William Orton (businessman)

William Orton
William Orton, President of Western Union from 1867 to 1878.
Born	(1826-06-14)June 14, 1826 Cuba, New York
Died	April 22, 1878(1878-04-22) (aged 51) New York City, New York
Resting place	Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Alma mater	New York State Normal School (now the State University of New York at Albany)
Occupation	Business executive
Years active	1847–1878
Known for	President, Western Union Telegraph Company, 1867–1878
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Agnes J. Gillespie
Children	Jessie Alice William, Jr. James Agnes M. Virginia Robert Grosvenor

William Orton (June 14, 1826 – April 22, 1878) was an American businessman who served as president of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

William Orton was born in Cuba, New York on June 14, 1826. He was trained as a printer and worked on a newspaper in the village of Cuba. He graduated from the State Normal School (now the State University of New York at Albany) in 1847, and received his certification as a teacher.

He taught at a school in Cuba, and then moved to Geneva to become a clerk in a bookstore. In 1852 Orton moved to Buffalo, where he became a partner in a publishing company called Derby, Orton & Miller.

In 1858 Orton moved to New York City to become a partner in another publishing company, Mulligan & Orton. This firm went out of business two years later, with Orton moving to the bookselling and publishing firm of J. G. Gregory & Co. as managing clerk.

A Republican and supporter of the Union during the American Civil War, Orton was elected to New York City's Common Council in 1860, and served one term.

From 1862 to 1865 he was federal Collector of Revenue for the 6th district of New York. In 1865 Orton was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue, but he served at this post in Washington, D.C. for only four months before resigning to resume his business career.

Orton was appointed president of the United States Telegraph Company in the fall of 1865. When this company merged with Western Union in 1866 Orton was appointed Western Union's vice president. He also studied law, and attained admission to the bar in 1867. In 1867 Jeptha Wade resigned as president of Western Union, and Orton succeeded him. In addition to his position at Western Union, Orton was president of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company, International Ocean Telegraph Company, and Atlantic and Southern Telegraph Company.