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IN MEMORY OF
WILLIAMF. KING

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,

In Memory of
William F. King

Addresses delivered at a Memorial Meeting
on May iath, 1909, in the Assembly
Room of The Merchants' Associa
tion of New York; together
with a Biographical Sketch

Published by
The Merchants' Association
of New York
1909

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Contents

Addresses by

Henry R. Towne

• 5

J. Hampden Dougherty

12

John N. Beach

. 18

Geo. B. Cortelyou .

• 25

AND

A Biographical Sketch by
Wm. R. Corwine . . . .
28
SNOWDEN PRESS
S-6-'09-40
Address by Henry R. Towne
President of The Merchants'
Association of New York
E are met to do honor to the
memory of a man who hon
ored this community, this
Association, and himself, by
his high sense of civic duty,
by his earnest and effective
services to the public, and by his devotion
to the cause for the promotion of which he
and others organized The Merchants' Asso
ciation, namely, "To Foster the Trade and
Welfare of New York."
The visitor to London's Great Cathedral,
St. Paul's, is shown in its crypt the simple
tomb of its illustrious architect, Sir Christo
pher Wren, on the wall above which is
inscribed the legend "si monumentum requi-
ris, circumspice" — If thou askest for his
monument, look about thee. And so of
William F. King it may fittingly be said in
this place, "If you seek his monument, look
about you," for the useful and militant
organization in whose home we are met is in

[5]

In Memory of William F. King
the truest sense a monument to his finest
traits and to his best creative powers.
Among the significant signs of the times is
the growing recognition of the fact that the
moral obligation of the citizen to the state or
community in which he dwells, especially if
under its aegis he has prospered, does not
end with the payment of taxes, but should in
clude personal service or financial aid in sup
port of practical movements for the pro
motion of the public welfare. In this sense
and in this service William F. King was a
leader in his time, not only in the affairs of
this city, but also of this state and of this
nation; — not only in the affairs of business
and of commerce, but also in those of philan
thropy, of education, of public welfare, and
of civic righteousness. He was a man of
many sides, of many aptitudes, and of many
gifts, but of single purpose in his devotion to
duty and his desire to do good in the com
munity in which he lived. A busy and suc
cessful merchant, he found time to apply
himself to public and civic affairs with a
devotion which entitles him to lasting grati
tude, and an ability which won lasting vic
tories. This great city in which he spent his
life, and of which we are so justly proud, is
a greater and a better city because of what
he did in it and for it. On us who survive
devolves the duty of carrying forward the
work which he so well began.
Others will speak of his work in its other
phases, but on me, as his successor in the

[6]

Address by Henry R. Towne
office he so ably filled, devolves the duty of
indicating in some brief measure the char
acter and scope of his work in, and for, the
Merchants' Association.
He was its founder and chief organizer,
and in 1897 became its first President. In
his farewell address when resigning the presi
dency, in June, 1901, he outlined his views
as to its functions as follows :
"My views of the extent to which an Asso
ciation truly representative of this city's
business and property interests might and
should influence public affairs were and are
far wider than the nominal purpose for
which the Merchants' Association was or
ganized. It has served that purpose which
relates directly to trade faithfully and well,
but it has done very much more than that;
and I firmly believe that it has shown the
people of this city the usefulness of such a
public organ. I have for many years had the
earnest conviction that a purely commercial
organization, largely directed toward re
straining the waste of the people's money and
properly shaping public outlays, would
greatly benefit the city's commercial and
property interests."
During the four years of his administra
tion the Association expended $266,000 in
the conduct of its work, and collected over
$200,000 additional for relief work in Gal
veston, Jacksonville, Porto Rico, and else
where. The greatest achievement in its history

[7]

