upon his business interests. He came to the new world when a young man of twenty years, attracted by the favorable reports which he heard concerning the opportunities in this country. He did not hold the idea, however, that wealth might be had for the asking and find that he was pinning his faith to a fallacy ; he knew that indefatigable energy' and unfaltering enterprise must constitute the basis of business advancement in this countn,- as in his native land and as the years have gone by, his earnest and intelligent efforts have enabled him to make steady progress, achieving success in the various fields in which he has la- bored until now he occupies a prominent position in connection with real-estate and the general brokerage business and sustains an unassailable reputation by rea- son of the salient characteristics of his business activity.
HENRY FAILING.
There came to Henry Failing during the course of his active and honorable life many expressions of public regard and approval but none that indicated more clearly the attitude of Portland's citizens toward him than his election to the mayoralty for a second term with only five dissenting votes. He remained through the period of his residence here a high type of American manhood and chivalry, the simple weight of this character and ability carrying him into prominence. His public record and his private life are alike untarnished by any dishonor or lack of fidelity to duty. His achievements were notable and he wrote his name upon the hearts of his friends in characters that time will never efface. The width of the continent separated Henry Failing during the period of his residence in Portland from the place of his nativity, for he was born in the city of New York, January 17, 1834. His parents were Josiah and Henrietta (Ellison) Failing, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.
At the usual age Henry Failing began his education, being sent to a school then under the control of the New York Public School Society, an organization which has long ceased to exist, the management of the schools being now merged into the general system of the board of education. Although the curriculum was not very broad, the methods of instruction were thorough. Henry Failing continued to attend school until April, 1846, when he made his initial step in the business world by entering the counting house of L. F. de Figanere & Company in Piatt street as an office boy. The senior partner was a brother of the Portuguese minister to the United States, while Mr. Rosat, another mem- ber of the firm, was a French merchant from Bordeaux. The house had among its patrons many French dealers in the city and while connected with that estab- lishment Mr. Failing learned to both speak and write the French language with facility and correctness. He also made rapid progress in business, working his way upward until he became an expert accountant, while later he became junior bookkeeper in the large dry-goods jobbing house of Eno, Mahoney & Company, the senior partner being Amos R. Eno, a New York millionaire, who after- ward told an intimate friend that it was one of the mistakes of his life that he did not make it more of an inducement for Henry Failing to remain with him. However, an uninterrupted friendship continued between the two men until Mr. Eno's death. Mr. Failing's knowledge of the importing business and custom house firms and dealers was such that the two concerns with which he was connected had no occasion for the services of a broker while he was associated with them. He wisely used his opportunities to gain a knowledge of business methods and in 1851,' when little more than seventeen years of age, he was better equipped for his future business career than many young men who have far wider advantages and educational opportunities.
