National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-05-31
Death Of Fletcher Harper.

The death Of the last surviving member OF q
firm that established a publishing house whose
nltiee. Fletcher Harper, the last OF the Harper
brothers, died in New York on Tuesday. James
Harper. the eldest, died in March. lsSt Joseph
Wesley the third brother. died a year later; John,
the secuud. and with James. the founder of the
original trm. died the I'll Of April. 1875. aud
FlstChe Harper the youngest brother. died last
Tuesday morning at o'clock, after lingering ILL
ness.
The grandfather Of the Harper Brothers came to
this country from England In the middle Of the
eighteenth century; and settled on farm near
NcwtDwn. Long Island, where the father of the
brothers wa. born in lI6d. a. the age OF twenty.
Ei1ihcth Collyer, young lady Of Dutch descent
and their four sons were all born on the Ncwtuwn
kirn James In ITgj, John i'm 1871. Joseph Wesley in
fsOi and Fletcher In lsli In 1872 James and John
Harper were apprenticed IA q printer In New York;
and IN ISL they opened little printing office of
their own on Dover street, where their first i'm.
portant work the printing Of two thousand
copies OF SSpecas Morals" for Eycrt DuyCkinck.
The work OF J. & J. Harper increased, and they re.
broadway. In ISIS they made their first effort rs
publishers and put their imprint on five hundred
copies Of Dicke's "Essay on the Human Under
staining" Wesley and Fletcher Harper were in
their bOyhp0i apprenttced tn their brothers. WeS-
ley Was admitted y the firm in lSa3; Fletcher in
l-. In that year the iirm removed to CHI street,
and In tSGi they tjok the name of Harper Broth
eaS HuFer's Monthly Wa established princi.
Ps.iy through the efforts Of Fletcher II has hccu
Successful from the beginning Five thousand
copies Of the hrSt numbcr were sold, seven thou.
sand hve hundred VI the second, and II now has a
circulation OF one hundred and forty thousand
crPits.
To Fletcher who dill 80 much for the Monthly,
due also the establishment OF the Weekly and
BIar. lie regarded the BUSINESS man of
the hDse for each OF the four brothers had his de-
partmeuE James was the talkcr, John attended IN
the book keeping and Wesley was the literary
man.
Eletchsr received more careful education than
the other brDthers. He attended the school of Mr.
\ 7. stewart In Roosevelt street for some time.
He married at the age of nineteen years. and cele.
brited his golden wedding" two years ago. OF
al the psriolical OF the house. HiTpcT's Hitkiy
was hi, ffvOrite Until within few weeks before
his death he read carefully all the proofs for this
periodical. and constantly suggested improve.
meut. Mr. Fletcher Harper lived for many years
Al No. II West Twenty second street. and lin his
country house at IryingtOn On-the- Hudson. He
passed the hours from ten O'Clock until two O'Clock
| every day at the Office on Franklin square. He
was a member of St Paurs Methodist Episcopal
church. the corner of Fourth avenue and
Twenty second street Mr. Harper was fond OF
travel, and frequently went to Europe; he also WAS
fond Of horSes and had n fine stable.
! Mr. Harper leaves widow and two sons
| Fletcher Harper, IT,, and Joseph. The firm Of
| Harper Brothers l. now composed Of Fletcher
Harper, IT,, PhiliPJ. A. Harper son Of James; John
I and Joseph Wesley Harper, son OF Wesley Har
| per. The wealth Of the firm is immense. The
building on Fnlnklin square with its contents has
| been estimated 10 be worth s3OOO0O. The peri.
GdicalS alone bring in All annual profit of more
/ than sHDDOl
Tht immediate cause Off Harpers death was
/ gastric fever.