Son of Robert Brown Foresman 1822–1899 and Elizabeth Reiley 1825–1892

Arizona Death cert # 4541, cremation

Obit published Tucson Daily Citizen, Monday evening July 20, 1953
Death Takes Publisher of School Texts
William Coates Foresman, a founder of one of the nation's leading schoolbok publishing companies, died at his home in Tucson yesterday morning. He was 87 years old.
Mr Foresman had lived with his daughter, Mrs. William A. Samll, since the death of his wife in 1936, and moved from Chicago to Tucson with the Small family 14 years ago. He had been in failing health for the past five years.
The son of a Presbyterian minister, he was born in Mt. Bethel, PA and attended Blair academy and Lafayette college. In 1896, he joined his brother, Hugh and Erastus H. Scott in establishing the firm of Scott, Foresman & Co., educational publishers, with headquarters in Chicago. He was treasurer of company throughout its growth from a struggling new business to an organization which placed textbooks in grammer schools, high schools and colleges all over the world.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Foresman is survived by his grandson, William A.Small Jr., of Tucson, two granddaughters, Mrs. John R. Shafer of Wheaton, Ill., and Mrs. David F. Hart, of Long Beach, Calif.; a brother Hugh; and a sister, Miss Rebecca Foresman, both of Chicago.
Private Services will be held in Tucson, with burial at Rosehill cemetery in Chicago. The Arizona mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Ancestry Trees: His daughter; Elizabeth Foresman (Small), born 1896, died Nov 18 1977, in San Diego. Her first husband m. 1917, to Chauncey Carey Mason (1892-1965), divorced. She married second to William Arden Small (1894-1975), died in San Diego on Sept 5. Their three children: William A. Arden Jr. (1924-1994), Margaret P Small (1927-2012), married to David Hart in 1952. Elizabeth F. Small (1925-2001), married in 1947, to John Ream Shafer.