In Memory of William F. King
was its long but successful fight against
the great Ramapo scheme of plunder, which
cost the Association some $40,000, towards
which Mr. King advanced $22,000 from his
personal means (afterwards repaid), and
which saved the taxpayers of this city more
than One Hundred Million Dollars.
Among the many other activities of the
Association under Mr. King's leadership may
be mentioned the following, viz :
It secured the equalization of railway pas
senger rates which terminated the
1897: discrimination against New York
which had previously existed, and
thereupon organized the semi-annual "Mer
chants' Reduced Rates Excursions," under
which an average of over ten thousand mer
chants from the West and South have been
induced annually to visit this city for the
transaction of business with New York mer
chants. It supported effectively the movement for
currency reform inaugurated by the
1898: Indianapolis Monetary Conference.
It aided in securing the modification
of the U. S. War Revenue Act as to the
unequal taxation of mercantile corporations.
It aided greatly in securing the appropria
tion of $6,000,000 for the improvement of
the Harbor of New York by the cutting of
the Ambrose Channel, now in use, which is
named after its chief advocate, Mr. John W.

[8]

Address by Henry R. Towne
Ambrose, who was then a member of the
Board of Directors of this Association.
It opposed and was chiefly instrumental in
defeating the 5 per cent. Interest
1899: Bill, which would have tended se
riously to drive capital from this
State.
It secured important reforms in the adminis
tration of the New York Custom House,
whereby burdensome delays were abolished ; it
secured the abolition of the oppressive rule re
quiring 10 per cent, of all articles on each
invoice to be held for appraisement ; it secured
the abolition of the rule requiring duties to
be paid on samples having no merchantable
value. It successfully opposed reduction in
the number of carriers and of deliveries in
the New York Post Office.
In this and two succeeding years it opposed
the proposed stoppage of the pneu-
1900: matic tube service of the New York
Post Office.
At the request of the executive officials of
the government it actively assisted in formu
lating and promoting equitable trade rela
tions with Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philip
pines. It promoted important reforms in
the Consular Service, essential to the larger
development of our export trade in manu
factures. By the evidence it submitted to Governor
Odell that the scheme was purely specu-

[9]

In Memory of William F. King

lative, it defeated the North River Bridge
Grab, which would have granted vast rights
without adequate regulation and with no
compensation to the city.
It opposed and procured the defeat of the
Ship Subsidy Bill, covertly framed
1 90 1 : in the interest of foreign built ships.
It promoted increased facilities in
the present Post Office building, and im
proved postal service in this city.
In co-operation with the Executive De
partment of the Government and the officials
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was largely
instrumental in bringing about the arrange
ments whereby a new Post Office building
will shortly be available at the site of the
great Pennsylvania Terminal.
At the meeting of the Board of Directors,
held February 25th, 1909, the first meeting
after the death of Mr. King, the following
minute was unanimously adopted:
"The death of Mr. William F. King,
which occurred February 19th, 1909, in
volves a loss which it is difficult to measure
or express :
To this Association, of its chief organizer,
its first President, and its ever loyal and
efficient member;
To the commercial world, of a leader in
all that stood for integrity, high ideals, and
successful achievements ;

[10]

Address by Henry R. Towne
To this great community, of a citizen eve)
ready, with heart, head, and hand, to serve
her interests, whether in opposing wrong 01
promoting good, in stimulating public inter
est in all that concerns the common weal, anc
in finding the ways and means whereby or
ganized effort might be transmuted intc
accomplished results;
To his wide circle of personal and business
associates, of a friend whose genial presence
whose kindly nature, whose unswerving loy
alty and whose unblemished name they wil
long remember and cherish;
To those who were his fellow-members or
this Board, of one whose presence, word;
and example will ever be an inspiration tc
carry forward the work and organization
which he planned so well and to which he
gave so great an impetus.
In the spirit thus implied, this Board re
cords its high appreciation of the charactei
and achievements of Mr. King, and its sor
row at his death; and directs this tribute tc
his memory to be placed upon its minutes,
given to the public press, and transmitted in
proper form to his family."

[»]

In Memory of WilUam F. King

Address by J. Hampden Dougherty
In presenting to the Merchants' Association of New
York, on behalf of Mrs. William F. King, a
portrait of her late husband.
By laws of life as unerring in their oper
ation as those which guide the sweep of plan
ets in their orbits, the character is indelibly
stamped upon the features of mature man
hood. It needs only the instinct of discernment to
trace the hidden things of the soul in the un
doubted lines upon the face.
Avarice, cunning, passion, lust, petulance,
misanthropy, write themselves upon the
countenance as surely as do high and worthy
traits. Let no man lay the flattering unction to
his soul that his follies or vices are known
only to himself or his intimates; they are as
patent as daylight to the discriminating.
Of all graphic arts none surpass portraiture
in these revelations. The real painter gives
you no mere transcription of lines, no mere
reprint of features. The face he paints visu
alizes the soul. The lineaments of Philip IV
as portrayed by Velasquez show you a
haughty Castilian monarch, conscious that
his subjects extended over three continents.

