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 2
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In recounting thus the commercial side of Mr. Bliss's life, the half has not been told. More im- portant still is his splendid career as a broad-minded citizen, and a tower of strength to every good cause.
For many years his name has been one of the first to be mentioned whenever any question of great public interest has come up for discussion and set- tlement. Political, financial, and social questions alike have engaged his attention, and received the benefit of his wide experience and sagacious conn- sel. Though he has never held a public position that carried a dollar of salary with it, he has long been recognized everywhere as a political leader of stainless reputation. He has repeatedly refused nominations to high offices, including the mayoralty of New York city and the governorship of New York state. In the higher councils of the Repub- lican party, however, he has had a prominent place for many years, serving as a delegate to city, county, state, and national conventions. In 1884 he was made chairman of a committee of one hundred busi-
CORNELIUS N. BLISS
ness men appointed at a large public meeting held in Cooper Union to attend the national convention, and urge the nomination of Arthur for the presi- dency. He was chairman of the New York state
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Republican committee in 1887 and again in 1888. In the presidential campaign of 1892 he was a mem- ber of the executive committee of the Republican national committee ; and he was treasurer of the national committee in the campaigns of 1892 and 1896.
Naturally enough Mr. Bliss has been called upon to devote some of his business ability to the affairs of various financial, philanthropic, and social insti- tutions. He is vice president of the Fourth National Bank, director of the Central Trust Co. and of the Equitable Life Assurance Co., and governor and treasurer of the Society of the New York Hospital. He is a vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, and has been chairman of its executive committee. He is a member of the Union League Club, and belongs to various similar institutions, including the Republican, Century, Metropolitan, Riding, Union. and Players' clubs.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- Cornelius Newton Bliss was born at Fall River, Mass., Janut- ary 26, 1833 ; attended public schools at Fall River and New Orleans, La. ; was connected with James M. Beebe & Co., Boston, as employee und member of the firm, 1840-66 ; married Elizabeth M. Plumer of Boston March 30, 1859; became a member of the firm of John S. & Eben Wright & Co., Boston, in 1866, and resident partner in New York city, and has been engaged in the dry-goods commission business in New York city ever since ; was chairman of the New York state Republican committee, 1887-88, and treas- urer of the Republican national committee in 1892 and in 1896.
Chauncey MDD. Depew is better known to the world at large, including the cultivated people of both hemispheres, than almost any other American citizen. Though barely beyond the prime of life, he has for many years enjoyed a world-wide reputa- tion as a masterful man of affairs, a brilliant political leader, an enchanting public speaker. His accom- plishments and his career recall the line about the old Homeric hero, "Strange that Ulysses does a thousand things so well."
Descended on his father's side from Huguenot stock, and on his mother's side from the dis- tinguished patriot, Roger Sherman, Mr. Depew was born at Peekskill, N. Y., in the old homestead that has been in the possession of his family for more than two centuries. He graduated at Yale College in 1856, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and en- tered upon his eventful career in the stormy days preceding the outbreak of civil war. His gradna- tion from college had synchronized with the national
organization of the Republican party, and he inter- ested himself in the movement from the first. In 1858 he was a delegate to tlie Republican state con- vention, and in 1860 he took the stump in behalf of Lincoln. Even then he attracted enthusiastic audiences. In almost every political contest since the Lincoln campaign, including the momentous struggle of 1896, he has done yeoman's service in the cause of good government. In the year follow- ing Lincoln's election Mr. Depew was sent to the assembly. He was re-elected in 1862, serving as chairman of the committee on ways and means, and as speaker of the assembly during a part of the time. Nominated by the Republican party in 1863 for the office of secretary of state, ne spoke twice a day for six consecutive weeks, and was elected by a majority of 30,000 votes. He declined a re-election in 1865, and put aside also the post of minister to Japan, though he held the commission about a month. He was a candidate for the office of lieutenant governor on the Liberal Republican ticket in 1872, but shared the prompt defeat of the new movement. Two years later he was made regent of the state university, as well as a member of the commission charged with the construction of the state capitol at Albany.
