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TBE  NEV/  YCRK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOn,    (      MOX 


Q-ravei  by  Chf.s.B.HfAl.N 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


OF 


NEW   YORK 

A  Life  Record  of  Men  and  Women  of  the  Past 

Whose  Sterling  Character  and  Energy  and  Industry  Have  Made 
Them  Preeminent  in  Their  Own  and  Many  Other  States 


BY 


CHARLES  ELLIOTT  FITCtI,;.L;  B 

Lawyer,  Journalist,  Educator;  Editor  and  Contributor  \b  Many  Newspapers 

and   Magazines ;    ex- Regent   New   York   University ;    Supervisor 

Federal    Census     (N.     Y.)     1880;    Secretary    New 

York   Constitutional   Convention,    1894 


ILLlTSni^!  ATED 


THE  AMERICAN  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

INCORPORATED 

BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

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THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

831 570 

ASTOR,  LENOX    AND 

TlL-DiW    FO'J  -DA     lO'lJ 
R  'y     /  L 


Both  justice  and  decency  recLuire  that  we  should  bestow  on  our  forefathers 
;  a:ji.;hcvp'Qrablie  ^remembrance — Thucydides 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ROOT,  Elihu, 

Cabinet  Official,  Diplomatiit. 

Elihu  Root  was  born  in  Clinton,  New- 
York,  February  15,  1845,  son  of  Oren  and 
Nancy  Whitney  (Buttrick)  Root.  He  was 
descended  from  John  Roote,  who  came 
from  Northamptonshire,  England,  and 
was  among  the  Farmington  (Connecti- 
cut) settlers  in  1640.  Oren  Root  was  for 
many  years  instructor  in  mathematics, 
astronomy,  mineralogy  and  geology  in 
Hamilton  College,  and  his  son  Elihu  was 
born  in  what  is  now  known  as  Knox  Hall 
of  that  institution,  and  which  contains  the 
scientific  and  other  collections  which 
Oren  Root  brought  to  the  college. 

Elihu  Root  received  his  early  education 
in  Seneca  Falls,  while  his  father  was  prin- 
cipal of  an  academy  there.  After  the  lat- 
ter had  resumed  his  chair  in  Hamilton 
College,  Elihu  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Clinton  Grammar  School,  then  entering 
Hamilton  College.  He  was  a  prize  speaker 
in  his  sophomore  year,  won  the  first  prize 
in  mathematics,  and  in  1864,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  was  graduated,  valedictorian  of 
his  class.  For  two  years  after  graduation, 
he  taught  in  the  Rome  Academy,  of  which 
his  brother,  Oren,  was  principal.  He 
studied  law  in  the  Law  Department  of 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867. 
During  his  second  year  there  were  only 
three  students  in  the  law  class,  and  he 
received  the  benefit  of  personal  instruc- 
tion by  Dr.  John  N.  Pomeroy,  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  law  teachers  of  that 
day.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the 
same  year,  and  passed  a  year  in  the  office 


of  Man  &  Parsons,  in  New  York  City,  after 
which  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
John  H.  Strahan.  and  a  year  later  became 
associated  with  Willard  Bartlett.  He  came 
to  the  public  attention  as  of  counsel  for  cer- 
tain members  of  the  "Tweed  Ring,"  in  asso- 
ciation with  Judge  William  Fullerton  and 
David  Dudley  Field.  He  was  personal 
counsel  for  Chester  A.  Arthur  from  the 
time  that  gentleman  became  Collector  of 
the  Port  of  New  York,  until  the  end  of  his 
life ;  and  was  of  counsel  for  Judge  Hilton 
in  the  Stewart  will  case,  and  on  other 
notable  litigation. 

In  1883  President  Arthur  appointed  Mr. 
Root  to  the  position  of  United  States  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York  and  in  which  position  he 
served  for  two  years.  During  this  period, 
among  other  important  cases,  he  secured 
the  conviction  of  Joseph  D.  Fish,  for 
criminal  complicity  in  the  notorious 
Grant-Ward  frauds.  In  1886-87  ^^  ^^^s  a 
member  of  the  Republican  County  Com- 
mittee. He  was  one  of  the  delegates-at- 
large  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1894,  and  was  chairman  of  its 
judiciary  committee,  and  leader  of  the 
Republican  majority  on  the  floor.  He 
was  offered  the  Mission  to  Spain  by  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  but  declined  it.  In  July, 
1899,  he  entered  the  cabinet  of  President 
McKinley  as  Secretary  of  War,  to  suc- 
ceed General  Alger,  resigned.  It  was 
only  a  year  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
war  with  Spain,  and  conditions  required 
for  that  post  a  man  of  especial  strength 
to  command  the  conditions  resulting  from 
the  quickly  won  campaign  in  two  hemi- 
spheres, and  the  unprecedented  responsi- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


bilities  which  came  with  the  sudden  ac- 
quisition of  foreign  territory.  Mr.  Root 
met  the  situation  with  great  capability. 
On  the  very  first  day  of  his  entrance  upon 
office,  he  had  reconciled  difficulties  be- 
tween the  War  Department  and  leading 
army  officials.  He  soon  recruited  ten 
additional  regiments,  increasing  the  army 
in  the  Philippines  to  seventy  thousand 
men,  and  provided  for  the  pacification  of 
that  region.  He  then  framed  a  form  of 
civil  government  to  be  administered 
through  military  agencies,  but  without 
show  of  force,  and  which  were  enacted 
into  law  by  Congress.  This  remarkable 
code,  which  met  with  great  commenda- 
tion, provided  for  the  establishment  of 
courts  and  the  administration  of  justice; 
the  management  of  municipal  bodies  and 
schools ;  the  levying  and  collection  of 
taxes ;  the  establishment  of  public  im- 
provements ;  the  promotion  of  agricul- 
ture and  trade — in  brief,  everything  re- 
quired for  the  creation  and  maintenance 
of  a  republican  form  of  government, 
where  all  such  institutions  were  unknown. 
He  also  prepared  a  similar  code  for  Porto 
Rico,  where  he  inaugurated  a  complete 
territorial  government.  He  also  assumed 
and  discharged  the  greater  share  of  the 
responsibilities  and  duties  connected  with 
the  protection  of  Americans  and  Euro- 
peans in  China  during  the  Boxer  diffi- 
culties, in  addition  to  his  own  proper 
duties  exercising  supervisory  control  over 
the  Department  of  State  during  the  ill- 
ness of  Secretary  Hay. 

Mr.  Root  was  retained  at  the  head  of 
the  War  Department  by  President  Roose- 
velt. He  directed  military  affairs  in  Cuba 
with  great  sagacity  until  May  21,  1902, 
when  he  relinquished  the  island  to  Presi- 
dent Palma.  In  1902  he  was  mainly  in- 
strumental in  procuring  through  a  com- 
mission the  settlement  of  the  anthracite 
coal    strike.      He   served   on   the   Alaska 


Boundary  Commission  of  1903,  in  Lon- 
don, and  gave  his  signature  to  the  treaty 
of  settlement.  He  effected  many  advan- 
tageous changes  in  War  Department  and 
army  organization  and  methods.  Having 
witnessed  the  withdrawal  of  the  last  of 
the  American  troops  from  Cuba,  and  the 
establishment  of  civil  government  in 
Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines,  Mr.  Root 
resigned  his  portfolio  in  February,  1904, 
and  returned  to  his  law  practice,  taking 
charge  of  various  very  important  cases 
and   interests. 

It  was  not  for  long,  however,  that  Mr. 
Root  was  to  be  left  in  private  station. 
The  death  of  Secretary  of  State  Hay  oc- 
curred in  July,  1905,  and  at  the  request 
of  President  Roosevelt  Mr.  Root  repre- 
sented the  State  Department  (of  which 
he  had  been  virtually  the  head  at  one 
time),  at  the  funeral  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Soon  afterward,  Mr.  Root  was  asked  by 
the  President  to  accept  the  office,  which 
he  did,  abandoning  a  law  practice  worth 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum, 
out  of  considerations  of  duty  as  a  citizen, 
and  his  personal  regard  for  Mr.  Roose- 
velt. He  took  charge  of  the  portfolio  on 
July  20,  1905,  in  the  midst  of  the  peace 
negotiations  between  Russia  and  Japan, 
and  which  had  been  brought  about  by  the 
United  States.  Secretary  Root  at  once 
instituted  various  reforms  in  his  depart- 
ment, and  particularly  with  reference  to  the 
consular  service.  In  1906  he  attended  the 
third  annual  conference  of  American  re- 
publics at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  made  a 
semi-official  visit  to  various  of  the  South 
American  States.  In  1907  he  visited 
Canada,  on  invitation  from  Sir  Wilfred 
Laurier,  in  order  to  participate  in  an  in- 
terchange of  views  and  aims  on  the  part 
of  that  dominion  and  his  own  country, 
and  which  resulted  in  the  settlement  of 
various  disputed  questions,  notably  that 
with  reference  to  the  Newfoundland  fish- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


eries.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Root  visited 
Mexico,  and  had  a  friendly  consultation 
with  President  Diaz. 

Resigning  from  the  cabinet  in  1908,  in 
January  of  the  following  year  Mr.  Root 
received  by  unanimous  vote  of  the  Re- 
publican members,  and  was  elected 
United  States  Senator  by  the  New  York 
Legislature,  to  succeed  Thomas  C.  Piatt. 
he  took  his  seat  March  4th,  and  during 
his  six  years'  term  was  one  of  the 
strongest  members  of  that  body.  He  was 
made  a  member  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee of  the  Carnegie  Institution,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  in  1902 ;  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Alaskan  Boundary  Tribunal,  which 
sat  in  London,  September-October,  1907, 
and  settled  the  disputed  question  of  the 
boundary  between  Alaska  and  Canada. 
Among  the  other  positions  of  honor  he 
has  held  may  be  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing: Member  of  the  Faculty  of  Political 
and  Administrative  Sciences,  University 
of  San  Marcos,  Lima  (1906)  ;  counsel  for 
the  United  States  in  the  North  Atlantic 
Fisheries  Arbitration  (1910);  member  of 
the  Permanent  Court  of  Arbitration  at 
The  Hag^e  (1910)  ;  president  of  the  Car- 
negie Endowment  for  International  Peace 
(1910)  ;  president  of  the  Trustees  of 
Carnegie  Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. 
(1913)  ;  trustee  of  Hamilton  College  and 
Metropolitan  jMuseum  of  Art ;  was  Dodge 
Lecturer  at  Yale  in  1907;  Stafford  Little 
Lecturer,  Princeton,  1913;  temporary 
chairman  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion, in  1904;  chairman  of  the  New  York 
State  Republican  Conventions,  1908,  1910, 
1913;  chairman  of  Republican  National 
Convention,  Chicago,  1912;  president  of 
Union  League  Club,  New  York,  1898-99 ; 
New  York  City  Bar  Association,  1904-05  ; 
American  Society  of  International  Law, 
1906;  New  York  State  Bar  Association, 
1910;  member  of  Mexican  Academy  of 
Legislation  and  Jurisprudence  ;  honorary 


member  of  Institute  of  Advocates  of 
Brazil ;  honorary  president  Pan-Ameri- 
can Conference  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  1906; 
associate  of  Institut  de  Droit  Interna- 
tionale ;  honorary  member  of  A.  I.  A. ;  fel- 
low of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences;  member  of  American  Philo- 
sophical Society.  In  December,  1913,  Mr. 
Root  was  awarded  the  Nobel  Peace  prize 
for  1912. 

Mr.  Root  has  been  the  recipient  of  the 
following  unusually  large  number  of  hon- 
orary degrees:  A.  B.,  Hamilton  College, 
in  1864;  A.  M.  from  the  same  institution, 
in  1867;  LL.  B.,  New  York  University, 
in  1867;  LL.  D.,  Hamilton  College,  1894; 
Yale,  1900;  Columbia.  1904;  New  York 
University,  1904;  Williams,  1905;  Prince- 
ton, 1906 ;  University  of  Buenos  Aires, 
1906;  Harvard,  1907;  Wesleyan,  1909; 
McGill,  191 3;  Dr.  Polit.  Sc,  University 
of  Leyden,  1913;   D.  C.  L.,  Oxford,  1913. 

He  was  married,  January  8,  1878,  to 
Clara,  daughter  of  Salem  H.  Wales,  of 
New  York  City. 


BLACK,  Frank  S., 

Lainryer,    Congressman,    Governor. 

Frank  Swett  Black,  thirty-third  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York  (1897-99),  '^^'^s  born 
at  Limington,  York  county,  Maine,  March 
8,  1853,  son  of  Jacob  and  Charlotte  B. 
(Swett)  Black.  His  father  was  originally 
a  farmer,  but  in  1864  became  keeper  of 
the  county  jail  at  Alfred,  to  which  place 
he  removed  his  family.  There  the  son 
attended  the  high  school,  later  becoming 
a  student  at  Lebanon  Academy,  and  then 
receiving  private  instruction  at  Limerick. 
In  1871  he  entered  Dartmouth  College. 
Although  his  preparation  had  not  been 
adequate,  and  lack  of  means  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  spend  each  winter 
in  teaching,  he  made  a  brilliant  record, 
and  was  graduated  with   honor  in    1875. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


While  at  Dartmouth  he  was  editor  of  each 
of  the  three  college  periodicals,  and  was 
twice  prize  speaker. 

After  graduation  he  sold  chromos  for 
a  time,  making  Rome,  New  York,  his 
headquarters,  and  in  1876  became  editor 
of  the  Johnstown  "Journal."  After  a 
brief  but  brilliant  period  in  this  office  he 
went  to  Troy,  New  York,  where  he  read 
law  in  the  office  of  Robertson  &  Foster, 
finally  being  advanced  to  the  post  of  man- 
aging clerk.  During  a  part  of  this  time 
he  worked  nights  as  a  reporter  on  the 
"Troy  Whig,"  and  days  as  registry  clerk 
in  the  post-office.  After  his  admission  to 
the  bar  in  1879,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Smith,  Wellington  & 
Black,  from  which  he  retired  a  year  later 
to  open  an  office  alone.  He  had  never 
since  had  a  partner.  Mr.  Black's  clear 
insight  and  thorough  mastery  of  every 
detail  of  his  cases  soon  won  him  a  rec- 
ognized position  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing lawyers  of  Rensselaer  county.  He 
eventually  built  up  a  large  consultation 
practice,  his  advice  being  frequently 
sought  by  other  lawyers.  Mr.  Black  was 
equally  at  home  as  an  office  lawyer  and  as 
an  advocate.  In  the  latter  capacity  he 
had  seldom  been  surpassed.  Although 
he  had  made  campaign  speeches  for  Ben- 
jamin Harrison  in  1888  and  in  1892,  he 
did  not  take  an  active  interest  in  politics 
until  1893,  when,  as  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican county  committee,  he  was  active 
in  the  movement  to  do  away  with  "re- 
peating," and  other  election  frauds.  After 
the  murder  of  Robert  Ross  on  election 
day  (March  7)  1893,  Mr.  Black  gained 
great  popularity  by  the  part  he  took  in 
having  the  assassin  convicted.  In  1894 
he  was  elected  to  Congress  by  a  large 
plurality,  defeating  Edward  Murphy,  and 
during  his  term  of  office  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committees  on  Pacific  railways 
and  private  land  claims.     He  could  have 


been  readily  returned  to  Congress,  but  in 
1896  he  was  made  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  Governor  by  unanimous  vote  of 
the  convention,  and  was  elected  by  a  ma- 
jority unexampled  in  the  history  of  the 
State.  In  his  first  message  to  the  Legis- 
lature he  urged  the  completion  of  the 
capitol,  which  had  been  for  more  than 
thirty  years  in  the  process  of  construc- 
tion, at  an  expense  to  that  time  of  more 
than  twenty  million  dollars.  He  also  led 
in  the  policy  of  forest  conservation,  and 
as  a  result,  the  State  began  to  provide  for 
the  preservation  of  the  Adirondacks ; 
more  than  a  quarter  million  acres  of 
forest  land  were  purchased,  and  the  foun- 
dations were  well  laid  for  the  great  proj- 
ect. Governor  Black  was  criticized  for  his 
attitude  on  the  civil  service  policy,  but  it 
is  a  significant  fact  that  time  has  justified 
him  in  his  position.  He  upheld  the  value 
of  practical  civil  service,  but  maintained 
that  a  certain  discretion  should  be  allowed 
the  appointing  power,  in  order  that  mere- 
ly scholastic  ability  should  not  govern, 
but  with  it  a  necessary  character,  tact  and 
experience.  In  his  second  gubernatorial 
term  he  urged  measures  for  the  improve- 
ment of  country  roads,  and  which  led 
eventually  to  the  success  of  his  recom- 
mendations. It  was  now  that  under  his 
administration  the  capitol  was  finally 
completed.  The  creation  of  the  Greater 
City  of  New  York  was  efifected  under 
him. 

The  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Spain 
brought  upon  Governor  Black  great  re- 
sponsibilities, which  he  discharged  so  as 
to  receive  the  warmest  commendations 
from  the  national  government,  and  the 
approval  of  the  great  mass  of  people  of 
his  State.  Sixteen  thousand  men  were 
equipped  and  set  afield  at  an  expense 
of  nearly  a  million  dollars.  Under  him. 
ended  the  direct  tax  for  meeting  the  ex- 
penses   of     State    government.      In    all 


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ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  watched  public  expenditures  with  a 
jealous  eye.  He  closely  scrutinized  each 
item  in  even,-  appropriation  bill,  and  only 
sanctioned  it  after  consultation  with  the 
head  of  the  department  concerned.  He 
frequently  visited  the  various  charitable 
institutions  and  many  improvements  in 
the  way  of  administration  were  the  result 
of  his  careful  personal  inspection.  He 
procured  the  estalishment  of  a  new  and 
effective  primary  election  law.  and  also 
the  legislation  enabling  the  soldiers  in 
military  ser\'ice  and  away  from  home,  to 
vote.  Throughout,  he  ser\-ed  his  State 
faithfully  and  well,  and  his  administration 
stands  out  clearly  as  one  of  accomplish- 
ment. He  was  at  all  times  dignified  and 
courteous.  He  had  but  one  thought — to 
give  to  his  position  the  ver\-  best  of  his 
ability.  He  entered  into  the  consideration 
of  every  question  with  an  open  mind,  and 
gave  to  it  the  careful  study  of  a  clear 
judicial  mind.  His  conclusions  were  fair. 
and  he  stated  them  in  clearest  language. 
He  was  unusually  gifted  as  an  orator,  his 
speeches  revealing  him  as  a  man  of  elo- 
quence, great  individuality,  determination 
and  dignity.  He  was,  as  well,  an  able 
political  leader,  keenwitted,  fearless,  and 
incorruptible. 

On  the  conclusion  of  his  gubernatorial 
term.  Governor  Black  resumed  his  law 
practice.  His  residence  was  in  Troy.  He 
died  March  21.  1913.  He  married,  in 
1879.  Lois  B.  Hanlin.  of  Provincetown. 
Massachusetts,  and  they  had  one  son. 
Arthur  Black. 


WESTINGHOUSE,  George, 

Inventor,    Mannfactnrer,    Financier. 

While  another  State  was  the  scene  of 
the  principal  activities  of  this  man  of 
many  great  accomplishments,  it  is  entire- 
ly fitting  that  his  name  and  deeds  should 
be    commemorated    in    the    biographical 


annals  of  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was 
there  that  he  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  he  was  numbered  among  her 
soldiers  in  the  army  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  \\"ar.  It  was  there,  too,  that  he 
established  the  first  of  his  large  indus- 
tries, and  became  known  as  an  inventor. 

He  was  born  October  6.  1846.  at  Central 
Bridge.  Schoharie  county,  New  York,  son 
of  George  and  Emeline  (\'edder)  W'est- 
inghouse.  His  paternal  ancestors  came 
from  Germany  and  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts prior  to  the  Revolution.  Through 
his  mother  he  was  descended  from  a 
Dutch-English  ancestry,  claiming  kindred 
with  many  who  have  won  distinction 
along  the  lines  of  art,  education  and  re- 
ligious work.  In  1856  the  family  removed 
to  Schenectady.  New  York,  where  the 
father,  who  was  an  inventor,  established 
the  Schenectady  Agricultural  Works. 

George  Westinghouse.  son  of  George 
Westinghouse  above  named,  received  his 
earlier  and  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  Schenectady, 
and  at  Union  College,  receiving  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.  D.  in  1890.  During  his  educa- 
tional period  he  spent  much  of  his  leisure 
time  in  his  fathers  machine  shop.  The 
opportunity  which  he  thus  enjoyed  of 
familiarizing  himself  with  all  kinds  of 
machine  work,  he  afterwards  regarded  as 
of  great  importance  in  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  his  subsequent  success.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  invented  and  constructed 
a  rotary  engine,  and  he  had  also  gained 
the  knowledge  necessary  for  passing  at 
an  early  age  the  examination  for  the  posi- 
tion of  assistant  engineer  in  the  United 
States  navy.  In  Tune,  1863.  he  enlisted  in 
the  Twelfth  Regnment.  New  York  Na- 
tional Guard,  for  thirty  days'  sen'ice  in 
the  Civil  \\'ar.  In  July,  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term,  he  was  discharged,  and  in 
November  of  the  same  year  he  reenlisted 
for   three    years    in    the    Sixteenth    Regi- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ment,  New  York  Cavalry,  being  chosen 
corporal.  In  November,  1864,  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  and  on  December 
14,  following  was  appointed  third  assist- 
ant engineer  in  the  United  States  navy, 
and  reported  for  duty  on  the  "Muscoota.'' 
June  4,  1865,  he  was  transferred  to  the 
"Stars  and  Stripes,"  and  on  June  28,  of 
the  same  year,  was  detached  and  ordered 
to  the  Potomac  flotilla.  At  the  end  of  the 
war  Mr.  Westinghouse,  being  desirous  of 
continuing  his  interrupted  studies,  re- 
sisted solicitations  to  remain  in  the  navy 
and  tendered  his  resignation,  receiving  an 
honorable  discharge  August  i,  1865. 

On  returning  home  he  entered  Union 
College,  remaining  until  the  close  of  his 
sophomore  year.  During  his  military  and 
naval  career  the  inherited  impulse  toward 
experiment  had  not  lain  dormant,  but  had 
moved  him  to  invent  a  multiple  cylinder 
engine,  and  while  a  college  student  he 
found  it  extremely  difficult  to  resist  the 
tendency  which  was  ever  so  marked  a 
trait  in  his  character.  Accordingly  Mr. 
Westinghouse,  after  conference  with 
President  Hickok,  of  Union  College,  and 
by  his  advice  and  appreciative  sugges- 
tion, discontinued  his  classical  studies  and 
sought  in  active  life  a  wider  field  for  his 
inventive  genius. 

In  1865  he  invented  a  device  for  replac- 
ing railroad  cars  upon  the  track,  and  this 
device,  made  of  cast  steel,  was  manufac- 
tured by  the  Bessemer  Steel  Works  at 
Troy,  New  York.  One  day  while  on  his 
way  thither,  a  delay  caused  by  a  col- 
lision between  two  freight  trains  sug- 
gested to  Mr.  Westinghouse  the  idea  that 
a  brake  under  the  control  of  the  engineer 
might  have  prevented  the  accident.  This 
was  the  germinal  thought  of  the  great  in- 
vention with  which  his  name  will  ever  be 
associated  —  the  air-brake.  Among  the 
various  devices  which  occurred  to  him 
was  that  of  a  brake  actuated  bv  the  cars 


closing  upon  each  other.  No  experiments 
were  made,  but  the  car-replacer  business 
was  developed.  In  Chicago,  in  1866,  he 
met  a  Mr.  Ambler,  inventor  of  a  continu- 
ous chain-brake  having  a  chain  running 
the  entire  length  of  the  train,  with  a 
windlass  on  the  engine  that  could  be 
operated  by  pressing  a  wheel  against  the 
driving  wheel  of  the  locomotive,  thus 
tightning  the  chain  and  causing  the  brake- 
blocks  to  operate  upon  the  wheels  of  the 
car.  Upon  showing  some  interest  in  the 
brake  question,  Mr.  Westinghouse  was 
informed  by  Mr.  Ambler  that  it  would 
be  no  use  working  upon  the  subject,  as 
the  Ambler  patent  covered  the  only  prac- 
tical way  of  operating  brakes.  This,  how- 
ever, did  not  deter  Mr.  Westinghouse 
from  further  investigation  and  he  gave 
himself  more  earnestly  than  ever  to  study- 
ing the  necessities  of  adequate  protection 
against  accident.  His  first  plan  was  to 
use  a  steam  cylinder  under  the  tender  to 
draw  up  the  chain,  and  then  he  considered 
the  use  of  the  cylinder  under  each  car, 
with  a  pipe  to  feed  all  the  cylinders.  Ex- 
periments soon  showed  this  plan  to  be  im- 
practicable. At  this  time  Mr.  Westing- 
house met  with  an  account  of  the  opera- 
tion of  the  drilling  apparatus  in  the  Mount 
Cenis  tunnel,  at  a  distance  of  three  thou- 
sand feet  from  the  air  compressor.  The 
use  of  compressed  air  in  drilling  sug- 
gested to  him  its  possible  employment  for 
the  operation  of  the  brake,  compressed 
air  being  free  from  the  objections  to  the 
use  of  steam.  Having  made  drawings  of 
the  air  pump,  brake  cylinders  and  valves, 
he  explained  them  to  the  superintendent 
of  the  New  York  Central  railroad,  who 
declined  to  try  the  apparatus.  After  filing 
a  caveat  he  made  the  same  request  for  a 
trial  to  the  officers  of  the  Erie  railroad, 
and  with  the  same  result. 

In   1867  he  established  steel  works  in 
Schenectadv  for  the  manufacture  of  the 


8 


EXCYCLOPEDL\  OF  BIOGR-\PHY 


car-replacer  and  reversible  steel  railroad 
frog^s,  but  lack  of  capital  proved  an  obsta- 
cle. As  a  result  of  correspondence,  the 
inventor  was  invited  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  made  a  contract  with  the  Pittsburgh 
Steel  Works  for  the  manufacture  of  steel 
frogs,  he  himself  acting  as  agent  for  their 
introduction.  After  repeated  failures  to 
interest  railroad  companies  to  take  the 
right  to  the  use  of  the  brake  and  to  as- 
sume the  expense  of  a  trial,  in  1868,  he 
met  Ralph  Eaggaley.  whom  he  succeeded 
in  interesting  in  a  description  of  the  in- 
vention, and  who.  on  being  offered  a 
one-fifth  interest  if  he  would  bear  the  ex- 
pense of  apparatus  sufficient  for  one  train, 
accepted  the  proposition.  After  it  was 
constructed,  permission  was  given  by  the 
superintendent  of  the  "Pan  Handle"  rail- 
road to  apply  it  to  an  engine  and  four 
cars  on  the  accommodation  train  running 
between  Pittsburgh  and  Steubenville. 
This  train  was  fitted  in  the  latter  part  of 
186S.  and  the  first  applicaticm  of  the  brake 
prevented  collision  with  a  wagon  on  the 
track.  The  first  patent  was  issued  April 
13, 1869.  and  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake 
Company  was  formed  July  20  of  the  same 
year.  The  first  orders  for  apparatus  were 
from  the  ^.lichigan  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway  Company.  The  invention  was 
perfected  and  works  for  its  manufacture 
were  completed  by  1870.  Constant  atten- 
tion was  given  to  details,  so  that  the 
brake  underwent  many  changes.  The 
policy  of  issuing-  no  rights  or  licenses. 
but  confining  the  manufacture  to  one 
localit\-  and  keeping  it  under  one  manage- 
ment, has  been  of  the  greatest  possible 
use  to  the  railroads  in  securing  uniformity 
in  brake  apparatus  throughout  the  United 
States  and  adjacent  territorA-. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Westinghouse  went  abroad 
to  introduce  the  air-brake  in  England — 
an    undertaking   which    proved    no   easy 


task,  inasmuch  as  the  trains  in  Europe 
had  hand-brakes  upon  only  what  were 
termed  "brake-vans,"'  there  being  no 
brakes  upon  the  other  vehicles.  He  was 
thus  required,  between  1871  and  1882,  to 
spend  in  all  seven  3-ears  in  Europe,  and 
inventive  ability  was  severely  taxed  to 
meet  new  requirements  of  railroad  prac- 
tice. He  had  in  the  meanwhile  invented 
the  automatic  feature  of  the  brake,  which 
overcame  other  imperfections  in  the  first 
form,  and  removed  the  danger  from  the 
parting  of  trains  on  steep  grades.  In  1886 
he  invented  the  "quick  action"  brake,  the 
improvement  being  made  in  what  is 
known  as  the  "triple  valve."  By  this  im- 
proved valve  it  became  practicable  to  ap- 
ply all  the  brakes  on  a  train  of  fif t>-  freight 
cars  in  tw^o  seconds.  The  automatic  and 
quick  action  brakes  are  regarded  by  ex- 
perts as  far  surpassing  the  original  brake 
in  ingenuitv'  and  inventive  genius,  not  be- 
ing mere  improvements,  but  distinct  in- 
ventions of  the  highest  class,  unique  and 
remarkable.  Simple  in  action,  yet  compli- 
cated in  the  details  of  its  construction, 
the  automatic  brake  is  wonderfully  effi- 
cient, and  has  prevented  many  accidents 
as  when  a  portion  of  a  train  escapes  from 
the  control  of  the  engineer,  while  the 
quick  action  brake  gives  complete  and 
instant  control  to  the  engineer  over  a 
train  more  than  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length. 
The  patents  taken  out  by  Mr.  \\'esting- 
house  on  the  air-brake  are  interesting  in 
their  variety-,  covering  as  they  do  even>- 
detail  from  the  front  end  of  the  engine 
to  the  rear  of  the  last  car,  and  including 
stop-cocks,  hose  couplings,  valves,  pack- 
ings, and  many  forms  of  "equivalents"  of 
valves  and  other  deA*ices.  Infringers  of 
these  patents  have  been  invariably  en- 
joined by  the  courts,  which  have  declared 
the  inventions  to  be  of  great  value,  pio- 
neer in  character,  and  therefore  entitled 
to    ver\-   broad    construction.      Scientists 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


united  in  regarding  the  air-brake  in  its 
completed  form  as  one  of  the  greatest  in- 
ventions of  the  nineteenth  century,  and 
its  usefuhiess  is  attested  by  its  almost 
universal  adoption  by  the  railroads  of  the 
world.  The  claimants  of  the  honor  have 
been  many,  but  the  decisions  of  the  courts 
in  upholding  the  Westinghouse  patents 
destroy  such  claims,  and  the  additional 
inventions,  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the 
brake,  are  sufficient  to  establish  the  su- 
periority of  Mr.  Westinghouse. 

In  1883  Mr.  Westinghouse  became  in- 
terested in  the  operation  of  railway  sig- 
nals and  switches  by  compressed  air,  and 
developed  and  patented  the  system  now 
manufactured  by  the  Union  Switch  and 
Signal  Company.  To  operate  the  signals, 
compressed  air  is  used  as  the  power  and 
electricity  as  the  agent,  to  operate  minute 
valves  for  setting  the  compressed  air  in 
motion.  Under  the  patents  obtained  for 
this  invention,  the  Union  Switch  and 
Signal  Company  has  introduced  in  Bos- 
ton, Jersey  City,  Philadelphia,  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  and  many  other  places,  what 
is  termed  the  "Pneumatic  Interlocking 
Switch  and  Signal  Apparatus,"  whereby 
all  the  signals  and  switches  are  operated 
from  a  given  point,  using  compressed  air 
as  the  motive  power,  and  electricity  to 
bring  that  power  into  operation.  Through 
this  invention  the  movement  of  signals 
and  switches  no  longer  requires  consider- 
able physical  force,  the  operations  being 
controlled  by  tiny  levers  which  a  child 
can  move.  These  plants  are  magnificent 
illustrations  of  what  can  be  accomplished 
by  a  proper  combination  of  steam,  air 
and  electricity. 

In  1883  Mr.  Westinghouse  turned  his 
attention  to  electric  lighting,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  lamps  and  electric 
lighting  apparatus  at  the  works  of  the 
Union  Switch  and  Signal  Company.  In 
1885  he  purchased  the  Gaulard  and  Gibbs 


patents  for  the  distribution  of  electricity 
by  means  of  alternating  currents,  and  in 
1886  formed  the  Westinghouse  Electric 
Company,  engaging  actively  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  all  kinds  of  electrical 
machinery.  In  1889-90  this  company  ab- 
sorbed the  United  States  Electric  Light- 
ing Company  and  the  Consolidated  Elec- 
tric Light  Company.  In  1891  all  these 
companies  were  reorganized  into  the 
Westinghouse  Electric  and  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  which  has  built  very  exten- 
sive works  at  East  Pittsburgh,  and  em- 
ploys about  fourteen  thousand  operatives. 
In  the  construction  of  these  buildings,  as 
in  all  the  others  under  his  management 
and  control,  architects  have,  by  direction 
of  Mr.  Westinghouse,  borne  in  mind  the 
health  and  comfort  of  those  to  be  em- 
ployed in  them,  and  every  proper  pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  their  wellbeing. 
About  this  time  Mr.  Westinghouse  be- 
came interested  also  in  electric  lighting 
companies  in  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore  and  Pittsburgh,  and  gave  spe- 
cial attention  to  the  problem  of  the  gen- 
eration and  distribution  of  electricity  for 
commercial  purposes.  In  1881  the  West- 
inghouse Machine  Company  was  formed 
to  manufacture  engines  designed  by  H. 
H.  Westinghouse,  brother  of  the  inven- 
tor. 

In  all  the  enterprises  in  which  he  was 
interested.  Mr.  Westinghouse's  dynamic 
personality  was  a  most  potent  influence. 
PTe  gathered  around  him  a  group  of  engi- 
neers and  scientists — men  who  dealt  in 
an  intangible  thing,  inventive  power.  In 
1884,  natural  gas  having  been  brought 
from  Murraysville  to  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Westinghouse  suggested  that  drilling 
might  develop  natural  gas  in  the  Iron 
City,  and  accordingly  he  drilled  a  well 
on  the  grounds  of  his  own  residence,  a 
venture  which  resulted  in  the  production 
of  gas  in  enormous  quantities.     An  ordi- 


10 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nance  was  enacted  by  the  cit\-  authoriz- 
ing him  to  lay  pipes  under  the  streets,  and 
he  purchased  the  charter  of  what  is  know 
as  the  Philadelphia  Company,  having 
power  to  carry  on  the  natural  gas  busi- 
ness, no  law  relating  especially  to  this 
business  being  then  in  existence.  Mr. 
Westinghouse  was  the  first  justly  to  ap- 
preciate the  perils  and  requirements  in- 
volved in  the  distribution  of  such  enor- 
mous quantities  of  this  almost  odorless 
gas.  under  great  pressure,  with  the  pos- 
sibility of  leakage  at  ever\-  joint,  and  not 
only  did  he  provide  for  this  leakage  by 
special  appliances,  but  he  also  foresaw 
the  need  of  large  pipes  for  the  reduction 
of  friction  when  the  pressure  should  de- 
crease. His  theory  of  the  utility-  of  large 
pipes  has  been  amply  justified  by  experi- 
ence, and  the  work  of  the  Philadelphia 
Company  contributed  ven.-  largely  to  the 
reestablishment  of  Pittsburgh  in  the  iron 
and  steel  business. 

In  1892  idt  Westinghouse  Electric  and 
Manufacturing  Company  was  given  the 
contract  for  the  illumination  of  the 
Worlds  Fair  at  Chicago,  and  shortly 
thereafter  the  incandescent  electric  lamps 
manufactured  by  it  were  declared  by  the 
courts  to  be  an  infringement  of  patents 
owned  by  a  competitor,  consequently  Mr. 
Westinghouse  was  obliged  to  immedi- 
ately- design  and  manufacture  in  large 
quantities  an  incandescent  lamp  which 
w^ould  not  infringe  upon  them.  This  he 
did  by  making  what  was  called  the 
"stopper  lamp."  the  use  of  which  enabled 
the  Westinghouse  Company  to  fulfill  its 
contract.  This  meant  not  only  designing 
a  lamp  which  would  not  infringe  upon 
existing  patents,  but  also  designing  and 
manufacturing  the  machinery  for  its  pro- 
duction, all  within  a  limited  time.  That 
Mr.  Westinghouse  succeeded  and  enabled 
his  company  to  cany  out  its  contract 
obligations,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
tours  de  force  in  his  career. 


From  1899  to  1906  Mr.  Westinghouse 
again  spent  considerable  time  in  Europe, 
where  he  founded  companies  in  England 
and  France  for  the  manufacture  of  electri- 
cal apparatus  under  patents  owned  by  his 
American  companies.  Then  came  the 
financial  panic  of  1907  which  involved 
three  important  Westinghouse  companies 
— the  Westinghouse  Electric  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  the  Westinghouse 
Machine  Company,  and  the  Security  In- 
vestment Company.  Leaving  largely  to 
his  associates  the  readjustment  of  the 
affairs  of  the  two  latter  companies,  which 
were  practically  his  personal  property, 
and  disregarding  his  possible  personal 
losses,  Mr.  Westinghouse  concentrated 
all  his  energies  on  the  readjustment  of 
the  finances  of  the  Electric  Company,  and 
so  successful  was  he  in  this  that  in  De- 
cember. 1908.  but  little  more  than  a  year 
after  the  panic,  the  company's  obligations 
were  discharged  and  it  was  placed  upon 
a  firm  financial  basis  with  cash  assets  of 
over  seventeen  million  dollars. 

Mr.  Westinghouse's  later  work  included 
the  development  of  gras  engines  of  large 
power,  and  steam  turbines  for  land  and 
marine  use.  In  cooperation  v\-ith  the  late 
Rear-Admiral  G.  W.  Melville.  U.  S.  X.. 
he  was  the  first  to  suggest  the  use  of 
reduction  gearing  in  connection  with  h:gh 
speed  turbines,  and  by  the  invention  of 
vrhat  is  known  as  a  "floating  frame'  for 
gearing  of  this  kind  he  inaugurated  a  new 
epoch  in  marine  engineering.  One  of  the 
latest  but  not  least  of  the  products  of  Mr. 
Westinghouse's  genius  as  applied  to  me- 
chanics was  his  air  spring  for  automobiles 
and  motor  trucks,  the  first  form  of  which 
was  brought  to  his  attention  by  its  in- 
ventors while  it  was  still  in  an  experi- 
mental state.  Mr.  Westinghouse  quickly 
recognized  the  possibility-  of  such  a  de- 
vice, and  after  several  years  of  develoj>- 
ment  and  testing  he  brought  out  the  air 
spring,   which,  because   of  the  great   in- 


II 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


crease  in  comfort  and  safety  which  it 
affords  to  motorists,  promises  to  become 
as  well  known  as  the  air-brake.  In  this 
air  spring  he  accomplished  the  remark- 
able feat  in  mechanics  of  retaining  air  at 
a  pressure  of  seventy  or  eighty  pounds  in 
a  cylinder  the  piston  of  which  is  subjected 
to  incessant  reciprocating  motion  for 
hours  at  a  time. 

In  addition  to  his  mechanical  genius, 
Mr.  Westinghouse  possessed  the  most 
thorough  familiarity  with  financial  ques- 
tions. He  was  connected  with  companies 
manufacturing  the  Westinghouse  air- 
brake in  the  United  States,  Canada,  Eng- 
land, France,  Germany,  Russia,  Italy,  and 
Australia,  and  founded  companies  for  the 
manufacture  of  electrical  apparatus  in 
almost  as  many  countries,  in  all  employ- 
ing about  fifty  thousand  workmen. 
Among  other  companies  in  which  he  had 
large  or  controlling  interests  were :  The 
Westinghouse  Air  Spring  Company ;  the 
Cooper  Hewitt  Electric  Company;  the 
Pittsburgh  Meter  Company;  the  West- 
inghouse Friction  Draft-Gear  Company ; 
the  Westinghouse  Traction  Brake  Com- 
pany ;  the  East  Pittsburgh  Improvement 
Company ;  the  Nernst  Lamp  Company ; 
the  Union  Switch  and  Signal  Company ; 
the  Traction  and  Power  Securities  Com- 
pany, Ltd.,  of  London,  England,  and  the 
Clyde  Valley  Electrical  Power  Company, 
Ltd.       ■ 

In  1874  the  Franklin  Institute  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  awarded  him  the 
Scott  premium  and  medal  for  his  im- 
provements in  air-brakes ;  he  has  received 
the  decorations  of  the  Legion  of  Honor, 
the  Royal  Crown  of  Italy,  and  the  Order 
of  Leopold  of  Belgium.  In  1890  Union 
College  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy ;  in  1896 
he  was  the  second  recipient  of  the  John 
Fritz  medal ;  in  the  same  year  he  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Engineering  from 
the  Koenigliche  Technische  Hochschule, 


Berlin;  and  in  1912  he  was  awarded  the 
Edison  gold  medal  for  his  achievements 
in  the  introduction  and  development  of 
the  alternating  current  system  of  dis- 
tributing electrical  energy.  He  was  an 
honorary  member  and  past  president  of 
the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineers ;  an  honorary  member  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science ;  an  honorary  member 
of  the  National  Electric  Light  Associ- 
ation ;  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great 
Britain;  Academy  of  Political  and  Social 
Science  in  the  City  of  New  York;  Ameri- 
can Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Sci- 
ence, Philadelphia;  Franklin  Institute; 
American  Association  for  the  Conserva- 
tion of  Vision ;  American  Institute  of 
Electrical  Engineers;  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers  ;  American  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers ;  American  Society  of 
Automobile  Engineers  ;  American  Society 
of  Naval  Engineers  (associate)  ;  Ameri- 
can Protective  Tariff  League ;  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History;  Metropoli- 
tan Museum  of  Art,  New  York ;  New 
York  Botanical  Garden ;  Pilgrims  of  the 
United  States ;  Japan  Society  of  New 
York ;  Pan-American  Society  of  the 
United  States ;  Automobile  Club  of 
America;  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New 
York;  City  Midday  Club,  New  York; 
Economic  Club,  New  York ;  Metropolitan 
Club,  New  York;  Republican  Club,  New 
York;  Sleepy  Hollow  Country  Club; 
Union  League  Club,  New  York ;  Country 
Club,  Duquesne  ;  Oakmont  Country,  Pitts- 
burgh ;  University  and  Union,  both  of 
Pittsburgh ;  Engineers,  Boston ;  Chevy 
Chase,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Western 
Pennsylvania  Exposition  Society. 

Mr.  Westinghouse  married,  August  8, 
1867,  i^  Brooklyn,  New  York,  Marguerite 
Erskine  Walker,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  one  son,  George  Westinghouse 
(^d).  Mr.  Westinghouse  died  March  12, 
1914. 


12 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,    ffJOX 
1     TILDtiN     FOUMOa     ION3 


^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


MACE,  William  H., 

Professor. 

Benjamin  Mace,  Sr.,  first  known  ances- 
tor of  Professor  William  PI.  Mace,  resided 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tewksbury,  Massachu- 
setts, in  the  days  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. The  records  show  that  he  served  in 
that  strugg-le  and  made  contributions  to 
the  carrying  on  of  the  same.  He  married 
Miss  French  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  the  tenth  of  whom  was 
Benjamin. 

Benjamin  Mace,  Jr.,  was  born  in  1780, 
in  Tewksbury,  Massachusetts.  In  181 1 
he  moved  to  Ontario  county.  New  York, 
settling  ten  miles  from  Lake  Ontario,  fif- 
teen from  Canandaigua,  and  thirty  from 
Rochester.  The  following  year  found  him 
enrolled,  like  his  father,  in  the  minute- 
men  of  Ontario.  His  brothers,  Eli  and 
Ira  Mace,  came  to  visit  him,  and  Eli  per- 
suaded Benjamin  to  permit  him  to  shoul- 
der his  rifle.  The  militia  found  their  rifles 
could  not  reach  the  British  ships,  but  the 
cannon  could  reach  the  militia.  The  Brit- 
ish, however,  did  not  land.  Dr.  Jonathan 
Hardy,  the  brother-in-law  of  Benjamin 
Mace,  paid  him  a  visit  and  then  removed 
to  Ontario  county,  New  York,  but  the  fol- 
lowing year  removed  to  Indiana  and  set- 
tled in  the  vicinity  of  Lexington.  Glowing 
letters  came  from  Indiana;  they  caught 
Benjamin  Mace  struggling  to  pay  for  his 
New  York  farm.  He  sold  out,  started 
for  Olean  Point,  took  the  turbulent  Alle- 
gheny in  a  boat  made  by  his  own  hands, 
reached  Pittsburgh  in  good  shape,  moved 
out  on  the  Ohio  and  down  to  London, 
Indiana,  in  the  year  1817.  He  settled  a 
few  miles  from  Dr.  Hardy.  Pie  had  mar- 
ried Mary  Hardy,  who  in  1822  succumbed 
to  consumption,  the  germs  of  which  she 
had  contracted  in  New  England.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children ;  three 
sons  born  in  New  England,  the  eldest  of 


whom  died,  the  others  being  Laurentius 
and  Benjamin  Franklin ;  the  fourth  son, 
Albert  Gallatin,  born  in  Ontario,  New 
York ;  and  two  daughters.  Mr.  Mace  mar- 
ried (second)  Mary  Ross,  whose  father, 
James  Ross,  had  come  from  Philadelphia 
a  few  years  previously.  To  bless  this 
second  marriage  two  sons  were  born,  Eli 
and  Ira,  named  after  the  two  brothers  of 
Benjamin  Mace,  who  had  visited  them  in 
New  York.  In  the  summer  of  1826  Ben- 
jamin Mace  took  his  two  eldest  sons  to 
Louisville  to  work  upon  the  canal  then 
being  built  around  the  falls  of  the  Ohio. 
Here,  after  a  time,  he  caught  a  fever 
which  to  Dr.  Hardy  seemed  the  "yellow 
fever."  His  death  occurred  within  a  week, 
at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  and  his  re- 
mains were  interred  in  the  "Liberty  grave- 
yard," not  far  from  his  home.  Plere,  too, 
one  on  each  side,  rest  his  two  wives. 

Eli  Mace  grew  up,  and  when  a  young 
m,an  entered  Hanover  College,  located  a 
few  miles  from  his  home.  When  the 
Mexican  War  broke  out,  he  volunteered 
and  won  his  stripes  at  Buena  Vista,  but 
was  wounded  in  the  leg  near  the  knee, 
carrying  the  ball  to  his  grave.  While 
suffering  from  this  wound  and  depressed 
by  the  coolness  of  his  sweetheart,  he  took 
an  overdose  of  a  drug,  probably  with  the' 
hope  of  relief,  but  it  resulted  in  his  death, 
at  New  Washington. 

Ira  Mace  was  born  October  10,  1826,  a 
short  time  before  his  father's  death.  He 
became  the  foster  child  of  Andrew  J.  and 
Sarah  J.  (Kinder)  Ferguson,  and  resided 
with  them  until  after  his  marriage  and 
the  births  of  four  children.  Andrew  J. 
Ferguson  lived  two  miles  south  of  Lex- 
ington, on  the  Charleston  road,  just  where 
the  hills  break  down  to  Kimberlin  creek. 
He  and  his  wife  were  Kentuckians.  He 
was  an  interesting  man  ;  owned  a  kennel  of 
fox  hounds  ;  had  a  number  of  brothers  and 
sisters  around  him ;  raised  another  foster 


'3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


son,  William  McCutcheon,  a  teamster  in 
the  Civil  War,  and  housed  an  engineer  and 
his  family  until  a  mill  was  erected  on  his 
farm.  When  Ira  Mace  was  a  young  man, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  cooper,  and  during 
the  winter  months  and  when  work  was 
slack  on  the  farm,  he  made  flour  and  pork 
barrels  for  the  Louisville  trade,  that  city 
being  only  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and 
in  this  way  earned  money  enough  to  pay 
for  his  farm.  In  185 1  he  married  Nancy 
S.  Johnson,  second  daughter  of  David  K. 
Johnson,  who  resided  on  the  Charleston 
road,  about  a  mile  from  the  home  of  Ira 
Mace.  David  K.  Johnson  was  the  son  of 
Reuben  and  Mary  (Lynch)  Johnson,  who 
had  come  out  of  the  beautiful  Shenandoah 
Valley,  at  an  early  day,  through  Ohio  to 
Indiana,  and  settled  near  Lexington.  Reu- 
ben Johnson  was  an  official  of  Scott 
county  at  one  time.  He  and  his  wife  lie 
buried  in  Lexington  cemetery,  a  stone's 
throw  from  the  old  Johnson  homestead. 
Here,  too,  rests  David  K.  Johnson.  Thus, 
within  a  few  miles,  lie  the  remains  of  the 
grandfathers  of  Professor  Mace,  one  from 
Massachusetts  and  the  other  from  Vir- 
ginia. Margaret  Johnson,  wife  of  David 
K.  Johnson,  was  a  Kentuckian.  Thus  it 
happens  that  in  Professor  Mace  the  blood 
of  four  States  courses  in  his  veins — Mas- 
sachusetts, Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and 
Kentucky. 

Ira  Mace  remained  with  his  foster  par- 
ents until  the  following  named  children 
were  born :  William  H.,  November  27, 
1852;  Sarah  M.,  October  13,  1854;  Benja- 
min P.,  December  28,  1856;  and  Mary  A., 
May  26,  1859.  A  third  son,  Martin  E., 
was  born  in  their  own  home,  July  9,  1863. 
When  Ira  Mace  moved  to  his  new  home, 
William  H.  and  Benjamin  F.  remained 
with  the  "old  folks."  This  farm  was  only 
three  miles  away,  just  across  the  line  be- 
tween Scott  and  Clark  counties,  near  a 
village    since    grown    up    and    known    as 


Nabb  Station.  In  1864  Andrew  J.  Fergu- 
son traded  farms  and  located  along  the 
north  line  of  the  farm  of  Ira  Mace,  and 
there  both  he  and  his  wife  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced ages  of  ninety  and  seventy-five, 
respectively.  During  young  manhood,  Ira 
Mace  crossed  over  the  Ohio  to  Westport 
to  engage  in  the  pork  packing  industry. 
He  was  forced  to  endure  considerable  ex- 
posure and  his  lungs  were  seriously 
afifected.  He  carved  his  farm  out  ot  great 
forests  of  oak,  poplar,  beech  and  gum 
trees.  When  the  draft  of  the  Civil  War 
came  he  was  officially  exempted,  but 
shouldered  his  rifle  when  General  Morgan 
made  his  famous  raid  through  Southern 
Indiana.  On  a  bright  day  in  February, 
1881,  he  was,  as  usual,  working  on  his 
farm,  but  he  took  cold  and  pneumonia  set 
in,  his  death  occurring  about  a  week  later, 
aged  fifty-four  years.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  over  thirty  years. 