[12]

Address by J. Hampden Dougherty
What birth and blood mean Sir Joshua
Reynolds tells in numerous drawings of
aristocratic English women. Rembrandt in
his canvasses externalises inward character,
exhibiting the quiet, poised, indomitable Hol
landers, able either to reclaim a land from
the advancing ocean or rescue it from the op
pression of Spanish misrule.
In the portrait of the first President of this
Association, those who knew him recognize
the man, and those who had not that good
fortune will find him disclosed. No friend
need fear critical analysis of that face.
A genial, affable, straight-forward, manly,
energetic nature, a good-humored vital per
sonality, yet with a touch of the feminine that
is explained by his possession of that rare
masculine endowment, the faculty of intu
ition. He was, as Carlyle said of Mirabeau, "A
man not with logic spectacles, but with an
eye." His mental vision instantly pene
trated to the heart of a problem and the cor
rect treatment of it, while others were grop
ing their way towards its solution.
This faculty made him an in valuable
friend and adviser in emergencies, as might
readily be demonstrated, if the secrets of offi
cial life became public.
What Burke, in his speech in support of
Fox's East India Bill, said in characterization
of his friend, may appropriately be recalled,

[13]

In Memory of William F. King
as we look upon this reproduction of Mr.
King's face: "Here is no mixture of deceit,
of hypocrisy, of pride, of ferocity, of want
of feeling for the distresses of mankind."
That transparently honest countenance sug
gests the antithesis of guile; there is in it no
taint of craft, of Phariseeism; nothing vul
pine; nothing of the servile or venal place
man, "all tranquillity and smiles;" but there
is the quiet consciousness of rectitude and
manhood, without manifestation of arro
gance; there is sweetness, not ferocity; and
the sympathy and magnanimity that account
for his many friends and explain his gener
ous support of noble charities.
There is broad and large mentality, al
though perhaps not disciplined by severe
scholarship; there is abounding energy and
magnetism — the man of action, not the stu
dent. We seem to see the determined and
successful foe of the Ramapo interests, the
organizer of the Gold Money Campaign of
1900; the opponent of every corrupt special
interest that battens upon the public treasury.
He was the creator of this powerful asso
ciation, which for years was almost a synonym
for his name. He was the type of man to
lead movements for civic righteousness and
his city and state are in more wholesome con
dition today because of his service and his
influence. Faults he had, but as Burke said
of Fox, they were faults that had nothing in
them to extinguish the fire of his great vir-
[14]

Address by J. Hampden Dougherty
tues. If his judgment was not always un
erring, it was because of insurgent emotional
impulses, essentially noble and generous. He
hated oppression, he abhorred injustice and was
impatient that gross moral obliquity in high
places was not always amenable to criminal
prosecution. His heart went out enthusiastic
ally, almost quixotically, to those who had
affinity for his views; and his disappointment
was keen if they failed him. Failure 1 he
would not allow the word. Courage, to him,
was a large ingredient in every intellectual
and moral achievement; and with courage,
success was assured.
With George Eliot in the Spanish Gypsy
he held: "No great deed was ever done
By falterers who ask for certainty,
No good is certain, but the steadfast mind,
The undivided will to seek the good— •
'Tis that compels the elements and wrings
A human music from the indifferent air."
The impeachment of Warren Hastings
was a failure, yet without it we should have
missed some of Burke's and Sheridan's splen
did eloquence, and Macauley's vivid descrip
tion of the trial in Westminster Hall would
never have been written. Many an appar
ently impossible victory has been won in the
face of almost certain defeat. King was no
weakling, disposed to magnify difficulties.
He had the indomitable spirit and the proud
patience which the gods are said to love.

