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Clarence Hungerford MacKay

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"CLARENCE HUNGERFORD MACKAY (1874-), American capitalist, was born at San Francisco April 17 1874. He was a son of John William Mackay ( see 17.250), who had wide interests in cable and telegraph lines. He received his education in Europe, chiefly in England and France, and at the age of 20 entered his father's office in New York. In 1896 he was made president of the Forcite Powder Manufacturing Co., and also a director of the Commercial Cable Co. and the Postal Telegraph Co., being made vice-president of both a little later. After his father's death in 1902 he succeeded to the presidency of various companies, including the Commercial Cable Co. and the Postal Telegraph Cable Co. He was elected president of the Mackay Companies, organized in 1903, and owning all the capital stock of the Commercial Cable Co. and a majority of the stock of various cable, telegraph and telephone companies in the United States, Canada and Europe, including the Postal Telegraph Cable Co. In 1921 the Mackay Companies operated some 350,000 m. of wires and 29,000 m. of cables, connecting with all parts of the civilized world. At that time the Commercial Cable Co. owned cables from Ireland to England and France, five cables from America to Europe, cables along the North Atlantic coast, a cable from New York to Cuba, a cable from Florida to Cuba, and a Pacific cable from San Francisco via Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila, to Shanghai, with an extension to Japan. The Postal Telegraph Cable Co. owned a telegraph system throughout the United States, and at the same time used many thousand miles of the same wire for long-distance telephone. Acting under authority of a joint resolution of Congress of July 16 1918, President Wilson took over the wires as from Aug. I 1918 and placed them under the control of Postmaster-General Burleson. Mr. Mackay opposed many of the PostmasterGeneral's policies on the ground that he was using war-time control to bring about Government ownership of the wires. In Dec. Mackay was removed from control of the Commercial Cable Co., and all cables taken over by the Government were placed under the president of the Western Union Telegraph Co. In March 1919 he was also dismissed by order of the Postmaster-General from the presidency of the Postal Telegraph Cable Co., but was reinstated after the return of the wires to their private owners in 1919.