Cautionary Note: William Vernon Phillips

If you are researching Whipple van Buren Phillips, you will note that he is frequently listed as "w v phillips". Caution, that a William Vernon Phillips becomes notable several years after the decease of our beloved Grandfather Whipple.

Below is from the Worcester, RI directory of 1920 shortly after the merger of companies. This is confusing, because Whipple also worked in steel, slag, and mining during his business career.



In brief here is his career:

William Vernon Phillips, immigrated to Philadelphia as a young man with his three brothers and two sisters. They came from Cardiff and worked in the scrap metal business. Vernon had great success. His import and export iron and steel business, F.R. Phillips and Sons was based in Philadelphia and Milan, Italy. He was also President of the Phillips-Laffitte Company and Chairman of the Board of the Perry Buxton* Doane Company. He served as mayor of his town, president of his country club, and deacon in his church. During World War I he was Chief of the War Industry Board in Washington, D.C. and on the Council of National Defense. After the Great War, he received the Knight of the Crown of Italy from the King. His obituary called him "an eminent statesman and capitalist."

Link:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2003/engle.html

* mispelled as Buston in the article quoted. C.P. corrected it here.