The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25
MR.. CORCORAN DEAD.
The Forces of His Life Faded Slowly
Away.


away quietly and in unconsciouSness he
lapsed into insensibility yesterday afternoon
from which he did not again awake
The forces of life faded gradually sbut
steadily, until breathing was no longer no
| ticeable.
RICHMOND'S TRIBUTE.
! RICHMOND, VA, Feb "a AT a joint
meeting of the two branches of the City
Council this evening, a preamble and reso-
lutiOnS were adopted in relation to 1.-THE
death of that noble philanthropist and true
friend of Virginia, w. w. COrcOran," and
saying that IN his death the Southern States,
and especially Virginia, have sustained the
loss of a devoted friend whose memory will
ever be cherished 10y the people; and that as
tribute to his memory, the President and
one member of the Board of Aldermen, and
the President and two members of the Com
mon Council be appointed to attend the
| funeral as representatives of the city OF
| Richmond.
Mr. w. w. Corcoran was 50 years old on
Dec. q last. He had stroke of apoplexy
a few months ago, and had been gradually
growing weaker ever since. On the day
he vas 50 years old, however, he was able
to give directions about all of his business
affairs. His friends became seriously
alarmed about him about ten days ago, and
all of his near relatives were summoned to
his bedside. His grand daughter,
Miss Eustis, and his two grand
sons of the Eustis family, his niece, Miss
Jones, and his two old confidential friends,
Antony Hyde and c. NJ. Matthews, were
with him at the hour of his death. He
fingered longer than it was thought he
could possibly hold out, but his constitution
was an iron one, and it yielded slowly to
the demands of death.
| Mr.. Corcoran was Washington's richest
and most honored citizen. His charities
| had endeared him to the people of the
whole conntry.
| Mr.. Corcoran was born in Georgetown,
which is now a part of Washington. His
father was Mayor of that village when
| Washington had no existence, and the
House in which he was born is part of his
estate. In his will he expressed a desire
that it shall be kept in the family. He
started business life very young, having
| had a taste of classical education and a
short term at the Georgetown College. AT
| 16 years Of age, when his father had been
appointed by President Madison Postmaster
of Georgetown, he left school, contrary to
| his fathers wishes, and went into the dry
goods store of his brothers, James and
| Thomas Corcoran. His ability became so
apparent that they established him two
| years later i'll a store of his own, and he
| succeeded we'll until the panic of 1923, when
| in one day $2S, 900 of his bills receivable
went to protest. The result was he failed.
| He was at this time 20 years of age,
and he compromise with some of his credi-
tors at 50per cent, and from others received
a discharge in full In 1S47, however, he
had made second fortune, and he then
| computed the interest due from himself
| and his brothers to each of these creditors,
| and, adding this to the principal he paid
the sum in full, which was then more than
double the original amount. From dry
goods he went to banking, first as an en-
ploye and afterwards as partner, and for
years the firm of Corcoran q Riggs stood
as high i'll Washington as that of the
Rothschilds in London. He took charge of
the Mexican loans when no one else would
handle them, and placed a part of them in
| six of the wealthieSt houses in London. He
| bought United States securities himself and
| made a fortune out of their rise when the
New York bankers predicted that the
country was going to ruin. He dealt
largely in real estate, and made great
| deal of money out of it. In 1854 the firm
of Corcoran & Riggs was dissolved, and at
this time Mr.. Corcoran retired from active
business. During the last generation he
| only attended to his own fortune, to the
cultivation of his mind and to the disposi-
tion of his millions to charity.
His charities we're very great. He gave
away three-fourths of all he has ever made,
and in sums of over So, 900 his benefactions
amount to nearly S6,O0O,OO0.- In small sums
| he gave away 81 800, 900, and his purse was
always open The people who gained by
his benevolences are numbered by the
thousands, and the Corcoran Gallery (which
is endowed with $2000,000 has given
| American art firm establishment at the
capital of our nation, and it, and the schools
and colleges to which he so literally gave,
will keep up their good work.
| His monument to the author of "Home,
Sweet Home" cost thousands of dollors,
and it is due to him that John Howard
Payne sleeps upon American soil. Oak
| Hill Cemetery, in which he lies, was given
| TO GEORGETOWN by Mr.. Corcoran after he
had spent $40, 900 in decorating it, and the
only part which Mr.. Corcoran will have in
it is the grand Grecian mausoleum, around
whose marble dome, in plainly chiselled
letters, is the word "Corcoran,"
Mr.. Corcoran knew all the Presidents,
from Washington, and was on intimate
terms with many Of them, and with nearly
all the leading men Cf the nation. He leaves
a magnificent library, among which are
| some very valuable volumes. The most
valuable among them are the bound private
letters to Mr.. Corcoran. There are fourteen
of these, and they are great fat tones, each
of which is nearly the size of dictionary.
| These contain leJUefo ITOul w eDSUer, Olty ,
Calhoun, Fillmore, Tyler, Buchanan, Amos
Kendall and other noted men of our past
history, and with these are bound let
ters from the most noted scientists
and literateurs. There are many
private letters from Won Homboldt among
them, and they comprise a correspondence
which will make fortune for Mr.. Corco-
rams biographer He valued these letters
above money, and he published number
of them in connection with some remnis-
cences. and these he left to his grandchild-
rem. Only 300 copies have been printed,
and thev are sealed up and locked away.
He called it grandfather's legacy to his
grandchildren.
The following is a quotation from his
dedication of this legacy to his grandchll-
dren. and it shows the noble character the
man had better than anything that can be
written of him:
| To M Grandchildren:
| Asa private individual, inspired by an appre-
| ciation of my relations 10 my fellOwman,
| b.ve from early youth to old age, cndeavored
| 10 be hist 90 all and generous 20 the deserving.
blessed by kind Providence with larger posses.
sions than commonly fall 70 the lot OF man,
| have regarded them as a sacred trust Tor tne
benefit OF knowledge truth and charity. MY
reward has been an approving conscience an1
the gratifying appreciation or many good ahd
great men whose testimonies have preserved
Ia this volume for you. --,,--.,-.. .c,-.i
MANY OF the letters In this collection AFFORD
melausholy evidences OF the instability OF hu'
,,sn affaira. and a perllaal OF them will suggest
= ..,.,, ~. vropriefV ~ eudeavOriug 70 cultivate