Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-21
Chauncey NJ. Depew At IS.


Chauncey NJ. Depew is to have a
birthday celebration this week. On
| Wednesday he will reach his S5th
milestone, although few would be
able to guess his age from his ap-
pearance. Mrs. Depew has issued
invitations for a-Ilinner in celebration
, of the day. Later in the week there
will be several public and club din
ners in honor of the anniversary, for
Mr.. Depew is still one Of the best
known and most popular citizens of
| Gotham, notwithstanding the fact
that with increasing years he has in
a measure dropped out of range of
the national spotlight.
For many years Mr.. Depew enjoy
ed the reputation Of being the great
est after-dinner orator in the United
states, and, by and ALL his has been
one OF the most remarkable and
successful careers of any American
OF his day. As a lawyer he stood
for years at the head of the New
York bar, and as attorney for the
Vanderbilts and other great corpor-
ations he held his own against such
men as Roscoe Conkling, William M.
Evarts, David Dudley Field and the
other great lights Of this, the strong
est legal center of the country. AS
president Of the New York Central
railroad he managed for many years
one of the biggest corporations in
America, and as leading New York
politician he sat in the United States
senate from 1899 to 1911. For a
quarter Of century or longer he
headed the New York delegation to
the republican national conventions
In 1888 he received 80 votes for the
presidential nomination and at the
same gathering he delivered the
speech placing Benjamin Harrison
in nomination for the head of the |
ticket. Early in his career he was
appointed and confirmed as United |
Slater minister to Japan. Later he |
might have been secretary of state |
in the cabinet of President Harrison,
but declined the offer.
Chauncey M. DepeWs popularity |
is sort that is probably not pos
sessed by any other man in America.
All his life he has been associated |
with so-called monopolists and cap-i
italists, still the masses and the la
boring classes have always looked |
upon him as their friend, and though
he is strict republican the demo-
Gratis delight to listen to his speeches.
During his long active career he
was one of the busiest men in the
United States, and apparently one
Of the greatest business men having
the most leisure. He has attended
as many dinners. perhaps, as any
other man in the United States, and
has made more speeches than any
lecturer or noted states
man. For many years he received {
an average of 10 requests day to
deliver addresses, or to reply to
speeches and toasts, and during this
lime he averaged more than three,
speeches every week year in and
year out. In his speeches Mr. De-
pew has never repeated himself. The
,harge that he retailed his own
stories until they became chestnuts /
S not true, for all of his speeches !
spoken again and again, year after
'ear, to the same associations. and, I
If course, had to have a new speech {
very time.
Mr.. Depew was born in Peekskill,
\. Y. At the age of "a he was ad- {
nitted to the bar and three years
alter he began his public career as
member of the New York assem-
'ly. Among his most notable public
rations We're those delivered at the
nveiing of the Statue of Liberty, t
t the centennial celebration of the {
of George Washington. '
nd at the opening of the Worlds Y
Exposition. I
Mr.. Depew seems to be the result {
f heredity on the mothers side.
IRIS. Depew lived until near her Goth {
ear and was in possession of her I
aculties until the end When very S
Id she knew "Marmion" and "The :
.ady of the Lake. by heart Her
memory was phenomenal. She
tudied all her life, and died happy
\ the belief that nothing was be-
ond the powers Of her son Chaun-
eV