During the contest in the assembly over the elec- tion of Senator Platt's successor, after the memorable resignation of senators Conkling and Platt in 1881, Mr. Depew was a candidate for several weeks, and at one time came within ten votes of election. He finally withdrew his name in order to end the ex- traordinary struggle, and to ensure the election of Warner Miller. Similar self-effacement for the pub- lic and party good was shown by Mr. Depew at the Republican national convention in 1888, when he was a prominent candidate for the presidency. Hav- ing received ninety-nine votes to Harrison's eighty on the first ballot, and about held his own on two succeeding ballots, he withdrew his candidacy, and thus allowed the New York delegation to concentrate its strength on Harrison and ensure the latter's nomination. Since then Mr. Depew has continued to be a powerful factor in the counsels of the Repub- lican party, and his name has been persistently used in connection with the highest stations in public life. Almost uniformly, however, on account of his duties in the business world, he has felt unable to accept such opportunities. In 1884 he received but declined an offer of the United States senatorship. In 1889 President Harrison tendered to him the choice of any position within his gift, and again in 1892 he offered him the position of secretary of state in his cabinet.
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In the vast transportation industry of the country Mr. Depew has been a towering figure for a quarter of a century. Seeing his name constantly in print in reports of notable meetings of every kind, at which he has presided or delivered orations, some people have imagined that this sort of thing took up the greater part of Mr. Depew's time. Noth- ing could be further from the truth. Few administrative corporation officers have devoted more hours to their busi- ness, or labored more faithfully in behalf of the interests entrusted to them, than President Depew. The banquets without number that he has graced with his presence, and the thousands of public meetings that he has enriched with his eloquence, have constituted his form of recreation, and afforded him the needed change and relief from business cares.
Beginning his long career in the railroad world in 1866, when he was appointed by Commodore Vanderbilt at- torney for the New York & Harlem Rail- road Co., Mr. Depew rose rapidly to one of the most responsible positions in the railway service anywhere on the globe. Made general counsel of the new com- pany when the Hudson River road was consolidated with the New York Central, he became second vice president of the Central-Hudson company in 1882, and was elected to the presidency June 14, 1885. He has since discharged the duties of that position with distinguished success. His earlier years of service were devoted chiefly to court litigation, and his arguments before the Supreme Court at Washington in the interests of the Vanderbilt railway properties will long be remembered as wonderful forensic triumphs. In later years he has minutely informed himself concerning all departments of the enormous trust committed to him, and has shown great organizing and executive talent in the administration of its affairs.
Probably no one has been more sought than Mr. Depew as an after-dinner speaker, or as the orator of the day on public occasions. Obtaining early in life a thorough education in the liberal arts, he has amplified his knowledge and broadened his culture in succeeding years. Two volumes of his orations, one published in 1890 and the other in 1894, will retain their place in the literature of the language for generations to come ; but the brilliancy of his wit,
the delicacy of his oratorical touch, and his exquisite taste in words and manner of speech, defy translation into printed language.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY - Chauncey Mitchell Depew was born at Peekskill, N. Y., April 23, 1834 ; graduated from Yate College in 1856, and 1
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CHAUNCEY M. DEPER
was admitted to the bar in 1858; was member of assembly, 1862-63, and secretary of state, 1864-65 ; was appointed attorney for the New York & Hartem Railroad Co. in 1866, general counsel of the New York Central & Hudson River road on its organisa- tion in 1869, and second vice president of the road in 1882 ; has been president of the Central-Hudson road since 1885.
Roswell D. fflower, recently governor of the Empire State, and otherwise distinguished in public life, was born in Jefferson county, New York, in 1835. He is of humble origin but of excellent stock, his English ancestors having settled in Con- nectient two centuries ago. When he was eight
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years old his father died, and Roswell was obliged to begin early in life his long career in the business world. Becoming a clerk in a country store while still a boy, he afterward worked in a brickyard and on a farm. Concurrently with all that, however, he was getting an education by attending district
ROSWELL P. FLOWER
schools and the Theresa High School. Having graduated from this institution in 1851. he taught school for a while, boarding around with the pupils : and afterward became a clerk in the post office at Watertown, N. Y. The salary was only 850 a month, but he held the place six years, and in that time contrived to save $1000.
