Clipped from US, Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore Sun, May 7, 1911
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#I99IIftI 'MHis Smile Attracts Not Only Friehds ToHimself But Business To The ship Company. '45* reader ever happened to notice that a coming over corporations in their,methods of selecting j - officer si Once upon a time the main thing directors wanted to know of their executive was whether he could turn the handle of the machine and grind out dollars.Sternness, rigidity, unbending insistence upon all that was coming to the company, and a heavy hand to check outlays formed the standard of perfection for corporatioh presidents—just so they’d keep on grinding out the dollars evenH• •1tII• iII9 '99Ift91if the coins had a little blood onof suchmight have had a warm or even a merry side, but theyhad to be careful about showingwas sacrilegelaugh in the temple of the almighty dollar. To be cheerful was unbminesslike, and to be more than dignifiedlycourteous zoos apparently a violation ofBut all this is changing now.much.has already changedhuman men—men with red blood in their veinslook cheerful because theythat pumps through warm hearts are getting the high places men of magnetism who can fed happy, and who feel happy because making money andcarrying responsibility doesn’t mean scraping the dry bonesand toting an everlasting grouchrThat is why Joseph wu made president of Miners’ Transporationeducated here and proved his worth ha v f , ^ /I iand wherever there art pawanfar*freight to carry. He was aot selectedocean steamships and its vast carry* be a Baltimorean by any board of directorsing badness. That is not aayinff that the Merchants and Miners has been one of the grinding corporationes, for it hasn’t. It has been a leader in adopting the newer style of presidents.If it was ever exemplified that a corporation's best asset is a strong and wel-or public commission. A committee of twe named him. They were Joseph Cushing Whitney, his father, and Florence M. Whitney, his mother. He became a Baltimorean in this city on May 14, 1657. That makes him 54 years old next Sunday.m * .-e- t - * i «• w _ .On bis father’s side be gets sturdy oldmost conspicuous blood thst originated in Wale*representative, it is exemplified, nayMiss WestonKproved on the spot, by the Merchant# and scendant of the storied John Aides, ofMayflower -fam^. This breeding bringsMiners and its warm-hearted president, Joseph Whitney. He has proved, indeed.gentleness, firmness of parthat he is as important to the welfare of pose without acerbity and an industry that the company as the Tery coals which make makes work almost play.steaied nestlon wasman is Judged by the company be taioed in private schools of TisMmnseThat is about all there was of K la the way of textbook learning. Htotion was all early, for at the age of l in 1870, be started out on the hustlekeeps.” That's a saying that is as old as the hills, but it is not truer than the modern paraphrase that “a company is judged by the men it keeps.” People will sometimes do business with those whom tney became a page in the Peabody Librarydo not like, if they have to ; but how much more business will you do if people come to trade with you because they like you?NO WONDER IT SUCCEEDS.aMerchants and Miners’ company goes on and on extending its usefulness to Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Prormenee, Savannah and Jacksonville and builds ship after ship and has finally given to the world those beautiful twins, the Suwanee and tbe Somerset?Joseph Cushing Whitney is a Baltimorean. He was born here, bred here.where he learned to be accurate la methods, to step softly and apeak in whispers as he fetched and curled books to and fro. Much of hi* spore time ha used in seeing what was on tbe lootdo of those books, too.Still a young boy, he want to the wbotesale grocery firm of John C. Bridges, ee Commerce street. Written history —tto him a clerk at this period, bat he was only the boy.” Mr. Whitney loot hto place when Mr. Bridges went ont ofWhen he reached the age of 16 ha go a place with the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company. His positionlt;0*He'Began At The Bottom And Worked His Way To TheTop, And Everybody From Office Boy To StockholderGlad And So Is ThrWorld At Large.