Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-11-12
WILLARD IS NO MORE.
Passing of Henry Willard, One of the
Conspicuous Figures Of the
Early West. 49,.
Remarkable Career of the Former Rail
Road Builder and Financier,
Who Died Today.
Apoplexy Ends the Life of Man Whose
Career Was That of Napoleon
of Railroads. VII

New York, Nov. 12.-Henry Willard,
railroad magnate, financier and gen.
ius, died at New York this morning of
apoplexy, the stroke coming upon him
at midnight. Willard died a wealthy
man, Notwithstanding his many losses,
his genius for finance enabling him
to recoup. ,.-'- ~ e. ~ sls..,
The name of Willard is one well
known through the northwest and
prominently identified with the North
ern Pacific road. His life was tinged
with financial romance. He was born
in Bavaria, his father sitting upon the
supreme bench of that kingdom. He
came to the United States, settled in
Illinois and though educated. in the
law, took up Journalism. Some of
his first work was the reporting of the
Lincoln-Douglass debates. Then he
went to Colorado to report gold dis
coveries there for the Cincinnati Com
mercial. Afterward he was a politi-
cal and war correspondent for the
New York Herald
In 1874 while in Germany he became
the representative of German bond
holders of American railroads, which
had defaulted in interest, and came to
America again to look after their in
terests. In these financial transac-
tions connected with the Kansas Pa
cific he met and encountered Jay
Gould. Subsequently he went around
the Horn to Oregon, to look after the
interests of some friends in railroad
building in that region. He mastered
the detail of navigation and transpor-
tation on the Pacific coast and after
ward became president of railway
and navigation companies on the Pa
cific coast where he made both repu-
tation and money.
His success brought capitalists TO
him and he encountered the Northern
Pacific road which was entering the
coast territory. The Northern Pacific
purposed to build into Portland and
crowd out Wizards company. He or
ganized the celebrated blind pool, one
OF the most remarkable transactions
in finance, in which his friends put
more than eight million dollars, with
out receipt, to be used as he directed.
Before the managers of Northern Pa
clfic stock knew what was being done
the majority of the stock was in the
hands of Willard and his friends. The
directory of the N. P, alarmed at this
prospect, determined to issue eighteen
millions of old stock to the original
purchasers to retain their supremacy.
Willard brought suit to restrain the is
suance of the additional stock, and as
a result, Billings resigned the presi-
dency and at the annual election Vii
lard became president of the Northern
Pacific.
With Willard as president was Thos.
f. Oakes as vice president. Oakes
was railroad building genius, a man
OF much energy, and was the first ex-
ecutive officer Of the road who made
complete overland trip of the line.
With the energy of these two men and
the resources of the Oregon and coast
companies they were enabled to make
the Northern Pacific project reality
Branches were built, towns sprung up
among them Brainerd, Fargo, Bis
marck and the large number of thriy-
ing towns along the road in half
dozen states-and the immense project
of half a dozen dreams-the compile
tlon of the Northern Pacific was car
ried out under Wizards genius and en-
ergy. He was in Bismarck when the
golden spike was driven, and nine spe-
cial trains in the city brought here at
one time the most distinguished gath
erlng OF statesmen, business men, fn-
anciers and diplomats perhaps ever
assembled at one place and one time. !;
is NOT I'LL.