Evening star., 1919-12-21

Though they agree in the main. there
are certain points of disagreement be-
tween them, especially In the matter
of Mr.. Corcoran's connection with
loans of the United States. Where
the statements are not in agreement
the Rambler will relate those as fo,eid
in the committee report and those in
The Stars biographical sketch.
X X X X
The sketch in the committee report
begins in this way: I'm the Corcoran
Art Gallery and the Louise Home the
late William Wilson Corcoran left to
the city of Washington two conspic-
and benevolence. 1t is quite within
bounds to say that among all the phil
anthropic citizens of the District of
Columbia Mr.. Corcoran stands fore
most. not alone in the amount of his
gifts. but also In the direct personal
interest he took in the application of
benevolence."
w. w. Corcoran was son of
THOMAS Corcoran. who was born in
limerick, Ireland. in 1854 and came to
s nait,more IN 1888 to enter the service
or his uncle, William Wilson, who
wa Was shipping merchant. In 1888
Ihomas Corcoran married Hannah
Lennon OF Baltimore and in the same
year he removed to Georgetown. In
that thriving port he engaged in the
acted as an agent for his Baltimore
uhcie IN purchasing tobacco and flax
seed Tor export. He soon rose to no.
sitlon OF prominence in the business
ne I.lIe OF Georgetown. as shown by the
fact that in 1871, on behalf of the cor
poration of Georgetown. he presented
an address to President Washington,
VINO had come to negotiate with Rob-
ert Peter. Samuel Davidson. David
burnes' Motley Young and Daniel Car
roil Tor the land comprised within the
original limits Of Washington.
President Jefferson appointed Tbom-
as Corcoran magistrate and mem
Der or the levy court in 1901, which
omces he held under successive presi-
dents until his death in 1890 He was
announce postmaster of Georgetown
ny president Madison in 1915, and that
ONCE he also held up to the time of
MS death, and was SuCce eded as post
l!ias,et' hs MS SON James who Realm
ed the position during the remairder
of his life. The horne of the Corcoran
family stood on Bridge street. but the
exact location is not known to the
Rambler. He learns Of this home by
the following item in the will and
testament Of w. w. Corcoran. which
lies beside him:
The old brick house on Bridge (now M
by my father. and in which I was born to-
Hether with the ground on which It stands, I
nrcors G,ve ana 6edne.th to my grandson; William
his eldest son. with a view Of retaining IL in
the FAMILY As long A. possible.
w W. Corcoran was the NTH son
OF Thomas Corcoran by a second mar
fiage and was born December 81,
l1yS. He was instructed by the Rev.
William Allen. Presbyterian clergy
man. by the Rev. Addison Belt, and
he received large share of his men
tai training at Georgetown College
during the presidency of Father Gra-
was given employment in a drygoods
store. conducted in Georgetown by his
elder brothers. James and Thomas
Corcoran. In 1917. with the help and
backing OF those brothers. w. w. Cor
coran opened a drygoods store on his
own account. A panic in 1923 sent
about one-third of the merchants of
Georgetown into bankruptcy, and
among these was Mr.. Corcoran. A
notable point in his career is that In
1S47 he paid all of his creditors In
full with interest from the year OF his
cation to do this.
After his failure in the drygoods
business he devoted himself to the
interests of his father, then sixty-nin
years old, and took upon himself the
management of his property. which
was considerable. 1t is set down IN
the history Of this remarkable man
that in 1928 he took charge OF the
real estate and the suspended debt
Of the Bank of the United States ana
the Bank of Columbia. Two years
later his father passed away ana
there are certain important Iacts IN
connection with his long and usefui
career which the Rambler overlooked
lit
they should have been entered. Thom-
as Corcoran. senior, had peeh nlen
ber of the Georgetown city counch
and mayor of Georgetown. ne Wss
also one of the founders OF 81. Jonh .
and Christ Episcopal churches al VI
Columbian University. a,
w. w. Corcoran. on December 20,
1885, was married to Louise Amory
Morris, a daughter of Commodore MOT,
ris, an officer of distinction in the oid
navy and whose name ornaments the
pages of the history OF our country.
The Rambler has now reached poinC
where ii Is necessary to discontinue tnis
narrative. which he hopes to resume
next Sunday, but there ID one thing
which his conscience dictates that ne
write in conclusion 1t is that W. w.
Corcoran was n gentleman. The Ram
bier means by that not only that he was
an honest man, but that he was SYM
pathetic man, that he sought to give
pleasure 10 the man In humble station,
that he was not only man OF sagacity
and worldly wisdom, but that his edu-
cation progressed and ripened as ne