William  Harrison  Mace,  son  of  Ira  and 
Nancy  S.  (Johnson)  Mace,  was  born  on 
a  farm  near  Lexington,  Indiana,  Novem- 
ber 2^,  1852.  His  elementary  education 
was  acquired  in  the  country  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  and  his  preparatory  at  the 
Lexington  Pligh  School.-  Pursuing  a  re- 
markably liberal  education,  he  graduated 
at  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School 
(1876)  and  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
with  Phi  Beta  Kappa  standing  (1883)  and 
received  his  Master's  degree  from  Indi- 
ana University  (1889).  A  post-graduate 
course  of  one  year  in  history  at  Cornell 
University  under  Professor  Moses  Coit 
Tyler,  who  had  also  been  one  of  his 
teachers  at  Ann  Arbor,  followed  (1890- 
91)  ;  and,  going  abroad,  he  studied  in  the 
universities  of  Jena  and  Berlin,  taking 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  at  the 
first  named  (1897).  He  entered  upon  his 
chosen  profession  as  a  teacher  while  yet 
a  youth,  and  has  engaged  in  it  diligently 
for  over  forty  years,  save  as  intermitted 


14 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OE   BIOGRAPHY 


by  the  periods  of  study  previously  men- 
tioned. He  began  as  a  teacher  for  three 
terms  in  a  country  school.  He  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  West  Side  School,  Logans- 
port,  Indiana  (1876-77)  ;  principal,  Wina- 
mac  public  school  (1S77-79)  5  taught  his- 
tory in  Cass  and  Pulaski  counties,  Indi- 
ana, summer  normals  (1876-78)  ;  taught 
in  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  one  term 
(1881) ;  was  superintendent  of  McGregor, 
Iowa,  public  schools  (1883-85)  ;  professor 
of  history,  DePauw  University  Normal 
School  (1885-90)  ;  and  was  William  Grififin 
professor  of  history  and  political  science, 
Syracuse  University   (1891-1916). 

Dr.  Mace  has  been  an  eminent  and 
entertaining  lecturer  upon  historical  sub- 
jects throughout  his  professional  career, 
having  discoursed  before  Teachers'  Insti- 
tutes and  other  bodies  of  teachers  in 
twelve  different  States  of  the  Union,  and 
has  been  officially  associated  in  university 
extension  courses  with  five  universities, 
including  that  of  Cambridge,  England,  in 
which  he  gave  six  lectures  on  "A  Com- 
parative View  of  the  English  and  Ameri- 
can Constitutions"  (1893).  He  taught 
history  in  the  University  Extension  Sum- 
mer School  held  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  during  the  summers  of  1893 
and  1894  and  on  July  8,  1893,  he  gave  the 
commemorative  address  in  Independence 
Hall,  celebrating  the  reading  of  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence.  He  gave  instruc- 
tion in  the  same  subject  at  Chautauqua 
Summer  School,  Chautauqua,  New  York, 
in  1895.  He  also  taught  history  at  the 
summer  sessions  of  the  West  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina  universities  and  at 
the  University  of  Tennessee  in  the  great 
Summer  School  of  the  South  for  two 
years  (1903-04).  He  has  delivered  many 
addresses  upon  historical  and  biographi- 
cal themes  before  literary  and  lyceum 
associations,  that  on  "Lincoln  and  Doug- 


las" over  one  hundred  times.  This  long 
service  in  the  lecture  held — the  wide 
range  of  history  it  has  traversed  and  the 
assemblies  and  institutions  to  which  it 
has  ministered — attests  at  once  the  esteem 
in  w^hich  he  is  held  in  literary  circles  and 
the  popularity  he  enjoys  with  general 
audiences. 

Dr.  Mace  is  the  author  of  many  historic 
monographs,  treatises  and  books,  all 
characterized  by  broad  scholarship,  clear 
analysis,  logical  unfolding,  graphic  de- 
lineation, dramatic  unfolding  and  robust 
Americanism.  His  text  books,  adapted 
to  various  grades  as  their  titles  indicate, 
are  cordially  approved  by  educators  and 
have  been  adopted  in  hundreds  of  schools 
in  all  sections  of  the  country.  Among  his 
publications  are :  "A  Working  Manual 
of  American  History;''  "Method  in  His- 
tory ;"  "Syllabi  on  American  History, 
with  Documents  ;'"  "School  History  of  the 
United  States;"  "Primary  History  of  the 
United  States ;"  lives  of  Lincoln  and  of 
Washington  in  the  "Little  Lives  of  Great 
Men."  From  the  copious  appreciations 
that  his  "History  of  the  United  States" 
has  received,  the  following  by  Superin- 
tendent Furr,  of  Illinois,  is  selected  as  a 
definition  of  its  plan  and  salient  features 
and  a  brief  tribute  to  their  excellence : 

After  one  year's  trial  of  Mace's  "History  of 
the  United  States"  we  are  entirely  satisfied.  Its 
language  is  as  clear  as  crystal  and  as  direct  as 
a  mathematical  line.  The  selection  of  subject 
matter,  its  organization,  its  coordination,  its 
brief  hints  of  interpretation  are  certainly  not 
equaled  by  any  text  with  which  I  am  familiar. 
Accuracy  of  fact  is  put  in  such  manner  that  the 
child  really  sees  the  pictures  of  the  past,  thinks 
the  thoughts  and  feels  the  life  in  its  movement 
from  the  past  to  the  future. 

The  following  is  a  tribute  from  L.  H. 
Jones,  superintendent  of  schools,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio: 


15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


It  has  been  a  real  pleasure  to  me  to  read  the 
proof  sheets  of  Professor  Mace's  book,  "Method 
in  History."  It  is  a  book  of  unusual  force, — 
dealing  as  it  does  in  a  practical  way  with  the 
profounder  principles  of  teaching,  yet  applying 
them  in  such  apt  instances  as  to  make  them 
easily  understood.  It  is  not  only  method  in  his- 
tory, but  good  sound  philosophy  of  teaching  be- 
sides. It  is  happily  adapted  to  use  in  classes  in 
normal  schools,  in  reading  circles,  and  teachers' 
clubs.  Whatever  text-book  in  history  may  be  in 
the  hands  of  pupils,  the  teacher  needs  Mace's 
"Method  in  History"  for  inspiration  and  guid- 
ance. 

Dr.  Mace  edited  the  department  of  his- 
tory in  the  "Indiana  School  Journal,"  and 
also  in  the  "Tri-State  School  Review,"  and 
contributed  to  the  "Educational  Review." 

Reviewing  a  life  of  such  activity  and 
achievement  as  is  here  cursorily  sketched, 
the  period  of  its  service  to  the  university 
in  which  Dr.  Mace  held  his  chair  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  is  of  most  notable 
import.  It  is  a  period  of  marvelous,  even 
phenomenal,  growth  of  the  institution 
with  which  Dr.  Mace's  name  is  intimately 
associated,  of  magnificent  benefactions, 
brilliant  administration  of  its  chancellor, 
expanding  schools,  eminent  faculties  and 
swelling  attendance ;  and  is  now  fairly 
abreast  with  the  leading  universities  of 
the  land ;  and  it  may  as  fairly  be  said  that 
Dr.  Mace's  department  has  been  one  of 
the  principal  attractions  to  its  doors.  He 
began  with  a  well  established  reputation 
as  an  accomplished  and  virile  instructor, 
which  has  constantly  increased  with  the 
advancing  years.  It  need  not  be  said  that 
the  teaching  of  history  has  been  vastly 
improved  generally  during  his  tenure, 
from  that  of  repeating  mere  chronologies 
— the  dry-as-dust  of  calendars  and  the 
routine  of  events — to  topical  presentation 
and  vivid  portrayals  of  scenes  and  char- 
acters from  drudgery  to  inspiration.  Of 
the  newer  historical  school  Dr.  Mace  is  a 
prominent   representative    and    his    mag- 


netic personality  has  been  at  once  es- 
teemed and  beloved  by  the  numerous 
body  of  students  who  have  thronged  his 
class-room,  this  being  signally  manifested 
by  the  tokens  of  appreciation  from  both 
alumni  and  resident  scholars  which  at- 
tended his  retirement  at  the  commence- 
ment of  1916,  while  the  university,  accept- 
ing his  resignation  regretfully,  honored 
him  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 
Dr.  Mace  resides  in  the  university  re- 
gion in  Syracuse,  and  with  faculties  still 
alert,  purposes  to  continue  his  literary 
output.  He  is  now  engaged  in  a  work  on 
the  high  school.  He  was  appointed  a 
judge  of  the  educational  exhibit  at  the 
Jamestown  Centennial  Exposition ;  re- 
ceived a  call  to  the  university  extension 
departmertt  of  Chicago  University  by 
President  Harper,  and  a  call  to  the  vice- 
principalship  of  the  Chicago  Normal 
School  by  Arnold  Tompkins.  In  1910  he 
went  abroad  for  the  third  time,  spending 
his  time  in  Jena  and  IMunich  universities. 
While  in  Germany  he  went  on  a  walking 
tram,p  with  his  wife  and  three  nieces, 
covering  a  distance  of  four  hundred  miles, 
which  was  a  source  of  pleasure  and  in- 
struction. He  is  a  member  of  Michigan 
Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  ;  an  honorary 
member  of  Syracuse  University  Phi  Beta 
Kappa ;  a  charter  member  of  Syracuse 
University  Chapter  of  Phi  Kappa  Phi ;  a 
member  of  the  sub-committee  on  social 
studies,  appointed  by  National  Educa- 
tional Association  for  the  revision  of  the 
high  school  course  of  study ;  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Historical  Associa- 
tion, the  New  York  State  Historical  Soci- 
ety, the  Onondaga  County  Historical 
Association,  the  Syracuse  Chapter  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the 
Fortnightly  (literary)  Club  of  Syracuse, 
the  Onondaga  County  Schoolmasters' 
Club,  the  Billy  Sunday  Business  Men's 
Club,    and    president    of    the    University 


16 


THE  I'^TV/  YORK 

PUELIC 

LIBRARY 

ASTOf? 

,   L'-NOX 

TILDtN     F 

;>L"jOArioNS 

^^ii-^i^yLeA-  Pi/  ^^L^^-^^-e^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Chorus  Association.  In  religion  he  is  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  communion,  and 
a  member  of  the  University  Church  of 
that  denomination  in  Syracuse. 

While  attending  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  William 
H.  Mace  met  Julia  Ida  Dodson  in  1874. 
They  both  graduated,  and  on  September 
10,  1878,  were  married.  One  child  was 
born  to  them,  Deirdre  Frances,  April  15, 
1886,  who  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  and  in 
Syracuse  University,  graduating  in  the 
class  of  1908.  She  was  married,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1909,  to  Nathan  Howard  Cowing, 
who  was  a  classmate  in  both  high  school 
and  the  university.  Mr.  Cowing  gradu- 
ated from  the  Lyman  Smith  College  of 
Syracuse  University,  in  1908,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  veneer 
near  Norfolk,  Virginia.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them :  Daniel  Mace, 
August  31,  1912,  and  Nathan  Howard,  Jr., 
September  27,  1916. 

Mrs.  Mace's  ancestors  are  not  so  easily 
traced  on  her  father's  side  owing  to  his 
comparatively  early  death.  It  is  known, 
however,  that  her  father,  John  Wesley 
Dodson,  was  of  English  parentage.  His 
father,  Jeremiah  Dodson,  was  born  in 
England  and  came  to  this  country  with 
his  Scotch  wife  when  a  young  man  to 
preach  to  the  people  near  Guilford,  North 
Carolina.  Here  several  children  were 
born  to  them,  the  youngest  son  being 
John  Wesley.  On  the  death  of  his  wife, 
Jeremiah  Dodson  moved  to  Oregon,  from 
whence  he  was  in  the  early  part  of  i860, 
sent  to  the  general  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  John  Wesley  Dodson  lived  for 
some  years  with  an  older  brother,  David 
Dodson,  who  had  gone  north  from  North 
Carolina  to  Indiana.  He  there  met  and 
married  Rosanna  Jenkins,  who,  having 
lost  both  parents  by  death  when  but  a 
NY -5-2  i: 


child,  was  brought  up  by  her  grandpar- 
ents, John  and  Rosanna  Vinnedge,  in 
Ohio.  Later  Miss  Jenkins  went  to  live 
with  her  only  sister,  Margaret,  who  had 
married  David  Dodson,  and  at  whose 
home  she  met  her  future  husband,  John 
Wesley  Dodson.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  them,  who  made  their  home  at 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  Three  are  now 
living:  Cora,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Pratt  Graham,  dean  of  the  Lyman 
Smith  College  of  Applied  Science  of  Syra- 
cuse University;  Professor  Samuel  Henry 
Dodson  ;  and  Julia  Ida,  wife  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Harrison  Mace. 

The  maternal  grandmother  of  Mrs. 
Mace  was  Mary  (Vinnedge)  Jenkins, 
whose  husband,  John  Jenkins,  cam,e  to 
Ohio  from  Virginia.  The  father  of  Mary 
(Vinnedge)  Jenkins,  John  Vinnedge,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  of  German  parent- 
age. He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Adam  Vin- 
nedge, who  was  born  in  Alsace  Lorraine, 
and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Pennsylvania.  John  Vinnedge  went  to 
Ohio  with  General  Wayne's  army  in  1794. 
Later  he  married  Rosanna  Moore,  and 
became  a  large  landowner  and  a  very  in- 
fluential man  in  the  affairs  of  the  county 
in  which  he  lived,  also  the  State,  as  was 
his  wife's  father,  Patrick  Moore.  Both 
John  Vinnedge  and  Patrick  Moore  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  chil- 
dren of  John  and  Rosanna  (Moore)  Vin- 
nedge settled  near  the  old  homestead  in 
Butler  county,  Ohio,  and  each  year  their 
descendants  gather  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust for  a  family  reunion  at  Hamilton. 


HAWES,  James  William, 

La-wyer,  Active  for  Good  Government. 

The  eminence  attained  by  Mr  Hawes 
in  his  forty-two  years'  practice  at  the  New 
York  City  bar,  is  hardly  greater  than  the 
value  of  his  public  service  or  the  wide 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


range  of  his  literary  work.  New  York. 
State  Reports  teem  with  important  cases 
with  which  he  was  connected  as  counsel ; 
the  records  of  the  various  reform  com- 
mittees and  movements  from  the  time  of 
Tweed,  are  filled  with  the  history  of  his 
eliforts  for  the  cause  of  good  government. 
the  literary  world  has  been  enriched  by 
the  work  of  his  pen.  Since  1910  he  has 
lived  retired  from  professional  practice, 
but  his  interest  in  public  affairs  has  not 
diminished,  and  his  books  are  yet  his 
great  enjoyment.  His  life  record  is  an 
interesting  and  a  valuable  one,  and  in  its 
compiling  a  half  century  of  progress  in 
America's  most  important  city  is  covered. 
The  New  York  of  1868  bore  little  resem- 
blance to  the  New  York  of  1916,  and  in 
all  its  changes  and  growth,  Mr.  Hawes 
has  borne  a  part  insofar  as  a  professional 
man  could,  while  in  the  making  and  en- 
forcement of  law  his  part  has  been  an  im- 
portant one. 

He  came  to  New  York  from  Massachu- 
setts, the  State  of  his  birth  and  the  home 
of  his  American  ancestors,  descent  being 
traced  from  Edmond  Hawes,  who  came 
from  England  in  1635,  and  to  Stephen 
Hopkins  who  came  in  the  "Mayflower"  in 
1620.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Susannah 
(Taylor)  Hawes. 

James  William  Hawes  was  born  in 
Chatham,  Massachusetts,  July  9,  1844. 
After  a  public  school  course  and  gradu- 
ation from  Chatham  High  School,  he  en- 
tered Harvard  College,  whence  he  was 
graduated  A.  B.,  head  of  the  class  of  '66. 
He  taught  in  a  preparatory  school  in 
Boston  during  1866-67,  and  in  1867-68  was 
instructor  in  mathematics  at  Harvard,  re- 
ceiving from  his  alma  mater  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  in  1869.  He  attended  Harvard  Law 
School  one  year,  then  studied  further 
under  the  direction  of  Hawkins  &  Coth- 
ren,  of  the  New  York  bar,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New 


York  City.  In  January,  1869,  he  opened  a 
law  office,  and  until  May  i,  1910,  was  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  practice  in  New 
York  City. 

During  those  forty-two  years  he  won 
enviable  fame  as  a  learned  and  upright 
lawyer,  one  to  whom  important  cases  and 
trusts  might  be  confided  with  confidence. 
He  was  counsel  in  many  noted  cases,  and 
in  one  of  them.  Miner  vs.  Beekman  (50 
New  York,  337)  was  first  determined  the 
statute  of  limitations  in  this  State,  applica- 
ble to  an  action-  to  redeem  mortgaged 
premises.  In  Francis  vs.  New  York  Steam 
Company  (114  New  York,  380)  he  sought 
to  hold  a  passenger  on  a  horse-car  in  a 
city,  to  the  same  measure  of  care  respect- 
ing exposure  of  his  person  out  of  a 
window,  as  on  a  railroad  car ;  as  counsel 
for  the  Republican  County  Committee  in 
The  People  ex  rel.,  Barron  vs.  Martin 
he  applied  for  a  writ  of  prohibition  against 
the  police  board  to  obtain  a  decision  on 
the  question  of  what  constituted  a  quorum 
of  inspectors  of  election.  He  was  counsel 
for  one  of  the  defendants  in  Belden  vs. 
Burke,  involving  $8,000,000  of  the  mort- 
gage bonds  of  the  Columbus,  Hocking 
Valley  &  Toledo  Railway  Company  (20 
Supp.  320,  72  Hun  51).  In  1884,  as  coun- 
sel for  John  N.  Stearns  and  other  tax- 
payers, he  conducted  an  investigation 
of  the  park  commissioners  under  section 
sixty  of  the  Consolidation  Act.  In  1890, 
he  successfully  defended  The  New  York 
Steam  Company  against  a  proceeding  to 
declare  its  pipes  in  Broadway  a  nuisance. 
As  attorney  for  the  executor  of  the  will 
of  Wallace  C.  Andrews,  he  conducted 
successfully  litigation  (St.  John  vs.  The 
Andrews  Institute  for  Girls,  191  N.  Y., 
254  ;  192  N.  Y.,  382 ;  214  U.  S.,  19)  through 
the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  covering  a  period  of  ten 
vears. 


18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Almost  with  his  entrance  to  the  city, 
Mr.  llawes  began  his  active  work  for  the 
cause  of  good  government.  His  political 
bias  is  Republican,  and  his  service  has 
been  as  a  Republican.  He  participated 
in  the  series  of  movements  that  finally 
resulted  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Tweed 
ring ;  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
aldermen  in  1881  and  1882;  was  one  of 
the  "Sixty"  appointed  in  1883  to  secure 
legislation  looking  to  an  increased  water 
supply,  and  the  following  year  was  a 
member  of  the  Cooper  Union  Committee 
chosen  to  secure  reform  measures  from 
the  Legislature.  As  a  member  of  the 
sub-committee  selected  from  the  com- 
mittee of  fifty-three,  Mr.  Hawes  was 
closely  related  to  the  actual  work  per- 
formed ;  in  fact,  a  great  part  of  it  de- 
volved upon  him.  In  1885.  he  was  an 
active  member  of  the  committee  which 
drafted  and  submitted  to  the  Legislature 
a  constitutional  amendment  separating 
municipal  from  State  elections,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  committee  of  The  Repub- 
lican Club  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
which  successfully  advocated  before  the 
Republican  State  Committee  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  delegates  to  State 
conventions.  The  same  year  (1885)  he 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  judge 
of  the  City  Court  of  New  York,  but  was 
defeated  by  the  Tammany  candidate.  In 
1886  he  was  chosen  by  the  Citizens' 
Academy  of  Music  meeting  a  member  of 
the  committee  of  one  hundred,  and  was 
chosen  by  the  committee  a  member  of  its 
executive  committee  and  chairman  of  the 
sub-committee  on  its  general  policy.  The 
same  year  he  was  chairman  of  a  joint 
committee  of  The  Republican  Club  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  the  Young  Men's  Dem- 
ocratic Clubs  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn, 
the  City  Reform  Club,  and  three  other 
clubs  formed  to  secure  an  affirmative  vote 


of  the  people  on  the  question  of  calling  a 
constitutional  convention.  Such  vote  was 
secured,  and  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Republican  Club  he  was 
very  prominent  in  the  work  of  framing 
the  new  constitution  passed  by  the  con- 
vention of  1894.  He  was  one  of  the  ener- 
getic workers  in  behalf  of  an  im[)roved 
ballot  reform  bill  which  passed  both 
houses,  but  was  vetoed  by  Governor 
riower.  In  1891  he  prepared  a  bill  mak- 
ing voting  compulsory,  and  made  a  report 
thereon  to  the  Republican  Club.  In  1890 
he  was  the  Anti-Tammany  candidate  for 
president  of  the  board  of  aldermen. 

In  1895  ^I^-  Hawes  was  nominated  by 
the  Republican  party,  the  convention  of 
Good  Government  Clubs  and  other  organ- 
izations opposed  to  Tammany  Hall,  for 
justice  of  the  City  Court  of  New  York, 
but  declined  the  nomination.  The  same 
year  he  drafted  the  law  relating  to  natu- 
ralization, and  suggested  and  revised  the 
act  providing  for  the  registration  of  in- 
mates of  lodging  houses.  He  was  also 
consulted  by  Senator  Raines  in  regard  to 
the  Ballot  Act  introduced  by  that  Sen- 
ator, and  many  of  the  features  suggested 
by  Mr.  Hawes  were  embodied  in  the  act. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  of 
the  Republican  Club  on  the  Greater  New 
York  Charter  of  1896-97,  and  appeared  be- 
fore the  commission  in  advocacy  of  the 
views  of  that  committee.  Since  1900  his 
public  service  has  been  advisory,  although 
not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  his  interest  in  the 
cause  of  good  government  has  abated. 

This  record  of  public  service  beginning 
in  the  campaign  fought  to  overthrow  the 
Tweed  ring,  continued  in  every  move- 
ment for  the  city's  good  since  then, 
as  public  official,  head  of  committees, 
member  of  committees,  delegate  to 
county  and  State  conventions,  counselor, 
advisor,  and  private  in  the  ranks,  is  one 


19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


that  stamps  Mr.  Hawes  as  one  of  the 
foremost  "Soldiers  of  the  Common  Good." 
He  has  guided  public  opinion,  and  in  the 
manner  indicated  has  been  instrumental 
in  influencing  beneficial  legislation.  A 
vital  force  in  Statd  and  National  politics 
has  been  the  Republican  League  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  the  organization  of 
that  movement  he  w^as  among  the  leaders. 
To  the  national  body.  State  organizations 
are  subsidiary,  and  in  the  forming  of  the 
New  York  Republican  State  League  he 
was  one  of  the  founders,  serving  as  the 
first  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
and  sub-executive  committee.  While  a 
straight  party  man,  he  was  not  blindly 
partisan,  but  with  good  citizens  of  all 
political  creeds  labored  for  the  "common 
good." 

With  a  large  legal  practice,  the  burdens 
of  which  were  often  added  to  by  appoint- 
ment as  referee  by  the  courts  and  his  un- 
intermittent  public  service,  it  would  seem 
that  his  life  during  the  period  1868-1900 
was  filled  to  the  brim.     But  during  that 
period   he   performed   a   vast  amount   of 
literary  and  platform  work.     From   1873 
to  1876  he  was  a  regular  contributor  to 
"Appleton's  American  Encyclopedia,"  for 
several   years   contributed   to  x^ppleton's 
"Annual   Encyclopedia;"    to  Kiddle  and 
Schem's      "Cyclopedia      of      Education" 
(1877);    author  of  "Legislative  Reform" 
(Columbia    Jurist,    January    21,     1886)  ; 
"The  New  Constitution  of  Brazil"  (Over- 
land   Monthly,    February,    1892)  ;     "The 
Guarany,"    a    Brazilian    romance,    trans- 
lated   from    the    Portuguese    (Overland 
Monthly,    1893)  ;     "Edmond    Hawes    of 
Yarmouth,   Massachusetts,   an   Emigrant 
to  America  in   1635  ;  His  Ancestors,  In- 
cluding  the    Allied    Families   of    Brome. 
Colles,   Greswold,   Porter,   Rody,   Shirley 
and  Whitfield,  and  Some  of  His  Descend- 
ants"   (1914)  ;    and    genealogies    of    the 


Taylor  and  other  families  of  Chatham. 
His  voice  has  been  heard  as  the  principal 
orator  on  many  public  occasions,  notably 
his  eulogy  on  President  Garfield,  de- 
livered in  1881  before  the  board  of  alder- 
men of  New  York  City.  In  1912  he  de- 
livered the  historical  address,  since  pub- 
lished, at  the  celebration  of  the  two  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  town  of  Chatham,  Massachusetts. 
When  the  Harvard  Club  of  New  York 
was  incorporated  in  1887,  he  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  and  was  a  member  of 
the  first  executive  committee.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of 
the  City  of  New  York;  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Alumni  in  New  York  (president  in  1881- 
82)  ;  The  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of 
New  York  (president  1882-83-84)  ;  and 
while  at  Flarvard  aided  to  found  and 
served  as  the  first  president  of  the  Pi 
Eta  society. 

Since  his  retirement  in  1910,  he  has 
traveled  extensively  in  his  own  and  for- 
eign lands,  his  wonderful  activity,  as  out- 
lined, preventing  his  absence  from  the 
scene  of  duty  prior  to  that  year,  except 
on  one  occasion.  He  is  one  of  New 
York's  most  eminent  adopted  sons,  and 
when  the  events  of  the  last  half-century 
are  reviewed  by  the  historian  of  New 
York  City,  the  name  of  James  William 
Hawes  will  be  found  intimately  connected 
with  much  that  makes  for  civic  righteous- 
ness. The  profession  to  which  he  de- 
voted the  strength  of  his  intellect  and  the 
vigor  of  his  manhood  has  been  ennobled 
by  his  life  and  the  pages  of  literature, 
legal,  historical,  political  and  romantic, 
enriched  by  his  contributions. 

Mr.  Hawes  married,  in  Lowell,  Massa- 
chusetts, October  14,  1873,  Amelia  Apple- 
ton,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Nancy 
Dyson  (Appleton)  Prendergast,  of  a  dis- 
tinguished New  England  family. 
20 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


FOOTE,  Nathaniel,  LL.  D., 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Son  of  one  of  New  York's  gifted  law- 
yers, Judge  Foote,  after  thorough  prepa- 
ration, embraced  the  same  profession  and 
after  thirty-two  years  of  honorable  prac- 
tice at  the  Monroe  county  bar  was  ele- 
vated to  the  Supreme  Bench,  first  by  ap- 
pointment, then  by  the  votes  of  his  fellow 
citizens  for  the  full  constitutional  term  of 
fourteen  years,  dating  from  January,  1906, 
and  expiring  December  31,  1919.  He  came 
to  the  Monroe  county  bar  a  young  man 
of  twenty-four,  locating  in  the  city  of 
Rochester,  having  had  two  years  previ- 
ous experience  as  a  practitioner  at  the 
Madison  county  (Xew  York)  bar.  In 
Rochester  he  rapidly  rose  in  public  es- 
teem, and  as  the  years  added  experience 
to  learning  and  skill  he  attained  high  rank 
at  a  bar  composed  of  exceptionally  strong 
men.  Absolutely  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  his  clients,  confident  of  the  justice  of 
his  cause,  apt  in  trial  and  strong  in  presen- 
tation he  gained  many  triumphs,  for  he 
knew  the  law  and  its  application.  He 
moreover  gained  the  highest  respect  of 
his  contemporaries  of  the  bar,  and  when 
in  1893  the  Rochester  Bar  Association 
was  organized  he  was  chosen  by  the  votes 
of  his  brethren  its  first  president. 

As  a  jurist  he  has  filled  the  high  office 
he  occupies  with  dignity  and  honor,  pre- 
serving a  due  regard  for  the  tradition  of 
the  high  court  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
but  is  the  arbiter  of  his  own  decisions, 
realizing  to  the  full  his  responsibility  as  a 
dispenser  of  justice,  and  knowing  no 
higher  authority  than  the  law,  meaning 
to  him  justice.  Five  years  on  the  bench 
of  the  Appellate  Division,  with  their  at- 
tendant demands,  concentration  and  deep 
study  of  the  law  in  all  its  bearings  upon 
the  cause  he  will  be  called  upon  to  ren- 
der   decision,   has   broadened    his    vision, 


strengthened  his  judgment  and  added  the 
wisdom  of  years  to  the  zeal  and  enthusi- 
asm of  younger  days,  and  he  is  to-day  the 
well  poised,  calm,  learned  jurist,  confi- 
dent in  his  ability  to  render  justice  when 
appealed  to  in  his  judicial  capacity. 

As  a  politician  he  believes  in  his  party 
because  he  believes  in  its  principles. 
Never  swerving  in  his  devotion  to  its 
creed  he  is  as  loyal  in  its  reverses  as  in 
its  prosperity,  but  his  fairness  and  judical 
temperament  prevent  bitter  partisanship 
and  he  numbers  his  friends  and  sup- 
porters among  all  parties.  As  a  man  and 
a  citizen  he  is  large  and  liberal  in  his 
views,  believes  in  push  and  perseverance, 
and  is  ready  to  aid  in  any  movement  look- 
ing toward  the  accomplishment  of  real 
and  practical  good.  He  is  now  in  the 
strength  of  his  intellectual  vigor,  in  the 
meridian  of  life  and  professional  honor, 
and  there  is  yet  work  for  him  to  do,  and 
in  the  fulfillment  of  his  destiny  he  will  in 
the  future,  as  in  the  past,  devote  his 
talents,  his  energy  and  strength  to  the 
duties  and  responsibilities,  professional  or 
civic,  which  devolve  upon  him. 

Nathaniel  Foote,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Olivia  Alinerva  (Knox)  Foote,  was  born 
at  Morrisville,  Madison  county.  New 
York,  November  15,  1849.  After  prepara- 
tory courses  in  the  public  schools,  Caze- 
novia  Seminary  and  Genesee  Wesleyan 
Seminary  (Lima,  New  York)  he  entered 
Hamilton  College,  having  been  gradu- 
ated from  the  Genesee  Seminary  in  1866. 
He  pursued  the  classical  course  at  Hamil- 
ton for  two  years  and  later  received  his 
Bachelor's  degree  ex  gratia,  class  of  1870. 
He  then  for  one  year  was  an  instructor 
in  the  classics  at  Monticello  (New  York) 
Academy,  and  in  1871  was  admitted  to 
the  Madison  county  bar.  having  been  a 
law  student  during  his  college  and  subse- 
quent years.  For  two  years  he  practiced 
at  the  Madison  county  bar  in  partnership 


21 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  John  E.  Smith,  then  in  July,  1873, 
located  in  Rochester,  New  York,  where 
he  continued  in  practice  until  his  elevation 
to  the  Supreme  Bench,  becoming  one  of  the 
leading  attorneys  of  Western  New  York. 
For  twelve  years  he  was  senior  member 
of  the  law  firm  of  Foote  &  Havens.  In 
1893,  upon  the  organization  of  the  Roches- 
ter Bar  Association,  he  was  elected  its 
first  president  and  reelected  in  1894.  In 
1894  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  New  York 
State  Constitutional  Convention,  render- 
ing important  service  in  framing  a  re- 
vised constitution  which  was  ratified  by 
the  voters  upon  its  submission  in  that 
year.  With  the  ending  of  the  year  1904 
Mr.  Foote  closed  his  long  term  of  service 
as  a  practitioner,  and  on  January  2,  1905, 
began  the  continuance  of  his  career  of 
honor  and  usefulness  at  the  bar,  but  as  a 
jurist.  On  that  date  he  was  appointed  a 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  He  served  under  his  ap- 
pointment until  December  31,  1905,  then 
having  been  elected  to  the  same  high 
office  at  the  November  polls,  began  a  full 
term  of  fourteen  years  which  expires  De- 
cember 31,  1919.  His  territory  is  the  fifth, 
seventh  and  eighth  judicial  districts,  form- 
ing the  fourth  department  of  the  Appel- 
late Division  of  the  Supreme  Court,  his 
chambers  at  the  court  house  in  Rochester. 
Judge  Foote  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  and  Rochester  Bar  associa- 
tions, the  American  Institute  of  Inter- 
national Law,  Rochester  Historical  Soci- 
ety, American  Geographical  Society  and 
Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fraternity.  His 
clubs  are  the  Genesee  Valley  and  Roches- 
ter Country.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. In  religious  affiliation  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
His  alma  mater,  Hamilton  College,  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  and  in  further  recognition  of  his 
learning  and  public  service  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 


Judge  Foote  married,  January  10,  1872, 
Charlotte  A.,  daughter  of  James  C.  Camp- 
bell, of  Rochester.  They  are  the  parents 
of  Nathaniel  F.,  Franc  Estelle,  Louise 
Knox,  Charlotte  C,  Olive  Jeannette.  The 
family  home  is  No.  245  Culver  Road, 
Rochester. 


ADAMS,  Guilford  Robbins, 

Merchant. 

Since  his  nineteenth  year  Mr.  Adams 
has  been  connected  with  the  mercantile 
interests  of  Rochester,  New  York,  as  em- 
ployee and  partner,  and  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  1896-1916,  has  been  a  part- 
ner of  the  wholesale  plumbing  and  steam- 
fitting  supply  house,  Samuel  Sloan  & 
Company.  In  fact,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  1879-81,  his  entire  business 
life  has  been  spent  with  that  house  fifteen 
years  in  succeeding  positions  of  trust  and 
twenty  years  as  partner.  During  those 
years  he  has  seen  the  company  expand 
and  prosper  and  has  had  a  share  in  the 
development  of  that  business  which  for 
many  years  has  been  located  at  Nos.  67- 
71  Exchange  street.  He  has  developed 
from  the  clerk  into  the  veteran  business 
man  of  sound  judgment  and  sterling  char- 
acter. His  has  been  one  of  the  quiet  suc- 
cesses about  which  little  is  heard,  but 
which  in  reality  are  the  biggest  successes 
in  this  country. 

Guilford  Robbins  Adams  was  born  at 
Lowville,  Lewis  county.  New  York,  May 
28.  1862.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
in  November,  1862,  he  lived  for  many 
years  with  his  grandfather.  Rev.  Eben- 
ezer  Latimer,  a  veteran  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  1879  ^^ 
began  his  business  life  with  Sibley,  Lind- 
say &  Curr,  his  salary  two  dollars  a  week. 
He  continued  with  that  corporation  until 
July  2,  1881,  that  memorable  day  for  the 
nation,  the  day  President  Garfield  was 
assassinated.      The    third    day    following 


22 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  one  memorable  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Adams,  as  it  marked  his  entrance  into  a 
new  field  of  labor,  plumbing  and  heating, 
and  each  succeeding  day  and  for  thirty- 
five  years  he  has  been  identified  with  or 
has  been  a  part  of  the  firm  of  Samuel 
Sloan  &  Company,  now  extensive  whole- 
sale dealers  in  plumbers'  and  steamfitters' 
supplies,  ranking  among  the  best  and 
leading  firms  of  the  city.  To  be  exact, 
on  July  5.  18S1.  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Sam,uel  Sloan,  plumber  and  steamfitter 
of  Rochester.  Thirty-five  years  later  he 
kept  a  promise  made  to  the  publishers  of 
a  trade  journal  and  wrote  some  incidents 
and  observations  on  those  thirty-five 
years.  Part  of  that  story  relates  to  his 
earlier  life  and  is  so  full  of  interest  that 
it  is  here  reproduced  in  part : 

I  am  proud  that  my  ancestors  were  workers 
who  did  not  shirk  from  hard  work,  and  who  left 
honored  names  in  the  communities  they  served. 
My  grandfather,  Dr.  Ira  Adams,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  in  northern  New  York,  and  served 
his  country  as  surgeon  at  Fort  Erie  for  two 
years,  in  the  War  of  1812.  After  my  father,  Dr. 
Ira  Robbins  Adams,  graduated  from  the  medical 
college  in  Philadelphia,  he  succeeded  his  father 
in  his  practice  in  Lowville,  Lewis  county,  New 
York.  My  mother,  Sophia  (Mills)  Latimer,  was 
teaching  at  that  time  in  Lowville  Academy,  and 
met  my  father  through  the  principal  of  the 
school.  Professor  William  R.  Adams,  my  father's 
brother.  On  their  return  from  their  wedding 
trip  to  Niagara  Falls,  the  last  thirty-five  miles 
were  made  by  stage,  as  Bloomville  was  the  last 
point  north  then  reached  by  railroad. 

Lewis  county  sent  of  her  best  to  the  Civil  War, 
but  sanitary  conditions  in  the  South  were  so 
crude  that  hundreds  of  men  came  home,  stricken 
with  typhoid  fever.  These  came  partly  from 
homes  in  the  villages,  but  largely  from  the 
farms.  Picture,  if  you  will,  the  country  physician 
working  eighteen  to  twenty  hours  a  day,  often 
on  horseback  where  the  roads  would  not  permit 
even  a  buggy  to  pass,  and  you  see  my  father's 
life  during  1862.  When  I  was  but  six  months' 
old,  my  father  died  of  the  same  disease  he  had 
been  fighting  so  bravely.  As  my  grandfather 
served  his  country  in  1812,  so  had  my  father  also 


a  half  century  later,  and,  while  his  name  is  not 
enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  I  feel  almost  like  the  son  of  a  veteran. 

My  mother's  father.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Latimer, 
was  a  pioneer  Methodist  minister  who,  for  over 
forty  years,  preached  in  Western  New  York  in 
the  churches,  where  they  had  them,  and  in  the 
schoolhouses  and  homes  of  the  people,  where  no 
churches  had  been  established.  Later,  he  retired 
from  active  ministry  and  moved  to  Rock  Center, 
Ohio,  settling  on  his  father's  farm  there.  Most 
of  my  early  life  was  spent  in  his  home  and  under 
his  care,  as  my  mother  resumed  teaching,  and 
was  away  much  of  the  time  for  several  years. 
Later,  I  attended  school  at  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, where  she  taught,  and  at  Beaver  College, 
Beaver,  Pennsylvania,  where  she  was  preceptress 
of  the  girls'  department.  I  had  always  expected 
to  become  a  physician,  but  when  I  was  fourteen, 
the  funds  that  had  been  saved  for  that  purpose 
were  held  up  by  an  unfortunate  investment,  and 
instead,  I  came  to  Rochester  and  after  a  year  in 
school  there,  I  went  to  work  instead.  My  first 
position  was  with  Sibley,  Lindsay  &  Curr,  as 
wholesale  check  boy,  at  a  salary  of  two  dollars 
per  week.  Later,  I  was  transferred  to  the  retail 
department,  where  I  was  kept  busy  selling 
hosiery.  A  year  later,  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
teach  the  district  school  I  had  formerly  attended 
at  Rock  Creek,  Ohio,  and  left  Sibley's  with  the 
promise  from  them  of  a  position  when  I  came 
back  to  Rochester  in  the  fall.  When  I  returned 
I  was  put  in  the  lining  department,  and  from 
time  to  time  received  an  increase  in  salary  until 
I   reached  six  dollars  a  week. 

Early  in  June,  1881,  I  received  a  note  from 
Samuel  Sloan,  whose  wife  I  had  met,  asking  me 
to  call  at  his  office  as  he  had  a  position  at  his 
store  that  he  thought  I  might  fill,  if  I  had  any 
idea  of  changing  my  line  of  work.  He  told  me 
that,  while  he  could  not  for  several  months  offer 
me  more  than  I  was  then  receiving,  but  said  that 
from  time  to  time,  as  I  deserved  it,  he  would  in- 
crease my  pay.  It  was  a  hard  thing  to  decide, 
and  I  promised  to  think  it  over  and  let  him 
knew  in  a  week  or  two.  I  have  never  regretted 
that  I  decided  to  cast  my  lot  with  him,  for  Sam- 
uel Sloan  took  a  fatherly  interest  in  me,  and  I 
never  found  it  necessary  to  ask  for  an  increase 
in  salary.  Five  years  afterward,  at  which  time  I 
was  married,  I  had  been  advanced  to  a  salary  of 
a  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  was  doing  quite  a 
little  of  the  buying  for  the  firm.  Soon,  most  of 
the  purchasing  was  placed  in  my  hands,  as  it  is 
to-day. 


23 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


From  i860  to  1880,  the  firm  of  Sherlock  & 
Sloan  did  a  retail  plumbing  business,  which  was 
continued  by  Samuel  Sloan  until  1889  when  W. 
T.  Fox,  our  plumbing  foreman,  went  into  busi- 
ness, taking  all  of  our  plumbers,  and  the  plumb- 
ing department  was  discontinued.  In  1891,  our 
foreman  of  the  heating  department,  Edward 
Hayes,  went  into  business  with  Frank  Falls,  and 
took  our  steamfitters.  Thus,  the  business  be- 
came strictly  wholesale,  except  for  the  gas  and 
electric  fixture  department,  which  was  carried 
on  as  a  wholesale  and  retail  business  for  years. 
I  am,  therefore,  celebrating  to-day,  not  only 
thirty-five  years  in  the  plumbing  business,  but 
also  twenty-five  years  in  the  strictly  jobbing 
business,  and  twenty  years  as  a  member  of  the 
firm.  After  I  had  been  with  Mr.  Sloan  for  fifteen 
years,  the  firm  of  Samuel  Sloan  &  Company  was 
formed. 

Quoting  from  a  little  book  of  "Reminis- 
cences of  Samuel  Sloan,"  written  by  him- 
self, he  says : 

On  January  i,  1896,  I  admitted  to  partner- 
ship my  son,  William  E.  Sloan,  and  Guilford  R. 
Adams,  passing  to  them  as  fast  as  possible  the 
active  management  of  affairs,  being  fully  aware 
that  younger  minds  and  hands  must  direct.  A 
few  years  later,  Daniel  L.  VanHee,  who  for 
some  time  had,  as  now,  been  in  charge  of  the 
office  and  credit  department,  was  added  to  the 
firm  as  it  now  stands. 

Looking  backward  over  the  early  years  of  my 
life,  I  see  how  much  it  was  influenced  by  my  old 
employer  and  my  senior  partner,  Samuel  Sloan, 
who  died  September  i,  1903.  A  memorial  from 
"The  Association  of  Jobbers  and  Manufacturers 
of  Plumbing  Supplies,"  dated  September  9,  1903, 
which  was  sent  to  Wm.  E.  Sloan,  soon  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  has  a  prominent  place  in  our 
office,  under  a  lifelike  portrait  of  the  founder  of 
our  business.  Among  other  things,  it  truthfully 
said:  Samuel  Sloan  was  a  man  of  most  exem- 
plary character.  He  was  a  type  of  the  self-made 
man,  obtaining  the  full  measure  of  success 
through  integrity  and  perseverance. 

"His  was  a  nature  like  a  tree, 
Men  sought  its  shade  instinctively." 

Mr.  Adams  places  himself  on  record  as 
firm  in  the  belief  that  the  traveling  sales- 
man is  the  buyer's  best  friend  and  num- 


bers some  of  his  best  friends  of  to-day 
among  men  formerly  on  the  road  of  whom 
he  bought  that  are  now  in  business  for 
themselves.  It  is  also  one  of  his  theories 
fortified  by  experience  that  "nothing  pays 
larger  dividends  than  kindness,  thought- 
fulness  and  courtesy,  combined  with  con- 
sistent, conscientious  hard  work  thrown 
in  as  common  stock.  "Service  and  Qual- 
ity" is  the  slogan  of  Samuel  Sloan  &  Com- 
pany, any  failure  in  that  respect  is  un- 
intentional and  no  house  could  have  a 
more  loyal  list  of  customers  or  employes. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Adams  has  been 
an  interested  member  of  the  Eastern  Sup- 
ply Association,  an  organization  com- 
posed of  all  manufacturers  and  jobbers 
of  plumbing  supplies  east  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains.  He  was  a  director  of 
the  association  for  more  than  ten  years, 
for  three  years  was  its  first  vice-presi- 
dent, and  on  October  18,  1916,  was  elect- 
ed its  president.  The  other  officers  are  as 
follows :  Joseph  F.  Evans,  first  vice-presi- 
dent ;  A.  M.  Maddock,  second  vice-presi- 
dent; Martin  Behrer,  treasurer;  and 
Frank  S.  Hanley,  secretary.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  belonging  to  Rochester 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Ham- 
ilton Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Doric 
Council,  Royal  and  Select  Masters ;  Mon- 
roe Commandery,  Knights  Templar ;  Lalla 
Rookh  Grotto,  Tall  Cedars  of  Lebanon ; 
and  Damascus  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  His  clubs  are  the  Ma- 
sonic, City  and  the  Oak  Hill  Country. 
He  appreciates  the  fraternal  and  social 
aims  of  these  organizations  and  is  highly 
regarded  by  his  fellow  members.  He  is 
a  member  and  trustee  of  Asbury  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  and  in  political 
af^liation  is  a  Republican. 

While  Mr.  Adams  has  exhibited  a 
genius  for  building  a  business,  he  has  not 
lost  sight  of  the  sentimental  side  in  this 


24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


success  and  often  refers  to  his  present 
position  as  a  result  of  the  help  he  received 
from  his  partners.  The  favors  he  has 
received  he  has  in  turn  passed  on  and  his 
life  is  devoted  to  the  upbuilding  and  up- 
lifting of  others.  He  is  one  of  the  staunch 
supporters  of  "The  Silent  Partner,"  that 
wonderful  little  magazine  of  inspiration 
and  human  interest,  and  its  publishers 
bear  testimony  that  whatever  benefit  the 
magazine  has  been  to  the  boys  of  the 
country  is  in  part  due  to  Mr.  Adams. 


ALLEN,  Chauncey  Loomis, 

Civil    Engineer,   Railroad   Official. 

Although  hardly  yet  in  the  physical 
prim.e  of  life,  Mr.  Allen  has  attained  emi- 
nence in  the  profession  of  his  choice  and 
in  his  native  city  of  Syracuse,  New  York, 
as  well  as  elsewhere,  has  reared  many 
works  which  stand  and  will  stand  for 
countless  years  as  monuments  to  his  skill 
as  an  engineer.  His  has  not  been  the 
genius  which  has  accomplished  the  spec- 
tacular in  engineering,  but  rather  the 
practical  everyday  problems  of  city  trans- 
portation have  been  his  to  solve,  and  in 
this  he  stands  preeminent.  As  an  engi- 
neer and  efficiency  expert,  he  has  oper- 
ated with  municipalities  and  public  utility 
corporations  and  has  been  connected  offi- 
cially with  many  of  the  problems  of  the 
past  quarter  of  a  century  which  have  con- 
fronted electric,  railway,  light,  power  and 
gas  companies.  Beginning  field  work  as 
an  axeman  in  the  winter  of  1890,  he  liter- 
ally hewed  his  way  to  recognition  and 
since  has  placed  himself  in  the  front  rank 
of  his  profession.  He  is  of  sterling  New 
England  ancestry  and  of  English  descent, 
son  of  George  Richmond  and  Mary  Ann 
(Brown)   Allen. 

Chauncey  Loomis  Allen  was  born  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  January  16,  1870. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 


Syracuse  and  Cicero,  and  the  universities 
of  Alfred  and  Syracuse.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  began  the  practical  field  work 
of  the  profession  he  had  prepared  for,  en- 
gineering, his  first  position  being  with  the 
Norfolk  &  Western  railroad  as  an  axe- 
man. This  was  in  February,  1890,  his 
work  with  the  party  surveying  what  is 
known  as  the  Ohio  extension  of  the  Nor- 
folk &  Western.  For  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  work  on  that  important  link 
in  the  Norfolk  &  Western  system,  serv- 
ing in  turn  as  axeman,  rodman,  chain  car- 
rier and  inspector  of  masonry,  gaining 
that  practical  experience  which  in  con- 
nection with  technical  study  and  theory 
constitutes  the  able  civil  engineer. 

In  February,  1892,  Mr.  Allen  resigned 
his  position  and  opened  an  office  at  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  as  a  civil  engineer,  form- 
ing with  Thomas  H.  Mather,  Henry  C. 
Allen  and  Theodore  Clark,  the  engineer- 
ing firm  of  Mather  &  Allen.  That  firm 
had  a  successful  existence  of  three  years 
and  during  that  period  Mr.  Allen  with 
his  confreres  was  intimately  connected 
with  municipal  improvements,  the  sur- 
veying, grading  and  construction  of  sew- 
ers, sidewalks,  pavements  of  brick  and 
asphalt,  and  other  operations  made  neces- 
sary by  the  growth  of  the  city.  During 
that  period  Mather  &  Allen  executed  the 
plans  for  the  electrification  of  the  old 
horse  drawn  system  of  street  transporta- 
tion in  Syracuse,  Mr.  Allen  taking  a  lead- 
ing part  in  what  was  then  a  large  opera- 
tion, for  electricity  was  then  a  force  but 
little  known  in  street  transportation  in 
comparison  with  its  now  everyday  use 
everywhere. 

The  electrification  of  the  Syracuse  lines 
brought  Mr.  Allen  into  prominence  as  an 
expert,  and  on  April  15.  1895,  he  with- 
drew from  the  firm  of  Mather  &  Allen  to 
accept  the  ofifer  of  the  Syracuse  Street 
Railway  to  become  civil  engineer  to  that 


25 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


company.  During  the  next  five  years 
sixty-four  miles  of  road,  surface  and  over- 
head lines  were  either  built  anew  or  re- 
constructed under  Mr.  Allen's  personal 
direction,  and  the  company  merged  into 
an  organization  known  as  the  Syracuse 
Rapid  Transit  Company.  On  March  i, 
1898,  he  was  appointed  assistant  general 
manager  of  the  company,  became  general 
manager  on  October  15,  of  the  same  year, 
and  on  April  i,  1899,  succeeded  to  th 
general  management  of  the  entire  organ- 
ization, holding  it  until  January  I,  1900. 

Those  five  years  in  managerial  capacity 
had  brought  him  prominently  into  view 
as  a  successful  traction  official  and  on 
January  i,  1900,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Lorain  Street  Railway  Company, 
of  Lorain,  Ohio,  as  general  manager.  He 
only  remained  in  Lorain  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1901,  resigning  to  accept  the  post 
of  engineer  and  assistant  to  the  general 
manager  of  the  Utica  &  Mohawk  Valley 
Railway  Company,  of  Utica,  New  York, 
and  its  allied  lines.  He  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  new  appointment,  August  i, 
1901.  He  so  fully  demonstrated  his  abil- 
ity that  in  less  than  a  year  he  had  been 
promoted  general  manager  of  the  Utica 
&  Mohawk  Valley  Railway  Company  and 
its  affiliated  lines,  the  Oneida  Railway 
Company  and  the  Rome  City  Street  Rail- 
way Company.  Four  years  were  spent  in 
this  important  relation  with  a  great  trac- 
tion interest  of  Central  New  York,  years 
which  brought  him  honorable  distinction 
and  higher  official  honor. 

On  December  6,  1906,  he  was  chosen 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the 
three  companies  named  and  of  the  Syra- 
cuse Rapid  Transit  Company,  a  merger 
afterward  known  as  the  Utica-Syracuse 
Lines  of  the  New  York  State  railways, 
the  dominating  corporation  in  the  trolley 
line  field  of  operations  in  that  section  of 
the  State.     For  six  years  Mr.  Allen  held 


that  important  post  and  solved  many 
problems  which  from  time  to  time  con- 
fronted him.  Probably  the  most  impor- 
tant was  the  opening  of  a  new  line  of 
electric  communication  between  Utica  and 
Syracuse.  Mr.  Allen  was  averse  to  build- 
ing an  entirely  new  trolley  line  between 
the  two  cities  and  finally  conceived  the 
plan  which  avoided  it,  but  gave  the  de- 
sired line.  This  was  done  by  electrifying 
the  West  Shore  railroad  between  the  two 
cities,  a  project  at  that  time  the  greatest 
steam  road  electrification  in  the  United 
States,  and  practically  the  only  one  using 
the  under-running  type  of  third  rail,  now 
proven  a  successful  plan  and  extensively 
copied. 

