The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-03
NOT A NICE STORY
a Bit Of the History Of George Rich
ard Houghton of the Board
nf T,>ada ~,.
A Divorce That Will Set Milwaukee
and Oconomowoc
a-Talking.
Nes, Yors Sun Special Ses-utoe

Chicago, Sept 3-While George Richard
Houghton, member of the Chicago club,
the Union League club, and dozen other
organizations and once spectacular trad
er on the board of trade, was preparing
his petition In Atlanta, Ga, for divorce,
SO that he might marry the daughter
of one Of the officials Of the Georgia Cen
trail railway, Mrs Houghton stepped up
on the scene to-day and secured a divorce
herself. 1t was granted by Judge KAY
anaugh and with 1t went an order for
alimony amounting to $21, 500.
What Mr.. Houghton will say may be
imagined better than expressed. But what
Oconomowoc and Milwaukee will say will
not be less interesting. 1t was In the
latter town that Grace Kirby and George
Houghton were married. and it was at
the Wisconsin resort that they enter
tanned their friends for several summers.
In their summer cottage on the lake
the Houghtons entertained the men who
are now leaders Of the big board Of trade
movements. There were dances and sup
pers and drives through the woods, to say
nothing of the attending parties and,
as Mrs Houghton said, when the season
was over a man had to be hired to clear
the wine bottles from the grounds.
Mrs. Houghton is the daughter Of Col
onel Kirby, whose hotel has stood In MIL
waukee for over forty years. Her husband
was the son Of George Houghton, bank
president and real estate dealer who died
five months ago, leaving a fortune esti-
| mated at $500. OO0
Colonel Kirby was wealthy, too, but he
lost the greater part Of his fortune. Still,
he left no inconsiderable sum, and when
he died. his bequest Of the bulk Of 1t
to his son, Oak Kirby, had attached to
| it the proviso, according to Mrs. Hough-
| ton, that the young man leave his wife.
The requests to the others amounted to
practically nothing.
In the divorce ends a romance which,
| to every one who knew the characters,
promised as happy an ending as any told
| In prose or poetry. Miss Kirby was the
| prettiest girl in Milwaukee; Houghton was
| the son Of the richest man there. She
| was pretty he was clever, and both had
money. From this Milwaukee deduced
only one thing-that they must be an ideal
| couple.
| Success on the Milwaukee board Of trade
turned Houghton's head. He came to Chi
cago and turned his attention to the giants
and battled with them. For time he
won. His first coup came in 1885, when he
made, according to reliable authority
$4,000 in one day. In March, two
years later. it is said that he made twice
that sum, but while it Is not denied that
he quit winner by a margin that could be
counted only by thousands, the exact
amount of his profits never was known ex-
cept to himself.
Yet whether Houghton himself knew his
profits is a question. He was spending
money right and left and if there had been
more points to the compass than there
are, doubtless he would have scattered
some of his coin in one Of those direc-
tons He purchased home at Ocono-
mowoc, then a new resort for Chicagoans
and invited all his friends and many 9TH
ers up there.
1t wasn't long after the Houghtons be
gan to entertain in this manner before II
became a center of interest for the Chi.
cagO newspapers. Tales nearly as strange
as a station agent tell began to ap.
pear, and about the same time that this
undesirable notoriety came, Houghton GO
on the wrong side of the market on the
board Of trade. It took long time tt
down him, because his father with hi
millions was back Of him, but finally tn,
crash came, and, unable to met his obliga
lions he was forced to suspend business.
In the meantime. four sons had come t.
the Houghtons One of them now is pay
ing teller Of the Milwa ukee National bank
Another Is connected with wire compan.
there. One is in the university Of Wis
cOnsin at Madison and another graduate
at the head Of his class last June.
1t was In 1890 that the Houghtons sep
arated This was shortly after his fail
ure and since then husband and wife hav
went to Atlanta, Ca, and there, it seems
he met Miss Rachel Montgomery, daughte
Of one Of the officials Of the Georgia Cen
trail railway.
Five days ago Mrs. Houghton found tina
her husband was about to apply for
decree of divorce. She hurried to he
lawyers, Foley & Wellman, and they dre'
up her bill, which was presented to Judg
Kavanaugh on Saturday. The charge wa
desertion, and alimony to the amount
S21 800 WAS granted.