New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-16
Signal Ilonors Paid to New
York's Foremost
Citizen
Balfour and Vivian
Send Condolences
Funeral Will Be Held To-
morrow at go A. M. at
St. Bartholomew


France yesterday in mourning Joseph
II. Choatc, lawyer. diplomat and fore
most citizen" Of New York City, whose
long public career ended with his death
Monday night.
Dignitaries of foreign governments
shared with the humble benefciarics Of
Mr. Choate's philanthropies the grief
caused by the passing of Americas
grand old man" Few private citizens
have ever received more signal honors
than were paid yesterday TO this coun-
try's former Ambassador to Great
Britain.
While expressions Of grief and sym
patty on behalf of France and England
were ticking over the wires from the
British and French missions in Wash
ington Il little group of folk, thin
and poorly clad, with tired faces, stood
outside the Choate home. Of East
/ Sixty-third Street. They were mourn
ing as deeply and sincerely for him as
I did the Marshal of France or the men
and women of note whose automobiles
rolled up to the Choate door in a never
ending stream. The little group were
those who had come each morning for
many days to receive food distributed
TO the poor by Mr.. Choate's orders.
Not until they called for their daily
portion yesterday did they learn Of
their benefactor's death-and the tears
that streemed down the women's cheeks
told what the loss meant TO them.
Messages of Coincidence
All day half-masted flags huttered
their tribute 20 the dead diplomat All
day messenger boys ran back and forth
carrying telegram after telegram Of
coincidence to the Choate home. From
all parts Of the country the messages
came. From Washington Arthur James
Balfour. head of tne British mission,
sent two-one his personal expression
( Of sympathy; the other the official con-
dolences Of the mission and OF the ma
ton at whose capital Mr.. Choate served
/ his country so long with honor.
/ From Marshal Joffre and Rene Nivi-
ami, of the French mission, came tele-
/ grams expressing their personal con-
dolences and those of France. In the
afternoon Mrs. Choate received letter
/ from Mayor Mitchell, expressing on be-
/ half of the City of New York its sorrow
and sense Of loss at the death Of her
/ husband The Mayor paid eloquent
+ tribute to Mr.. Choate as the eity's
foremost citizen"
Bench and bar joined in honorng the
memory Of Mr.. Choate as lawyer and
as man. In almost every courtroom
/ in the city eulogies of the dead diplo-
mat were delivered yesterday from the
| bench. The criminal division of the
I Federal District Court adjourned half
an hour earlier than usual out of re-
( spect 20 Mr.. Choate's memory.
{ Funeral Tomorrow
Funeral services for Mr.. Choate will
, be held tomorrow morning al $3.50
, o'clock at St. Bartholomew Church,
! Madison Avenue and Fortyfourth
! Street Interment will be at Stock
{ bridge. Mass, where the funeral party
, will be taken on special train i'm
Z mediately following the services here.
, The services at St. Bartholomew will
, be conducted,by the Rev. DR.. Leighton
/ Parks. rector, while services in Stock
bridge will be in charge of the Rev. DR..
/ George Merrill.
] 1t is possible that Mr.. Balfour may
I come 20 New York to attend the
/ funeral. He and Mr.. Choate were old
friends. and had worked together for
many years to cement the friendship
between England and America.
Noted Men to Attend
At meeting yesterday of the board
Of trustees of the New York Genealogi-
cial and Biographical Society. Of which
! Mr.. Choate was an honorary member,
] special committee, headed by Colonel
: Theodore Roosevelt, was appointed to
attend the funeral The other mem
bers of the committee are Chauncey NJ.
Depew, Archer NJ. Huntington, William
/ |. Walker and William Il. Proctor.
Associates OF Mr.. Choate on the
I board of trustees Of the American Mu-
scum of Natural History will attend
/ his funeral in body. Mr.. Choate was
the last of the group of distinguished
citizens who founded the museum,
nearly half a century ago His por-
trait WAS taken from the members
room, wreathed and hung in the me-
mortal room yesterday, and the mu-
seum's flag was put at halfmast
The National Security League has
also appointed a special committee 10
attend the service.
Although she had been reported as
I iii in the morning, Mrs. Choste bore up
well under the shock of her husbands
death. Her son, Joseph II. Choate, said
last night she was resting easily.
Automobiles rolled continuously to
the Choatc home all day, most Of the
callers leaving cards. Among the call
ers were the Rev. DR.. William r.
Manning. rector Of Trinity Church.
George L. lngrahsm. former justice of
the Appellate Division of the Supreme
Court Colonel Daniel K. Appleton.
Dock Commissioner Il. A. c. Smith,
George T. Wilson, W. u. Guthrie and
Austen Fox.