On  January  2,  1912,  Mr.  Allen  resigned 
his  high  and  responsible  post  as  traction 
official  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  pro- 
fessional work.  In  association  with  Ed- 
ward F.  Peck,  of  Schenectady,  an  engi- 
neer of  wide  experience  and  high  repu 
tation,  he  formed  the  firm  of  Allen  & 
Peck,  with  offices  in  Syracuse.  Both 
members  are  men  of  high  reputation  and 
proven  ability  and  the  firm  they  form  is 
looked  upon  as  a  leader  in  the  highly 
especialized  line  to  which  its  practice  is 
confined.  The  firm  has  met  with  liberal 
success,  many  large  traction  and  power 
companies  having  been  reorganized  along 
lines  suggested  by  Allen  &  Peck. 

Mr.  Allen  is  president  of  Allen  &  Peck 
(Inc.)  ;  president  of  the  Buffalo,  Lock- 
port  &  Rochester  Railway  Company ; 
vice-president  of  the  Syracuse  &  Subur- 
ban Railroad  Company ;  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Newport  News 
&  Hampton  Railway,  Gas  and  Electric 
Company;  the  Maryland  Electric  Rail- 
ways Company  and  receiver  for  the  Em- 
pire United  Railways  (Inc.).  His  pro- 
fessional societies  are  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Civil  Engineers.  American  Insti- 
tute   of    Electrical    Engineers,    American 


26 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Electric  Railway  Association,  and  he  is 
chairman  of  the  transportation  committee 
of  the  Safety  First  Federation  of  America. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Empire  State  Soci- 
ety, Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ; 
Central  City  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Central  City  Chapter,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Central  City  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar ;  jMeriam  Camp,  Sons 
of  Veterans ;  and  Park  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Syracuse.  His  clubs  are : 
Down  Town  Association,  Transportation, 
Engineers,  of  New  York  City  ;  Merchants, 
of  Baltimore ;  Century,  Onondaga  Golf 
and  Country,  of  Syracuse.  In  June,  1905, 
Alfred  University  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Science,  and  in  June, 
1916,  both  Alfred  and  Syracuse  univer- 
sities conferred  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Science. 

Mr.  Allen  married,  October  11,  1894, 
Florence  Rose  Worster,  of  Syracuse. 
They  have  a  son,  Alfred  George  Allen, 
and  a  daughter,  Mary  Brown  Allen. 


LAPHAM,  S.  Gurney, 

Journalist. 

Smith  Gurney  Lapham  (usually  writ- 
ing his  name  S.  Gurney)  of  worthy  line- 
age (q.  v.  E.  G.  and  W.  G.  Lapham 
sketch),  the  only  son  of  William  G.  Lap- 
ham, was  born  in  Farmington,  Ontario 
county.  New  York,  July  19,  1841.  He 
was  a  student  at  the  famous  Canandaigua 
Academy,  where  he  took  the  first  prize  in 
declamation.  He  entered  Amherst  Col- 
lege in  the  fall  of  1859,  ^^^^^  after  two 
years'  residence  there,  transferred  to  Wil- 
liams, where  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Sigma  Phi  fraternity  and  also,  with  a 
creditable  record  as  a  scholar,  distin- 
himself  in  declamation,  taking  the  first 
prize  in  that  department  at  the  close  of 
the  junior  year.  Graduating  in  1863,  he 
began  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office 


of  the  Hon.  Daniel  Pratt,  a  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  Attorney-General  of 
the  State,  residing  in  Syracuse,  whither 
his  (S.  Gurney's)  father  had  removed 
from  Canandaigua.  S.  Gurney  Lapham 
never  practiced  law,  his  health  failing 
about  the  time  he  was  to  be  admitted  to 
the  bar. 

With  restored  health  he  found  employ- 
ment as  clearing  house  clerk  of  the  Cen- 
tral National  Bank  of  New  York  City, 
but,  returning  to  Syracuse,  he  began,  in 
1867,  his  long  and  honorable  career  as  a 
journalist,  becoming  associate  editor  of 
the  Syracuse  "Daily  Courier,"  a  leading 
Democratic  journal  of  Central  New  York. 
There  were  other  calls  upon  his  talents, 
notably  that  of  the  stage.  A  graceful 
presence,  keen  dramatic  instinct,  Shake- 
sperian  scholarship,  college  elocutionary 
honors  and  signal  triumphs  as  an  amateur 
performer,  allured  his  acceptance,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  fame  and  fortune 
beckoned  him  to  the  boards ;  but  he  dis- 
missed this  bidding  to  devote  himself  to 
"the  drudgery  of  the  desk's  dry  wood" 
to  test  the  trials  and  fascinations  of  "the 
fourth  estate."  In  January,  1870,  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  "Courier"  and 
for  thirty  years  was  connected  with  that 
paper  as  its  managing  editor  and  editor 
thereof  and  in  the  latter  capacity  of  its 
successor,  the  "Evening  Telegram,." 
Later  he  joined  the  stafif  of  the  "Evening 
Flerald."  remaining  with  it  until  1913. 
when  he  retired  from  the  profession.  He 
was  also  at  various  periods  the  Syracuse 
correspondent  of  leading  New  York  City 
journals.  He  was  a  member  of  the  exec- 
utive committee  of  the  international 
League  of  Press  Clubs,  and  president 
(now  honorary)  of  the  Syracuse  Club. 
He  served  for  a  year  as  teacher  of  elocu- 
tion in  Syracuse  University,  and  has  de- 
livered many  lectures  upon  the  "Heroes 
and  Heroines  of  Shakespeare."     He  mar- 


27 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ried,  in  Syracuse,  December  27,  1864, 
Emma  Jerome,  second  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Emma  (Jerome)  Jackson. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  activities 
of  IMr.  Lapham,  and  they  have  been  vari- 
ous and  influential  in  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion, his  chief  distinction  and  desert  are 
that  of  a  journalist,  "one  of  the  best  all- 
rovmd  newspaper  men  in  the  State  of  Nevi^ 
York,"  as  a  fellow  craftsman  aptly  de- 
scribes him..  While  a  general  utility  man, 
he  has  excelled  in  three  departments — as 
news  gatherer  and  chronicler,  as  dramatic 
critic,  and  as  responsible  political  editor. 
These  may  be  considered  in  reverse  order. 
Always  attached  to  the  Democratic  party, 
he  has  intelligently  and  conscientiously 
advocated  its  principles,  but  with  marked 
independence  and  courage  in  his  utter- 
ances, scoring  wrongs  and  abuses  in  his 
own  party  as  fearlessly  and  severely  as 
those  betrayed  by  its  opponent.  His  pen 
in  this  regard  has  been  direct,  crisp  and 
vigorous,  and  his  knowledge  of  men  and 
events,  within  his  ken,  searching  and  ac- 
curate. He  never  sought  nor  seems  to 
have  wanted  political  position,  unless  his 
clerkship  of  the  Civil  Service  Board  of 
Syracuse  may  be  considered  an  exception. 
He  brightened  the  pages  of  each  journal 
with  which  he  was  identified  by  spark- 
ling sketches  of  local  personages,  doings 
and  memorable  occasions,  reminiscent, 
chatty,  vivid  and  entertaining,  that  have 
given  him  much  reputation  as  an  annalist 
and  worth  as  a  local  historian.  Running 
through  many  years,  they  were,  when- 
ever they  appeared,  the  "talk  of  the  town." 
They  should  certainly  be  rescued  from 
yellowing  files  in  dusty  alcoves  and  pre- 
served in  permanent  book  form.  As  a 
dramatic  critic,  Mr.  Lapham  has  shone  as 
"a  bright,  particular  star"  in  the  literary 
firmament.  A  close  student  of  the  "his- 
tory of  the  English  drama,  especially  pro- 
found as  a  Shakesperian  scholar,  familiar 


with  the  technique  of  the  stage,  and  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  many  of  the 
actors  who  have  adorned  it  for  the  past 
fifty  years,  his  dramatic  column  has  been 
characterized  by  its  erudition,  its  keen, 
yet  generous,  analysis,  its  intelligent  trib- 
utes, and  the  fine  quality  of  its  diction. 

In  the  fall  of  1913,  Mr.  Lapham,  then 
associated  with  the  "Herald,"  resigned 
his  position  thereon,  and  retired  from  the 
profession.  Through  all  its  chances  and 
changes,  with  editorial  chairs  continually 
vacating  at  his  side,  with  the  general  de- 
cline of  the  ego  and  the  progressive  sway 
of  the  counting  room,  with  ears  deafened 
to  invitations  elsewhere,  S.  Gurney  Lap- 
ham had  remained  steadfast  at  his  post 
in  the  city  of  his  love,  with  his  individual- 
ity dominant  and  unsullied,  and  with  the 
advancing  years  had  become  the  dean  of 
the  Syracuse  press.  His  associates  on  the 
"Herald"  staflF,  as  indicative  of  their  affec- 
tion, presented  him  with  a  massive  sil- 
ver and  gold  loving  cup,  and,  November 
22,  he  was  tendered  a  dinner  at  the  Onon- 
daga by  the  local  press  and  representa- 
tives outside — an  elaborate  and  signifi- 
cant banquet.  The  attendance  was  large, 
the  oral  tributes  impressive,  and  the  let- 
ters of  regret  from  many  distinguished 
newspaper  men  of  kindliest  tenor.  Espe- 
cially pertinent  to  the  occasion  were  the 
messages  of  good  will  from  those  who 
had  worked  with  or  under  him,  as  the 
following  extract  from  one  (M.  T.  Fris- 
bie),  typical  of  all.  attests: 

Please  convey  to  Mr.  Lapham  my  heartiest 
congratulations  on  such  a  well  rounded  career  of 
newspaper  work  as  he  has  enjoyed,  as  well  as  the 
love  and  good  wishes  which  have  always  been 
his  due  from  the  younger  newspaper  men  of 
Syracuse,  to  whom  he  always  acted  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  a  wise  and  very  kindly  big  brother. 

At  or  about  this  time  Mr.  Lapham  was 
made  permanent  president  of  the  Syra- 
cuse   Press    Club.      Since    retiring    from 


28 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


journalism,  he  has  led  a  peaceful  and 
happy  life  with  his  wife  and  his  children 
and  children's  children  in  near  neighbor- 
hood, deeply  interested  in  current  events, 
fascinating  in  social  converse,  and  occa- 
sionally contributing  to  the  local  press. 
His  children  are :  Annie  Lapham,  wife  of 
Walter  Snowdon  Smith,  a  prominent 
banker  and  capitalist ;  and  William  G. 
Lapham,  a  rising  attorney  and  business 
man.  The  wolf  is  not  at  S.  Gurney  Lap- 
ham's  door. 


MARSH,  Ednor  A., 

TiaviryeT,  Prominent  in  Masonic  Circles. 

Of  an  old  New  Y^ork  family  long  set- 
tled in  West  Sparta,  Charles  Drake 
Marsh,  grandfather  of  Ednor  A.  Marsh, 
of  Rochester,  settled  there  in  1814.  He 
was  a  son  of  Abel  Marsh,  of  the  Vermont 
Marsh  family,  and  a  descendant  of  Joseph 
Marsh,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Charles  Drake  Marsh  was  born  in 
Mayfield,  New  York,  February  27,  1798, 
became  an  early  settler  of  Sparta,  in  181 4. 
the  family  coming  west  from  Albany  in 
a  wagon.  They  cleared  the  land  they 
afterward  tilled,  residing  for  a  number  of 
years  in  a  house  built  from  the  logs  cut 
on  their  own  land.  There  Abel  Marsh 
met  his  death  in  1830,  caused  by  a  team 
of  oxen  which  become  unmanageable. 
Charles  D.  Marsh  conducted  a  farm  in 
West  Sparta,  but  later  moved  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Nunda,  where  he  died  in  1877. 
Albert  L.  Marsh,  his  son,  married  Helen 
Ogden,  of  a  well-known  pioneer  family, 
and  removed  to  a  farm  in  Geneseo  in 
1865.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
sons:  Selwyn,  a  farmer;  Ednor  A.,  of 
further  mention ;  and  Darius,  a  lawyer. 
Albert  L.  Marsh  died  at  Rochester  in 
1896  and  his  wife  ten  years  later. 

Ednor  A.  Marsh  was  born  at  the  West 
Sparta   homestead,    September    12,    1864, 


and  spent  his  early  life  upon  the  farm  at 
Geneseo.  He  was  educated  in  the  Gene- 
seo Normal  School  and  Lima  Seminary, 
New  York,  graduating  from  Geneseo 
Wesleyan  Seminary  at  Lima  with  the 
class  of  1884.  He  spent  a  year  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman,  then  prepared  for  the  pro- 
fession of  law  under  the  direction  of 
Judge  Solomon  Hubbard,  of  Geneseo,  and 
in  1899  located  in  Rochester  and  began 
practice  in  association  with  C.  J.  Brown- 
ing. They  soon  separated,  however,  Mr. 
Marsh  on  December  i,  1889,  accepting 
appointment  as  clerk  of  the  Surrogate 
Court.  He  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  January,  1892,  when  he  resigned  to 
become  deputy  county  clerk.  He  held 
that  position  until  April,  1895,  then  ten- 
dered his  resignation  to  become  junior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Keeler,  Salis- 
bury &  Marsh,  successors  to  Keeler  & 
Salisbury.  For  ten  years  Mr.  Marsh  con- 
tinued in  partnership  with  Mr.  Keeler, 
then  withdrew  and  since  1905  has  prac- 
ticed alone,  with  offices  at  No.  714  Powers 
Building.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Roches- 
ter Bar  Association,  conducts  a  large 
business  in  all  courts  of  the  district  and 
has  been  connected  with  many  of  their 
notable  cases.  Learned  in  the  law  and 
skilled  in  practice,  he  has  attained  a  high 
reputation  and  is  not  more  highly  re- 
garded for  his  ability  than  for  his  high 
professional  standards,  his  uprightness 
and  fairness.  Mr.  Marsh  is  active  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce ;  is  a  Republican 
in  politics ;  is  senior  warden  of  Epiphany 
Episcopal  Church ;  past  district  deputy 
grand  master  of  Masons  in  the  thirty- 
third  Masonic  district ;  past  master  of 
Rochester  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  grand  representative  of  Ireland  in 
the  Grand  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons in  this  State ;  past  high  priest  of 
Ionic  Chapter  and  officer  in  Gyrene  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templar;  a  member  of 


29 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Rochester  Consistory ;  Damascus  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  ;  Lalla  Rookh 
Grotto;  and  Doric  Council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters. 

Mr.  Marsh  married,  December  26,  1889, 
Lina  Scott,  of  Geneva,  New  York.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Helen. 
Byron  and  Donald.  The  family  home  is 
at  No.  90  Kenwood  avenue. 


BECKLEY,  John  N., 

Laiv^yer,  Man   of  Affairs. 

John  N.  Beckley  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  ablest  of  the  legal  profession  in 
Western  New  York,  although  not  now  in 
active  practice,  his  position  as  president 
of  the  Toronto,  Hamilton  &  Buffalo  Rail- 
way and  other  business  activities  claim- 
ing all  his  time  and  attention. 

Mr.  Beckley  is  a  native  of  the  Empire 
State,  having  been  born  at  Clarendon. 
Orleans  county,  December  30,  1848.  He 
was  educated  at  Brockport  Collegiate  In- 
stitute, Genesee  Wesleyan  Seminary  and 
Genesee  College.  At  the  completion  of 
his  second  year  at  college,  Mr.  Beckley 
accepted  the  principalship  of  the  public 
schools  at  Lanesboro,  Minnesota,  for  one 
year,  then  became  principal  of  the  public 
schools  at  Rushford,  Minnesota,  for  an- 
other year.  He  then  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  offices  of  Wakeman  &  Watson, 
at  Batavia,  New  York.  In  1875  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Buffalo,  and  after 
two  years  of  practice  at  Batavia,  removed 
to  Rochester  in  1877,  which  city  has  since 
that  time  been  his  place  of  residence.  He 
served  two  terms  and  a  part  of  a  third  as 
city  attorney,  of  Rochester,  resigning 
from  this  office  in  1886  in  order  to  give 
his  entire  attention  to  private  practice  and 
business  interests.  In  that  year  the  firm 
of  Bacon,  Briggs  &  Beckley  was  formed. 
This  firm  was  long  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  legal  profession.  About 


1890  Charles  J.  Bissell  became  a  partner 
and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Bacon, 
Briggs,  Beckley  &  Bissell.  It  was  so  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  Mr.  Bacon,  and 
the  retirement  soon  afterwards  of  Mr. 
Briggs,  when  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  read  Beckley  &  Bissell,  a  form  it  re- 
tained until  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Beck- 
ley from  legal  practice  in  1896.  For  a 
period  of  five  or  six  years  prior  to  1896 
he  had  devoted  very  little  time  or  atten- 
tion to  the  practice  of  law,  his  interests 
in  connection  with  railroad  and  other 
business  matters  absorbing  his  energies. 

Mr.  Beckley  was  active  in  organizing 
the  syndicate  that  constructed  the  Toron- 
to. Hamilton  &  Buffalo  Railway,  and  has 
been  president  of  the  road  since  its  com- 
pletion in  1895.  f^s  took  part  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Massachusetts  Electric 
Companies,  into  which  were  consolidated 
the  interurban  trolley  lines  connecting 
Boston  with  towns  in  Massachusetts  as 
far  south  as  Fall  River  and  New  Bedford, 
and  as  far  northeast  and  north  as  New- 
buryport,  Haverhill  and  Lawrence.  He 
was  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  rail- 
way signals  at  an  early  day,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
General  Railway  Signal  Company  of 
Rochester,  which  gives  employment  to 
two  thousand  five  hundred  men.  In  this 
corporation  Mr.  Beckley  is  chairman  of 
the  board  of  directors.  He  also  organized 
the  syndicate  that  built  the  Seneca  Hotel ; 
is  vice-president  of  the  Rochester  Orphan 
Asylum,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
governors  of  the  Rochester  Homoeo- 
pathic Hospital.  He  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  and  a  member  of  the  Genesee  Val- 
ley Club  of  Rochester.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rochester  Country  Club, 
Transportation  Club  of  New  York  City, 
Engineers  Club  of  New  York  City  and 
the  Bankers  Club  of  New  York  City.  He 
is  a  member  of  Christ  Episcopal  Church. 


30 


<:Jn  C/Pcc^t^^ 


I    TPE  KEV/  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


His  reputation  for  integrity  is  of  the 
highest,  and  he  is  everywhere  recognized 
as  one  of  those  energetic,  progressive 
citizens  whose  efforts  and  enterprise  have 
been  of  great  public  benefit. 

Mr.  Beckley  married,  June  23,  1895, 
Belle  Corwin,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  M. 
Corwin,  of  Brighton,  Xew  York.  They 
have  had  two  sons :  Herbert  C,  deceased  ; 
Walter  R.,  who  is  associated  in  business 
with  his  father. 


RIPPEY,  Harlan  Watson,  A.  M., 
Lawyer. 

During  his  fifteen  years  at  the  Roches- 
ter bar,  Mr.  Rippey  has  won  high  position 
among  the  junior  members  of  that  bar, 
the  years  adding  the  wisdom  of  experi- 
ence to  the  natural  ability  and  thorough 
preparation  he  brought  to  his  honored 
profession.  He  is  well  established  in  the 
regard  of  an  influential  clientele  to  whose 
interests  he  is  devoted,  deeming  no  labor 
too  severe  or  exacting  does  it  promote  a 
client's  cause. 

Mr.  Rippey  is  of  German-French  ances- 
try, the  founder  in  the  United  States, 
Hugh  Rippey,  first  settling  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  in  the  eighteenth  century 
and  his  descendants  spreading  from  there 
north  and  south.  His  great-grandfather, 
John  Rippey,  born  in  1749,  was  a  captain 
of  a  Pennsylvania  company  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary army.  His  father  was  Joseph 
X'.  Rippey.  who  was  born  at  Seneca,  Xew 
York,  in  1824  resided  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty and  other  X'^ew  York  localites  until  his 
death  in  January,  1906.  He  was  a  farmer, 
prosperous  and  influential  in  his  commu- 
nity, holding  several  positions  of  honor 
and  trust.  He  married  Hester  L.  Lynd, 
born  in  Livingston  county,  Xew  York. 

Harlan  Watson  Rippey  was  born  at 
Wadsworth.  Livingston  county.  X'ew 
York,  September  8.  1874,  and  is  now 
(1916)  a  practicing  lawyer  of  Rochester, 


Xew  York.  He  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  prepared  for 
college  at  Geneseo  State  Normal  School, 
entered  the  University  of  Rochester,  com- 
pleted the  classical  course  and  was  gradu- 
ated A.  B.,  class  of  1898.  and  a  post- 
graduate course,  receiving  the  degree  A. 
M.,  class  of  1899.  During  the  years  1898- 
99  he  was  Professor  of  Mathematics  at 
Wagner  College.  The  following  two  years 
he  spent  in  the  study  of  law  under  the 
direction  of  that  eminent  lawyer,  George 
Raines,  of  the  Rochester  bar,  and  in  1901 
he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Mon- 
roe county  bar.  He  located  in  Rochester 
and  has  continuously  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  that  city,  winning  honorable 
position  and  ranking  high  in  public 
esteem  as  a  conscientious,  hard  working 
lawyer  of  ability,  resource  and  determin- 
ation. He  was  associated  in  practice  with 
George  Raines  for  seven  years,  but  since 
the  death  of  his  partner,  Mr.  Rippey  has 
practiced  alone.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
local.  State  and  American  Bar  associ- 
ations, practices  in  all  State  and  Federal 
courts  and  is  highly  regarded  by  his  pro- 
fessional brethren.  His  college  frater- 
nities are  the  Theta  Delta  Chi  and  Theta 
Xu  Ep.silon.  His  offices  are  in  the  Powers 
Building,  room  814. 

Mr.  Rippey  married,  June  30,  1908,  Har- 
riet Catharine  Smith,  of  Rochester.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Joseph 
Smith,  Harriet  Bertine,  and  Catharine 
A  dele  Rippey. 


GILLETTE,  George  A., 

Laivyer,  Man  of  Enterprise. 

Beginning  his  professional  career  as  a 
college  instructor  in  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia. 'Sir.  Gillette  there  gained  an  enviable 
reputation  as  an  instructor  and  prepared 
for  the  profession  he  was  destined  to  pur- 
sue as  his  life  work,  the  law.  He  came 
to  Rochester  in    1887.  a   member  of  the 


31 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


California  bar,  with  no  intention  of  re- 
maining, but  the  death  of  his  honored 
father  during  his  visit  rendered  it  neces- 
sary that  he  remain  to  settle  the  estate 
consisting  of  considerable  real  estate. 
From  that  time  he  has  practiced  at  the 
Rochester  bar,  winning  honorable  stand- 
ing and  a  good  practice  in  all  the  State 
and  Federal  courts  of  the  district.  To  his 
professional  duties  he  has  added  a  line  of 
real  estate  improvement  which  has  added 
hundred  of  dwellings  to  Rochester's  resi- 
dence area,  and  transformed  many  barren 
places  into  beautiful  home  sites.  A 
gentleman  of  deep  culture,  a  student  and 
a  thinker,  Mr.  Gillette  goes  deeply  into 
the  merits  of  a  proposition,  whether  it  be 
legal,  literary  or  economic,  arrives  at  his 
conclusions  logically  and  maintains  them 
with  the  tenacity  of  the  man  of  strong 
convictions.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance 
among  men  of  professional  culture  and  is 
very  popular  in  the  fraternal  orders. 

George  A.  Gillette  is  a  son  of  Rev. 
Charles  Gillette,  an  eminent  clergyman  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  who  in  July, 
1877,  retired  from  the  active  ministry  and 
located  at  Rochester,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death  in  December,  1887.  ^^ 
married  Sarah  C.  Ware,  who  survived 
him  fifteen  years,  dying  March  31,  1902, 
leaving  four  children :  George  A.,  of  fur- 
ther mention ;  Willis  K.,  police  justice 
and  member  of  the  Rochester  bar;  Caro- 
line M.,  married  J.  Stuart  Page,  of  Cham- 
berlain, Page  &  Chamberlain,  attorneys 
of  Rochester;  Mary  C,  a  teacher  of 
Rochester. 

George  A.  Gillette  was  born  in  Milford, 
Otsego  county.  New  York,  January  14, 
1862.  He  attended  various  schools  until 
his  fifteenth  year,  when  his  parents  made 
a  permanent  home  in  Rochester.  He  at- 
tended Rochester  Free  Academy  until 
graduation  in  1878,  then  entered  the  Uni- 
versity    of    Rochester,     having    won     a 


scholarship  that  greatly  aided  him  in  his 
university  courses.  He  pursued  the  class- 
ical university  course  four  years  and  was 
graduated  with  the  usual  Bachelor's  de- 
gree, class  of  1882.  He  secured  a  position 
as  instructor  in  the  Pacific  Methodist 
Episcopal  College  in  California,  and  also 
taught  in  Finley  College  at  Santa  Rosa, 
California,  spending  the  years  until  1887 
in  the  latter  State.  He  was  recognized  as 
an  able  educator  and  was  very  successful 
in  obtaining  tangible  evidence  of  his 
ability  at  the  institutions  named.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Lake  county  board  of 
education,  and  studied  law  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  uncle,  A.  B.  Ware,  of  Santa 
Rosa.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1884,  and  in  1887  returned  to  Rochester  to 
visit  his  parents.  While  here  his  father 
died  and  left  considerable  real  estate 
which,  as  the  eldest  son,  it  devolved  upon 
Mr.  Gillette  to  administer  and  care  for 
during  his  mother's  life.  This  involved 
a  complete  change  in  his  plans,  and  he 
closed  out  his  California  interests  and  has 
since  made  Rochester  his  home.  He  was 
at  once  admitted  to  the  Monroe  county 
bar  and  began  law  practice  in  1887,  and 
also  administered  his  father's  estate. 
This  drew  him  into  building  and  exten- 
sive real  estate  operations  which  he  has 
continued,  his  building  operations  in  sev- 
eral of  the  years  numbering  over  fifty 
residences.  His  law  business  is  general 
in  character,  is  carefully  conducted  and 
with  an  unusual  degree  of  success.  Flis 
dual  activities  have  been  conducted 
through  all  the  years  which  have  since 
intervened  and  have  resulted  most  favor- 
ably to  Mr.  Gillette's  personal  benefit  and 
to  the  addition  of  large  residence  areas 
to  the  city's  boundaries.  Professionally 
he  holds  high  rank,  and  as  a  citizen  his 
endeavor  has  been  to  aid  all  worthy 
causes. 

Mr.  Gillette,  intensely  social  by  nature, 


32 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  found  in  the  fraternal  orders  and 
clubs  an  outlet  for  his  love  of  athletics 
and  neighborly  spirit.  He  is  a  member 
of  Genesee  Falls  Lodge,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons ;  Hamilton  Chapter,  No. 
62,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Doric  Council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters;  Monroe  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templar;  Damascus 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  Rochester  Lodge. 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ;  Wa- 
hoo  Tribe,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men ; 
Rochester  Camp,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America;  Columbia  Rifle  Club,  Rochester 
Athletic  Club,  and  Ad  Club.  Fie  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Nev^  York  State  Bar 
Association,  Monroe  County  Bar  Associ- 
ation, Delta  Upsilon  Fraternity,  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  the  Central  Presby- 
terian Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo^ 
crat. 

Mr.  Gillette  married,  February  i,  1894, 
Bessie  J.  Baker,  of  Rochester,  and  has 
children:  Percival  W.,  Charles  L.,  Ruth 
E.,  G.  Allison,  and  Annette  L. 


RICH,  Burdett  Alberto, 

I.a'nryer,  Legal  Editor  and  Author. 

A  member  of  the  Connecticut  and  New 
York  bars,  and  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  Mr.  Rich 
since  1886  has  been  connected  with  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  Lawyers'  Co-oper- 
ative Publishing  Company  and  since  1889 
has  been  its  editor-in-chief.  As  editor  of 
the  valuable  works  issued  by  that  com- 
pany, Mr.  Rich  has  become  the  best 
known  law  editor  in  the  country  and  the 
leading  publication  of  his  company,  "The 
Lawyers  Reports  Annotated,"  issued  an- 
nually since  1899,  is  the  foremost  set  of 
law  books  in  the  country  with  a  circula- 
tion never  before  reached  by  any  set  of 
reports.  A  trained  lawyer,  with  an  estab- 
lished practice  when  he  came  to  the  com- 
N  Y-5-3  33 


pany,  Mr.  Rich  knew  the  practical  needs 
of  the  lawyer  and  how  best  to  supply 
them.  The  policy  of  the  company,  of 
publishing  only  the  works  promising  a 
national  sale  and  in  having  the  work  of 
compilation  done  by  their  own  editors, 
men  of  special  training  and  many  years 
of  experience,  has  resulted  in  the  publi- 
cation of  works  of  superior  merit,  their 
thoroughness,  accuracy  and  completeness 
not  to  be  equalled.  Over  all  as  editor-in- 
chief,  Mr.  Rich  has  exercised  watchful 
care  and  has  given  to  the  profession  the 
best  of  his  ability  as  editor,  the  completed 
work  going  beyond  the  promises  of  the 
prospectus.  The  company  is  located  in 
the  three  upper  floors  of  the  Aqueduct 
Building,  the  same  roof  sheltering  editors, 
printers  and  binders.  He  is  also  treasurer 
of  the  company  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors. 

Burdett  Alberto  Rich  was  born  at  Cat- 
taraugus, New  York,  October  24,  1854, 
son  of  Charles  J.  and  Lucy  (Freeborn) 
Rich.  After  graduation  from  Red  Wing 
(Minnesota)  Collegiate  Institute  in  1873, 
he  entered  Wesleyan  University,  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  whence  he  was  gradu- 
ated A.  B.,  class  of  1878.  After  two  years 
of  special  study  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Connecticut  bar  in  1880,  and  to  the  bar  of 
Cattaraugus  county,  New  York,  in  1881. 
He  began  practice  in  the  village  of  Cat- 
taraugus in  1881,  and  practiced  in  all 
courts  of  the  district  for  five  years,  being 
also  admitted  to  practice  in  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court.  In  1886  he  closed 
his  legal  business  in  Cattaraugus  and 
moved  to  Rochester,  becoming  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  Lawyers'  Co-operative  Pub- 
lishing Company,  then  beginning  the  pub- 
lication of  a  complete  edition  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  Reports. 
In  1889  he  was  made  editor-in-chief,  a 
position  he  has  since  most  ably  filled.  Pie 
is  the  editor  of  "Dig-est  of  United  States 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Supreme  Court  Reports,"  1887;  "General 
Digest  of  American  and  English  Law  Re- 
ports," annually  1888-1900;  "Lawyers  Re- 
ports Annotated,"  annually  since  1899; 
"Ruling  Case  Law,"  1914-15;  "Case  and 
Comment,"  a  legal  monthly  journal,  1893- 
1909;  contributor  to  the  "American  Law- 
Review"  and  has  otherwise  enriched  the 
literature  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  and  New  York  State 
Bar  associations,  the  International  Law 
Association,  the  American  Society  of  In- 
ternational Law,  American  Academy  of 
Political  and  Social  Science,  American 
Civic  Association,  American  Political  Sci- 
ence Association,  National  Geographical 
Society,  State  Charities  Aid  Association. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
and  vice-president  of  the  Genesee  Wes- 
leyan  Seminary  at  Lima,  New  York.  In 
political  faith  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Rich  married,  July  20,  1880,  Nellie 
Hagerty,  of  Middletown,  Connecticut. 


BEACH,  Daniel, 

Laxryer. 

Members  of  the  Beach  family  are  now 
found  in  almost  every  State  of  the  Union, 
the  different  branches  spreading  out  with 
the  development  of  the  country  and  in 
each  generation  its  representatives  have 
been  active  and  loyal  citizens,  progressive 
and  public-spirited,  advancing  the  inter- 
ests of  the  communities  wherein  they 
made  their  homes. 

The  earliest  known  ancestor  of  the 
branch  herein  followed  was  John  Beach, 
who  is  first  on  record  in  the  New  Haven 
(Connecticut)  Colony  in  1643,  ^^d  the 
last  entry  concerning  him  in  the  New 
Haven  record  is  to  the  efifect  that  "John 
Beach  came  to  Stratford  and  bought  his 
first  land,  May  21,  1660,  of  Ensign  Bryan, 
of  Milford,  one  house  lot,  two  acres ;  he 
had  then  a  wife  and  two  children."     He 


became  a  householder  in  1647,  ^^^  ^^  Jan- 
uary, 1 67 1,  was  made  an  auctioneer.     He 

married,  in  1650,  Mary .    The  line 

of  descent  is  traced  through  their  son,  Na- 
thaniel Beach,  born  in  Stratford,  Connec- 
ticut, March  1662,  and  died  there  in  1747. 
He  married,  in  1686,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Groves)  Porter. 
She  died  in  1734.  The  next  in  line  of 
descent  was  their  son,  Josiah  Beach,  born 
at  Stratford,  Connecticut,  August  18, 
1694.  He  joined  the  church  in  1730.  He 
married  (first)  in  1721,  Patience  Nichols; 
(second)  in  1730,  Abigail  Wheeler.  One 
of  his  six  children  was  Matthew  Beach, 
born  May  18,  1742.  He  married  Martha 
Nichols,  born  in  April,  1742,  and  one  of 
their  five  children  was  Stiles  Beach,  born 
June  3,  1770.  He  resided  at  New  Marl- 
boro, Massachusetts  ;  New  London,  Con- 
necticut ;  in  Onondaga  county.  New  York, 
and  Tyrone,  Schuyler  county.  New  York. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  landowner,  and  en- 
gaged to  some  extent  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits. He  married  Mehitable  Brown,  born 
April  4,  1772,  who  bore  him  nine  children 
among  whom  was  Obadiah  Beach,  born 
at  Tyrone,  New  York,  January  8,  1804, 
and  died  there,  June  24,  1878.  Part  of  his 
childhood  was  spent  at  Marcellus,  Onon- 
daga county.  New  York,  but  for  sixty 
years  he  was  a  resident  of  Tyrone,  dur- 
ing the  greater  portion  of  this  time  resid- 
ing upon  his  own  farm  which  he  culti- 
vated to  a  high  degree  of  perfection  after 
clearing  it  of  trees  and  shrubs.  He  was 
an  active  factor  in  community  affairs, 
and  was  honored  and  esteemed  by  all 
with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact, 
either  in  business  or  social  life.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1824,  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert 
Lang,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town 
of  Tyrone.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children  :  Lewis,  born  about  1825  ; 
Philip  L.,  born  January  26,  1826,  died  in 
April,   1863,   during  the  progress   of  the 


34 


.    THE  NEVv'  YORK 
PUHLIC  LIBRA RYl 

ASTOR,    l-NOX 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Civil  War;  and  Daniel,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

Daniel  Beach  was  born  at  Tyrone, 
Schuyler  county,  New  York,  August  29, 
1830,  died  at  Watkins,  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 22,  1913.  His  preparatory  education, 
acquired  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town, 
was  supplemented  by  a  course  at  Alfred 
University  and  Union  College.  He  pur- 
sued a  course  of  legal  study,  and  after 
passing  the  required  examinations  was 
admitted  to  the  New  York  bar  in  1861. 
His  first  location  for  the  active  practice 
of  his  profession  was  in  Watkins,  and 
from  there  he  removed  to  Corning,  where 
he  maintained  his  office  until  his  retire- 
ment from  professional  duties,  several 
years  prior  to  his  death,  at  which  time  he 
was  the  oldest  member  of  the  Schuyler 
county  bar.  During  his  professional  ca- 
reer he  won  distinctive  prominence 
through  the  possession  of  those  qualities 
which  always  insure  success  at  the  bar — 
close  application,  keen  analytical  power, 
logical  reasoning  and  accurate  deductions. 
Prior  to  his  admission  to  the  bar  he 
taught  school  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
was  later  commissioner  of  schools  in 
Schuyler  county,  New  York.  He  was  for 
a  number  of  years  vice-president  and 
counsel  of  the  Fall  Brook  Railway  Com- 
pany and  the  Fall  Brook  Coal  Company. 
He  was  elected  regent  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1885,  and 
was  elected  vice-chancellor  to  succeed  St. 
Clair  McKelway  by  the  New  York  State 
Regents  a  week  before  his  death.  He  was 
an  Episcopalian  in  religion  and  attended 
five  general  conventions  as  delegate  from 
the  Western  New  York  diocese.  He  was 
a  Republican  in  politics. 

Mr.  Beach  married,  at  Watkins,  New 
York,  June  4,  1862,  Angelica  Church 
Magee.  Children :  Hebe  Magee,  born  in 
1864,  married  Albert  H.  Harris ;  Jennie 
Magee,  born  in  1867,  married  William  W, 


Mumford ;  Mary  A.,  born  in  1871  ;  Daniel 
Magee,  born  in  1873,  married  Marian  H. 
Lindsay ;  George  Cameron,  a  sketch  of 
whom  follows  this  in  the  work. 


BEACH,  George  Cameron, 
Attorney. 

George  C.  Beach,  an  attorney,  of  New 
York  City,  is  a  native  of  this  State,  be- 
longing to  an  old  Connecticut  family 
which  furnished  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Western  New  York.  After  careful  prepa- 
ration he  has  been  enabled  by  his  talents 
and  energy  to  gain  a  position  at  the  metro- 
politan bar,  and  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
lucrative  practice  and  the  esteem  of  his 
contemporaries  and  the  general  public. 

He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Beach, 
a  native  of  England,  who  was  among  the 
early  settlers  at  Stratford,  Connecticut, 
probably  a  brother  of  Benjamin  and  Rich- 
ard Beach,  of  the  same  town,  and  Thom- 
as Beach  of  the  adjoining  town  of  Mil- 
ford,  Connecticut.  His  house  lot  was  on 
what  was  originally  known  as  Front 
street,  bordering  on  what  are  now  Main 
and  Back  streets.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  his  property  in  Stratford  was  ap- 
praised at  £312  13s.  He  also  owned 
property  in  Wallingford,  valued  above 
£92,  and  three  of  his  sons  settled  in  that 
town.  His  third  son,  Nathaniel  Beach, 
was  born  in  March,  1662,  in  Stratford, 
and  died  there  in  1747.  He  married,  in 
1686,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Elizabeth  Porter,  born  September,  1667, 
died  1734.  Their  second  son  was  David 
Beach,  born  April  15,  1692.  He  married, 
January  24,  1717,  Hannah,  daughter  of 
Matthew  and  Hannah  (Barkley)  Sher- 
man, born  1694.  Their  eldest  child,  Ephra- 
im  Beach,"  was  born  1721,  and  lived  in 
Stratford,  with  his  wife  Comfort.  Their 
eldest  son  was  Abel  Beach,  born  Septem- 
ber 29,  1743.     He  married,  September  21, 


35 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1769,  Sarah  Edwards,  born  February, 
1772,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Serissa 
Edwards.  Their  eldest  son  and  second 
child,  Stiles  Beach,  was  born  in  March, 
1772,  in  North  Stratford,  and  married 
Mehitable  Brown.  They  removed  to 
Onondaga  county,  New  York,  and  in  1814 
to  the  town  of  Tyrone,  Schuyler  county, 
New  York.  Their  sixth  child,  Obadiah 
Beach,  was  born  January  8,  1804,  '^i  Mar- 
cellus,  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  and 
resided  for  sixty  years  in  Tyrone,  where 
he  cleared  up  a  farm  in  the  wilderness, 
and  died  June  24,  1878.  He  married,  in 
1826,  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  Lang,  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Tyrone.  Daniel  Beach, 
son  of  Obadiah  and  Mary  (Lang)  Beach, 
lived  in  Watkins,  Schuyler  county.  New 
York.  He  married  Angelica  Church  Ma- 
gee,  daughter  of  Hugh  Magee,  of  that 
town. 

George  Cameron  Beach,  son  of  Daniel 
and  Angelica  C.  (Magee)  Beach,  was  born 
November  10,  1877,  in  Watkins,  Schuyler 
county,  New  York,  where  he  grew  up, 
receiving  the  advantages  of  the  public 
schools,  including  private  schools  and 
finally  the  high  school.  From  1893  to 
1895  he  was  a  student  at  St.  Paul's  School 
at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  a  high-grade 
educational  establishment  maintained  by 
the  Episcopal  church  of  that  State,  and  in 
the  latter  year  entered  Hobart  College, 
Geneva,  New  York,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  B.  L.  in  1898.  He  then  entered 
Cornell  University  Law  School,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in 
1901.  In  that  year  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  at  Saratoga,  New  York.  As  a 
means  of  further  perfecting  himself  in  the 
practical  application  of  law,  he  associated 
himself  with  the  Hon.  M.  E.  Olmstead, 
member  of  Congress,  in  his  office  at  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
from  July,  1901,  to  February,  1903.  From 
the  latter  date  until  November,  1904,  he 


was  in  the  law  office  of  Howard  Taylor, 
on  Wall  street.  New  York  City,  and  since 
the  autumn  of  1904  has  been  independent- 
ly engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  New  York  City,  where  he  has 
achieved  a  most  gratifying  success,  and 
is  rapidly  moving  toward  a  leading  posi- 
tion at  the  metropolitan  bar.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  of  the  St.  Nicholas 
Club,  and  City  Midday  Club,  also  of  the 
Wee  Burn  Golf  Club  and  the  Apawamis 
Club.  With  his  family,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church, 
and  gives  his  political  support  to  the  prin- 
ciples and  policies  advocated  by  the  Re- 
publicans. 

He  married,  March  5,  1910,  Marion 
Silsbee  Montgomery,  daughter  of  Wins- 
low  Lewis  and  Elizabeth  White  (Silsbee) 
Montgomery,  of  Boston,   Massachusetts. 


SMITH,  Gerrit, 

Lawyer. 

Among  the  leading  lawyers  at  the  New 
York  bar  is  Gerrit  Smith,  who  is  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  New  England  family, 
established  in  Connecticut,  and  from  them 
the  line  can  be  traced  from  Benjamin, 
Daniel,  JelTery,  Ezra,  to  Andrew  Nor- 
man, the  father  of  Gerrit  Smith. 

Among  the  numerous  Smith  families 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Connecticut  was  a 
family  of  four  brothers  and  a  sister,  who 
settled  in  Hartford  and  vicinity,  of  whom 
further.  It  is  not  known  that  their  par- 
ents came  to  this  country,  i.  Mary,  mar- 
ried William  Partridge.  2.  Christopher, 
resided  at  Northampton  and  died  with- 
out issue.  3.  Simon,  who  was  one  of  the 
twenty-eight  original  proprietors  of  Had- 
dam,  Connecticut,  coming  from  Hartford. 
4.  Joseph,  settled  in  Hartford,  and  was 
the  father  of  fifteen  children.  5.  William, 
settled  in  Wethersfield. 


36 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Benjamin  Smith,  son  of  Simon  Smith. 
was  bom  in  1664.  in  Haddam.  Connecti- 
cut. He  married  Hannah  Scoville.  They 
had  sons.  Benjamin,  Jacob,  Deacon  Jo- 
seph, and  Daniel,  of  whom  further. 

Daniel  Smith,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Hannah  (Scoville)  Smith,  was  born  in 
1714,  in  Haddam,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried, in   1739.  ,  who  died  in   1745, 

and  he  died  July  29,  1793,  in  Haddam. 

William  Smith,  son  of  Daniel  Smith, 
passed  his  life  in  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
in  the  old  house  just  north  of  the  present 
jail.  He  was  a  seafaring  man  in  the 
West  Indies  trade,  owned  and  com- 
manded vessels,  and  lost  his  life  when 
only  forty  years  of  age.  His  wife's  bap- 
tismal name  was  Martha,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  Jettrey,  of  whom  further : 
Jonathan;  Ezra:  Lucy,  married  Captain 
Brainerd.  of  Xew  York  City,  and  lived  to 
the  age  of  one  hundred  and  six  years  ; 
Esther,  married  Luther  Boardman,  of 
Higganum :  Martha,  married  George  Kel- 
sey,  of  Haddam.  All  of  the  sons  were 
soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 

Jeffrey  Smith,  eldest  child  of  William 
and  Martha  Smith,  was  born  in  1763,  in 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  place.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  as  a  blacksmith,  and  then 
settled  in  Madison,  Connecticut,  locating 
on  the  Xeck.  where  he  bought  a  small 
farm,  which  he  cultivated  in  connection 
with  his  work  in  the  smithy.  He  built  a 
fine  dwelling  house  on  this  tract  and  there 
spent  his  life,  dying  February  i,  1846. 
He  ser\-ed  during  the  entire  period  of  the 
Revolution  in  the  Continental  line,  and 
was  among  the  soldiers  who  drove  cattle 
across  the  Hudson  river  on  the  ice  in  the 
movement  of  Washington's  army.  Both 
his  brothers  who  were  captured  died  on 
board  the  Jersey  prison  ship  in  Xew 
York  harbor,  and  were  buried  near  the 
monument  erected  at  Wallabout  Bav  to 


the  memory  of  the  unfortunate  men  who 
thus  perished.  Jeffrey  Smith  survived 
the  hardships  of  a  long  and  most  arduous 
ser\-ice,  and  drew  a  pension  in  his  old  age. 
He  married  Dorothy  Hubbard,  a  native 
of  Haddam,  who  died  in  Madison,  July 
13.  1836.  Children:  i.  Jonathan,  born 
January  4.  1785.  2.  Daniel  Hubbard,  born 
March  23.  1787.  3.  Ezra,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 4.  Esther,  born  October  16,  1790, 
married  Dudley  Brainerd.  5.  Austin,  died 
in  infancy.  6.  Austin,  born  February  9, 
1794.  7.  Mar\-in,  born  1796.  8.  David, 
born  1798.  9.  Samuel,  born  August  16, 
1799,  lived  and  died  in  Madison  in  the 
house  where  he  was  born.  10.  Junius, 
born  March  25.  1801.  11.  Helena,  died 
in  her  fourth  year. 

Ezra  Smith,  third  son  of  Jeffrey  and 
Dorothy  (Hubbard)  Smith,  was  born  De- 
cember 16.  1788,  in  Madison.  Connecticut, 
and  died  there.  April  12,  1875.  He  mar- 
ried. October  3.  1813.  Martha  Stone,  who 
was  born  in  East  Guilford.  March  12, 
1786,  and  died  June  12.  1849.  She  was 
a  descendant  of  John  Stone  and  Governor 
William  Leete,  two  of  the  original  set- 
tlers of  Guilford.  Children  (probably  not 
in  order  of  birth  t  :  i.  Catherine,  married 
Elihu  Kelsey  and  left  three  children: 
Ezra.  Sarah  M.,  and  Mary  E.,  and  eight 
grandchildren.  2.  Rosalind,  whose  daugh- 
ter. Rosalind  Coe.  and  granddaughter, 
Harriet  Coe,  are  living  on  the  Xeck.  at 
Madison.  3.  Mary,  born  July  6,  1814, 
died  March  29,  18S7;  married  Edwin 
Watrous  and  had  five  children :  Martha, 
Julian  F.,  John  X..  Andrus,  and  Franklin 
W.  4.  Ezra  Stuart.  5.  Thomas  Hubbard, 
born  Xovember  29.  1824.  died  February 
18.  1884.  leaving  three  children.  6.  An- 
drew Xorman,  of  whom  further. 

Andrew  Xorman  Smith,  youngest  child 
of  Ezra  and  Martha  (Stone)  Smith,  was 
born  January-  28,  1828,  in  Madison,  Con- 
necticut.     He    married,    April    16.    1850, 


n 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Lydia  Smith  Kelsey,  born  January  6, 
1826,  in  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  daughter 
of  John  and  Lydia  (Bushnell)  Kelsey,  of 
that  town.  Children:  i.  Gerrit,  of  whom 
further.  2.  Thomas  Andrew,  born  March 
2,  1858;  has  three  children:  Gerrit  A., 
Martha  Stone,  and  Newman,  and  resides 
on  the  Neck  in  Madison.  3.  Martha 
Stone,  born  May  7,  i860;  resides  in  Mont- 
clair.  New  Jersey,  where  she  has  a  home ; 
unmarried.  4.  Lydia  Bushnell,  born  De- 
cember 28,  1862;  resides  in  Florence, 
Italy.  5.  Elizabeth,  born  January  7,  1869; 
married,  in  November,  1891,  Thaddeus  F. 
Leete,  a  direct  descendant  of  Governor 
Leete,  and  she  has  three  daughters, 
Emma,  Dorothy  and  Caroline ;  resides  in 
Madison. 

Gerrit  Smith,  eldest  child  of  Andrew 
Norman  and  Lydia  Smith  (Kelsey) 
Smith,  was  born  January  8,  1854,  in 
Madison,  Connecticut.  He  attended  the 
district  schools  and  also  Lee's  Acad- 
emy in  that  town.  In  1873  ^^  entered 
Yale  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1877,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  Following  this  he  attended  Yale 
Law  School,  and  graduated  in  1880.  At 
the  September  term  of  the  Superior  Court, 
at  New  Haven,  in  1882,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  in  the  same  month  was 
admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court,  second 
department,  in  Kings  county,  New  York. 
He  located  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
for  ten  years  maintained  a  law  office  at 
^o-  33  Wall  street,  and  for  the  succeed- 
ing ten  years  was  located  at  No.  43  Wall 
street.  For  seven  years  he  was  located 
at  No.  52  Broadway,  and  in  1908  removed 
to  the  United  States  Express  Building. 
He  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  law 
practice,  making  a  specialty  of  corpora- 
tion, real  estate  and  probate  law.  With 
his  family,  Mr.  Smith  is  affiliated  with 
the  Congregational  church,  and  politically 
he  is  a  Republican,  though  not  active  in 


practical  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  Em- 
pire State  Chapter,  Society  of  American 
Wars. 

He  married  (first)  November  22,  1882, 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Leila  Wood, 
born  March  27,  1856,  in  Berlin,  Connecti- 
cut, daughter  of  Charles  Wood.  She  died 
in  New  York  City,  July  6,  1903.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  at  the  Brick  Church,  New 
York  City,  October  4,  1904,  Gertrude 
(Hitchcock)  Diehl,  born  November  8, 
1862.  Children  of  first  wife :  Reynold 
Webb,  of  whom  further;  Helen  Mar- 
guerite, born  September  9,  1889.  Child  of 
second  wife  :  W' olcott,  born  July  16,  1905. 

