The Biographical Dictionary of America/Bacon, Edward Payson

BACON, Edward Payson, merchant, was born at Reading, Steuben county, N. Y., May 16, 1834; son of Joseph F. Bacon, who removed with his family to Geneva, N. Y., in 1838. It was the boy's ambition to prepare for the ministry, but the duty of assisting his invalid father in maintaining the family determined him to accept a position as a clerk in a railroad office. In 1854 he was made chief clerk in the general freight office of the Erie railway, in New York city, and in 1855 held a similar position with the Michigan southern railroad company at Chicago. In 1856 he was appointed local freight agent of the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroad company, at Milwaukee, Wis., and continued for nine years in the employ of that company and its successor, filling the positions of general freight agent, auditor and general ticket agent, each of which departments he organized. The system of accounts, and the method of conducting the freight and ticket business, afterwards adopted by all the western roads, originated with him, and constitute the basis of the extended systems in general use in that section of the country. In 1865 Mr. Bacon engaged in the grain commission business at Milwaukee, and organized the firm of Bacon & Everingham. He was a founder of the Young Men's Christian association in Milwaukee, 1857, and its president 1879-’81; a member of the board of directors of the Milwaukee chamber of commerce, 1883-'93, its vice-president two years and president two years. He was vice-president of the national board of trade, 1884-’89; and represented the Milwaukee chamber of commerce before congressional committees to oppose the free coinage of silver, and the passage of the "anti option" bill.