The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-04-30
BAER PASSES AWAY
Y IN PHILADELPHIA
Noted Leader in Pennsylvania
Coal Industry Expires.
HAD A REMARKABLE CAREER
Was Printer, Editor, Soldier and Clvl'
Engineer Before Becoming Pres'-
dent Of the Reading Railway
Factor In Coal Strike.

Philadelphia, April 2S,-George F,
Baer, president Of the Philadelphia
& Reading railway, died at his home
here Sunday evening. He was strick'
en- suddenly Saturday morning while
walking to his office.
George F Baer was for years one
of the most striking figures In Ameri'
can life.
To the majority of his countrymen
It was misfortune to appear only as
the typical "soulless capitalist and
the enemy Of the worker. 1t was as
Divine Right Baer' that he was al
ways thought of by the every day cit
lien. This title he obtained during
the great anthracite coal strike OF
1902, when he was the leader OF the
coal mine operators and was oppos-
ing arbitration Of the differences be
tween the miners and the operators.
AS the leader OF the employers he
wrote letter TO w. J. Clark Of Wilkes
barre, Pa, in which occurred the
phrase which gave him his title.
His career was n remarkable one.
In turn he was printers devil, report
er, editor, soldier, civil engineer and
railroad president,
Mr.. Baer was born September rs,
1912, in Somerset township, Somerset
county, Penn, Of German ancestry.
He worked on his fathers farm and
attended the common schools and lat
er the high school In Somerset. He
was apprenticed to the printing trade
In the Office of the Somerset Demo
crat, and while connected with the pa
per set type, ran errands, solicited
advertisements, collected bills and re-
ported news for the paper.
He saved enough money TO allow
him TO study at Franklin and Marshall
college for year and then with his
brothers aid he obtained control OF
the newspaper for which he had
worked.
He was strongly Democratic in the
editorial policy Of his paper at the
beginning of the Civil war and he had
TO defend its plant from a mob that
threatened to destroy It, That he
was attached to the Union, however,
he demonstrated soon after, when he
raised a company OF which he was
captain and which became Company
E of the One Hundred and Thirty
third Pennsylvania Volunteer lnfan-
try.
His first battle was the second Bull
Run and he served later with distinc-
ton at Fredericksburg. Antietam,
Charlottesville and other fights. Al
ter Charlottesville he was made ad'
tutant general OF the Second Brigade,
Humphreys division Of the Second
Corps of the Army OF the Potomac
becoming n major In his twentieth
year.
After the war he read law in the
ofice of one Of his brothers, and was
admitted to the bar. He removed &c
Reading In 1868, 1t was as a lawyer
that he became connected with the
railroad interests he afterward served
An important legal victory over th'
road OF which he was later presiden
gave him his start In 1870 he wa
made counsel for the road and alsC
q director.
His opportunity to become a fnan
cier came with the panic Of 1873. Thu
panic Frustrated many Of the Indus
tries OF his home county, and Mr.. Bae
played an important part in their re
organization, and became known 70
his business astuteness.
He had remained al "A director o
the Philadelphia & Reading railroad
and had become the confidential lega
adviser OF J, p. Morgan in Pennsy
vania In 1901 he was made prcsiden
Of the Philadelphia d Reading railwa
and OF the Philadelphia * Readin
Coal g. Iron company, 1t was IN tn
latter capacity that he played an IN
portant part in the anthracite Goa
etrike Of 1902.
In that strike he took an uncon
promising attitude until public sent
ment finally forced the operators I
consent TO the arbitration proposed b
President Roosevelt
Later ne took as uncompromisln
an attitude when the retailers OF II
country tried 10 raise the price
coal. He announced at the time thu
the Philadelphia & Reading wou
cut OF OF It's list OF customers all T
tailers who made the advance. I'll
ultimatum had It's effect and the pri'
was not advanced