Reynold  Webb  Smith,  son  of  Gerrit 
and  Leila  (Wood)  Smith,  was  born  May 
28,  1885.  He  graduated  at  Andover  in 
1904,  and  from  Yale  College,  scientific  de- 
partment, in  1907,  and  has  since  been  em- 
ployed on  the  new  barge  canal  being 
built  by  New  York  State.  He  married, 
December  18,  1909,  Edna  Maurer;  chil- 
dren :  Gerrit  Brainerd,  born  at  Albany, 
January  6,  191 1;  Leila  Josephine,  born 
at  Brewerton,  September  12,  1912;  Rey- 
nold Webb,  Jr.,  born  July  13,  1914.  The 
family  resides  at  present  in  Baldwinsville, 
New  York. 


KIDDER,  Camillus  George, 

Attorney,  Public  Official. 

Camillus  George  Kidder,  a  leading 
member  of  the  New  York  bar,  is  a  native 
of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  born  July  6, 
1850.  and  descended  from  an  old  Ameri- 
can family.  His  ancestors  were  among 
the  ancient  residents  of  England.  In 
some  of  the  early  documents  the  name  is 
written  Kyddwr,  which  would  indicate 
ancient  British  lineage.  The  family  name 
is  avocational  and  has  two  meanings — a 
dresser  of  kid,  for  clothing;  and  a  dealer 
in  grain  on  a  large  scale.  As  early  as 
1307  there  was  a  family  of  the  name  liv- 


38 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  in  Maresfield,  County  Sussex,  about 
seventy  miles  from  London.  Their  de- 
scendants continued  to  live  there  until 
about  1500,  when  a  considerable  number 
of  them  emigrated  to  County  Kent,  and 
one  family  to  London.  The  most  dis- 
tinguished of  the  family  was  Richard 
Kidder,  bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  born 
1633,  at  East  Grinstead,  the  birthplace  of 
the  American  emigrant,  of  whom  he  was 
a  kinsman.  His  father  was  a  reputable 
landholder  in  that  place.  The  first  men- 
tion of  the  Kidder  family  in  Maresfield 
describes  them  as  bailiffs  of  a  royal  park 
there,  called  Lancaster  Great  Park. 

The  English  ancestry  of  the  Kidder 
family  of  America  has  been  traced  to 
Richard  Kidder,  of  Maresfield,  County 
Sussex,  England,  living  in  1492.    Richard 

(2)  Kidder,  son  of  Richard  (i)  Kidder, 
died  in  1549.  Richard  (3)  Kidder,  son  of 
Richard  (2)  Kidder,  died  in  1563,  leaving 
five  sons.     John  Kidder,  son  of  Richard 

(3)  Kidder,  married  Margaret  Norman, 
of  Little  Horsted,  and  died  in  1599.  John 
(2)  Kidder,  son  of  John  (i)  Kidder,  was 
baptized  in  1561.  at  East  Grinstead, 
County  Sussex,  England.  He  married 
Joan  Beorge.  and  died  in  1616,  leaving 
four  sons.  James  Kidder,  son  of  John 
(2)  Kidder,  was  born  at  East  Grinstead. 

in  1595- 

The  immigrant  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,  James  Kidder,  born  1626,  at 
East  Grinstead,  County  Sussex,  England, 
appears  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  as 
early  as  1649.  I"  1653  ^^  occupied  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
acres  in  what  is  now  W^est  Cambridge. 
He  was  among  the  founders  of  what  is 
now  Billerica.  whither  he  removed  soon 
after  1653.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
full  communion  members  of  the  Cam- 
bridge church,  and  were  among  the  origi- 
nal members  of  that  at  Billerica.  During 
King  Philip's  war  he  commanded  a  gar- 


rison house  in  the  latter  town.  His  v/ife 
Anne  was  a  daughter  of  Elder  Francis 
Moore,  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and  repu- 
table men  of  Cambridge.  He  died  April 
16,  1676,  and  his  widow  married  (second) 
William  Underwood.  John  Kidder,  his 
second  son,  born  about  1656,  in  Cam- 
bridge, died  in  Chelmsford,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  settled  when  a  young 
man.  purchasing  five  hundred  acres  of 
land  on  the  west  side  of  Concord  river. 
He  married,  December  3,  1684,  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Rose  (Whit- 
lock)  Parker,  and  was  still  living  in  1746, 
some  ninety  years  of  age.  His  second 
son,  Thomas  Kidder,  born  October  30, 
1690,  in  Chelmsford,  was  admitted  to  the 
church  in  Westford,  a  part  of  Chelmsford, 
April  7,  1728.  He  married  there,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1716,  Joanna  Keyes,  and  their  sec- 
ond son,  Reuben  Kidder,  was  born  in 
Westford,  January  i,  1723.  He  was  but 
six  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and 
he  was  chiefly  self-educated.  While 
working  as  a  surveyor,  he  selected  a  loca- 
tion in  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  purchased  the  rights  of  several 
of  the  original  grantees,  and  in  1749  ob- 
tained title  to  some  four  shares.  By  his 
influence,  a  large  number  of  young  men 
were  induced  to  settle  there,  and  for  the 
first  twenty  years  of  its  existence  he  was 
the  father  of  the  town.  The  most  promi- 
nent peak  of  the  range  of  mountains  west 
of  his  property  bore  the  name  of  Kidder 
Mountain.  Before  the  Revolution  he  had 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable 
orchards  in  New  England,  and  he  built 
the  first  mill  in  the  region  of  New  Ips- 
wich. His  mansion,  built  in  1754,  was 
among  the  finest  of  the  period,  and  he 
owned  the  first  carriage  for  twenty  miles 
around.  He  was  made  lieutenant  of  the 
first  military  company  on  its  organiza- 
tion in  1754.  and  five  years  later  became 
captain.     Governor  Wentworth,  of  New 


39 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hampshire,  commissioned  him  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  became  colonel  of  a  regi- 
ment of  militia,  but  because  of  his  loyalty 
to  the  mother  country  he  was  removed 
from  this  office  by  the  citizens,  in  1775. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First 
Church  in  New  Ipswich,  was  widely  in- 
fluential, honorable  and  just  in  his  deal- 
ings, and  highly  respected.  In  person  he 
was  tall  and  dignified,  with  courteous  and 
afTable  manners.  He  died  September  20, 
1793.  He  married,  March  21,  1754.  Sus- 
annah Burge,  of  Chelmsford,  born  April, 
1736,  survived  him  many  years,  dying 
November  27,  1824.  Their  eldest  son, 
Reuben  Kidder,  was  born  April  3,  1768, 
in  New  Ipswich,  graduated  from  Dart- 
mouth College,  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  1791, 
and  established  himself  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Waterville,  Maine,  in  1795,  the 
first  lawyer  to  venture  so  far  north.  In 
1816  he  moved  to  New  Harmony,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  died  the  following  year. 
He  married  Lois  Crosby,  who  died  in 
1809.  Their  third  son,  Camillus  Kidder, 
born  June  27,  1805,  at  Waterville,  Maine, 
died  in  Boston,  January  16,  1883.  As  a 
young  man  he  settled  in  Bangor,  Maine, 
removing  later  to  Cambridge,  Maryland, 
and  in  1824  settled  in  Baltimore,  where 
for  many  years  he  was  a  com.mission 
dealer  in  naval  stores.  A  stanch  Union- 
ist, his  business  was  greatly  injured  by 
the  Civil  War,  and  his  personal  safety 
was  at  that  time  threatened.  In  early 
years  he  was  captain  of  militia.  He  was 
an  old-line  Whig  in  politics,  and  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  Thomas  Holliday  Hicks, 
the  war  Governor  of  Maryland,  whom  he 
aided  in  many  campaigns.  He  married, 
October  16,  1834,  Sarah  Thompson, 
daughter  of  General  Jedediah  and  Mehit- 
able  (Thompson)  Herrick,  of  Hampden, 
Maine,  born  July  10,  1814,  died  in  Boston, 
November  26,  1881.  Dr.  Jerome  H.  Kid- 
der, their  eldest  son  and  second  child,  was 


born  October  26,  1842,  in  Baltimore,  grad- 
uated Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Harvard  in 
1862,  Master  of  Arts,  1865.  He  served  as 
a  private  and  non-commissioned  officer 
in  the  Tenth  Maryland  Regiment,  Volun- 
teer Militia,  from  June,  1863,  to  January, 
following,  and  was  attached  to  the  United 
States  General  Hospitals  as  a  medical 
cadet,  in  1864-65-66.  In  the  latter  year 
he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine from  the  University  of  Maryland, 
and  was  appointed  acting  assistant  sur- 
geon, United  States  navy,  April  27,  of 
that  year.  On  June  16,  following,  he  was 
commissioned  assistant  surgeon,  was  pro- 
moted to  passed  assistant  surgeon,  March 
10,  1871,  and  served  in  Japan  during  1868- 
69-70.  He  was  decorated  by  the  King  of 
Portugal,  December  17,  1869,  with  the 
Order  of  Christ,  and  this  decoration  was 
authorized  by  Congress,  May  26,  1870. 
In  March,  1874,  he  represented  the  United 
States  as  surgeon  and  naturalist  in  the 
expedition  for  observation  of  the  transit 
of  Venus.  After  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
surgeon,  he  was  engaged  many  years  in 
scientific  work  at  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution and  the  Naval  Laboratory  at 
Washington,  and  was  for  some  time  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  Fish  Com- 
mission. After  some  years  of  retirement 
he  died  April  8,  1889.  He  married,  Sep- 
tember, 1878,  Anne  Mary,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Horace  Maynard,  of  Tennessee, 
who  was  Minister  to  Turkey  and  Post- 
master-General of  the  United  States. 

Camillus  George  Kidder,  second  son  of 
Camillus  and  Sarah  T.  (Herrick)  Kidder, 
born  at  Baltimore  as  above  noted,  pre- 
pared for  college  at  Phillips  Academy, 
Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  College,  with  high 
rank,  in  the  class  of  1872.  As  a  means  of 
pursuing  his  legal  studies,  he  fitted  pri- 
vate pupils  for  colleges  and  in  the  spring 
of   1873  went  abroad.     In  the  following 


40 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


autumn  he  entered  Plarvard  Law  School, 
and  graduated  cum  laude  in  June,  1875, 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
After  two  years'  service  as  managing 
clerk  in  the  law  office  of  Emott,  Burnett 
&  Hammond,  of  New  York  City,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  in  No- 
vember, 1877,  and  became  junior  partner 
in  the  firm,  which  was  changed  to  Emott, 
Hammond  &  Kidder.  Upon  the  death  of 
the  senior  partner  it  becam.e  Emott,  Bur- 
nett &  Kidder,  and  is  now  Kidder,  Ayres 
&  Riggs,  with  office  at  27  William  street. 
New  York.  For  many  years  his  home 
has  been  in  Orange,  New  Jersey,  where 
he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs.  He  served  nine  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  excise  board,  of  which  he  was 
several  years  chairman,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  the  parks  of 
Essex  county.  Mr.  Kidder  is  an  inde- 
pendent Republican  and  voted  for  Grover 
Cleveland.  He  is  affiliated  with  numer- 
ous clubs  and  other  organizations,  and  in 
religion  is  an  Episcopalian.  He  is  a  mem- 
of  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation, the  Bunker  Hill  Association,  the 
Phi  Beta  Kappa,  the  New  England  soci- 
eties of  New  York  and  of  Orange,  the 
Harvard  clubs  of  New  York  and  of  New 
Jersey,  the  Century  Association,  the  City 
Club  and  the  University  Club  of  New 
York. 

He  married,  December  3,  1881,  in  New 
York  City,  Matilda  Cushman  Faber,  born 
January  21.  1857,  in  New  York,  daughter 
of  Gustavus  William  and  Angelica  (Cush- 
man) Faber.  Children,  born  in  Orange: 
Jerome  Faber,  February  10,  1883 ;  Lois 
Faber,  Alay  6,  1885  ;  George  Herrick  Fa- 
ber, October  11,  i{ 


STONE,  Walter  R., 

Merchant,  Public  Official. 

The  November  elections,  I9i5,put  Wal- 
ter R.  Stone  into  the  mayor's  chair  by  the 


largest  majority  ever  recorded  for  a  can- 
didate in  any  municipal  election  held  in 
the  city  of  Syracuse.  This  honor  came  to 
Mr.  Stone,  not  as  a  partisan,  but  in  recog- 
nition of  his  twenty  years'  active  interest 
and  useful  cooperation  in  the  public  and 
semi-public  affairs  of  the  city  to  which 
he  was  brought  an  infant.  His  record  as 
president  of  the  park  commission  in- 
cluded the  establishment  of  playgrounds 
and  a  vast  improvement  as  well  as  ex- 
tension of  the  park  system ;  as  a  purveyor 
to  the  amusements  of  the  people  he  aided 
in  the  organizations  of  the  "Mystique 
Krewe,"  served  as  its  first  treasurer  and 
still  continues  his  active  interest,  and  was 
one  of  the  kings  of  the  carnival ;  to  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  he  had  con- 
tributed fifteen  years  of  active  work  in 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  while  to  the 
voters-at-large  he  was  known  as  a  Re- 
publican, but  one  with  strong  independ- 
ent tendencies,  not  as  a  politician.  To 
this  and  his  sterling  manly  qualities  he 
adds  a  personality  most  pleasing,  and  with 
such  an  equipment  he  went  forth  to  con- 
test for  election  to  the  chief  executive 
office  in  his  city.  The  response  was  most 
gratifying  to  him,  and  as  he  is  yet  but 
hardly  in  life's  prime,  it  is  not  the  cul- 
mination of  a  career,  but  an  incident. 

Mayor  Stone  was  not  born  in  Syracuse, 
but  his  parents  were  residents  of  the  city, 
at  that  time  but  temporarily  absent.  They 
returned  to  Syracuse  when  their  son  was 
six  weeks  old  and  from  that  time  his 
years,  forty-four,  have  been  spent  in  the 
city  of  which  he  is  now  the  executive 
head.  He  is  an  enthusiast  where  Syra- 
cuse and  her  interests  are  concerned  and 
in  his  duties  as  mayor  he  renders  a  corre- 
spondingly devoted  service. 

Walter  R.  Stone  was  born  January  i, 
1873,  son  of  Horace  Greeley  and  Ellen 
(Fennell)  Stone.  His  father  was  born  in 
Filmore,  Indiana,  May  22,  1849.     He  be- 


41 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  a  leading  dry  goods  merchant  of 
Syracuse,  head  of  a  retail  business  long 
established  in  the  city.  He  served  as  a 
private  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
third  Indiana  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
War.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  of  the  Citizens'  Club  and 
Masonic  Temple,  having  attained  the 
thirty-third  degree  in  the  Masonic  order. 
He  married,  October  4,  1868,  at  Green- 
castle,  Indiana,  Ellen  Fennell,  who  bore 
him  two  children :  Walter  R.  and  Ma- 
bel E. 

Walter  R.  Stone  obtained  his  early  and 
preparatory  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Syracuse,  completing  courses 
of  study  at  the  Madison  School  and  grad- 
uating from  high  school.  He  then  entered 
Amherst  College  in  the  class  of  1895. 

On  completing  his  college  course  the 
young  man  became  associated  with  his 
father,  Horace  G.  Stone,  in  the  dry  goods 
business,  and  has  so  continued.  During 
the  years  since  1895  he  has  not  only  been 
diligent  in  business  and  a  worthy,  ener- 
getic man  of  affairs,  but  has  manifested 
a  public  spirit  that  has  impelled  him  to 
active  participation  in  public  affairs.  For 
several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Syracuse  Park  Commission  and  served  in 
that  body  as  secretary,  later  as  president. 
When  first  appointed  to  the  commission 
there  was  little  sentiment  in  favor  of  pub- 
lic playgrounds,  but  Mr.  Stone  brought 
the  subject  prominently  before  the  body 
of  which  he  was  a  member  and  was  one 
of  the  strongest  advocates  among  the  pio- 
neers in  a  movement  now  so  popuhf 
For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Stone  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, ranking  with  the  "workers"  of 
that  organization.  For  several  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors, also  filling  the  office  of  treasurer  for 
several  years.  He  has  given  liberally  of 
his  time  to  the  work  of  the  Chamber  and 


as  chairman  and  member  of  important 
committees  rendered  efficient  and  valu- 
able service.  During  the  winter  of  1913- 
14,  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Will  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  unemploy- 
ment, a  work  to  which  he  devoted  him- 
self most  unselfishly. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Stone  has  been 
consistently  Republican,  but  extremely 
independent  in  political  thought  and 
action.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Syracuse  Escort,  a  famous  Repu" 
lican  club  founded  in  1864  and  incorpo- 
rated about  1902.  For  two  terms  Mr. 
Stone  was  president  of  the  "Escort"  and 
has  long  been  a  member  of  its  board  of 
directors.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  committee  from  the 
seventeenth  ward,  and  for  two  years  was 
treasurer  of  the  committee.  Until  his 
canvass  for  the  mayoralty  in  191 5  he 
never  sought  a  public  office,  those  he  had 
held  were  by  appointment,  without  solic- 
itation, and  carried  no  salary. 

Louis  Will,  the  Progressive  candidate, 
was  elected  mayor  of  Syracuse  in  1913 
in  a  triangular  contest,  but  in  191 5  Re- 
publicans and  Progressives  united,  the 
Progressive  city  committee  endorsing  the 
candidate  of  the  Republican  convention, 
Walter  R.  Stone.  His  victory  at  the  polls 
was  most  complete,  the  returns  showing 
majorities  in  every  ward  in  the  city  and 
in  eighty-three  out  of  eighty-six  election 
districts.  Mr.  Stone's  plurality  was  nine 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ten,  he  receiv- 
ing eighteen  thousand  and  seventy-four 
votes  against  eight  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  for  his  Democratic 
opponent.  Mayor  Stone  is  identified 
with  many  social  and  fraternal  organiza- 
tions ;  is  a  past  commander  of  Merriman 
Camp,  Sons  of  Veterans ;  was  a  trustee  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church,  belongs  to  the 
Citizens*  and  Rotary  clubs,  and  is  inter- 
ested in  the  philanthropy  of  his  city. 


42 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Walter  R.  Stone  married  Alice  M.  Pal- 
mer, of  Syracuse,  daughter  of  Manning 
C.  Palmer,  and  has  two  daughters :  Alice 
and  Ellen. 


STILWELL,  Lament, 

Teacher,  Public  Official. 

Lamont  Stilwell  was  born  in  Windsor, 
Broome  county,  New  York,  June  29,  1852. 
He  was  the  son  of  Philip  T.  Stilwell,  who 
was  born  at  Charlotteville,  Schoharie 
county,  New  York,  in  1822,  and  died  at 
Windsor,  New  York,  in  1873.  The  wife 
of  Philip  T.  Stilwell  and  mother  of  La- 
mont Stilwell  was  Lucy  M.  (Heath)  Stil- 
well, who  was  born  in  1830,  and  died  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1903.  Lamont 
Stilwell  was  the  second  of  twelve  chil- 
dren born  to  said  Philip  T.  and  Lucy  M. 
(Heath)  Stilwell,  ten  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity  and  nine  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing (1916).  Philip  T.  Stilwell  was  a 
farmer  and  lived  in  the  town  of  Windsor, 
about  four  miles  west  of  Windsor  village. 

Lamont  Stilwell  attended  the  district 
school  in  District  No.  2,  Windsor,  New 
York,  until  he  was  ready  to  enter  the 
academy  at  Windsor  Village.  After  leav- 
ing the  academy  he  entered  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Cortland,  New  York, 
and  graduated  with  the  class  of  June, 
1878.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching, 
which  occupation  he  followed  for  ten 
years.  He  was  employed  at  Theresa, 
Binghamton,  Spring  Valley,  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  at  East  Orange,  New 
Jersey.  In  the  year  1890  he  left  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching  and  came  to  the  city 
of  Syracuse,  New  York,  and  began  the 
study  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  February,  1892,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  that  profession  down  to  the 
present  time  (1916).  He  is  the  senior 
member  of  the  copartnership  firm,  of  Stil- 
well, Viall  &  Stilwell,  with  offices  at  N( 


331  Union  Building,  Syracuse,  New  York. 
This  firm,  besides  himself,  consists  of 
Giles  H.  Stilwell,  Arthur  S.  Viall  and 
Ralph  L.  Stilwell.  The  latter  member 
is  the  son  of  Lamont  Stilwell. 

Lamont  Stilwell  was  married,  in  De- 
cember, 1883,  to  I.  Adelle  Smith,  of  Gro- 
ton,  New  York.  They  have  one  son,  Ralph 
Lamont  Stilwell,  above  named,  who  grad- 
uated from  Syracuse  University  in  1904, 
and  two  years  later  from  the  law  college 
of  the  same  institution.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  later  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  above  named.  Ralph  L.  Stilwell 
married  Florence  Page,  June  28,  1916. 

Lamont  Stilwell,  and  also  his  son,  Ralph 
L.  Stilwell,  live  at  No.  305  Orchard  road, 
in  the  village  of  Solvay,  New  York,  hav- 
ing moved  there  from  the  city  of  Syra- 
cuse in  the  year  1903.  While  in  the  city 
Lamont  Stilwell  represented  the  seven- 
teenth ward  in  the  board  of  aldermen 
during  the  years  1900  and  1901.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been 
active  in  public  affairs  in  the  town  of 
Geddes  and  in  the  village  of  Solvay  since 
his  residence  there.  He  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  of  the  town  of  Geddes  for 
several  terms,  and  has  been  attorney  for 
the  village  since  its  organization  in  1894. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  village  of 
Solvay  he  has  been  extensively  interested 
in  real  estate,  and  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  and  improvements 
which  have  been  made  in  the  village  since 
that  time. 


STILWELL,  Giles  H., 

La'wyer,  Corporation  Official. 

Giles  H.  Stilwell  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Windsor,  Broome  county,  New  York, 
January  13,  1854.  He  was  educated  at 
Windsor  Academy  and  Amherst  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  named  in  1881. 


43 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


For  three  years  after  graduation  he  was 
principal  of  the  Union  School  and  Acad- 
emy at  Lisle,  New  York,  and  for  the  suc- 
ceeding three  years  was  principal  of  the 
Union  School  and  Academy  at  Geddes, 
New  York,  now  a  part  of  the  city  of 
Syracuse. 

In  1887  he  commenced  the  study  of  law 
with  the  firm  of  Forbes,  Brown  &  Tracy, 
Syracuse,  New  York,  and  continued  his 
studies  after  the  above  firm  was  dissolved 
with  the  firm  of  Tracy,  McLennan  &  Ay- 
ling,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April, 
1889.  Shortly  after  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Francis  B.  Gill,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Gill  &  Stilwell,  which  continued  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Gill  in  1904.  Soon  after  this 
he  formed  a  new  law  partnership  with 
Lamont  Stilwell,  Sidney  J.  Kelly  and 
Arthur  S.  Viall,  under  the  name  of  Stil- 
well, Stilwell.  Kelly  &  Viall.  and  later  a 
partnership  with  Lamont  Stilwell,  Arthur 
S.  Viall  and  Ralph  L.  Stilwell,  which  now 
continues.  Since  the  latter  part  of  1903 
Mr.  Stilwell  has  had  charge  of  the  legal 
department  of  the  H.  H.  Franklin  Manu- 
facturing Company,  which  has  engaged 
most  of  his  time  except  in  the  years  1914 
and  191 5,  when  he  was  corporation  coun- 
sel of  the  city  of  Syracuse.  Mr.  Stilwell 
is  an  officer  of  the  H.  H.  Franklin  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  has  been  since 
the  formation  of  the  company  in  1895. 
Mr.  Stilwell  was  also  an  ofificer  of  and 
attorney  for  the  Syracuse  and  Suburban 
Railroad  Company  from  the  organization 
of  the  company  in  1896  until  the  original 
owners  of  this  company  sold  their  inter- 
ests. 

From  the  organization  of  the  College 
of  Law  of  Syracuse  University  in  1896 
down  to  the  year  1905,  Mr.  Stilwell  was 
a  member  of  the  College  of  Law  faculty 
and  gave  considerable  time  to  instruction 


in  this  college.  In  1889  Mr.  Stillwell  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion of  the  city  of  Syracuse,  and  by  suc- 
cessive reelections  served  as  a  member  of 
the  board  until  1894.     During  the  years 

1893  and  1894  he  was  president  of  the 
board. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Syracuse 
Central  Library  he  was  named  by  Mayor 
Jacob  Amos  one  of  the  trustees  of  this  in- 
stitution and  was  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  library  for  the  years 

1894  and  1895.  He  served  on  this  board 
until  1900.  In  1901  he  was  again  elected 
a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and 
upon  the  organization  of  the  board  in 
January,  1902,  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  board,  and  by  reelections  held  the 
ofifice  of  president  up  to  January,  191 1. 
In  May,  1906,  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Syracuse  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
was  reelected  to  that  office  in  May,  1907. 
In  1912  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Na- 
tional Progressive  party  for  member  of 
Congress  from  the  Thirty-fifth  Congres- 
sional District  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
comprising  the  counties  of  Onondaga  and 
Cortland.  On  January  i,  1914,  he  was 
appointed  by  Hon.  Louis  Will,  mayor  of 
the  city  of  Syracuse,  corporation  counsel 
for  the  city  and  served  in  this  capacity 
for  two  years.  In  1916  he  was  appointed 
by  Hon.  Walter  R.  Stone,  mayor  of  the 
city  of  Syracuse,  a  member  of  the  Syra- 
cuse intercepting  sewer  board  and  is  now 
serving  on  that  board.  Since  1914  he  has 
acted  as  county  chairman  of  the  county 
organization  of  the  National  Progressive 
party  of  Onondaga  county,  and  in  1916 
was  a  delegate  from  the  Thirty-fifth  Con- 
gressional District  to  the  national  con- 
vention of  this  party  at  Chicago.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  following  clubs :  Citi- 
zens', University,  Bellevue  Country,  and 
Syracuse  Country.  Of  the  latter  he  is 
now  president. 


44 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


DEWEY,  Howard  Grotius, 

Coal  Operator,  Public  Official. 

Ikit  few  regions  have  so  good  a  cause 
as  Gloversville,  New  York,  to  boast  of 
the  men  whose  names,  forming  a  brilliant 
group,  are  indissolubly  associated  with 
its  great  industrial  development,  whose 
unwearied  and  courageous  efforts  have 
turned  in  a  short  period  a  small,  unknown 
town  into  one  of  the  important  manufac- 
turing centres  of  the  United  States.  Many 
such  men  have  there  been  who  have 
given  their  whole  time  and  energy,  sur- 
rendering ease  and  comfort  to  the  build- 
ing up  of  great  business  concerns  which 
have  come  to  realize  the  ideals  they  had 
formed  and  Vv^hich  now,  in  their  trium- 
phant sequels,  stand  as  models  each  in  its 
own  department  of  trade.  The  name  of 
Dewey,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  distin- 
guished in  New  England,  where  members 
of  the  family  have  dwelt  in  the  Berkshire 
region  of  Massachusetts  from  early  Colo- 
nial times,  has  of  recent  years  come  to  be 
most  intimately  associated  with  the  build- 
ing up  of  the  great  coal  interests  of  that 
and  other  cities  as  far  away  as  Scranton 
and  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania.  This  task 
has  been  that  of  Howard  Grotius  Dewey, 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  family  of 
that  name,  whose  life  has  been  passed  in 
Gloversville  in  the  service  of  the  com- 
munity, especially  its  business  interests. 

Howard  Grotius  Dewey  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Maria  (Stoddard)  Dewey,  of 
Great  Barrington,  Massachusetts,  in 
which  place  he  was  himself  born  October 
7,  1857.  He  received  his  education  at  the 
common  schools  of  Gloversville,  New 
York.  When  only  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  left  school  and  set  himself  to  work  to 
find  a  position  in  which  he  might  earn  his 
own  living  as  he  was  ambitious  to  do. 
He  was  not  long  at  this  task,  his  ready, 
alert  bearing  and  frank,  outspoken  man- 


ner recommending  him  to  whomever  he 
applied  for  work.  He  was  of  a  somewhat 
restless  temperament  at  that  age  and 
found  a  number  of  positions  and  left  them 
after  short  intervals,  keeping  this  up  for  a 
considerable  period.  At  length  he  se- 
cured a  position  as  agent  of  the  Fulton 
County  Coal  Company,  the  headquarters 
of  which  were  at  Gloversville,  and  thus 
began  his  long  association  with  the  coal 
business.  It  did  not  take  long  for  him  to 
convince  his  employers  that  he  was  a 
very  valuable  addition  to  the  force  of  the 
company  and  he  soon  began  to  rise  in 
rank.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  general 
manager  of  the  concern  and  in  1914  be- 
came its  president.  Since  that  time,  under 
his  skillful  management,  the  affairs  of  the 
company  have  prospered  wonderfully  and 
it  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  con- 
cerns of  its  kind  in  that  region.  But  Mr. 
Dewey's  prominence  in  the  coal  business 
did  not  cease  to  grow  even  with  his  as- 
sumption of  the  presidency  of  so  large 
and  prominent  a  concern  as  the  Fulton 
County  Coal  Company.  He  rapidly  ex- 
tended his  interests  in  the  sam.e  line,  not 
only  in  New  York  State,  but  in  Pennsyl- 
vania as  well.  He  became  connected  with 
the  Nay  Aug  Coal  Company  of  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania,  and  now  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary  thereof  as  well  as  being 
a  director.  He  is  also  the  secretary  and 
a  director  of  the  Racket  Brook  Coal  Com- 
pany of  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania,  each 
of  these  being  important  concerns  in  its 
own  region.  He  is  also  the  president  of 
the  New  York  &  New  England  Coal 
Company  of  Albany,  New  York.  In  these 
important  offices  his  name  has  become 
well  known  to  coal  men  all  over  the  State 
and  his  voice  is  of  great  weight  in  the 
various  organizations,  business  and  other- 
wise, formed  among  them.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  these  organizations  is 
the  New  York  State  Association  of  Coal 


45 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Men,  of  which  he  is  the  vice-president,  an 
office  which  puts  him  in  the  way  of  doing 
a  great  deal  of  work  for  his  associates, 
an  opportunity  which  he  takes  advantage 
of  to  the  fullest.  Another  concern  which 
has  recently  come  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  same  circles  is  the  Coal  Mer- 
chants' Mutual  Insurance  Company  of 
New  York,  the  growth  of  which  has  been 
very  large.  Mr.  Dewey  is  president  of 
this  company  also,  and  its  development 
is  due  in  no  small  degree  to  his  masterly 
handling  of  its  affairs. 

But  Mr.  Dewey  is  not  less  well  known 
in  public  affairs  than  in  business.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  been  one 
of  the  most  active  figures  in  that  party 
in  that  part  of  the  State.  He  allied  him- 
self with  the  local  Republican  organiza- 
tion at  an  early  age  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  county.  He  was  elected 
alderman  of  Gloversville  in  1890  and 
served  on  the  board  during  that  year, 
conducting  himself  so  much  to  the  ap- 
proval of  his  constituents  that  he  was 
reelected  to  succeed  himself  in  the  years 
1891,  1892,  1893  and  1894.  His  popular- 
ity rapidly  increased  and  in  1894  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Gloversville.  After  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  for  a  single  term,  he 
withdrew  from  politics  for  a  time,  devot- 
ing himself  in  the  meantime  more  entirely 
to  his  business  projects  than  had  been 
possible  when  so  heavily  burdened  with 
public  responsibilities.  In  the  year  1904, 
however,  he  received  the  appointment  of 
postmaster  for  Gloversville  from  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  and  was  reappointed  to 
the  same  office  in  1908  by  President  Taft. 
He  instituted  many  valuable  reforms  dur- 
ing the  eight  years  in  which  he  held  office, 
leaving  it  a  more  efficient  branch  of  the 
service  than  it  had  been  when  he  began. 
With  the  change  of  power  from  the  Re- 
publican to  the  Democratic  party,  and  the 


coming  into  office  of  a  new  president,  Mr. 
Dewey  retired  from  the  postmastership 
and  since  1912  has  devoted  himself  once 
more  with  undivided  attention  to  great 
business  interests  which  he  has  had  so 
much  at  heart.  He  does  not,  however,  as 
is  the  bad  practice  of  many  of  our  leaders 
of  commerce  and  industry,  shut  himself 
away  from  outside  interests  and  the  gen- 
eral activities  of  community  life.  On  the 
contrary  he  is  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
social  and  club  circles  and  his  philan- 
thropic work  is  on  a  large  scale.  He  is  a 
member  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Eccentric  Club  of  Gloversville  and  a 
member  of  the  Scranton  Club  of  Scran- 
ton,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Nathan 
Littauer  Hospital  of  Gloversville  and  has 
held  that  position  for  above  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Dewey  was  married  at  Glovers- 
ville, New  York,  on  April  12,  1894,  to 
Mrs.  Florence  Leaming,  a  daughter  of 
Horace  Monroe  and  Asenath  (Spafford) 
Hooker,  old  and  highly  respected  citizens 
of  Cooperstown,  New  York.  Mrs.  Dewey 
is  the  mother  of  one  son  by  her  former 
marriage,  Eugene  Hooker  Leaming,  while 
one  daughter  has  been  born  of  her  second 
marriage,  Marjorie  Asenath,  August  28, 
1898. 

Large  as  has  been  the  influence  of  Mr. 
Dewey  upon  the  business  and  industrial 
interests  of  the  community  through  his 
activities  therein,  it  has  undoubtedly  been 
exceeded  by  his  influence  as  a  man.  Full 
of  charity  for  all  men,  and  of  that  ab- 
stract charity  known  as  public  spirit,  he 
has  always  been  extremely  active  in  all 
movements  for  the  advancement  of  the 
community  in  general  or  any  portion 
thereof,  besides  which  his  altruism  finds 
expression  in  many  private  ways,  of  the 
extent  of  which  probably  no  one  but  him- 
self is  aware.  He  is  the  possessor  of  a 
truly   democratic   outlook   upon   life,   the 


46 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


democracy  that  comes  of  culture  and  is 
an  accompaniment  of  the  cosmopolitan 
mind  that  culture  brings.  He  is  tolerant 
of  men,  because  he  knows  men,  under- 
standing and  sympathizing  with  the  great 
community  of  impulses  and  purposes  that 
bind  all  men  together.  He  is  posesssed 
also  of  the  graces  and  charms  of  manner 
which  only  result  from  the  best  early 
training  and  a  lifelong  familiarity  with 
the  things  of  culture  and  refinement.  A 
delightful  comrade  and  a  devoted  friend, 
he  has  gathered  about  him  a  large  circle 
of  those  who  return  his  devotion  and 
value  highly  their  intercourse  with  him. 


HOWE,  John  Bigelow, 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

When  John  Hubbard  Howe  and  Clin- 
ton Rogers  founded  the  firm  of  Howe  & 
Rogers  in  1857,  their  principal  capital 
was  courage  and  high  reputation,  finding 
the  latter  a  valuable  asset  when  seeking 
for  credit  on  a  much  larger  bill  of  goods 
than  their  slender  capital  warranted. 
They  secured  the  goods  and  began  busi- 
ness on  State  street,  near  Main  street, 
Rochester,  employing  in  all  departments 
but  three  men. 

The  business  grew,  keeping  pace  with 
Rochester's  growth,  and  is  now  (1916) 
and  long  has  been  the  leading  house  of 
its  kind  in  Western  New  York.  From 
1857  until  1892  the  business  was  con- 
ducted by  Howe  &  Rogers  as  a  partner- 
ship, being  reorganized  in  1892  as  a  cor- 
poration. The  Howe  &  Rogers  Company, 
John  H.  Howe,  president ;  Clinton  Rogers, 
vice-president.  When  the  firm  became  a 
corporation,  some  of  the  old  employees 
who  had  been  with  the  firm  from  its  be- 
ginning were  allowed  to  purchase  stock 
in  the  corporation  as  a  reward  for  their 
long  and  faithful  service.  John  Hubbard 
Howe  died  in  1903  and  at  that  time  his 
son,  John  Bigelow  Howe,  became  vice- 


president  of  the  company,  having  been 
previously  successfully  engaged  in  the 
nursery  business  for  thirteen  years.  In 
1916  the  company  moved  from  the  old 
building  on  State  street  to  a  new  modern 
store  building  they  had  erected  at  No. 
89-91  Clinton  avenue,  south,  there  they 
conduct  a  large  and  high-class  business 
in  furniture,  carpets,  oriental  and  domes- 
tic rugs,  and  draperies. 

Descendant  of  an  ancient  Massachu- 
setts family  of  great  prominence  in  each 
generation,  John  Bigelow  Howe,  as  a 
twentieth  century  representative  of  the 
name,  has  the  same  qualities  of  persever- 
ance and  industry  and  the  same  business 
ability  which  distinguished  his  honored 
father,  and  may  be  classed  as  Howe  char- 
acteristics. He  was  born  in  Rochester, 
November  14,  1867,  son  of  John  Hubbard 
and  Eliza  Augusta  (Bigelow)  Howe.  He 
was  educated  in  public  school  No.  12, 
Rochester  Free  Academy,  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Rochester,  finishing  his  studies 
at  the  last  named,  and  graduating  Bach- 
elor of  Arts,  class  of  1889.  After  leaving 
the  university  he  began  business  life  as 
a  nurseryman,  being  successfully  engaged 
in  that  business  for  thirteen  years,  1890- 
1903.  The  death  of  his  father  in  1903 
caused  him  to  sell  out  his  nursery  busi- 
ness in  order  to  take  his  place  in  the 
Howe  &  Rogers  Company,  a  business 
with  which  he  has  since  been  connected 
as  vice-president. 

Mr.  Howe,  while  a  member  of  several 
clubs,  gives  close  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness and  devotes  little  time  to  outside 
afifairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
church,  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, Sons  of  Colonial  Wars,  the  Roches- 
ter Historical  Society,  Psi  Upsilon  fra- 
ternity, the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
University  of  Rochester,  the  Genesee  Val- 
ley, Rochester  and  Rochester  Country 
clubs. 


47 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


WARREN,  A.  Frank, 

Real  Estate  Expert. 

The  real  estate  business  in  any  grow- 
ing city  is  a  very  important  one,  and  the 
growth  of  the  city  can  be  predicted  from 
the  known  character  of  the  men  who  con- 
trol that  business,  as  they  are  enterpris- 
ing, progressive  and  public-spirited  so  a 
city  improves ;  as  they  are  backward,  par- 
simonious and  illiberal  so  a  city's  growth 
is  retarded.  This  holds  true  in  every 
community  and  nowhere  is  it  truer  than 
in  Rochester.  Among  the  progressive 
real  estate  men  of  the  city  Mr.  Warren 
holds  prominent  rank,  and  no  man  is  bet- 
ter authority  on  realty  values  in  Roches- 
ter than  he.  He  has  earned  his  position 
in  the  business  life  of  the  city  by  energetic 
application  to  his  business,  upright  honor- 
able dealing,  and  by  his  public-spirited 
interest  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Rochester.  He  is  a  son  of  George  N.  and 
Mary  (Fay)  Warren,  his  father  born  in 
Wisconsin,  his  mother  in  Michigan. 
George  N.  Warren  was  a  contractor  of 
Walworth,  Wayne  county,  New  York, 
where  he  died  in  1901.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs,  and  a  long  time 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife 
died  in  1874. 

A.  Frank  Warren  was  born  at  Wal- 
worth, New  York,  November  27,  1867. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Walworth  and  Macedon,  New  York.  He 
began  business  life  with  the  K.  D.  Box 
Company  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  remaining 
with  that  company  two  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Gowanda,  New  York,  after- 
wards maintaining  connections  with  the 
Buedingen  Box  and  Lithographing  Com- 
pany of  Rochester  for  several  years.  The 
succeeding  five  years  he  operated  a  steam 
laundry  at  Lockport,  New  York,  a  very 
profitable  enterprise.  In  1898  he  located 
in  Rochester,  engaging  in  the  real  estate 


business  for  the  first  six  years  without  a 
partner.  In  1904  the  Warren-Smith  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  and  until  1908  Mr. 
Warren  was  the  managing  head  of  that 
company,  doing  an  extensive  business  in 
real  estate,  improved  and  unimproved. 
In  1908  he  organized  the  A.  Frank  War- 
ren Real  Estate  Company,  with  offices  at 
No.  89  Main  street,  east,  of  which  he  is 
the  president.  The  company  are  dealers 
in  real  estate  of  every  class  and  conduct 
a  general  agency  business  including  the 
placing  of  insurance. 

Mr.  Warren  is  thoroughly  familiar  with 
Rochester  real  estate  values,  has  won 
high  reputation  as  a  man  of  integrity, 
attends  closely  to  his  business,  and  ranks 
with  the  leading  progressive  public- 
spirited  men  of  his  business.  He  is  wise 
in  council,  a  safe  leader,  courageous  in 
his  operations  and  has  carried  through 
many  important  realty  deals.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Real  Estate 
Association,  the  Allies  Real  Estate  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York  City  and  the  Roches- 
ter Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Farm  Brokers'  Association  of 
New  York,  and  has  other  important  busi- 
ness interests.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  Yonnondio 
Lodge,  No.  63,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, Lalla  Rookh  Grotto,  and  in  politi- 
cal faith  is  a  Republican.  His  club  is  the 
Masonic.  Mr.  Warren  married.  May  10, 
1888,  Sara  L.  Churchill,  of  Batavia,  New 
York. 


GETMAN,  Oliver, 

Manufacturer,  Financier. 

Oliver  Getman,  who  during  his  long 
life  has  been  particularly  active  and  prom- 
inent in  the  public  affairs  of  Fulton  coun- 
ty, New  York,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Ephratah,  Fulton  county.  New  York, 
February  4,  1829.  The  family  from  which 


48 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  sprang  is  one  of  old  and  honored  con- 
nection with  the  early  pioneer  days  of 
New  York  State,  and  of  Fulton  county  in 
particular.  Oliver  Getman  is  in  the  sixth 
generation  from  Frederick  Getman,  the 
original  American  ancestor  of  the  Get- 
man family. 

(I)  Frederick  Getman  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, from  which  he  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1720.  In  1723  he  formed  associa- 
tion with  Jonathan  Bierman  in  jointly 
purchasing  a  tract  of  land  in  the  Stone 
Arabia  Patent,  Montgomery  county,  New 
York  State.  Part  of  this  tract  is  yet  in 
the  possession  of  the  Getman  family, 
Frederick  Getman  having  some  years 
after  the  joint  purchase  taken  over  the 
share  of  Jonathan  Bierman  and  held  the 
whole  tract  throughout  his  life.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Bierman,  presumably  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Bierman,  who  bore  him 
sons :  Frederick,  George,  John  and  Chris- 
tian, all  of  whom  participated  in  the  war 
with  the  French  prior  to  1757. 

(II)  Christian  Getman,  who  is  stated 
to  have  been  the  eldest  son  of  Frederick 
Getman,  though  on  some  of  the  records  in 
the  possession  of  the  family  his  name, 
without  date  of  birth,  appears  last  of  the 
four  sons,  passed  the  major  portion  of  his 
life  farming  the  home  land,  but  during 
the  French  war  rose  to  distinctive  rank ; 
he  brought  much  credit  to  himself  and 
to  the  family  by  his  exploits  as  a  captain 
of  rangers  in  the  Colonial  army  during 
the  war  against  the  French  and  the  ex- 
pedition against  the  Indians.  He  married 
a  widow,  whose  name  does  not  appear. 
The  children  of  the  marriage  were :  Peter, 
Christian  (2),  Adam,  Jacob,  John,  George 
and  Thomas.  His  eldest  son,  Peter, 
served  in  the  Colonial  army  with  his 
father  against  the  French  and  Indians. 

(III)  George  Getman,  son  of  Christian 
Getman,  also  took  up  the  same  occupa- 
tion   that    his    father    followed    in    peace 

N  Y— 5-4  49 


times,  and  he  farmed  steadily  and  well, 
married,  and  reared  a  large  family,  among 
his  children  being  a  son,  George  (2), 
grandfather  of  Oliver  Getman,  of  this  re- 
view. 

(IV)  George  (2)  Getman,  son  of 
George  (i)  Getman,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Mohawk,  Montgomery  county. 
New  York.  He  followed  farming,  but 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  served 
with  the  American  army,  and  for  distin- 
guished service  in  the  field  was  commis- 
sioned a  lieutenant  in  the  regular  army 
commanded  by  Colonel  Willett.  After 
the  war  he  resumed  his  agricultural  life. 
He  married  Annie  Shumaker,  by  whom 
he  had  children  as  follows :  George,  Peter, 
Joseph,  Benjamin,  Christopher  and  Wil- 
liam. 

(V)  Benjamin  Getman,  son  of  George 
(2)  and  Annie  (Shumaker)  Getman,  was 
born  on  the  homestead  of  the  family  in 
Montgomery  county.  New  York,  June  i, 
1791,  and  lived  eighteen  years  beyond  the 
allotted  span,  his  death  not  coming  until 
he  had  passed  his  eighty-eighth  year,  and 
even  then  not  of  sickness.  He  was  still 
hale  and  active  at  eighty-eight,  and  his 
demise  was  the  result  of  a  kick  received 
from  a  horse.  The  Getman  homestead, 
upon  which  Mr.  Oliver  Getman  still  lives, 
is  now  in  the  town  of  Ephratah,  Fulton 
county,  the  counties  of  Montgomery  and 
Fulton  having  been  created  from  Tryon. 
The  homestead  passed  to  Benjamin  by 
direct  bequest  of  his  father,  probably  be- 
cause he  displayed  most  intelligent  under- 
standing of  and  inclination  to  farming  as 
a  lifelong  pursuit.  He  farmed  almost  all 
his  days,  and  died  holding  the  respect  of 
the  entire  neighborhood,  where  his  per- 
sonality brought  him  into  much  promi- 
nence. During  the  War  of  1812  he  set 
aside  his  own  and  farming  interests  and 
for  the  short  campaign  served  his  coun- 
try ;  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Sack- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


etts  Harbor.  During  his  lifetime  he  held 
many  offices  of  honor  and  importance  in 
his  native  place,  and  for  many  years  was 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  worshipped  at 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church  and  served 
it  in  official  capacity.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Van  Antwerp,  of  Mohawk,  Montgomery 
county,  New  York,  and  their  children 
were :  Deborah,  died  in  infancy ;  Eliza- 
beth, married  Josiah  Williamson;  Wash- 
ington, married  Catherine  Cook ;  Chaun- 
cey,  married  Catherine  Like ;  Jane,  mar- 
ried John  Schultz ;  Delia,  married  Casper 
Saltzman ;  Rachel,  married  David  Baker ; 
Nancy  Catherine ;  Oliver,  whose  biogra- 
phy follows ;  William,  married  Mary 
Bentley;  Asa  M.,  married  Mary  Erwin; 
Crawford;  Mary  Ann,  married  Jonathan 
Saltzman. 

(VI)  Oliver  Getman,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Mary  (Van  Antwerp)  Getman,  was 
born  February  4,  1829,  and  notwithstand- 
ing a  life  of  unusual  activity,  and  the 
burden  of  voluminous  commercial  affairs 
for  many  years,  he  is  within  one  year  of 
attaining  the  age  at  which  his  father  died, 
and  is  expected  to  surpass  his  father's 
record  in  years  substantially ;  in  fact, 
longevity  is  a  noteworthy  possession  of 
the  Getman  family  in  general.  Oliver 
Getman  was  born  on  the  old  Getman 
homestead  in  the  town  of  Ephratah,  Ful- 
ton county.  New  York,  and  through  his 
mother  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old- 
est pioneer  families  of  New  York  State, 
the  progenitor  of  the  Van  Antwerp  fam- 
ily having  been  Daniel  Janse  Van  Ant- 
werp (or  Antwerpen,  as  it  was  commonly 
written),  who  emigrated  from  Antwerp, 
Belgium,  and  settled  in  New  York  State, 
at  Beverwych,  between  the  years  1656- 
1661,  shortly  thereafter  purchasing  the 
"Third  Flatt"  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Mohawk,  about  eight  miles  above  Sche- 
nectady. Oliver  Getman  attended  the 
district  school  of  Ephratah,  and  entered 


upon  his  long  life  of  business  and  public 
activities  which  have  brought  to  him 
such  credit.  For  some  time  he  farmed 
with  his  father,  and  being  a  man  of  force- 
ful character  he  became  a  power  in  the 
public  affairs  of  the  county,  and  his  public 
service  has  been  long  and  meritorious. 
All  his  many  public  offices  have  in  his 
hands  been  carried  out  conscientiously 
and  efficiently;  he  has  been  enumerator; 
was  deputy  sheriff  during  the  years  1862- 
74;  was  supervisor  1890-91  at  Johnstown; 
and  for  four  years  was  supervisor  in  Os- 
wego county.  He  served  his  country  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  as  special  deputy  to 
United  States  provost  marshal,  holding 
the  office  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
1871  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Fulton 
county,  and  after  that  term  of  public  serv- 
ice he  returned  to  the  farm,  remaining 
there  and  assisting  his  father  until  the 
latter's  death  in  1879.  Then,  in  associa- 
tion with  his  brother,  Crawford,  he  em- 
barked in  the  manufacture  of  window 
glass.  Their  factory  was  situated  at 
Cleveland,  Oswego  county.  New  York, 
and  consequently  it  became  necessary  for 
Oliver  Getman  to  remove  to  that  town. 
There  he  remained  in  official  residence 
until  1889,  although  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  period  he  was  traveling  extensively 
in  the  interest  of  the  company,  his  brother 
attending  to  the  manufacturing  end  of  the 
enterprise,  while  Oliver  organized  the 
sales  force  and  traveled  the  New  Eng- 
land States  personally.  In  1890  he  again 
took  up  residence  in  Fulton  county,  at 
Johnstown,  where  in  1890  he  was  elected 
supervisor,  and  the  following  year  re- 
elected. In  1892  he  organized  the  Get- 
man Glass  Manufacturing  Company,  be- 
coming its  president  and  assuming  direc- 
tion of  the  company's  substantial  busi- 
ness, which  was  enhanced  by  the  erection 
of  a  plant  at  Avonmore,  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Getman  had  to  remove  temporarily 


50 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  that  State  to  superintend  the  erection 
of  the  plant  at  Avonmore,  and  he  re- 
mained there  in  the  management  until 
1895,  when  he  returned  to  Johnstown. 
Although  arrived  at  an  age  when  most 
people  seek  release  from  strenuous  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Getman's  energetic  spirit  would 
not  afford  him  contentment  in  retirement, 
so  in  that  year  he  entered  into  real  estate 
operations  at  Johnstown  and  to  the  ju- 
dicious placing  on  mortgage  of  his  sur- 
plus wealth.  He  also  conducted  a  gen- 
eral office  business,  which  various  activi- 
ties kept  his  time  well  occupied  for  many 
years,  and  in  addition  he  worked  the  Get- 
man  farm ;  in  fact,  throughout  his  life  he 
continued  the  operation  of  the  ancestral 
property,  which  he  inherited  from  his 
father,  Benjamin  Getman.  In  commer- 
cial and  banking  circles  of  Johnstown  he 
became  a  strong  figure  and  was  identified 
with  many  business  interests  ;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  board  of  directors  of  the 
First  National  Bank  ;  of  the  People's  Bank, 
and  of  the  Fulton  County  Savings  Bank; 
and  was  president  of  the  Fulton  County 
Agricultural  Society.  Fraternally  he  was  a 
member  of  Garoga  Lodge,  No.  300,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  Johnstown  Chap- 
ter, No.  78,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  and 
Holy  Cross  Commandery,  No.  51,  Knights 
Templar.  In  politics  he  gives  allegiance 
and  valued  support  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  by  religious  persuasion  he  is 
a  Presbyterian. 

