Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1903 — JAMES R. KEENE, FINANCIER, WHOSE SON-IN-LAW FAILED. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JAMES R. KEENE, FINANCIER, WHOSE SON-IN-LAW FAILED.

The sensation of a panicky day in Wall street Friday was the failure of Talbot J. .Taylor & Co., a firm of brokers

of which James R. Keeue’s son-in-law is the head and Foxhall Keene, his son, a special partner, and in the office of which James R. Keene made his headquarters. James Robert Keene was born in England in 1838, son of a London merchant, and emigrated to Cali-

fomia in At 14 he began to blaze his own trail. He was prospector, freighter, stock raiser, miller, editor opd unsuccessful in all. Then fortune changed. *ln Nevada he obtained some good mining property, sold it, and began speculation in San Francisco. He tpade $125,000. In 1870 'the market went wrong, and he lost his entire fortune. This was his first great failure. Beginning again, now as a mining broker, he soon had another fortune. In 1877 he went to New York with $0,000,000, and by 1879 had made $9,000,000 more. His next plan was to corner the wheat market. In that famous attempt he lost millions,, and as a direct result he failed in 1884 for the remnant of his fortune, the suspension involving L\\ooo,ooo. Beginning yet again, thii wizard of finance once more gathered together millions, and since 1893 his operations in Wall street have been stupendous. He married Sara, daughter of. Col. Leroy Daingerfield of Virginia. His children are Foxhall Keene and Mrs. Talbot J. Taylor.

JAS. K. KEENE.