H. Emerson Comings

HEMERSON COMINGS, president of the Republic Mercantile Corporation, 44 Whitehall Street, New York, was born in London, England, son of William Righter and Jeannie G. (Tuttle) Comings, both Ameri-cans of old New England lineage. His maternal grandmother was a cousin of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his paternal grandfather, descendant of William Brewster and Governor Bradford, of "Mayflower" fame, was Dr. Benjamin N. Comings, Chief Surgeon Thirteenth Connecticut Infantry Volunteers in the Civil War, and joint author of Comstock & Comings' "Principles, of Physiology."

His father was one of the foremost American residents in London, and his mother was long president of the Society of American Women in London, and, during the war, treasurer of the American Red Cross in London.

Mr. Comings was educated in Harrow School and Trinity College, Oxford University (B.A., with highest honors, 1906). In 1907 he became a partner in his father's firm, W. R. Comings & Company, which specialized in placing the foreign rights of inventions in machinery or manufacturing processes that had succeeded in the countries of their origin. He later became director in Hugh Stevenson & Sons, Limited, of London and Manchester, England, his work bringing him to the United States in 1912 as a osrmanent resident. War conditions suspended his plans and he became the vice-president of Slocum, Avram & Slocum, Inc., engineers and industrial managers, New York. When the United

States entered the war Mr. Comings took over their foreign business and organized and became president of the Republic Mercantile Corporation.

Mr. Comings, who is an extensive traveler and linguist, has been firmly of the belief that the war would inevitably bring both the Near East and the Far East into closer touch with the Lmited States, and that the opportunities offered by these two markets would ultimately prove of the greatest value. The Republic Mercantile Corporation accordingly concentrated its efforts on these two fields, and, as far as the Balkans are concerned, it may be said to be the pioneer American concern, representing, as it does, the principal American manufacturers of goods suitable for those markets.

Mr. M. H. Avram, well known engineer, who is vice-president of the corporation, was born in Roumania. In every way the business has advantage of excellent foreign connections.

The Republic Mercantile Corporation specializes not only as foreign sales agents of American companies, but also continues the business with which Mr. Comings is so familiar, of disposing of their foreign rights where such a course is more advantageous, and also in the setting up in Foreign countries of American manufacturing plants. The corporation represents numerous prominent American concerns in foreign countries and acts as purchasing agent in- the United States for several powerful foreign concerns.

Mr. Comings married Miss Marjory Lewis, of Buffalo, in 1917. He is a member of the City Club of New York.