His  wife,  Levina  (Wood)  Getman, 
whom  he  married  on  October  31,  1855, 
and  who  died  on  February  3,  191 1,  was 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Henry  and  Polly 
(Smith)  Wood,  and  bore  him.  children  as 
follows:  I.  Leander,  married  Catherine 
Empe ;  children :  Henry  and  Catherine. 
2.  Levina,  married  Oliver  Getman.  3. 
Levi,  married  Myra  Keith ;  children :  Le- 
vina, married  Everett  Stephenson,  and 
has  a  son  Everett ;  Charles,  who  married 


Grace  Sarah  Yanney,  and  has  a  son  Har- 
old ;  Grace,  married  John  F.  Rickard,  and 
has  three  children ;  Margaret,  Florence, 
and  John  W. 

Summing  up  the  life  story  of  Oliver 
Getman  by  a  comparison  with  the  records 
of  his  many  responsible  ancestors,  it  can 
safely  be  stated  that  his  life  has  been  as 
creditable,  if  not  more  creditable,  than 
that  of  any  of  his  forebears,  taking  into 
consideration  the  many  and  varied  activ- 
ities of  his  long  life. 


GORDON,  Edgar  D., 

Public  Official. 

As  county  clerk  of  Fulton  county.  New 
York,  for  the  past  nine  years,  1907-16, 
Mr.  Gordon  has  become  one  of  the  best 
known  men  of  his  county  and  in  his  own 
city,  Johnstown,  has  gained  the  equally 
high  reputation  for  his  wise  and  bene- 
ficial interest  in  city  government.  He  is 
a  native  son  of  New  York,  born  in  Scho- 
harie county,  but  his  entire  business  and 
public  life  has  been  passed  in  Fulton 
county.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Emma 
(Tymersen)  Gordon,  his  father  a  cheese 
manufacturer  and  miller  of  Carlisle,  New 
York,  of  Scotch  ancestry. 

Edgar  D.  Gordon  was  born  at  Browns 
Hollow,  Montgomery  county.  New  York, 
May  17,  1865.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  chose  a  business  life 
and  secured  his  first  position  in  a  gen- 
eral store  as  clerk.  From  the  store  he 
passed  to  a  bookkeeper's  desk  with  J.  H. 
Decker,  Son  &  Company,  glove  manu- 
facturers of  Johnstown,  New  York,  re- 
maining with  that  company  for  eighteen 
years  in  responsible  position.  In  1907  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  Fulton  county  and 
has  held  that  office  continuously  for  nine 
years,  his  efficiency  and  popularity  being 
proven  by  his  reelections.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  for  many  years 


51 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  taken  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
serving  his  own  city,  Johnstown,  as  water 
commissioner,  alderman  and  acting 
mayor,  filling  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
Isaac  Morris,  deceased.  His  public  career 
has  been  one  of  honor  and  efficiency,  his 
long  years  of  business  training  rendering 
him  particularly  valuable  in  the  offices  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  fill.  To  his  abil- 
ity is  added  a  high  sense  of  duty  and  a 
deep  sense  of  obligation  to  return  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  most 
scrupulous  and  conscientious  perform- 
ance of  that  duty.  Of  social  friendly 
nature,  Mr.  Gordon  has  affiliated  with 
his  fellows  in  several  of  the  fraternal 
orders,  holding  all  degrees  of  the  order  of 
United  Am,erican  Mechanics,  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  including  the  Uni- 
form Rank,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  belongs  to  the  Daugh- 
ters of  Rebekah,  a  branch  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, admitting  both  sexes.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  a  Baptist,  belonging  to  the 
First  Church  of  Johnstown.  His  club  is 
the  Lotos  of  Johnstown. 

Mr.  Gordon  married,  at  Carlisle,  New 
York,  November  20,  1886,  Mina  D., 
daughter  of  Samuel  S.  and  Marion  (Ding- 
ham)  Collins.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon  have 
one  child,  a  son,  Merritt  W.,  born  Octo- 
ber 23,  1895,  in  Johnstown,  educated  in 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  Johnstown, 
a  graduate  of  the  Bliss  Electrical  School 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  connected  now 
with  the  engineering  department  of  the 
Glen  Telephone  Company  of  Johnstown, 
N.  Y. 


SLOCUM,  George  Fort, 

Law^yer. 

Since  1882  Mr.  Slocum  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rochester  bar,  and  in  the  years 
intervening  since  his  admission  he  has 
won    important    position    and    honorable 


standing  at  that  bar,  and  as  a  citizen  of 
the  city  of  Rochester.  For  the  four  years 
following  his  graduation  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Rochester  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing with  marked  success,  but  the  law  was 
his  ultimate  goal,  and  wisely  he  chose. 
Political  honors  have  been  bestowed  upon 
him  by  his  party,  including  the  nomina- 
tion for  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  but 
he  has  trusted  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  to 
preserve  his  fame  and  has  not  sought  for 
any  office  not  of  a  legal  nature.  His  rise 
in  his  profession  has  not  been  meteoric, 
but  he  has  never  taken  a  step  backward, 
and  as  the  years  progressed  he  was  found 
among  the  steadily  decreasing  few  who 
are  recognized  as  leaders.  He  is  held  in 
deepest  respect  by  his  brethren  of  the 
profession,  while  his  unfailing  courtesy, 
strict  ethical  conduct  and  clear  presenta- 
tion of  his  causes  have  won  him  the  high 
regard  of  the  State  and  federal  court 
judges  before  whom  he  appears. 

Mr.  Slocum  springs  from  one  of  the 
prominent  early  families  and  is  a  nephew 
of  General  Henry  W.  Slocum,  of  Civil 
War  fame,  commander  of  the  right  wing 
of  General  Sherman's  army  on  the  famous 
march  through  Georgia  to  the  sea.  He 
is  a  son  of  George  E.  Slocum,  born  in 
Delphi,  New  York,  but  engaged  as  a 
hardware  merchant  in  Scottsville,  Mon- 
roe county.  New  York,  from  1849  until 
his  death,  November  13,  1906.  He  was 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  district, 
held  many  town  offices,  was  clerk  of  the 
school  district  for  many  years,  and  for  a 
term  was  collector  of  tolls  on  the  Genesee 
canal.  From  1843  until  1849  he  resided 
in  Rochester,  but  the  succeeding  fifty- 
seven  years  were  spent  in  Scottsville. 
George  E.  Slocum  married  Lydia  A.  Fort, 
of  Clifton  Park,  Saratoga  county.  New 
York,  who  died  April  22,  1904,  mother  of 
four  sons :  Earll  H.,  clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court  at  Rochester ;  George  Fort,  of  fur- 


52 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ther  mention ;  LeRoy  M.,  who  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  hardware  business  at 
Scottsville ;  Mors  O.,  connected  with  the 
Western  Electric  Company  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  died  April  i,  1915,  aged  forty- 
nine  years. 

George  Fort  Slocum  was  born  at  Scotts- 
ville, Monroe  county.  New  York,  March 
2,  1856.  In  boyhood  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  village,  and  his  studies 
were  continued  at  Rochester  Free  Acad- 
emy and  Brockport  State  Normal  School, 
he  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  1874  a  licensed  teacher.  He  then  spent 
four  years  in  classical  study  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Rochester,  receiving  his  Bache- 
lor's degree,  class  of  1878.  With  gradua- 
tion from  the  University  he  closed  his 
classical  preparation,  and  until  1882  was 
engaged  as  an  instructor,  being  principal 
of  Mount  Morris  Academy,  1878-79,  and 
principal  of  the  Charlotte  Union  School, 
1881-82.  In  1880  he  served  as  school  com- 
missioner of  the  second  district  of  Mon- 
roe county  and  worthily  acquitted  him- 
self in  each  position.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  pursued  a  course  of  legal  study  and 
in  1882  was  admitted  to  the  Monroe 
county  bar.  He  at  once  opened  an  office 
in  Rochester,  and  has  been  in  continuous 
general  practice  until  the  present  year, 
1916.  For  several  years  he  was  junior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Putnam  & 
Slocum,  later  senior  member  of  Slocum 
&  Denton  and  subsequently  of  Slocum  & 
Wallace.  From  the  dissolution  of  the 
last  named  firm  in  1905  until  the  present 
he  has- practiced  alone.  From  1883  until 
1886  he  was  assistant  city  attorney  of 
Rochester,  and  during  1903-04  was  deputy 
State  attorney-general,  located  at  the 
capital,  Albany.  He  practices  in  all  State 
and  federal  courts  of  the  district,  and  dur- 
ing his  thirty-four  years  at  the  bar  has 
been  connected  with  many  of  the  cele- 
brated cases  tried  in  those  courts.    He  is 


learned  in  the  law,  wise  in  council,  sound 
in  judgment,  a  hard  worker  and  never 
takes  a  case  to  trial  unless  fully  prepared 
to  do  his  client  full  justice.  He  is  de- 
voted to  his  profession  and  has  few  out- 
side interests. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Slocum  has 
been  a  member  of  the  minority  party  in 
his  district.  In  1905  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  for  the  Rochester  district, 
and  notwithstanding  the  large  majority 
normally  against  him,  he  polled  a  sur- 
prisingly large  vote,  attesting  his  per- 
sonal popularity.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Unitarian  Church ;  member  of  the 
college  fraternity,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon. 

Mr.  Slocum  married,  October  19,  1882, 
Mabel  Hopper,  of  Friendship,  New  York, 
daughter  of  Alfred  R.  and  Julia  N.  Hop- 
per. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slocum  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children :  Mary  P.,  Mrs.  C. 
J.  Sheil,  of  Rochester;  Isla,  Mrs.  Paul 
Judson,  of  Kinderhook,  New  York;  Ray- 
mond F.,  died  October  25, 1916;  and  Ruth. 
Mr.  Slocum  conducts  his  business  at 
offices  in  the  Elwood  Building,  Roches- 
ter, the  family  residence  being  at  No.  58 
Brighton  street. 


McKELVEY,  William  J., 
Manufacturer. 

A  native  son  of  New  York  and  a  life- 
long resident  of  the  city  of  Rochester, 
maternally  descended  from  Revolutionary 
ancestors,  early  settlers  of  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, and  paternally  from  the  McKel- 
veys  of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  Mr.  McKel- 
vey  has  in  his  own  right  won  distinction 
in  business  and  social  circles,  worthy  of 
the  honored  name  he  bears.  A  McKelvey 
has  been  an  integral  part  of  Rochester's 
business  structure  since  1839,  and  for 
years  John  McKelvey  and  his  son,  Wil- 
liam J.   McKelvey,  were  contemporaries 


53 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


although  eng-aged  in  different  lines  of 
trade.  When  John  McKelvey,  born  in 
the  north  of  Ireland  of  Scotch  parents, 
came  to  Rochester,  in  1839,  he  established 
a  cooperage  business,  built  a  name  for 
integrity  and  thrift,  and  until  1890  con- 
tinued a  resident  of  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion, ending  his  earthly  career  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years,  a  man  honored  and 
respected.  He  married  Susan  Louise 
Scofield,  who  traced  her  descent  from  the 
Scofields  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  who 
were  settlers  in  1641. 

William  J.  McKelvey,  son  of  John  and 
Susan  Louise  (Scofield)  McKelvey,  was 
born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  May  11, 
1844,  and  is  yet  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
his  birth.  He  completed  grammar  and 
high  school  courses  of  study,  then  began 
a  long  and  honorable  business  career  as 
clerk  in  the  Rochester  freight  office  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railroad.  He  aspired 
to  become  a  merchant  and  in  due  course 
of  time,  1874,  realized  his  ambition,  be- 
coming an  extensive  and  prosperous 
dealer  in  tobacco.  He  extended  his  lines 
of  operation  as  the  years  broadened  his 
vision  and  gave  him  experience,  judg- 
ment and  foresight  to  discern  the  oppor- 
tunities waiting  to  be  seized,  becoming 
well  known  in  commercial  and  financial 
circles  as  a  man  with  the  ability  both  to 
plan  with  wisdom  and  execute  with  vigor. 
On  May  i,  1903,  he  formed  his  present 
connection,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  At- 
lantic Stamping  Company,  a  corporation 
manufacturing  anti-rust  tinware,  copper, 
nickel  and  aluminum  galvanized  ware, 
with  factory  at  Nos.  156-180  Ames  street, 
Rochester. 

The  career  of  Mr.  McKelvey  has  been 
one  of  business  success,  but  he  must  not 
be  classed  with  those  who  have  made  the 
material  things  of  life  their  sole  pursuit. 
His  conception  of  manhood  and  citizen- 
ship  makes    for   fraternity,   benevolence, 


liberal  thinking  and  good  fellowship,  and 
his  beliefs  shine  forth  in  his  deeds. 
Loyalty  to  principle,  integrity  and  fair- 
ness are  distinguishing  traits  and  while 
his  Scotch-Irish-American  blood  spells 
thrift,  keenness  and  energy  in  all  things, 
he  is  so  well  balanced  mentally  that  no 
one  trait  or  attribute  of  his  nature  gains 
at  the  expense  of  another.  Mr.  McKel- 
vey is  a  member  of  the  official  board  of 
the  First  Methodist  Church,  of  Rochester, 
and  has  long  been  a  strong  pillar  of 
support  to  that  church  and  its  pastors. 
Through  his  patriotic  ancestry,  he  has 
gained  admission  to  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  through  his 
own  upright  honorable  life  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  From  his  brethren  of  the 
order  he  has  received  the  strongest  evi- 
dences of  their  regard  and  appreciation  of 
his  zeal  for  the  order,  he  being  a  past 
master  of  Younondio  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  past  high  priest  of 
Hamilton  Chapter.  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
and  past  eminent  commander  of  Monroe 
Commandery.  Knights  Templar.  He  is 
also  a  noble  of  Damascus  Temple,  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Club. 

Mr.  McKelvey  married,  January  18, 
1893,  Grace  Spencer,  of  Sonora.  New 
York,  and  their  home,  No.  9  Locust  ave- 
nue, graced  by  a  daughter,  Margaret 
Scofield  McKelvey,  is  the  abode  of  gen- 
erous hospitality,  welcome  and  friendli- 
ness. 


BOSWORTH,  Frank  A., 
Banker. 

When  in  1872  the  choice  had  to  be 
made  between  the  legal  profession  or  the 
banking  business,  Mr.  Bosworth  chose 
banking  as  his  life  work,  a  choice  he  does 
not  regret  and  one  to  which  he  has  re- 
ligiously adhered.  He  began  at  the  foot 
of  the  ladder  as  clerk,  passed  through  a 


54 


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f  JOBS  of  the 

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■:  evi- 
■.:rirjt 
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■ '-  and 
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PUBLIC  LIBRA R; 


T-,LD'   f-     P   ".■NO-.     'ON.« 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


series  of  merited  promotions,  and  since 
1907  has  been  vice-president  of  the  First 
National  Inink  of  Utica,  an  institution  to 
whose  prosperity  and  growth  his  experi- 
ence and  ability  has  largely  contributed. 

lie  is  of  Eng-lish  ancestry,  his  grand- 
father, Obadiah  Bosworth,  coming"  from 
England  with  his  family  and  settling  on 
(ienesee  street,  Utica,  New  York,  opposite 
the  old  Butterfield  estate,  and  for  a  few 
years  was  manager  of  the  Butterfield 
farm.  He  then  cultivated  a  farm  at  Paris 
Hill,  finally  locating  near  his  son  at  Clock- 
ville,  Madison  County,  New^  York,  his 
residence  until  his  death.  William  V. 
Bosworth,  son  of  Obadiah  Bosworth,  was 
eight  years  of  age  when  his  father  brought 
him  to  Utica  where  his  youth  was  spent 
until  the  removal  to  the  Paris  Hill  farm. 
When  choosing  a  vocation,  he  selected 
farming  and  for  a  few  years  he  cultivated 
his  own  farm  at  Clockville,  Madison 
county.  He  later  abandoned  farming  and 
engaged  in  commercial  life  in  Clockville 
as  merchant  and  produce  dealer.  He  rose 
to  prominence  in  Madison  county ;  served 
as  sherifif  of  the  county  by  appointment  to 
fill  a  vacancy  and  was  one  of  the  strong 
men  of  the  Republican  party.  He  served 
as  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church  of  Clock- 
ville for  thirty  years  and  in  all  things 
was  reliable,  trustworthy  and  progressive. 
He  married  Maria  P.  Wilcox,  of  Clock- 
ville, and  had  three  children :  Frank  A., 
mentioned  below  ;  Cora  O. ;  and  William 
v.,  who  yet  farms  the  old  homestead. 

Frank  A.  Bosworth  w^as  born  at  the 
homestead  near  Clockville,  Madison  coun- 
ty. New  York,  February  20,  1854.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  also  completed  a 
course  in  commercial  law  and  bookkeep- 
ing. He  then  was  given  a  choice  either 
to  enter  the  law  office  of  his  uncle.  Judge 
B.  F.  Chapman,  or  the  Canastota  National 
Bank  under  the  pioneer  banker,  David  H. 
Rasbach.     He  chose  the  bank  and  at  once 


began  the  fulfillment  of  his  duties  as 
clerk.  In  the  spring  of  the  following 
year  1873,  he  left  his  first  employ  to  be- 
come junior  clerk  in  the  Oneida  County 
Bank  of  Utica  under  J.  Milton  Butler. 
There  he  began  his  upward  climb  and  as 
he  became  proficient  was  successfully  ad- 
vanced, becoming  discount  clerk,  book- 
keeper, teller;  in  1886  a  director,  and  in 
1887  acting  cashier.  He  filled  the  latter 
position  until  1899,  then  succeeded  to  full 
management  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  But- 
ler. He  continued  head  of  the  Oneida 
County  Bank  until  the  following  1^'ebru- 
ary,  1900,  when  it  was  merged  with  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Utica,  when  he 
was  made  one  of  the  cashiers  of  the  First 
National.  He  was  elected  vice-president 
in  1907,  and  in  that  office  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  he  still 
serves.  His  business  career  has  been  one 
of  progressive  honors  won  by  ability,  de- 
termination and  force,  continued  with  the 
highest  conception  of  business  integrity. 
He  makes  no  engagement  that  he  does 
not  fill ;  incurs  no  obligation  that  he  does 
not  meet. 

Before  business  engagements  grew  too 
heavy,  Mr.  Bosworth  was  a  director  and 
treasurer  of  the  Utica  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  from  1910  to  1913  was  a  trus- 
tee of  the  New  York  State  Hospital  at 
Ray  Brook,  New  York,  by  appointment 
of  Governor  Hughes.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  has  been  an  elder  of  Westmin- 
ster Presbyterian  Church,  and  for  six 
years  was  president  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation and  is  now  a  director.  In  politi- 
cal faith  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Bosworth  married  (first)  at  Utica. 
in  June,  1884,  Nellie  E.  Sherwood,  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  F.  Sherwood.  \vho  died 
in  1894  leaving  two  children:  Frances  M. 
and  Sherwood  B.  Bosworth.  Mr.  Bos- 
worth married  (second)  in  1910,  Mrs. 
Flattie  J.  Chamberlin,  of  Utica. 


55 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


PIDRICK,  William  H., 

Manufacturer. 

Probably  no  business  in  the  United 
States  has  undergone  a  greater  transfor- 
mation in  the  last  half  century  than  that 
of  caring  for  the  dead.  In  no  branch  of 
that  business,  a  sacred  one  from  its  very 
nature,  has  the  change  been  more  com- 
plete than  in  the  manufacture  and  distri- 
bution of  caskets.  With  that  particular 
branch  Mr.  Pidrick  has  been  connected 
since  1879,  his  service  having  been  con- 
tinuous with  the  Stein  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Rochester  and  their  succes- 
sor, the  National  Casket  Company.  The 
business  transacted  at  the  Rochester  plant 
is  simply  enormous,  caskets  going  to 
every  part  of  the  United  States,  to  Cuba, 
South  America,  South  Africa,  Australia, 
Canada  and  European  countries.  These 
are  not  caskets  of  an  inferior  character 
but  include  caskets  of  the  finest  woods, 
upholstering  and  decoration.  The  greatest 
and  most  honored  of  the  nation's  dead  of 
recent  years  sleep  in  caskets  prepared 
under  Mr.  Pidrick's  supervision,  includ- 
ing President  Grant,  President  Garfield, 
James  Gordon  Bennett,  and  thousands  of 
others,  great  in  their  day  and  generation. 

He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Hos- 
ken)  Pidrick,  both  of  English  birth  and 
ancestry.  William  Pidrick  was  born  in 
1823,  and  died  in  Rochester  in  1886.  a 
carpenter  and  builder.  He  married,  in 
England,  Jane  Hosken.  born  in  1825,  and 
in  1849  came  to  the  United  States,  land- 
ing at  New  York.  He  had  a  young  friend 
in  Milwaukee  and  it  was  Mr.  Pidrick's 
intention  to  join  him,  but  traveling  by  the 
Erie  canal  his  journey  was  interrupted  by 
an  accident  and  he  walked  into  Rochester. 
Funds  were  low  and  to  restore  his  finances 
he  received  employment  at  his  trade. 
When  again  in  funds,  he  had  lost  the 
desire    to    proceed    and     Rochester    had 


gained  a  permanent  and  a  useful  citizen. 
He  worked  for  a  time  as  a  journeyman 
then,  but  he  was  an  expert  builder  and 
soon  began  contracting  in  his  own  name. 
For  several  years  he  conducted  business 
alone,  building  up  a  large  business  which 
finally  demanded  a  partner's  assistance. 
He  admitted  Robert  Boyd  to  a  partner- 
ship, and  together  they  conducted  the 
large  business  until  Mr.  Pidrick's  retire- 
ment in  1882.  The  last  building  the  firm 
erected  was  the  Powers  Hotel,  completed 
in  1882,  although  the  finest  structures  in 
Rochester  erected  prior  to  1882  are  monu- 
ments to  the  skill,  energy  and  business 
ability  of  William  Pidrick.  He  began  his 
career  at  the  very  foot  of  the  ladder,  but 
ended  it  at  the  very  top,  ranking  with  the 
most  prominent  contractors  of  the  city. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
a  man  highly  regarded  and  esteemed. 

William  H.  Pidrick  was  born  in  Roches- 
ter, September  i,  1857,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  honored  business  men  and  citizens  of 
the  city  of  his  birth.  He  attended  public 
schools  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  then 
left  high  school  to  begin  learning  the  car- 
penter's trade,  much  against  the  wishes 
of  his  parents.  He  was  ambitious,  strong 
and  self-reliant,  and  under  his  capable 
father's  instruction  soon  became  an  ex- 
pert worker  in  wood.  He  finished  a  regu- 
lar apprenticeship,  then  for  one  year 
traveled  and  worked  in  the  West.  Al- 
though he  had  spent  years  to  acquire  the 
carpenter's  trade,  he  was  not  satisfied 
with  it,  and  after  returning  to  Rochester 
he  learned  the  trade  of  cutter  and  for  two 
years  followed  that  trade  with  one  of 
Rochester's  wholesale  clothing  houses. 
In  1879  he  secured  a  position  with  the 
Stein  Manufacturing  Company,  then  en- 
gaged in  the  most  exceedingly  popular 
business  of  casket  making  for  the  whole- 
sale trade.  He  was  a  valuable  man  for 
the  company,  his  dual  trades,  carpentry 


56 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  cloth  cutting-,  being-  available  in  both 
the  manufacturing  and  upholstering  de- 
partments. At  the  expiration  of  six 
months,  when  he  announced  his  intention 
of  returning  to  the  clothing  business,  the 
company,  loath  to  lose  him,  offered  extra 
inducements  and  secured  his  services  for 
six  months  longer.  When  that  term  ex- 
pired he  was  induced  to  sign  a  contract 
for  two  years  longer,  but  before  that  con- 
tract expired  the  company  was  reorgan- 
ized and  incorporated  as  The  Stein  Manu- 
facturing Company.  Mr.  Pidrick  was  in- 
vited to  become  a  stockholder,  which  he 
did  to  the  extent  of  all  the  capital  he 
could  command.  This  was  in  1885,  and 
until  1890  he  was  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  Rochester  plant.  In  1890  the  com- 
pany was  again  reorganized  as  The  Na- 
tional Casket  Company,  and  Mr.  Pidrick, 
then  in  charge  of  the  technical  depart- 
ment, was  recalled  to  Rochester  and  made 
manger  of  the  company's  plant  and  manu- 
facturing business  in  that  city.  From  that 
time  forward  he  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
plant  and  practical  directing  head  of  the 
wonderful  business  transacted  in  the 
manufacture  of  burial  caskets  from  the 
rough  lumber  to  the  finished  product. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  capable  of  busi- 
ness men,  and  being  a  practical  me- 
chanic, understanding  the  two  important 
branches  of  the  business  from  a  mechani- 
cal standpoint,  he  is  the  ideal  manager. 

Mr.  Pidrick  was  "made  a  Mason"  short- 
ly after  coming  of  age,  and  has  ever  since 
been  affiliated  with  Valley  Lodge,  No. 
109,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  is 
held  in  high  regard  by  his  brethren  of  the 
order,  and  in  his  life  exemplifies  the  ex- 
cellent tenets  of  that  order.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  other  organizations,  business,  so- 
cial and  fraternal,  and  as  did  his  excellent 
father  before  him  he  bears  an  honored 
name.  Mr.  Pidrick  married,  in  1888,  Anna 
Barr,  of  Rochester. 


WEBB,  W.  Edwin, 

Manufacturer. 

As  head  of  the  Rochester  Box  and 
Lumber  Company  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  for  twenty  years  Mr. 
Webb  has  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of 
the  action  which  placed  him  in  executive 
management.  From  youth  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden 
boxes  of  all  descriptions  and  is  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  every  detail  of  the 
company's  business  from  a  mechanical 
standpoint.  As  vice-president  and  man- 
ager for  several  years  he  became  familiar 
with  factory  management  and  office  de- 
tail, thus  bringing  to  the  president's  office 
a  thorough  equipment  under  him,  the 
most  capable  and  efficient  chief  execu- 
tive of  a  large  and  prosperous  business. 
He  is  of  New  York  birth,  son  of  William 
M.  and  Sarah  J.  (Neale)  Webb,  both  de- 
ceased, his  father  a  contractor  and  builder 
of  Rochester,  New  York,  who  died  in 
1902. 

W.  Edwin  Webb  was  born  in  Ontario, 
New  York,  December  18,  i860,  but  when 
he  was  young  his  parents  moved  to 
Rochester  where  he  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
began  working  in  a  lowly  position  in  a 
box  factory,  continuing  an  employee  until 
1896  although  advanced  to  a  responsible 
position.  In  1896  he  became  interested  in 
the  Rochester  Box  and  Lumber  Company 
as  a  stockholder  and  has  from  that  year 
been  connected  with  the  company  in 
official  capacity.  In  1907  he  was  elected 
vice-president  and  manager,  the  com- 
pany's business  growing-  to  be  one  of 
importance.  He  continued  in  that  posi- 
tion until  1912,  when  Mr.  E.  S.  Clarke  died 
and  Mr.  Webb  bought  out  his  interest 
and  was  elected  president,  his  present 
relation.  The  company's  plant,  located 
on  Culver  road  subway,  is  modern  in  its 


57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


equipment  and  methods,  and  the  record 
of  the  company  is  one  of  honor  and  effi- 
ciency. The  business  has  been  one  of 
constant  growth,  Mr.  Webb  both  as  man- 
ager and  president  bent  on  not  only  main- 
taining the  high  reputation  already  estab- 
lished for  promptness  and  reliability  but 
to  constantly  advance  that  reputation  and 
add  to  an  already  very  large  business. 

Mr.  Webb  is  a  member  of  Valley  Lodge, 
No.  109,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons; 
Hamilton  Chapter,  No.  62,  Royal  Arch 
Masons ;  Monroe  Commandery,  No.  12, 
Knights  Templar ;  and  of  Damascus 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
is  highly  regarded  in  the  order,  is  devoted 
to  its  principles  and  welfare  and  is  zeal- 
ous of  its  fair  fame.  He  is  a  member  of 
Central  Presbyterian  Church.  His  club 
is  the  Rotary  of  Rochester. 

Mr.  Webb  married,  in  1881,  Margaret 
Elizabeth  Parker,  who  died  in  September 
1902,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Parker,  of  Roches- 
ter, and  the  mother  of  two  children  :  Jesse 
H.  and  Loren  D.  Mr.  Webb  married 
(second)  in  October,  1903,  Theresa  Cut- 
ter, of  Bloomfield,  New  York.  The  family 
home  is  a  beautiful  residence  at  No.  1075 
Genesee  street,  Rochester. 


BENNETT,  Burton  G., 

Insurance  Actuary. 

No  business  during  the  past  half  cen- 
tury has  developed  more  men  of  strong 
ability  than  life  insurance  and  among  the 
men  of  to-day  who  have  come  up  from 
the  ranks  to  positions  of  managerial  im- 
portance there  is  none  whose  advance  has 
been  more  pronounced  than  has  that  of 
Burton  G.  Bennett,  general  agent  for  the 
Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Milwaukee.  He  was  not  "to 
the  manner  born,"  had  no  connection  with 
life  insurance  as  a  business  until  his 
twentieth  year,  but  he  developed  rapidly 


and  so  proved  his  worth  that  in  fourteen 
years  he  passed  from  a  clerkship  to  the 
post  he  now  occupies  with  one  of  the 
leading  companies  of  the  United  States. 
Although  a  native  son  of  New  York  he 
spent  five  years  of  the  formative  period 
of  his  life  in  the  far  west  developing  the 
strong  qualities  of  self-reliance,  energy 
and  keen  perception  that  characterize 
him.  He  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Cly- 
mena  M.  (Shutts)  Bennett.  John  M. 
Bennett,  a  farmer  of  Moreland,  Schuyler 
county,  New  York,  left  his  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  in  charge  of  his  son  Oscar 
in  1875  and  journeyed  to  Prescott,  Arizo- 
na, making  the  trip  westward  from  Junc- 
tion City,  Kansas,  by  ox  team  across  the 
plains  consuming  five  months  in  making 
the  journey. 

Burton  G.  Bennett  was  born  at  the 
Schuyler  county  farm  in  Moreland,  New 
York,  December  8,  1864,  and  there  spent 
the  first  eleven  years  of  his  life.  He  made 
the  journey  with  his  parents  in  1875,  the 
experiences  of  those  five  months  in  a 
wagon  crossing  the  plains  remaining  vivid 
in  his  memory.  He  supplemented  the 
early  training  received  in  the  Moreland 
school  with  courses  of  study  in  the  Pres- 
cott, Arizona,  schools  and  there  remained 
until  1879  when  he  returned  East.  He 
was  variously  employed  in  summer  and 
at  school  in  winter  until  1883  when  he 
located  his  residence  in  Rochester,  which 
city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  After 
a  course  in  the  Rochester  Business  In- 
stitute he  entered  the  employ  of .  the 
Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  in  a  clerical  capacity  and  the 
association  then  formed  has  never  been 
broken,  on  the  contrary  has  become  more 
intimate  as  the  years  have  progressed. 
From  the  clerical  force  Mr.  Bennett 
graduated  to  the  field  staff  and  so  well 
did  he  demonstrate  his  ability  as  a  pro- 
ducer  that   he   was   advanced   to  higher 


58 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,    L-^KOX 
J'^^t.\     FOUNDAMONS 


i.^v  :.  v.^UJr'l.L:: 


'k  and  greater  opportunity."    In   i8 
:  general  agent  of  the  Rochester    ' 

let   was   removed  by   death,  and 
matter  of  earned  promotion  Mr.  Benne 
was  riamed  as  his  succer     - 

That  the  choice  wa^ 
dom  the  subsequent  A  the  R' 

ter   district    am    ' 
agent  Mr.  Bent;     . 
has   been   given   full   scope 
reated  a  fif '  '   ' 
parted   his 

to  a  large  degree,  fhe  district  is  one  of 
the  best  conducted  and  productive  in  the 
entire  territory  covered  by  the  North- 
western and  no  member  of  the  general 
;;g-cr!cy  staflf  has  compiled  a  better  or 
iTiore  honorable  record.  The  commodious 
offices  of  the  company  are  in  the  Granite 
Fi''I(^ing"  and  there  a  very  large  business 
is  tratisacted  in  renewals,  new  applica- 
tions and  settlements.  Over  all  Mr.  Ben- 
nett is  the  presiding  genius,  his  spirit  of 
energy  and  systematic  orderly  prore<';T-f- 
permeating  every  department. 

Mr.    Bennett    was    married,    June    i2, 

?R^R    to  K::thrn  B.  Udell,  of  Rrrrhr^i-^r 


O^GRADY,  James  M.  E., 

Iiawyer,  Pablic   Official. 

>lonel  O'Grady  is  a  living  refutation 
a  man  "is  not  without  honor  save  in 
>wn  country,"  for  in  Rochester,  the 
of  his  birth  an(^  ■■'  l.I  lifetime  resi- 
e,  he  is  honore  of  the  ablest 

■  wyers  and  statesmen.    A  product  of 
public  schools  and  of  her  university, 
.  actitioner  in  her  courts  for  over  a 
ter  of  a  century,  Rochester  has  shoAvn 
-irle  she  feels  and  the  confidence  sh-^ 
in  her  son  by  committing  man 
•usts  to  his  care  and  by  se- 
'er  represent     '   '    ■"  ^'-^^  ' 
!1.«5  and  to  !■ 


skill  as  a 


>n  to  duty. 

and  for  every  hu/ior  b- 
by  his  fellow  men  he 
J  hie  service  that  has  adde 
y  and  glory  of  his  native 
.ow  just  in  his  prime  and  fui 
of  his  splendid  pow<^t-«    ih**  fwt 
for  him  nothing,  b 
Honored  in  the    ■*■  .    .)..   a 

adds  to  his  lear; 
titioner  an  eloquent 
strength  in  argt-!--   ■ 
a  bulwark   of  : 
advocate- 

James    J;.    r..    '.." 
Rochester,   New  Yv 
son  of  Daniel  and  V 
O'Grady.     He  ..' 
tion  in  Roche?te 
ate  sch(., 
^ree  Acaaeuiy, 
class  of  1879. 
the  University  of  Ro 
degree  of  A.  B 
ile  was  admitt 
bar  the  sam 
tive  private  pia 
but  since  that  d 
ously  in  practic  . 
admitted  to 
of  the  distriu. 
lucrative   practi 
the  various  ' 
regarded  as 
sional  breth; 

In 


until  ie>M2.  ami 


McDon 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  of  the  heads  of  the  public  school 
system  of  the  city,  and  so  proved  his  in- 
terest and  his  ability  to  deal  with  ques- 
tions of  public  policy  that  in  1892  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  Lower  House 
of  the  New  York  Legislature,  serving 
through  successive  reelections  until  the 
close  of  the  session  of  1898.  He  was  one 
of  the  strong  men  of  the  House  and  in 
committee  and  upon  the  floor  a  recog- 
nized power  both  in  counsel  and  debate. 
During  the  sessions  of  1897  and  1898  he 
was  speaker  of  the  house,  there  proving 
his  quality  as  a  parlimentarian  and  leader 
of  men.  In  1898  he  was  the  Republican 
nominee  for  Congress  from  the  New  York 
Thirty-first  Congressional  District,  was 
elected  and  served  during  the  life  of  the 
Fifty-sixth  Congress,  beginning  March  4, 
1S99,  ending  March  3,  1901.  His  congres- 
sional career  was  in  keeping  with  the 
previous  high  quality  of  his  public  serv- 
ice, and  he  retired  from  ofBce  with  the 
respect  of  his  colleagues,  then  resuming 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  During 
the  administration  of  Governor  Frank 
P)lack,  Mr.  O'Grady  was  appointed  assist- 
ant judge  advocate  general  on  the  Gov- 
erner's  staflf,  ranking  as  a  colonel  of  the 
New  York  National  Guard.  He  is  now 
upon  the  supernumerary  list  subject  to 
call  from  the  State. 

Genial  and  social  in  disposition.  Colonel 
O'Grady  enjoys  the  society  of  his  friends 
in  several  organizations  of  Rochester  and 
New  York.  His  Rochester  clubs  are : 
Genesee  Valley  and  Rochester  Country, 
and  his  New  York  club,  the  Republican 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Cathedral  congre- 
gation of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

Colonel  O'Grady  married  at  Rochester, 
June  29,  1909,  Margaret  Louise,  daughter 
of  Stephen  and  Kate  Rauber,  and  has  a 
daughter  Margaret  Louise,  born  Novem- 
ber II,  1914. 


SUMNER,  Charles  Ralsey,  M.  D., 

Physician. 

The  practice  of  medicine  according  to 
the  teachings  of  the  great  Hahnemann, 
the  founder  of  the  school  of  Homoeopa- 
thy, was  introduced  into  Rochester  by  Dr. 
Augustus  P.  Biegler,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Berlin,  in  1840.  In  the 
years  which  have  intervened  many  prac- 
titioners of  that  school  have  practiced 
their  healing  art  in  the  city,  and  are  num- 
bered among  the  most  eminent  men  of 
medicine  of  any  school.  Dr.  Charles  R. 
Sumner  came  to  Rochester  in  1877  and 
seven  years  later  had  attained  such  stand- 
ing among  his  professional  brethren  that 
he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Monroe 
County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 
He  has  steadily  grown  in  professional 
prominence  and  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful members  of  his  honored  profes- 
sion. He  has  devoted  his  life  to  his  pro- 
fession and  through  interesting  devotion 
to  the  scientific  principles  underlying  his 
work  with  close  and  careful  diagnosis  has 
won  rich  reward.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr. 
Charles  and  Mary  J.  (White)  Sumner, 
his  father  also  a  physician  practicing  in 
Otsego  county.  New  York,  at  the  time  of 
his  son's  birth,  and  who  came  to  Roches- 
ter in  1856. 

Charles  Ralsey  Sumner  was  born  in 
Gilbertville,  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
March  12,  1852.  He  prepared  for  college 
in  public  and  private  institutions  of  learn- 
ing, and  in  1870  entered  the  University  of 
Rochester  whence  he  was  graduated  A. 
B.,  1874,  A.  M.,  1877.  He  chose  medicine 
as  his  profession,  preparing  at  New  York 
Homoeopathic  Medical  College,  receiving 
the  degree  of  M.  D.,  class  of  1877.  He 
began  practice  in  Rochester  the  same  year 
and  has  been  so  engaged  continuously 
until  the  present  year,  1916.     From  1894 


60 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


unlil  1900  he  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  health  commissioners  of  the  city  of 
Rochester  and  rendered  yeoman  service 
in  the  cause  of  public  health.  He  is  an 
ardent  disciple  of  the  gospel  of  prevention 
and  through  his  untiring  efforts  the  pub- 
lic health  was  surrounded  by  additional 
safeguards.  He  is  now  one  of  the  com- 
missioners of  Mount  Hope  Cemetery.  He 
is  an  ex-president  of  the  Monroe  County 
Medical  Society;  ex-president  of  the 
Rochester  Academy  of  Science ;  member 
and  ex-president  of  the  Medical  Staff  of 
Rochester  Homoeopathic  Hospital ;  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy ;  New  York  State,  Monroe  County 
and  Western  New  York  Homoeopathic 
societies,  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  all.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  ;  Psi  Upsilon  and  of  the 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  fraternities.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 

Dr.  Sumner  married,  October  11,  1877, 
Julia  L.  Parsons,  of  Rochester,  the  family 
home  being  No.  20  Sibley  place.  Dr.  Sum- 
ner has  his  offices  at  No.  233  Alexander 
street ;  his  son.  Dr.  Cyril  Sumner,  is  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  practice.  He  has  also 
two  daughters,  Mrs.  S.  P.  Curtis  and 
Estelle. 


WARREN,  Arthur, 

JjSLw-yeT,  Publicist. 

During  the  twenty-five  years  Mr.  War- 
ren has  been  a  member  of  the  Monroe 
county  bar,  he  has  attained  not  only 
prominence  as  a  lawyer  of  ability,  but  has 
figured  largely  in  the  political  life  of  his 
city  and  county.  His  prominence  in  pro- 
fessional and  public  life  has  not  precluded 
his  taking  a  leading  part  in  the  lighter, 
but  not  less  important,  activities  of  city 
life,  and  in  club  and  fraternity  he  is  one 
of  the  best  known  figures. 

Mr.  Warren  is  a  descendant  of  the 
"Warrens  of  Pennsylvania,"  early  settlers 


in  that  State,  a  Warren  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Sullivan  county.  Ward 
Warren,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  from 
Pennsylvania,  married  Helen  Lilley,  also 
a  PcnnsN  Ivanian  by  birth,  and  spent  his 
after  life  engaged  in  farming. 

Arthur  Warren,  son  of  Ward  and  Helen 
(  Lilley)  Warren,  was  born  in  Granville, 
Pennsylvania,  March  12,  1865,  and  after 
obtaining  a  public  school  education  en- 
tered Genesee  Wesleyan  Seminary  at 
Lima,  New  York,  there  completing  his 
academic  studies.  He  chose  the  profes- 
sion of  law  and  at  succeeding  periods 
studied  under  the  direction  of  Myron  T. 
Bly,  Harris  &  Harris  and  Judge  C.  C. 
Lavy.  In  1891  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Monroe  county  bar,  began  practice  in 
Rochester  and  so  continues  with  offices 
at  1020  Granite  Building.  With  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  began  the  serious  busi- 
ness of  establishing  a  practice  in  a  strange 
city.  He  at  first  was  associated  with  An- 
drew Ludolph  and  in  later  years  with 
D.  Curtis  Gano,  who  had  studied  law  in 
Mr.  Warren's  office.  This  association 
continued  two  years  and  from  that  time 
Mr.  Warren  has  practiced  alone.  He  be- 
gan and  has  continued  a  general  practi- 
tioner and  as  the  years  have  passed  he 
has  grown  stronger  and  more  firmly 
established  in  public  esteem.  He  pos- 
sesses the  clear,  logical  analytical  mind  of 
the  successful  lawyer,  has  a  keen  sense 
of  the  relative  importance  of  law  points 
and  testimony  and  dwells  not  on  triviali- 
ties but  on  the  strong  features  of  his  case. 
Thus  armed,  he  is  strong  in  the  presenta- 
tion of  his  cases  and  that  strength  is  aug- 
mented by  his  eloquent  speech  and  con- 
vincing manner.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
local  and  State  bar  associations  and  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  those  whom  he 
often  opposes  as  well  as  by  the  bench  and 
bar  generally. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Warren 
has  figured  prominently  in  public  life  and 


61 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  on  several  occasions  received  the  en- 
dorsement of  his  fellow^  men  at  the  polls, 
lie  represented  the  nineteenth  ward  as 
general  committeeman  for  several  years, 
was  twice  elected  supervisor  from  that 
ward,  and  in  November,  1903,  was  the 
choice  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of 
Monroe  county  for  county  attorney.  He 
served  six  years  in  that  position  and  re- 
tired from  office  with  high  reputation  as 
guardian  of  the  county's  legal  interests. 
He  resumed  private  practice  after  his 
term  expired,  the  experience  in  the  county 
attorney's  office  adding  prestige  to  his  al- 
ready well  established  reputation. 

As  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce he  has  aided  to  the  extent  of  his 
opportunity  in  all  the  movements  of  that 
body  to  advance  Rochester's  material 
prosperity  and  as  a  member  of  the  Good 
Roads  Association  he  has  preached  the 
gospel  of  good  roads  persistently  and 
effectively.  For  many  years  he  served 
on  the  executive  committee  of  fifteen,  and 
on  the  legislative  committee  of  the  asso- 
ciation has  lectured  in  all  parts  of  the 
State,  appearing  before  farmers'  institutes, 
good  roads  conventions  and  legislative 
bodies,  presenting  the  cause  of  good  roads 
with  all  the  fervency  of  his  nature  and  with 
logic  and  eloquence  creating  the  senti- 
ment which  has  crystallized  in  legislation 
and  the  building  of  hundreds  of  miles  of 
State  and  county  roads.  He  is  a  member 
of  Yonnondio  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Ionic  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons, and  served  as  grand  high  priest  of 
Royal  Arch  Masons  of  the  State  in  1914 
and  1915;  Cyrene  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  the  Masonic  Club  of  which  he 
was  a  director ;  Rochester  Lodge,  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks ; 
and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
His  clubs  are  the  Rochester  Athletic  and 
the  Genesee  Valley  Golf,  of  which  he  was 
formerly  president. 


GLENN,  Richard  M.C., 

Active  Business  Man. 

Vice-president  of  the  American  Cigar 
Company  of  New  York  City,  and  occupy- 
ing official  positions  in  various  other  sub- 
sidiary companies  of  the  American  To- 
bacco Company,  Richard  Murray  Cun- 
ingham  Glenn  comes  of  the  sturdy 
Scotch  stock  which  has  done  so  much  for 
the  development  of  a  prosperous  and 
modern  commonwealth  in  Virginia.  His 
great-grandfather,  James  Anderson  Glenn, 
was  born  in  1760  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
and  came  to  Virginia  as  a  young  man, 
settling  at  Bloomsburg,  Halifax  county, 
now  known  as  Turberville,  Halifax  coun- 
ty, where  he  died  in  January,  1812.  He 
was  an  educated  and  gifted  man,  and  ex- 
ercised a  large  influence  in  the  commu- 
nity. He  married  Isabella  Wilson,  born 
March  17,  1778,  died  September  18,  1846, 
daughter  of  Colonel  John  Wilson,  of 
Davis  Hill,  Pittsylvania  county,  Virginia, 
a  prominent  man  noted  in  his  long  life  for 
his  energy  and  perseverance.  He  was 
born  about  1740,  the  first  in  this  country  of 
a  family  which  came  from  Scotland  about 
1720  and  located  in  Georgia  or  South 
Carolina.  Thence  he  came  to  Virginia 
and  settled  some  seven  miles  above  Dan- 
ville, at  a  place  since  known  as  Wilson's 
Ferry,  where  he  died  May  21,  1820.  He 
married,  April  21,  1767,  Mary  Lumpkin 
sister  of  General  George  Lumpkin,  born 
1748,  died  January  21,  1827.  James  A. 
Glenn  and  wife  had  children :  John  Wil- 
son, Eliza,  Agnes,  Mary,  Kitty,  James 
Anderson,  Wilson  (died  young),  and 
Archibald. 

Archibald  Glenn,  the  grandfather  of 
Richard  M.  C.  Glenn,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  1806,  in  Halifax  county,  Virginia, 
and  died  October  3,  1846.  He  married  his 
first  cousin,  Mary  Wilson  Cuningham, 
December  16,  1830.     She  was  born  April 


62 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


21,  1813,  and  died  August  6,  1878,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Martha  Moor  (Wil- 
son) Cuningham,  and  granddaughter  of 
Robert  Cuningham.  The  last  named 
came  from  Scotland  and  settled  at  "Lom- 
bardy  Cirove,''  Petersburg,  Virginia.  He 
married  Martha  Baird,  and  both  lie  buried 
in  Brunswick  county,  Virginia,  the  former 
at  Blandford  Church  and  the  latter  in  the 
Parish  of  White  Hall.  Their  son,  Alex- 
ander Cuningham,  was  born  February, 
1776,  in  Mecklenberg  county,  Virginia, 
and  his  wife,  Martha  Moor,  daughter  of 
Colonel  John  Wilson,  January  8,  1792. 
Archibald  Glenn's  children  were:  Martha 
C,  born  July  5, 1833,  died  October  5, 1853  ; 
James  Anderson,  mentioned  below ;  Archi- 
bald C,  born  May  7,  1838;  Isabella,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1844,  died  December  20,  1846. 

James  Anderson  (2)  Glenn,  eldest  son 
of  Archibald  and  Mary  Wilson  (Cuning- 
ham) Glenn,  father  of  Richard  M.  C 
Glenn,  was  born  April  19,  1836,  in  Hali- 
fax county,  Virginia,  and  lived  near  South 
Boston,  in  that  county,  on  his  estate 
known  as  Glenmary,  where  he  died  No- 
vember 8,  1913.  He  was  educated  at  Dr. 
Minor's  School,  Virginia  Military  Insti- 
tute and  the  University  of  Virginia,  and 
was  a  highly  respected  and  esteemed  leaf 
tobacco  dealer  and  planter,  having  a  large 
estate  known  as  Glenmary,  which  con- 
tains one  of  the  old  Colonial  houses  more 
or  less  noted  in  Virginia.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Luke's  (Protestant  Episcopal) 
Church,  and  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in 
political  principle.  A  soldier  of  the  Civil 
War,  he  was  commissioned  October  25, 
18C1,  as  captain  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-second  Regiment,  Eleventh  Bri- 
gade, First  Division,  Virginia  State  Mili- 
tia, to  rank  from  September  7.  At  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years,  in  1908,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature 
and  served  two   terms,  until   1912.     He 


married,  October  2,  1856,  Susan  Jane  Ma- 
jors, Ijorn  1838,  died  November  8,  1904, 
daughter  of  Samuel  B.  and  Mildred 
(Easley)  Majors,  of  Halifax  county,  Vir- 
ginia, the  last  named  a  daughter  of  Drury 
Easley  and  granddaughter  of  William 
Easley,  whose  wife  was  a  Miss  Scraggs. 
Children :  Pauline,  born  November  4, 
1857,  married  John  L.  Singleton;  Mary 
Octovia,  December  31,  1858,  at  Glen- 
mary; Martha  Cuningham,  April  i,  i860, 
died  1861  ;  Isabel  Susan,  November  12, 
1861  ;  Richard  M.  C,  mentioned  below; 
Samuel  Majors,  July  9,  1866;  Mary,  Oc- 
tober 16,  1868,  married  D'Orsay  Jones; 
James  Anderson,  July  26,  1870,  died  1912; 
Archibald  Cuningham,  August  15,  1872; 
Emanuel  Gerst,  March  15, 1874;  Florence, 
May  29,  1877,  married  James  T.  Parkin- 
son, and  resides  in  Richmond ;  Wilson, 
May  28,  1880;  John  Wilson,  August  10, 
1882. 

Richard  M.  C.  Glenn  was  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1863,  near  South  Boston,  Halifax 
county,  Virginia,  and  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  private  schools  at  his 
home,  and  graduated  from  the  Virginia 
Polytechnic  Institute  in  1882.  He  began 
his  business  experience  as  bookkeeper  in 
a  wholesale  dry  goods  house,  Richmond, 
Virginia,  where  he  continued  three  years. 
Following  this  he  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale leaf  tobacco  business  with  his  father 
at  South  Boston,  Virginia,  and  after  two 
years  he  was  employed  by  Major  H.  A. 
Edmondson.  Three  years  later  he  formed 
a  co-partnership  under  the  style  of  Ed- 
mondson &  Glenn,  and  continued  seven 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  Major 
Edmondson  retired  and  he  continued  the 
tobacco  business  organizing  several  dif- 
ferent branches  in  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina  and  succeeded  in  building  up 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  successful 
leaf  tobacco  businesses   in   the   south   of 


63 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


both  a  domestic  and  foreign  nature.  The 
business  was  continued  by  Mr.  Glenn 
until  1902  when  he  removed  from  Vir- 
ginia to  New  York  and  became  associ- 
ated with  the  American  Cigar  Company, 
of  which  he  became  vice-president  in  1904. 
This  concern  and  its  subsidiaries  do  a 
very  extensive  business,  extending  to 
every  part  of  the  United  States  and 
throughout  the  entire  civilized  world. 
Mr.  Glenn  is  a  member  of  the  "Virgini- 
ans" and  the  Southern  Society  of  New 
York,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Calumet  Club  of  that  city.  He  now  re- 
sides at  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Athletic  Club  of  that  place 
and  the  Montclair  and  Upper  Montclair 
Golf  clubs,  being  president  of  the  latter, 
also  being  a  member  of  the  Baltusrol  Golf 
Club  of  Short  Hills,  New  Jersey.  His 
religious  affiliation  was  with  St.  Luke's 
Church  of  South  Boston,  Virginia,  of 
which  he  was  vestryman,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  St.  Luke's  Church  at  Mont- 
clair, New  Jersey.  Politically  he  is  in- 
dependent, giving  allegiance  to  no  party 
organization. 

