Evening star., 1897-01-29
LYMAN j. GAGE CHOSEN.
VIII he the Next Secretary of III
Treasury.

VIII he the Next Secretary of the
Treasury.
Lyman ]. Gage, president of the First Ma
tional Bank of Chicago, emerged from the
dining room of the Mckinley home at Can
ton, Ohio, at 7:30 o'clock last evening, to
fill an appointment with the newspaper cor
respondents to tell them the result of his
conference with Major Mckinley. He said
to the newspaper representatives:
Mr. Mckinley offered me the treasury
portfolio. 1 told him 1 would accept the
high honor, and fill the position to the best
of my ability
He declined to discuss any feature of the
policy of the incoming administration. or to
discuss any matter other than that relating
to himself. He said there was no ground for
the publication that he was a gold demo-
crat during the campaign. and that his
only affiliation with the democratic party
was in 1884 when he voted for Cleveland.
He also said that he and Major Mckinley
substantially agree on the tariff question.
1t was happy, social, after-dinner con-
ference that the President-elect. Mr.. Gage,
Governor Cornell and Col. McCook held in
the Mckinley sitting room last night. 1t
was evident that the public announcement
of the settlement of the treasury portfolio
was regarded as the conclusion of a good
days work. Col. McCOok spoke most high
ly of the estimate of Mr.. Gage in the east
and of his recognized ability in business
One of the considerations Of congratulation
is Mr.. Cages genial nature and frankness
Of speech.
Mr.. Gage was met at the depot by the
reporters, to whom he politely declined to
talk Afterward, at the Mckinley home he
said at dusk that there was nothing to an
nounce, but he would tax to the Asso-
ciated Press at o'clock He made the first
announcement in the few words above in
the presence of Mr.. Mckinley in the sit
ting room. He then stepped across the hall.
where a score of special correspondents
awaited him. and repeated his terse state
ment and was a second time warmly con-
graduated on the announcement. MIR. Gage
left for Chicago on the 9:2l o'clock train.
Lyman j. Gage was born in Madison
county, N. Y. June 2s, 1886. When he was
ten years of age his parents moved to
Rome, n. Y, where he entered the Rome
Academy, and remained there four years
the term he spent in that school ractically
constituting lis entire school education.
In 1854 he entered the Oneida Central
Bank of Rome. He went to Chicago in the
fall of 1866. and was offered the position Of
bookkeeper of the Merchants Saving. Loan
and Trust Company. "a
In 1868 he lef the company to accept a
similar position with the First National
Bank. In 1882 he was chosen vice president
and general manager. About this time he
was elected to the presidency of the Ameri-
can Bankers Association. January "a, 1891,
he was elected president Of the First Ma
tional Bank
He was prominent in the worlds fair, and
was one of the four men-J. ]. P. O'Dell.
Writ Dexter and J. w. Doane being the
others-who practically guaranteed that
Chicago would carry quit its pledge of
raising s10,OO0000 for the building of the
fair He was for time president of the
local board of directors. y - -.
Mr. Gage has been twice married, HIS first
wife being Miss safah Ethridge Of Little
Falls, N. Y, whom he married ia 1884. She
died in 1871, and in 1887 he married Cor
nelia Gage of Denver, Col.
He Is a member of the Commercial and
Union League Clubs of Chicago, and per-
sonally is popular. He is pleasant and af-
fable and Is easy of approach at all times