Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 169 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INDIA1N WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
153
Confederate States government. As the coast of
Texas was closely blockaded, goods of all kinds
soon became scarce in the State, and one of the
first importations made by the firm was a cargo of
fifty thousand pairs of cotton and wool cards,
which they brought in under a contract with the
State, to enable the people of Texas to manufacture
their own clothing. These were introduced by way
of Mexico, through which country they continued
to make large shipments of cotton during the continuance
of the blockade, while at the same time
they employed foreign vessels to run war material
into the harbor of Galveston. In all of this they
were eminently successful, and Mr. Hutchings is
still proud of the fact that, through the energy and
daring enterprise of the firm, vessels were, at the
close of the war, arriving at Galveston with arms
and munitions, and departing, laden with cotton,
on every change or dark of the moon, with almost
the regularity of mail steamers.
In 1865 the firm returned to Galveston and resumed
the banking business in the same building
which they had erected in 1855, and which they have
now occupied for thirty-seven years; but Mr.
Hutchings still cherishes the kindest feelings for
the people of Houston, with whom he lived so happily
and prosperously during the dark days of the
Civil War. Soon after their return to Galveston
they admitted as a partner Mr. George Sealy, who
was a brother of Mr. John Sealy, and had long
been in their service. The firm name, however,
remained unchanged. In March, 1884, Mr. George
Ball died, and in the following August Mr. John
Sealy died, leaving MIr. Hutchings and Mr. George
Sealy the only surviving members of the firm, and
they have continued the banking and exchange
business under the same firm name until the present
time, and their rating for wealth and credit in banking
circles is perhaps as high as that of any other
banking house in the world.
The old building, which, in simple strength, so
long and faithfully abided by the fortunes of the
firm, has just been replaced by another, constructed
by Mr. Hutchings specially for their use
and having every feature of safety, comfort and
convenience suggested by the long conduct of the
banking business. This structure is the best
equipped and most thoroughly appointed bank
building in the South.
It is one of the handsomest buildings on the
strand.
In addition to being one of the two managers of
this great banking house, Mr. Hutchings has occupied,
and still holds, many important and responsible
business positions. His sound judgment, hisf solid integrity, his far-seeing enterprise, his great
activity, his superb business qualities, and remarkable
success in all his undertakings, have caused
his name and services to be almost indispensable in
a leading connection with every important enterprise
of Galveston. He was for a long time president
of the Galveston Wharf Company and it
was during his presidency of this association
that a compromise was effected with the city, which
settled long disputed claims as to the title of the
wharf property. In consideration of the value of
his services in negotiating this settlement, the company
presented him with a handsome service of
silver. The McAlpine survey of the wharf was
also made during the same time, and improvements
were begun which have created valuable property
for the company, and given a spacious and beautiful
front to the city. He was the first president,
after the war, of the Galveston Gas Company, and
has continued ever since to be one of its directors,
and is now its president. He has long been a
director of the Southern Press Manufacturing Company
of Galveston, and is at this time its president.
He was for some time a director of the Galveston
City Company, and is now the president of that
company. He was appointed by Judge E. P. Hill,
the Confederate States Judge for Texas, a Commissioner
of the Confederate States Court, which he
held as long as the Confederate States were in existence,
and still preserves his commission from Judge
Hill and values it very highly. HIe was also one of
the original directors of the Gulf, Colorado and
Santa Fe Railroad Company, also of the Galveston
Oil Mills Company, of the Land and Loan Company,
an(d also of tile Galveston, Houston and Henderson
Railway Company, and of the Galveston
Insurance Company. In 1859-60 he was an alderman
of the city of Galveston, and negotiated the
bonds for the first bridge built over the bay. He
was the author of the plan for raising money to
open the inner bar in Galveston harbor, and
drafted the ordinance of June 25, 1869, which
put his plan into successful execution, He was
the originator and chief promoter of the establishment
of the splendid line of steamers plying
between Galveston and New York, so well known
as the Mallory line, and now incorporated as the
New York and Texas Steamship Company, and he
is one of the five directors of this company. He
accomplished this splendid enterprise by inducing
the Galveston Wharf Company, of which he was
president, to take a fourth interest in the four first
steamers built for the line, by taking stock himself
and inducing his partners to do likewise; and the
present firm still owns a large interest in the line.
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/169/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.