186 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 
A PRODIGY OF PACKINGTOWN 
73. Possibly the most meteoric career enjoyed by one of the 
younger business men of America is that of Tomas Epwarp WIL- 
SON, president of the packing industry of Witson & Co. Mr. 
WILson was born in London, Ontario, July 22, 1868, of Scottish 
descent. When nine years old his parents moved to Chicago, and 
he received his education in the Chicago public schools. Upon 
graduation he secured a position with the Chicago, Burlington 
& Quincy Railroad. While handling the special equipment rece 
ords in 1890 for the railway company, he overheard another clerk 
strongly condemning a similar position with Morris & Co., left 
after a brief experience. Mr. WILSON sought and was given the 
position, and then began his career in the meat packing industry. 
He served the Morris company in various capacities, and in prac- 
tically all departments, and by 1906 had achieved sufficient mas- 
tery of the details of the organization to be elected vice president 
of the company. On the death of Epwarp Morris, he succeeded 
to the presidency in 1913. His success here was manifold, and 
he rapidly acquired a reputation second to none among the deans 
of the packing industry. 
In the spring of 1916 the New York interests which had been 
financing the packing firm of SuLzBERcER & Sons Co. found the 
latter had become so involved that they took charge of the busi- 
ness themselves. Mr. WiLson was approached with a high sal- 
aried proposition, but on a pure salary basis he refused to con- 
sider a change. His years of experience with Morris & Co. made 
him feel a loyalty to the original concern which a matter of salary 
could not divert. Recognizing this, Mr. WILSON was again ap- 
proached by the New York financiers and offered both a record 
compensation and an option on a large number of shares of the 
SULZBERGER & Sons Co. stock at less than one-fifth of the face 
value. This apparently low rate was named in order to reward 
him thoroughly for upbuilding and stabilizing the business. Mr. 
