William Orton (businessman)

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William Orton
3rd Commissioner of Internal Revenue
In office
March 11, 1869 – October 31, 1865[1]
PresidentAndrew Johnson
Preceded byJoseph J. Lewis
Succeeded byEdward A. Rollins
Personal details
Born(1826-06-14)June 14, 1826
Cuba, New York
DiedApril 22, 1878(1878-04-22) (aged 51)
New York City, New York
Resting placeSleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Political partyRepublican[2]
SpouseAgnes J. Gillespie (m. 1852-1878, his death)
Children8
Alma materNew York State Normal School
OccupationBusiness executive (1847–1878)
Known forPresident, Western Union Telegraph Company, 1867–1878

William Orton (June 14, 1826 – April 22, 1878) was an American businessman who served as president of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

Early life[edit]

William Orton was born in Cuba, New York on June 14, 1826.[3] He was trained as a printer and worked on a newspaper in the village of Cuba.[4] He graduated from the State Normal School (now the State University of New York at Albany) in 1847, and received his certification as a teacher.[5]

He taught at a school in Cuba, and then moved to Geneva to become a clerk in a bookstore.[6] In 1852 Orton moved to Buffalo, where he became a partner in a publishing company called Derby, Orton & Co.[6]

Start of career[edit]

In 1858 Orton moved to New York City to become a partner in another publishing company, Miller & Orton.[6] This firm went out of business two years later, with Orton moving to the bookselling and publishing firm of J. G. Gregory & Co. as managing clerk.[6]

A Republican and supporter of the Union during the American Civil War, Orton was elected to New York City's Common Council in 1860, and served one term.[7]

From 1862 to 1865 he was federal Collector of Revenue for the 6th district of New York.[8] In 1865 Orton was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue, but he served at this post in Washington, D.C. for only four months before resigning to resume his business career.[9][10]

Continued career[edit]

William Orton in 1882's "The Royal Road to Wealth: How to Find and Follow It".

Orton was appointed president of the United States Telegraph Company in the fall of 1865.[11] When this company merged with Western Union in 1866 Orton was appointed Western Union's vice president.[12] He also studied law, and attained admission to the bar in 1867.[13] In 1867 Jeptha Wade resigned as president of Western Union, and Orton succeeded him.[14] In addition to his position at Western Union, Orton was president of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company,[15] International Ocean Telegraph Company, and Atlantic and Southern Telegraph Company.[16]

In 1871 President Ulysses S. Grant offered the position of Collector of the Port of New York to John Augustus Griswold, who declined.[17] Grant then offered to nominate Orton, who also declined.[17] Griswold and Orton both recommended Chester A. Arthur, who received the appointment.[17]

Orton was a delegate to the 1872 and 1876 Republican National Conventions.[18]

He was active in the Episcopal Church, and served as a vestryman at New York City's Church of the Holy Apostles.[19]

Death[edit]

Orton died at his home in New York City on April 22, 1878.[20] He was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.[21] He was succeeded by Norvin Green as the head of Western Union.[22]

Family[edit]

In 1852 Orton married Agnes J. Gillespie of Buffalo.[23] They were the parents of eight children: Jessie; Alice; William, Jr.; James; Agnes; M. Virginia; Robert; and Grosvenor.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Internal Revenue Service Data Book 2003" (PDF). irs.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  2. ^ Proceedings of the National Republican Conventions of 1868, 1872, 1876 and 1880. Minneapolis, MN: Charles W. Johnson. 1903. pp. 196, 307.
  3. ^ Ruthven, Noel (March 1, 1881). "Our Monster Telegraph System". Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, Volume 11. New York, NY. p. 263.
  4. ^ History of Allegany County, N. Y. New York, NY: F. W. Beers & Co. 1879. p. 252 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Johnson, Rossiter (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Volume VIII. Boston, MA: The Biographical Society. p. Orton-Osbon.
  6. ^ a b c d Derby, James Cephas (1884). Fifty Years Among Authors, Books and Publishers. New York, NY: G. W. Carleton & Co. p. 46 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Stevens, John Austin Jr. (1862). Proceedings at the Mass Meeting of Local Citizens on Union Square, New-York. New York, NY: George F. Nesbitt & Co. p. 8.
  8. ^ Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States, Volume XIII. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1887. p. 13.
  9. ^ "Promotion of Hon. William Orton". New York Times. New York, NY. May 22, 1865.
  10. ^ "Resignation of Mr. Orton". New York Times. New York, NY. November 1, 1865.
  11. ^ "Testimony, Hearings Before the United States Commiossion on Industrial Relations". The Commercial Telegraphers' Journal, Volumes 13-14. Chicago, IL. January 1, 1915. p. 328.
  12. ^ Phalen, William J. (2015). How the Telegraph Changed the World. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-7864-9445-3.
  13. ^ Reid, James D. (1879). The Telegraph in America. New York, NY: Derby Brothers. p. 783.
  14. ^ "Editorial Notes". Magazine of Western History, Volume 13. New York, NY: Magazine of Western History Publishing Co. November 1, 1890. p. 130.
  15. ^ Anderson, Kelly C. (1994). Thomas Edison. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-56006-041-3.
  16. ^ Disturnell, John (1876). New York As It Was And As It Is. New York, NY: D. Van Norstrand. p. 195.
  17. ^ a b c Doyle, Burton T.; Swaney, Homer H. (1881). Lives of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. Washington, DC: Rufus H. Darby. p. 188.
  18. ^ Proceedings of the National Republican Conventions of 1868, 1872, 1876 and 1880. Minneapolis, MN: Charles W. Johnson. 1903. pp. 196, 307.
  19. ^ Bacon, Leonard; Thompson, Joseph Parrish; Storrs, Richard Salter; Beecher, Henry Ward; Leavitt, Joshua; Tilton, Theodore; Bowen, Henry Chandler; Ward, William Hayes; Holt, Hamilton; Franklin, Fabian; Fuller, Harold de Wolf; Herter, Christian Archibald (April 25, 1878). "Death notice, William Orton". The Independent. New York, NY. p. 16.
  20. ^ "Death of William Orton" (PDF). New York Times. New York, NY. April 23, 1878.
  21. ^ "William Orton's Funeral" (PDF). New York Times. New York, NY. April 26, 1878.
  22. ^ Hochfelder, David (2012). The Telegraph in America, 1832–1920. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4214-0747-0.
  23. ^ a b Orton, Edward; Orton, Edward Francis Baxter (1896). An Account of the Descendants of Thomas Orton of Windsor, Connecticut. Columbus, OH: Nitschke Brothers. p. 150.

External links[edit]

Business positions
Preceded by President of the Western Union Telegraph Company
1867–1878 		Succeeded by
Norvin Green
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