March I, 1911. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



201 



The Late Hawthorne Hill 



MR. HAWTHORXH HILL, associate editor of The India 

 Rl'BEER World, died after a brief illness at his home in 

 Brooklyn on the morning of February 2. A short reference 

 to this sad event was included in our February issue which was 

 just going to press. Mr. Hill's death came suddenly, from an 

 attack of pneumonia which in his somewhat weakened physical 

 condition he was unable to withstand. He only left his office 

 desk one week before his death, and was considered to be seri- 

 ously ill for only 48 hours. 



Mr. Hill was born April 13, 1857, on a farm in Crittenden 

 County, Kentucky, near Marion, the county seat. He did not 

 enter school until about the 

 age of twelve, but havinj, 

 been well grounded at home 

 previous to this time he 

 had before this age be 

 come an omnivorous reader 

 of books and newspapers and 

 had contributed articles tc 

 the local papers. As a boy 

 he subscribed to many papers 

 and magazines and made an 

 effort to secure, for inspec- 

 tion, a copy of every periodi- 

 cal of which he heard. Much 

 of his time as a youth was 

 spent in reading and writing 

 and this with his remarkably 

 retentive memory and close 

 insight into details equipped 

 him even before he reached his 

 majority with a wonderfully 

 varied and accurate fund of 

 information. To this a con- 

 tinuance of the same pains- 

 taking and studious habits 

 added year by year until in 

 his days of maturity he be- 

 came a veritible encyclopedia 

 of varied and servicable in- 

 formation. 



Mr. Hill's first employment 

 away from home was as a 

 teacher in, the public schools 

 of his native county. After 

 one term as a teacher he 

 moved — being then about 21 



years old — to Marysville, Kentucky, where he had secured em- 

 l)loyment upon the local paper. While serving in this capacity 

 he acted as correspondent to various daily newspapers in Cin- 

 cinnati, Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, and other cities. His work 

 soon attracted the attention of tlic metropolitan editors and in 

 tlie spring of 1879 Mr. Henry Watterson, editor of the Louisville 

 Courier-Journal, offered him the position of "Kentucky State 

 News Editor." In this position JMr. Hill soon became one of the 

 best known newspaper men in Kentucky. 



After serving several years on the Courier-Jounuil he 

 resigned his position to become city editor of the LouisTille 

 Commercial. He was soon advanced to managing editor of 

 that paper and served in that capacity until he decided in 1887 

 to try his fortunes in New York. His first connection in the 

 metropolis was with the New York World, where he served in 

 various capacities until 1889, when, on account of an unsatis- 

 factory condition of health, he decided to give up the strenuous 



The Late Hawthorne Hill. 

 [ Troni a photograpli taken fifteen years ago.] 



daily work and cast in his lot with trade journalism. He be- 

 came associated with The India Rubber World at its incep- 

 tion. Mr. Hill remained with these same interests when later 

 on they founded Hardware and also when The Eugiiieeriiig 

 .Magazine was established. When Hardware was sold Mr. 

 Hill severed his connection with this firm to become 

 editor of that paper. After acting in this capacity for 

 about a year Mr. Hill again joined the editorial staff of The 

 India Rubber World and with the exception of a period of 

 about fourteen months in 1894-5, when a protracted period of 

 illness compelled him to give up editorial work, he has been 



continuously identified with 

 this paper. When the paper 

 was purchased by Mr. Henry 

 C, Pearson, in the spring of 

 1900, Mr. Hill liecame identi- 

 fied with it as associate 

 editor, the positon he oc- 

 cupied until his death. 



In October, 1886, Mr. Hill 

 married Miss Lillian Saw- 

 yier, of Frankfort, Ken- 

 tucky, who survives him. 

 He also leaves twin boys 

 nineteen years old and a 

 daughter of twelve. The in- 

 terment was in Greenwood 

 Cemetery. 



More than twenty years 

 of intimate association with 

 Mr. Hill only served to in- 

 tensify the impression of his 

 unusual force and capacity. 

 Possessed of a marvelous 

 memory, coupled with a love 

 of learning for learning's 

 sake, his store of knowledge 

 was encyclopaadic. His long 

 training in every department 

 of daily newspaper work, to- 

 gether with a natural genius 

 for it, gave to his writings 

 not only an orderly, logical 

 arrangement, but rare dignity 

 and polish. , Possessed of a 

 passion for exactitude, no 

 labor was too great if it re- 

 sulted in the verilication or illumination of facts. 



For breadth of view, sense of proportion and instant apprecia- 

 tion of news values, lie ranked with the great editors of the 

 day. Only a singular distaste for the trammels and disciplines 

 incident to great publications kept him from a career in which 

 his talents would have been broadly recognized. 



As a conversationalist he held one's attention by his inex- 

 haustible fund of information and wealth of illustration. Al- 

 ways courteous, generous to a fault, intensely patriotic, not in 

 a local but a truly American sense, he held the esteem of all, 

 while those who were able to penetrate the almost bashful 

 reserve with which he enshrouded his inner self, found a soul 

 of rare sweetness and strength. 



What The India Rubber World owes to his intelligence and 

 constant service, especially during its formative period, can 

 hardly be expressed. How much he will be missed by his 

 associates no words can depict. 



