George Tilles Sr. (September 11, 1859 – November 26, 1929) was an American businessman and an early developer of the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Tilles was the older brother to Cap Tilles, a St. Louis capitalist and philanthropist. During his career, Tilles became a prolific entrepreneur and established a variety of businesses in manufacturing, insurance, brokerage, telephone communications, local theatrical production, and commercial property. He was also involved in charitable activities, most notably supportive of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

care, in memory of his younger brother Manny who died of the disease as a teenager.

Early life

Tilles was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the eldest of five children to Melech "Louis" Tilles and Rosalie Peck. His parents met and married in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

before moving to St. Louis. His father was an immigrant from the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and his mother an immigrant from neighboring

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. The couple moved to St. Louis where Louis worked for a tobacco manufacturing company. Tilles and his two brothers were born in the city during this period. The family subsequently moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas where Tilles' sisters were born. At the age of 13, Tilles' mother died of illness. Three years later, Tilles and his five siblings were orphaned with the death of their father. The four siblings were separated and housed in different residences in Fort Smith. The exception was Andrew and Manny, who were taken in by their Aunt's family, where Manny later died of tuberculosis. As the oldest, George was emancipated at 16 and began his business career on becoming an orphan.

Career

Tilles' father died on his 16th birthday. He inherited the family cigar and manufacturing business in 1875. In 1880, Tilles also created the first

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syst ...

in Fort Smith. Two years later, he sold the exchange to the

Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Englan ...

. He subsequently became secretary-treasurer and newspaper

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the ''Fort Smith Tribune''. Tilles also invested in a number of properties. During his career, he owned a hotel and the Tilles theater. He also founded a box company, a grain and stock brokerage, and an insurance agency. The insurance agency was known as The Equitable Life Insurance Company and its reputation became well enough established that the post office delivered a letter to the office marked: "George Tilles, Arkansas."

St. Louis Post Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, serving the Greater St. Louis, St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpass ...

(Friday, February 19, 1897) "News" St. Louis: St. Louis Post Dispatch, p. 4. Tilles had other career interests than business. In 1906, he ran for a seat in the

Arkansas State Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

but was unsuccessful. Tilles also became an author, writing the history of Fort Smith from the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

to the early 20th century.

Philanthropy

Tilles supported charitable work as a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He was one of a committee of seven Masons who worked to create the Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatarium at Booneville, Arkansas. Although the institution was to be state owned, the money to create the project was generated through private donations of the Masons. Within three years, the necessary funds were raised and allocated to the state government, where Tilles would regularly visit the children.

References

Bibliography

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External links