Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-16

tuOIc tfuSt6 tuuH cOuiu Ue TBgOuubSQ Ill
 an ordinary newspaper article. The
 Chicago street railway interests, he is
 concerned there. The gas company of
 Philadelphia, he is closely connected
 with that. Yet these are the financial
 concerns that have occasioned two of
 the greatest municipal reyolts in recent
 political history. Then he is the most
 prominent figure in the gas company of
 New York that has been under the
 searchlight at Albany and against
 which the citizens of New York have
 been raising such vigorous protest.
 The Brooklyn Rapid TraEsit is another
 institution that has been roasted un-
 mercifully by the people, and Ryan IS
 very intimately concerned in that. The Public Service corporation of New Jer-
 sey, Ryan is big frog in that pool
 The Central Railway of Georgia that
 has raised such a commotion in the south, Ryan promoted that. The State
 Trust Company of New York, over which there was raised such a hubbub. few years ago for making s2000,- GOO loan to an office boy. other loans to it's directors and S400,000 loan to Lou
 Payn, the insurance commissioner of New York-this State Trust company that was investigated by Roosevelt when governor Ryan was in that. Then he organized the Morton Trust company and absorbed the State Trust company, thus getting from under that investigation, and has promoted 80 many other gigantic institutions that the mere reading of the list almost staggers one.
 Promoter of Many Gigantic Institutions.
 For example, he is the man who or ganized the Metropolitan Street Rail- way company of New York, that con trols all the surface lines of the city and is now bidding for the new sub ways. He organized the Bank of Con- merce. with it's billion dollar assets, the biggest banking institution in the coun- try outside the Rockefeller bank. He is the financial master of the tobacco trust. He 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 situ- ation 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 l with Cleveland and Whitney during | Cleveland's administrations He has been close to e-ery head of Tammany 1 Hall for years. He was a delegate to | the last Democratic national conven- l tion, helped bring about the acceptance of the famous gold telegram and was unquestionably the power that nomi- l mated Henry Gassaway Davis, whom he had known in the old West Virginia uays' us tue IteIuuCEullc Cduuludle TUT | 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, 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 cratic or sensa. tional about his actions. Only his re- suits are spectacular
 Shrewd and Farseeing.
 Thomas Fortune Ryan-rather sig nlficant middle name, that-was Yir- ginia boy and is now ffty-four years old. His 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 a few dollars in his pocket, starved and hunted work. finally securing a place as clerk in dry goods store. As soon as he had enough money he went to New York. got a job in brokers office. later became partner. then bought a seat on change and started put for himself. So shrewd and far seeing did the young broker show him self to be that in few years he had as customers and friends such men as Samuel ]. Tilden. Jay Gould and Will jam R. Travers. He married the of the merchant for whom he began work fin Baltimore. They have i've children, all boys. They own a New York city house, country home 1t Suffern, N Y., and fine estate in Virginia. Ryan secured J02 Equitable shares rom Hyde. The face value of these 1, 'hares is only S1O0 each. and their 'arning capacity is limited by law to 1, per cent per annum. only a matter 'f SS,500 per year, yet Ryan paid S2.- 10000 for them. This has caused reat deal of speculation as to the mo i've behind the step. Wall street is f Isually very wise on these matters, and 5 he next day after the move was nown the shares of the Metropolitan f