Continued........William R. Compton resigned his position in the Treasury Department after a service of two years and came to Elmira, NY to engage in the real estate business in 1891. Charles F. Hurlburt was interested with him, the firm name being Compton & Hurlburt.
In 1893-94, he built a beautiful home in Elmira at 925 College Avenue, which was even written up in the newspaper:
William R. Compton, the real estate agent, is building one of the handsomest houses now in process of erection about Elmira. The house is half way between this city and Horseheads. The house is designed by a lover of out-door air and has piazzas and balconies of the most spacious dimensions at every possible point. The observatory commands a view of the Chemung Valley as far as the eye can reach, sweeping far over the city to the south and an equal distance over the village of Horseheads to the north. The view stops only where the encircling hills touch the horizon.
The house, by the way, will be equipped with all the modern conveniences. Hot and cold water wherever wanted, electric light in every room and street cars each way every half hour will enable the Compton family to enjoy all the pleasures of both country and city life. The grounds are spacious and in proper time this will be one of the handsomest places about Elmira.
On July 17, 1898 he was appointed for the first time as U.S. Marshal of the northern district of NY by President McKinley. During the first four years, the office was in Rochester, NY and was then moved to Elmira, NY as a result of Mr. Compton’s efforts. Mr. Compton served four consecutive terms as U.S. Marshal. He was appointed by three Presidents: McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft. A term of appointment was for four years at a salary of $9000. This was a high salary in those days. They were extremely well off and obtained the first car in the area—this is when motor cars first came out! The U.S. Marshal appointed his own deputies, and William Compton had 17 field deputies under him. Some of the charges in cases he dealt with mentioned in articles included: selling liquor to the Indians (many cases), smuggling Chinese into the country in violation of the Chinese Exclusion Act, misappropriation of bank funds, and counterfeiting.
He wore a mustache and smoked cigars. He was described in one article as an enthusiastic horseman and in another as spending a considerable amount of time in the pursuit of reading.
In 1899 Mr. Compton became an enthusiast on the subject of incubators and would travel miles to see one in operation! This was a new invention there. A newspaper reporter described how Mr. Compton attended a big poultry show and quoted him as he discussed how incubator parties were being given in his area: “Up our way many of the young society folk are giving what they call incubator parties. The host or hostess finds out the time when a lot of chickens are due and they invite their friends to go with them to watch the little fellows break through their brittle covering into the world. They have a great deal of fun at these incubator parties and the merriment at times was high at the antics of the chickens when they first come from the shell.” He became the Treasurer of the E. W. Andrews Incubator Company in Elmira.
He also became President of the LaFrance Jewelry Company of Elmira in 1899.
On February 25, 1899 he divorced his first wife, Alice, and on April 27, 1899 he married Helen Rosamond Tubbs, who at the time was a stenographer and secretary in his Realty office.They moved into the beautiful upscale home he had had built in Elmira and had one son (my father), William Randall Compton, Jr., born July 9, 1902.
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| William R. Compton with his son, William, Jr. |
Upon the death of Mr. Hurlburt in 1903, the William R. Compton Realty Company was organized. The office was one of the finest in the city and occupied a part of the ground floor of the Realty building. The idea to which this concern owed its origin was to provide more homes for the industrial classes of the city. New districts were opened and houses erected with only a small payment down, thus aiding the occupants to apply rent money toward a home of their own. The company did a general real estate business, had houses for rent, from the cheapest to the best, acted as agents for property owners, and loans were made on properties.
In December, 1904 Mr. Compton became President and General Manager (he had been a prominent stockholder) of the United States Cut Flower Company. This company was incorporated under the laws of the State of NY in June, 1903 and began doing business in Elmira, NY in March, 1904. This company had one of the largest greenhouses in the world and as of 1908 had 18 long greenhouses constantly in operation and operating at different degrees of temperature. One house was devoted to the culture of the tea rose (many types). Three houses were devoted to the culture of green plants called similax, and the different varieties of asparagus, plumosia, and sperengi. A section measuring 65 ft. by 100 ft. was the home of the lily of the valley, the hyacinth, daffodils, and other spring blooming varieties. The bulb stock ready for shipment was kept here too. A field was used for growing carnations until they reached the proper stage and were brought inside. The field was then used for chrysanthemums. The company could never grow enough hydrangeas and other flowers of that variety to supply the demand. Flowers were packed daily for destinations in NY and as far away as Hot Springs, Arkansas and Denver, Colorado arriving there in good condition.
One of the newspaper political cartoons which appeared in 1908 has these verses:
William R. Compton, the marshal
To Republican methods is partial.
He likes flowers, too, and grows quite a few
While his real estate makes quite a parcel.
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| Elmira Star Gazette March 18, 1908 |
“. . .easy, graceful talker and whether in humor or pathos, whether in a dress suit at a banquet, somber black at a memorial service or in everyday dress on a bench in a political convention, he always knows just what to say and how to say it.”
“. . .endowed with a high order of executive ability.”
“. . .one of the most genial and warm hearted of men, interested in all matters of common concern in the community and contributing generously of time and money for their advancement.”
“. . .generally wears a silk tie and his friends call him ‘Billy’ when they are intimate enough to presume on that familiarity.”
“. . .His word was as good as gold.”
“. . .sterling qualities of intelligence, industry, and integrity.”
“. . .thoroughly honest.”
“. . .a perfect gentleman at all times.”
“. . .can be relied upon under any and all circumstances.”
He died on April on April 28, 1912, unexpectedly from complications of long-standing diabetes (for which insulin treatments had not yet been discovered). He was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, where my father is also buried.
Comment: My grandfather was a self-made man with great ambitions and talents who became a leading businessman and politician in the community, whose life was unfortunately cut short at an early age of 52.
