The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-03-17
Mr.. ECKERT'S RETIREMENT
Directors in Tears When Aged Presi-
dent Was Released.
WILL NOT LEAVE THE WESTERN UNION
But VIII Sc Retained as Chairman Of
the Board Of Directors at a Twenty
five Thousand Dollar Salary.

The New York llcrald has thu following
concerning The re ircment OF T. +. Eckcrj
as president Of the Western Union. who
Was succeeded asr Thursday by Colonel
Clowry:
with ewes dlmmcd nv tears they could
rot restrain. the directors Of tho Western
Lion telegraph company voted Yesterday
To Tree General ThomuS r. Eckcr flon, he
cares OF the presidency of the big corpora
They created u new Office for him. and
gave MIN power close to that he has WELD.
ca rs president. The onerous duties of The
administrative and executive leadership Of
lne corporation they placed OH the sh0uli.
cls OF y man who like General Eckert has
grown up in the service OF the comnnn,-
ana one who has been It's vie. ROY IL, ~,
NeS' Colonel Robert G. CluwIy OF Chicago.
boy " -" ~
W lille from the mcGgre official bullt tin
mat General Eckcrt had been made, caa,r.
mdh Of the board Of directors aud Colonel
"WiN had been chosen president IL m.gti.
haLt been concluded that General Ecker,
Hau Decn lowered In rank. such was not the
ease. II Is said by men high IN the com
pnny that his salary which has been more
cdly. "''''' '''
-, nat, said an official of the company.
tue act OF the Yves prn Union company.
but il is also the expression Of the graii,
tudc of the children of lay t;uuld md
perhaps. of the late JAY Gould himself TO
man VINO was Tor many years his loyal
sSlSIant aud COntdAat"
Directors of the Western Union fn nm nm.
usual numhtr. attended the uuurtcriy me t.
ing Yesterday In the building AT Broadway
anu peN street. General Eckert seventy.
9WNPn Years GA, but stlll vigorous, presided.
one of the directors made The motion that
az expected, 10 the effect thnt Genera
hckcrt he made chairman Of the board If
directors. ana that the office he created for
n hn d., linen.
ecu'iVe committee. a position that tho prrS-
ldent has heretofore held and that Robert
:. lowry senior vice president. be elected
~ resident.
Several directors then spoke in strain
rare at such meetings. They said that Gen.
eial ltcker had devoted tho ripcr wears OF
PTS lif" +" the service of the company: that
ne had spent all of his manhood p,acticnlIy
IN advancing the telegraph beginning liz
th"s" early days when the hrsi lines vern
r'rnng their way across the Alltghanirs.
and mat he had cndearcd himself TO all his
aSsocin es.
Russell Sage said that General Eckert' :
aUhtul service deserved Of the company
maj II I'M some of the burden from his
shoulders, and that tho directors were clad
70 rcueN" him of some Of the work George
hould made an affecting short speech in
Nplrh nc referred to General Ecker s IN
casing devotion to duty. declared thai the
president had won rest from tho dctnll
work which he had Insisted on looking pftcr
and spoke Of the debt which tho company
owed 10 rs administrative head
General Eckort. as presiding officer.
should have pul the motion clcctirg his
successor. but. with ewes dihnsod With
tears he turned from the task unable n
2" through with j.. s. H. Brewer. the soc
retalV. nut the mo ion
General EckeriS associates fclt that. he
tween his az" and The recent loss Of his
VIE which h" fclt k"ony. Tho time had
como when he needed relief from the hard
or duties Of his position
Mr.. E"kcrI. who lives at No 40 Fif II
aN"nuc. refused 10 speak Of the change last
night. As Young man hc became post
master In u lit'c town in his ma i've Il Itp
of ohio. In that position he was inlucn
I'M Ia opening the first telegraph lines into
mat state. alter he strung The wires %.
he serond railroad In the United states t.
he operated by telegraph, The Pittshurg
Fort Wayne and Chicago. He became asso
cihied there with Thomas Scott and through
ms influence became superintendent Of nal
itarv lrlcgrdph frr the Union nrmv in INC
ciril war. Near the clos Of the war he he
cam" ass slant secretary Of war and q bro
vet hrigadicr general. He then became su
pHriri"ndenl Of the Western Union hut left
that company in 1919 to go with Jay Could
In the Atlantic and Pacific company From
mai daN h" mas hocn associated with the
Goulds.