.35
"MENJ AND VMC
TIME was when to be the son of a
very rich man In this country, to bo
the "heir apparent to a millionaire's
throne." was to be set down by the public
as one who, probably, would spend his
life scattering: wealth as eagerly, and, per
haps, more rapidly than it had been gath
ered. This view was not altogether a fair
one. yet it bad some justification, and
every one who reads these lines can re
call more than one great fortune of other
days which was dissipated with a reck
lessness that was simply appalling.
In those days few rich men had learned
how to bring up their sons. They were
not trained to be rich. In many cases
they were allowed to "come up" without
much training of any sort, and so they
often lived riotous, unrestrained lives,
ending up disgracefully. It is not sur
prising that the general public came to
regard rich men's sons as Inevitably profli
gate. There were shining exceptions,
Thlch any one can recall for himself, but
to most people they seemed few and ex
ceeding seldom.
But times have changed. The rich man
of today puts his son through a course
of training almost as severe and compre
hensive as the training of a Prince of
the blood royal.
The heirs of most modern American
multl-miUlonalres. indeed, are about tho
most carefully educated young mon on
this green earth; they are not only trained
in the schools, but they are taughl how
to live the lives of very rich men and
also how to conserve the vast fortunes
that, by and by, will be theirs.
When they succeed to their heritages
they are well poised, capable of taking
care of themselves and their own; quite
the equals of those fortunate youngsters
in other lands who succeed to titles as
well as wealth. There are cxcoptlons,
to be sure, but tho public of today Is jus
tified in expecting the heir to many mil
lions to be at least as level-headed as the
young man who is working for a living
and enough besides. If he can get it, to
start him on the road to mllllonairedom
himself.
In one respect most rich Americans are
much wiser than most rich and titled
foreigners. Here, as well as abroad. It is
now customary to moke the eldest son the
head of the house, but it has never become
customary hero to cut oft the younger jon
with a few thousands and let him shift
for himself, so completely unfitted to copo
with the problem of earning his bread as
to make his future utterly hopeless. On
the contrary, being the younger son of an
American millionaire Is about as pleasant
a calling as one could wish to have. He
almost always gets enough of the family
wealth to enable him to live in compara
tive magnificence, and, what is more,
without worry of any kind, since whoever
may manage the general estate, whether
older brother or hired trustee, looks after
the younger brother's Income as closely
as he looks after everything else.
W. G. Rockefeller Sets His
Stake at a Billion
NO "heir apparent to many millions has
shown himself less to the general
public than William G. Rockefeller, eldest
non of William Rockefeller and In the
line of succession as head of the younger
Rockefeller family.
William G. Rockefeller is now 2J, and
Rmong all the sons of very wealthy men
he has the distinction of having confided
directly to his friends his personal ambi
tion. It Is to be worth a billion dollars
before he dies to be "richer than Uncle
John is now" and his friends beliero
that he will make good.
William G. Rockefeller lives at Green
wich, Conn., where his father first settled
after moving to New York from Cleve
land to take charge of what was then the
Standard Oil's Eastern branch. He is as
different from his better-known cousin.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., as his father
William is from his brother, tho great
Baptist. William once described himself
as the "bad Rockefeller." meaning that
he was not an enthusiastic supporter of
the church, and possibly referring also to
the fact that he did not incline to spec
tacular gifts of money to missionary
causes or the founding of universities.
William G. Rockefeller doesn't Jead a
Sunday school; he doesn't worry about
th personal morals of the Standard Oil's
clerical fore, and he doesn't push him
self to the front In any way whatever.
But he Is a better citizen in most ways
than most rich men for he Is already
started on his journey toward the billion
aire mark or poor ones, either.
For. when summoned to serve on the
New Tork Grand Jury a few years ago,
er not -only complied with cheerfulness,
but entered upon his duties with real en
thusiasm. Most men da everything pos
sible to get out of jury duty, even being
willing to pay a fine. If they can afford It.
rather than serve. William G.'s fellow
grand jurors made him foreman, as a
ort of tribute to. his wealth, possibly; at
all events, they were really surprised at
the efficient and business-like way he
went about his task. As foreman. It was
his place to examine the witnesses, which
he did 'with such thoroughness, directness
and ingenuity as might be expected only
of a skilled and seasoned trial lawyer.
