Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-12


 cold contracted a week ago.
 Henry Willard was born Heinrich lttlgard in Speyer. Rhenish Bavaria, on April II, 1855. His great uncle, Theo- dor (f'ather of Julius Hilgard, who be- came superintendent of the United states coast survey), led q migration or the family connection to Belleville Illinois, in 1855. Ills father, Gustav, was in the judicial service of the Ba- varian government, and ended judge of the supreme court at Munich. r. Young Hilgard was educated at schools in Zweibrucken. Phalsbourg and Speyer. but in October 1853, broke off his university studies. and set out for the United States intending to join the colony of his relatives at Belle vile. His fathers opposition to this step made him borrow the surname of a French schoolmate at Phalsbourg, and he became Henry Willard. Arriving at Belleville. he became q 1 newspaper reporter and continued in the profession until 1866. During these years lie served as q legislative core spondent in Indiana and Illinois: po- i litical reporter. reporting the Lincoln Douglas debates, the Chicago conven-
 
 coln campaign and later as war cor respondent and European correspon- dent The papers he served in this period were the Cincinnati Commer- cial. the New York Herald the Chi cago Tribune and the New York Fri bune and part of the time he was at the head of news bureaus at Washing ton. Early in 1881 MT Willard acquired he New York Evening Post and the Nation.
 In January. 1863. ill Boston, he mar ried Fanny, the only daughter of Will | liam Lloyd Garrison. In 1858 he was chosen secretary of the newly found | ed American Social Science asSOcia- tion having it's headquarters in that city. and did not finally relinquish the post till 1871.
 1 It was in the latter year that while on visit to Europe Mir Willard began his railroad career. He formed con ncction with Frankfort and Berlin bankers. and in 1873 returned to the United States buying for Tne German bondholders the property of the Ore. gon and California Railroad company and the Oregon Steamship company. being made president in 1875. He act | ed as one of the receivers of the Kan sas Pacific Railroad company. and lat CT bought up the bonds of the road. He became interested I'll ,ne~ Oregon Steam Navigation company, Of which he became president, and then formed the Oregon and Continental. with which he merged the two other companies to q SO-callcd blind pool with the Northern Pacific. being chos- en president of the latter company.
 r,i.,,- t,, which he was interested became so in yolved that there was a collapse ill | which Mr Willard suffered very heavi- ly Returning to Germany he form | ed new financial relations which en- | abled him to repair his fortune, and | coming back to this country he start | ed in once more as d capitalist. In l 1890 he purchased from Thomas Edi- son his electrical manufacturing fac | tory and with the Edison Lamp com | puny of Newark. N. J.. and the Edi- son works at Schenectady. \. I,. as a l basis. organized the Edison General | Electric company of which he became l president. serving ill that capacity for l about two years. In October 1889. he | became chairman of the Northern Pa | citic board of directors. but the panic of 1893 again occaSoned the loss of most of his fortune and led to his | withdrawal from railroad manage nent.
 Mr Willard lived in New York city. his summer home being at "SherWoOd' at Dobbs Ferry, On-the Hudson. MT Willard, when he died. was sur rounded by members of his family, including Mrs Willard and his two sons. Oswald and Harold Willard. and two physicians. He had been uncon- scious for two days and was in that condition to the last. His death. it is said. was caused by cancer of the throat The funeral will take place Wednesday.