Realizing that such a position would lead to nothing, Mr. Flower took his capital in 1860, and bought with it an interest in a jewelry business in Watertown, which he conducted successfully until 1869. In that year he took up his residence in New York city, and established a banking firm there. This venture was entirely successful, and Mr. Flower accumulated an ample fortune. The firm is still in
existence, though he ceased to be an active partner several years ago. He has never been regarded in Wall street as a speculator, having used his capital for legitimate investment purposes. Mr. Flower and Henry Keep, the railroad magnate, married sisters ; and after Mr. Keep's death in 1869 Mr. Flower took charge of his large interests as the agent of Mrs. Keep. He cared for the property with such fidelity and success that it grew largely in his hands. He is an exceedingly able and judicious investor ; and it is said that he never buys the stocks or bonds of a company without personally examining the prop- erty represented by the securities in question, and thus satisfying himself of their intrinsic merits. He has used his means in a public-spirited way, having made many generous contributions to charitable objects, including a donation of $50,000 for the erection of the St. Thomas Home on Fifty-ninth street, New York city. He has been a large subscriber to the campaign funds of the Democratic party.
Mr. Flower took no prominent part in public life until 1881, when he ran for congress against William Waldorf Astor for the seat made vacant by the resig- nation of Levi P. Morton, appointed minister to France. Mr. Morton had carried the district by a majority of 4000, and Mr. Flower was thought to be heading a forlorn hope. He was elected, none the less, receiving a major- ity of 3100 votes. This victory gave him so much prestige in the party that he was strongly supported for the guber- natorial nomination in 1882, receiving on the first ballot 123 votes to 61 for Grover Cleve- land, the successful candidate in the end. At the next convention he was nominated for the office of lieutenant governor on the ticket with David B. Hill. He had protested against this at the time because of his business engagements, and he refused to run.
Though he declined a re-election to congress at the expiration of his first term. he continued to take a foremost part in the counsels of the Democratic party. In 1888 he was regarded in many quarters as the proper candidate for the presidency, but the movement in favor of Mr. Cleveland was too strong for opposition. In November, 1889, he was elected to the 51st congress, receiving over 12,000 majority.
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and was re-elected two years later. He did not serve the latter term, however, on account of his election in November, 1891, by a plurality of 50,000 votes, as governor of New York state. It is a noteworthy fact that Mr. Flower has been elected every time he has been a candidate before the people. This confidence has not been mis- placed ; as he has shown himself a wise and con- servative legislator, and a fearless and efficient exec- utive officer. Not the least of his services in public life - this benefit, fortunately, accruing to all men without regard to party - was his patriotic course in the campaign of 1896, when he exerted a most powerful influence on the side of sound finance, political honesty, and good government in general.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- Roswell Pettibone Flower was born at Theresa, N. Y., August 1, 1835 ; gradu- ated from the Theresa High School in 1851; was clerk in the post office at Watertown, N. Y., 1854-60 ; married Sarah M. Woodruff of Watertown Decem- ber 26, 1859; conducted a jewelry store in Watertown, 1860-69 : engaged in the banking business in New York city, 1869- 81; was member of congress, 1881-83 and 1889-91 ; was governor of New York state, 1892-94.
William JS. fhornblower, one of the most distinguished lawyers at the New York bar, was born in Paterson, N. J., shortly after the middle of the century. He comes from a famous fam- ily of jurists. His father studied law, though he afterward became a Presby- terian clergyman ; his grandfather. was chief justice of New Jersey ; and col- lateral branches of the family likewise attained distinction in the legal profes- sion. Mr. Hornblower's great-grand- father was a member of the Continental Congress.
