The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-10-03
The Daily Bulletin.
HENRY WILLARD.
Something About Man who Promises to
Become a Money King.

Now that Gould and Vanderbilt have
retired, temporarily, at least, from the
financial arena, there is some curiosity
as TO who shall be the next dictator, at
whose nod the street shall tremble.
by common consent Mr. Henry Willard
seems TO be awarded the proud pos ton,
though whether he wants it is quite an
other matter, for the leading spirit in
the Northern Pacific Railroad and the
Oregon Navigation Company is a mod
est man, not fond of noise or nOtoricty.
AS he Is likely 10 come before the public
far more prominently during the next
lew years than any other financial mag
nate OF the day, some words as to the
man may not be without interest. | do
not know whether he has ever made
good his claim by an act Of Legislature
to the name Of Willard or not, but at
any rate his name was originally Hill
gard, and many OF the same family may
now be found in Bclevlle, Ill. The
distinguished Superintendent Of the
Coast Survey, Professor Julius Hllgard
one OF the men of whom the scientific
world is proud, is an uncle Of Mr., Vii
lard. The Heinrich Ililgard OF thirty
years ago,or the HenryVillard OF to-day
is the son Of Gustaye Hiigard, formerly
President OF the Supreme Court n Mu-
MICH. Gustav Hilgard was the only one
OF five brothers who did not cmigrate
to America, and it was not ri.inally
intended that hiss son Henry should
come here. But some wild e,capade,
while studying at the University al Mu-
nich, induced him to come to this
country in 1858, being then 10 years of
age. lie got as far as Chicago, when
his fortune gave out, and he was taken
In hand by his uncle Robert c. Higard,
OF the Belleyille Savings Bank, who took
nm TO Belleyille, where he remained
until he could find his way around the
new country. But Belleyilo was too
small place for the young man, who
wandered of to see the world, and was
not heard OF for several years. In his
wanderIngs he became acquainted with
Horace Greeley, who was making MS
way across the continent, and Greeley,
seeing the solid worth in Young HIlgard
eng"g-' IL as correspondents, with a
TTg commission in the West; This
was before the outbreak Of the war, and
IN that time OF great opportunities Hill
gard soon made a name for himself IN
b double sense--he became noted as an
excellent correspondent, and made his
nom dc plume Of Wizard 50 fayorably
known that he ended by describing his
own name in its favor, Before the close
OF the war he was on the high road TO
tame as newspaper writer Of brilliancy
and judgment, aud, had he remained in
newspaper life, he would unqucstion-
ably nave made MS fortune.
But the close Of the war and the be-
ginning OF the era Of wild speculation,
which lasted from 1868 to 1873, offered
him greater opportunities for money
making than any newspaper career. He
went back 10 Europe and laid before tho
rich merchants OF Germany and Holland
tine opportunities for getting ID aud Is
per cent for their money Instead If one
fourth OF that rate. He had enormous
faith in our government bond, Money
country, and he carried out his contract
with so much judgment that enormous
sums were soon placed at his disposal,
In ten years after the war he made four
trips to Europe, each time strengthen
ing his position. The crash Of 1873
found his investments incNcellent shape,
aud with the revival ot prosperity in
1873 Willard began to loom up As not
only the agent Of millionsres, but one
OF the fraternity himself. He had taken
a. good care Of his own money rs Of
other peoples, and his career in the
northwestern part Of the United States
was marked by almost infallible judg-
ment and no rcverSes. The history Of
his fight with the Northern Pacific road
and It's complete capiluaton Is too re-
cent to need repeating, He holds the
controlling power over the railroads of
the Northwest and is, next to Wander
bilt and Gould the most important
railroad man in the country, and IN
such comparison Vanderbilt can
scarce Y be said 10 count, as bis power
is due to inherited wealth rather than
to an Unborn faculty for railroad finance
such as characterize Gould and Viii
lard.
Personally Mr.. Willard is extremely
transformations, n big man in every way,
physically and mentally,good humorcd,
kind hearted, fond OF work, but devoted
to his family, and with cultivated taste
for art and music. What his personal
wealth is few persons have any means
of judging; it may be anywhere from
$1,000 900 to S20,0OO,00O. More inn
portant than the actual amount OF stock
he may own, Is the influence he yields
over foreign investors. who have COM
plete faith in his judgment He la, be-
come in manners and language n much
Of an American as ii he had been born
here, and evidently intends to make
New York his future home, for he is
building house which will equal the
Vanderbilt mansion in spaciousncSS and
effect, 1t Is on Madison avenue, back
of the Cathedral, where Mr. Willard
bought the block between Fiilieth aud
Filty-iirst streets. The sty,c is ronas-
sance, and the material brown stone; it
is about fifty feet wide, by something
over 100 feet deep, The plastcrers are
now at work inside, but il will be an
other year before il is ready for the
family.