The Washington times., 1925-08-06
BILLY HIBBS
KNOWN OVER
WORLD
D. G. Financiare's Remarkable
Career Described in
Popular Magazine
BY RICHARD HATTON


Evidence continues to accumulate
proving the repeated statement that
Washington is the financial center
OF the world and that Washington
financiers and bankers occupy ma
tional and international attention.
The latest evidence Of the wide
interest taken in the financial af-
fairs of the Capital and in the per-
sonalities that direct these affairs
is found in a recent article in the
Saturday. Evening Post which is
carried under the distinctive title of
Who's Who-and Why" AMI which
outlines the interesting career of
one of the most popular and best
known leaders in the financial af.
fairs of the city, William B. Hibbs.
Mr.. Hibbs, or Billy as he is
endearingly known to his intimates
and neaf-intimates, is claimed by
the newspaper profession by reason
Of his early efforts i'm that field.
and his biographer : in the Post
says of him that he sold newspa-
pers in his tender years. years so
tender, It might be remarked in
passing, that he was not only able
to, but did carry in person all the
New York papers that were shipped
each day into Washington.
Picked Location Early
It is remarked by Mr.. Hibbs'
biographer that the location on
Fifteenth street, now marked by the
substantial Hibhs' banking and
brokerage building early appealed
to him as reasonable and pleas.
ing location. How well the early
Judgment eof the subject Of the,
Post sketch has been born out is
lndicated7ay the fact that tie Hibbs
building is located at the very
hub efs what has become known as
the financial center OF the. world.
Continuing his interesting account
of the career of this popular Wash
lngton banker. the writer for the
Saturday Evening Post says: 1.-The
story goes that young Mr.. Hibbs, in
distributing New York papers to his
regular customers, had occasion to
leave a paper at azsmall shop op-
posite 1.-THE Treasury building In
which quotations on some ten New
York. Stock Exchange stocks were
marked up-or down as the case
might be. Being OF a friendly and
helpful disposition he would mo.
mentarfiy desist from his newspaper
carrying and assist the proprietor
IF the shop by chalking the quota
tons on the board %
A Broker at Nineteen
This. according to the story, was
the beginning of Mrs. Ribbs' ac-
tivities in the stock brokerage bust.
ness, and at the age of nineteen
he went into business for himself
and bought himself a seat on the
New York Stock Exchange when
seats We're selling at the price of
an early American antique. Fol-
lowing this he began to collect
seats on other stock exchanges
with the same eager abandon-and
oy 1905 he was such a flourishing
banker and broker that he bought
bis white marble building on Fiji.
teenth street"
It does not require the words of
the commentator in the Saturday
Evening Post to fix Billy Hibbs'
place among the old.timers in
Washington who have known him
and loved him through the years
Of his business life here, but it is
Of pleasing interest TO note. that
his wel-earned popularity has now
been heralded TO the world and
that the Post further says of him:
Presidents. cabinet officers. COM
mission heads. financiers, bureau
chiefs editors, admirals, generals,
Senators. newspaper correspon-
tents, ambassadors. consuls, an.
:hors. representatives, governors,
railroad presidents, labor leaders.
manufacturers and what not have
sat ins hts big front room ten
stories above Fifteenth street and
1nburdened themselves of various
important pieces Of information.
Tribute Deserved
Mr.. Hibbs' intimate knowledge OF
2olitfcs and Of finance and his
clear reasoning upon these subjects
Ire brought out in the story of his
lchievement as told in the maya
line. which also stresses his well.
Known kindness and interest in
ais FELLOW men and their problems.
To Washingtonians who have had
he pleasure of knowing 'BiIIyr
dlobs through the years or who
lave come into contact with his
RENAL personality only recently the
tory in the Saturday Evening Post
s well-deserved tribute to one
Who holds distinct and honored
place In Washington financial life.
who has won his place by hard
tnd honest work. by square deal,ni.
ina by an endearing disposition
IND character above reproach.