He  married  (first)  December  3,  1890, 
Hallie  Brookes,  born  in  Halifax  county, 
Virginia,  died  June  12,  1909,  daughter  of 
Dr.  John  V.  and  Mary  (Owen)  Brookes, 
the  latter  a  daughter  of  William  L.  Owen, 
a  prominent  financier  and  public  man  of 
the  county,  who  died  in  1884.  Mr.  Glenn 
married  (second)  February  19,  1913,  Lilla 
Holmes,  born  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Flora  (Tillar) 
Holmes,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Major 
Benjamin  Tillar,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  being  a  large 
planter  and  landowner  in  Arkansas  and 
Texas.  There  are  three  children  of  the 
first  marriage :  John  Brookes,  born  June 
30,  1892;  Mary  Owen,  July  17,  1895;  and 
Frances,  March  2,  1898. 


CRONISE,  Adalbert, 

ZiaxryeTf  World-Ttiride  Traveler. 

In  1802  John  Cronise,  great-grandfather 
of  Adelbert  Cronise,  of  Rochester,  came 
from  Frederick,  Maryland,  with  his  not 
far  distant  neighbor,  Colonel  Nathaniel 
Rochester,  to  examine  the  wonderful 
country  which  Colonel  Rochester  had  first 
seen  two  years  earlier.  John  Cronise  was 
a  grandson  of  John  Cronise.  who  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century  came  from  Stras- 
burg,  Germany,  to  Maryland,  settling  at 
Frederick. 

When  the  grandson,  John  Cronise,  had 
examined  the  land  about  which  his  neigh- 
bor. Colonel  Rochester,  had  informed  him, 
he  decided  to  settle  there,  but  made  his 
selection  from  land  near  the  town  site  of 
the  present  Lyons,  New  York,  purchas- 
ing two  tracts  from  Sir  William  Pultney. 
John  Cronise  did  not  live  on  his  purchase, 
but  returned  to  Maryland.  Five  years 
later,  in  1807,  his  son,  Henry  Cronise, 
came  to  the  purchase  with  his  family, 
bringing  slaves  with  him  to  clear  and 
work  the  farm.  These  slaves  he  after- 
ward gave  their  freedom  and  employed  at 
wages  as  farm  workmen.  A  son,  Simon, 
was  born  to  Henry  Cronise  and  when  the 
boy  was  two  years  old  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Henry  Cronise,  made  the  journey  from 
Lyons  to  Frederick,  Maryland,  on  horse- 
back, taking  her  babe  with  her  in  the 
saddle.  They  were  attended  on  the 
journey  by  two  of  the  faithful  blacks  who 
saw  that  no  harm  befell  their  mistress  or 
her  babe  either  going  or  returning. 

This  boy,  Simon  Cronise,  grew  to  man- 
hood at  the  Lyons  homestead,  inherited 
a  part  of  it  and  there  lived  until  1886, 
when  he  moved  to  the  city  of  Rochester 
permanently,  having  previously  in  1879 
and  1880  made  that  city  his  home.  His 
share  of  the  old  homestead,  purchased  by 


64 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  grandfather,  John  Cronise,  in  1802, 
and  inherited  by  his  father,  Henry  Cron- 
ise, and  by  himself  yet  remains  in  the 
family  name  and  is  owned  by  his  son, 
Adelbert  Cronise,  of  the  sixth  American 
and  third  New  York  generation  of  the 
family  founded  in  Frederick,  Maryland, 
by  John  Cronise,  of  Strasburg. 

Simon  Cronise  married  Catherine  Maria 
Fredenburg,  a  descendant  of  the  Dutch 
pioneer,  Wilhelm  Van  Vradenburgh,  who 
came  from  Holland  to  New  Amsterdam 
in  the  ship  "Gilded  Beaver"  in  1653.  The 
Van  Vradenburghs  settled  in  the  upper 
Hudson  Valley,  several  generations  of 
the  Fredenburgs,  a  branch,  owning  large 
estates  at  Ghent,  Columbia  county,  on 
which  they  lived.  There  Catherine  Maria 
Fredenburg  was  born,  but  when  a  child 
came  to  Western  New  York  with  her 
parents,  traveling  by  packet  oh  the  Erie 
canal. 

From  such  hardy  pioneer  blood  comes 
Adelbert  Cronise,  son  of  Simon  and 
Catherine  Maria  (Fredenburg)  Cronise. 
He  was  born  at  the  Cronise  homestead 
near  Lyons,  and  there  passed  his  early 
life,  preparing  for  college  at  Lyons  Acade- 
my. He  entered  the  University  of  Roches- 
ter in  1873  and  was  graduated,  class  of 
1877,  with  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree. 
He  chose  the  profession  of  law,  prepared 
under  the  able  direction  of  William  F. 
Cogswell  and  James  Breck  Perkins  of  the 
Rochester  bar,  and  in  1879  was  admitted 
a  member  of  the  Monroe  county  bar.  He 
at  once  began  practice  in  Rochester  and 
later  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cron- 
ise &  Conklin,  which  for  eighteen  years 
was  one  of  the  prominent  and  highly  re- 
garded law  firms  of  the  city.  Since  1906 
Mr.  Cronise  has  continued  alone  in  the 
general  practice  of  law.  He  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  the  Kent  Club, 
organized  in  1877  for  legal  study  and  so- 
cial intercourse,  and  which  is  still  active. 

He  has  been  for  many  years  particular- 
N  Y-5— 5  65 


ly  interested  in  those  societies  devoted  to 
scientific  study  and  investigation,  and  in 
the  work  of  the  Rochester  Historical  So- 
ciety. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Rochester  Academy  of  Science,  and 
served  as  president  1885-87 ;  the  Roches- 
ter Historical  Society,  as  president  1900- 
02 ;  is  a  director  of  the  Rochester  Athe- 
naeum and  Mechanics  Institute  and  was 
a  trustee  of  the  University  of  Rochester, 
his  alma  mater,  for  ten  years,  1905-15. 
When  the  statue  in  honor  of  Martin  B. 
Anderson,  president  of  the  University  of 
Rochester,  was  first  projected,  Mr.  Cron- 
ise was  placed  in  charge  of  procuring 
funds  and  the  executing  of  the  work  and 
designed  the  base  and  pedestal  for  the 
fine  work  of  art  which  now  adorns  the 
university  campus.  He  was  instrumental 
in  the  organizing  of  the  University  Club 
of  Rochester,  and  was  its  first  president 
for  two  terms,  1909-11. 

He  is  a  worldwide  traveler  and  there 
are  few  portions  of  the  globe  accessible 
to  travelers  which  he  has  not  visited  dur- 
ing the  past  quarter  of  a  century.  The 
ordinary  routes  of  tourist  travel  have  not 
been  the  ones  pursued  by  Mr.  Cronise, 
but  his  tours  have  comprised  the  Wind- 
ward Islands,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Mexico, 
Northern  South  America,  Panama,  Ha- 
waii, Alaska,  Norway,  Russia,  Turkey, 
Spain,  Morocco,  Egypt,  the  Orient  and 
two  complete  tours  around  the  world. 
He  is  not  a  mere  sightseer,  but  has  pre- 
served records  of  his  journeys  which  he 
has  arranged  in  pleasing  style  and  given 
to  the  public  in  addresses  or  lectures 
before  various  societies,  in  contributions 
to  periodicals  and  in  the  form  of  papers. 
He  is  a  fluent,  easy,  forceful  speaker,  who 
clothes  his  thoughts  in  choice  diction  and 
presents  them  in  a  manner  which  charms 
while  the  speaker  instructs.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rochester  Bar  Association  and 
the  Masonic  order ;  his  college  fraternities 
Delta  Upsilon  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  ;   his 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


clubs  the  Kent,  Genesee  Valley,  Univer- 
sity and  Rochester  Country. 

Mr.  Cronise  married,  April  2^,  1898, 
Maria,  daughter  of  Henry  Fitch  and 
Maria  Slater  (Debnam)  Hubbard,  of 
Stockton,  California.  Mrs.  Cronise  is  a 
descendant  of  Adjutant  Jonathan  Hub- 
bard, who  served  in  the  Colonial  wars, 
and  of  his  son,  Jonathan  Hubbard,  of 
Charlestown,  New  Hampshire,  who  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 


DANFORTH,  Henry  Gold, 

Law^yer,  Congressman. 

At  the  time  of  his  birth  the  parents  of 
Henry  G.  Danforth  were  residing  in  the 
town  of  Gates  although  his  father,  George 
Franklin  Danforth,  was  one  of  the  two 
acknowledged  leaders  of  the  Rochester 
bar.  The  town  of  Gates  has  since  been 
annexed  to  the  city  of  Rochester  there- 
fore the  claim  that  he  is  a  native  son  is 
not  without  justification.  George  Frank- 
lin Danforth  was  admitted  to  the  Monroe 
county  bar  in  June,  1843,  and  from  that 
date  Danforth  has  been  an  honored  name 
in  the  annals  of  New  York  jurisprudence. 
Thirty-seven  years  after  his  own  admis- 
sion he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
name  of  his  son,  Henry  G.  Danforth,  en- 
rolled upon  the  list  of  members  of  the 
same  bar,  a  name  which  still  stands  on 
the  list  of  honored  and  active  members. 
Father  and  son  were  contemporaries  at 
the  bar  although  the  father  from  1879 
until  December  31,  1890,  was  an  associate 
judge  of  the  New  York  State  Court  of 
Appeals.  The  practice  of  the  son  was 
likewise  interrupted  by  a  term  of  public 
service,  he  serving  in  the  Sixty-second, 
Sixty-third  and  Sixty-four  Congresses  as 
representative  from  his  native  State. 
Thus  for  seventy-three  years  a  Danforth 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Monroe  county 
bar  and  in  practice,  in  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals and  in  national  legislative  halls,  and 


have  demonstrated  the  depth  of  their  de- 
votion to  profession  and  State,  perform- 
ing well  every  duty.  The  father  was 
stricken  at  the  age  of  eighty  years  while 
arguing  a  case  in  court.  The  son  con- 
tinues in  practice  and  now,  just  in  the 
prime  of  life,  is  not  content  to  rest  upon 
the  achievement  of  the  past  but  meets 
the  increased  demands  of  the  present  with 
the  vigor  and  earnestness  of  a  man  with 
a  record  yet  to  compile. 

George  Franklin  Danforth  was  born  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  July  5,  1819,  son 
of  Isaac  and  Dolly  (Hutchins)  Danforth, 
both  born  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  died  September  25,  1899.  in  the  court- 
house at  Rochester,  New  York,  having 
jUst  resumed  his  seat  after  addressing  the 
court  on  the  argument  of  a  demurrer 
when  suddenly  stricken.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  Union  College  in  1840  and  in 
that  year  began  the  study  of  law  in 
Rochester.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  began  practice  in  Rochester  in  June, 
1843,  continuing  without  interruption 
until  he  took  his  seat  as  associate  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  At  the  time  of  his  elevation 
to  the  bench  he  shared  with  William  F. 
Cogswell  the  leadership  of  the  city  and 
county  bar  and  there  were  few  in  all 
Western  New  York  his  equal  in  profound 
knowledge  of  the  law  or  ability  to  apply 
it  to  the  cause  in  hand.  On  retiring  from 
the  bench  in  1890  in  obedience  to  the  con- 
stitutional limit  of  age,  he  resumed  prac- 
tice in  Rochester,  confining  himself  chiefly 
to  the  appellate  courts  where  he  spoke 
with  much  of  his  old  time  vigor  and  bril- 
liancy. He  did  not  take  up  general  prac- 
tice again,  accepting  only  such  cases  as 
seemed  of  especial  interest,  his  active  and 
well  furnished  mind  forbidding  that  he 
completely  abandon  the  contests  of  the 
law.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
in  1892  was  president  of  the  State  judici- 
ary committee.     His  learning  and  ability 


66 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


as  a  judge  are  shown  in  his  opinions  pub- 
lished in  the  reports  of  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  main- 
tained equal  rank  with  the  other  members 
of  that  high  tribunal. 

Judge  Danforth  married,  April  27,  1846, 
Frances  J.,  daughter  of  Orrin  and  Frances 
J.  (Gold)  Wright,  of  Pittsford,  Massa- 
chusetts. They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Frances  \\'.,  Jessie  A.  and 
Henry  G. 

Henry  Gold  Danforth  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Gates  (now  Rochester),  Monroe 
county,  New  York,  June  14,  1854,  son  of 
Judge  George  Franklin  and  Frances  J. 
(Gold)  Danforth.  After  ample  prepara- 
tion he  entered  Harvard  College  whence 
he  was  graduated  A.  B.,  class  of  1877. 
From  the  college  department  he  passed 
to  Harvard  Law  School,  receiving  the  de- 
gree LL.  B.,  class  of  1880.  The  same 
year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Monroe  coun- 
ty bar  and  began  practice  in  Rochester 
and  from  that  time  he  has  been  in  con- 
tinuous practice.  He  brought  to  the  bar 
the  prestige  of  an  honored  name  and  in 
the  years  which  have  since  passed  has 
preserved  it  pure  and  unsullied.  He  has 
won  high  standing  at  the  bar  as  a  man 
of  high  character,  learned  in  the  written 
law,  skillful  in  practice,  and  most  careful 
in  his  preparation  of  his  cases  for  trial. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Danforth 
took  active  part  in  public  affairs  and  be- 
came well  known  as  a  strong  advocate  of 
party  principles  and  public  measures.  In 
1910  he  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for 
Congress  from  the  Thirty-second  New  York 
District,  he  was  elected  and  served  with 
honor  during  the  sessions  of  the  Sixty- 
second  Congress  (1911-13).  He  was  re- 
elected in  1912  and  again  in  1914,  his  dis- 
trict having  been  changed  to  the  Thirty- 
ninth,  comprising  the  Fifth  Assembly 
District  of  the  county  of  Monroe  and  the 
counties  of  Orleans,  Genesee,  Wyoming 


and  Livingston.  He  served  during  the 
Sixty-third  Congress  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Sixty-fourth,  his  term  expiring  March 
4,  1917.  He  has  worthily  represented  his 
State,  has  been  active  in  committee  and 
tloor  work  and  is  one  of  the  strong  men 
of  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  has 
rendered  further  public  service  as  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  State 
Reformatory  at  Elmira,  and  is  now  resident 
physician  of  Rochester  General  Hospital. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Reynolds  Library. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
and  Rochester  Bar  associations,  and  has 
enriched  the  literature  of  his  profession 
by  editing:  "The  New  York  Court  of 
Appeals  Digest"  (1884);  "The  United 
States  Supreme  Court  Digest"  (1886)  ; 
and  "Digest  of  New  York  Supreme  Court 
Reports"  (1902).  Mr.  Danforth  is  a  Uni- 
tarian in  religious  faith,  his  clubs  the 
Rochester  Country  and  Genesee  Valley  of 
Rochester,  the  Harvard  of  New  Y'ork 
City,  the  Metropolitan  and  Chevy  Chase 
of  Washington,  etc.,  etc. 

Mr.  Danforth  married,  November  8, 
1888,  Edwine  L.  Blake,  of  Buffalo,  New 
York.  The  family  home  is  No.  200  West 
avenue,  Rochester.  Mr.  Danforth's  law 
offices  are  at  No.  206  Powers  Building. 


ADAMS,  Reuben  A.,  M.  D., 

Civil  AVar  Veteran,  Physician. 

Dr.  Reuben  A.  Adams,  who  in  the 
medical  profession  of  Rochester  ably 
represents  the  noted  New  England  family 
from  which  he  sprung,  was  born  at  Mari- 
on, New  York,  April  3,  1841.  There  he 
passed  his  boyhood  and  received  his  edu- 
cation, at  first  in  the  public  schools  and 
later  at  Marion  Collegiate  Institute.  In 
August,  1862,  Dr.  Adams  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Sixtieth 
Regiment  New  York  Volunteers,  and 
went     to    New    Orleans    with    General 


67 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Banks's  expedition,  serving  under  him 
throughout  the  Louisiana  campaign,  in- 
cluding the  siege  of  Port  Hudson.  Later 
he  fought  under  General  Sheridan  in  his 
famous  engagements  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  participating  actively  in  fourteen 
battles  in  all.  He  was  wounded  at  Fort 
Bisland,  Louisiana,  and  Cedar  Creek,  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  when  mustered  out  of  service 
at  the  close  of  the  war  he  received  the 
exceptional  honor  of  a  letter  of  special 
commendation  personally  signed  by  every 
surviving  officer  of  his  regiment.  Dr. 
Adams  has  received  rare  and  valuable 
presents,  and  "Thanks"  from  the  imperial 
household  of  Japan  for  services  to  a 
prince  and  distinguished  offices  of  the 
Japanese  navy  and  army ;  but  this  letter 
and  its  endorsements  he  prizes  above  all 
similar  things  he  possesses,  and  of  it  he 
is  justly  proud. 

Returning  from  the  war.  Dr.  Adams 
took  up  his  medical  studies  at  the  Home- 
opathic Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  graduated  from  the  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  March  4, 
1868.  In  July  of  that  year  he  established 
himself  at  Churchville,  New  York,  where 
he  practiced  his  profession  successfully 
until  May,  1873.  Weary  of  the  hardships 
of  a  country  practice  and  ambitious  for  a 
field  presenting  greater  possibilities,  he 
then  moved  to  Rochester,  where  he  rapid- 
ly acquired  a  large  business  and  took  rank 
with  the  most  prominent  and  esteemed 
physicians.  In  1874  he  served  as  city 
physician,  being  one  of  the  first  homoe- 
opathic physicians  to  occupy  that  posi- 
tion. He  has  been  president  of  the  Mon- 
roe County  Homoeopathic  Medical  So- 
ciety, vice-president  of  the  Rochester 
Hahnemann  Society,  and  vice-president 
of  the  New  York  State  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society 
and  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 


opathy, and  has  been  consulting  physician 
on  the  staff  of  the  Rochester  Homoe- 
opathic Hospital  since  its  incorporation  in 
1887.  He  is  a  member  of  George  H. 
Thomas  Post,  No.  4,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  is  proud  to  have  taken  part 
with  that  post  in  the  original  presentation 
of  a  fine  United  States  flag  to  each  of  the 
thirty-five  public  schools  of  Rochester, 
thus  starting  a  patriotic  custom  that  has 
extended  pretty  generally  over  the  United 
States  and  greatly  stimulated  patriotism 
and  loyalty  in  the  school  children  of  our 
country.  Dr.  Adams  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Monroe  Commandery,  No.  12,  Knights 
Templar,  and  Rochester  Consistory,  in 
which  he  has  taken  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree in  Masonry.  He  belongs  to  the 
Genesee  Valley  Club  and  various  other 
social,  professional  and  business  organ- 
izations. 

During  the  last  thirty  years  Dr.  Adams 
has  been  an  aggressive,  though  always  a 
consistent  and  conscientious  worker  for 
the  advancement  of  homoeopathy.  In  his 
work  and  words  he  has  long  been  an 
effective  advocate  and  uncompromising 
defender  of  his  medical  faith.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  in  this  section  of  the 
country.  For  more  than  twenty-four 
years  he  occupied  the  same  office  on 
Fitzhugh  street,  but  is  now  located  in 
the  Powers  Building  and  is  still  actively 
engaged  in  his  professional  work,  though 
taking  time  to  direct  the  general  manage- 
ment of  a  large  grain  farm  in  North  Da- 
kota and  extensive  orange  groves  and 
English  walnuts  orchards  in  Southern 
California.  He  finds  his  principal  recre- 
ation and  diversion  from  the  tension 
and  consuming  demands  of  an  active 
practice  in  occasional  visits  to  these 
estates.  Dr.  Adams  has  a  very  valuable 
collection  of  de  luxe  volumes,  this  being 
a  hobby  with  him  and  his  collection  con- 
tains some  rare  and  beautiful  editions. 


68 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Adams  was  twice  unanimously 
elected  medical  director  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  At  the  forty-ninth  annual 
encampment  held  in  Washington  in  Sep- 
tember, 1915,  he  was  unanimously  elected 
surgeon-general  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  As  a  crowning  professional 
honor  he  was  elected  honorary  president 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy at  its  annual  meeting  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  June,  1916. 

To  comfort  him  in  his  advancing  years 
Dr.  Adams  has  two  sons :  John  Adams, 
of  Orange.  California,  and  Sidney  I. 
Adams,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and  one 
granddaughter,  Elizabeth  F.  Adams,  of 
Rochester. 


WADE,  Frank  Edward,  B.  A., 

Attorney,  Bank  Director. 

Frank  Edward  Wade,  B.  A.  (Yale, 
1896)  ;  LL.  B.  (Syracuse,  1898)  ;  attorney, 
in  the  active  practice  of  law  for  ten  years, 
1899-1909;  and  subsequently  president  of 
the  Amphion  Company  of  Syracuse,  was 
born  at  Malto  Bend,  Missouri,  October  6, 
1873,  son  of  the  Hon.  William  H.  and  Mary 
(Knott)  Wade,  both  of  Clark  county, 
Ohio.  Hon.  William  H.  Wade  enlisted 
in  the  Civil  War  for  three  months  service, 
answering  the  first  call  for  troops ;  was 
major  of  the  Thirty-first  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  later  was  appointed  colonel, 
commanding  the  Fortieth  Regiment  of 
the  United  States  Colored  Troops.  Sub- 
sequently, for  three  terms.  Colonel  Wade 
was  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  Thir- 
teenth District  of  the  State  of  Missouri. 

Early  in  the  life  of  Frank  Edward 
Wade  his  parents  removed  to  Springfield, 
Missouri,  and  in  the  Drury  Preparatory- 
School  of  that  city  he  was  fitted  for  en- 
trance to  Yale,  to  which  university  he 
proceeded,  graduating  there  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  in  1896.  Immediately  there- 


after he  took  up  the  study  of  law  at  Syra- 
cuse University,  and  in  1898  received  thf 
degree  of  LL.  B. 

He  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  bai 
of  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  in  1899, 
and  he  practiced  his  profession  for  a  dec- 
ade as  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Mac- 
kenzie &  Wade,  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  of 
Syracuse  ;  takes  no  part  in  politics ;  and 
is  a  Spanish-American  War  veteran,  hav- 
mg  served  in  1898  as  sergeant  of  Com- 
pany A,  Two  Hundred  and  Third  Regi- 
ment New  York  Volunteer  Infantry. 

At  Chicago,  Illinois,  June  4,  1904,  At- 
torney Wade  married  Margaret  Burnet, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Lyman  and  Anna 
(Sedgwick)  Silsbee.  They  have  three 
children:  i.  Anna  Sedgwick,  born  Octo- 
ber 2,  1907.  2.  William,  born  October  13, 
1908.  3.  Margaret,  born  February  21. 
1913- 


DENTON,  Eugene  C, 
liaxryer. 

A  practicing  lawyer  of  Rochester,  New 
York,  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Mr. 
Denton  is  not  a  native  son,  although  he 
descends  from  the  ancient  and  honorable 
Denton  family  of  New  York ;  his  father,  a 
paper  manufacturer,  located  for  a  time  at 
Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  where  Eugene 
C.  Denton  was  born.  The  father  died  in 
Fitchburg,  the  widow  with  her  children 
later  returning  to  New  York,  her  native 
State.  Since  that  time  Eugene  C.  Den- 
ton resided  in  New  York  State,  and  since 
1883,  when  he  entered  the  university,  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  Rochester.  He  has 
taken  part  in  shaping  the  destiny  of  the 
city  with  which  he  became  identified,  and 
as  the  years  have  passed  has  reached  a 
high  and  honorable  position  at  the  bar, 
winning  a  firm  hold  on  public  confidence 
and  esteem.  He  has  formed  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance during  his  long  residence  in 


69 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  city  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
learning  and  culture,  richly  endowed  by 
nature  with  fine  intellectual  talents,  in- 
creased by  the  diligence  of  the  student 
and  polished  by  wide  travel  at  home  and 
in  foreign  lands.  His  life  record  has  been 
characterized  by  all  that  constitutes  man- 
liness, probity  and  good  citizenship. 

Eugene  C.  Denton,  son  of  Stephen  E. 
and  Ann  E.  Denton,  was  born  at  Fitch- 
burg,  Massachusetts,  December  lo,  1865, 
his  parents  both  born  in  Orange  county. 
New  York.  Stephen  E.  Denton  was  a 
manufacturer  of  paper  in  Fitchburg  and 
there  died  in  1868.  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Denton 
later  returned  to  her  native  State,  and 
died  in  Rochester,  New  York,  October  5, 
1910.  Eugene  C.  Denton  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  prepared 
for  college  at  Canandaigua  Academy 
whence  he  was  graduated,  class  of  1883. 
The  following  autumn  he  entered  the 
University  of  Rochester,  pursued  the  full 
classical  course  and  received  his  Bache- 
lor's degree  at  graduation  with  the  class 
of  '87.  The  next  two  years  were  devoted 
to  the  study  of  law  under  the  direction  of 
Martin  W.  Cooke  of  the  Rochester  bar, 
and  in  1889  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
the  Monroe  county  bar,  after  satisfac- 
torily passing  the  required  examinations. 
After  admission  he  served  Mr.  Cooke  for 
one  year  as  managing  law  clerk,  then 
spent  much  time  in  foreign  travel,  tour- 
ing European  countries.  Returning  to 
Rochester  in  January,  1891,  he  began  pri- 
vate law  practice,  so  continuing  for  four 
years.  In  1895  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  George  F.  Slocum,  practicing  as 
Slocum  &  Denton  until  April,  1900.  when 
the  firm  dissolved.  From  that  year  Mr. 
Denton  has  practiced  alone,  serving  his 
large  clientele  in  all  State  courts,  with 
offices  at  232  Powers  Building.  His  prac- 
tice is  general  in  its  character,  and  con- 
ducted with  the  highest  sense  of  obliga- 

70 


tion  to  his  clients'  interests  within  the 
strictest  interpretation  of  the  ethics  of 
the  profession. 

He  has  ever  been  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  University  of  Rochester, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
has  well  served  his  alum  mater.  He  is  a 
devoted  churchman,  a  vestryman  of  Christ 
Episcopal  Church,  and  has  also  taken  a 
leading  part  in  the  work  of  that  noble 
philanthropy.  The  People's  Rescue  Mis- 
sion, which  he  served  as  trustee  and  sec- 
ond vice-president.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Rochester  Bar  Association,  the  New 
York  State  Bar  Association,  the  College 
fraternity,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  Roches- 
ter Chamber  of  Commerce,  University 
Club  of  Rochester,  etc. 

Mr.  Denton  married,  May  17, 1904,  Mary 
H.,  daughter  of  Harvey  W.  Brown  of 
Rochester. 


HARPER,  Clair  C, 

Mannfactnrer. 

Descendant  of  an  ancient  English  family 
on  the  paternal  side  and  from  German  an- 
cestors maternally,  Mr.  Harper  has  in- 
herited the  strong  traits  of  both  and  com- 
bines with  the  thrift  and  order  of  the  Ger- 
man the  tenacity  of  purpose  and  pride  of 
achievement  of  the  Englishman.  To 
these  he  has  added  the  resourcefulness 
and  business  genius  of  the  American, 
the  three  nations  completing  a  man  of 
strong  individuality,  genial  personality 
and  upright  character. 

Captain  John  Harper,  an  officer  of  the 
English  army,  became  a  resident  of  Lock- 
port.  New  York,  at  a  comparatively  early 
day,  there  owning  and  cultivating  a  farm. 
He  met  his  death  by  accident  in  the 
woods,  leaving  a  widow,  Mary  (Schuyler) 
Harper,  and  an  only  son,  Charles  G. 

Charles  G.  Harper  was  born  at  the 
Lockport,  New  York,  homestead  in  1842, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


died  in  Rochester,  New  York,  on  Easter 
Sunday,  March  31,  1907.  He  was  a  car- 
penter and  builder  of  North  Tonawanda, 
New  York,  until  December,  1905,  when 
he  located  in  Rochester.  He  married 
Jerusha  A.  Tripp,  who  survived  him, 
making  her  home  with  her  only  son,  Clair 
C.  Harper.  Iler  father,  Henry  Tripp, 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  parent- 
age, was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Niagara  county.  New  York,  when  be- 
tween his  early  home  and  Buffalo  but  a 
trail  existed,  no  roads  having  been  yet 
built.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight 
years,  his  wife,  Amelia,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two. 

Clair  C.  Harper,  only  child  of  Charles 
G.  and  Jerusha  A.  (Tripp)  Harper,  was 
born  at  North  Tonawanda,  New  York, 
July  9,  1873.  He  completed  the  graded 
school  courses  of  North  Tonawanda,  then 
began  working  in  a  lumber  yard  of  the 
town  as  a  tally  boy.  Later  he  became 
shipping  clerk,  acquiring  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  lumber  business.  He 
next  acquired  an  expert  knowledge  of 
stenography  and  bookkeeping,  and  for 
fifteen  years  was  in  the  office  employ 
of  Smith,  Fassett  &  Company,  be- 
coming as  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
office  detail  as  with  the  outside  details 
of  the  lumber  and  manufacturing  busi- 
ness. After  acquiring  an  interest  in  the 
Trader's  Box  &  Lumber  Company  of 
Rochester,  he  was  chosen  secretary-treas- 
urer of  the  company  and  in  1910  became 
its  president.  The  company  are  retail 
lumber  dealers  and  manufacturers  of  all 
kinds  of  wooden  boxes,  interior  trim,  etc., 
and  their  plant  is  located  at  No.  1040  Jay 
street,  Rochester.  The  business  is  a  well 
conducted  prosperous  enterprise  and  to 
its  upbuilding  Mr.  Harper  devotes  his 
energy,  executive  force  and  business  abili- 
ty. He  has  won  his  way  upward  in  the 
business   world   by   energetic   effort  and 


perseverance,  his  rise  having  been  gradu- 
al, but  he  has  never  taken  a  step  back- 
ward. He  is  a  man  younger  in  years  than 
many  of  his  contemporaries,  but  he  is  a 
veteran  in  experience  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  holds  the  unqualified  respect 
of  his  business  associates  and  of  all  who 
have  opportunity  to  test  his  manly  at- 
tributes of  nature.  Like  his  parents,  he  is 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Royal  Arcanum  and  is  a  Republican  in 
party  affiliation. 

Mr.  Harper  married  (first)  July  22, 
1891,  Nellie,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Susan 
(Becker)  Treat,  of  Tonawanda,  New  York. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons :  Har- 
old L.  and  Floyd  T.  Harper.  On  April 
17,  1916,  Mr.  Harper  married  (second) 
Marie  I.  Bretschneider,  daughter  of  Bruno 
and  Marie  Bretschneider.  of  Columbus, 
Ohio. 


HUNT,  John  Francis, 

Manufacturer. 

A  native  son  of  New  York,  Mr.  Hunt 
spent  the  years  preceding  1889  in  his 
native  Geneseo,  Livingston  county,  and 
in  Steuben  county,  and  since  that  year  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  Rochester,  and 
since  1904  head  of  J.  F.  Hunt  &  Com- 
pany, paper  box  manufacturers.  He  has 
developed  a  sound  business  capacity  with 
wise  managerial  powers  and  in  his  chosen 
field  of  manufacture  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  strong  men  of  the  business.  He  is 
a  son  of  William  Hunt,  born  in  the 
County  of  Kings.  Ireland,  and  there  spent 
the  first  seventeen  years  of  his  life.  He 
married  Joanna  Conroy,  born  in  the 
County  of  Queens,  Ireland.  After  their 
marriage  in  New  York  they  settled  in 
Geneseo,  where  they  resided  until  the 
death  of  William  Hunt  in  1875.  Mrs. 
Hunt  continued  her  residence  in  Geneseo 


71 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  over  thirty  years  a  widow,  then  joined 
her  son  in  Rochester,  where  she  died  Au- 
gust 7,  1914,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

John  Francis  Hunt  was  born  in  Gene- 
seo,  Livingston  county,  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1864.    He  began  his  education 
in  the  public  schools,  later  was  a  student 
at  Starkey  Seminary  and  completed  his 
studies   at   Geneseo   Normal   School,   re- 
ceiving a  teacher's  certificate.    He  taught 
for  a  few  years  in  Steuben  county.  New 
York,  then  turned  his  energies  to  farm- 
ing, continuing  in  that  occupation  until 
1889,  when  he  located  in  Rochester.     He 
obtained  a  position  as  salesman  with  Wil- 
liam Buedingen  &  Son,  paper  box  manu- 
facturers,  and   for   five   years    continued 
in  that  employ.    He  closely  observed  the 
trend  of  business  and  finally  saw  an  open- 
ing in  the  same  line.    He  engaged  in  busi- 
ness   and    began    the    manufacture    of    a 
high-grade  of  paper  boxes  for  drug  per- 
fume and  other  manufacturers.    His  plant 
at  No.  84  North  street  is  one  of  Roches- 
ter's busy  spots  and  in  all  respects  the 
enterprise  has  been  a  successful  one.  The 
demand   for   the   goods   comes   from   the 
best   sources   and  the  product   is  highly 
rated.     He  ranks  with  the  able  business 
men  of  the  city  and  has  won  high  stand- 
ing as  a  citizen.     Acting  Governor  Con- 
way  appointed    him    county   purchasing 
agent  and  he  served  the  unexpired  term 
of  Richard  Gardner  from  May  22,  191 1, 
to  January  i,  1912.     He  is  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and 
a  man  highly  esteemed  wherever  known. 
Mr.    Hunt   married,    August   26,    1902, 
Cathryn  Lauretta,  daughter  of  John  Kelly, 
of  Lima,  New  York.     The  family  home, 
built  by  Mr.  Hunt,  is  No.  304  Dartmouth 
street. 


McCarthy,  Dennis, 

Man  of  Enterprise. 

It    has    become    commonplace    among 
business   men    to   refer    to   the   impulse 


given  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  by  the 
election  and  service  of  Hon.  Dennis  Mc- 
Carthy as  its  president,  as  one  of  the 
greatest  eras  in  the  history  of  that  impor- 
tant body  in  Syracuse.  It  was  an  acceler- 
ation which  has  carried  this  organization 
of  business  men  On  to  great  things  for 
Syracuse — an  impulse  given  by  a  busi- 
ness man  to  fellow  workers — the  work  of 
one  who  knew. 

Although  by  inheritance  and  training  a 
merchant,  Mr.  McCarthy  was  always  the 
broad  gauge   man   in   public   afifairs.     It 
was  this  interest  and  the  bringing  to  bear 
upon  public  questions  of  a  shrewd  busi- 
ness tact  and  ability  which  led  to  his  be- 
ing frequently  importuned  by  his  party, 
the    Republican,    to    take    office,    but    he 
steadily   refused.      He   has   been    offered 
the  mayoralty  by  his  party,  but  believed 
he  could  accomplish  more  good  by  coun- 
sel rather  than  active  participation.     In 
March,  1899,  he  accepted  from  Governor 
Theodore  Roosevelt  the  only  office  which 
Mr.    McCarthy    has    ever    held,    that    of 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities, 
to  which  he  has  given  his  best  efforts, 
time  and  advice,  and  all  for  the  sake  of 
"duty   well    done."     Mr.    McCarthy   still 
holds  that  position,  has  become  much  in- 
terested in  the  work  of  the  board  and  is 
a  member  of  some  of  its  most  important 
committees.    For  his  home  county  he  was 
able    to  do  much  in    securing  a  county 
hospital  for  the  County  Home. 

Mr.  McCarthy  had  that  faith  in  Syra- 
cuse as  a  business  center  which  has  dis- 
tinguished the  McCarthy  family  and  made 
it  one  of  the  most  important  elements  in 
the  growth  of  the  city.  Dennis  McCarthy 
was  born  in  Syracuse  in  June,  1854,  a  son 
of  the  late  Senator  Dennis  McCarthy,  who 
was  also  a  representative  in  Congress 
from  this  district.  The  younger  Dennis 
McCarthy  attended  school  in  Paris, 
France,  in  1867  and  1868.  During  1870 
and  1871  he  was  at  Georgetown  College, 

72 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


Washington,  D.  C.  In  1872  and  1873  he 
was  a  student  at  Cornell  University,  and, 
after  leaving  college  he  entered  his 
father's  business  as  a  "utility  man"  in 
merchant  work.  Through  all  the  depart- 
ments of  the  business  he  worked  in  order 
to  obtain  the  most  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  business  possible,  and  in  1879  be- 
came a  partner  in  the  firm  of  D.  Mc- 
Carthy &  Company,  a  business  name 
which  had  become  a  household  word  in 
Onondaga  and  Central  New  York  since 
its  establishment  in  1809.  Mr.  McCarthy 
also  became  a  partner  in  D.  McCarthy  & 
Sons,  the  wholesale  house  at  Clinton  and 
West  Washington  streets,  to  which  well 
known  business  the  Syracuse  Dry  Goods 
Company  afterward  succeeded.  His  part- 
ners were  his  father  and  his  two  brothers, 
David  K.  and  Thomas  McCarthy,  and  his 
brother-in-law.  Dr.  Thomas  Emory.  Upon 
the  death  of  Senator  McCarthy,  the  firm 
continued  the  same  for  a  long  period,  be- 
came a  stock  company  of  which  Dennis 
McCarthy  was  president,  and  in  1906,  be- 
cause of  the  burden  thrown  upon  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy and  his  desire  to  serve  in  wider 
and  more  philanthropic  though  less  profit- 
able fields,  the  business  was  taken  over 
by  the  Hunter-Tuppen  Company. 

The  great  dry  goods  business  of  the 
McCarthy's  was  the  first  in  Syracuse,  and 
when  the  historic  tableaux  were  held  to 
commemorate  the  centennial  of  Onondaga 
an  entire  scene  was  devoted  to  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  McCarthy  stores  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end  of  the  century.  Thom- 
as McCarthy,  father  of  Senator  McCarthy, 
settled  in  Salina  in  1808  and  won  promi- 
nence in  the  little  colony  as  merchant  and 
salt  manufacturer.  The  McCarthy  store 
was  located  at  the  center  of  Onondaga 
merchant  life  at  that  time,  at  the  corner 
of  Free  and  Park  streets.  At  the  same 
time  Dean  Richmond,  who  was  afterward 
president  of  the  New  York  Central  and 


chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Com- 
mittee, was  a  neighboring  merchant  in 
Exchange  street.  Thomas  McCarthy 
served  as  trustee  of  the  village  for  many 
years,  was  a  member  of  Assembly  one 
term,  director  of  the  first  bank  established 
in  the  village  of  Salina  a  member  of  the 
committee  of  the  village  of  Salina  to  con- 
fer with  a  committee  from  Syracuse  to 
arrange  for  the  uniting  of  the  two  vil- 
lages, finally  accomplished  in  1848,  and 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the 
public  afifairs  of  his  time.  Dennis  Mc- 
Carthy, son  of  the  Salina  pioneer  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  Salina  in  1814,  and, 
after  his  education,  joined  his  father  in 
the  dry  goods  business  in  1834.  Four 
years  later  occurred  the  death  of  Thomas 
McCarthy,  and  the  son  continued  the 
business  alone  in  Salina  until  1846.  Then 
he  removed  the  establishment  to  Syra- 
cuse and  continued  it  until  his  death, 
when  it  was  taken  by  the  firm  which  suc- 
ceeded him. 

The  first  McCarthy  store  in  the  present 
down-town  district  of  Syracuse  was 
located  in  the  Empire  Block  in  North 
Salina  street,  and  was  called  the  "Mam- 
moth Store"  of  Syracuse.  At  that  time 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  stood  on 
the  site  occupied  by  the  subsequent  Mc- 
Carthy stores  at  South  Salina  and  Fayette 
streets,  and  when  the  church  society  built 
upon  the  opposite  corner  in  1850,  the  for- 
mer church  property  was  purchased  by 
Henry  A.  Dillaye,  who  erected  a  five- 
story  building  called  the  finest  block  in 
the  city.  This  block  was  burned  in  1855, 
was  rebuilt  the  following  year,  and  pur- 
chased soon  after  by  Dennis  McCarthy, 
who  removed  his  dry  goods  store  from 
the  Empire  Block  to  the  new  site,  which 
for  more  than  half  a  century  has  been 
devoted  to  the  dry  goods  trade.  The  old 
store  was  replaced  by  the  handsome,  up- 
to-date    McCarthy    Block    in    1894,    the 


73 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


splendid  building  which  to-day  is  a  me- 
morial to  the  name  of  McCarthy  in  the 
merchant  history  of  Syracuse. 

Senator  McCarthy,  instinctively  a  mer- 
chant, was  of  that  class  in  which  the  pub- 
lic spirit  is  of  paramount  importance.  His 
world  was  not  bounded  by  his  store  front, 
and  his  work  for  the  people  of  Central 
New  York  brought  the  name  of  McCarthy 
into  the  halls  of  the  Legislature  and  the 
history  of  the  city  in  a  prominent  way. 
Senator  McCarthy  was  first  elected  to  the 
Assembly  in  1845  and  was  made  mayor  of 
Syracuse  in  1853.  In  1866  he  was  elected 
representative  in  Congress  from  his  dis- 
trict, and  in  1875  was  made  State  Senator, 
being  reelected  in  1877.  Senator  Mc- 
Carthy's sons  inherited  much  of  his  busi- 
ness instinct,  and  upon  Dennis  McCarthy 
seemed  to  fall  the  larger  mantle  of  a 
generous  interest  in  public  affairs. 

To  Mr.  McCarthy  was  due  in  large  part 
the  excellent  juvenile  court  law  practice 
which  to-day  raises  the  standard  of  court 
procedure  in  New  York  State  and  con- 
siders in  a  practical  way  that  prolific 
source  of  crime,  the  association  of  young 
offenders  with  hardened  criminals.  The 
Juvenile  Court  Law  was  considered  in 
the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1902  and 
became  a  law  in  September,  1903.  Prior 
to  this  period  the  law  was  in  effect  in 
New  York  and  Buffalo,  and  the  new  law 
extended  to  the  whole  State  the  require- 
ment for  the  separate  arraignment  of 
children.  Governor  Higgins  in  1905  ap- 
pointed Mr.  McCarthy  upon  the  com- 
mission to  inquire  into  and  guide  the 
great  probation  work,  and  to  this  office 
Mr.  McCarthy  gave  that  attention  which 
has  characterized  all  his  public  services. 
Governor  Hughes  appointed  him  physical 
supervisor  of  State  charities  and  he  served 
until  Governor  J.  A.  Dix  appointed  him 
first  president  of  Mystique  Krewe  of  Ka- 
Noo-No. 


Dennis  McCarthy  married  Mary  Bache 
Irwin,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
great-great-great-granddaughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Franklin.  Children  are :  Dennis 
Percy,  born  1891,  and  Elizabeth  Milli- 
cent,  born  1896. 

Mr.  McCarthy's  business  interests  have 
been  numerous.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Syracuse  Savings  Bank.  In  social  life 
Mr.  McCarthy  has  taken  the  lead  in  many 
affairs,  and  is  a  member  of  both  the  Cen- 
tury and  Citizen's  clubs.  The  work  of 
St.  Joseph's  Hospital  has  benefited  ma- 
terially under  his  efforts,  and  for  a  long 
time  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
to  build  the  Soldiers'  Monument,  and 
gave  much  of  his  time  to  the  work  which 
has  resulted  in  the  selection  of  the  most 
artistic  memorial  in  the  county.  The 
esteem  in  which  Mr.  McCarthy  is  held  by 
his  fellow  citizens  has  been  honestly  won, 
not  in  the  business  field  alone,  but  in 
everything  to  which  he  has  put  his 
shoulder. 


McINERNEY,  John  J., 

Laxryer,  Legislator. 

The  life  story  of  John  J.  Mclnerney 
from  youth  to  his  present  honorable  posi- 
tion at  the  Rochester  bar  is  one  of  absorb- 
ing interest,  illustrating  the  old  maxim, 
"Where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way." 
His  preparation  for  the  bar  was  far  out 
of  the  ordinary,  for  in  many  fields  of  labor 
he  developed  a  strong  physical  man,  in- 
tellectual strength,  broad  vision,  and  ac- 
quired an  experience  that  can  only  be 
gained  by  actual  contact  with  the  world 
and  its  workers.  From  the  age  of  thir- 
teen until  he  was  twenty-one  he  wrought 
with  all  his  muscular  powers,  then  began 
a  term  of  intellectual  work  which  brought 
his  mental  powers  to  equal  strength,  and 
with  mind  and  body  attuned  he  began  the 


74 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


study  of  law,  a  profession  in  which  he  has 
met  with  more  than  the  usual  meed  of 
success. 

John  J.  Mclnerney  is  a  son  of  Michael 
Garry  and  Ellen  (Kane)  Mclnerney,  both 
born  in  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1856,  settling  at  Salamanca.  New 
York.  Michael  Garry  Mclnerney  lived  in 
Salamanca  until  1885,  then  moved  to 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  pursued 
his  calling  until  retirement,  being  in  the 
city  employ  for  several  years. 

John  J.  Mclnerney  was  born  at  Sala- 
manca, June  10,  1873,  and  there  attended 
public  school  until  the  removal  of  his 
parents  to  Rochester  in  1885.  He  then 
began  learning  the  machinist's  trade,  be- 
came an  expert  workman  in  metals,  and 
until  the  age  of  twenty-one  was  in  rail- 
road employ,  serving  the  shops  of  the 
Buffalo,  Rochester  &  Pittsburgh,  the 
Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western,  and 
New  York  Central  Railroad  companies. 
On  leaving  the  employ  of  the  last  named 
road  he  was  foreman  in  charge  of  the  night 
force,  employed  in  the  locomotive  repair 
department.  With  his  retirement  from  that 
position  a  chapter  of  his  life  history  was 
closed  and  from  that  time  forward  his 
work  has  been  mental  and  professional. 
In  1894  he  became  a  reporter  on  the 
Rochester  "Herald"  and  later  was  on  the 
reportorial  staff  of  the  "Union  and  Ad- 
vertiser." From  1900  until  1902  he  was 
executive  clerk  to  Mayor  George  A.  Car- 
nahan,  of  Rochester,  and  in  October,  1902, 
was  sent  to  Albany  as  legislative  cor- 
respondent for  the  "Union  and  Adver- 
tiser." While  there  he  entered  Albany 
Law  School,  one  of  the  oldest  law  schools 
in  the  United  States,  and  now  a  depart- 
ment of  Union  University.  Thereafter 
he  passed  the  bar  examination,  January 
13,  1903,  and  in  March  of  the  same  year 
was  duly  admitted  to  the  New  York  bar. 

In  April,  1903,  Mr.  Mclnerney  returned 


to  Rochester  and  began  the  practice  of 
law.  The  acquaintance  he  had  gained  in 
his  various  activities  gave  him  an  instant 
clientele,  and  in  a  very  short  time  he  had 
gained  a  practice  in  the  city,  State  and 
Federal  courts  of  the  district,  to  which  in 
turn  he  had  been  admitted.  He  began 
practice  in  association  with  Charles  B. 
Bechtold,  the  partnership  continuing  until 
Mr.  Bechtold's  appointment  to  the  posi- 
tion of  assistant  deputy  attorney  for  Mon- 
roe county  in  September,  1904.  Mr.  Mc- 
lnerney then  practiced  alone  until  191 1, 
Mr.  Bechtold's  retirement  from  official 
position,  when  the  old  relation  was  re- 
sumed, the  firm  of  Mclnerney  &  Bechtold 
now  being  in  successful  practice  at  1003 
Insurance  Building. 

Mr.  Mclnerney  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Assembly  from  the  fifth  district  of 
Monroe  county  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
in  the  year  1909  he  was  again  elected  to 
the  Assembly  and  in  the  year  1910  was 
reelected.  While  in  the  Legislature  he 
was  very  influential  in  the  passage  of 
salutary  legislation.  Mr.  Mclnerney  is 
a  member  of  the  Rochester  and  New 
York  State  Bar  associations,  ex-vice  com- 
modore of  the  Rochester  Yacht  Club, 
member  of  the  Oak  Hill  Country  Club, 
of  the  Rochester  Tennis  Club,  of  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  counsel  of 
New  York  State  Motor  Federation,  a  gen- 
eral favorite  in  those  bodies  and  other  or- 
ganizations to  which  he  belongs. 

His  position  at  the  bar  is  assured,  and 
hardly  yet  in  the  prime  of  his  powers  the 
future  holds  bright  promise  for  one  who 
has  already  so  fully  proved  his  quality. 
He  has  won  his  way  through  the  intelli- 
gent exercise  of  his  powers  of  mind  and 
body,  is  self-reliant  and  resourceful,  looks 
at  life  from  its  brightest  side  and  radiates 
good  nature  and  good  fellowship.  In 
political    faith   he   is   a    Republican,   and 


75 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


greatly  in  demand  as  a  campaign  speaker, 
his  graceful  oratory  and  strong  presenta- 
tion of  the  cause  he  advocates  most  favor- 
ably impressing  his  audiences.  He  is  well 
and  favorably  knov^n  throughout  the 
State  from  his  frequent  platform  appear- 
ances, while  his  eloquence  in  presenting 
his  cases  to  court  and  jury  accentuates 
the  strength  of  his  cause  and  obtains  for 
him  closest  attention. 


BROCKWAY,  Charles  Tiffany, 

Expert  in  Life  Insurance. 

The  Brockway  family  comes  from  an 
ancestry  which  for  many  generations  has 
been  distinctively  American,  both  in  its 
lineal  and  collateral  branches,  Charles  T. 
Brockway  being  of  the  sixth  generation 
of  pure  New  England  stock.  The  earliest 
representative  of  the  name  in  America 
was  Wolston  Brockway,  who  settled  in 
the  town  of  Lyme,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Connecticut  river,  about  1660.  Among 
his  descendants  were  several  who  partici- 
pated in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  as 
members  of  the  Patriot  army.  The 
grandfather  of  Charles  T.  Brockway,  Tif- 
fany Brockway,  served  as  an  officer  in 
the  War  of  181 2.  His  son,  TifTany  Brock- 
way, the  father  of  Charles  T.  Brockway, 
was  associated  with  Gerrit  Smith  and 
other  prominent  abolition  leaders  in  the 
crusade  against  slavery,  giving  liberally 
of  his  time  and  means  to  that  cause  and 
actively  assisting  many  fugitive  slaves  on 
their  way  to  Canada.  He  married  Cor- 
nelia A.  Babcock,  and  at  the  family  resi- 
dence in  Broadalbin,  Fulton  county.  New 
York,  Charles  T.  Brockway  was  born  Jan- 
uary 25,  1847. 

