New-York tribune., 1919-05-30
Robert Bacon
Dies Following
An Operation
Ill for Several Months, but
Refused to Give Up His
Work in France. Where
He Was ON Pershing's Staff

Colonel Robert Bacon, financier, dip
lomat and soldier, former Ambas-
sador to France, died at 1880 last
night at the New York Eye and Ear
lnfirmary, where an operation for
mastoiditis was performed Saturday.
He had been ill for months, but per-
sisted in his work in France, where
he was head of an American mission
and member of General Pershings
staff, until last month
On his return to this country he
sought medical advice at once and was
sent to the infrmary Saturday by Dr.
Alexander S. Lambert. The operation
was performed Immediately. His tenn
perature indicated complications, and
it was found that blood poisoning had
de, clipped. DR.. w. f. Phair, of Johns
Hopkins University, was summoned by
telegraph yesterday and joined other
specialists in the fight for Colonel Ba-
cons life. Six physicians were in at
tendance throughout the day and eve
ming.
Colonel Bacon failed steadily. His
wife, daughter and three sons were
with him when the end came.
Early this morning one of Mr.. Ba-
cons sons said his father had been
completely tired out and run down
from overwork since his return from
France. The mastoid trouble which
had bothered him before he went
abroad began to spread after he came
back to New York last month, and he
never had fully recovered his strength.
My fathers death is a great shock
to all Of u.s." he said. "He had such
a rugged constitution that we believed
ne would be able to fight off the dis
case successfully. My mother is pros,
trated and is under the care of ply
siclan."
School Friend of Roosevelt
Robert Bacon was born in Boston
on July 5, 1860. He was sent to Gro
ton School and to Harvard, where he
was a classmate and close friend of
Theodore Roosevelt. He was one of
the best oarsmen that ever helped pull
Crimson crew to victory, and also
champion polo and tennis player.
Graduated from Harvard in 1880,
Mr.. Bacon, in 1881, entered the Boston
banking house of Lee. Higginson e.
Co., where he acquired the sound train
ing which made him one of the ablest
fnanclers in this country From 1883
to 1894 he was a partner of f. Rollins
Morse Brother. Then he came to
New York as junior partner of J
Pierpont Morgan & Co., becoming at
the same time associated with Drexel
& Co., of Philadelphia, and with the
Paris branch of the Morgan house.
For several years thereafter he was
one Of the most forceful figures in
wall street, acting as the head of the
hrm IN Mr. Morgan's absence He
was prominently concerned in the or
ganization Of the United States Steel
corporation and the Northern SecurI
ties Company, became director of the
National City Bank, and was associated
with or Interested in many other great
financial undertakings.
Contest With Hartman
HIS last great operation in Wall
Street was the contest with r. II
Hartman over the control of the
Northern Pacific Railroad in 1902. in
which, in Mr.. Morgans absence in
Europe, he directed the policy and
activities Of the firm Of j. pjernont
Morgan e. Co.
ihe following year Mr.. Bacon re-
tired from that firm, though he re-
taEIed intimate relations with it, to-
ge,her with his directorships in the
various corporations in which he was
the representative of the Morgan in
t'rests. From these he withdrew
however, IN September, 1905, when at
the call Of his old friend and class
mate, President Roosevelt, he became
FIRST Assistant Secretary of State at
Warrington.
HIS admirable work in the State De
bartment moved the President in 1907
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Continued on pa0e fvs