William Henry Conley
William Henry Conley ( born June 11, 1840 † July 25, 1897 ) was a businessman from Allegheny, Pennsylvania (USA) and from 1881 to 1884 the first President of Zion 's Watch Tower Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the parent company of the Watchtower Society applies.
Life
William H. Conley was co-owner of " Riter & Conley Company", a metal fabrication company in Pittsburg and worldwide supplier for cores in civil engineering and supplier to the marine industry. Conley had been initially the accountant in the original Riter operation. When the founder died in 1873, brother of the deceased owner and Conley formed a partnership ( " Riter & Conley Company" ) to continue the business. Conley was also a shareholder and director of the third National Bank of Allegheny and very wealthy.
William H. Conley was married to Sarah Shaffer; his wife died in 1908. William and Sarah were very socially engaged and supported an orphanage and a school for black American children.
Participation in the founding of Zion 's Watch Tower Society
William H. and Sarah Conley (1841-1908) were two of the five original " 1870 Allegheny Bible Students ". Joseph Russell and his daughter Margaret and son Charles Taze, were the other three. The families Conley and Russell met in 1869/1870 to know when both families attended a meeting of the Adventist Jonas Wendell, George Stetson and George Storrs.
When Zion 's Watch Tower Tract Society was founded in February 1881, William H. Conley donated $ 3,500 (70 %) of the initial capital of $ 5,000. Joseph Russell donated $ 1,000 ( 20%), with Charles T. Russell, who donated (10%) $ 500. Conley played - albeit behind the scenes - a significant role in building the Watchtower Society. First steps have been taken to ensure that the printing could be done by commercial firms in various cities of the USA, and the UK. In 1884 the Watchtower Society was registered by law; as President Charles T. Russell was named.
When, however, Charles T. Russell devoted more and more the subject of time prophecies at the end of 1882, Conley decided that he would support Russells designs not by large amounts of money. After 1882 Conley was no longer mentioned in the Watchtower. Only 1894 Russell wrote in The Watchtower that Conley " one of the original Allegheny Bible Students " was.
When William H. Conley died in July 1897, there was no obituary in The Watchtower. This is surprising, since Russell had published obituaries in The Watchtower for both his early Adventist teacher George Stetson and George Storrs.