Mr.  Brockway  was  aflforded  the  advan- 
tages of  common  school  and  academic 
education,  and  early  in  life  took  up  teach- 
ing as  a  profession,  his  leisure  hours  out- 
side   of    the    school    room,   during  that 


period,  being  largely  devoted  to  study 
and  the  advancement  of  his  own  educa- 
tion. While  he  began  his  work  as  a 
teacher  in  the  district  schools,  his  ability 
soon  won  recognition  and  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Academy  at  Middletown, 
Saratoga  county.  New  York,  of  which  he 
was  afterwards  chosen  principal.  For 
two  years  he  remained  at  the  head  of  that 
institution  and  then  accepted  a  position 
as  superintendent  of  schools  in  Alpena, 
Michigan,  where  he  organized  the  Union 
Schools  and  did  effective  work  for  two 
years  in  placing  them  upon  a  substantial 
basis.  Ill  health,  however,  forced  him  to 
resign,  and  leaving  Alpena  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1871  he  became  a  resident  of  Glov- 
ersville.  New  York.  He  spent  some  time 
in  rest  and  travel  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  during  which  time  he  did  some 
newspaper  work  and  later  declined  an 
editorial  position. 

Since  1872  Mr.  Brockway  has  figured 
in  insurance  circles,  making  steady  ad- 
vancement in  this  field  until  he  stands  to- 
day as  one  of  its  most  prominent  repre- 
sentatives in  the  Empire  State.  For 
about  five  years  he  conducted  a  fire  and 
life  insurance  agency  in  Gloversville, 
after  which  he  withdrew  from  the  former 
in  order  to  give  his  undivided  attention 
to  the  development  of  the  life  insurance 
business.  In  1872  he  accepted  an  agency 
for  the  Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Milwaukee,  with  which 
he  has  now  been  connected  for  forty-four 
years,  with  the  exception  of  the  period 
from  August  i.  1877,  to  August  i,  1879, 
when  his  attention  was  given  to  the 
establishment  and  supervision  of  agen- 
cies in  a  part  of  this  State,  for  the  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York. 
In  1879  he  entered  upon  a  contract  with 
the  Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  to  take  charge  of  its  Central 
New  York  General  Agency,  and  removed 


76 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  his  family  to  Syracuse,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  Although  the  com- 
pany was,  at  that  time,  one  of  the  strong- 
est in  insurance  circles,  it  had  drawn  its 
patronage  largely  from  the  Middle  West- 
ern States  and  was  practically  unknown 
in  New  York.  Mr.  Brockway  concen- 
trated his  energies  on  the  establishment 
and  development  of  a  large  business  for 
the  company  in  his  field,  and  his  success 
is  well  known  to  all  who  have  any  knowl- 
edge of  insurance  interests.  He  is  the 
author  of  a  number  of  insurance  docu- 
ments which  have  been  extensively  cir- 
culated by  his  own  and  other  companies. 
In  1892  he  entered  into  partnership  rela- 
tions with  Charles  Bachman,  who  for 
some  time  had  been  connected  in  a  con- 
fidential capacity  with  the  company  and 
the  agency.  The  firm  of  Brockway  & 
Bachman  continued  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Bachman  in  July,  1899.  Mr.  Brock- 
way has  since  been  alone  in  business. 
He  developed  his  field  into  one  of  the 
largest  of  the  company's  general  agen- 
cies, his  territory  covering  all  of  Central 
and  Northern  New  York.  He  has  been 
longer  in  the  service  of  the  company  than 
any  other  of  its  more  than  ninety  general 
agents.  His  business  has  had  a  steady 
growth,  and  he  has  ever  made  it  his  aim 
to  serve  the  interests  of  the  policy-hold- 
ers in  every  way  possible.  His  offices 
have  been  among  the  most  conveniently 
arranged  in  the  country,  and  he  has  em- 
ployed a  large  corps  of  competent  clerks, 
stenographers  and  assistants.  His  busi- 
ness has  been  thoroughly  systematized 
and  his  methods  have  been  such  as  to 
secure  maximum  results  with  minimum 
effort. 

Early  in  1916  Mr.  Brockway  found  the 
duties  of  his  very  large  general  agency 
greater  than  he  cared  to  carry,  and  per- 
fected an  arrangement  with  the  company 
for  a  division  of  the  field  which  necessi- 


tated his  removal  to  Utica,  New  York, 
and  the  establishment  of  a  general  agency 
in  that  city.  He  retained  his  interest  in  the 
old  business  done  by  him  in  Syracuse  but 
greatly  reduced  his  labors  by  the  division 
of  his  territory.  At  this  writing  (Novem- 
ber, 1916)  he  still  retains  his  residence  in 
Syracuse,  but  since  the  first  of  October, 
1916,  his  business  headquarters  have  been 
in  Utica,  to  which  city  he  expects  to  re- 
move his  residence  at  an  early  date.  Mr. 
Brockway  has  not  only  attained  promi- 
nence in  insurance  circles,  but  has  also 
been  connected  with  other  important  busi- 
ness concerns.  In  January,  1894,  he  re- 
tired from  all  other  business  relations  be- 
cause of  the  growth  of  his  insurance  in- 
terests. 

Mr.  Brockway  was  married  in  early 
manhood  to  Emma  Hale,  of  Cold  Spring, 
Putnam  county,  New  York,  and  to  them 
were  born  five  daughters,  four  of  whom 
are  yet  living,  and  a  son,  who  died  soon 
after  their  removal  to  Syracuse.  The  rec- 
ord is  as  follows:  Mrs.  Francis  Edwin 
Hale,  of  Herkimer,  New  York,  whose 
husband  is  president  of  the  F.  E.  Hale 
Manufacturing  Company,  makers  of  sec- 
tional bookcases ;  Mrs.  Charles  E,  Spen- 
cer (now  deceased)  of  Syracuse,  where 
Mr.  Spencer  is  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law;  Mrs.  James  I.  Easton,  of  Leonia, 
New  Jersey,  where  Mr.  Easton  is  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  and  loaning  business ; 
Mrs.  Claude  J.  Kirkland,  whose  husband 
is  associated  in  business  with  Mr.  Easton. 
and  Helen  H.,  unmarried,  who  is  known 
as  a  fine  soprano  singer  and  vocal  teacher. 
In  1901  Mr.  Brockway  lost  his  first  wife, 
and  in  1903  he  married  Lelia  A.  Day,  of 
St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York. 

While  Mr.  Brockway  is  most  widely 
known  outside  of  Syracuse  in  connection 
with  his  business  interests,  he  is  undoubt- 
edly as  well  known  in  his  home  city  be- 
cause of  his  participation  in  various  local 


71 


I'XCVCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


interests  and  with  those  lines  of  activity 
which  have  worked  for  artistic,  esthetic 
and  moral  development,  lie  was  for- 
merly a  na-mber  of  the  Central  Baptist 
Church  and  had  a  large  part  in  the 
bringing  together  of  that  church  and 
the  First  liaptist,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  building  committee  gave  a  large 
amount  of  time  to  the  erection  of  the 
magnificent  church  building  located  at 
the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Jeffer- 
son streets,  an  institutional  church  of 
some  twenty-three  hundred  members, 
which  has  the  unique  distinction  of  hav- 
ing, in  connection  with  the  church,  a  hotel 
property,  "The  Mizpah,'"  which  is  run 
on  lines  of  which  no  church  need  be 
ashamed.  The  hotel  is  producing  a  very- 
large  income  which  is  expended  in  the 
interests  of  the  institutional  work  of  the 
church.  He  has  held  various  official  posi- 
tions in  connection  with  his  church,  and 
his  recent  special  interest  has  been  as 
chairman  of  its  efficiency  commission. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  the  teacher 
of  the  well  known  lirockway  Bible  Class, 
which  was  organized  the  first  Sunday  in 
January,  1868,  and  is,  so  far  as  known, 
the  oldest  organized  Bible  class  on  this 
continent.  At  the  present  time  this  class 
has  a  membership  of  more  than  three 
hundred  and  there  have  been  but  two 
other  teachers  in  its  entire  history.  Mr. 
lirockway  has  recently,  at  the  end  of 
twenty-five  years'  service,  resigned  from 
the  position  of  teacher,  in  view  of  his 
probable  removal  to  Utica  at  an  early 
date.  That  he  is  a  thorough  Bible  student 
and  gifted  with  great  teaching  ability  is 
indicated  by  the  large  attendance  at  his 
class. 

As  a  leader  of  chorus  music  his  work 
has  been  greatly  appreciated.  He  has 
done,  gratuitously,  a  large  amount  of 
work  of  this  description  for  Sunday 
schools.  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 


78 


tions,  religious  conventions  and  other 
similar  objects.  He  trained  and  con- 
ducted the  "Christian  Workers  Chorus," 
composed  of  singers  selected  from  twen- 
ty-five different  churches  and  numbering 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons, 
which  was  originally  organized  to  coop- 
erate with  D.  L.  Moody  in  the  great 
meetings  held  in  Syracuse,  and  of  which 
Mr.  Moody  publicly  announced  that  it 
had  given  him,  without  exception,  the 
best  local  musical  support  he  had  ever 
received  in  his  evangelistic  work,  Mr. 
Brockway  retired  from  musical  circles 
several  years  ago. 

Mr.  Brockway  is  a  Republican  in  his 
political  preferences,  but  not  an  active 
party  worker.  He  belongs  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  has  been  an  earnest 
worker  in  that  organization  in  the  inter- 
ests of  municipal  advancement.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Citizens'  Club,  the  Current 
Events  Club,  the  Central  City  Lodge  of 
Masons,  the  Syracuse  Life  Underwriters 
Association  and  to  various  other  civic  and 
and  social  organizations.  He  was  former- 
ly active  as  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Music  Festival  Association. 

Mr.  Brockway  finds  his  recreation 
chiefly  in  travel,  and  in  communion  with 
nature.  He  and  his  wife  have  traveled 
widely  in  the  United  States  and  the  Do- 
minion of  Canada.  He  delights  in  explor- 
ing the  wildest  parts  of  the  woods,  and 
with  his  wife  for  a  companion  makes  fre- 
quent excursions  to  the  places  "which 
know  not  man,"  where  nature  holds  open 
the  book  of  the  forest  and  says  "read — 
learn  my  plans  and  purposes."  He  is 
interested  in  botany  and  horticulture  and 
has,  in  his  intervals  of  recreation,  acquired 
a  wide  knowledge  of  the  flora  of  this  dis- 
trict. One  of  his  diversions  has  been  the 
cultivation  of  extensive  flower  gardens  on 
his  two-acre  property  No.  2035  East  Gen- 
esee street,  where  one  may  see  in  bloom 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OE   BIOGRAPHY 


at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  nearly 
all  the  plants,  shrubs  and  flowers  adapted 
to  this  climate.  He  has  specialized  in  the 
single  hollyhock  and  has  during  the  past 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  made  one  of 
the  finest  collections  in  this  country.  He 
has  received  from  and  sent  to  all  parts 
of  the  country,  the  seeds  of  this  beautiful 
biennial  and  in  this  way  has  become 
acquainted  with  many  amateur  gardeners 
throughout  the  United  States,  with  whom 
he  has  kept  in  touch  through  correspond- 
ence. 

Mr.  Brockway's  residence  on  East  Gen- 
esee street,  near  the  city  limits,  over- 
looking all  Syracuse,  is  most  attractively 
located  and  gives  him  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  gratify  his  love  for  horticulture 
and  floriculture.  He  is  a  man  of  broad 
mind,  of  wide  interests,  of  genuine  public 
spirit  and  of  high  ideals.  He  performs 
every  duty  with  a  sense  of  conscientious 
obligation  and  his  activities,  aside  from 
his  business,  have  arisen  from  a  deep  and 
sincere  interest  in  his  fellow  men.  When 
he  removes  to  Utica,  in  connection  with 
his  business  interests  there,  he  will  be 
greatly  missed  by  hosts  of  friends  and 
fellow-workers  for  the  welfare  of  the  city 
of  Syracuse  and  for  the  uplift  of  humanity. 


CUNNINGHAM,  James, 

Manufacturer,    Philanthropist. 

Among  the  captains  of  industry  of  the 
past  generation,  those  who  laid  the  foun- 
dations upon  which  was  built  the  splendid 
industrial  prosperity  of  the  Rochester  of 
the  present,  the  name  of  James  Cunning- 
ham stands  forth  with  a  prominence  not 
equalled  by  many.  His  was  a  life  of  busi- 
ness activity  which  contained  no  "labor 
lost,"  but  one  in  which  every  movement 
championed  by  him  was  brought  to  a 
successful  realization.  He  was  the  pro- 
moter, founder  and  prime  factor  in  estab- 
lishing the  extensive  manufacturing  busi- 


ness which  is  to-day  conducted  under  the 
name  of  James  Cunningham,  Son  tS:  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  leading  industrial  enter- 
prises of  the  city  of  Rochester. 

jMr.  Cunningham  was  born  in  County 
Down,  Ireland,  the  fourth  child  in  a  fam- 
ily of  five,  which  was  bereft  of  the  father 
when  the  children  were  still  young,  James 
being  only  five  years  of  age.  The  mother, 
with  the  bravery  of  her  race,  decided  to 
come  to  America,  and  bringing  her  little 
flock  with  her  settled  at  Cobourg,  Canada. 
Here  the  young  lad  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools,  and  in  his  spare  time 
assisted  to  the  best  of  his  ability  with 
the  farm  work.  He  early  manifested  a 
proclivity  for  the  vocation  in  which  he 
subsequently  was  so  successful,  having  a 
most  decided  fondness  for  working  in 
wood,  and  also  an  unusual  talent  for  de- 
signing. Under  these  circumstances  it 
was  readily  seen  that  farm  labor  did  not 
furnish  the  outlet  for  his  energies  and  he 
sought  employment  at  carriage  making  in 
Canada.  After  a  visit  to  an  uncle  who 
was  an  architect  in  New  York,  he  passed 
through  Rochester  on  his  homeward  way, 
stopping  there  for  a  brief  period  and  en- 
gaging in  work.  He  returned  to  Cobourg 
but  was  convinced  that  the  United  States 
furnished  a  more  satisfactory  field  of 
operation  for  business,  and  accordingly, 
in  1834,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years, 
he  returned  to  Rochester.  He  then  took 
up  the  carriage  making  trade  with  a  view 
to  mastering  it  in  every  detail,  and  his 
perseverance,  ambition  and  energy  soon 
gained  for  him  advancement  as  his  abili- 
ty and  skill  increased.  In  1838  he  became 
a  member  of  a  firm  of  carriage  manufac- 
turers operating  under  the  name  of  Kerr, 
Cunningham  &  Company.  This  was  the 
nucleus  of  the  present  large  enterprise, 
one  of  Rochester's  most  important  busi- 
ness concerns.  His  next  location  was  on 
Canal  street,  where  he  was  a  resident  for 
a   considerable    period,   and   the    present 


79 


j:xlvclopedia  of  biography 


location  of  the  James  Cunningham,  Son 
&  Company  carriage  factory.  The  origi- 
nal purchase  did  not  represent  by  any 
lucdUi,  tlic  holdings  of  the  present  day, 
but  subsequent  additions  have  been  made 
until  now  the  grounds  include  tour  acres, 
while  the  buildings  and  equipment  are 
among  the  most  extensive  of  their  kind 
in  the  world.  The  first  factory  building 
was  erected  in  1S47  by  Mr.  Cunningham 
and  others  have  been  added  as  growth  and 
increase  in  trade  rendered  their  erection 
necessary.  The  public  was  not  slow  in 
recognizing  the  excellence  and  durabilitv  of 
their  product  and  the  firm  gained  a  repu- 
tation for  reliability  and  consequently  a 
rapidly  increasing  business.  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham gave  his  personal  supervision  to 
the  work,  not  merely  the  financial  end  of 
the  enterprise  but  also  to  the  mechanical 
labor,  and  as  a  result  of  his  study  and  in- 
vestigation, combined  with  his  inventive 
genius,  he  produced  several  machines 
which  simplified  the  constructive  processand 
at  the  same  time  brought  forth  better  work 
than  could  have  been  secured  by  the  old 
methods.  As  the  business  increased  year 
by  year  the  company  found  themselves 
not  following  the  lead  of  other  carriage 
manufactories,  but  were  themselves  set- 
ting the  pace  by  introducing  many  new 
styles  of  carriages,  as  well  as  more  desir- 
able methods  of  construction.  In  1881, 
Mr.  Cunningham  being  then  sixty-six 
years  of  age,  formed  a  stock  company 
and  thereby  transferred  the  management 
of  the  business  to  younger  shoulders,  be- 
ing succeeded  by  his  sons  and  son-in-law, 
the  former  having  been  trained  to  the 
work  and  thus  were  well  qualified  to  take 
up  the  burden  which  their  father  laid 
down.  No  man  was  ever  entitled  to  or 
earned  a  more  fitting  rest,  the  reward  of 
years  of  earnest,  honorable  and  tireless 
activity.  Me  was  peculiarly  happy  in  his 
relations  with  his  employes,  being  quick 


to  recognize  capability  and  faithfulness 
on  the  part  of  those  who  served  him. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  married  in  early 
life  to  Bridget  Jennings,  now  deceased. 
Their  surviving  children  were:  Mrs. 
Charles  H.  Wilkin,  Mrs.  R.  K.  Dryer, 
Joseph  Thomas,  a  sketch  of  whom  fol- 
lows, and  Charles  E.  Cunningham. 

James  Cunningham  died  at  his  home  in 
Rochester,  May  15,  1886,  aged  seventy- 
one  years.  While  his  name  is  held  in 
such  great  esteem  for  the  splendid  busi- 
ness qualities  which  he  displayed,  his 
memory  is  also  an  enduring  one  for  the 
many  lovable  traits  of  character  with 
which  he  was  endowed.  He  was  a  friend 
of  all  philanthropic  institutions  and  con- 
tributed liberally  of  his  means  to  their 
support,  and  always  used  his  citizenship 
in  the  interest  of  every  needed  reform, 
making  for  progress  and  improvement. 
His  ideas  were  ever  forward  and  advance- 
ment might  well  be  termed  his  watch- 
word. It  was  apparent  in  all  his  relations, 
business,  social  and  politic.  In  reviewing 
his  life  career  it  seems  fitting  to  say  that 
he  accomplished  all  that  was  possible  and 
much  more  than  perhaps  any  other  man 
would  have  done  under  like  circum- 
stances. 


CUNNINGHAM,  Joseph  Thomas, 

Manufacturer. 

Joseph  Thomas  Cunningham, of  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  son  of  James  and  Bridget 
(Jennings)  Cunningham,  was  born  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  in  1842.  He  was 
educated  under  the  care  of  the  Christian 
Brothers,  and  after  completing  his  school 
years  was  trained  to  the  business  he  later 
conducted  under  the  capable  instruction 
and  eye  of  his  honored  father.  In  1881, 
when  James  Cunningham  incorporated 
his  business  as  James  Cunningham,  Son 
&'  Company,  Joseph  T.  Cunningham  was 


80 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  of  those  upon  whom  the  burdens  of 
management  fell  and  to  that  company  and 
its  interests  he  devoted  his  life.  The  four 
acres  of  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
plant,  its  extensive  buildings  and  modern 
equipment,  testify  eloquently  to  the  effici- 
ency of  the  management  and  to  the  close 
attention  it  has  received  from  those  to 
whom  the  business  was  committed  by  the 
founder. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  a  member  of  the 
Genesee  Valley  and  Rochester  Country 
clubs,  and  a  Roman  Catholic  in  religious 
faith.  He  married,  in  1877,  i"  New  York 
City,  Ellen  N.  Keogh,  daughter  of  Au- 
gustus J.  and  Elizabeth  (Donelly)  Keogh. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cunningham  were  the  par- 
ents of  two  children :  Augustus  J.,  born 
in  1878;  Francis  E.,  1883;  Rufus  A.,  1884. 
Mr.  Joseph  Thomas  Cunningham  died 
March  24,  1914. 


CANDEE,  William  Benjamin, 

Business  Man,  Financier. 

From  John  Candee,  who  came  from 
England  in  1639,  there  sprang  an  illustri- 
ous family  that  has  been  prominently 
connected  with  the  States  of  Connecticut 
and  New  York.  The  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  was 
Julius  Candee,  who  w^as  fifth  in  descent 
from  Zaccheus  Candee,  of  Oxford,  Con- 
necticut, and  of  the  seventh  American 
generation  of  the  family  founded  in  Fair- 
field county,  Connecticut,  by  Richard 
Osborn,  an  Englishman. 

Julius  Candee  was  born  at  Oxford.  Con- 
necticut, February  19, 1800,  died  in  Water- 
ville.  New  York,  July  2,  1880.  He  came 
to  Oneida  county,  New  York,  in  1815,  a 
lad  of  fifteen,  and  so  well  did  he  improve 
his  opportunities  that  in  1829  he  was 
firmly  established  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Waterville.  Conservative,  yet  pro- 
gressive, he  was  the  ideal  head  of  great 
business  enterprises,  and  as  the  head  of 
N  Y— 5-6  81 


the  firm  of  Candee  &  Son,  and  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Bank  of  Waterville  for  twen- 
ty-two years,  he  conducted  two  totally 
different  businesses  with  a  wisdom  and 
skill  which  placed  mercantile  house  and 
bank  among  the  solid,  reliable  prosperous 
institutions  of  Oneida  county.  He  had 
been  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Water- 
ville from  its  organization,  was  vice-presi- 
dent from  1838  until  his  elevation  to  the 
presidency,  in  fact  the  first  fifty  years  of 
the  bank's  existence  was  largely  under 
the  Candee  influence. 

Had  Julius  Candee  left  no  monument 
save  his  excellent  business  record,  it 
would  have  sufficed  to  enroll  him  among 
the  great  men  of  the  county,  but  he  went 
far  beyond  the  realm  of  business,  and  in 
public  and  private  life  proved  the  strength 
of  his  character  and  the  purity  of  his 
motives.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  represented  Oneida  county  in 
the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1846,  and  freely  championed  in  that  body 
every  measure  or  movement  to  incorpo- 
rate into  the  organic  law  of  the  State  that 
which  he  deemed  of  value.  A  devout 
Presbyterian,  he  served  with  zeal  every 
interest  of  the  church,  and  as  clerk  and 
treasurer  gave  freely  of  his  time  and 
ability.  His  private  life  was  without 
stain,  and  he  left  to  posterity  the  record 
of  a  blameless  life,  rich  in  its  usefulness 
to  the  community  in  which  so  large  a 
portion  of  his  life  had  been  passed. 

He  married,  in  1826,  Lucia  M.  Osborne, 
eldest  daughter  of  Amos  Osborne,  who 
settled  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield  in  1802. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Candee  had  four  children, 
all  of  whom  have  now  joined  their  parents 
in  the  spirit  land.  Children:  Julius; 
Lucia  Catherine,  married  Edward  Mc- 
Camus,  of  Schenectady,  New  York;  Wil- 
liam Benjamin,  to  whose  memory  this 
sketch  is  dedicated,  and  Amos  D.  W| 
Candee. 

William  Benjamin  Candee  was  born  in 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Waterville.  New  York,  May  17,  i83i,dieci 
at  his  home  in  his  native  village,  March 
25.  li^Sij,  only  surviving  his  honored 
lather  six  \ears.  After  public  school 
courses,  he  prepared  at  Clinton  Liberal 
Institute  and  entered  Hamilton  College, 
whence  he  was  graduated,  class  of  1852. 
After  graduation  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  passed  the  required  examination  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Oneida  county  bar. 
He  never  practiced  his  profession,  but  in 
his  subsequent  business  career  found  his 
knowledge  of  the  law  a  great  benefit  in 
guiding  his  course.  In  1855  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  a  partnership  with  his  father, 
the  lirm  then  re-organizing  as  Candee  & 
Son.  Father  and  son  worked  in  perfect 
harmony  for  the  ensuing  quarter  of  a 
century  and  no  name  stood  higher  on  the 
commercial  roll  of  honor  than  did  Can- 
dee.  When  in  1880,  the  founder  of  the 
business  passed  to  his  reward,  the  son 
continued  the  business  until  1884,  when 
he  retired,  leaving  the  business  which  he 
had  aided  so  largely  to  develop  to  the 
hands  of  others.  He  was  officially  con- 
nected with  the  Rank  of  Waterville  for 
many  years,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem. 
Mr.  Candee  married,  at  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, December  23,  1857,  Louise  Newberry, 
born  in  Detroit,  I'^bruary  7,  1834,  died  in 
Waterville,  New  York,  June  14,  1905, 
daughter  of  Henry  Newberry,  a  mer- 
chant. She  was  early  deprived  of  a 
mother's  love  and  made  her  home  with 
her  aunt,  Mrs.  Daniel  Clark,  of  Greene, 
New  York.  She  survived  her  husband 
many  years,  and  to  his  memory  erected 
the  large  and  handsome  Candee  Block  on 
the  site  of  the  old  store  in  which  William 
li.  Candee  and  his  father  so  long  con- 
ducted their  mercantile  business.  Four 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W^ 
B.  Candee:  i.  Harry  Newberry,  born 
November  9,  1858,  came  to  his  death  by 
drowning.  May  12,  1894;  a  graduate  of 
Hamilton  College,  class  of  1880;  he  mar- 


ried Louise  Holcomb  and  had  two  chil- 
dren:  Ruth  and  William  H.  Candee.  2. 
Lucia  Clark,  married  Watson  S.  Hawkins, 
editor  of  the  Waterville  "Times."  3.  Kate 
Louise,  who  is  a  resident  of  W^aterville. 
4.  Julius  Warner,  born  January  18,  1873, 
died  November  7,  1909. 


UNGRICH,  Henry,  Jr., 

Business  Man. 

The  Ungrich  family,  which  was  worth- 
ily represented  in  the  present  generation 
by  the  late  Henry  Ungrich,  Jr.,  who  was 
a  man  of  enterprise,  sagacity  and  busi- 
ness acumen,  bore  the  following  coat-of- 
arms:  Or,  a  "point"  azure  charged  with 
a  crowned  lion  rampant  argent,  holding 
in  its  dexter  paw  a  sword,  on  each  side  of 
the  "point"  an  eagle  displayed  sable. 
Crest:  Issuing  out  of  a  crowned  helmet 
a  pair  of  wings  displayed,  dexter  per  pale 
sable  and  or,  sinister  per  pale  argent  and 
azure,  between  them  a  demi  lion  as  in  the 
arms.  Mantling:  Dexter,  sable  and  or, 
sinister,  azure  and  argent. 

Henry  Ungrich,  Jr.,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 15,  1850,  in  New  York  City,  the  son 
of  Henry  and  Eliza  (Kamm)  Ungrich, 
both  of  whom  were  members  of  old  and 
honorable  German  families.  Henry  Un- 
grich, Sr.,  was  a  native  of  the  town  of 
Kreuznach,  on  the  Nahe,  a  few  miles  from 
its  junction  with  the  Rhine,  chiefly  nota- 
ble for  its  salt  springs,  which  were  dis- 
covered in  1478,  and  which,  containing 
iodine  and  bromine,  are  serviceable  in 
many  diseases.  His  wife,  Eliza  (Kamm) 
Ungrich,  was  born  in  Worms.  They  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1845,  short- 
ly after  their  marriage,  and  settled  in 
New  York  City.  Previous  to  his  coming 
to  this  country,  Henry  Ungrich  had  been 
a  baker  in  Germany,  and  on  arriving  in 
New  York  City  followed  the  same  trade, 
and  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  bakery  in 
that  city  at  different  times,  which  netted 


82 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


him  a  substantial  income.  He  died  in  the 
year  1901,  and  his  wife  a  few  years  prior 
to  that  date. 

Henry  Ungrich,  Jr.,  attended  the  public 
schools  of  New  York  City,  and  when 
quite  young  was  graduated  from  the  old 
Thomas  Hunter  School,  public  school  Xo. 
35.  He  determined  to  continue  his  edu- 
cation and  entered  the  College  of  New 
York,  now  called  the  University  of  New 
York,  and  after  pursuing  a  course  of 
study  in  that  institution  spent  a  few  years 
as  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  hardware 
firm.  During  this  period  he  traveled  ex- 
tensively, and  became  acquainted  with 
conditions  of  life  and  business  throughout 
the  entire  country,  gaining,  in  addition  to 
the  broad  education  which  traveling 
gives,  a  keenness  of  perception  in  busi- 
ness which  later  in  life  stood  him  in  good 
stead.  He  next  was  employed  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman  by  a  large  flour  firm.  Later 
he  returned  to  New  York  City  and  en- 
tered his  father's  establishment,  where  he 
continued  for  several  years,  giving  up  his 
offices  in  this  firm  to  assume  the  manage- 
ment and  control  of  his  father's  extensive 
real  estate  interests,  which  were  prin- 
cipally located  in  the  City  of  New  York. 
During  the  period  which  followed  he  dealt 
largely  in  stocks,  maintaining  a  constant 
connection  with  the  stock  market.  Mr. 
Ungrich  possessed  that  type  of  business 
genius  which  enabled  him  to  foresee  with 
a  reasonable  degree  of  certainty  the 
change  in  conditions  affecting  real  estate, 
and  he  purchased  accordingly.  Mr.  Un- 
grich died  very  suddenly  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  April  10.  1915,  while  on 
a  business  and  pleasure  trip  with  his  wife. 
At  that  time  he  was  a  substantially 
wealthy  man  and  possessed  of  a  consider- 
able fortune. 

Mr.  Ungrich's  interests  were  largely 
financial,  and  he  was  connected  in  execu- 
tive capacities  with  several  large  firms  of 
that  kind  in  New  York  Citv,  and  in  White 


Plains,  where  he  resided.  He  was  actively 
identified  with  the  fraternal  and  social  in- 
terests of  the  town  of  White  Plains,  and 
was  especially  prominent  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles. He  was  past  master  of  Harlem 
Lodge,  No.  431,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  was  also  a  Knight  Templar. 
He  was  aftiliated  with  the  Republican 
party,  though  not  bound  by  party  lines 
when  the  question  of  the  best  fitted  man 
for  office  arose.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Westchester  Congregational  Church 
of  White  Plains. 

Henry  Ungrich  married  (first)  Emilj 
Clock,  born  January  16,  1855,  and  died  in 
New  York  City,  March  4,  1901.  They  had 
one  child,  Minnie  Florence,  who  became 
the  wife  of  John  D.  Thees,  Jr.,  of  New 
York  City,  now  a  resident  of  New  Ro- 
chelle.  New  York.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, a  daughter,  Glendon,  and  a  son, 
John  D.  Thees,  4th.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Emma  Leonora  Tyler,  daughter  of 
Charles  B.  and  Mary  Emily  Tyler,  both 
of  whom  were  born  at  North  Castle, 
Westchester  county,  New  York,  Mrs. 
Tyler  being  a  daughter  of  Egbert  and 
Caroline  Littell.  On  the  paternal  and 
maternal  lines  Mrs.  Ungrich,  who  sur- 
vives her  husband,  and  is  residing  in 
White  Plains,  is  a  descendant  of  two  of 
the  oldest  families  in  that  section  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  The  pioneer  ances- 
tors of  the  Tyler  and  Littell  families  were 
both  descendants  of  very  long  established 
families  of  England. 

The  name  Tyler  was  adopted  when  the 
use  of  surnames  became  common  in 
England,  and  is  occupative  in  its  deriva- 
tion, meaning  "the  tyler,"  one  who  bakes 
clay  into  tiles,  a  tiler.  The  Anglo-Saxon 
word  from  which  the  name  was  originally 
taken  is  tigele,  which  is  a  corruption  of 
the  Latin  "tegula,"  tile,  which  comes 
from  the  word,  "tegere,"  to  cover.  The 
name  has  been  variously  spelled  during 
the  centuries  since  it  was  first  adopted : 


83 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Tylere,     'lilcre.      Tyghelcr.      Tyghelere, 
Ticgheler.     The  coat-of-arms  of  the  Tyler 
family  is  as  follows:  Sable  on  a  fesse  or. 
between     three    cats    passant    guardant 
argent,  a  cross  moline,  enclosed  by  two 
crescents  gules.     Crest:   A  demi-cat  ram- 
pant and  erased  or.  charged  on  the  side 
with   a  cross  crosslet   fitchee  gules   in  a 
crescent  of  the  last.    The  first  mention  of 
the  name  in  authentic  records  occurs  m 
1273.  Geoffrey  le  Tylere,  County  Hants. 
The  family  in  the  United  States  has  given 
a  president  to  the  country,  and  has  fur- 
nished   sons    who   have    rendered    signal 
service    in    the    various   departments    of 
public  activity,  and  in  other  walks  of  life. 
The  Littell  family  is  also  a  prominent 
one  in  the  same  section  of  the  State,  and 
before  its  establishment  in  America  held 
a  prominent  position  in  England.    It  also 
is  of  great  antiquity.  The  name  was  origi- 
ally  derived  from  a  nickname,  and  is  of 
the  same  class  of  patronymics  as   Bigg, 
Small.    Long,    etc.      It    was    sometimes 
affixed  as  a  sobriquet  on  the  least  of  two 
bearing  the  same  name,  as  follows:    Jo- 
hannes  de    Bland,   littill,    1379,   meaning 
the  smaller  in   stature  or  status  of  two 
men    of   the    same    name.     The    coat-of- 
arms  of  the  Littell  family  is  as  follows: 
Azure,  a  saltire  engrailed  or,  in  chief  a 
mullet  of  the  last. 


CADMAN,  Samuel  P.,  D.  D., 

ClerKyman.   Liecturer,  Author.  - 

Many  generations  of  Cadmans  claim 
England  as  their  native  country,  char- 
ters of  mines  abounding  in  the  family. 
Dr.  Cadman's  father  and  grandfather  and 
other  relatives  were  also  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  Shrojishire,  the  then  home  of  his 
parents,  was  the  birthplace  of  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Parkes  Cadman,  who  was  among  the 
first  of  his  immediate  line  to  make  the 
United  States  his  home. 

Dr.  Cadman  is  among  the  first  preach- 


ers of  America,  and  one  of  the  eminent 
divines  of  Greater  New  York  City.  As 
pastor  he  has  served  the  Metropolitan 
Temple,  Manhattan,  and  Central  Congre- 
gational Church,  Brooklyn,  since  1895. 
He  is  also  a  well  known  author,  his  prin- 
cipal books  being  "Charles  Darwin  and 
Other  English  Thinkers"  and  "The  Three 
Religious  Leaders  of  Oxford."  As  a  lec- 
turer he  holds  first  place  in  America,  Can- 
ada and  England ;  and  he  is  also  chaplain 
of  the  Twenty-third  Regiment,  New  York 
National  Guard,  sharing  with  the  regi- 
ment its  experiences  on  the  Texan  border 
during  the  summer  of  1916.  He  is  a 
grandson  of  Robert  Cadman,  a  local 
preacher  of  the  Primitive  Methodist 
Church  of  Great  Britain,  and  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Betsey  (Parkes)  Cadman. 
His  father  was  also  a  minister  of  the 
Primitive  Methodist  Church,  and  an  out- 
standing popular  preacher  of  unusual 
power  and  eloquence.  To  a  certain  de- 
gree the  wishes  of  his  parents  influenced 
Dr.  Cadman's  choice  of  a  profession,  but 
it  was  in  a  much  greater  degree  through 
his  personal  choice  that  he  engaged  in  the 
holy  calling. 

He  was  born  in  Wellington,  Shrop- 
shire, England,  December  18,  1863.  After 
early  school  days  he  was  for  several  years 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  mining 
operations  which  preceded  his  entrance 
into  the  ministry,  and  during  those  years 
night  study  was  the  young  man's  only 
means  of  furthering  his  ambition  to  se- 
cure an  education.  Later  he  pursued 
studies  in  divinity  at  Richmond  College, 
London,  England,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1889.  In  1890  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  from  1893  until  1895 
was  pastor  of  the  Yonkers  (New  York) 
Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
from  1895  until  1901  was  pastor  of  the 
Metropolitan  Methodist  Temple,  Seventh 
-  avenue  and  Fourteenth  street.  New  York 
84 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


City.  In  1901  he  became  pastor  at  Cen- 
tral Congregational  Church  of  Brooklyn, 
a  great  influential  pulpit  which  he  has 
continuously  filled  with  great  acceptabil- 
ity until  the  present  time.  He  is  a 
preacher  of  intellectual  distinction  and 
spiritual  insight,  strong  in  his  advocacy 
of  moral  causes,  and  outspoken  on  all 
public  questions  that  affect  the  welfare 
of  humanity.  In  a  recent  address  on  the 
Mexican  problem  he  said :  "There  is  no 
reason  for  war  with  Mexico.  There  never 
has  been  any  reason.  Mexico  does  not 
need  arms  so  much  as  she  needs  school- 
masters and  Christian  statesmen." 

To  his  pastoral  work.  Dr.  Cadman  adds 
valuable  public  service  as  a  lecturer,  ap- 
pearing before  many  colleges,  assemblies 
and  lyceums,  patriotic  gatherings  and 
civic  bodies,  to  discuss  questions  of  reli- 
gious and  economic  importance.  He  is 
a  profound  scholar,  excelling  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  philosophy,  history  and  literature, 
a  man  of  lofty  ideals,  wholly  consecrated 
in  his  devotion  to  humanity's  cause,  and 
while  proud  of  his  Motherland,  of  Eng- 
land and  of  Englishmen,  as  true  in  his 
patriotic  devotion  to  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion as  any  native  son.  As  a  lecturer,  he 
is  in  constant  demand  all  over  the  United 
States,  before  bodies  which  discuss  mat- 
ters of  deepest  interest  to  the  race,  and  he 
is  as  much  in  demand  for  women's  con- 
gresses and  conventions  as  for  men's.  In 
the  city  in  which  he  has  spent  nearly  his 
entire  American  life,  he  is  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem,  and  few  gatherings  of  young 
men  or  of  social  and  patriotic  bodies  but 
strive  to  have  him  on  their  program.  He 
has  no  hobbies,  but,  if  he  had,  it  would  be 
young  men  and  their  welfare,  and  to  them 
he  gives  this  word :  "To  fear  God,  and 
have  no  other  fear,  is  the  best  governing 
principle  which  leads  to  a  courageous  dis- 
charge of  duty." 


He  is  a  trustee  of  Hartford  Theological 
Seminary ;  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences  ;  of  Adelphi  College,  of 
which  he  was  acting  president  for  nearly 
three  years  until  the  fall  of  191 5,  on  the 
installation  of  a  permanent  president; 
director  of  the  Union  Missionary  Train- 
ing Institute ;  director  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions ;  director  of  the  Congregational 
Home  Missionary  Society;  a  member  of 
the  Brooklyn  Clerical  Union ;  and  a  mem- 
ber of  many  societies,  religious,  political, 
economic,  social  and  patriotic,  including 
honorary  membership  in  U.  S.  Grant 
Post,  No.  327,  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, of  Brooklyn ;  and  membership  in  the 
Masonic  order,  in  which  he  holds  the 
office  of  chaplain  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  State  of  New  York. 

In  1908  Dr.  Cadman  was  chosen  chap 
lain  of  the  Twenty-third  Regim€nt,  New 
York  National  Guard,  and  until  the  pres- 
ent time  has  held  that  position,  winning 
not  only  the  respect  but  the  love  and  con- 
fidence of  the  regiment  and  of  the  entire 
New  York  division.  When  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  the  border  in  1916,  he  ac- 
companied it,  and  it  was  due  to  his  efforts 
that  when  State  and  national  authorities 
failed  to  cooperate,  funds  were  procured 
from  his  northern  friends  and  the  needed 
sanitary  precautions  were  taken  which 
helped  to  bring  the  regiment  to  its  splen- 
did physical  condition.  In  September, 
Dr.  Cadman  came  north  on  leave  of  ab- 
sence, which  was  extended  in  October  an 
additional  sixty  days.  Nearly  every  even- 
ing of  his  leave  has  been  devoted  to  plat- 
form work  before  religious  and  civic 
bodies,  his  theme  being  the  duties  of  citi- 
zenship and  the  obligations  of  Nation 
and  State  to  their  citizen  soldiery. 

In  his  literary  labors,  Dr.  Cadman  has 
delved  deep  into  the  past,  and  has  given 


85 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  the  world  views  of  some  of  the  illus- 
trious men  of  other  days.  In  1908  he  pub- 
lished "The  Life  of  William  Owen;''  in 
1909.  "Religious  Uses  of  Memory,"  in 
1910!  "The  Victory  of  Christmas;"  in 
1912.  "Charles  Darwin  and  Other  Eng- 
lish Thinkers."  and  in  1916,  "The  Three 
Religious  Leaders  of  Oxford." 

I-ond  of  outdoor  recreations,  motoring 
is  his  favorite  enjoyment,  and  in  the  in- 
tervals of  a  busy  life  he  indulges  his  love 
for  antique  furniture  and  old  china,  his 
collection  being  a  very  fine  one,  gathered 
in  many  journeys  to  unfrequented  places. 

Wesleyan  College,  Connecticut,  and 
Syracuse  University,  New  York,  con- 
ferred upon  him.  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  in  1898;  Columbia  University, 
New  York,  that  of  Doctor  of  Sacred  The- 
ology in  1913;  the  University  of  Vermont, 
that  of  D.  H.  L.  in  1913. 

Dr.  Cadman  married,  in  Buxton,  Eng- 
land. October  2,  1888,  Esther  Lillian 
Wooding,  daughter  of  John  and  Belle 
(Watson)  Wooding,  her  father  a  mer- 
chant of  Dawley,  Shropshire,  England. 
Children :  Frederick  Leslie,  Marie  Isabel, 
Lillian  I-lsther. 


McClelland.  James  Dodd, 

ConstrnctiTe  Lawyer,  Legislator. 

Hon.  James  Dodd  McClelland,  who  has 
attaint'*!  prominence  in  the  legal  profes- 
sion of  New  York  City  as  one  of  its  bright- 
est and  most  eminent  practitioners,  and 
who  is  also  a  forceful  character  in  political 
circles,  active  and  influential  in  the  coun- 
cils of  his  i)arty,  was  a  native  of  New  York 
City,  born  August,  1843,  son  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Rice)  McClelland,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ireland,  the  latter  of  Phila- 
dt'li)liia,  Pennsylvania.  John  McClelland 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  year 
1H35  and  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper 
until    his    (Icatli    in    the    year    1870.      He 


survived  his  wife  three  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  the  year  1867. 

James  D.  McClelland  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of   New  York   City   until   he 
attained  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  then 
pursued  his  studies  independently,  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  unrivalled  facilities  of 
the  Astor  Library.    He  became  a  student 
of  Mount  Washington   Collegiate   Insti- 
tute,  from   which   he   was   graduated   in 
1863,  and  in  the  following  year  he  was 
a  student  in  Columbia  Law  School,  and 
attended  lectures  at  the  New  York  Medi- 
cal College  in  the  year  1865.    In  1866  he 
decided  to  devote  his  time  to  the  profes- 
sion of  law  rather  than  that  of  medicine, 
and  entered  the  Law  School  of  the  New 
York  University,  being  a  member  of  the 
same  class  as  Elihu  Root,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws 
in  1867.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
New  York,  June  17,  1867,  and  within  ten 
minutes  thereafter  undertook  his  first  law 
case  in  the  Court  of  General  Sessions,  this 
being  the  defense  of  a  man  accused  of  rob- 
bery.   For  five  years  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  New  York  "Sun,"  upon  its  repor- 
torial  stafT,  having  charge  of  the  criminal 
court  news,  and  during  this  time  was  in- 
strumental in  breaking  up  many  abuses  in 
the  criminal  courts.  From  1869  to  1873  he 
was  associated  with  William  F.  Kritzer, 
and  since  the  latter  named  year  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  independent  practice, 
achieving  a  large  degree  of  success,  and 
has  acted  as  counsel  in  more  than  one 
hundred  homicide  cases,  and  only  three 
convictions  for  murder  in  the  first  degree. 
His  first  homicide  case  was  the  People 
against  Christopher  Cadena,  wife-murder 
case,  in  December,  1867.    As  a  lawyer  his 
abilities  are  very  pronounced,  and  the  liti- 
gation with  which  he  has  been  identified 
has  been  handled  with  a  skill  and  eflfective- 
ness  that  have  won  him  enviable  prestige. 
His  professional  work  has  been  character- 


86 


i 


I 


ASTon.  L- 


IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ized  by  the  greatest  care,  fidelity  to  his 
clients'  best  interests,  and  a  skill  that  has 
proved  fruitful  in  the  results  attained. 

Mr.  McClelland  has  been  equally  promi- 
nent and  conspicuous  in  the  politics  of  his 
native  city,  in  which  he  has  ever  taken  a 
keen  interest.  In  1873  he  declined  the 
appointment  for  police  justice  tendered 
by  Mayor  Havemeyer  and  again  declined 
an  appointment  to  the  same  position  by 
Mayor  Cooper  in  1887.  In  1875  he  was 
oflfered  the  nomination  of  the  anti-Tam- 
many party  for  judge  of  the  Marine  Court, 
which  he  declined  to  accept.  When  Colonel 
Asa  Bird  Gardiner  was  district  attorney  of 
New  York  county,  Mr.  McClelland  was 
appointed  one  of  his  assistants,  having 
charge  of  cases  before  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals, and  served  two  years  in  that  capac- 
ity. In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  Xew 
York  Assembly  from  the  Ninth  District 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  and  while  in  the 
Assembly,  in  1882,  introduced  a  bill  en- 
titled "An  Act  Regulating  the  Trial  of 
Persons  in  Capital  Cases,"  which  con- 
ferred upon  the  defense  the  right  of  the 
concluding  address  to  the  jury.  This  was 
passed  by  both  houses,  but  was  vetoed  by 
Governor  Cornell.  In  May,  1882,  he  also 
introduced  a  resolution  in  the  Assembly 
to  investigate  the  results  in  actions  against 
members  of  the  Tweed  ring.  Many  of  the 
suits  had  been  lost  sight  of  in  the  press  of 
events,  and  some  of  the  beneficiaries  were 
likely  to  escape  liability.  This  action  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  McClelland  showing  his 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  people  was 
approved  by  the  press  generally.  He  also 
introduced  and  passed  the  amendment  to 
the  Code  of  Criminal  Procedure,  abolish- 
ing the  old  method  of  appeal  in  capital 
cases  whereby  the  right  of  a  stay  of  execu- 
tion was  denied  to  defendants  convicted 
of  murder  in  old  Oyer  and  Terminer,  Su- 
preme Court,  unless  they  should  obtain 
a  stay  of  execution  from  a  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  until  the  appeal  should  be 


heard  and  decided  and  denied  the  right  to 
a  review  of  the  evidence  upon  the  trial, 
nor  any  error  of  law,  unless  exception  had 
been  taken  during  the  trial.  It  was  no 
uncommon  occurrence  to  see  unfortunates 
executed  within  six  weeks  after  sentence, 
if  tried  in  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Termi- 
ner, but  if  a  defendant  was  tried  in  the 
County  Court  and  Courts  of  Sessions, 
upon  an  indictment  for  murder,  he  would 
have  the  right  to  have  all  the  evidence 
upon  the  trial  reviewed  and  all  errors  of 
law  reviewed  without  exceptions  being 
taken  at  trial,  upon  an  appeal,  and  in  addi- 
tion a  stay  of  execution  as  a  matter  of 
course.  By  Mr.  McClelland's  amendment, 
this  unjust  discrimination  was  abolished 
and  the  notice  of  appeal  substituted  in  place 
of  the  writ  of  error,  and  the  said  notice, 
i/^so  facto,  is  a  stay  of  execution  until  a  de- 
cision is  rendered  by  the  Appellate  Court. 
Under  this  amendment  many  cases  have 
been  acted  on.  This  law  resulted  in  a  re- 
view of  hundreds  of  homicide  cases,  and 
the  decisions  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  pre- 
sents an  exhaustive  summary  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  criminal  law. 

Another  reform  in  the  criminal  law  was 
enacted  by  Mr.  McClelland  while  in  the 
Legislature  of  1882.  From  1863  to  1882, 
in  the  great  metropolis  of  the  United 
States,  a  condition  existed  that  seems  in- 
conceivable in  a  free  country  with  a  popu- 
lation of  over  a  million  at  that  time  and 
increasing  year  after  year.  After  the  clos- 
ing of  Magistrates'  Courts  at  4:00  p.  m. 
and  after  12:00  m.  on  Sunday,  as  was  the 
case  up  to  1863.  in  cases  of  arrests  of  per- 
sons for  minor  offenses  and  minor  mis- 
demeanors they  could  give  bail  during  the 
night  hours  for  their  appearances  the  fol- 
lowing morning  before  magistrates.  This 
was  the  common  practice.  After  1863  in 
New  York  City,  after  4:00  p.  m.,  a  boy 
playing  ball  in  the  street,  a  person  violat- 
ing a  corporation  ordinance  where  fine  in 
case  of  conviction  would  be  only  five  dol- 


87 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lars,  would,  if  arrested,  be  confined  in  a 
cell  in  the  police  station  until  the  following 
morning  and  about  9:00  a.  m.  go  before 
the  magistrate  and  the  case  disposed  of. 
Many  a  decent  hard-working  woman  for 
sweeping  otT  her  sidewalk  into  the  street 
was  among  the  victims.  One  Sunday  in 
1881,  after  the  Magistrates'  Court  had  ad- 
journed at  12:00  m.,  arrests  were  made 
for  violating  the  excise  law  and  more  than 
ten  thousand  arrests  were  made  on  that 
day,  between  the  hours  of  i  :oo  p.  m.  and 
12  o'clock  midnight.  The  station  houses 
were  shambles,  some  having  as  many  as 
three  hundred  to  four  hundred  prisoners, 
and  the  last  person  bailed  was  at  i  o'clock 
Tuesday  morning.  The  irony  of  this  form 
of  administration  was  somewhat  empha- 
sized by  the  fact  that  the  bail  for  trial  in 
case  the  defendant  was  held  was  only 
one  hundred  dollars.  One  of  these  arrests 
resulted  in  the  death  of  a  poor  honest 
German  who  was  arrested  in  a  raid.  A 
person  arrested  in  any  city  or  county  of 
the  State  for  a  minor  offense  could  be 
bailed  by  magistrates  or  justices  of  the 
peace.  This  condition  was  corrected  by 
an  amendment  offered  by  Mr.  McClel- 
land authorizing  captains  and  sergeants 
of  police  to  take  bail  in  such  cases  and 
remains  the  law  to  this  day. 