[15]

In Memory of William F. King
His integrity was invincible. Neither detrac
tion, nor abuse, nor adulation, nor seductions
or bribes of any kind swerved him from his
determination when once it had been reached.
Contempt is sometimes expressed for the
reformer, the agitator ; but the world is broad
and the Garrisons, the Phillipses, the Kings,
have been important factors in its progress.
To me has been assigned the pleasing duty
of presenting this canvas on behalf of Mrs.
King, to the Association which he organized,
which he loved, and to which for years he
devoted himself unsparingly. Those to whom
he was endeared recognize that he belonged
also to you. The gift is fitting. And these
words of presentation contain no studied
panegyric; they are the outgrowth of an
opinion formed of the man from his actions
and his character.
It is eminently proper that the portrait of
the founder of this body should hang upon
these walls, a constant reminder of his en
gaging personality, a stimulus to others to
follow him in the path of lofty and unselfish
citizenship. If this likeness with so much of
the charm of the original could speak, it
would urge you to be faithful to the ideals
and principles that have made your organi
zation so influential in its past. It would
emphasize those wise words of the late Mr.
Lecky: "The foundation of a nation is laid
in pure domestic life, in commercial integrity,
in a high standard of moral worth and of
[16]

Address by Jt Hampden Dougherty

hti i!Ltc»-a ..: 'i1L**:VA>M*

public spirit, in simple habits, in courage, up
rightness, and a certain soundness and mod
eration of judgment which springs quite as
much from character as from intellect.
If you would form a wise judgment of the
future of a nation, observe carefully whether
these qualities are increasing or decaying.
Observe especially what qualities count for
most in public life. Is character becoming
of greater or less importance? Are the men
who obtain the highest posts in the nation,
men of whom in private life and irrespective
of party competent judges speak with genu
ine respect? Are they of sincere convictions,
consistant lives, indisputable integrity ? * *
It is by observing this moral current that you
can best cast the horoscope of a nation."

[17]

-¦--:w1'i'.^fc-;«";-ia*r---

In Memory of William F. King

Address by John N. Beach
On behalf of the Merchants' Club
It is very rarely that we come together
here upon occasions of this kind, although it
is by no means rare that we are called upon
to mourn the loss of an esteemed and beloved
member of this Association or of the Mer
chants' Club, two of the organizations rep
resented in the Committee of Arrangements
for this meeting.
While the membership of the Merchants'
Club is kept intact by means of the names
always to be found upon the Waiting List,
yet there are many vacant places there — we
miss many familiar faces of those with whom
we were wont to delight to associate and
"take sweet council together."
When the time of our departure shall have
come would we not each of us have it said
of us, he was kind; he was considerate; he
was gentle; he was true; he aimed to scatter
sunshine on every hand and to leave the world
a little better for having lived in it.
We are convened here at this hour to pay
our tributes of respect to the memory of our
friend, Mr. William F. King, a member of
the Merchants' Club since 1885, and elected
director in 1893, where, as in every position

[18]

Address by John N. Beach

he occupied, he was always ready to get under
the load and to do his full part. Mr. King
was no ordinary man. He was a positive
character with no suggestion of the negative
in his make up. What he did he did with all
his might. He was eminently unselfish, and
it was a subject of remark and wonder that
he could devote so much time and energy to
public interests without sacrificing his own.
Do you say he was self-centered and self-
asserting, — true, but this within proper
bounds was in his favor. No man ever
amounts to very much who does not believe
in himself and in his ability to do things. He
was strenuous, impatient of delay, a man with
an initiative and could lead better than he
could follow. The merchants, the business
men of this city, owe a debt of gratitude to
William F. King.
When trade began to drift away from us,
and the mercantile supremacy of this city was
threatened, he came to the rescue and was
fruitful in devising ways and means to stem
the tide. Where a necessity existed he set
about to supply it. He capitalized and
launched a trade paper which sent forth the
slogan, "It pays to buy in New York," and
which rang the changes on this war cry, until
it began to be felt and accomplished results,
until now with its accretions and combina
tions, has bcome a mighty power with a
staff, a plant, and equipment, doing magnifi
cent work in the interests of this city. We
found ourselves discriminated against and

[19]

