George H. Earle, Jr., before 1910 Born: July 6, 1856
Died: February 19, 1928
Married: Catherine H. French
Children: Ralph Earle, George H. Earle III, Mrs. Gilbert Mather, Mrs. Victor Mather, Mrs. Joseph M. Patterson
George H. Earle, Jr. built Camp Katia on Upper St. Regis Lake and Camp Cobblestone on Spitfire Lake as well as another camp on Spitfire and two camps Moose Point on the south shore of Fish Creek Bay on Upper Saranac Lake.
New York Times, June 7, 1903
George H. Earle of Philadelphia has sent three launches to St. Regis Lakes, two of which will be used at his new camp on Spitfire Lake, and the other, which is of considerable horse power, may be entered in some or the races between launches which are likely to be held here this Summer. Mr. Earle purchased the camp of Mrs. E. C. Brooks on Spitfire Lake two years ago, and has made many changes here during the last few months. There are two new buildings having walls of stone from the ground to the roofs. The main building is octagonal in shape, while the other, which contains three sleeping apartments, is a long structure one story high. The cobblestones from which these buildings are made are laid in courses. The interior is in timber finish, with the side walls ceiled 1 to cover the stonework. Stone fireplaces have been built in each of the rooms. The new buildings of the Earle camp on Spitfire Lake are in the midst of a confusion of tent platforms under the trees, and connect with the camp on the Upper St. Regis, which Mr. Earle has owned for some years, by trail.
The Malone Farmer, June 17, 1903
George H. Earle, of Philadelphia, who bought the camp of Mrs. E. C. Brooks, of New York, on Spitfire Lake last year, has recently completed many improvements. All of the new buildings are of stone. The main structure is octagonal, while the sleeping apartments are in a long building, the walls being of stone two feet thick.
Lake Placid News, September 1, 1916
An estate of 4,000 acres on the Upper Saranac Lake known as the Taylor property, situated between the camp of Miss Isabel Ballantine and the Saranac Inn highway, has been purchased by purchased by George H. Earle of Philadelphia.
Adirondack Record, March 30, 1917
CAMPS COSTING $150,000 TO BE BUILT
George H. Earle of Philadelphia, who already has extensive camps on the St. Regis and Osgood Lakes, has begun the construction of a series of camps on the Upper Saranac Lake, which, when completed, will have cost upward of $150,000. The camps of Mr. Earle on the Upper Saranac Lake will be located on Fish Creek Bay on the Talbot Taylor property, which he recently purchased.
New York Times, February 20, 1928
G. H. EARLE JR., FINANCIER, DEAD
Philadelphian Rebuilt Banks and Industrial Firms Facing Bankruptcy.
WAS A LEADER AT THE BAR
Beat Vare In Primary Only Time Senator-Elect Ran for Mayor —Left $20,000,000 Estate.
Special to The New York Times. PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 19.—George H. Earle Jr., lawyer and financier, described by a biographer as the "surgeon general of finance" for his achievements in rebuilding bank and industrial concerns which found themselves in receivership, died at his home in Rittenhouse Square today in his seventy-second year. He had been ill for nearly a year, but his condition had shown temporary improvement after a blood transfusion last Friday. He left an estate estimated to exceed $20,000,000.
Although Mr. Earle was rarely active in politics, he entered the mayoralty campaign in 1911, defeating in the primary William S. Vare, present United States Senator-elect. This was the only time Mr. Vare ever sought the Mayor's chair. In the election Mr. Earle was defeated by the late Rudolph Blankenburg, who ran as an independent on a reform platform.
The bitter factional fight that developed in that campaign left results in local politics that can be traced to the present day. Mr. Earle ran on a platform of business in city administration, and the late Senator Boise Penrose, then titular head of the local Republican organization, resented the entry of Mr. Vare to split the organization.
On $5 a Week Is Betrothed
Born in Philadelphia, the son of George Husey Earle and Ellen France Earle, Mr. Earle went to Harvard University to study law, but was forced by ill health to leave. Shortly afterward he obtained a position in an attorney's office at $2.50 a week, and when his salary was doubled he became engaged to marry. He was wed two years after he left college.
Later Mr. Earle became senior member of the law firm of Earle & White. After he became interested in corporation law, he was called upon to re-establish nine firms. Perhaps the most notable case was that of the Real Estate Trust Company, which had been in trouble for months without the knowledge of any of its 12,000 stockholders. Ultimately its President committed suicide, and Mr. Earle wrote a personal letter to the stockholders, explaining the situation and outlining his reasons for thinking that the institution might be saved from collapse. The stockholders, agreeing to take a chance, recovered every cent of their money, and the company became one of the most flourishing in the city.
Theatre Named for Him.
Mr. Earle became associated with the firm of Mastbaum Brothers & Fleisher, Inc., in his later years and studied the shift in central city real estate values. The Earle Theatre, constructed by the Stanley Company, was named in his honor.
He was Pennsylvania Commissioner to the St. Louis Exposition and a member of numerous clubs and societies. Harvard conferred on him the honorary degree of Master of Arts in 1904.
At his country estate in Bryn Mawr he raised blooded horses and took an interest in outdoor life and in literature. He was a collector of rare stamps and coins.
He is survived by a widow, who was Miss Catherine H. French; two sons, Ralph and George H. Earle 3d and three daughters, Mrs. Gilbert Mather, Mrs. Victor Mather and Mrs. Joseph M. Patterson.
External link:
- Biography of George H. Earle, Sr. from the Report of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (1907)
Footnotes:
1. To finish a wall surface with plaster, stucco, thin boards, or the like.
