had a prominent part in several large public transactions, and has always used his influence to strengthen and uphold the government. His connection with the issue of government bonds in 1896 is a case in point. From the first he was prominent among those who predicted the success of the plan, and his company subscribed for $10,000,000 of the issue. In the summer of 1896 he helped to form the syndicate to prevent the export of gold, and to strengthen and maintain the government reserve ; and he proved his faith in the venture by agreeing to share five per cent of the profit or loss resulting from the operations of the syndicate.
In social intercourse Mr. McCall is noted for his frank and cordial manners, and for his affable rela-
tions with subordinates and employees, not less than with others. His innate courtesy and kindliness of heart are well known, and render him a general favorite. He is a welcome visitor at several of the most prominent clubs of the city, including the Metropolitan, Merchants,' City, Manhattan, Colon- ial, and Lawyers.'
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY John Augustine McCall was born at Al- bany March 2, 1849; was educated in public schools and a business college ; was a clerk in Albany offices, 1867-69 ; mar- ried Mary I. Haran of Albany July 12, 1870 ; was connected with the insurance department of New York state, 1869-86, and its superintendent for the last three years ; was comptroller of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York city, 1886-92 ; has been president of the New York Life Insurance Co. since 1892.
William henry Parsons, one of the largest paper manufacturers of the country, is descended from old English stock, and was born on Staten Island, New York, in 1831. Forced by ill health to give up his original plan of at- tending college, Mr. Parsons entered · business life at the age of twenty-four, becoming a clerk in the office of the American agents of an English shipping house. Two years after this he took a clerkship in a paper warehouse, thus em- barking in the business with which he has ever since been identified. After a year his clerkship gave way to a part- nership, and in two years more he estab- lished himself in the same business on an independent basis.
This happened in 1860, when Mr. Parsons was twenty-nine years old, and in the full vigor of early manhood. He devoted himself closely to his busi- ness, and before long his name was recognized in paper-trade circles as one of the most important in that department of industry. For twenty years or more he sold paper on commission for various manu- facturers, and his position in the trade was naturally less prominent and independent than it has been in recent years. Recognizing the inevitable evolu- tion of industrial forces toward a direct connection between producer and consumer, Mr. Parsons began to manufacture paper himself in 1880. His wide acquaintance with the large consumers of the pro- duct, and with all the conditions of the paper market,
15
MEN OF NEW YORK-MANHATTAN SECTION
afforded reasonable assurance of success in the new venture ; and in a comparatively short time he took rank with the leading manufacturers of his staple. By 1891 the business of W. H. Parsons & Co. had reached such proportions that it seemed desirable to effect incorporation. That was done, accordingly, members of the Parsons family taking most of the stock.
Mr. Parsons has always given his chief attention to the paper business, and holds a controlling inter- est in several paper-making plants. He is now president of the Lisbon Falls Fibre Co., Lisbon Falls, Me. ; of the Bowdoin Paper Manufacturing Co., Brunswick, Me. ; of the corporation of W. H. Parsons & Co., Maine and New York ; and a director of the Pejepscot Paper Co., Pejepscot, Me.
Massachusetts, October 22, 1857 ; established the business now known as the corporation of W. H. Parsons & Co. in 1860, and has been at the head of the same since.
frank Gilford, one of the great merchants of New York, and otherwise honorably distinguished among his fellow-citizens, is almost a young man still, notwithstanding his high position and multi- form: achievements. Born in New York city in 1852, he received his early education in the schools of the metropolis, attending subsequently the Mount Washington Collegiate Institute. A university train- ing and professional study might easily have followed had his taste or inclination led that way ; but strong commercial proclivities were a part of his birthright, and it seemed unwise to thwart the obvious will of nature. His father, the late John M. Tilford, one
His surpassing business ability has been utilized by various other institutions, in the af- fairs of which he exercises a certain oversight, but to which he necessarily devotes only a limited part of his time. He is one of the trustees, for example, of the Bowery Savings Bank in New York city, a member of the Chamber of Com- merce, first vice president of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation. and one of the vice presidents of the advisory board of the Philadelphia Mu- seums. He is president of the West- chester County Bible Society, and of the National League for the Protection of American Institutions. He is one of the managers of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work, Philadelphia ; a manager of the West- chester Temporary Home for Destitute Children ; one of the executive commit- tee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ; and a Fellow of the American Geographical Society.
Mr. Parsons belongs to various social organizations, including the Metropoli- tan, Union League, and City clubs of New York ; the Apawamis Club, Rye : and the Atlantic Yacht Club. He is a trustee of the American Yacht Club, and chairman of the house committee.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - William Henry Parsons was born on WILLIAM HENRY PARSONS Staten Island, N. Y., July 7, 1831 ; was engaged as clerk in various houses in New York city, of the founders of the famous grocery house of Park & Tilford, was willing enough to have him choose a lishment as the best means of making a start. and partner in a paper house, 1855-60: married Laura C. Palmer, a lineal descendant of Miles Stan- . business career ; and took him into his own estab- dish and Governor Bradford, the first governor of
.