In Memory of William F. King
handicapped by reason of the diversion of
freight evil, and Mr. King headed an influ
ential committee to take the matter up.
We secured interviews with railroad presi
dents and hearings before railroad commis
sioners and after a long and bitter fight we
won out and had the satisfaction of knowing
that this committee was not beaten on a sin
gle point.
We saw the necessity of a stronger and
permanent organization to promote the in
terests of New York City, and in June, 1897,
largely owing to the activity and indomitable
energy of Mr. King, the Merchants' Associ
ation was founded, with Mr. King as its first
president, which position he held for four
consecutive years.
The history of the Merchants' Association,
the work it has accomplished in the interest
of this city and of this state and of this coun
try will stand as a monument to the memory
of William F. King.
During its early struggles Mr. King gave
to it unflinchingly of his time and his money,
and its work and influence broadened out far
beyond the limits of its original conceptions.
We miss Mr. King,— "Billy King," as
we loved to call him. We will continue to
miss him and it is meet that we should have
assembled here today to pay our sincere trib
utes of respect to his memory.

[20]

Address by John W. Weed

Address by John W. Weed
On behalf of St. John's Guild
We are gathered here today to give ex
pression to our sense of the great loss which
the community at large, and we his surviving
friends, have sustained in the death of the
great citizen and loved companion, William
F. King.
You have had recalled to you his master
ful qualities, which made him the successful
merchant and a leading reformer. In mer
cantile achievement and in municipal im
provement the sterner and more striking
mental characteristics of our friend were dis
played, and his high qualities of business
capacity, unswerving integrity, and devotion
to political principle produced results which
will long linger in our memories, and will
leave their impress upon our city's history.
But with all these mental attributes, there
was combined one which I am prone to re
gard as possibly higher than any of them all,
viz: that of sentiment, that quality which at
times makes one feel that there is something
more satisfying than financial success, some
thing more inspiring than the applause of our
fellow men, and something more noble than
even the attainment of exalted station, for

[21]

In Memory of William F. King
with all these the consciousness of self-
gratification is mingled as a lowering alloy.
Sentiment promotes the aspiration for the
accomplishment of a purpose, which serves
no selfish aim. Sentiment sinks self in the de
sire to serve one's fellow men.
Mr. King largely displayed this quality in
his public activities, but it found its best ex
pression in his charitable work. The distress
ing conditions surrounding the sick children
of our city's poor, the little, helpless, pain-
wracked child, deprived of all the comforts
which affluence affords, appealed most strong
ly to his sympathetic nature, and compelled
in him the devotion of his money, his time
and his personal labor to their relief.
The avenue which he selected was the
work of St. John's Guild, with its Floating
and Seaside Hospitals. He was during sev
enteen years and until his death a member of
its Board of Trustees and was ever active in
the work of the committees of which he was
a member. His sympathetic interest did not, however,
present the full sway of his business training,
and he brought to the administration of the
affairs of the society that business insight
which, while it watched the proper expendi
ture of every dollar, still was willing to pay
to employees salaries commensurate with
efficient service. His sympathy with suffer
ing, his generosity and his financial ability
made him one of the society's most valuable

Address by John W. Weed
guides in steering it through the years dur
ing which he was connected with it.
One incident in 'his service as a trustee is
typical of his earnestness, of his munificence,
and, if I may use the term, of his elan in
charity, as well as in business and in politics.
As all of you well know who are associated
with any charitable work, and I imagine
there are few among you who are not, the
calls for relief, for help, always outrun the
limit of funds at command, and hence new
schemes are ever being tried to turn the
elusive dollar into the treasury yawning with
emptiness. Under the stimulus of such a
situation, Mr. King, some years ago, under
took to promote a theatrical entertainment,
the net profits of which were to be handed
over to the Guild. He worked day and
night to make the enterprise a success, and
many of you, I doubt not, were dunned to
purchase tickets to help the good cause along,
but alas! I have to record one failure of our
friend. He did not prove to be a successful
impressario, for when the accounts were
footed up, instead of a profit the Guild faced
a deficit, which ran, I believe, into the thou
sands. We never knew the exact amount,
because Mr. King took the burden of the en
tire loss on his own shoulders. Not a cent
was charged to the Guild on account of this
misadventure, not one trip of the Floating
Hospital was cut off, and not one child less
was taken on board.