He married Elsie, the daughter of
James Stillman. famous as "Rockefeller's
banker." in 1896, and they liave a little
son upon whom great hopes are built by
them and all their friends because of the
child's remarkable leaning toward me
chanics. All children like to ."see the
wheels go round," but this mite of a third
generation Rockefeller he is only or
B shows so little Insight Into the reasons
for their turning.
He Is especially interested In steam lo
comotives and delights to spend hours
watching the ponderous machines that
haul the through trains In and out of the
desire to do this amounts almost to a ;
mania, and a trusted servant Is occa
sionally detailed to take the child there
and remain with him till his curiosity
about locomotives Is satisfied for the time
being. On such occasons his questions
about the various parts of the locomo
tive are said to be such as few save a
practical locomotive builder or engineer
could answer. They drive the servant
nearly wild.
Percy Rockefeller, William's younger
son, is probably better known to the pub
lic than William G., though perhaps this
is mainly because the publicity given to
his marriage was greater than has been
given to any other Rockefeller wedding,
save that of John D., Jr. Percy married
Isabel Stillman. younger sister of Mrs.
William G. Percy's courtship Is said to
have run exactly along the lines so often
followed by short story writers. There
was an illness, during which young Percy
saw his brother's wife's sister often, be
fore convalescence bad hardly begun the
young people were mutually Interested
and the engagement was announced soon i
after the young man s health was def
initely declared restored.
It may be added that, through Mrs.
Percy, there Is a special social link be
tween the Rockefellers and the Vander
bllts, since, a Miss Stillman. she was
one of the bridesmaids at the marriage
of Miss Elsie French to Alfred Gwynne
Vanderbllt The business relations be
tween William Rockefeller and the Van
derbllts bare long been close.
Robert L. Geary Practices
Law After a Fashion
NEW YORK society knowB Robert Liv
ingston Gerry, oldest son of Com
modore E. T. Gerry more famous aa the
grandson of a "Signer."' an enthusiastic
yachtsman and the "Children's Society"
head than as a multi-millionaire very
well, but the general public has heard
little about him.
Yet he is a young man of much per
sonal force and by reason of the growing
family wealth has before blm a life of
great possibilities. Few people, even In
New York, understand that Elbridge T.
Gerry's fortune Is one of the notable ones
of the country: that it is of exceptional
solidity and bound to Increase with rapid
ity. Like the Astor fortunes. It Is made
up mainly of New York real estate, the
vate real estate owners In the city, and
his riches being due mainly to the "un- J
earned increment" which slngle-taxers so
deplore. It would be only a guess to J
name rpeclflc figures in speaking of the ;
Gerry wealth, but a man who assumes j
to know- sanethlnjr about U auction
THE BUST) AT OREGONIAK, TOHTLAKD. JUOT 11, 1903.
$60,900,0)0 as a conservative and JSO.OOO.ttQ
as a by-no-means extravagant estimate.
Robert Livingston Gorry is a college
bred man, of course. After leaving col
lege he studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and now has an office at 391 Broad
way, his father's headquarters for so
many years. Young Gerry has made no
effort to secure a general practice, since
he has plenty of legal work to do in con
nection with his father's property and
the tri of nthpr MtalM In trhteh hi
interested. As a matter of fact, the I
father, no w well along In life, has turned
over to his 'son the conduct of many af
fairs In which he has hitherto been In
terested. Young Gerry Is really a well
equipped lawyer, and considered amply
able to take good care of the family's
Interest.
Curiously enough, desphe his father's
enthusiasm a a yachtsman, the Gerry
crown prince lakes no special Interest In
sea sports. He is an enthusiastic hunt
ing and coaching man. however, and Is
active In the society affairs of the so
called Four -Hundred. After Vanderbllt
and he are very chummy. One year they
"horsed' and drove the famous coach
Pioneer between New York and Ardsley
on alternate days. Young Gerry was at
one time acting master of the Orange
County Hunt, and undoubtedly will some
day fill the place of master. He is a
skillful and tireless rider.
His younger brother, Peter Goelet
Gerry. Is rather more retiring than Rob
ert L., but he hunts, drives coaches and
otherwise has the sort of good time in life
that falls naturally . to the lot of an
American xnultl - millionaire's younger
son.
It has not transpired whether or not
either of the younger Gerrys will take up
their father's work In the "Children's
Society" when he Is ready to lay it down.
Jack Morgan Is Fond of
Catboat Yachting
LITTLE known to the general public,
but pretty well sized -up in financial
circles on this side of the water, and even
better in London, J. P. Morgan, Jr.
