The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-09
MURRAY WAS
PIONEER FIRE
INSURANCE AGENT
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BY WILLIAM P. MURRAY


When 1 came to st. Paul in Decem-
ber, 1S49, then village of some eight
hundred inhabitants brought with
me the agency of the Protection IN
surance company of Hartford, Conn,
at that time the leading insurance III
the United States.
The Protection was the first fire in
surance company to establish an
agency in st. Paul; the first policy is
sued by the company was TO Charles
W. Borup, on the first day of February,
1850, $500 on household furniture,
rate ~ per cent; the last to Nor
man w. Kittson, on the Sinto-
mine hotel, erected near Sixth and
John streets, in Kittson's addition; 1t
was built to boom lower town.
After the suspension of the Protec-
ton it reinsured in the Etna of Hart
ford, and was destroyed a few days
afterwards by fire, just as it was COM
pleted and ready to open. 1t was
thought to have been an incendlary
fire, started by some uptown promo
ters who were jealous Of the growth
of the lower village.
What little insurance had been done
previously was secured in st. Louis
agencies. In September, 1854, when the
Protection ceased to do business, by
reason of a quarrel between the east
ern and western departments, the one
located at Hartford, Conn, and the
other at Cincinnati, o.
There were really no great financial
reason for its suspension, notwith-
standing the fact that the Etna of
Hartford (R. r. Nelson agenO and the
Columbus Insurance company or COL
umbus. O., established agencies in st.
Paul. The Protection did substantially
all of the fire insurance business in
st. Paul, and insuring all of the Indian
traders buildings and property in Min
nesota. The Protection had an agency
at saltwater (H. L. Moss, agenD.
While in business in st. Paul the
Protection issued 465 policies Among
it's policy holders were:
Charles w. Borup, Alexander Ram
sey, Bartlett Presley, w. H. Forbes,
j. p. owens, A. L. Larpenteur, Henry
II. Sibley, Charles H. Oakes, Justus c.
Ramsey, DR.. David Day, Nathaniel
Mclean, Henry NJ. Rice, ]. w. Simp-
son, Louis Robert, John H. Stevens.
The territory of Minnesota:
William G.. LIE Due, Vetal Guerin,
Lott Mofitt, Norman w. Kittson, d.
A Robertson A. S. Elfelt, Franklin
Steele, Rt. Rev. Joseph Cretin, Aaron
Goodrich, Alexander Wilkins, Maria 3.
Dayton, Robert A. Smith.
Willis A German and the board of
county commissioners Of Ramsey
county
All have passed into that great un-
known country, which some of us know
so little about, except Robert A. Smith,
William LIE Due and A. l.. Larpenteur,
who from their appearance and gen
eral activity appear to be good for flf-
teen or twenty years yet.
The agents compensation at that
time was per cent, now they run all
the way from 10 to % per cent, and
sometimes even more. 1 am told that a
bill has been introduced in the legisla-
ture for an act limiting insurance
companies, on the theory that it might
reduce the cost of insurance.
The four years the Protection insur-
ance company was in business in st.
Paul, while, it's premiums exceeded
twenty-five thousand dollars; it never
had a loss. Houses were scarce and
rents high, and the fact was it did not
pay to burn insured property.