Orton, William, 1826-1878

William Orton was a businessman during the nineteenth century, most famously known as the president of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

Born in Cuba, New York, on June 14, 1826, Orton was trained as a newspaper printer and then went to school to become a teacher. After teaching for several years and working in a book store, he went into the publishing business with various partners, operating Derby, Orton & Company and then Miller & Orton, before working as the managing clerk for J. G. Gregory & Company. In the early 1860s, Orton became involved in public office, serving on New York City’s Common Council, the Collector of Revenue in New York, and then as Commissioner of Internal Revenue in Washington, D.C.

In 1865, Orton left his job in Washington, D.C., to become president of the United States Telegraph Company. A year later, the company merged with Western Union and he was made vice president. Aside from this executive job, Orton studied law and was admitted to the bar (accepted as a professional attorney) in 1867. That same year, the president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, Jeptha Wade, resigned, and Orton took his place. He jointly became president of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company, the International Ocean Telegraph Company, and Atlantic and Southern Telegraph Company.

Orton died of apoplexy (a stroke or cerebral hemorrhage) in New York City on April 22, 1878, at the age of 51. He was married to Agnes J. Gillespie and had eight children. Orton is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

(Wikipedia; FindaGrave)

William Orton belonged to the following social groups: