The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-22

and an old friend of his father. 1t was
agreed that if the baby was boy, he
should study law under Mr.. futile.
He was admitted to the bar in 1859,
and in the same year married the
daughter of his employer, Jennie Tut
tie. His political career was entered
upon almost Immediately. When ne
had been but three years at the bar, IN
1871, he became city counsel of Pater-
son, and the year following he was
made counsel to the board of chosen
freeholders of Passaic county In the
fall of 1872 he was elected to repre-
sent the third district of Passaic county
in the state assembly. From that time
forward he was recognized as the re-
publican leader in Passaic county, and
he soon ranked with the foremost poll
ticians of the state. He made his
mark at once in the assembly, ana
when reelected in 1873 he was chosen
speaker.
His district sent him to the State
Senate in 1876 by the phenomenal ma
jority of 1899, which was more than
twice as great as that which it gave to
Mr. Hayes for president. In the Senate,
as in the assembly, Mr.. Hobart ranked
with the leaders from the first. He was
elected president in 1881. From 1880 to
1891 he was chairman of the republican
state committee, and planned several
of the most brilliant campaigns in the
history OF the republican party in New
Jersey. In 1884 he became member OF
the republican national committee
In the same year he was nominated
for United States senator. The legisla-
ture was democratic and he was defeat
ed by John R. Mcpherson. Five times
he declined a nomination to congress.
In 1892 and in 1895 he could have had
the nomination for governor Of New
Jersey, but he declined the honor and
did everything he could for his friend
and neighbor, John w. Griggs, the pres
ent attorney general. In 1876 Mr.. Hobart
was a delegate-at-large from his state
to the republican national convention.
In 1880 he was again a delegate-at-large
to the national convention, from the be-
ginning of his career being an ardent
supporter of James G. Blaine In 1884,
as a delegate-at-large he had the sat
isfaction of seeing his friend nominated
for the presidency. That was the year
he became a member Of the national
committee, that he might give his time
and money to the election of Blaine. He
was delegate at all later national con-
Ventions.
Mr.. Hobart's management Of the cam
paign Of Gov. Griggs in 1895 won him
so much praise in New Jersey that local
the hands Of the party in the nation at
once began. 1t had already found an
echo in the meeting of the national COM
mittee in Washington in January, 1895,
when in April of that year the New
jersey republicans in state convention
unanimously declared for Mr.. Hobart
for a place on the national ticket.
Throughout the months preceding the
national convention at St. Louis, Mr..
+ IT.. hi fIan
and whatever work was done to secure
his nomination was done by his friends.
He was early identified with the McKin-
ley forces in the canvass, and at St.
Louis, June 49, 1885, was nominated
easily on the Mckinley wave. Out of
S97 votes he had 1851, his nearest COM
petitor being H. Clay Evans of Tennes-
see, with 277h. Even at this time his
close relations with Mckinley We're
commented upon freely. AS vice presi-
dent, he broke the tradition that that
office shall be merely a figurehead and
no active force in the administration by
continuing one of the presidents most
confidential advisers. OF that relation,
and of Mr. Hobart as vice president and
presiding officer of the Senate, our
Washington dispatch in another column
treats at length. He was certainly
striking figure in our latter-day politi-
cal figure.
From his very start in the legal pro-
fession Mr.. Hobart, who was very
poor man, made money, receiving q
salary of $1,000 the first year as stu
dent After being admitted to the bar
he hunted for any kind of work in his
line that would pay. He sat up late at
night, copying law papers for some of
the best known lawyers of the city, and
spent other hours clerking for bank.
Gradually his practice began to grow
until at one time he had a large income.
He devoted himself almost exclusively
to the commercial branch of the profess
sion, rarely appearing before jury if
it could be avoided. BY degrees he be
came interested in business affairs, TAX
ing stock in the many new manufactur-
ing establishments projected in his city.
1t is said that he never was in a fail
ing concern. OF late years he had given
up entirely the practice of law and de-
voted his attention to his business af-
fairs. The thing that gave him his start
and led to the amassing of his fortune
was his appointment, about twenty-five
years ago, as receiver for the old New
Jersey Midland railroad.
He get an insight into the way rail
roads were managed and an acquain-
tance with men who had capital, and
this gave him opportunities which he
improved. In business affairs he was of
almost unfailing good judgment, and
had executive ability of very high or
der. His interests were diverse and he
was rated as worth several millions.
Among the corporations in which he
was an active figure were the Passaic
Water Company, the Acquackanonk
Water Company, the Morris County
railroad and the Paterson Electric rail-
way companies the New York, Sus-
quehanna & Western railroad, the Lee
high and Hudson River railroad the
First National bank of Paterson, the
Paterson Savings institution, the Bar
bour Brothers Company, the Pioneer
Silk Company the Peoples Gaslight
Company the Paterson Electric Light
Company, the East Jersey Water Com
pany, the West Milford Water Storage
Company the Montclair Water Com
pany, and other allied interests, the
Long Branch Water Company, the
Highland Water Company and at least
a score Of other corporations.
Mr. Hobart was of striking personali-
ty He was five feet eight and one-half
inches tall, weighing 210 pounds had a
frank, genial face, clearly shaved, save
for a heavy, iron-gray moustache, care
fully trained to rolling curves over lips
that spoke of firlnness and decision. His
hair, once brownish black, was quite
gray, and it had long since deserted the
top Of his big broad head. It was al
lowed to grow long on the left side,
so that it could be combed over the
bald area, quite Disgusting it from cas-
ual observation. His greatest charm
was his sociability and "approachable-