Thomas Eckert
Thomas T. Eckert | |
---|---|
Birth name | Thomas Thompson Eckert |
Born | St. Clairsville, Ohio | April 23, 1825
Died | October 20, 1910 New York City | (aged 85)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States of America Union |
Service/ | Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1867 |
Rank | Major Brevet Brigadier General |
Commands held | U.S. Military Telegraph Corps |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Other work | Assistant Secretary of War President, Western Union |
Signature |
Thomas Thompson Eckert (April 23, 1825 – October 20, 1910) was an officer in the U.S. Army, Chief of the War Department Telegraph Staff from 1862 to 1866, United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1866 to 1867 and an executive at Western Union.
Early life
Thomas Thompson Eckert was born April 23, 1825, in
Eckert held this position as superintendent until 1859, when he moved to Montgomery County, North Carolina, to manage a gold mine.[3][4] In 1861, Eckert returned to Ohio to bring his wife, Emma D. Whitney, and his children to North Carolina.[5] But upon returning to the mines, Eckert found he had been accused of being a Northern spy. When his case was heard before a judge, the judge acquitted Eckert due to lack of proof. After the case, Eckert and his family escaped back north to Cleveland with the help of influential friends in 1861.[6]
Service during the Civil War
After arriving in Cleveland, Eckert telegraphed Assistant Secretary of War
After the war
Eckert resigned as Assistant Secretary of War and established himself as a major figure in the American telegraph industry. His first job after his resignation was managing the eastern division of Western Union. In 1875, he became president of the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph company, and then in 1880, Eckert became president of the American Union Telegraph, Western Union's main competitor.[3][4] When Western Union and American Union Telegraph merged in 1881, Eckert was named vice president and general manager of the expanded Western Union.[3][4] Eckert, in his role as vice president, was an integral part of Western Union's management and growth. In 1893, Eckert succeeded Dr. Norvin Green to become president of Western Union.[3] He retired from this position in 1900 to become chairman of the board of directors.[3] Eckert held this position until close to his death on October 20, 1910.[3]
References
- ^ Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). Encyclopedia Americana. .
- ^ David Homer Bates, Lincoln in the Telegraph Office, New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, (1907), 124.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Edward Hagerman (February 2000). "Eckert, Thomas Thompson". American National Biography Online.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ Bates, 125.
- ^ Bates, 129-130.
- ^ Bates, 131.
- ^ Bates, 45 & 137
- ^ Reid, Whitelaw (1868). Ohio in the War: History of the State During the War, and the Lives of her Generals. Vol. I. Cincinnati, OH: Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin. p. 1009.
External links
- "Western Union's President.; Gen. Thomas T. Eckert Elected to Succeed Dr. Green," New York Times, March 9, 1893.
- "Gen. T.T. Eckert's Birthday; The Western Union's President Vigorous at Seventy Years," New York Times, April 24, 1895
- Biography by Earl D. Berry, New York Times Illustrated Weekly Magazine, Sept. 5, 1897.
- Obituary, New York Times, Oct. 21, 1910.
- Thomas Eckert at Find a Grave