Evening journal., 1915-08-21
v. |. DOUGLAS Hale
At seventy YEARS
Veteran Shoe Manufacturer
Steers Clear of Making
Footwear For War
LONG CIVIC CAREER
IN PUBLIC INTEREST

Tomorrow marks the SEVENTEEN
milestone in the life of W. L. Douglas,
forty-second governor of Massachu
sets and Brocktons most widely
known citizen. Mr.. Douglas was born
in Plymouth in 1S45. and has led a
very busy life. He is in splendid ply
sical condition now, owing to his care
ful living, and is still the active di-
recting head of the great shoe manu-
featuring business that bears his
name. I'm the summer Mr. Douglas
lives at his beautiful seashOre estate
at Marion. and travels back and forth
to his business in his automobile. Not
only do these trips give pleasure. out
II affords opportunity for a busy mind
TO formulate plans for making his al
ready great business greater. The
Douglas business has grown to such
huge proportions that Mr.. Douglas
can and does a successful business on
a very small margin of profit.
The Douglas factories are located
at Brockton. and the companys owns
and operates nearly a hundred retail
shoe stores in the principal cities of
| the country. Added to this is some
eight thousand retail shoe dealers in
various parts Of the country who have
! the agency for the sale of the Douglas
! shoes. These outlets keep the big fac
( tories in this city busy under normal
/ conditions. and even now in war times
the Douglas company is getting its
share of business.
Mrs. Douglas has not undertaken
the manufacture of army shoes for
any of the countries al war. prefer
/ ring to centralize all his energies in
properly caring for the domestic busi-
ness, which he predicts is going to be
steadily better.
A thorough optimistic at 40. Mr..
Douglas looks back over a long life
that has not always been one Of ease.
At the age of five his father was lost
at sea Two years later he was ap-
prenticed to an uncle. who was a
shoemaker and began his employ
ment pegging shoes by hand. He
was eight years learning his trade
during which lie suffered hardships
and injustice, and finally left his
uncle with a mere pittance in ready
money. He worked four months in a
Plymouth cotton mill for 33 cents a
day, and after attending school for
one term, found employment at Chill
tonville. Later he worked at boot
making, first at Hopkinton. then al
South Braintree for about three
years. In the spring of 1865 he went
west, returning to his trade in asso-
citation of zephaniah Myers. of Black
Hawk, Col. In 1867 he opened a re-
tail boot and shoe store at Colder
City. Col. in partnership with Al
fred Studley. formerly Of Scituate
This enterprise proved a great sue
cess. but at the end OF a year Mr.
Douglas sold out and returned tC
Massachusetts,. He was engaged il
shoemaking at Plymouth until 1870
During 1S71-76 he was superintend
ent of the shoe factory of Porter anC
Southworth. of Brockton, and ther
with a borrowed capital of SS75, be.
came a shoe manufacturer in his OWL
name. The growth or his shoe bust.
ness to its present proportions forms
an important chapter in the history
of American enterprise. In 1881 he
erected a three-story factory al
Brockton. where a daily output oil
1,44O pairs Of shoes was steadily
maintained, and in 1883 introduced