The evening world., 1913-09-11
". !, GAYN0R HELD PUBLIC
OFFICE FOR 70 YEARS
Fight He Made on Graft Ring Swept Him Onto
Supreme Court Bench-Sent
McKanc to Prison.

William Jay Gaynor. lawyer. turist,
scholar and politician. Mayor OF New
York FOR almost four years at the height
Of his career. was man whose sharac-
tor vas n puzzle even to the kindl'est
OF his critics and whose life was ruled
b. the single dominating impulse of his
own will and convictions. As . Justice
on tho Supreme Bench and as Chief
Executive Of the City Of New York his
tsnures were characterised by dnrunled
and Arm insistenoe upon his own will
ana an impatience of the advice or
counsel Of others.
:, Gay nor came Of solid farmer stock
strong mentally and physically, rugged.
determined. He was born In 1851 on .
farm near Oriskany, Oneida County. N.
Y. which had been cleared by the Ike
Of his Irish grandfather. a hardy pioneer
In the wilderness upstate. He passed
through the bitter struggle OF farmer
iad's existence. fought his way upward
through successive stages OF an educa-
ton, worked doggedly II not brilliantly
is 4 reporter for a while, pushed MS
way into the law and finally by sheer
force Of his indomitable will and energy
made himself a ngure In the eyes OF the
whole nation.
NATIONS WATCHED HIS GAL
LIANT FIGHT FOR LIFE.
When no lay within the shadow Oh
sesrf, Cor weeks. struck down by an as.
.. ss,n's bullet on the deck OK one o'
tbs North German Lloyd liners az no
boksn three years ago, the whoie ma
ton ava other nations. no less Interest
"A hung on the bulletins from his bed
ia. His recovery Was hailed with
,oy az, rywhere and the name OF cay
-. vrsv 10 such nationwide import
.r,. that his was one of the names
bruited for the Presidency before inc
Is.v,acratio National Convention last
summer.
such vas the achievement OF man
remarkable for the enemies he made-
A,,mstimes ael!berately--remar also
FOR the sheer, charging impetus OF M
nsntsi effort for advancement.
c~vnors family were poor folk the
how mad to fight hard for the scanty
Urinary education tho received h'er'
F, nating periods at the district sehoo'
with long days behind the pioush. nc
managed to spend enough time Mt the
White .town Seminary to effect MS
graduation; then he went to Boston ana
hecame A teacher In the public schoois
there. He gave up teaching ana trleo
h,s hand at reporting for whi'e'
studying law In the hours Off from MS
work. Then, restless at his slow rise IN
ina profession of newspaper work. ne
sh.ndoned the city room and entered
the office of Ward Hunt, noted hos
ton laAyer. who afterward became =
Justice In the Supreme Court OF me
United States.
MOVED TO FLATsusH THIRTY
ttts EIGHT YEARS AGO.
Early IN 1875 Gaynor moved TO Flat
bush. then a remote suburb OF Brook'
lyn. and once more he was forced paox
10 newspaper reporting to provide q
.,.adv income for himself while he pur-
sueA nj. unremittlns studies In the law.
Ia worked on several Brooklyn papers,
..coverins' the courts and familiarizinG
himself In this way with court practice
and procedure. Finally, In the latter
mart of 1876, he was admitted to The bal
and began the precarious practice OF {
fledglng lawyer.
Early in his residence In Flatbusf
Young Gaynor--then a slender. gray
eyed, pale checked man OF thirty--allisf
himself with the independent faction
Of the Democratic party In King
County and began to be known as
critic Of the then fragrant corruption
Of the machine In his own party. BY
diligent research and careful avoidant
OF anything that might smack OF tn
"srapd-stand play" the young lawys
-.began to dig under the great monuInsn
q 80 until hs haa reached ~ ~