History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

588

HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

studies being algebra, geometry, mensuration, natural philosophy
and chemistry. He pursued these studies largely under the tuition.
of an old friend. Charles Ross (since deceased), who possessed
superior educational faculties, his principal forte being mathematics. For his disinterested kindness Mr. Webber cherishes his
memory with respect and affection. In 1844-'5, Mr. W. taught a
school in the neighborhood. In the latter year occurred the death
of his mother, which had the effect of the final separation of the
family. His brother, James Z. Webber, died in 1847. William
resolved to study medicine, and to that end entered the office of
Foote & Mowry, Milford, Oakland Co., Mich., where he remained
two years, and then abandoned it for the law. In 1848 he opened
a select school at Milford, which he continued for two years. In
1851 he was admitted to the bar, and soon after opened a law office
at Milford. The same year he visited East Saginaw for the first
time, and was so favorably impressed with the prospects that he
resolved as soon as circumstances would admit, to make it his
future home. On March 15, 1853, he opened an office at East
Saginaw. In June, 1857, John J. Wheeler entered into partnership with him under the firm name of Webber & Wheeler, which
relation continued till Dec. 31, 1860. In 1863 Irving M. Smith
formed a co-partnership with Mr. Webber in the law business,
and remained with him until the close of 1869. When the F. &
P. M. R. R. was being constructed in 1859, Mr. Webber acted as
its solicitor, and that relation continued until March 1, 1870, when
he was also appointed Land Commissioner. He then gave up his
general law practice, and since the latter date has given his
exclusive attention to the business of the law and land
departments of that road, officiating as a Director of the
company since 1864. In politics Mr. Webber has always been a
Democrat. From 1854 to 1856 he served as Circuit Court
Commissioner of this county, and was subsequently elected
Prosecuting Attorney. In the spring of 1874, he was elected
Mayor of East Saginaw, and in the fall of the same year was chosen
to represent this district in the State Senate. Before the fact was
demonstrated, and while it was only suspected that salt existed at
Saginaw, Mr. Webber drafted the Bounlty Bill, which was passed
by the Legislature during the session of 1859, being a bill to encourage the manufacture of salt. Hon. James Birney, now U. S.
Minister at the Hague, was then State Senator from this district,
and the bill was sent to him, and largely by his efforts, passed the
Senate. Immediately after the passage of the bill, Mr. Webber
prepared a subscription list, and in two days' time had secured sufficient stock subscriptions to organize a company for tile manufacture of salt. Thle subscribers met, and organized as a corporation
under the manufacturing laws of the State, as the East Saginaw
Salt Manufacturing Company, They immediately bored an experimental well at East Saginaw, 670 feet in depth, and the existence
of brine in large quantities, and its value for salt-making purposes
were satisfactorily dlemonstrated-. Mr. Webber was Secretary an(l