Cornelius Vander Starr

(1892-1968)

Below is an excerpt from the biography of Cornelius Vander Starr, published in 1970:

When he was just 26 years old, Cornelius Vander Starr took a clerkship with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in Yokohama, Japan. Among his major assets at the time were the job and a strong sense of his own worth. The latter proved too much for the former.

His boss, who did not share Starr's notions of human dignity, would buzz for the young clerk when he wanted to see him. Considering how small an office it was, Starr felt that buzzing was a cold, imperious and impersonal act. So he asked his boss to please not buzz him, or he would have to leave his employ. The boss, unimpressed, buzzed; Starr, unintimidated, quit...

You can read the entire biography of C.V. Starr as an eBook or PDF. Learn more»