Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-09-10

Highest Salaried Man Once Waiter


Just about the time Wall street dis
covered that the salary of Charles H :.
Schwab as president of the billion
dollar steel trust was not a million
dollars, as had been currently re-
ported, but beggarly 100000, the
statement was made that a man in
New York receives a salary of $780,
600 for running corporation cap
italized at 1000. He is George C.
Boldt, and he is commonly spoken of
as the proprietor of the Waldorf-As-
toria hotel.
1t should not be supposed that Mr..
Boldt receives a stated salary for con-
Quoting the big hotel There are
profit-sharing arrangements based up
on the half-million year for Mr. Boldt
if he succeeds in adding a certain
amount to the income of the Astors.
1t is maintained by those aware of
Mr.. Boldt's income and who are fond
of superlatives that he is the highest
salaried man in the world.
Certain it is that he gets about five
times as much for running a hotel as
Senator Depew gets for running the
Vanderbilt railroads He receives
more than six times as much as the
new president of the United States
Steel corporation.
Ever so many deductions may be
made from this fact, one of which is
that it takes rarer genius to run a
big caravansary proftably than to run
trust, and that Mr.. Boldt is the great
est living hotel man.
AS a matter of fact, Mr.. Boldt pos
sesses great industry, remarkable
organizing skill, daring, and imagina-
ton. He happened to drift into the
hotel business in his youth. He would
have succeeded in making a few mil
lions no matter in what business he
had entered. But he has proved that
he is peculiarly fitted to conduct a
hotel. The Waldorf-Astoria is one of
the most perfect machines in existence.
The upgrowing of Mr.. Boldt is truly
amazing-more so, even, than that of
Mr.. Schwab-and it should be remem-
bered that Mr.. Boldt still holds his job
and is likely to do so as long as he
his.
For some reason it seems a longer
step from a waiter to the head of a
hotel and salary of half million a
year than it does from a mechanic to
president of the company. And it is
worth knowing that as a waiter in a
restaurant not two blocks from where
the Waldorf-Astoria stands Mr.. Boldt
was just as suave, just as dignifed,
just as attentive to his customers and
just as Industrious as he is now-and
that is saying much.
When he came to this country from
the island of Rugen, favorite water
ing place for people from Berlin and
the interior of Prussia-it is on the
way from Stettin to Copenhagen
George C. Boldt was sufficiently poor,
although he had money enough to
lIdfSl W leAdS anu UCSIu lllS III
America as poultry farmer. 1t was
not successful venture. When dis
ease didn't destroy his fowls, the
floods came and drowned the chickens,
while the ducks sailed away. Mr..
Boldt returned to New York. That
was about 1871, and he had not a
penny in the world.
He secured a place in Parker's res
taurant that used to be at Thirty
fourth street and Broadway. A res
taurant offers many attractions to a
penniless man. In the first place, he
does not have to wait until the end of
the week before he can buy food. Mr..
Boldt became an omnibus" walters
assistant, and then swiftly became a
full-fedged waiter. Proprietor Parker,
good hotel man and good judge of men,
singled out the former Texas chicken
farmer from Germany to make him a
check man." and Mr.. Boldt held that
place for nearly two years. He was
a most remarkable CHECK man." and