• it *% #office boy. That’s the reason it is here said that he “gpt the job.” Had ha. been appointed to some one of the high placesbe has hoi# since thou, It would have tobe wrfttea. according to custom ^that he ‘accepted the pofltion.'’But whatever Joseph Whitney has done in his life he has done well, and beingoffice hoy at the age of 16 was no exceptionJo his rule, so he soon got a reel clerkship ‘ as the first promotion to hie successful career. He was wharf clegk, and kept, onhustling 'and developing, sad tbe powers la the Merchants and Miners’ mm that among his traits were anbeodtng honesty.Strict Industry, Sagacity and, above *11,a loyalty to all that be represented.LOYALTY BIS STRONG POINT.This trait of loyalty Is his dietingalsbtng characteristic. Those Who know him lootto dwell on It. Bold a friend, of his, who is s prominent military and basin—man:“Joe Whitney is tpyal to his family, loyal to his friends, loyal to hie eeaspoay sad loyal to his dtiseaehip. When occasion arises to is first ea the spec, with as epea heart and else a toads, and tbdt Is why I sad alt who are hi* intimates rineevety love him.”Pretty fine tribute. Isn’t it?From wharf clerk to collector was Mr. Wk It nay’s next uplift* bat the following pro met iso, that of bring made freightsolicitor, is where Whitney was most ‘‘discovered” as of extraordinary value to bts company.Some solicitors css smile and look pleasant Mr. Whttgey was surrounded by an 'htmeepbere of geniality that Is a part of bis bring and was not put oa for business uses. He would warm an office by, hisunaffected cordiality, sad did he getJ thefreight? He rid.Next be went into tbe president’s offices as secsetary, and next became traffic manager. Again in bia element. Inmany persons and accomplishing blF things in the way of increased business, and with greater personal responsibility and correspondingly enlarged powerto act, he proved a moat worthy executive.In this place he showed tact resourcefulness and a remarkable “business bead.” Thing*, ©entrances and figures were at his command, all arranged In him mind in methodical rows, and it seemed as If bis brain carried a card index and a filing cablet.A man who observed ©ne.lt;convejHion of traffic managers from all over the country told the writer that the discussions re quired frequent study pf complex lists and other papers. Eech traffic manager was accompanied by bis secretary, wbo carried his forfolio and index of subjects, and, as tbe dslegatea referred to any particular paper, their secretaries produced the needed documents. Mr, Whitney, with no secretary and no memoranda, debated tbe moat obtuse problems of tbe assemblage, quoting facta and figures asclearly and correctly as If bis referencesheets were In his hands. This is thgbusiness head.There was still another promotion tocome to Mr. Whitney. This was the second vlee-preridency, but his dnty in this office dkl not “cBhnge, for he wns stilltraffic manager.The personality of Mr. Whitney, indud-9 4lag alls-friendly sad ramps ohms Me drop ewtr* This was iU meetiag In Wowawfl s toil Totfc. ' ‘-in fit tflmt in mm mm, m theeeatOBffik SOd power as a mixerfellow1 emu mil, tooto the gooff of tho Merchant* naff■t♦trolled aaff retained ter it toetooos thatcorid come la no other war- The soya there to oo eeatlmeot to longs to the Grouch Club. Whitney can get late confidential relatione with traffic aua as few others tun. Knowing him toon the tariffs is to to ea tin on risen theyfear bo tricks nor doable flmftog. Knowing traffic men ail over the eona-try as a familiar spirit, be absorbs tori* sees aot merely hoenoee to to a fellow,” tot b see See to to a fito gentlemanwho eommsaffs reflpoet ea mill to Jvtoaff ship, rinee there Is hashtsss aetueca of the highest order oeromponytag fito gaolaUty. Knowing hto worth no a executive and vetoing hto,advtee to mat tore of traffic ease wee to all’lines, to to a lender among tratoe men when theymeet la conclave, pertleotarijgood orgsalaer.At a gathering of ffiiiMc^mea not loaf ago at Old Print Gstotety rep restating executives from all