Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-11-13
Henry Willard,



Henry Willard was born in Spirc, Ba
varia, April Ii. lH3j, and Is now, there
fore, nearly tiity-sevcn years OF az,
He is pleasant gentleman to meet
though inclined to be little sarcastic
plain III dress = looking ike Il we'll -iixc,
lun.iecman on On IN mess toul
Hi name waS originally Gustayus Hi
gud. He was educated at the univCrS
tiles OF Munich and WurHJur!, ant
came to the United States in 1861
III" studied law for time in Bcllcvill,
and Peoria, ILL.,. then removed To Chi
cago an wrote for papers. In 1859 he
visited the newly discovered coal region
Of Colorado rs correspondent Of tho
Cincinnati Commercial, and on his re
turn Published volume entitled
" Fixes Peak Gold Regions" CISCO,
He also sent statistics to the New York
HerdM that were intended to influence
the location OF Pacific railroad route
He then settled in Washington as pO.
litical correspondent for Eastern and
W cstern newspapers, and during the
war was an army correspondent. He
married Fanny, a daughter of William
Lloyd Garrison, at Washington, on
Jan. ), 1866; went to Europe as CORES
pondcnt OF the New York TribuRc; re-
turned to the United States in June,
lSGS, and shortly afterward WAS elected
secretary Of the American Social Sci
cnce association, to which he devoted
his labors till 1870, when he went to
Germany for his health. While living
at WicShaden lie engaged in the nego-
tiation OF Anne rican railroad securities
and, when many companies defaulted
IN the payment of interest, after the
crash OF 1913, he joined several COM
mitteeS of German bond-holders, doing
the major part Of their work, anO in
April, 1874, returned to the United
States to represent his constituents,
and especially to execute an arrange
meat with the Oregon and California
railroad company. On visiting Oregon
he was impressed with the natural
wealth of the region, and conceived the
plan OF gaining control OF its few trans
pOrlation routes. His clients, who
were largely creditors also of the Orc
goa steamship company, appro9ed his
scheme, and in 1879 Mr.. Willard be-
came president OF both corporations.
He was appointed in 1876 II receiver OF
the Kansas Pacific railroad as the re.
preventative OF European creditors, and
was removed III 1878, but continued
the contest he had begun with Jay
Gould and finally obtained better
terms for the bond holders than they
had agreed to accept. The European
investors in the Oregon and San Fran
cisco steamship line, after building
new vessels, became discouraged, and
in 1879 Willard formed an American
syndicate and purchased the property.
He also acquired that OF the Oregon
Steam Navigation company, which op-
Grated fleets OF steamers and portage
railroads on the Columbia river. The
three companies that he controlled
were amllsamatcd, under the name OF
the Oregon Railway and Navigation
company. He began the construction
of railroad up the Columbia river.
and failing in his effort to obtain a per-
manent engagement from the Northern
Pacific company, which had begun its
extension into Washington Territory,
to use the Columbia river line as its
outlet to the Pacific ocean, he succeed
ed, with the aid of Il syndicate which
was called II blind pool" in acquiring
control of the Northern Pacific prop
crty, and organized y new corporation
that was named the Oregon and Trans
company. After some
with the old managers OF
the Northern Pacific road, Willard was
elected president of reorganized
board of directors on Sept. Is, 1881.
The main line to the Pacific ocean was
with the aid OF the Oregon
and Transcontinental company; but at
the time when it was opened to traffic
with festivities, in September, 1888, the
I" bears" of the stock market arranged
an attack on the securities OF the al
lied companies, and Willard, in the
vain endeavor to support the proper
ties, sacrificed his large fortune, and on
Jan. 4, 1885, resigned the presidency OF
the Northern Pacific railroad. After
spending the intervening time in Eu
rope, he returned to New York city in
1856, and has since purchased for Ger
man capitalists large amounts of the
securities OF the transportation system
that he was instrumental in creating
becoming again director of the North
ern Pacific company, and on June 81
1888, again president of the Oregon
ana Transcontinental company. liz
has given large fund for the State
university of Oregon, literally aidet
the university Of Washington Territory
founded hospital and school fol
nurses in his native town, and devoted
large sums to the industrial art schoo
of Rhenish, Bavaria, and to the found
alton of fifteen scholarships for The
youth OF that province.
Tacoma celebrated on Tuesday nigh
of last week the anniversary of tn,
Chinese eviction. Speeches were mad,
by Ex-Governor Semple, John Arthur
Thomas Carroll, Jas. Wickersham
Jacob Ralph and President Fehse, o
the Cigar Makers Union. The mas.
meeting at Germania hall was largel,