Henry William Poor (1844-1915)

Born in Bangor, Penobscot, Maine, he graduated from Harvard University (1865). He began his career in the banking and publishing business in partnership with his father. He became known throughout the country as the publisher of Poor’s Railway Manual, and later became famous on Wall Street, notably in leather and ice securities in which he was reputed to have made a fortune of more than $5-million. H.W. Poor & Co. failed in 1906 with liabilities of $2,110,000 and assets of $180,000. One of the ventures that the firm found unprofitable was the consolidation of a number of sugar properties in Cuba and Louisiana, netting a loss of circa $350,000. His creditors took possession of his home - the old Cyrus W. Field mansion - at 1 Lexington Avenue in Gramercy Park, and the adjoining house, valued at $1-million. The house was complete with all the statuary, decorations, and objects d'arts, collected for Poor by the late Stanford White, who had been commissioned to buy them in Europe. He also lost "Woodland" in Tuxedo Park, also sumptuously furnished with art treasures, which he sold to Henry Morgan Tilford, a co-founder and President of Standard Oil.

He was a noted art lover, a liberal supporter of music, and helped many students in the arts to attain prominence in their professions. He spent a small fortune on rare editions and fine bindings, and his library was among the finest in the States. Among the special treasures was a first edition of Thomas Kempis’s “Imitatio Christi,” Higdon’s “Polychronicon,” and some very rare Americana. The library was said to be worth nearly $300,000, and the first intimation of his financial difficulties was given when it was offered for sale early in 1908. The first section of the library was sold for $75,000, and among the bidders were representatives of Senator Henry C. Lodge and J.P. Morgan.

Moving to 777 Madison Avenue, New York, at the time of his death, he was President of Poor’s Manual of Railroads, Publishers, and a Director of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company of Texas; the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, and the United States Casualty Company. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the University, Manhattan, The Brook, the Racquet & Tennis, the Downtown, Tuxedo, Grolier, Lambs, City, Midday, and the New York Yacht Clubs. He married and had five children.