The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-11
ON A rELEGRAPH-CABLE THRONE.
Though Already Firmly Seated and not an Heir Apparent, Clarence Mackay
 is Hardly Yet We'll Known to the Public as a Regnant
uauIti-Mfllionafre.

 multi-Mfliionaire.
 Clarence Hungerford Mackay. head of the Postal Telegraph Company and other enterprises worth in all about as much as the Gerry fortune, is not ex- actly an heir to a multi-millionaire throne, since he Is already enthroned, nor is he as little known to the gen. eral public as William G. Rockefeller ! or young Gerry or Jack" Morgan. Mackay enterprises. Clarence Maclay | is almost an unknown quantity in the public mind.
 It was said when his father died three years ago that, though he wasn't yet ready for the job, in time Clarence would take the helm. Since that time he has taken 1t, and is now holding 1t with a firm hand, but the newspaper reading public remembers him chiefly perhaps only--as the rather lively and pleasure loving heir apparent of his fathers bonanza fortune.
 Clarence Mackay's determination to be the actual head of the Postal Tele- graph and other enterprises establish ed by his father. and not to leave them to the management of others, after the fashion of Alfred Vanderbilt, is said to be due, in some measure, at least, to the energy and success with which George Gould. son of the Western Unions first real chief. attacked the management of the Gould enterprises after Jay Gould's death. Young Mac kay began to pave the way for actual control in 1897, about a year before his marriage to Miss Katherine Duer.
 Down to that time John w. Mackay. apparently. had looked upon his son as little more than a boy, and little had ever passed between the two about his business future. On this occasion. John w.. being in New York, Clarence went to him at his office in the Postal Telegraph building. The older man importance was on the younger ones mind.
 Well. son." said John w.. looking up as the youngster approached. whats tho matter today?"
 "Nothing's the matter. goveror, but I want to have a little talk with you. As long as you live you'll be the chief, and I'll be my fathers son. All right; that suits me. But. when you get tired, I'll need to get into harness, so I'd like to get into harness beforehand. So I want a job, now. Whatever kind of work you select for me I'll take. and I'll attend to 1t the best know how"
 Naturally, this pleased the old man, and he said he'd see about 1t. Soon afterward Clarence was made a direc- tor and one of the vice-presidents of the Commercial Cable Company. His office carried with 1t the doing of cert ain things every day, and the young man did them as faithfully and pick ed up practical knowledge of the busi- ness in the doing of them as rapidly as he would had his job been a mere cIerkship He didn't work very many hours a day, nor did he do much small detail work personally, but he was promptly at his desk every morning when in New York, and when away kept constantly in touch with his own work.
 Little by little he gained wide knowl- edge of the general business, so that he was probably competent to have taken charge of everything when oc- casion required when his father died, in 1902. There was no occasion, how ever and Clarence was modestly con- tent to remain in the background and let some one else be the head and front for a time. Since then he has assumed the reins and from the big telegraph and cable building on Broadway, Op- posite the City Hall. comes word that he yields the sceptre with all the steadiness of a veteran, though now only thirty.
 Not everybody may remember that till he was twenty Clarence Mackay expected to play the role of an Ameri- can millionaire's younger son, and that his earlier education was planned to fit him for that agreeable career His older brother, John w. Mackay, Jr.. the apple of his fathers eye. was eventually to be the chief, and his training was ordered accordingly.
 But, in 1895, John w, Jr., was killed by being thrown from a horse in France. where he was riding in a race near his country place at Manage. and today he rests in the famous Mackay mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery
 While his father lived Clarence Mac kay devoted much of his time to sport, racing, polo and racquets being his favorite amusements. Though he is only feet in in height, he is strong and athletic, and one year he held the racquets championship of the United States, while he is a fast and fearless rider on the polo field.
 Clarence Mackay's marriage to Kath- erine Duer was one of the most talked of society events of the season, some seven years ago. Soon after their union they established themselves on Long Island as members of the Colony of Millionaires, wno have pre- empted the island as their own, buy ing a large estate and building there on a more gorgeous mansion than any of the older residences there. The es- tate as a whole is rarely beautiful, and many thousands have been Iavished upon 1t. It Is named Harbor Hill and