[23]

In Memory of William F. King
While his charities were not confined to
the work of the Guild, yet his interest in it
was so profound that after becoming con
nected with it his name was never officially
associated with any other, and on behalf of
that organizatibn I am deputed to say that it
is grateful for being permitted, on this occa
sion, to contribute among so many others,
one wreath of praise to the perpetuation of
his memory.
As we look over his career and consider
the light he has shed upon every undertaking
with which he was connected, while we may
not liken it to the meteor's flash or to the
glare of the noonday sun, yet we can say that
it had something of the radiance of the
aurora, and as that light lingers around the
pole star of our system, so the light of his
life always shone in those regions where we
look for guidance in all efforts for the eleva
tion of mankind. His will long be a living
light as the poet says,
"And is he dead whose glorious mind
Lifts thine on high,
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die."

[24]

Address by Hon. Oeorge B. Cortelyou

Address by Hon. George B. Cortelyou
Former Secretary of the Treasurer
I have most vivid recollections of a pre
vious visit to the Merchants' Association.
Then you met in the days immediately suc
ceeding a period of financial demoralization
and of great unrest in commercial circles, to
do your part as you had so often done
theretofore toward allaying excitement and
improving conditions in the business world.
While this meeting today is designed as a
tribute to one who had so large a share in
the establishment of this Association, I can
not but feel that such a meeting as that of
November 14th, 1907, was also a striking
recognition of his initiative and a vindica
tion of his judgment. And so having been
at that meeting I am glad to participate in
this one.
Many of you knew William F. King bet
ter than I knew him. In fact, my acquaint
ance with him was only such as I have had
with hundreds of others in the course of a
somewhat extended experience. I did not
know him intimately, and there were long in
tervals when his activities were directed into
channels that were apart from my own daily
environment.

[25]

In Memory of William, F. King
Furthermore, when his interest was aroused
by some national question my relation to the
question was generally that merely of a
citizen, and my dealings with him were on
that plane and not in the sense that I was
clothed with official authority to act on the
questions which either engaged his support
or incited his opposition.
During the administration of the late
President McKinley and that of his succes
sor, Mr. King was a not infrequent cor
respondent of the White House. It is
unnecessary in this presence to explain at
length that he had decided views, that he
expressed them in emphatic language, and
that he never failed to make clear his atti
tude. On the problems that grew out of the war
with Spain and the many questions of domes
tic concern that he felt affected not only the
country at large, but the city in whose busi
ness life he believed this Association of mer
chants should exert a wholesome influence,
he gave voice to opinions always decided and
oftentime helpful.
That he made mistakes, is undoubtedly
true; but it is also true that he was always
active in organizations that made for better
citizenship. Some men think to avoid mistakes by
doing nothing, which is really the greatest
mistake of all. William F. King was not
one of these. However much some men

[26]

Address by Hon. George B. Cortelyou
may disagree with certain of the policies he
advocated we can all profit by his example
of earnest participation in matters of public
concern. Some of us limit our participation in these
vital matters to a general survey of the field
of civic affairs and a liberal criticism of the
acts of other men; but the number is
altogether too small of those who seek to
do worthily a citizen's duty.
The best tribute we can pay to any man
whose activity has enlisted the interest of
the people is to resolve to profit by the les
sons of his life and to do in our turn the
duty that lies at our door — of genuine pub
lic service that can be rendered by each one
of us whatever may be our station in life.

