Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-09-13
HENRY WILLARD.
President of the Northern Pacific
Railroad.
lSt. Paul Pioneer Press.

! Isl. Paul Pioneer Press
The glamour of romance surrounds the
financial career of this extraordinary man
Henry Willard was born in Speyer, the cap
ital of Rhenish Bavaria, in 1885, His father
sat upon the supreme bench Of that King
dom. He was educated at the university,
and like most of the university students in
Germany, was somewhat erratic in his youth
He first came to Belleville, ILL.,, where some
of his relatives still live He studied law
yet, like Carl Schurz, he soon adopted jour-
nalism as a profession. His first conspicu-
Gus task was an engagement to report the
celebrated Lincoln-Douglass political dis
cussion. In 1859 he went to Colorado, to
write about the new gold discoveries for the
Cincinnati Commercial. In 1860 he was do
ing political correspondence for the New
| York Herald, and at that time sustaining
confidential relations with Mr.. Lincoln. He
subsequently became conspicuous as war
correspondent. For two years, from 1868 to
1870, he was secretary of the American
Social Science association.
In person, Mr. Willard is tall and of robust
physique His blue eyes, brown hair, expan-
sive forehead and fresh, genial face, mark
the good humor and frankness of the man.
He lives on Madison avenue, New York, and
has country house at Dobb's Ferry. His
wife is daughter of the late William Lloyd
Garrison, the great champion of the anti
slavery movement
While in Germany, in 1874, events occurr-
ed which first brought him in connection
with railway affairs. The German bond
holders OF certain American railway securi-
ties, which had detaulted in their interest,
sent him to the United States as their repre-
sentative. In these financial transactions,
connected with the Kansas Pacific, he met
and successfully encountered Jay Gould.
Subsequently, in vessel fitted out by John
Roach, he went around the cape to Oregon
to look after the interests of the same friends
in the budding railways of that region. He
soon mastered the projects and possibilities
of those distant provinces, and became him
self largely interested in the Development
of Eastern Oregon and Washington territor-
les. He shortly after became president Of the
consolidated railway and navigation compan-
les on the Pacific coast, where he made both
reputation and money
His success grappled to him as with hooks
of steel the capitalists who had been en-
riched by his genius. In this field of activ-
lty, in the prosecution OF the interests OF his
own company, he encountered the Northern
NulCH was uOW liIC uOuldlu
where Willard was established. The first
speck Of war arose out of the determination
of the Northern Pacific to build a line to
Portland, on the north side of the Columbia
river, and thus crowd out Wizards company,
which had proposed to construct line On
the south side Of the river. After fruitless
attempt at compromise of their difficult
ties, Willard came to New York and con-
ceived the idea of quietly purchasing, in
open market, controlling interest in the
Northern Pacific.
He thereupon organized the celebrated
"blind pool" This was daring scheme in
which his friends were asked to place mil
lions of money in his hands for an unknown
purpose. No receipt was given. Confidence.
perfect trust, was the only basis of the trans
action. 1t is without parallel in the his
tory of financial operations, and bespeaks
the implicit trust of his friends in his ability
and integrity. Eight millions of dollars
were thus put into 'blind pool" Northern
Pacific stock was quietly bought, and ere the
directory was aware the controlling interest
Of the line was in the hands of its reputed
enemies. 1t was supposed that the Willard
coalition only intended to minify the great
highway and use it simply