Thus honorably descended, Mr. Horn- blower early in life conferred yet brighter luster on the family name. Having graduated from Princeton with high rank in 1871, he studied law at Columbia, and was admitted to the bar in 1875. He then obtained a clerkship in the law firm of Carter & Eaton, New York city, and applied himself heart and soul to the stupendous task of building up a practice and a professional reputation in the New
York courts of law. How brilliant his success in this endeavor was to be, began to appear as early as 1877, when his clerkship was changed into a part- nership. The elder members of his firm fortunately preferred office consultation and research to con- tested work in the courts, and this part of the busi- ness from the first devolved largely upon the junior partner. Mr. Hornblower availed himself to the utmost of the opportunity thus presented, and rapidly became known as one of the ablest attorneys of a pre-eminently able bar. Covering at first a wide range of miscellaneous practice, as a young lawyer must until he has won his spurs, Mr. Horn- blower long ago attained such a standing in his pro- fession that he could select his cases, and devote his talents to the most interesting and important kinds
WILLIAM B. HORNBLOWER
of litigation. One of the great economic move- ments of the age is the growth of corporations ; and this movement has brought into being a body of law vast in proportions, intricate in construction, ex- ceedingly difficult to interpret and administer. It
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will hardly be disputed that the ablest part of the American bar to-day is concerned with this branch of the law. The great corporations of the land have been the highest bidders for this kind of legal ability, and have usually obtained the best talent in the market. Under such conditions Mr. Horn- blower has naturally become a " corporation lawyer." The New York C'entral railroad, the New York Life Insurance Co., the New York Security and Trust Co., and other organizations of like standing in the business world, have entrusted their interests to his care. Comprehensive knowledge of the law in gen- eral, painstaking accuracy and thoroughness in the preparation of cases, and consummate skill in foren- sic proceedings, are his chief professional character- istics.
Mr. Hornblower's capacity in the law had come to be widely recognized by 1893, and both the legal profession and the general public approved his nomination by President Cleveland for the seat on the bench of the Supreme Court left vacant by the death of Justice Blatchford. The selection was creditable to the president, and most honorable to Mr. Hornblower. The latter at that time was only forty-two years old, and was the youngest man, with four exceptions, ever named for the Supreme Court. The exceptions, of whom one was the eminent jurist Joseph Story, detract little or nothing from the significance of Mr. Hornblower's nomination, since the rigid preparatory requirements of profes- sional life to-day, and the fierce competition in the higher ranks of the learned callings, subject con- testants for professional honors to a disadvantage equivalent to at least ten years of life under the con- ditions existing when the century was young. Mr. Hornblower's nomination, therefore, at the age of forty-two, to the highest judicial tribunal in the land, will be a perpetual monument to his character as a man and capacity as a lawyer. The long struggle in the senate over his nomination, and the ultimate failure of that body to confirm the same, in no wise require any modification of the foregoing statements.
Mr. Hornblower served as a member of the com- mission that was created in 1890 to propose amend- ments to the judiciary section of the state constitu- tion. He is regarded as an able writer on legal subjects. He is one of the vice presidents of the Bar Association and of the Reform Club, and has mem- bership in the City, University, Manhattan, Metro- politan, Century, and other clubs.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY-William Butler Hornblower was born at Paterson, N. J. May 13, 1851 ; graduated from Princeton College in
1871, and from Columbia Law School in 1875 ; was clerk in a New York city law office, 1875-17 ; married Susie C. Sanford of New Haven, Conn., April 26, 1882, and Mrs. Emily Sanford Nelson, sister of his first wife, January 31, 1894 : was nominated for justice of the Supreme Court in 1893 ; has practiced law in New York city since 1875.
