The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-11-16
Henry wizards Career.

hShEy hbiuEu y NAEeSr'
Henry Willard was born Heinrich Hill
gard in SpeyCl, Rhenish Bavaria, or
April II, 1885. HIS Great-unce Theodor
Gather Of julius Hngard, who became
superintendent Of the United States coast
survey led a migration of the family con-
nection to Beleville, ILL.,, in 1885. His IA
ther. Gustav, was in the judicial service
of the Bavarian government, and ended
judge of the supreme court at Munich.
Young Hilgard was educated at schools
in Zweibrucken, P,.alsbourg and Speyer,
but in Octcner 1853, broke off his uni
versity studies and set out for the United
relatives at Belleville. His fathers oppo
sition to this step made him borrow the
surname of a French schoolmate at Phals-
burg, and he became Henry Willard.
Arriving at Belleville, he became news
paper reporter, and continued in the pro-
fession until 1868. During these years he
served as a legislative correspondent in
Indiana ard Illinois, political reporter,
reporting the Lincoln-Douglas debates;
the Chicago convention, which nominated
Lincoln; the Lincoln campaign, and, later,
as a war correspondent The papers he
served in this period were the Cincinnati
Commercial, the New York Herald, the
Chicago Tribune, and the New York TRIO
une, and part of the time he was at the
| head of news bureaus at Washington
Early in 1881 MIR. Willard acquired the New
York Evening Post and the Nation
In January, 1866, in Boston, he married
| Fannie, the only daughter of VIM. Lloyd
Garrison. In 1868 he was chosen secretary
of the newly-founded American Social
| Science association, having it's headquar-
ters in that city, and did not finally relin-
quish the post until 1871.
1t was in the latter year that, while
on visit TIC Europe, Mr.. Willard began
| his railroad career. He formed a connec-
ton with Frankfort and Berlin bankers,
| and, in 1873, returned to the United States
| buying for the German bondholders the
| property of the Oregon & California Rail-
DRAGON
| being made president in 1875. He acted as
one of the receivers of the Kansas Pacific
Railroad Co, and, later bought up the
bonds Of the road He became interested
in the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. and
tho oregon Railway and Navigation Co..
| of which he became president. and then
formed the, Oregon & Transcentinetal,
with which he merged the two other COM
| panies to a sO-called blind pool with the
| Northern Pacific, being chosen president
Of the latter company.
A few years later the companies in
| which he was interested became so in
VOWED that there was a collapse, in which
Mr.. Willard suffered very heavily Re-
! turning to Germany he formed new finan-
cial relations which enable him to re-
pair his fortune and. coming back to this
country, he started in once moro as a cap
italist. In 1890 he purchased, from Thomas
| Edison. his electrical manufacturing in
terests. and with the Edison Lamp Co,
of Newark, n. j., and the Edison works,
at Schenectady, N. Y, as a basis, organ.
tied the Edison General Electric Co. OF
which he became president serving IN
that capacity for about two years. In
October, 1883, he became chairman of the
Northern Pacific board of directors, bur
the panic of 1S again occasoned the loss
of most of his fortune, and led to his
| withdrawal from railroad management.
Mr.. Willard, when he died, was sur
rounded by the members of his fami-
| ly, including Mrs. Willard and his two
sons, Oswald and Harold Willard. He
had been unconscious for two days
His death, it is said. was caused by
cancer of the throat. The funeral
will take place Wednesday.