New-York tribune., 1903-01-12
SAMUEL THOMAS DEAD.
Generals Family at HIS Bedside at
The End.

last two years his health had gradually failed
His family were at his bedside when he died
He leaves besides his widow. two sons, Ed
ward r. Thomas and Harold F. Thomas, and a
daughter, Mrs r. Livingston Beekman.
The funeral will be held Wednesday morning
at his home. The burial will be in Tarrytown.
General Samuel Thomas. conspicuous alike as a
financier. manufacturer and soldier. was a native
of South Point. Ohio. the Ohio River, and was
born on April 81 1870. His parents of Scotch
Irish descent and came from Eastern Virginia
Captain James Thomas his father went to Ohio
in 1907 and settled in Lawrence County where ne
remained until his death, in 1872. He was a man
of marked ability. He engaged in the transporta-
ton business>on the Banawha and Ohio rivers, and
acquired what considerable fortune for the
times. He married a daughter Of Captain john
Callihan a soldier of 1872 who came to the ne"
country west of the Ohio soon after the war
The death of Captain James Thomas left to his
widow the responsibility of the education OF her
children. duty which she performed with
fidelity and devotion After period of school HE
Marietta, Samuel Thomas accepted position as
junior clerk with the Keystone Iron Company, in
jackson County, Ohio. In the four years of his
service with the company he had unusually good
opportunities for study and acquired a good educa-
ton and a knowledge of the practical sciences,
which were of benefit to him in later years. He
won the commentator and confidence OF his en-
ployers who promoted him to the highest position
he hesitated task and always ready to
do more Instead of less than required.
The exciting political discussions of the period
from Fremont's campaign, in 1856, to that of Lin
coin. in 1850 made politicians of the young men OF
the State the slavery question being the absorbing
topic. Samuel Thomas became ardent Republi-
can when that party was formed. and continued in
that political faith the rest of his life After urg-
ing the election OF Lincoln he rendered his services
10 the State government at the first indication of
Z faa Scifx- for frao and In
mustered into the service and elected first lieu
tenant of his company. which became part of the
9th Ohio Infantry, at Camp Chase. He followed
the fortunes Of that regiment and the Ohio Brigade
until the spring of 1s6S having in the mean time
become captain by promotion. He then left this
regiment, and engaged in the organization of col
ored troops under authority from the War Depart
menG. In the March the Sea he was with the
reserve forces, who, guarding the more
real fighting than the regiments in the advance in
that famous campaign. He organized the SD and
64th United States Colored Infantry, promoted
TO the lieutenant colonelcy OF the e3d and later TO
the rank of colonel OF the 9th. These troops did
duty in the Mississippi Valley in the protection of
the river points between Helena and Natchez. His
splendid services provost marshal and command
ing officer in charge of this work obtained for him
the commendation of General George II. Thomas
resulting in his promotion brevet brigader gen
eral When at the close Of the war the govern
ment established a United States commission for
the of freedmen and refugees in Southern
States, General Thomas became assistant conlmis
sioner for the State of Mississippi, and conducted
affairs successfully in the first year of the
struction period.
In May. 1865. he received the appointment of As
sistant Adjutant General to General O. o. Howard,
who then in charge of the Freedmens Bureau
in Washington. This position General Thomas held
until January. 1867 when he left the military
vice TO enter business life. He began In the en-
pioyment of General NJ. Churchill, VIII, ex-
tensively engaged In the iron industry at Zanes-
VILE Ohio in the position of assistant manager of
the works. His life from 1857 tc 1872 full of
work and study. In the latter year. the coal and
iron interests in the Hooking Valley having
sumed important proportions. he selected by
the late Governor William Dennison to go to Co
lumbus and take control of the construction and
operation Of rolling mills and blast furnaces at
that point. He became prominent in Colum-
bus and active in all Efforts to promote the
welfare of the city and State. Through the man
agement Of extensive iron interests he became
largely interested in mining, and the leading
spirit in combining and consolidating all the coal
and iron properties OF the Hooking Valley into
company The development of these works brought
him into contact with prominent railroad men, and
in 1873 he Joined syndicate Of Columbus capital
lists and engaged in railroad building in the South
and West 1t at this time that he met Calvin
S. Brice. and formed the friendship and business
relations which continued without interruption to
the death of Senator Brice, in December, 1888. |
From December, 1878 TO March, 1852, General
Thomas either vice. president or president OF
the Sunday Creek Valley Railroad and manager of
the New-York. Chicago and ST Louis Railroad
General Thomas vas one OF the originators and
of the Nickel Plate road, the Ohio |
Central, the roads from Columbus to Toledo, from
Columbus TO Gallipolis and Springfield to Pomeroy |
and the extensions Of the New-York, Lake Erie |
and Western. He also became heavily interested |
in railroad properties in the South and in 1882 ac-
cepted the presidency of the East Tennessee, Nir-
ginia and Georgia Railroad and the Memphis and
Charleston Railroad and those roads grow |
from Insignificant properties of the most ex-
tensive and important railroad systems in the !
country, reaching almost every point Of the South
and operating over 5000 miles Of line In this pc
riod also he became leading contractor in build |
ing the Crotch Aqueduct for Aew-York City. and in |
with the Canadian Pacific Railway, of |
which he was a director he built the Duluth !
South Shore and Atlantic Railroad. and became
its president. He was also an influential director .
n the Richmond and West Point Terminal system !
which its reorganization in 1898 became the /
Southern Railway Company
In 1881 business reasons induced General Thomas |
TO remove TO this city, which was thereafter his /
home. For several years he was largely inter I
ssteo in the Chase National Bank. but early |
IN 1899 he disposed of his holdings and retired from
the board of directors. being succeeded by Colonel
Oliver H Payne In December 1899. General |
Thomas and Edwin Gould effected the reorganiza- |
ton Of the Produce Exchange Trust Company |
each of then advancing s.25oooo to enable the |
the institution. of which General |
Thomas became first vice president, had its name
changed to the Bowling Green Trust Company |
In the spring of lsss General Thomas organized |
The United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry /
Company. becoming its president
The Seventh National Bank became embarrassed /
n the summer of 1901 General Thomas went to the |
aid of the institution and his son. z. r. Thomas,
was made its president One day later the bank |
went into receivers hands
fna aofh hSs 6eath Thomas
president and director OF the United States Cast
iron Pipe and Foundry Company. the Duluth South |