Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-27
M'ADOO, NEW CHIEF
OF RAILROADS, HAS
HAD METEORIC RISE.


,r,ra ,,..u,. e.u v,;,,,.u, ct.b. Nj /
49, WIZ" '0' imam LUIS -1
Auuo'
For the last five years he has been
looking after Uncle Sans bank roll
as secretary of fine treasury. In
thar period. without much fuss or
furry. he has been busy raising gil
gantic quantities of money through
liberty loans and war taxes and in
seeing that both ends meet. and there
were no overd-afts on the nations
financial account.
Through it. ali he has smiled in the
old whimsical wav that he used to
smile when some of his hest friends
told him some years back that it was
an impossibility for New York and
New Jersey to reach under the Hud-
son river and shake hands-but they
do il now via the "McAdoo tunnel"
His mefeorjc rise in Democratic
politics. eliminating in his selection
as director General of the railways,
has made if Main that his long-dis-
lance vision was not confined to
transit matters. He was one Of the
first citizens to figure out that Wood
row Wilson was due at the White
house IN the morning of March 4
1919 He didn't wait until after cleo
tom IN marx the announcement at a
bandpet of the Southern society as
early as December. 1910. and wasn't
taken seriously bv regular politicians.
He was vice chairman of the board of
directors of the Democratic national
campaign and directed the work of
the organization when William F. Nc
Combs as chairman. was taken i'll.
After the presidents inauguration
Mr. NrAdoD was named TO the treas
urv portfolio. His relationship to the
president became more intimate when
on Nav Z. 1914. he married Eleanor
Randolph Wilson, youngest daughter
of the national executive.
/ Going back to the beginning Of Nc
Adoo it is found that he came from
long line of fighting Scotch ances-
/ try. TIE family settled in North Car
DINA 500 wears ago. He was born on
/ oct. 81. 1863. at Marietta, Ga. At that
/ time the family was one of the most
/ influential in Georgia. with money. DO
sition and fine estates, but unfortu-
nateIy the possessions lay directly in
+ the path of General Sherman in his
memorable march to the sea. When
the union army went by there was not
much left of the McAd0o property,
Most Of Mr.. McAdoo's education was
obtained at the University of Tennes-
! see. where his father accepted the DO
/ sitjon of English teacher in order to
/ suDport his family. DenIeted finances
of the family however forced NcAdoo
to leave college in his Junior wear. He
obtained a lob as deputy clerk Of the
United States court at Chattanooga.
studied law in between times and was
admitted to the bar when he was u
Years old.
He got his railroadinc experience In
1SnovviIIa q few wears later II was
pof very encouraging as the road
wont inio fine hands of. receiver
.f.or briaf et-ugo1a The railroad
,,err, [tae in his eyste1, however and
,,,bor no was offered emnlovneut ae
di,-ieior couneal of a soutbern rail.
road he inr1na5 al the onnortrnitv
40 far1iliarizad himself with ever,
-, - ~ I,,si,ase e. f.r as Il ,,,at
,,os.f+,I, for hin, tn do with the onnor.
pt,,.ttiar ,fFo~a5 L,, tha raiIroads II
,Ia. nort NJ tho country
'L'1 a.. M a. ,,.o,,+ 70 Non, vor,, j.
,o"5 IL did NOT no -,,rcb in ~,
- 81 casbN-bis leoaI traininr rail
- o,,aoriorca o1d 5etar1,ipotin-
90 ~ ,. -, assots EIo far,
oe'lis '.'S - +,fi,t, 3v;1itor, MoAdnn
p POI t''S 800
< V ~. ',l,, M ha ID of ~ nolioo ,1ona -
I",n @ ~ had hoen an assistant eac
80, 81 ~ tba novr ,,15er prasiden
l 49, hItborgb of the sam
: Da,,,e tbo +uo McAdoos were not re-
/ iata5
Tha r.rtnersbin continued INIT
= 1000 49,, u was diesolvad Williar
cibbe scAdoo in the meantime hay
mo heen Studying New York's trans
nnr+ation nrobIem with much yes,
liz reached the conclusion that fun