[27J

In Memory of William F. King

Biographical Sketch of
William Frederick King
By William R. Corwine
William Frederick King was a native of
New York City. His father, Charles King,
was of German descent, and his mother,
Ellen (Elliott), came from sturdy Irish
stock. William F. was their first child and
was born in the Greenwich Village section
of Manhattan Island, December 27th, 1850.
He had no further education than could
be obtained in a public school, and at the age
of 13 sought employment. He obtained a
position as errand boy in a wholesale dry
goods house, and after three years of service
transferred his allegiance to the wholesale
fancy dry goods house of Calhoun, Rob-
bins & Co., with which he was connected as
employee and partner until he died. He
had learned that the last named firm needed
a boy, and personally applied for the place.
When he applied, there occurred an incident
which gave evidence of his ambition.
After the member of the firm who had
charge of the employment of the office force
had questioned the 16-year-old lad and had
told him that he might come to work, the
latter boldly asked if it would ever be possi-

[28]

Biographical Sketch by William R. Corwine
ble for him to occupy one of the desks in the
private office.
Immediately all the partners who were
present took notice of the youth and one of
them replied, saying that it was up to him to
qualify. The boy King then said that in due
course he would qualify, and he did!
The determination to succeed carried him
through the hardships of a junior office boy;
it dominated him throughout his career and
made him the prominent character which he
became. His work was attended to with
the utmost care as to detail, and it was not
long before his employers began to watch
him closely.
Their commendation of his activities in his
humble capacity was shown by promotion.
In due course he was sent on the road as
travelling salesman, his territory being in the
middle West. He was then not much more
than a lad. Later he was called in from the
West and given the territory of New York
State as a salesman. He had outlined even
then a policy for himself as salesman which
in those days was unique. He believed that
the quality of the goods and their prices
ought to appeal to purchasers and that in
selling it was not necessary to spend money
in treating or to lose it at games with pros
pective buyers or to regale them with vulgar
stories. At first he had rather a hard time
of it in New York State. His sales did not
approach in value those which had been

[29]

In Mem6ry of William F. King
made by his predecessor. The firm was dis
appointed, and after they thought they had
given him a sufficient test, told him they
would have to transfer him to another line
of work.
He begged for one more trial, feeling con
fident that in the long run he must and would
win. He did win. On this trial his sales
surpassed any which had ever been made by
his firm in that State. He held his pur
chasers, added new ones, and before long
was the banner salesman in his line in New
York State.
On the trip for which he had pleaded, he
made his first important sale in Albany. He
had failed there each time before, but a mer
chant whom he had visited several times with
out success, told him that he liked his per
sistence, felt sure that he was right and that
he would give him a good big order. After
this experience Mr. King went behind the
store and, as he expressed it, "cried like a
baby," not so much because the entering
wedge had been driven, but because of the
kindness that had been shown him by this Al
bany merchant. He never forgot it or him.
Then he trundled his sample cases on a
wheelbarrow to the railway station, the heavy
cases seeming as light as feathers, and beating
his competitors into Troy, made sales there
for the first time. That was the beginning of
a series of brilliant successes as a salesman.

[3o]

Biographical Sketch by William R. Corwine
He was admitted to the firm in 1875, and
was a member of it up to the time of his
death. Mr. King's activities carried him beyond
the confines of his office, although the details
of his business would have been sufficient to
have occupied the time and attention of any
ordinary man.
He, however, was extraordinary in his
quick grasp of detail and in his marvelous
facility for disposing of work. The same
characteristics which made him so effective
in his business life were conspicuous in his
public work. He was far-sighted, bold in
conception, aggressive in action, absolutely
honest in the minutest detail, and coupled
with those characteristics was a winning per
sonality which held his employees to him in
bonds unusually warm and friendly. His
men not only respected him for his ability as
a merchant, but had for him an affection
which was very marked and almost unprece
dented in business life.
He had a love for his city which nothing
could quench. He threw himself heart and
soul into every movement for reform, with
an energy and vigor which speedily marked
him as a leader and carried him to the front
of the fight. His first work of a public char
acter was caused by what he believed to be
a discrimination against the city of New
York in the methods of routing freight by
the trunk line pool. [31]

In Memory of William F. King
A committee composed principally of dry
goods merchants was organized to remedy
the evil. Naturally Mr. King became secre
tary of it. At times he had to conduct the
fight almost single-handed, but that did not
daunt him. He fought on and finally won.
His work in connection with his committee
convinced him of the necessity for a larger
and more comprehensive commercial body
which could make more effective that which
was necessary to be done for the benefit of
New York City as a commercial, manufactur
ing and distributing center. The result was the
Merchants' Association. The history of his
organization of that body and of its activi
ties under his leadership as President for
several years are set forth in another place
in this pamphlet.
The secret of Mr. King's success lay in
his individual strength, based upon single
ness of thought and action, honesty of pur
pose, intense, almost unlimited, activity,
resourcefulness, absolute unselfishness, a far
sightedness which was largely intuitive, and
loyalty. The following instance illustrates
his loyalty perhaps better than anything else.
While President of the Merchants' Associa
tion, a leading director of one of the largest
trust companies in New York asked if he
would allow himself to be elected to the
board, the intention being ultimately to make
him president. He was told that if he would
do this, opportunities for a great fortune
would be at his command. He replied that