"Jack" Morgan he was called in his col
lege days Is one of the millionaire heirs
apparent from which great things are ex
pected by and by.
Born In 167, he is two years under -10.
of the first generation entirely clear of
direct Civil War Influences, and distinctly
a product of the multi-millionaire age. so- J
called.
The general impression among these
who know him well is that "Jack" Mor
gan is a good, all-round chap, not ex
ceptionally Intellectual, but full of solid
horse sense, sturdy both In mind and
body, and likely to be so stimulated by
the stress of the responsibilities placed
upon bis broad shoulders as to make him
a creditable successor to his remarkable
father. Though himself educated abroad,
the senior Morgan sent the Junior to
Harvard. There "Jack" Morgan carried
himself with average ability, unlike the
father falling to score & noteworthy mark
as to scholarship. He gave a good deal
of attention to athletics, though ho made
no unusual records and never became ex
actly famous In tho shell, on the football
field or on the track.
He was graduated In 1SS9 and married
the rich and well-connected Miss Grew,
of Boston, soon afterward. He went to
work in his father banking house as a
clerk almost Immediately after getting out
of college.
It is the custom of some rich men who
put their sons at work to make life In the
otfics for then, but Morran senior
NWP
1 know." He used to work- from 6 to 10 M XJZZLZp2 G. I XgmtBSHKKsSSKd 3 J
week In cold weather and five in Summer.
On Saturdays he always took a half holi
day; sometimes be knocked off work all
day.
He was steady as the dock In his move
ments week In and week out. He lived In
New Rochelle, on the" New York. New
Haven &. Hartford Railroad, and went to
his office every morning on the SUA train,
and never started for home before 4:30,
even on his shortest days, which meant
10 hours away from home. Many men
would have found It Impossible to keep up
their regular exercise under such condi
tions, but not "Jack" Morgan. He played
golf in the long late afternoons and some
times In the mornings before his 7:30
breakfast, and he rode a good deal, both
on horseback and on the wheel. But his
pet diversion was sailing a knockabout
yacht.
This he couldn't do "mornings and
nights," but his Saturday afternoons were
devoted to it almost exclusively. Possibly
he spread his sail occasionally on Sunday.
Ono year especially young Morgan's
knockabout matches with his best friend.
Charles Appleton. of the, famous publish
ing house, were the talk of all the west
ern end of Long Island Sound's north
shore. The two knockabouts sailed by the
two friends were as nearly alike as It was
possible for human skill to make them,
each measuring 19 feet -on the water line
and 2 feet over all. The only appreciable
difference between them was In their
names. Apple ton's was christened Iola,
Morgan's Gollywog.
Morgan's friends had great faith in his
abilities as a sailor, but they despised his
taste in calling his boat by such an un
couth name as Gollywog. and they begged
him to change it. This he wouldn't do,
declaring' Gollywog a good enough title
for any boat, and as likely to bring good
luck as bad. Nobody knows what the re
sults of that Summer's racing might have
been bad the name been changed. As it
was. the records made by the two boats
were practically tied all Summer.
That was In 1S37. and at the close of the
It next year. But early In
season Morgan and Appleton agreed to
1S53 J. P.. Sr., decided to end his son over
to London to help run the British branch
of the banking-house. "Jack." hardly
thought he would stay long, and made a
pact with Appleton to try out conclusions
with their knockabouts whenever he
should return. But seven years have
passed, the finals have not been sailed yet.
and the chances that they ever will be
now seem remote.
New Rochelle men still reminisce fond
ly over tho days when "Jack" Morgan
was one of them. His devotion to busi
ness filled them with admiration, and they
tell how. In order to Induce him to get
away from the office In the middle of the
week and attend the Wednesday yacht
races, an Innovation in the shape of a spe
cial knockabout class was proposed.
"Jack" sighed but shook his head and
declared It wouldn't do. After having
been loan clerk, bond clerk, corre
sponding clerk and what not besides, he
had been mad a partner, in S4 or 'JC
Just after the death of J. Hood Wright
and be bad an cnorB9sus mass of final of
fice details, such as pawing on securities,
vl!- accouaf. ree4vl(HC Important vis-
Mats ae lb Wee. which he wouldn't
RfAD AEPUT
HEIRS APPARENT TO AMERICAN MONEY
THR.ONES CONCERNING WHOM LITTLE IS PUBLICLY
KNOWN
think of leaving to any one else "any
way, just to sail a boat." he said.