16
MEN OF NEW YORK -MANHATTAN SECTION
This was only a beginning, however ; and his father was altogether too much of a business man, and too solicitons for his son's ultimate welfare, to advance him with undue haste, or to treat him in any way essentially different from that prevailing in the case of other employees. The young man was
-
FRANK TILFORD
obliged to begin at the lowest rung of the ladder ; and to mount therefrom by slow degrees, and only as proved capacity clearly warranted such advancement. The advantages of birth and training, and invalu- able paternal advice were his, however : and progress under such conditions could not be long delayed. By October, 1873, when the house opened a store at Thirty-eighth street and Sixth avenue, he had tested and proved his worth in every department of the business, and the firm felt justified in giving him charge of the new uptown establishment. He was then only twenty-one years of age, but he soon showed that he was amply able to meet the responsi- bilities of the new position. Since then he has been an increasingly important factor in the management
of the concern. The business became years ago one of the largest of its kind in the world ; but the limit of growth has continually receded, and by 1890 the transactions of the concern had reached such a volume that it seemed desirable to incorporate the business. In October, 1890, accordingly, a close stock corporation was formed, with John M. Tilford as vice president. On his death in January, 1891, Frank Tilford was elected to the office, which he still holds.
Mr. Tilford's connection with the great grocery has naturally been his chief busi- ness interest ; but he has been active in other directions as well. In 1874 he was elected a director in the Sixth Na- tional Bank, becoming thus the youngest bank director in the city at that time. He retained the office for about ten years, or until the death of Francis Le- land, the president of the bank. In 1885 he was elected a trustee of the North River Savings Bank ; and in 1889 he organized, with George S. Ilaven, the Bank of New Amsterdam, of which he was vice president until July 1, 1896, when he was made its president. Join- ing the Real Estate Exchange in 1876. Mr. Tilford interested himself actively in the realty of Harlem and the west-side uptown district. His operations were conducted prudently and sagaciously, and met with substantial success.
His grocery, banking, and real-estate interests, vast as they are, are yet not sufficient to exhaust entirely Mr. Til- ford's energy. He is a director of a railroad, vice president of the Standard Gas Co., a school trustee, and an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. As one of the executive committee of the Grant Monument Association, he has been largely instrumental in the success of that movement. His principal clubs are the Union League, Colonial, Republican, Lotus, and New York Athletic.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - Frank Til- ford was born at New York city July 22, 1852 ; was educated in New York schools and Mount Washington Collegiate Institute, New York city ; entered the employ of Park & Tilford in 1871 ; married Julia Greer of New York November 16, 1881 ; was vice president of the Bank of New Amsterdam, 1889-96, and has been its president since : has been vice president of the cor- poration of Park & Tilford since 1891.
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MEN OF NEW YORK-MANHATTAN SECTION
Cornelius MA. Bliss is known throughout the land as a most successful business man, as a national leader of the Republican party, and as a foremost factor in many movements promoting the general welfare. Born in Fall River, Mass., sixty- four years ago, of excellent English and American ancestry, dating back in this country almost to Plymouth Rock, Mr. Bliss disclosed early in life the sterling qualities that everywhere command success. After attending school at Fall River until he was thirteen years old, and completing his scholastic training in the high school at New Orleans, he began his brilliant career in the business world about 1849 by entering the establishment of James M. Beebe & C'o., Boston, importers and jobbers of dry goods. They were the largest dealers in their line in the United States at that time, and in their service young Bliss had a chance to show his capacity. How well he improved the opportunity is evident from the fact that he ultimately acquired an interest in the business.
The firm of Beebe & Co. having dis- solved in 1866, Mr. Bliss became a part- ner in the firm of John S. & Eben Wright & Co., Boston, selling agents for some of the largest New England manu- facturers. In the year mentioned the house established a New York branch, and Mr. Bliss took charge of it. With the ampler opportunities of the great city, he made himself more and more important in the business world. On the death of the senior Wright in 1874 the firm assumed the style of Wright, Bliss & Fabyan, with offices in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Since 1881 the concern has been known as . Bliss, Fabyan & Co., and has come to be one of the strongest mercantile houses in the world. Selling agents for a group of mills that rank among the greatest manufacturing corporations of the con- tinent - the Pepperell Mfg. Co., the Laconia Co., the Androscoggin Mills, the Otis Co., and others - Bliss, Fabyan & Co. transact a business not exceeded by any competitive firm, and amounting every year to not far from twenty million dollars.
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