The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-10-11
POSTMASTER GENERAL DEAD
Henry C. Payne Succumbs to Heart
Disease in Washington.
SKETCH OF HIS LONG CAREER

MIR. Payne In His Illness displayed Res
rnarkable Powers of Resistance to
Extraordinarily at Bedside--President
Calls in the Last Hour-Cortelyou His
Probable Successor.
washington, D. C.-Henry G. Payne,
Postmaster General Of tine United
States, died at his apartments in the
annex of the Arlington Hotel at clio
O'clock p. M, after weeks illness.
The cause of death was officially stated
to be disease Of the mitral valve and
dilation of the heart. Mr.. Payne had
been in poor health for some years, but
his last illness lasted only seven days.
Death came after nearly six hours Of
Inconsistencies.
The last official caller was President
Roosevelt, and he had only been gone
about ten minutes when the Postmas-
ter-GeneraI died. Secretary Hay had
called few minutes before the Presi-
dent. Neither entered the sick room.
Around Mr.. Payne's bedside when he
died were his wife, Major and Mrs.
w. S. Cameron, of jamestown, n. XII;
Mr.. and Mrs. Winfield Cameron, Of
Milwaukee; Charles L. Jones and Miss
Louise Jones, relatives; the Rev. DIR.
Dunlap, pastor Of st. Johns Episcopal
Church; Private Secretary Whitman;
Miss Marie Barbieri, an old companion
of Mrs. Payne; Mr.. and Mrs. N. s.
Mason, of Washington, and the colored
messenger at the department of the
Postmaster General.
It is the understanding that George
b. Cortelyou is to become Postmaster
General. The law provides that in
case Of vacancy of this character oc-
curing from death OF other cause dur
ing the recess of the Senate the Presi-
dent may designate the head Of any
other department, or any other officer
in any department whose appointment
is vested in the President, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate,
to perform the duties of the vacant
Office until successor is appointed.
But such designation is limited to
thirty days.
The law provides that the First As
sistant shall act unless otherwise di-
rected by the President until success
sor is appointed, but this temporary
service can be performed only for the
period stated, which will expire three
days before the day fixed for the Pres
idential election. If Mr.. Cortelyou
should be designated at that time he
would be holding the Office of Post
masters General as well as serving as
Chairman Of the National Committee.
Had Henry @. Payne lived until No
vember % he would have been sixty
one years old. He was born at Ash
field, Mass., an November %, 1S43. For
thirty-two years Mr.. Payne was q
politician by inclination and profess
sion, and the most skillful one the State
of Wisconsin ever saw.
Henry C. Payne was nominated and
confirmed as Postmaster General on
January s, 1902, succeeding Charles
Emory Smith, who was the first mem
Der of President McKinley's old Cab
met to resign. He had acquired Ma
tional prominence by his influence and
activity in politics and through his
Identification with great corporate in
terests in Wisconsin and the North
west. Trained on Yankee home
stead to habits Of great industry, and
admission being refused to the army
because Of his diminutive stature, he
pushed out to his future home in Wis
consin when he had only attained the
age of twenty.
From 1876 to 1886 Mr.. Payne was
postmaster of Milwaukee. After that
time he held no public Office until he
became Postmaster General, but de-
voted himself to large business enter
prises. The Wisconsin Telephone Com
pany made him Its President in 1885.
Previous to the consolidation of the
street railway compa- HES Of Milwaukee
under syndicate, he was already Of
ficially connected with certain lines,
and was made President and gem
eral manager Of the whole system,
which represented a capital Of $1,000
600 and embraced 1870 miles of track.