Builders of Lumher History 



MMr.KK (IN 



GEORGE D. BURGESS 



(See Vorirait 



The portrait of George D. Burgess, Memphis, Tenn., of the well- 

 known domestic and export hardwood manufacturing house of 

 Russe & Burgess, Inc., forms a part of this number of Hardwood 

 Record as its portrait supplement, illustrating Builders of Lumber 

 History. Mr. Burgess is entitled to bo included in this notable list 

 of lumbermen, not only by reason of his commercial success, but on 

 account of the wide acquaintance he possesses in the American, 

 British and Continental lumher markets, and by the interest that 

 surrounds his career, notably in coneetiou with the hardwood 

 export lumber business. 



Mr. Burgess is of Maine and Vermont stock, and the history of 

 his family runs back to the arrival in this country in the seven- 

 teenth century of the three brothers Burgess, two of whom set- 

 tled in New England, and the third one going to Virginia. Mr. 

 Burgess' great-grandfather was born in Vermont; his father, Caleb 

 Chapiii Burgess, was a native of Springfield, A't. His mother, who 

 was a Higgins, was born in Lewiston. Me. 



George D. Burgess was born November 12, 1S62, at Indianapolis, 

 Ind., and was educated in the public and classical schools of that 

 city. It was the young man's boyhood ambition to complete his 

 education at Yale, and eventually undertake a professional pur- 

 suit, as had been the custom of the majority of the Burgess family. 

 However, the death of an uncle, which occurred in 1878, who had 

 charged himself with the assistance of George in his commendable 

 ambition, changed the whole course of the life of the young man, 

 as he found himself obliged to go to work to make his own living. 



Mr. Burgess' first employment was as a messenger boy for the 

 Vandalia railroad, from which position he graduated as bill clerk, 

 and then at the age of eighteen he became cashier of the local 

 station of this road at Indianapolis. He was not satisfied with the 

 prospect of advancement in railroad work, and secured a position 

 with Coburn & Jones, a firm that had been in the retail lumber 

 business in Indianapolis for well toward a half century. In this 

 lumber yard he secured the basis of his knowledge of the lumber 

 business. He had to do with the shipping of lumber and worked 

 incessantly in an acquisition of knowledge of every detail of lum- 

 ber affairs that might fit him for advancement. At the age of 

 twenty-two years he became manager of the Michigan Lumber & 

 Coal Company. Somewhat earlier he had become acquainted with 

 W. H. Russe, his present associate in business. Mr. Russe was then 

 with the sales department of H. C. Long of Indianapolis. This 

 acquaintanceship ripened into friendship, and the two young men 

 frequently got together and figured on ways and means of getting 

 into the lumber business together. For commercial reasons a third 

 party was invited into their scheme, and that was Henry Latham, 

 cashier of the Indianapolis National bank of Indianapolis. A part- 

 nership was arranged under the firm name of Russe, Latham & 

 Burgess, with a lumber yard on east Michigan street, near the Big 

 Four tracks, Indianapolis. This was in November, 1888. The 

 business was established originally as a hardwood wholesale house, 

 and while the concern has always been a large buyer of hardwoods, 

 latterly it has also become a stumpage owner and manufacturer of 

 hardwoods on its own account. In 1890 a branch yard was estab- 

 lished at Cairo, 111. In 1891 Mr. Latham retired and the corpora- 

 tion of Russe, Burgess & Banning was formed. The double band 

 mill of the Wolverine Lumber Company at Cairo was leased and 

 operated. Later this mill was sold to the Chicago Mill & Lumber 

 Company, at which time Mr. Banning sold his stock, and Messrs. 

 Russe and Burgess continued together as partners until the cor- 

 poration of Russe & Burgess, Inc., was formed. 



In 1898 Riisse & Burgess established a branch yard at Memphis, 

 on the ground of the present location of its sawmill and lumber 

 yard on Randolph road and thf Illinois Central tracks. In 189" 



—26— 



Supplement.) 



the firm punhased the business of the Hardwood Lumber (Company 

 of Memphis, and gradually the entire business of the in.stitution 

 has been transferred to that city. 



It was early in 1S9G that Mr. Burgess and his partner went 

 systematically into the hardwood export trade. Mr. Russe made 

 the first trip abroad, and the following year Mr. Burgess spent 

 three months in Great Britain and on the Continent. These Euro- 

 pean trips have been continued annually by either Mr. Burgess 

 or his partner since that time, which eontimie from three to six months 

 and combine business with pleasant travel. Mr. Burgess has just re- 

 turned to Memphis from an extended canvass of England and the Con- 

 tinent and has deemed it expedient and efficient to establish a branch 

 of his house at St. Benet Chambers, corner Fenchurch and Gracechurch 

 streets, London, B. C. 



Mr. Burgess married on January 20, 1892, Miss Lilly George 

 Early of Baltimore, and Mrs. Burgess continues to be the sweet- 

 heart and companion of her husband on nearlv all of his trips. 



Mr. Burgess is a tremendous worker, and is essentially a creator 

 of business. It is through his personal eft'orts that sundry varieties 

 of American hardwoods have been introduced to the favorable 

 consideration of foreign buyers, and his house enjoys a most en- 

 viable reputation on the other side of the Atlantic for the high 

 character of its product. The Russe & Burgess trademark to the 

 minds of many foreign buyers is prima facia evidence of quality 

 of wood and manufacture and character of inspection. 



Mr. Burgess is the recipient of much social attention, both at 

 home and abroad, and being an especially entertaining mixer, is 

 very popular with lumbermen on both sides of the Atlantic. He is 

 a consistent lumber association man and gives much of his time 

 and energies to the furthering of methods to insure uniformity 

 and stability of inspection. He was treasurer of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association up to the time the offices of the sec- 

 retarj' and treasurer were consolidated into one. He is not only 

 still allied with this association, but with the National Wholesale 

 Lumber Dealers' Association, and has, furthermore, been the re- 

 cipient of many honors from his local lumber organizations. 



While Mr. Burgess is of that type of American business man 

 that devotes a large portion of his energies to furthering his busi- 

 ness interests, he also takes time for social enjoyment among his 

 fellows, and his personal popularity is only exceeded by his suavity 

 and dignity of manner. Ho is a remarkably convincing talker, and 

 perhiips may be regarded essentially as a salesman. In fact, he 

 has few peers in carefully analyzing lumber affairs in general and 

 specifically to his large coterie of customers. If a hardwood lum- 

 ber sale can be effected in the United States, Great Britain or the 

 Continent, Mr. Burgess is pretty sure to accomplish that result. He 

 and his principal associate in business, Wm. H. Russe, certainly 

 are a great team in hardwood production and distribution. Their 

 peculiar abilities seem to compliment each other to the end that 

 Russe & Burgess, Inc., stands today as practically the leading 

 hardwood export house of the United States. 



In connection with the export business, and apropos to the success 

 of Mr. Burgess and his associates in this field, it may be noted that 

 exporting American hardwoods on a profitable basis is a good deal 

 more of a science than is the handling of domestic trade. In all 

 lumber history no American has ever achieved a considerable fortune 

 out of exporting lumber, and the failures that have been made in Ihis 

 nndertaking arc too numerous to bo tabulated. Perhaps Russe & 

 Burgess, Inc., arc entitled to the credit of having achieved a greater 

 measure of success in tliis division of tlic lumber business th.an any 

 other concern, and it has been achieved only by reason of the fact 

 that they give their business close personal attention, and "sit on 

 \\^f' v^mIV'Iv \:ilvn" e\orv minute. 



