The times., 1899-08-25
JUDGE HENRY HILTON DEAD.
Sketch of His Legal. Political. and
Business Career.


Business Career
Saratoga, N. Y, Aug 24.-Former Judge
Henry Hilton died late this evening at his
mansion in Woodlawn Park He arrived
there on May &c. and had been confined
to his room ever since. Heart trouble was
the chief cause of death Col and Mrs
A. b. Hilton. Mrs. Horace Russell, the
judges daughter, and his physician, Dr.
John C. Miner of New York, were at the
bedside when the end came.
Henry Hilton was born in Newburg,
n. Y, in October, 1924, of Scotch Irish
parentage He studied law and soon be-
came the head of the well-known law firm
of Campbell & Cleveland. In the early
flftfes Hilton married Miss Helen Banker,
who was a relative of Mrs. A. T. Stewart,
and in this way Henry Hilton first met
| A. T. Stewart. In 1857, when he was thir-
! ty-three years old, Hilton was elected
eighth judge of the Court of Common
Pleas. This Office he held until 1863. When
the Civil War began young Hilton declared
himself to be a war Democrat and adyo-
Gated the election of General Grant in
1868. After the war he became a regular
Democrat, and he remained such all his
life. He was not, however, Bryan Demo-
crat. In John Kelly's time he was a men,
Der of Tammany Hall.
During all these years the friendship be-
tween A. T. Stewart and Henry Hilton
grew stronger. Stewart regarded Hilton
almost like son of his own While q
member Of the firm of Hilton, Campbell &
Bell Mr. Hilton attended to Stewards legal
business, and one day Stewart made a
proposition to Hilton that he give up his
general practice and become the general
counsel to A. T. Stewart & Co. and private
counsel to Stewart. at a salary OF $4,000
year. The offer was accepted.
When Stewards will was read it was
found that Henry Hilton had been made
legatee to the extent of 81 600. .000 as well
as executor of the will. Moreover, the tes-
tator recommended to his wife in his Will
that she leave the entire management OF
the estate to his friend and legal adviser.
This she did. The S1,000,000 was never
paid to Mr.. Hilton, but he received in lieu
of it the entire business left by Stewart.
This arrangement was made at the request
of Mrs. Stewart. Some time after her hus-
bands death she told Mr.. Hilton that Mr..
Stewart had told her many times that as
she would be amply provided for he wanted
Hilton to have his business, and she insist
ed upon carrying out her husbands wishes.
Hilton said If that was the case he could
not accept the 81, 900 000 to which he was
all claim to it. Mrs. Stewart then turned
over to him the business and building at
Broadway and Tenth Street and all the
mills which Stewart owned in New Jersey,
in Holyoke, Mass. in Little Falls, n. Y,
and in Utica.
Later Mrs. Stewart wanted ready money
to complete the Cathedral and other work
at Garden City and the improvements 10
the Grand Union Hotel at Saratoga. Hilton
supplied the money by buying from her the
Stewart Building at Broadway and Cham
bers Street, the Colonnade Hotel and the
Globe Theatre now known as the New
Broadway Athletic Club, and some securi-
ties including some Chemical Bank stock.
For the Stewart Building he paid s., ,500,0 900
and for the Colonnade and the theatre
property between $500, 600 and 100000. Ii
was out OF the transfer of the business in
terests and purchases made by Hilton from
Mrs. Stewart that all the litigation con-
nected with the Stewart will grew. The
other Stewart heirs disputed the legal right
of Mrs. Stewart to make the transfer and
disputed the validity of the will and the
validity Of the deed of trust made TO Mr..
Hilton under that will.
During all the litigation Henry Hilton
was in absolute control of nearly all the
vast estate. The litigation was fna ~
ended by settlement between the parties
out of court on January H. 1890. The set
tlement left Mr.. Hilton with pra- ii ally
just what he had when the litigation be-
gan, except the control of the estate. He
did not receive dollar by Mrs. Stewards
WILL and the settlement did not give him
anything. On the other hand. the settle
ment did not take away from him any
thing Mrs. Stewart had given to him or
anything he acquired from her by pur-
chase. He gave up the power conferred
upon him by the deed of trust, and the
Stewart heirs assumed the management of
the property acquired by the settlement.
"rhis included the Metropolitan nlJ Park
Avenue Hotels here the Stewart mansion
at Thirty fourth Street and Fifth Ave-
nue., the Grand Union Hotel at Sarato a.
and the Garden City property. The Wind
cor Hotel at Saratoga was never owned by
the Stewart estate. 1t was built by Mr..
Hilton and was owned by him when he
died.
After the settlement ii was estimated
that Mr. Hilton was worth from 10000, 600
to SIS, ,000 900. After the failure OF Hilton,
Hughes & Co it was said that when Mr.
Hilton had cleared himself of all liabilities
which he had incurred for the firm and set
tied all his other obligations, he would
have left about S. 900, ,000. The failure end
ed Mr.. Hilton's experience in mercantile
business and when John Wanamaker pur-
chased the stock of the defunct firm he
bought of Henry Hilton the building and
the lease of the ground on which the build
ing stands.
A little less than twenty years ago Mr.
Hilton bought of the estate of Judge Henry
Walton Woodlawn, the country seat of the
Waltons in North Broadway. Saratoga, AMI
made ii into one of the finest estates in
the country. 1t was famous for its output
of horses. Henry Hilton was a great lover
of art and left collection of about 200
pictures. said to be one Of the finest pri-
yate collections in this country. He is
survived by his brother, Judge James Hill
ton living at Hilton. Ia. and by two sis
ters Mrs. Albert n. Brown and Miss Eliza
Hilton; By two daughters Mrs. John Nj.
Hughes and Mrs. Russell, the wife of for
mer Judge Horace Russell, and by three
sons. Edward b. Hilton who lives in Paris;
Henry G. Hilton, who lives in Bronx bor-
ough, and Albert B. Hilton. All OF the
sons are married.
II fs.to To.