The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-13
R. ?. FLOWER IS DEAD
Ex-Governor Of New York
Expires Suddenly at
Eastport, |. |.
STRICKEN EARLY In THE DAY
HEART FAILURE FOLLOWS ACUTE
ATTACK OF INDIGESTION.

Last Night-His Remarkable Career
From the Farm to Wall Street A Gren,
Promoter-Profits in the Last Ell ghtcer
Months Probably Exceed S1O,OOO,O00
New York May 12.-Former Cover
nor Roswell P. Flower died tonight a
10:SO at the Eastport Country club, a
Eastport, l.. !. Mr.. Flower was taker
Ill early in the day with severe attack
of acute indigestion. In the afternoon
symptoms of heart failure superVened
and he grew steadily worse until the
time of his death. The attack of heart
failure was accompanied by faintlne
spell, and Mr.. Flowers family in New
York city were quickly notified. Mrs
Flower and the former governor S
nephew, Frederick S. Flower, accom-
panied by DR.. Thomas H. Allen, MI
Flowers physician, left at once on a
special train for Eastport. When they
arrived Mr.. Flower had somewhat re-
covered. but tonight the attack of
heart failure was marked and Mr.. Flow
er became unconscious an hour or more
before his death.
AT the club house all the reports early
In the evening regarding Mr.. Flowers
serious illness were emphatically de-
MED. although at that time it was not
believed that he would recover Mr..
Flower has been a sufferer from gas
tritis for a long time, with every now
and then an acute attack. For month
or two past he had been a regular Wis
1tor at the Eastport Country club in
the hope that he would find some relief
in the outing. He appeared in robust
health yesterday, and this morning when
he arrived at Eastport, where he in
tended to remain until Monday, his
health was apparently excellent. The
attack from which he suffered to-day
came on suddenly and was of a more
severe type at the outset than any he
had previously suffered from. Freder-
ick S. Flower took charge of the details
after his uncle's death, but no arrange
ment for the funeral has been made. The
body will probably be transferred to
Manhattan tomorrow.
Roswell Pettibone Flower was born in
Theresa, Jefferson county, N. Y, August
Z, 1000. Ills ldlIISl Wdo WI II III 1iCEiC
county, NJ Y, and his ancestors came
from Connecticut. Roswell was the
sixth of nine children, and when his
father died he was eight years old. He
worked with his brother on two farms
his mother owned, and spent his time
between school sessions in the hardest
kind of labor. He became deputy post
master at Watertown, N. Y, in 1853, and
kept his place six years at a salary of
$50 month. Then he became a part
ner in the jewery firm of Hitchcock
& Flower bought out his partner at the
end of two years and continued in the
business until 1869.
Mr.. Flower came to New York in that
year to take charge of the estate of
Henry Keep, whose widow was Mrs.
Flowers sister. Mr.. Keep owned a
great many railroad and other stocks,
and during the months before his death
he spent much time in ihstructing Mr..
Flower about them. Having thus gain
ed an insight into Wall street and its
methods, Mr.. Flower formed in 1870 the
firm of Benedict Flower & Co., in which
he Joined e. G. Benedict and H. H. Tru-
man. This firm was dissolved in 1872
when Mr.. Flower was i'll for several
months Not long afterWard he organ
lied the banking firm of Flower & Co.,
which has since been power in Wall
street Mr. Flower always was a DEM
ocrat. In the early seventies he helped
Samuel j. Tilden to develop the famous
organization which exposed Tweed and
enjoyed many other triumphs
Mr. Flower was chosen chairman of
fin ct q pOr1p1ittpp in 1SI7. |
and in 1881 he defeated William Wal
dorf Astor for congress after hot cam
paign in the Eleventh district. His ma
1ority was 3,10O, while Levi p. Morton,
republican, had carried the district at |
the last previous election by more than
+. 900 votes. Mr. Flower received re-
nomination He was elected governor
of the state in 1891.
During the cholera epidemic in the
summer of 1892 thousands of passengers
arriving from Europe were quarantined
on ship board down the bay. AS an
emergency measure Governor Flower
bought, with his own money, the Fire
Island hotel, in the name of the state,
and ordered that tie passengers he sent
there. Mr.. Flower took up Brooklyn
Rapid Transit less than two years ago,
buying from 10000 to 10000 shares at
about 25 when the capital stock was
only 5000, 900. He absorbed many
subordinate properties, among them the
Nashua Electric company, ana lnereas-
ed the capital stock to $45,000,O00, and
by his extraordinarily successful man
ipulation put the price up to 1877. His
in Brooklyn Rapid Transit
alone cost two years ago little more
than $500,O00 and are now worth, at to-
days market price, more than $4,000
D00 Mr. Flower was one of the found
ers of the Federal Steel trust, whose
stock already issued is 500, 800. Good
authorities estimate that Mr.. Flowers
profits in the last eighteen months in
Wall street have exceeded $10,0O0,O0O.
He had become in that time the ac-
speculative leader in the Z
financial markets of the United States
Mr. Flower married Sarah M. Wood
ruff, a daughter of Morris M. Woodruff
Of Watertown, on December rs 1859
Three children were born, Of whom only