William Orton (businessman)

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

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

Early life

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

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
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

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

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
  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. 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., Secretary (1862). Proceedings at the Mass Meeting of Local Citizens on Union Square, New-York. New York, NY: George F. Nesbitt & Co. p. 8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  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 9781560060413.
  16. Disturnell, John (1876). New York As It Was And As It Is. New York, NY: D. Van Norstrand. p. 195.
  17. 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. Orton, Edward; Orton, Edward Francis Baxter (1896). An Account of the Descendants of Thomas Orton of Windsor, Connecticut. Columbus, OH: Nitschke Brothers. p. 150.
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