In some ways "Jack" Morgan Is held to
be an Improvement on his father. Unlike
the latter; he never forgets his manners.
In his office or anywhere else, and this
gives him a great advantage when carry
ing on delicate negotiations with Import
ant people. 9o far the young man has not
shown the quick, comprehensive grasp of
things which characterizes his father, but
possibly that Is because he hasn't yet had
full swing.
According to all accounts, "Jack" Mor
gan lives a far more formal life In Lon
don than he ever did here. On this side
he had no town house, and his New Ro
chelle home was a modest cottage of two
stories and a half, rented from year to
year. He went about some on account of
his wife, who delighted In society, but be
was always understood to care not a rap
for the exclusive set himself. Over there
he has two or three costly British resi
dences in town and country, which are
furnished with much splendor, and. as the
son. of his father, he has to entertafn a
good deal. Because of his father's ac-
qualntance with. Edward VII. he is well
received by the "King's set." he rides
regularly In Hyde Park, and In many
wayB his mode of life has changed, though
he works as hard there as he ever did
here.
In the old days he was very popular with
the "smoking-car set" on the commuta
tion trains between New York and New
Rochelle because of his utter lack of snob
bishness. He was the biggest man In the
set, being 6 feet 2 and wide accordingly.
His friends used to say they could smell
his briar pipe long before ho reached the
station mornings, but that he always put
the pipe away, out of consideration for
their noses, when he got on the train.
"Jack" Is a good txlker, but a better lis
tener. "He likes good stories, but doesn't
tell many himself. His American friends
hope that the burden of his work as his
father's representative in the "British
branch" will not change his old-time, sim
ple nature.
ClarenceMackay,Untrained
in High Position
CLARENCE HUNGERFORD MAC
KAY, head of the Postal Telegraph
Company, and other enterprises, worth in
all about as much as the Gerry fortune,
la not exactly an heir to a multl-mllllon-alre
throne, sinco he 1 already enthroned,
nor Is he as little known to the general
public as William G. Rockefeller or young
Gerry or "Jack" Morgan. But as- the
virtual head of all the Mackay enter
prises. Clarence. Mackay Is almost an un
known quantity In the public mind.
It was said when Ma rataer ie4 three
JLyears axo. that. Uewck he wasn't yet
ready for th'e Job. In time Clarence would j the reigning August Belmont and third
take the helm. Since that time he has j -f thQ name, is 23, and quite as good
token It. and Is now holding it with a a P!o player as his father.
firm hand, but the newspaper-reading William Waldorf Astor. Jr., now 26,
public remembers him chiefly perhaps 1 heir-apparent to the larger of the two
only as the rather lively and pleasure- great Astor fortunes, Is practically a
loving heir apparent of his father's j young Englishman of English train
bonanza fortune. ing and with acquired English tastes.
Clarence Mackay's determination to be I William Vincent Astor, his 14-year-the
actual head of the Postal Telegraph j old cousin, son of John Jacob Astor
and other enterprises established by his and Ava Willing, is more interesting.
father, and not to leave them to the
management of others, after the fashion
of Alfred Vanderbllt, Is said to be due. In"
some measure, at least, to the energy
and success with which George Gould,
son of the "Western Union's first real
chief, attacked the management of the
Gould enterprises after Jay Gould's
death. Young Mackay began to pave the
way for actual control In 1S37. about a
year before his marriage to Miss Kath
crine Duer.
Down to that time John W. Mackay.
apparently, had looked upon his son as
little more than, a boy, and little had
ever passed between the two about his
business future. On this occasion, John
W. being In New York, Clarence went
to him at his office In the Postal Tele
graph building. The older man saw that
something of real or fancied Importance
was on the younger one's mind.
"Well, son." said John W.. looking up
as the youngster approached, "what's the
matter today?""
"Nothing's the matter, governor, but I
want to have a little talk with you. As
long as you live you'll be the chief, and
I'll be my father's son. All right; that
suits me. But when you set tired. I'll
need to get Into harness, and I'd like to
know something about It beforehand. So
I want a Job. now. whatever kind of
work you select for mo I'll take, and I'll
attend it the best I know how."
