The Alaska Daily Empire

SHIPPING BOARD HEAD AN ORGANIZER

Albert D. Lasker, recently appointed Chairman of the Federal Shipping Board, is known as one of America's biggest business men and organizers. He was originally desired by President Harding for the position to which he was finally named, but at his own insistence, it was first offered to Walter C. Teagle, president of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.

Mr. Lasker gave as his reason for insisting on Mr. Teagle's appointment that the latter knew more about shipping and the needs of the Government than he himself did.

When Mr. Teagle definitely declined to accept the position, the President fell back on Mr. Lasker, who is president and owner of the Lord & Thomas Advertising Agency, part owner of the Mitchell Car Company, Quaker Oats, the Chicago Cubs and several other companies. He is also the originator of the famous Lasker plan which settled the baseball war fare last winter. Mr. Lasker also suggested first the appointment of Judge Landis as arbitrator of base ball disputes.

Of him, David Lawrence, one of America's foremost newspaper correspondents, said: "He has the happy faculty of being able to settle tangled problems, without much fuss or feathers."

Mr. Lasker has been close to Will Hays during the last three years. He made several trips around the country with Mr. Hays, starting out at the time the campaign was on in 1918 to swing Congress over to a Republican majority. He supported Hiram Johnson's candidacy for the Presidential nomination and it is said financed his campaign at Chicago. After the convention he resumed his work with Mr. Hays and is said to have been the genius behind the Republican advertising and publicity during the campaign last summer.

Mr. Lasker is a member of the American Jewish Committee. He is the first of his race to be summoned to a high place in the Harding Administration. Mr. Lawrence predicts that on account of his driving force and genius for organization, he is destined to climb higher some day in the Harding Administration when the job of selling ships is ended.