New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-09
GENERAL 7. T. ECKERT.

Thomas Thompson Eckert was born In ST. LIARS
VILE Ohio, on April 30, 1928. He was appo"o"
Postmaster at Wooster. Ohio in lS4o ana having 'e
year before learned to manpulae the Keys the 'oo
uaph wires were brought into the p0stoh'ce unuei
h,s charge His services were called upon IN the
con.+r,ct,on Of the "Cnon Telegraph lines" from
rt,tsbure 10 Chicago by way Of the Fort Wayne ana
Chicago Railroad apd In 1852 he was made super'h'
tendent. This property became part or tho "es'e'"
Onion Telegraph Company system wheh haV oo'''
eapy was formed. and General Eckerts Jurisu'c'o"
was largely extended, and he became w'deiy H'o""
40 q man OF enterprise tact and energy III i0o'
he left the telegraph service to supeIintend te al
fairs Of gold mining company in Montgomery county,
NC On the breaking out Of the owl war IN io'i
re removed to Cincinnati, and in II few moh'hs ""S
called to Washington by Colonel lhomas a. ''o'',
Assistant Secretary OF War, and placed IN chn'ec ..
the military telegraph Office at the headquarters "a
General Mcclellan. In 1862 that officer took h'm 10
the Peninsula as Superintendent OF the Military ie'e
rrauh Department Of the Potomac. with the rank Oh
contain and A. O. NJ In September he received inc
raj Of major and was placed in charge OF the MIL
tary telegraph headquarters In the war Depai .
Buildings at Washington, and held close cohnue"""
relations with President Lincoln ana the Aunnni'u'
ton He was Of the men selected 10 meet Va.
commissioners of the Southern Confederacy al S''y
po,rt 4, Jannory 1865 In 1864 Major EcRcrt was
b,tv.tted lieutenant colonel and soon aierward onsa
der general lie was appointed Assistant secretary
Of War in that year. and held The place anu' angus"
,scs. when he resigned 70 accept the place OF gel"
cra supcrntendent OF the Eastern division OF Tue e
Of the western Union Telegraph Company. inns pos'
called for vigorous work In opening up the trv's
atlantic correspondence which followed tile success'u
LAYING OF the Atlantic cable.
The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company was
organized in 1865 and ten years later jay 1o"u "'u
b,s friends secured the control. The presidency was
offered to Genera. Eckcrt, who accepted H. anu d
onoe entered upon IA vigorous and aggressive "ari"re
oe,inst the Western Union. whose service lie mao 'e''
hot war Of rates resulted. and by raroah Alliances
tho system was widely extended. within TWO years
the Atlantic and Pacific sold TO the western
Union. but the two companies preserved ine"
autonomies , ,
Within three years after the sale OF the Atah''c anu
Pacific Jaw Gould launched the American Union lcie
graph Company as a new opposition lie t a!neu ~
General Eckert support but IL was NJ ul,n jon
nary / 1880. that the latter resigned the pressue.Sy
of tie Atlantic and Pacific ana became presuent W ~,
American lion Company. General f,cAert 'nIt" ~,
wnoe energies into the work OF buliiins up wy NV
riva n war OF rates followed with the western MN
and finally in January. 1881. william H. Naluc, VIZ ~.
and Jaw Gould ended their rivalry by an aTeencnt ~
consolidate The two companies Mr.. Ecu pree'|6s.u
Tho control of Western Union subsequently,. ana 1,i
oral Fclcrt became the dominating operating oinrer
of the company under the late president. LII. Nor'h