The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-09

cause our sky line isn't pierced with
lot of smokestacks that there are no
chances here for Washington boys. This
is an absurd mistake, as a lot of us
Washington fellows, including your hum
BILE servant. have shown. There is still
all kinds of room for active young men
Of this city to make big successes right
here If they can make good anywhere
they can do so in this old town of ours
Shannon is only twenty-seyen years
old. His firm employs about sthirty~ffve
clerks and statesmen. Last year they
sold something over s1,500.0O0 worth of
real estate. Among the employees are
several of those Georges" who left
town ten years ago because there was
mo opportunity for advancement here"
and who came back
Young Shannon, in his pride of Wash
ingtOn and his quick rise to prominence
through nothing but his natural ability
and energy, reminds one of another OF
WashingtOns real sons. William B.
Hibbs, popularity known all over town as
Billy" While Hibbs has to carry a
little weight for age in comparison with
Kid Shannon. he is nevertheless one OF
the youngest of the Young Guard in
spirit and an indefatigable booster for
Washington and everything in ii.
Began Life as n NewsbOy.
Hibbs came to Washington so young
that he had to be carried. And now. he
says, that's the only way any one could
get him away from here. At the tender
age of thirteen he went into the
newspaper business. He had a route
and sold New York papers on the street.
Two years later he received his initiation
into the mysteries of the stock market
as chalker in a brokers' office. He rap
idly acquired a complete knowledge of
the business, and at the age of seventeen
established a brokerage firm of his own.
under the name of b. X Plain & Co., of
which he was the Junior partner. This
firm operated in the old St. Cloud Build
ing, a site now occupied by the Washing
ton Loan and Trust, at Ninth and F
streets
In about 1893 Hibbs became a member
Of the Washington Stock Exchange. and
two years later bought a seat on the
New York Stock Exchange and on the
Chicago Board of Trade. His Offices were
then in the Glover Building, in F street,
where he conducted business for ten
years. In 1906 the present fine structure,
the Hibbs Building, was started. The
erection of this building inspired the up
town movement of financial institutions,
marked by the construction Of the Union
Trust Building and the present construc-
ton of the Woodward Building at Fiji
tenth and H streets.
willing to Remain Here.
IT wouldn't leave Washington for any
consideration" says Mr. Hibbs. I've
had plenty of fattering offers, but this
is the finest city in the world to live in
after you have made enough money to
take things a little more easily. I don't
want to see our form Of government
changed or any development Of this city
other than as a residential center. I'd
like to see Congress take more interest
in the Identification of Washington and
its surroundings, for the more beautiful
we make this city the more powerful we
will become as a residential center for
the comfortably wealthy people OF all
sections of the country"
The interviewer asked him what he
considered the one thing that more than
another brought him his success.
Concentration on one thing was the
orlick response. LAS soon as I determined
to stick to the stock brokerage business
l put my mind on 1t in every detail.
let nothing interfere with my learning
every in and out Of the business. To my
mind that is the only way to succeed in
any line"
Hibbs is a great booster for Washing
ton enterprises and securities.
IT can't recall single instance" he
saws. where a local corporation with
any backing at all has not succeeded in
making money for its stockholders. What
makes our securities such safe invest
ments is not having those periods of
commercial depression. due to big strikes
and other upsetting things. that attack
large manufacturing cities"
A Successful Architect.
Up on the top floor Of the Hibbs Build
ing are the Offices Of its architect, Jules
Henri de Sibour, who may be taken as
an example Of the typical successful
young architect of Washington upon
whose gifts the future architectural