The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-08-05
VIM. Pigott, Widely Known as a
Publisher and Printer ceIe.
brates 80th Birthday
FOUNDER OF CHICAGO POST
Former President Of the Old Time
Printers in Chicago Passes His
Eightieth Birthday at His
Home in Kenosha
(From Wednesdays Daily

e
as lovingly known to thousands of
printers throughout the United States
and Canada as bill Pigott is cele
brating the eghtieth anniversary of
his birth at his home on Exchange
street To-Day. Mr.. Pigott has not
lived in Kenosha for many years but
in short time he has found large cir
Gle of friends and they are today ex-
tending to him congratulations on
reaching the four score mile post.
Still hale and hearty with the smile
and the good cheer that made him the
idol of the old time printers and pub
fishers Mr.. Pigott is taking an active
interest in the things Of today, but
Notwithstanding this he likes to run
back once in while over the busy
events of his career and recall the stir
ring times Of early Chicago and other
cities Of the northwest. He is a past
president of the EEOId Time Printer s
Club of Chicago and in the last half
century or more he has numbered
among his friends many men who be-
came famous as editors and publishers.
He was contemporary of such men
as Joseph Medill and Horace White,
the founders of the Chicago Tribune;
Wilbur A. Storey, founder of the Chi
cage Times; J. Young, founder of the
Inter Ocean; Melville E. Stone, foun-
der of the Chicago Daily News and the
Associated Press; Frank Palmer, found
er of the Chicago Herald; Victor r.
Lawson and a host of other men fam
GUS in the newspaper history of the
west These men were all close per-
sonal friends OF Mr.. Pigott and he won
a place in their number as the found
Eer Of the Chicago Evening Post.
Few people in Kenosha know of the
history Of the eventful career of Mr..
Pigott for since coming to this city
he has lived retired life, but his
old interest in the hum of the presses
has never Jagged for a minute and he
is welcome visitor in the newspaper
offices in Kenosha.
Mr.. Pigott was born at Leroy, New
York, on Aug. 4, 1929. He was son
Of Stephen and Anna German Pigott.
Early in life he went with his parents
to Gait, Canada, where he completed
his education and in 1S48 he went to
Chicago. He engaged in the real
estate business for a short time and
then went to the Office of the old Chi
cago Times where he was employed as
a compositor and there he learned the
printing business. From tie time he
entered the Times office more than six
ty years ago he took an active interest
in the newspaper business up to the
time of his retirement. His first
venture as a publisher came in 1849
when he began the publication of The
Saturday Evening Review in Chicago
and other papers. After he had made
a tour of the principal cities of the
country he returned to Chicago and
associated with Andre Matteson, one
of the most famous Of the old time
newspaper men of Chicago in the pub
LEGATION of The Morning Post. After
the sale of The Morning Post Mr..
Pigott began the publication of The
Chicago Evening Post and he became
prominent in the political history of
Chicago as it was largely through the
efforts of the Evening Post that the
Soldiers Ticket was elected in Chicago
at that time. Afterwards he became
interested in the Mechanics Type
Foundry Of which company he was the
president until 1876. He at that time
went to Michigan to manage wollen
mill and he remained in this work until
the time Of his retirement from active
business life. Like many other men
Mr.. Pigott made money in early Chi
cago, but bis fortune amounting to
more than $20o,o was wiped out in
the great Chicago fire of 1871.
However, it took more than Chi
cago fire to dampen his courage and he
rolled up his sleeves and went to work
again and at the time of his retire
ment he was in comfortable circum-
stances. Mr. Pigott was the friend
of the young men in the newspaper
business and many man high in the
business in Chicago and other cities
today owes his start to "Bill 1Pigott.
His active interest in the work of the
printing trades has never waned and
today he is in close touch with the few
who remain with whom he can recall
tho early history Of Chicago
Mr.. Pigott was a personal friend of
Abraham Lincoln and attended the