New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-03

end than running up law costs. His first year,
By By ls5s when he came to NewYork, he had saved
$1,000 married wife, sent two sisters and a
SansSfer y nensmS T Wey Nih whom Mile x:
boarded at South Heading.
In lS52 came turning point in his history. He
was retained by two inventors OF sewing machine
to defend their patent As they were poor. he took
an interest In the patent for his fee and. winning
organized to manufacture the machine Of which
he was made president. The business quickly grew
for Mr.. Potter to come to New-York and establish
factory here: Therefore, securing partner to
New-York in May. 1853. and had remained here
ever since The sewing machine business brought
him in handsome returns. which he constantly IN
vested in real estate in this city. In 1916 the COM
seded by mproyed s nyen;on but not Before its
hard working president had araassed handsome
Since retiring from active business Mr., Potter
had devoted most OF his time to personal super
Sing Sing In the summers he enjoyed directing
and lending hand in the care of his 100 blooded
well-tllled acres. His cows and his stables. were
HIS hobby. and even in winter he used TO find time
to see II by any possibility another extra might
be added to their comfort or convenience.
HIS FIRM FAITH IN NEw-YoRK.
From his first entrance into this city his faith
in it's destiny was mistaken At a time when enter
prise was nearly brought to a standstill and
capitalists feared to invest dollar in anything but
Government bonds; when business generally was
in the lowest state Of depression. following tho
panic Of ls72: when industry seemed parayzed and
there little employment for mechanic
laborer, he was bold enough to buy the large
property at Astor and Lafayette Places. When
scarcely another building was being put up in New
York he erected the big Potter Building In Park
there have been few years when his workmen have
not made some substantial addition to the o!tys
taxable property either by stores warehouses tene-
ment houses or office buildings. lasting monuments
to his filth in the city as the abiding centre OF
Originally Whig he voted for Lincoln, hoping
to save the country from cyil War, but in ls6,
attached himself to the Democratic party. and
there rested. During the ne suggested 10 the
Government our National banking. system After
machine company paving Is per cent exchange IN
st. Louis. This painfully impressed him with the
necessity OF some one solving the problem. Of
National currency and he set about it himself with
the result that before month he had laid before
President Lincoln. the Secretary of the Treasury
and chief Justice Chase plan for National cur,
on February %, lss3 in the National Banking act.
,oJ Up to the time Of his election to Congress In
cept that Of Justice of the Peace in his natse
tan ss onee % A the aS Of e Ne%
York however. for the Xth Cqngresslonal District
the Nth however. he proved successful in lss2 He
took leading ih part n securing & the qn IN
maintained before the Supreme Court the right Of
the city TO- keep the Forty-second5dst reserv9r
which the state wanted to remove and had singular
His first wife died in February, 1872 leaving him
pHc SUI, IL thc Ioih
bar. and two daughters-Mary who married Wal
ter Geor. of Chicago. in 1888. and Blanche. Mr..
Potter married for his second wife Miss Mary Kate
Linsley daughter OF Or Jared Insley, OF this city.
\ pretty accurate estimate of Mr.. Potters for
tune, which Is understood to be almost entirely in
vested In real estate, may be gathered from let
ter which he wrote TO the Mayor Of the city In
February 1883. stating that he paid taxes real
estate amounting to So 600. This would rep
psGn s5 an v d vsSaSn cose % s. sSSS s pes ana
tate Investments have largely increased in value
since then.
Mr. Potter was a well-known clubman. being
member OF the Reform Club Bar Associa don DEM
ocratic Commonwealth and Patria clubs. Williams
College Alumni American Geographical Society
New England Society. Sons of the Revolution and
Metropolitan Museum Of Art and American .Iu
scum of Natural History associations.