Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-21

ways. He organized the Bank Of Com
MERGE, with Its billion dollar assets, the
biggest banking institution in the coun-
try outside the Rockefeller bank. He Is
the financial master of the tobacco
trust De brought about the Pere Mar
quette railway consolidation, the Hook
ing Valley consolidation and others.
He was prominently identified with the
development of the West Virginia stu
alton as member of the Elkins-Whit-
ney-Widener syndicate. He is In the
company building railways in Cuba, he
is in the smelter trust, he is in some of
the steel companies. All these things,
and they are only the beginning Of his
interests he has accomplished with SO
little fuss and feathers that the great
reading public heard little Of Ryan.
Yet all the time he has had his hand In
even more public affairs. He is no
mean politician. He was very intimate
with Cleveland and Whitney during
Cleveland's administrations. He has
been close to every head Of Tammany
Hall for years. He was a delegate to
the last Democratic national conven-
ton, helped bring about the acceptance
Of the famous gold telegram and was
unquestionably the power that nomi-
mated Henry Gassaway Davis, whom
he had known in the old West Virginia
days, as the Democratic candidate for
vice president.
A Big Man Every Way.
Ryan works without ostentation. He
lives and dresses in the same way. He
does not go into society. He speaks
little, and that IN quiet, smooth voice.
He is tall, broad shouldered, deep chest.
ed, with large head. a notable smiling
blue eye, prominent nose and chin, firm
mouth, close cropped iron gray mus
tache-a big man every way. For all
his quiet almost gentle manner and his
neat though plain dress, the square
jaw, the cleft chin and the steady look
of the eye indicate the fighter. There
are few stories to be told Of him, be-
cause there is nothing erratic or sensa-
tional about his actions. Only his re-
suits are spectacular.
Shrewd and FarseeinH.
Thomas Fortune Ryan-rather sig
niftcant middle name, that-was vir-
ginia boy and is now tifty-four years
old. Els family was impoverished dur
ing the war, and he was dependent in
youth on two maiden aunts. He had
only common school education, went
to Baltimore in early youth with only
q. few dollars in his pocket, starved
and hunted work, finally securing q
place as clerk in dry goods store. As
soon as he had enough money he went
to New York, got job in a brokers'
Office, later became a partner, then
bought seat on change and started
out for himself. So shrewd and far
seeing dis the young broker show him
self to be that in few years he had as
customers and friends such men us
Samuel J. Tilden, Jay Gould and Will
liam R. Travers. He married the
daughter Of the merchant for whom he
began work in Baltimore They have
I'VE children, all boys. They own a
New York city house, country home
at Suffern, N. Y, and fine estate in
Virginia.
Ryan secured SOP Equitable shares
from Hyde The face value Of these
shares is only 800 each, and their
earning capacity is limited by law to
z per cent per annum, only a matter
OF $500 per year, yet Ryan paid s.,
100000 for them. This has caused a
great deal Of speculation as to the mo-
tive behind the step. Wall street Is
usually very wise on these matters, and
the next day after the move was
known the shares Of the Metropolitan
Street Railway company jumped I've
points in the market.
]. A. EDGERTON.