Naturally this pleased the old man, and
he said he'd see about it. Soon afterward
Clarence was made a director and one of
.1 Mt. Af th. rnmmiot r,.
bio Company.: His office carried with It rollicking son of Hetty Green, the rich
the doing of certain things every day. ? est woman in the country, is probably
and the young man did them as faithfully i e most picturesque multimillionaire
and picked up practical knowledge of the heir-apparent known. Ha s a Yale
business In the doing of tfaera aa rapidly graduate, was his mother's favorite as
as -he would had his job been a mere clerk-I ch"d. largely because he is slightly
ship. He didn't work very many hours
dar. nor did tie go roucn smau detail
work personally, but he was promptly at
hl3 desk every morning when In New
York, and when away kept constantly In
touch with his own work. -
Little by little he gained wide knowl
edge of the general business, so that he
was probably competent to have taken
charge of' everything had occasion re
quired when his father died In 1902. There
was no occasion, however, and Clarence
was modestly content to remain la the
background and let some one else be the
head and. front for a time. Since then
h has aacumed the reins, and from the
big telegraph and cable building on Broad
way, opposite the City Hall, comes word
that he wields the scepter with all tho
steadiness of a veteran, though now only
30.
Clarence Mackay's marriage to Kath
erine Duer was one of the- mcst-talked-of
society events of the season, some seven
years ago. Soon after their union they
established themselves on Long Island as
members of the Colony of Millionaires,
who have pre-empted the Island as their
very own. buying a large estate and build
ing thereon a more gorgeous mansion than
any of the older residences there. The
estate as a whole Is rarely beautiful, and
many thousands have been lavished upon
it. It is named Harbor Hill, and It Is lo
cated near Roslyn. Mrs. Mackay, who U
an unusually personable woman. I3 a lead
er in the .gaieties of the colony. The re
markable fair and entertainment which
she gave last September when the house
and grounds were thrown open to all
comers who were willing to pay 50 cents
for admission, will not be forgotten in a
long time, either by the hundreds of Iiong
Island farmers who attended and bought
things offered for sale at the booths, or
Mrs. Mackay's friends, who sold them.
The gross receipts at the sale some $5000
or 16000 were given to a local hospital,
but the cost of the entertainment, paid
for by Mrs. Mackay and her friends, was
thousands more- than the hospital re
ceived. ,
Sundry Multi-Millionaire
Crown Princes
INGDON GOULD, the heir-appar-1
ent to the bulk of the fortune left
by the Wizard of Wall street. Is pretty
well known for a boy of IS, owing to
his hazing experiences of last Winter.
Of H. O. Havemeyer, Jr.,, heir-apparent
to a great slice of the millions
that have been made in sugar, the
general public knows almost nothing.
August Belmont, Jr.. oldest son of
This lad is being reared with extraor
dinary Care. As a child he was not
strong; and a course of outdoor life at
Ferncllffe, the famous up-the-Hudsdh
estate, near Rhinecllffe, was planned
for him. There he has been" reared
mostly, so far, with plenty of fresh air
and exercise for his daily portion. Pos
sibly he has been too much secluded
from other boys, but the physical re
sults have certainly been good. His
father is very chummy with the' lad.
and the two go to all sorts of places.
Young William Henry Vanderbllt,
son of Alfred, 10 years younger than'
John Jacob Astor's heir, is alad being
brought up on fresh air and plenty of
it. With his parents he is living at
Ardsley Towers, the red-roofed man
sion built by Barber, and leased for
the season by Alfred. Every day the
child Is kept outdoors for hours, a
groom, a nurse, a -horse and a two
seated runabout being' devoted entirely
to his 'service. It would be hard to
find a more popular multi-millionaire
heir-apparent than this 4 -year-old
great-great-grandson of the grim old
Commodore, who was the world's first
railroad multl-rallllonalre.
All the young folk who are chummy
with his father and -mother call the
' miQ J a"u' w "
j f " 0lSf " " h
child "BUI." and,, to all appearances, he
were not destined to do worm more
millions than any human being can
possibly know what to do with.
At Jb, xi. urecu. me 01s. uuny,
zA crippiea. ana wua v"- 5
1 hii.lnpca ir ChiMro firr her when he
was 23, immediately after h.is gradua
tion. Since then he has acquired
divers other interests, including a po
litical ambition, which seems hardly
likely to be gratified, and a railroad In
Texas, -where he has lived much of his
manhood life. He is often seen In New
York. Chicago and other Northern and
Eastern cities. He will hardly be
fully dominant over the Green millions
for some years to come, since hla
mother is still strong; sturdy and dis
posed to relinquish Tier throne to. no
one, not even her son.