Seth Low made himself a part of history while still a young man, and his name will long stand for all that is best in the career of a merchant, a public official, and an educator. His father, Abiel Abbot Low, was a man of character and solid attainments, and built up a large tea-importing business in New York. In. the neighboring city of Brooklyn Seth Low was born in the mid-century year. Having received an excellent preparatory education at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, he entered Columbia College, and graduated with the class of 1870. His rare mental endowments developed early in life, placing him at the head of his class at Columbia. During his last year in college he attended lectures at the law school, but decided not to continue the course. Conditions favored a business career, and he went to work in his father's establishment. Not- withstanding considerable evidence to the contrary, a college education is still regarded by most com- petent judges as helpful in commercial life. At all events Mr. Low made rapid progress in acquiring practical business knowledge, and mastering the principles of modern commerce. After discharging efficiently the duties of several important executive positions, he was admitted to the firm in 1875. This was followed by election to membership in the New York Chamber of Commerce and in other commercial organizations. Such bodies frequently concern themselves with questions of great impor- tance to the general public, and bring to the solu- tion of the problems involved a high degree of scientific and economic ability. Mr. Low took an active part in these organizations, serving on impor- tant committees, and making addresses concerning the carrying trade and related subjects.
Efficient public officials seem to be best ob- tained from the ranks of able and incorruptible business men. The people of Brooklyn took this view in 1881, when they nominated Mr. Low for the mayoralty as a reform candidate. He was already a man of mark, having attracted favorable notice both in business and in public life. He had been one of the organizers and the first president of the Young Republican Club in Brooklyn, and in like manner one of the founders and first president of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities. Elected
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mayor by a decisive majority, he gained wide- spread fame and unstinted praise by the purity, vigor, and efficiency of his administration. He was the first mayor in the state to introduce the system of competitive examinations for appoint- ments to municipal office. He was re-elected in 1883 and served two years more, finally retiring from the mayor's chair with a national reputation of the highest char- acter. After an extended trip abroad he resumed his business calling, and con- tinued the same until 1889. The next year he was elected to the presidency of Columbia.
The accession of Dr. Low - the de- gree of LL. D. was five times conferred upon him in 1890 - to the presidency of Columbia College will forever mark an epoch in the history of that institu- tion. He was an ideal man for the place. His character, temperament, edu- cation, business experience. and social position all conspired to make his admin- istration brilliantly successful from the start. In 1890 the several departments of instruction, hitherto separate and in- dependent, were organically united, and placed under the control of a university council created for the purpose ; and the next year the College of Physicians and Surgeons was made an integral part of the corporation. The marvelous growth of the institution under the new order of things necessitated additional build- ings and enlarged equipment generally. In 1892 a committee appointed to deter- mine the best location for the new Columbia reported favorably on the site of the Bloomingdale Asylum for the insane on the heights of Morningside park : and the property was purchased for $2,000,000. In 1895 President Low himself gave the sum of 81,000,000 for a new library buildi- 3, and other large dona- tions to the college have been made by him. He has energized the institution from end to end, and has set in motion intellectual and moral forces that will benefit for all time the city, state, and nation.
Dr. Low is president of the Archaeological Insti- tute of America, and vice president of the New York Academy of Sciences. He belongs to various prominent clubs, including the City, University, Century, Metropolitan, Authors,' Downtown Asso- ciation, and New England Society.
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY- Seth Low was born at Brooklyn January 18, 1850 ; attended the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and graduated from Columbia College in 1870 : was employed in his father's tea warehouse, 1870-75, and became a mem- ber of the firm in the latter year ; married Annie
SETH LOW'
W. S. Curtis of Boston December 9, 1880 ; was mayor of Brooklyn, 1882-85 ; has been president of Columbia College since 1890.
D. O. MDills, widely and most favorably known for years past as a banker and philanthropist, was born in Westchester county, New York, when the first quarter of the century had nearly run it course. His ancestors may be traced back to early colonial times in this country, and to more remote periods in Scotland and the north of England. He received an excellent general education at the academy in his native town, and at Mount Pleasant Academy, Sing Sing, which he attended for several years. His father died, however, when Darius was sixteen years
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old ; and soon thereafter the family estate, previously ample for existing and prospective wants, suffered a serious shrinkage. Resolving under such conditions to become self-supporting, the young man betook himself to New York city, and obtained employment as a clerk.
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