Herbert S. Marks is president of the Mercantile Adjustment Company, Inc., engaged in making collections for business and professional men and providing credit reports. The company has clients all over the state and does a very extensive business in this line, largely owing to the enterprise, close application and carefully defined and promptly executed plans of Mr. Marks, who is one of New Haven’s native sons. He was born Sept. 6, 1885, a son of David W. Marks, a native of New York, who followed agricultural pursuits as a life work. He was descended from one of the old families of the Empire state, of English lineage, and he married Hattie Amelia Sperry, who was born in New Haven and represented one of the prominent old families of this city.

  Herbert S. Marks pursued his education through consecutive grades in the public schools of New Haven to the age of eighteen, when he left high school in order to start out in the business world. He was first employed as a clerk in a grocery store at a salary of eight dollars per week, out of which he was able to provide for all of his expenses. After two years devoted to that position he took up the work of canvassing from house to house in introducing and selling food specialties. A year later he secured a position as traveling salesman with the A. C. Blenney Company of New Haven, with Connecticut as his territory. He also became a traveling representative of the Great Western Cereal Company of New York city, covering the south, and he continued to travel for various commercial concerns for several years. He was afterward with Kaufmann Brothers, importers, of New York, whom he represented through the New England territory until 1914. He then became a solicitor with the Mercantile Adjustment Company and has since been advanced, becoming president of the company on the 12th of May, 1915, with Frederick W. Fowler as treasurer and Miss Minnie G. Segar as secretary. They are engaged in making collections and adjustments for business and professional men and also provide for them credit reports. Their connections have extended to all parts of the state and their clients now number between ten and fifteen hundred, their business having become one of the largest in this line in southern New England. Since Mr. Marks assumed the presidency the patronage of the company has increased fully fifty per cent. Mr. Marks and Mr. Fowler are also directors of the Western Mercantile Corporation of Providence, Rhode Island, a similar business undertaking, in which the former holds the office of secretary, with Mr. Fowler as president and treasurer.

  On the 29th of June, 1910, in New Haven, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Marks and Miss Amelia C. Graver, a native of this city and a daughter of John H. and Amelia (Hagenstein) Graver, the former now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Marks have three children, Lillian, Howard and Alberta.

  In politics Mr. Marks is a republican and fraternally is connected with the Odd Fellows and the Eagles, while his religious faith is manifest in his membership in Trinity Episcopal church. He has never held any false ideas of life’s opportunities and from an early age has recognized the fact that honorable business advancement is dependent upon individual effort. His persistency of purpose has enabled him to pass on the highway of life many who have started out under more advantageous circumstances and he is now occupying a creditable and enviable position among the young business men of New Haven.