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OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (SMITH STETSON.) 



Smith, William Henry, journalist, born in Aus- 

 tcrlitz, N. Y., Dec. 1, 1833; died in Lake Forest, 

 111., July 27, 1896. When he was two years old his 

 parents removed to Homer, Ohio, where he was edu- 

 cated and began teaching, and subsequently he was 

 a tutor in a Western college. In 1854 he became a 

 reporter on the " Cincinnati Times," of which he 

 was afterward managing editor, in the meantime 

 editing the monthly " Casket and Review." From 

 the " Times " he went to the " Gazette " as an edi- 

 torial writer at the beginning of the civil war, and 

 during that period he rendered the Union cause ef- 

 fective service with his pen and was active in pro- 

 moting enlistments and means of relief for the sol- 

 diers in the field. In 1864 and 1866 he was elected 

 Secretary of State of Ohio on the Union ticket, and 

 shortly before the expiration of his second term he 

 resigned and became one of the founders and the 

 editor of the " Cincinnati Chronicle." Failing 

 health soon compelled him to retire from all active 

 work. In 1870 he was appointed general manager 

 of the Western Associated Press, with headquar- 

 ters in Chicago. In 1883 he negotiated a union of 

 the New York and the Western Associated Presses, 

 and became general manager of the consolidated as- 

 sociation, and in 1893 he retired from the office. 

 While managing the Western Associated Press he 

 introduced the use of the typewriter in telegraph 

 work, developed the leased-wire system of news dis- 

 tribution, improved its methods of gathering and 

 distributing news, and placed it on a sound finan- 

 cial basis. In 1877 he became collector of customs 

 at Chicago. He was the author of historical works 

 relating to Ohio and Western history and a fre- 

 quent contributor to periodicals. He discovered in 

 the British Museum many unpublished letters of 

 Washington to Col. Henry Bouquet ; demonstrated 

 that the Washington letters published by Jared 

 Sparks were not given correctly ; and published 

 " The St. Clair Papers " (2 vols., Cincinnati, 1882) ; 

 a biography of Charles Hammond ; and a " Political 

 History of the United States." At the time of his 

 death he had nearly completed a work on the "Life 

 and Administration of President Rutherford B. 

 Hayes," as the literary executor of that President. 



Spauldins?, John P., philanthropist, born in 

 Madison, Me., July 10, 1832 ; died in Boston, Mass., 

 Jan. 11, 1896. He removed to Boston in 1857; be- 

 came a partner in the firm of Israel Nash & Co. in 

 the following year ; and since 1867 had been on- 

 gaged in the manufacture of sugar under the firm 

 name of Nash, Spaulding & Co. He was one of the 

 principal organizers of the Sugar Trust, and the 

 second largest holder of its stock. For nearly forty 

 years he had lived in the United States Hotel in 

 Boston, and one of his holiday diversions was to fill 

 his pockets with $5 gold pieces, and go around dis- 

 tributing them among the employees who had done 

 him kindnesses. On Christmas day, 1893, he gave 

 to each of 8 young women employed in the hotel a 

 certificate of stock in his sugar refinery valued at 

 $5,000 par. lie also provided means for the educa- 

 tion and support of Helen Keller, the remarkable 

 deaf, dumb, and blind girl. His acts of benevo- 

 lence were performed quietly, and with the injunc- 

 tion that nothing should be said about them. 



Stearns, Ozora Pierson, jurist, born in I)e Kalb, 

 N. Y.. Jan. 15, 1831 ; died in San Diego, Cal., June 

 3, 1896. He was graduated at Michigan University 

 in 1858, and at its law school in 1860 ; began prac- 

 ticing in Rochester, Minn. ; and became prosecut- 

 ing attorney for Clinton County. In 1862 he re- 

 cruited a company for the 9th Minnesota Infantry, 

 of which he was commissioned 1st lieutenant, and 

 in April, 1864, was commissioned colonel of the 39th 

 United States Colored Infantry. With this regi- 

 ment he took part in the operations before Peters- 



burg in July, in the expeditions against Fort Fisher 

 under Gens. Butler and Terry, and in the last cam- 

 paign in North Carolina. After the war he served 

 again as county attorney, and was appointed a reg- 

 ister in bankruptcy. In 1871 he became a United 

 States Senator ; in 1872 removed to Duluth ; and 

 since 1874 had been judge of the llth Judicial Dis- 

 trict of Minnesota. 



Steers, James Rich, shipbuilder, born in Plym- 

 outh, England, Oct. 15, 1808 ; died in New York 

 city, April 17, 1896. He was a son of Henry Steers, 

 who removed his family to New York city in 1817. 

 James learned the shipbuilding trade with his fa- 

 ther ; aided him in building the United States 

 sloop of war " Peacock " in 1829 ; and became su- 

 perintendent for the firm of Smith & Dimon in the 

 following year. He built the yacht " Edwin For- 

 rest " in 1841, and the " Martin Van Buren," the 

 fastest boat of her size at the time, in 1842. After- 

 ward he applied himself almost wholly to yacht 

 building, and among other boats turned out the 

 " Three Brothers," the " Miller's Damsel," and the 

 " Hussar," all noted in their day. In 1850, with his 

 brother, he formed the firm of George & James R. 

 Steers, and the same year entered into a contract to- 

 build the famous yacht "America." The brothers 

 personally sailed the yacht on her victorious con- 

 test around the Isle of Wight, England, in August, 

 1851. Mr. Steers had been retired from business 

 since 1857. 



Steinway, "William, manufacturer, born in See- 

 sen, Brunswick, Germany, March 5, 1836 ; died in 

 New York city, Nov. 30, 1896. He was the fourth 

 son of Henry Engelhard Steinway, a manufacturer 

 of pianos in Brunswick. In his youth, besides the 

 usual elementary branches common in Germany, 

 he was taught French, English, and music. In 

 1850 the father and three of his sons removed to 

 New York city. William, who had shown unusual 

 proficiency in music as a hoy, decided to follow his 

 father's trade, and spent two years as an apprentice 

 in a piano manufactory. In 1853 the father and 

 the brothers, Charles, Henry, and William founded 

 the house of Steinway & Sons. William became 

 the head of the firm in 1889. While he, with the 

 other members of the firm, gave close attention to 

 their manufacturing interests and met with such 

 success that an English syndicate offered $4,000,000 

 for their business, William became one of the 

 most conspicuous German citizens of New York by 

 promoting important measures for the benefit of the 

 city. He took a great personal interest in music, 

 erected Steinway Hall as a center for the exposition 

 of the highest musical culture, and was prompt and 

 generous in efforts to foster musical education. In 

 public life Mr. Steinway was best known by reason 

 of his connection with the movement for providing 

 rapid transit in the metropolis. On the creation of 

 the original Rapid Transit Commission, in 189Q, he 

 was appointed one of its members, and with Com- 

 missioner John H. Starin was officially connected 

 with the movement through the various changes in 

 the composition of the commission. His benefac- 

 tions in the cause of education and charity were 

 large but unostentatious. In the line of philan- 

 thropic effort he will be remembered long for his 

 creation of the industrial settlement named after 

 him at Astoria, Long Island. He not only erected 

 large factories, foundries, and mills for the manu- 

 facture of various parts of pianos, but practically 

 built up an entire town, providing it with complete 

 educational, religious, and other public establish- 

 ments, and a railroad connecting the town with 

 Long Island city. 



Stetson, John, theatrical manager, born in Bos- 

 ton. Mass., about 1834; died there April 17, 1896. 

 In early life he sold newspapers at the Statehouse ; 



