Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-01-19
FROM NEWSYTOSENATOR
LoRlMER TELLS STORY OF HIS
LIFE TO INVESTIGATORS.
Relates How He Had to Provide for
Widowed Mother After Father
Had Passed Away.

Washington, d. C.-From bootblack
to coal HEAVIER, from car conductor to
house painter, from salt shoveler to
laundry solicitor, from constable to
superintendent of water mains to con-
gresham, to bank president and final
ly to United States senator at 4S.
This is the romance-more remarkable
than any told in books-of William Lor-
inner, Junior senator from Illinois, related
by himself with quiet but dramatic force
before a hushed throng in a crowded
room at the senate office building here.
Lorimer told his story in answer to a re-
quest by Senator Jones of Washington.
member of the senate committee investi-
eating his right to his seat, who asked
the witness for statement of his life.
his work and the conditions which had
surrounded him.
Immediately after my fathers death, !"
said Lorimer, 81 realized that 1t was nee
essary for me TO do something. l was
10 years old at the time. Some of my
friends were selling papers. They told
me 1 could make a dollar by selling Sun
day papers. My mother objected, but /
finally persuaded her to let me do it. 1
bought 90 papers and sold them. and for
three years afterwards / sold papers and
blacked boots. Then / worked as cash
boy for Carson. Pirie, Scott & Co., and
awhile later went to work as solicitor for
q laundry. For a year l worked there
and in a coal yard. When 1 was 13. I
met Miss Thompson ut Sunday School.
She became interested in me. I studied
what could at the laundry and used
to 90 to her house on Monday nights.
Then my mother helped me when / got
home early enough. So there picked up
the foundation of what little education l
have. We got along all right and had no
cause for complaint until the fire of 1871.
At that time we had q little money saved
and kept It in an old wooden trunk. be-
cause my mother had lost some money In
a savings bank. We carried some furni-
ture away from the fire. and when wo
went back to get the trunk the police
drove US of. The fire lost me my paper
and shine customers. too. After that I
worked in a packing house-the Wilson
Packing Co. 1 started as laborer and
learned the meat canning business in two
years. Then I went to work for the Mel
son Morris Co., and was laid of when
they shut down part OF their plant. I
found work at Armour's shoveling salt In
the cellar, and when a new superintend-
ent came on / was transferred to the
meat canning department. 1 worked there
nearly three years.
"At the end Of that time took a job
as car conductor on w. 18th street. and
kept it up for five years. When 1 was
about 23 years old / had two or three
hundred dollars and started in business
as "a house painter. 1 kept at it as long
as my money lasted, and then 1 went
back to the car. About that time 7 was
elected constable. In 1886. when / was
20 years old, 1 was selling real estate.
The next spring was appointed assistant
superintendent of water main extension
under the Roach administration. j kept
on selling real estate. Then / got q
teaming contract and employed about so
teams for a year. At the end of that
time a real estate boom came on anG |
went into 1t extensively. / was appointed
superintendent of the water department
and resigned after a year to take the
nomination of clerk OF the Superior court
but L was defeated. In 1894 / was elected
to congress. That year 1 traded a lot of
odds and ends of real estate, borrowed
some money and bought an interest in
the Murphy Brick Co. Later / organized
what is now known as the Lorimer &
Gallagher CONSTRUCTION Co. About two
years ago | organized the LaSalle Street
National bank. / sold out my interest in
the brick company about a year ago. l
ran for congress eight times and was de-
feated once"