[32]

Biographical Sketch by William R. Corwine
there were two reasons which would make
him decline. One was loyalty to his part
ners in Calhoun, Robbins & Co., with whom
he had been identified since boyhood, and the
other was that even if his loyalty to his part
ners had not estopped him, he could not accept
such a position without being disloyal to the
Merchants' Association.
The counsel for the trust company said:
"Mr. King, it is this loyalty that makes us
persistent in requesting you to join our
forces." But he would not be persuaded.
Mr. King never identified himself with out
side interests to any extent, although he was
pressed frequently, on account of his organ
izing ability and his personal aggressive
activity, to join organizations of all kinds.
He contented himself with a few clubs, which
he rarely visited, a trusteeship in St. John's
Guild, in the work of which he was active
for a great many years, and in financial mat
ters confined himself entirely to a trusteeship
in the Bowery Savings Bank.
His work as a commercial traveler, as a
member of probably the largest firm of its
kind in the United States, his activity in civic
work, his organization and direction of the
Merchants' Association through many years,
his charities, and his genial disposition gave
him an acquaintance which extended all over
the United States among all classes of men,
representing nearly every walk of life.
In 1883 he married Martha Kneeland
[33]

In Memory of William F. King
Donalds, of Albion, New York. Mrs. King
bore him several children. She and two
daughters survive him. The elder daugh
ter is Mrs. Edward H. Blanc. The younger
is Miss Hildegarde King, who is at school
in Paris, France.
Mr. King's health began to fail about a
year before he died. He had developed a
heart trouble. The doctors advised him to
leave off all work of a public nature which
was a drain upon his physical and nervous
system, to drop such of his business as he
could and to lead a quiet life. They might
as well have told the wind to stop blowing
or the waves to cease beating. He had the
energy and ambition to do service which
nothing but death itself could stop.
After taking a longer vacation than usual
in the summer of 1908, he attempted to con
duct his share of the business of his firm
against the protests of his partners, who in
sisted that he should cut off all work for an
unlimited period of time. The final break
down came in November, 1908. The heart
trouble became acute and from the day on
which he was stricken he never returned to
his office. He left the city in the care of
nurses, but grew steadily worse, was brought
back and died on the evening of Friday,
February 19th, 1909.
The funeral services were held Monday
morning, February 22nd, 1909, at St. James'
Episcopal Church, corner 71st Street and
Madison Avenue, in which he had been inter-

[34]

Biographical Sketch by William R. Corwine
ested for a long time. It was the church at
which his daughter had been married and
for which he had a strong affection. The
services were conducted by the Right Rev
erend Frederick Courtney, the rector of the
church, who was formerly Bishop of Nova
Scotia, assisted by the Reverend Ralph
Bridges, curate.
The musical portion of the services was
rendered by the full surpliced choir. The
pall bearers were Robert B. Walbridge and
James H. Smith, two of his junior partners ;
George L. Duval, an intimate personal
friend; George C. Clarke, a life long busi
ness and personal friend; S. C. Mead and
William R. Corwine, who had been associ
ated with him in building up the Merchants'
Assocation from the starting of that organ
ization. The church was crowded with his friends.
The services were simple, as befitted the
character of the man, for notwithstanding
Mr. King's great prominence in the business
world and in public service to his city, the
state and the nation, he was as simple in
character and habits as the most inconspicu
ous citizen in the community. The interment
was private, the body being buried in his
family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Few men in New York City have been laid
away from public sight forever mourned
more greatly, more deeply and more sin
cerely than William F. King. He always
rang true. [35]

TMLC UlNIVCriai I T LIDHHriT

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