parts of the country, a Baltimorean who ir a personal friend of Mr. Whitney was overjbyeff to see the pleasant deference paid, tofitm. To all of them he is known as “J. C,” the Initialsof his first and middle nemm To everyproposition that called among a number, the replies wore• Ask ‘J. C. What does ‘J. C.’ myaboutWhat shall we do aext?” asked oae. Oh, 1 don’t know. I leave It at! toJ. O. ” And no tbe thing went Hecould start anything or adjourn anything and the beat of It all was that everybody was happy and there were no miffs nordisappointments.It is by these traits of leadership andearning merited confidence that Joseph Cushing Whitney not only gets borineaa,but holds It when he gets it for being constant hi his mood. He is naturally changeless in his methods and inspirations.Truly, consistency is a Jewel—in the basi-neas world as elsewhere.That Mr. Whitney should be now president of the great steamship company with * hi eh he started as office devil seemshardly possible. This “working your way up” is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It sounds so much like a story from some highly moral boo£ for boys that it doesn’t seem true. But in this case it's a fact—sure enoughTwo years or so ago Mr. Michael Jenkins was president of the Merchants and Miners' Transportation Company, lie himself is a man of great breadth of mind and kindliness of soul. He can judge men and be long ago put bia estimate oo Mr. Whitney. Mr. Jenkins determined, much againstthe wishes of his feUow-directors, to give up tbe headship of the company. They felt some dread of a change and demanded of him: “Who’ll take your place if you-- %AND MR. JRNKIN8 DID IT.GriBf to tto tilagiBph — mto to wivta a 1~ Hto fihto: “fito mum to HewTeak by next train. Mari at the• •Mr. Whitneyton* teiffmet Mr. Jenkins andeioctad praaJ -ffiwaff ont wto tank toe fitoest aaff (to same ceefiflsnu tint tto imp toy, tto cwetom-en aaff tto toeal effiesfii of tto Mtoetontaffitt *6 MrWhitney, ao i«sg an they have tom him. exteto with tto psefto wto owe tto etoek of tto Una.Perhaps aot —agh has toaa aelff tort about tto employee ef the cesepway whs m* naffer Mr. Whlteey. Uafertapatoiy. It frequently happens that the as It mad* amn ms has blame! f op all riffto^ffneeptthat e large constituent ef tto ap to arrogance. 8occeas never spritoff ffitotaey. He to as loyal la hto da ties te hto pieyes an be to to hto employer* aaff tto earn* leasts light ef filieiWeie* thatbeams from him shines down aa/wnd asop aaff forth. Not a naa who fines hisdefy faeis anything but that Pinriffant Whitney to hie friend, end he is.Mr. Whitney lives at the comer of Bifidie •■ff Cathedral streets wtoo he te at home.Bet TO per cent, of his time to spent away from Baltimore on business for file eom-peor- Tto old traffic manages habit clingste him, even now that he Is president, and when there is anything to do he canoot resist going off and seeing to it himself.On January 24, 1883, Mr. Whitney was married te Mias Carrie Leo Clark. They had ene son, named after himself, who was also a useful employe of the Merchants And Miners.’ But in 1906. while in the prime of bis young manhood, he passed away.Joseph C. Whitney is a member of the Maryland Club and one of its house officers. He is also a member of tbe Balti-more Club, Elkridge and Green Spring Yal ley Foxhunting Clnos. Baltimore Yacht ( lub and tbe Merchants’ Club, all of Ba! tiroore: the Virginia Club, of Norfolk ; the Ogleborpe Club, of Savannah, and of th^Hope Club, of Providence. R. I.Saturday a week ago Mr. Whitney went to Camden, N. J.. to come around to Balt: more with tbe latest-Duilt steamship of the company—the Somerset. He took a group of congenial companions with him and. a« usual, was tbe soul of generosity, seeing to It mat they had every comfort on the trip.On Monday, after arrival, hto guests bad completed a conspiracy against him and there went to his home a magnificent grandfather's clock, with Westminster chimes, and all that makes those tall timepieces beautiful, useful and companionable. And this was a gift from a few of the men wbo know, admire, respect and love Jo aeph Cushing Whitney.
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