In  1910  Mr.  McClelland  was  elected  to 
the  Xew  York  State  Senate  and  served 
two  terms,  in  all  four  years.  During  his 
incumbency  of  office  he  secured  the  pas- 
sage of  the  bill  for  the  prevention  of  the 
prf)pagation  of  the  feeble-minded  and  in- 
sane. This  was  secured  in  the  Senate  of 
191 2,  after  a  continuous  struggle,  the  bill 
having  been  defeated  three  times  before 
it  was  finally  passed  unanimously.  While 
acting  as  assistant  district  attorney,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  arguments  of  appeals 
before  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  the  case 
of  the  People  rs.  Carbonie,  156  New  York 
page  413,  he  took  the  unprecedented  posi- 
tion in   the   interests  of  justice,  arguing 


with  the  appellant's  attorney  for  a  new 
trial.  The  court  in  its  opinion  highly  com- 
plinxented  Mr.  McClelland.  The  duty  of 
a  district  attorney  to  present  every- 
thing relating  to  the  case  of  an  accused, 
whether  it  be  against  or  for  him,  has  been 
adjudicated  in  the  above  entitled  case. 
This  was  a  case  in  which  the  defendant 
had  been  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree  and  sentenced  to  death  on  Decem- 
ber 17,  1897,  and  at  the  time  of  the  render- 
ing of  this  decision,  to  wit,  June  24,  1898, 
was  in  the  death  house.  At  the  time  of 
the  trial  of  the  defendant-appellant  herein, 
witnesses  testified  on  the  trial,  that  the 
defendant  Carbonie  did  not  inflict  the 
mortal  wound,  but  that  one  Alexander 
Ciarmello  performed  the  fatal  act.  The 
case  was  tried  before  Justice  Smyth  in 
the  Supreme  Court  part,  and  prosecuted 
by  John  Mclntyre,  as  district  attorney. 
Ciarmello  was  arrested  in  Philadelphia 
three  or  four  months  thereafter,  and 
there  confessed  that  he  killed  the  de- 
ceased, for  which  Carbonie  had  been  con- 
victed. He  was  brought  on  here,  indicted 
and  tried,  and  convicted,  setting  up  a  de- 
fense of  self-defense,  of  murder  in  the  sec- 
ond degree,  and  was  sentenced  to  State's 
prison'  for  life.  The  trial  and  conviction 
was  had  before  Justice  Smyth  and  prose- 
cuted by  John  Mclntyre,  the  same  judge 
and  district  attorney  that  had  tried  Car- 
bonie. A  somewhat  striking  and  tragic 
scene  was  presented  to  the  people  of 
our  State  in  the  Sing  Sing  State  Prison. 
An  innocent  man  convicted  of  a  murder 
under  a  death  sentence  in  the  death  house ; 
the  real  man  who  committed  the  murder 
and  confessed  it,  had  been  tried  for  the 
same  homicide  and  had  been  convicted  of 
murder  in  the  second  degree  and  was  serv- 
ing a  life  sentence.  The  assistant  district 
attorney  w'ho  had  charge  of  this  appeal 
and  its  argument  before  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals had  his  attention  called  to  this  con- 
dition   before    the    appeal    was    argued. 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


After  conferring  with  the  district  attor- 
ney he  expressed  the  view  that  an  inno- 
cent man  had  been  convicted  and  that 
this  was  an  appeal  from  the  judgment 
of  that  conviction  and  that  he  was  satis- 
fied from  a  thorough  conscientious  ex- 
amination of  the  case,  that  a  duty  under 
law  devolved  upon  the  district  attorney, 
even  though  this  was  an  appeal  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  Appellate  Court  to  this 
situation.  The  result  was  that  a  certified 
record  of  the  trial  of  Ciarmello  who  had 
been  convicted  for  the  same  homicide 
should  be  presented  as  a  part  of  the  ap- 
peal, and  the  attention  of  the  court  called 
to  it.  A  per  curiam  opinion  by  the  court 
shows  that  the  course  of  the  district  attor- 
ney was  commended.  The  reading  of  the 
section  425  of  the  Code  of  Criminal  Pro- 
ceedings in  capital  cases  provided  that 
they  may  reverse  judgments  of  verdict  is 
against  evidence  for  errors  of  law  and 
where  the  interests  of  justice  require  it. 
The  district  attorney  who  argued  the  case 
for  the  Court  of  Appeals  took  the  position 
that  in  his  judgment  the  court  would  be 
justified  in  granting  a  new  trial  to  the  de- 
fendant, which  the  court  did.  In  a  con- 
versation with  Judge  Bartlett  and  the 
assistant  district  attorney,  he,  Judge  Bart- 
lett, said :  "The  cold  chills  run  dowm  my 
back  when  you  were  describing  the  scene 
in  the  State  prison,  of  an  innocent  man  in 
the  death  house  waiting  the  execution  of 
a  death  sentence,  while  the  person  who 
committed  the  crime,  was  in  that  same 
prison  with  his  life  saved."  This  case  is 
the  first  instance  of  the  kind  that  is  to  be 
found  in  any  report  so  far  as  examination 
has  been  made  where  a  public  prosecutor 
took  this  position. 

An  incident  of  a  conversation  with  Sam- 
uel J.  Tilden  and  a  subsequent  one  with 
William  M.  Tweed  may  be  interesting 
reading.  In  1868  Mr.  McClelland  was 
desirous  of  obtaining  an  appointment  in 
the  corporation  counsel's  office.     Peter  B. 


Sweeney  was  then  occupying  that  office. 
Mr.  Tilden  gave  Mr.  McClelland  a  letter 
recommending  him  for  such  appointment. 
Mr.  McClelland  also  had  a  letter  of  rec- 
ommendation from  Sandford  E.  Church, 
afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  Not  being  able  to  obtain  an 
interview  with  Mr.  Sweeney  at  his  office, 
he  left  them  with  a  brother  of  Mr.  Sweeney 
to  deliver  to  him.  After  waiting  several 
weeks  and  receiving  no  response,  Mr.  Mc- 
Clelland called  upon  Mr.  Tilden,  whose 
office  was  then  at  No.  10  or  14  Wall  street, 
and  met  Mr.  Tilden  as  he  was  leaving  his 
office  in  company  with  Mr.  John  B.  Van 
Beuren.  clerk  of  Governor  Hoffman,  and 
Peter  Cager,  of  Albany,  the  then  head  of 
the  Albany  regency.  Mr.  McClelland  told 
of  the  result  of  the  letters,  Mr.  Tilden 
halted  a  minute  and  his  face  flushed,  and 
with  a  voice  showing  manifest  indigna- 
tion exclaimed:  "It  does  seem  strange 
that  I  cannot  get  any  recognition  from 
Sweeney  or  Tweed  and  those  people  down 
there,  although  I  am  the  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  State  Central  Committee.  The 
time  may  come  when  they  will  regret  it. 
The  time  may  come  when  they  may  wish 
they  had  done  differently."  Turning  to 
Mr.  McClelland  and  pointing  to  a  table  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  room  he  said : 
"You  take  that  place  and  I  will  look  after 
matters  for  you."  Mr.  McClelland  thanked 
Mr.  Tilden,  but  replied  that  he  intended 
to  take  up  the  practice  of  criminal  law,  as 
Mr.  Brady  had  thought  he  was  better 
adapted  for  that  profession. 

A  sequence  to  this  incident  occurred 
about  four  years  afterwards  which  may 
be  interesting.  Mr.  McClelland  had  be- 
come acquainted  with  public  men  and 
among  them  William  M.  Tweed.  It  was 
one  day  during  the  trial  of  Tweed  before 
Judge  Davis  in  the  Oyer  and  Terminer 
and  during  recess  hour  that  he  went  into 
the  courtroom  to  see  Mr.  Sparks,  the  clerk 
of  the  court.     The  courtroom  was  com- 


89 


E.VCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


paratively  empty  when  Mr.  Tweed  greeted 
Mr.  McClelland,  and  after  the  usual  civili- 
ties, Mr.  Tweed  asked  what  was  the  feel- 
ing about  his  case  with  the  public.  The 
conversation  ran  on,  when  the  incident 
with  Mr.  Tilden  occurred  to  Mr.  McClel- 
land. He  then  told  Mr.  Tweed  of  it.  The 
eflfcct  on  Mr.  Tweed  was  manifest.  After 
a  pause  he  said :  "You  don't  m^an  to  tell 
me  this  is  so.  My  God,  why  didn't  you 
come  to  me?  You  could  have  had  any- 
thing." lie  then  called  to  his  counsel, 
Mr.  Graham,  who  was  engaged  at  the 
table:  "John,  come  here,  hear  this."  A 
few  minutes  after,  Mr.  McClelland  left. 
It  was  in  the  summer  of  the  year  before 
the  passage  of  the  Tweed  charter  that  Mr. 
McClelland  tells  of  another  incident  and 
that  was  of  Thurlow  Weed  and  William 
M.  Tweed,  who  for  nearly  two  hours  were 
engaged  in  an  earnest  conversation  at 
Broadway  and  Park  Place,  and  at  the 
following  session  of  the  Legislature  the 
Tweed  charter  was  passed.  Republicans 
voting  for  the  same  despite  the  protests 
of  Mr.  Tilden  and  Charles  O'Conor  be- 
fore the  Senate  Committee  of  Cities.  In 
January,  1916,  Mr.  McClelland  was  se- 
lected by  the  Hon.  Edward  Swann,  who 
had  been  elected  district  attorney,  as  as- 
sistant district  attorney,  an  office  which 
he  holds  at  this  time  (1917). 

Thoroughly  versed  in  the  science  to 
which  he  devoted  himself,  and  endowed 
with  a  natural  ability  of  a  high  order,  he 
has  gained  a  creditable  place  for  himself 
among  the  leading  lawyers  of  his  native 
city.  As  a  citizen  as  well  as  in  the  capac- 
ity of  lawyer  and  advocate,  Assemblyman 
and  Senator,  Mr.  McClelland  has  acquired 
an  honorable  reputation,  enjoying  the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
holds  relations,  especially  by  those  whom 
he  has  benefited  by  the  passing  of  laws, 
as  aforementioned.  Of  Mr.  McClelland's 
personal  character  there  is  but  one  word 


from  all  who  are  acquainted  with  him, 
that  he  is  a  man  of  the  noblest  rectitude, 
unselfish  and  untiring  in  his  work  for, 
others,  and  universally  loved  by  his  hosts 
of  friends. 

Mr.  McClelland  married  (first)  in  June, 
1867,  Annie,  daughter  of  John  Nielson. 
Children:  Margaret,  wife  of  Samuel  C. 
Blakeley;  William,  died  in  1902;  James 
Dodge,  a  mechanical  engineer;  Annie, 
wife  of  Joseph  Gregory.  Mr.  McClel- 
land married  (second)  in  November,  1913, 
Edna  Russell. 


EDELMAN,  Lewis, 

Merchant,  Public  Official. 

When  a  child  of  six  years,  Lewis  Edel- 
man  was  brought  by  his  parents  from  his 
native  Germany  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  now,  1916,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one, 
he  is  yet  one  of  the  active  merchants  of 
the  city,  head  of  a  prosperous  retail  coal 
business.  Not  only  has  he  borne  well  his 
part  in  commercial  life,  but  for  ten  years 
he  was  an  important  factor  in  public  life 
as  alderman,  and  during  all  his  mature 
life  he  has  been  an  active  and  influential 
member  of  the  party  to  which  he  owns 
allegiance.  His  career  has  been  a  most 
interesting  one  and  shows  that  he  wa^ 
increasing  in  his  industry  and  that  he  was 
well  advanced  in  years  before  he  finally 
found  his  true  calling,  but  when  once  he 
had  found  the  true  outlet  for  his  energy 
he  perseveringly  followed  his  new  calling 
and  became,  as  he  yet  is,  one  of  the  larg- 
est retail  coal  dealers  in  the  city.  His 
success  has  been  well  earned  and  is  not 
the  result  of  good  fortune,  but  of  honor- 
able and  presistent  efifort.  He  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  Edelman,  both  born 
in  Germany,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  185 1,  settling  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  where  the  father  pursued  his  trade. 
Joseph   Edelman,  born   in    1825,   died   in 


90 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTon,  L-  "^ox 

TILDE  \     FOurvO-i     IONS 


:h,    Pete 
wis  bei;. 


with  his  paren 
was    educated 
schools  in  Ro-.  ; 
suitab" 
ing  tr 
for  thi 

maker's  trattf. 
prentice  and  jo.  ., 
then  began  businc; 
and  conducted  a  harne; 
business  in  the  Sibley  l-wi.; 
street  until   1874.     He  was  nv 
and   after   disposing  of   his   1 
1874  he  formed  a  partnership  wi..  ; 
Engert  and  together  they  conducts 
tail  coal  business  until  1882.     Th 
nership  was  then  dissolved,  Mr.  E-. 
associating  himself  with  George  \ 
in  the  same  business  on  Exchange 
He  con"' ••'  ■  ■  ->  partner  -  ■"    ''   -    ' 
until  r  ^  he  re 

ness  imder 
business  h 
No.  88  Pc 
threading 
the  anthra 
Pennsylvai 
one  years  he  h 
manager  of  thi 
and  during  the- 
tation  for  honorab/ 
which  is  indicatives  -•    ■  > 
manly  quality.    As  weff;  h' 
Edelman  is  a  communi 
Catholic  church,  and  i; 
y"  a  Democrat:     Fr>r  *c 
882  in  tjie  1 
;  T900  in 


':r'i;'0? 

.'.g  Facte 


E.XCVCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


laid  his  adopted  city.  As  one  of  her  suc- 
cessful business  men  he  has  aided  in 
establishing  the  commercial  greatness  of 
the  city,  while  his  service  to  public  in- 
stitutions of  his  State  and  city  have  been 
of  signal  value.  His  fame  extends  far 
beyond  city  limits.  He  has  written  con- 
siderable on  fish  and  game  protection,  on 
forest  con>ervation.  and  is  known  as  one 
of  the  strongest  advocates  of  strict  gov- 
ernmental action  in  both  questions.  To  a 
love  of  that  which  he  would  protect  he 
adds  a  deep  scientific  knowledge,  and 
there  has  come  from  his  pen  a  valuable 
monograph  on  "Animals,  Birds  and  Fishes 
of  North  America,"  which  is  a  work  of 
scientific  value,  widely  quoted. 

Reviewing  the  career  of  Mr.  Lambe^- 
ton  and  noting  his  prominence  in  busi- 
ness and  public  life  it  seems  but  natural 
to  suppose  that  such  was  the  career  he 
mapped  out  for  himself  and  prepared  for. 
Such  an  inference,  however,  is  incorrect. 
The  educational  advantages  he  so  largely 
enjoyed  in  his  youth  were  all  directed 
toward  a  full  and  complete  preparation 
for  the  ministry.  He  is  a  regularly  or- 
dained minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  served  as  pastor  of  the  Tomp- 
kins Avenue  Church,  of  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  until  the  arduous  duties  in  which 
he  delighted  caused  a  physical  breakdown 
at  the  end  of  two  years  and  precluded  his 
continuing  in  the  holy  profession  he  so 
loved  and  for  which  he  was  so  thoroughly 
pre|)ared.  This  was  the  great  disappoint- 
ment of  his  life,  but  he  bowed  to  the 
Divine  will,  strong  in  his  belief  that  "all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  the  Lord."  So,  with  a  brave 
though  troubled  heart,  he  turned  to  other 
pursuits,  and  to  the  State  gave  the  in- 
tellectual vigor  and  fine  mentality  de- 
signed for  the  church,  the  loss  of  the  one 
being  the  gain  of  the  other.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  undertakings  and  has 
given  to  the  State  an  example  of  mental 


poise  and  nobility  of  character  worthy 
of  emulation.  Earnestness,  kindliness, 
benevolence  and  sympathy  have  marked 
his  course  through  life,  and  as  he  views 
his  years,  seventy-seven,  in  retrospect,  he 
can  feel  a  contentment  that  follows  duty 
well  performed,  and  feel  that  the  Divine 
will  has  led  him,  not,  indeed,  vi^here  his 
feet  would  go,  but  with  a  purpose  that 
the  great  hereafter  will  reveal. 

Huguenots  in  France,  the  Lambertons 
fled  to  Scotland  after  the  Revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes.  In  1666  the  Lam- 
berton  brothers  settled  in  Ireland,  one  at 
Londonderry,  another  on  the  coast  near 
the  Giants'  Causeway,  the  third  in  still 
another  locality.  William  Lamberton, 
grandfather  of  Alexander  Byron  Lamber- 
ton, was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ire- 
land, in  1775,  and  in  1802,  after  his  mar- 
riage to  Elizabeth  Garrick,  settled  at  Mar- 
ket Hill,  in  his  native  county.  He  died  in 
1830,  and  his  widow  came  to  the  United 
States,  accompanied  by  eight  of  their  chil- 
dren, leaving  a  son,  Alexander,  behind. 

Alexander  Lamberton,  father  of  Alex- 
ander Byron  Lamberton,  was  born  at 
Rich  Hill,  Ireland,  in  1808.  He  obtained 
a  good  education,  and  on  attaining  man- 
hood became  a  merchant,  continuing  in 
business  at  Rich  Hill  until  1839,  in  which 
year  he  joined  his  mother  and  her  chil- 
dren in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  man 
of  deep  piety,  and  after  his  arrival  in  this 
country,  feeling  that  he  was  called  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  became  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  spent 
his  subsequent  life  in  that  holy  calling. 
He  married  Ann  Jane  Chambers,  of  Ire- 
land, who  bore  him  eight  children :  Wil- 
liam, George,  John,  Vernon,  Alexander 
Byron,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Mary. 

Alexander  Byron  Lamberton  was  born 
at  Rich  Hill,  County  Armagh,  Ireland. 
February  28.  1839.  Being  but  an  infant 
in  arms  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
the  United  States,  his  early  life  was 
92 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


moulded  according  to  American  ideas  and 
ideals,  and  he  owns  no  other  standard  as 
his.  After  thorough  preparation  he  en- 
tered the  University  of  Rochester,  and 
after  leaving  that  institution  of  learning 
pursued  studies  in  Divinity  at  Auburn 
(New  York)  Theological  Seminary.  He 
was  regularly  ordained  a  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  accepted  a  call 
from  the  Tompkins  Avenue  Church,  as 
aforementioned.  After  his  complete  resto- 
ration to  health  and  strength,  he  decided 
to  engage  in  business  life,  and  accord- 
ingly purchased  the  planing  mill  and  lum- 
ber yard  located  at  Exchange  and  Spring 
streets,  Rochester,  and  began  life  anew. 
He  prospered  in  his  new  enterprise,  de- 
voting himself  to  business  ali'airs  with 
the  energy  and  good  judgment  that  has 
ever  characterized  his  work  in  every  field 
which  he  has  entered.  As  prosperity  came 
he  extended  his  lines,  made  judicious  in- 
vestments, and  acquired  large  business 
and  financial  interests.  For  several  years 
he  served  as  director  and  first  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  East  Side  Savings  Bank,  and 
is  a  director  of  the  Genesee  Valley  Trust 
Company,  of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee 
since  its  foundation,  and  for  several  years 
was  a  member  of  its  executive  committee. 
The  public  service  rendered  by  Mr. 
Lamberton  covers  a  wide  range.  As  a 
member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
State  Industrial  School  he  was  instru- 
mental in  raising  the  standard  of  effici- 
ency of  the  school  and  in  instituting  re- 
forms in  its  management  as  well  as  aid- 
ing in  securing  needed  improvements. 
As  president  of  the  Public  Market  for 
several  years  following  its  establishment, 
he  fully  justified  this  phase  of  municipal 
government.  As  president  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  in  1901  he  proved  so 
capable  an  executive  that  it  was  the  wish 
of  that  body  to  retain  him  in  office  a  sec- 
ond term,   an  honor  he   thought   it   wise 


to  decline.  He  was  the  leading  influence 
that  brought  about  the  erection  of  the 
swing  bridge  over  the  canal  at  Exchange 
street,  this  being  the  first  bridge  of  that 
type  erected  in  New  York  State. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  his  party 
greatly  in  the  minority,  he  suffered  defeat 
as  his  party's  candidate  for  mayor.  State 
Senator  and  Congressman,  but  it  was  an 
expected  defeat,  devotion  to  principle  and 
his  party's  welfare  being  the  forces  that 
led  him  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  as 
a  candidate.  As  park  commissioner,  he 
ever  championed  larger,  better,  and  more 
generally  useful  public  centers  of  enjoy- 
ment, and  to  him  a  large  meed  of  praise 
is  due  for  improved  park  conditions,  band 
concerts,  and  other  elevating  forms  of  en- 
tertainment now  enjoyed  by  the  public. 

The  great  world  out-of-doors  has  ever 
appealed  to  him,  and  with  rod  and  rifle 
he  has  explored  the  big  game  regions  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  also 
abroad,  and  not  for  the  love  of  the  chase 
more  than  for  the  joy  of  living  near  to 
Nature's  heart.  He  has  gained  health 
and  strength  from  Nature's  laboratory 
and  now.  although  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-seven  years,  is  splendidly  vigor- 
ous and  healthy.  From  knowledge  gained 
as  a  true  lover  of  sport  he  preaches  the 
gospel  of  protection  for  fish  and  game, 
was  a  pioneer  in  creating  sentiment,  and 
with  voice,  pen  and  example  has  been  in- 
fluential in  obtaining  the  support  that  has 
resulted  in  legislation.  He  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  National  Association  for  the 
Protection  of  Game,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  nomenclature,  and  an  ardent 
champion  of  the  cause.  Equally  ardent 
is  he  in  his  championship  of  the  doctrine 
of  forest  conservation,  and  his  early  insis- 
tence of  the  duty  of  the  State  created 
sentiment  that  crystallized  in  the  bill 
providing  for  the  Adirondack  Reserva- 
tion and  others  in  New  York  State.  While 


93 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


i-tate  hatcheries  are  now  well  established 
departments  of  State  governments,  this 
was  not  always  so,  and  the  example  set 
by  Mr.  Lamberton,  in  1875,  was  almost  a 
pioneer  movement.  In  that  year  he  liber- 
ated fifty  thousand  brook  trout  in  the 
Fulton  Chain  of  Lakes,  these  being  the 
first  artificially  propagated  brook  trout  re- 
leased in  the  northern  woods.  It  was 
only  when  the  scarcity  of  game  and  fish 
became  painfully  apparent  to  a  vi^asteful 
nation  that  the  warnings  of  true  sports- 
men such  as  Mr.  Lamberton  were  listened 
to,  and  now  that  forest  conservation  is 
national  as  well  as  a  State  policy,  that 
game  is  protected  and  streams  annually 
stocked,  it  is  fitting  that  the  men  who 
for  public  spirit  and  true  love  of  sport 
sounded  the  alarm  and  blazed  the  trail 
should  be  recognized  as  the  saviours  of 
bird,  fish,  game  and  forest.  Mr.  Lamber- 
ton has  been  a  very  extensive  traveler  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  and  a  student  of 
ancient  sites  and  antiquities,  his  studies 
and  investigations  being  very  exhaustive 
of  the  libraries  and  antiquities  of  Troy, 
Messina,  Syria,  Babylon,  and  throughout 
Asia  Minor. 

Mr.  Lamberton  is  a  member  and  pillar 
of  strength  of  Brick  Church  (Presby- 
terian) of  Rochester.  He  is  a  member  of 
both  York  and  Scottish  Rites  of  Masonry, 
belonging  to  Genesee  Valley  Lodge  and 
Rochester  Consistory,  holding  in  the 
latter  body  the  thirty-second  degree.  He 
has  for  many  years  been  identified  with 
every  phase  of  city  life,  commercial,  so- 
cial, religious  and  fraternal.  There  are 
no  failures  to  record,  no  wasted  opportu- 
nities to  deplore,  but  on  the  contrary,  the 
public  verdict  on  his  life  and  character  is 
"Well,  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

Mr.  Lamberton  married,  in  1864,  Eu- 
nice B.,  daughter  of  Charles  R.  and  Eliza 
(Starbuck)  Ilussey,  of  Nantucket.  She 
died    March    18,    1898.     They   were   the 


parents  of  three  children:  Martha  Hus- 
sey;  Eunice  S.,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Isaac  Kaiser,  of  New  York  City;  Mary, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Charles  A.  Hone, 
of  New  York  City. 


GRAHAM,  Corden  Thome.  M.  D., 

Sanatorium  Proprietor. 

The  medical  records  of  the  State  of 
New  York  have  been  enriched  by  the  lives 
of  the  Drs.  Graham,  father  and  son,  con- 
temporaries in  practice  for  a  time,  whose 
names  are  associated  with  Graham  High- 
land Park  Sanatorium.  To  the  sanatorium 
founded  by  Dr.  Graham,  Sr.,  the  son  has 
added  an  addition.  As  the  name  indi- 
cates, the  sanatorium  is  situated  on  the 
northern  border  of  beautiful  Highland 
Park,  commanding  a  splendid  view  of  the 
city  and  surrounding  country.  In  con- 
nection with  the  sanatorium  and  hospital, 
where  every  modern  appliance  is  found, 
Dr.  Graham  conducts  a  training  school 
for  nurses  with  the  assistance  of  a  full 
force  of  skilled  nurses.  He  is  a  graduate 
in  Homoeopathy  and  Electro-Therapeu- 
tics and  confines  his  practice  almost  en- 
tirely to  the  inmates  of  his  privately 
owned .  hospitals.  For  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  Dr.  Graham  has  practiced  in 
Rochester;  Dr.  Graham,  Sr.,  located  there 
in  1890,  and  Dr.  Graham..  Jr.,  assumed 
charge  of  the  sanatorium  and  hospital  in 
1905  at  his  father's  death. 

Dr.  Merritt  E.  Graham  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Italy,  Yates  county,  New  York, 
and  died  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  August  3, 
1905.  He  was  graduated  at  Genesee 
Wesleyan  Seminary,  Lima,  New  York, 
class  of  1874,  going  thence  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  Homoeopathic  College 
to  prepare  for  the  profession  it  was  his 
ambition  to  follow.  He  was  awarded  his 
degree  of  M.  D.  with  the  class  of  1878, 
and  at  once  began  practice  at  Brockport, 


94 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


New  York.  He  continued  in  successful 
practice  there  for  twelve  years,  1S78-90, 
then  disposed  of  his  practice  and  moved 
to  Rochester,  where  he  continued  an  ac- 
tive and  prominent  member  of  the  pro- 
fession until  he  passed  to  the  presence  of 
the  Great  Physician.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy, New  York  State  Homoeopathic 
Society,  Western  New  York  Homoeo- 
pathic Society,  Monroe  County  Homoe- 
opthic  Society,  International  Hahneman- 
nian  and  Monroe  County  Hahnemannian 
societies,  and  stood  very  high  in  the  re- 
gard of  his  brethren  of  these  societies.  He 
was  coroner  of  Monroe  county  for  nine 
years,  1890-99,  and  was  chief  surgeon  to 
Hahnemann  Hospital. 

In  addition  to  his  private  practice,  Dr. 
Graham  founded  Graham  Highland  Park 
Sanatorium  in  Rochester,  near  Highland 
Park,  on  South  avenue,  which  institution 
met  a  condition  he  had  long  recognized 
and  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  many. 
Dr.  Graham  was  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  as  a  member  of  that  party  was  chosen 
county  coroner.  He  belonged  to  various 
Masonic  bodies  of  Rochester,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  was  highly  esteemed  as  physi- 
cian and  citizen. 

Dr.  Graham  married,  in  Saline,  Michi- 
gan, September  25,  1877,  Fannie  E.  Cor- 
den,  who  yet  survives  him,  a  resident  of 
Rochester.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  were 
the  parents  of  two  children :  Daisy,  mar- 
ried Dr.  James  L.  Hondorf,  of  Rochester; 
Corden  Thorne,  of  further  mention. 

Dr.  Corden  Thorne  Graham,  only  son 
of  Dr.  Merritt  E.  and  Fannie  E.  (Cor- 
den) Graham,  was  born  at  Brockport, 
New  York,  July  3,  1881,  and  came  to 
Rochester  with  his  parents  in  1890.  He 
completed  the  various  grades  of  public 
school  study,  finishing  with  high  school 
graduation.  He  chose  the  profession  of 
medicine,  studied  under  his  honored  and 


eminent  father,  then  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  Homoeopathic  College, 
whence  he  was  graduated  M.  D.,  class  of 
1904.  He  also  is  a  graduate  of  the  Na- 
tional College  of  Electro-Therapeutics, 
Lima,  Ohio,  and  there  was  awarded  the 
degree  of  M.  E. 

After  graduation  Dr.  Graham,  Jr.,  re- 
turned to  Rochester,  and  began  practice 
with  his  father,  but  the  association  was 
dissolved  the  following  year  by  the  death 
of  Dr.  Merritt  E.  Graham.  The  Graham 
Sanatorium,  the  buildings  for  which  had 
been  completed  in  1899,  and  which  was  in 
successful  operation,  passed  under  the 
management  and  control  of  Dr.  Corden 
T.  Graham,  who  for  the  past  twelve  years 
has  been  the  directing  head  and  chief 
member  of  the  medical  and  surgical  stafT. 
The  second  addition  was  completed  in 
1905  and  has  also  been  exclusively  under 
Dr.  Graham's  management.  The  two  in- 
stitutions, situated  side  by  side,  yet  sepa- 
rate institutions,  accommodate  about  fifty 
patients,  the  equipment  being  modern  and 
the  treatment  bestowed  is  according  to 
the  best  professional  methods,  endorsed 
by  Dr.  Graham.  His  training  school  for 
nurses  is  well  conducted  and  valuable, 
and  all  are  well  patronized  and  bear  ex- 
cellent testimony  to  the  skill,  proficiency 
and  devotion  of  their  head,  Dr.  Corden  T. 
Graham. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Homoeopathic  Society,  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homoeopathy,  Western  New 
York  and  Monroe  County  Hahnemannian 
societies.  His  practice  is  largely  confined 
to  the  medical  and  surgical  cases  in  his 
hospital,  and  he  has  won  a  name  in  his 
profession  for  skill  in  diagnosis  and  prac- 
tice, qualities  combined  with  a  ready 
sympathy  and  unfailing  courtesy  which 
have  made  him  a  very  popular,  profes- 
sionally and  socially.  He  is  a  member  of 
Valley  Lodge,  Hamilton  Chapter,  and 
Monroe    Commandery    of     the    Masonic 


95 


EXLVCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


order;  also  of  the  Shrine;  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Rotary 
Club,  Rochester  Club,  Rochester  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Rochester  Canoe  Club, 
Rochester  Athletic  Club,  and  Masonic 
Club. 

Dr.  Graham  married,  June  14,  1905. 
Louise  M.,  daughter  of  Frank  E.  Wil- 
liams, of  Rochester.  They  have  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Susan  E.,  born  February  n, 
1907. 


GRAESER.  William  V., 

Prominent  Furrier. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  ago  Mr.  Graeser 
came  to  the  city  of  Rochester  after  seven 
years  of  American  experience  with  that 
greatest  of  all  fur  houses,  Revillon 
Freres,  of  New  York  City.  That  period 
covered  his  then  American  experience. 
He  had  learned  his  business  in  the  Old 
World,  beginning  in  his  youth  in  his 
native  country  and  perfecting  his  knowl- 
edge of  furs  and  skill  in  their  manufac- 
ture in  nearly  every  fur  bearing  country 
of  the  world.  With  such  an  equipment 
he  located  in  Rochester,  where  he  has 
built  up  a  large  trade  among  the  best 
class  of  patrons  as  a  wholesale  and  re- 
tail manufacturer  of  furs.  In  the  busi- 
ness world  he  is  known  as  the  able  head 
of  the  William  V.  Graeser  Company,  im- 
porters, exporters  and  manufacturers  of 
furs,  and  as  one  of  the  very  largest  dealers 
and  buyers  of  raw  furs  in  Western  New 
York.  That  he  has  thus  advanced  in  the 
regard  of  the  public-at-large  is  a  tribute 
to  his  business  ability  and  character  as 
well  as  to  his  intimate  knowledge  of  furs 
and  fur  manufacture.  He  deems  no  furs 
Uk)  rare  or  costly  to  offer  his  customers, 
and  having  established  a  clientele  of  pa- 
trons whose  love  for  the  beautiful  can  be 
indulged  to  the  fullest  extent,  his  show 
rooms  contain  the  rarest  and  most  costly 


specimens  brought  from  every  fur  market 
in  the  world.  As  Mr.  Graeser  reviews  in 
retrospect  his  twenty-five  years  of  busi- 
ness life  in  Rochester,  he  can  feel  a  deep 
sense  of  satisfaction  that  he  cast  his  lines 
in  a  community  where  his  knowledge, 
skill  and  ability  to  serve  the  most  exact- 
ing taste  in  furs  has  been  so  highly  appre- 
ciated. 

William  V.  Graeser  was  born  in  Copen- 
hagen, Denmark,  April  29,  1862,  son  of 
John  and  Hannah  Graeser,  long  time  resi- 
dents of  that  city.  He  obtained  a  good 
education  in  private  schools  in  his  native 
city,  learned  the  furriers'  trade,  and  until 
his  twenty-second  years  was  engaged  in 
the  fur  busines,  visiting  the  fur  bearing 
countries  of  Europe  as  a  fur  buyer,  gain- 
ing an  expert  knowledge  of  fur,  fur  values, 
and  the  various  methods  of  dyeing  and 
manufacturing  peculiar  to  the  different 
countries.  He  won  high  reputation  in  the 
fur  markets  as  a  discriminating  buyer  and 
was  regarded  even  at  that  early  age  as 
one  of  the  best  posted  men  in  the  fur 
trade. 

In  1884  Mr.  Graeser  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  New  York,  where  his 
reputation  had  preceded  him  and  gained 
him  a  position  with  that  great  fur  house 
of  the  world,  Revillon  Freres.  For 
seven  years  he  remained  in  the  employ  of 
that  house,  adding  to  his  former  expert 
knowledge  an  intimate  understanding  of 
the  American  fur  market,  its  peculiarities, 
needs  and  possibilities.  He  then  decided 
the  time  was  opportune  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  business  of  his  own,  and  after 
due  investigation  decided  to  locate  in 
Rochester,  New  York.  In  1891  he  went 
to  that  city  and  for  a  few  years  was  con- 
nected with  the  fur  house  of  R.  S.  Ken- 
yon  &  Company.  He  then  opened  his 
own  establishment  in  the  Buckley  Build- 
ing on  South  Clinton  street,  and  for  four- 
teen years  remained  at  that  location, 
96 


THE  MEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


u  tci'S  iOi    i) 


at  ■ 
rh  • 

ati' 
ra. 
and  s.' 

to  leave  their  iias  la  »aie  k?. 
receiving  space  for  his   large   ,  . 
of  domestic  and    foreign  raw  fur 
catL-rs    to   every   want    of  .his    splendid 
clientele,  desigfiiing,  remodeling  and  r^^ 
pairing-  being  import^t  details  to  whi . 
he  gives  especial  attention.  His  purchases 
of  raw  furs   are   very  heavy,   including 
furs  of  every  kind,  from  the  commonest 
'(.    the  most  rare  and  costi 
known  in  the  foreign  fur  nid.. ......  a-    > 

buyer  and   seller,  while  in   the  domes v 
!;i.,  spread    . 

New  York 


has  co^ 
agemei: 
suiting: 
ever  gr 

importani  ur  <; 
attain   perfe'^^ion 
and  qualit; 
has  built  an  enuur 
Mt-.    Graeser  rn 
daughte. 


:i:ejter. 

N  \'._;V_.7 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


perfect  in  its  appointments  as  to  be  considered 
a  model  cIothiiiR  factory.  This  company  has 
been  in  existence  ju-<t  twelve  years,  so  its  his- 
tory is  soon  written.  Incorporated  in  the  fall  of 
1899  as  the  Hickey.  Freeman  &  Mahon  Com- 
pany, it  became  within  a  year  the  Hickey  &  Free- 
man Company,  the  officers  and  directors  bemg 
Jeremiah  G.  Hickey.  Jacob  L.  Freeman  and 
George  A.  Brayer.  The  Company  at  first  rented 
two  lofts  and  a  store  at  No.  84  St.  Paul  street, 
Rochester,  .New  York.  Each  year  they  rented 
an  additional  loft  until  they  occupied  the  entire 
building  (seven  stories)  and  one  floor  in  an 
adjoining  building.  In  IQ02  the  Hickey  &  Free- 
man Company  bought  out  the  business  of 
Michael  Kolb  &  Son  and  moved  into  a  larger 
buiidini;  at  .\«)S.  i53->57  St.  Paul  street.  After 
four  years  in  this  location,  a  consolidation  took 
place  of  the  Hickey  &  Freeman  Company  with 
the  Bcckel-Baum  Company,  resulting  in  the 
present  Hickey-Frceman  Company.  E.  M. 
Baum  and  J.  A.  Moss,  of  the  Beckel-Baum 
Company,  became  respectively  vice-president  and 
director  in  the  new  company.  At  the  same  time 
C.  J.  Paisley,  a  former  stockholder  in  the 
Hickey  &  Freeman  Company,  became  a  director 
in  the  new  company.  Again  it  became  necessary 
to  seek  more  spacious  quarters,  this  time  in  the 
Bartholomay  Building,  at  Xos.  240-248  St.  Paul 
street.  Here  the  business  was  conducted  from 
1908  until  the  recent  completion  of  the  new 
building  on  Clinton  avenue,  North. 

.\s  a  side  light  on  the  steady  growth  which 
this  company  has  enjoyed  during  these  twelve 
years,  it  may  be  noted  that  in  one  week  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1912,  the  value  of  goods  shipped  came 
within  about  ten  per  cent,  of  equaling  the  firm's 
entire  business  during  the  first  year  of  its  ex- 
istence. The  completion  of  the  present  home  of 
the  Hickey- I'reeman  Company  was  celebrated  by 
a  reception  and  banquet  held  in  the  new  building. 
All  branches  of  the  clothing  industry  were  repre- 
sented by  the  guests  present,  as  it  was  the  desire 
of  the  management  that  this  occasion  should  be 
not  merely  an  opportunity  for  offering  and  re- 
ceiving congratulations,  but  that  it  should  have 
a  permanent  value  in  promoting  friendly  rela- 
tions between  manufacturing  clothiers,  closer  co- 
operation between  manufacturer  and  retailer,  and 
a  greater  harmony  and  solidarity  in  and  between 
all  branches  of  the  clothing  industry. 

To  i,Mvc  a  better  idea  of  the  results 
aimed  at  on  this  occasion,  we  quote  ex- 
tracts from  some  of  the  addresses  made 


98 


at    the   time.     President    Hickey,   in   his 
address  of  welcome,  said  in  part : 

Last,  but  not  least,  we  are  most  grateful  to  our 
loyal  employees,  who  have  worked  so  faithfully 
to  help  us  "Keep  the  Quality  Up."  We  regret 
that  our  limited  space  does  not  permit  more  than 
the  heads  of  the  departments  to  be  with  us  this 
evening.  We  are  full  of  hope  for  the  future  and 
that  hope  has  brought  about  the  erection  of  this 
building  and  the  dedication  of  it  by  us  to  Service 
in  the  broadest  definition  of  that  word.  In  it 
we  have  planned  for  better  service  and  greater 
comfort  for  our  workers,  which  means  better 
service  to  our  customers  and  consequently  more 
satisfactory  and  successful  results  in  our  work. 
It  is  fruitless  for  an  employer  to  constantly  talk 
to  employees  about  being  loyal  to  the  house 
without  giving  them  a  good  reason  why  they 
should  be.  We  endeavor  to  have  our  employees 
feel  an  interest  in  the  work  they  are  doing,  which 
interest  will  give  them  real  pleasure  in  that 
work,  and  if  their  efforts  are  not  properly  recog- 
nized by  us  they  are  bound  to  be  by  others.  It 
is  work  with  oiir  employees  along  this  line  that 
gives  us  hope  of  rendering  the  best  of  service  not 
only  to  them,  but  to  our  patrons. 

Henry  W.  Morgan,  president  of  the 
Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce,  said  : 

This  factory,  with  its  modern  equipment,  fresh 
air,  light,  wholesome  sanitary  conditions,  pleas- 
ant surroundings,  and  social  gatherings  at  the 
noon  lunch,  is  a  splendid  example  of  what  can  be 
done  to  provide  a  place  in  which  to  work  and  at 
the  same  time  enjoy  life.  So  much  care  and  at- 
tention has  been  given  to  the  pleasant  features 
of  this  factory  that  we  almost  forget  that  it  is 
primarily  a  workshop.  We  can  well  say  that 
such  an  industrial  palace  as  this  Hickey-Free- 
man  factory  is  a  greater  achievement  than  build- 
ing a  pyramid,  for  it  combines  industry  with  real 
living,  which  is  one  of  the  highest  accomplish- 
ments of  our  modern  civilization. 

E.  B.  Moore,  senior  member  of  E.  B. 
Moore  &  Company,  said: 

"There  is  no  sentiment  in  business — get  the 
money."  Such  expressions  are  sometimes  heard 
among  American  business  men.  They  indicate 
an  atmosphere  which  has  never  been  given  a 
very  high  place  in  history.  When  I  see  such  a 
concern  as  the  Hickey-Freeman  Company  come 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


down  into  the  American  atmosphere  of  trade 
and  say  there  shall  be  righteousness  and  honor 
in  the  conduct  of  business  enterprises — say  they 
will  enter  that  atmosphere  and  develop  sentiment 
in  business  and  still  live — it  clearly  demonstrates 
to  my  mind  a  remarkable  forward  movement  in 
the  progress  of  trade  in  the  United  States. 

Hon.  John  Williams,  New  York  State 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  said,  in  part : 

I  do  not  profess  to  be  a  public  speaker;  but 
were  I  dumb,  I  feel  I  would  be  able  to  say  a  few 
words  about  the  undertaking  which  has  been  so 
successfully  accomplished  by  the  Hickey-Free- 
man  Company  in  the  erection  of  this  magnificent 
plant.  It  was  my  pleasure  this  afternoon  to  pass 
through  and  examine  every  part  of  the  edifice. 
While  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  present  a  com- 
plete report  at  this  time,  I  desire  to  say  that  I 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  to-day  one  of  the 
most  complete  clothing  manufactories  it  has  ever 
been  my  privilege  to  visit.  *  *  *  Jn  con- 
nection with  the  duties  of  my  office  I  come  into 
official  relations  with  trade  disturbances,  particu- 
larly disputes  between  capital  and  labor.  In 
many  instances  the  source  of  trouble  and  cause 
of  disputes  has  been  the  sanitary  condition  of  the 
factory.  In  this  connection  I  will  say  if  all  of 
the  manufacturing  establishments  of  the  State 
were  equipped  and  had  the  appointments  for  the 
welfare,  health,  comfort  and  contentment  of  their 
employees  such  as  are  installed  in  this  building, 
disagreements  and  disputes  of  that  character  be- 
tween employer  and  employee  would  be  few  and 
far  between. 

Max  Brickner,  a  pioneer  clothier,  said : 

I  feel  that  I  am  somewhat  of  a  father  to  the 
members  of  this  company.  Mr.  Hickey,  Mr. 
Brayer  and  Mr.  Freeman  all  received  their  early 
education  in  my  establishment.  Mr.  Hickey  was 
with  us  as  an  employe  for  twenty  years.  It  took 
him  twenty  years  to  learn  "how  not  to  do  it." 

Hon.  Hiram  H.  Edgerton,  Mayor  of 
Rochester,  said : 

We  have  a  beautiful  city  and  we  are  justly 
proud  of  it;  and  we  owe  much  to  our  manu- 
facturers for  making  it  what  it  is  to-day.  We 
are  especially  proud  of  the  plant  of  the  Hickey- 
Freeman  Company.  I  congratulate  the  members 
of  this  company  on  their  success  and  I  congratu- 
late the  citizens  of  Rochester  on  having  this 
company  doing  business  within  its  bounds. 


The  list  of  guests  at  this  banquent  con- 
tained the  names  of  the  most  representa- 
tive business  men  in  the  country  in  the 
clothing  trade  and  all  the  branches  allied 
with  that  industry.  Upwards  of  one 
thousand  men  and  women  are  employed 
by  the  Hickey-Freeman  Company. 

Mr.  Hickey  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Rochester  Bureau  of  Municipal  Re- 
search, Inc.,  which  was  incorporated  x\pril 
20,  1915.  The  officers  are:  George  East- 
man, chairman  ;  James  S.  Watson,  vice- 
chairman  ;  Andrew  J.  Townson,  treas- 
urer ;  Leroy  E.  Snyder,  secretary  and  di- 
rector. The  purpose  of  the  bureau  is  two- 
fold:  I.  To  get  things  done  for  the  com- 
munity through  cooperation  with  persons 
who  are  in  office,  by  increasing  efficiency 
and  eliminating  waste.  2.  To  serve  as 
an  independent,  non-partisan  agency  for 
keeping  citizens  informed  about  the  city's 
business.  The  bureau  believes  that 
Rochester  has  good  city  government. 
But,  with  the  quality  of  citizenship  here 
available,  with  some  measure  of  intelli- 
gent planning,  of  enlightened  coopera- 
tion, the  bureau  sees  no  reason  why 
Rochester  should  not  have  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  serviceable  municipal  gov- 
ernment in  the  United  States.  To  this 
end  it  solicits  the  interest  and  cooperation 
of  every  public  officer  and  of  every  citi- 
zen. 

Mr.  Hickey  is  a  member  of  the  Genesee 
Valley  Club,  the  Oak  Hill  Country  Club, 
the  Union  Club  and  the  Rochester  Club. 
He  is  not  a  politician  in  the  general  ac- 
ceptance of  the  term.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  because  he  be- 
lieves it  stands  for  sound  economics  and 
good  government.  The  responsibilities  of 
his  business  engross  his  whole  attention ; 
but  he  takes  more  than  a  passing  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  has  always  been 
found  ready  to  support  those  measures 
and  movements  that  promise  to  enhance 
the   common   welfare.      Mr.   Hickev   is  a 


99 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


keen  observer,  a  clear  thinker,  and  a  skil- 
ful organizer  and  executive.  He  has 
achieved  success  as  a  result  of  his  own 
abilities  and  industry  and  is  everywhere 
recognized  as  a  citizen  of  Rochester  who 
has  played  an  important  part  in  creating 
the  city's  commercial  importance. 

Mr.  Hickey  married.  June  21,  1905,  Con- 
stance J.  Dufify,  a  daughter  of  Walter  B. 
DufTy,  a  leading  citizen  of  Rochester,  a 
sketch  of  whom  also  appears  in  this  work. 
The  children  who  blessed  this  union  are : 
Walter  liernard.  Thomas  F.  C,  Margaret 
Mary,  Jeremiah  0..  Jr.,  and  Theresa. 


BARROWS.  Howard  A., 

Bnainess  Man. 

The  late  Howard  A.  Barrows,  who  was 
president  and  treasurer  of  the  McFarlin 
Clothing  Company,  a  director  in  the  firm 
of  L.  Adler  Brothers  &  Company,  and 
school  commissioner  since  191 1,  was  a 
descendant  of  that  sturdy  Connecticut 
type  of  humanity  that  fought  for  inde- 
pendence in  the  Colonial  war.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  born  at  Le- 
Roy,  August  ID,  1855,  son  of  Melvin  and 
Mary  (Alexander)  Barrows. 

Howard  A.  Barrows  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Batavia,  New  York,  whither 
they  removed  during  his  boyhood,  and 
he  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  town.  In  1870.  when  fifteen  years 
of  age,  he  came  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  was  employed  as  mailing  clerk  by  the 
I'nion  and  Advertiser  Company  of  that 
city,  and  he  performed  his  work  so  well 
that  he  was  quickly  promoted  to  head 
bookkeeper,  a  position  he  filled  with  so 
much  credit  that  he  was  offered  and  ac- 
cepted a  similar  position  on  the  Indian- 
apolis "Sentinel."  A  few  months  later 
his  former  position  was  ofTcred  him  at 
an  increased  salary  and  he  returned  to 
Rochester,  which  city  was  his  home  from 


that  time  until  his  death.  His  first  con- 
nection with  the  clothing  business  was 
with  the  manufacturing  firm  of  Wile, 
Stern  &  Company,  who  had  been  im- 
pressed by  his  energy  and  solicited  him 
to  accept  a  position  as  salesman.  He  very 
soon  developed  a  special  aptitude  for  the 
clothing  trade  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  L.  Adler  Brothers  &  Company,  with 
whom  he  became  connected  in  1885,  when 
he  was  yet  a  young  man.  Ten  years  later 
he  was  admited  to  membership  in  this 
progressive  and  successful  house,  and 
continued  as  a  director  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  his  judgment  and  advice  being 
a  directing  force  in  the  steady  growth  of 
the  business.  Mr.  Barrows  had  charge  of 
the  extensive  New  England  trade  of  the 
house  in  connection  with  his  personal 
work  in  the  manufacturing  department. 
He  believed  in  and  practiced  the  policy 
of  strict  integrity  and  had  done  so  for  so 
many  years  that  he  had  earned  the  con- 
fidence of  his  customers  to  an  unusual 
degree,  and  it  is  claimed  that  he  never 
lost  a  desirable  account  for  the  reason 
that  men  to  whom  he  sold  goods  found 
by  experience  that  they  could  rely  on 
what  he  told  them  as  well  as  upon  the 
clothing  he  sold  them,  and  consequently 
there  grew  up  a  bond  of  strong  personal 
friendship,  as  well  as  of  pleasant  com- 
mercial relations  that  held  them  together 
year  after  year.  His  personal  ideals  of 
merchandising  harmonized  perfectly  with 
those  of  L.  Adler  Brothers  &  Company, 
thus  making  his  business  connection 
pleasant  as  well  as  profitable. 

In  1903  Mr.  Barrows  saw  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  retail  end  of  the  clothing  busi- 
ness in  Rochester  and  purchased  the  Mc- 
Farlin Clothing  Company,  of  which  he 
was  president  and  treasurer.  No  sooner 
had  he  acquired  possession  than  he  began 
systematically  to  enlarge  the  company's 
facilities    for    conducting    business.      In 


100 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1906  the  business  had  grown  to  such 
magnitude  that  the  entire  building  was 
secured,  giving  ample  facilities  for  more 
than  doubling  the  sale  of  fine  clothing, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  store  was 
the  largest  distributor  of  distinctly  fine 
clothing  in  Rochester.  Here,  too,  the 
keynote  of  his  success  was  the  gaining 
of  and  keeping  the  confidence  of  people, 
the  name  of  the  house  being  a  synonym 
for  honesty  and  a  "square  deal."  Outside 
his  mercantile  business  Mr.  Barrows  had 
large  interests,  all  of  which  prospered, 
and  his  employees  loved  and  respected 
him.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Central 
Bank,  of  Rochester,  a  position  which  he 
held  for  many  years.  He  also  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  Rochester  Industrial  Ex- 
position, an  institution  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers. 

Mr.  Barrows  was  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. He  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education,  a  branch  of  the  civic  gov- 
ernment that  claimed  his  whole-hearted 
interest.  He  brought  to  the  consideration 
of  school  affairs  a  trained  business  mind 
and  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  and 
advancement  of  children.  His  judgment 
could  always  be  relied  upon  by  the  other 
members  of  the  board,  and  in  that  body 
his  services  will  be  greatly  missed.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  board  of  education,  in  Au- 
gust, 191 5,  a  resolution  proposing  to  in- 
troduce in  the  public  schools  of  Rochester 
the  school  savings  bank  plan  was  passed 
with  the  unanimous  approval  of  the  com- 
missioners. The  Rochester  Savings  Bank 
was  named  as  the  depository  of  the  funds, 
and  October  4th  as  the  time  when  teachers 
were  to  begin  to  give  instructions  in  the 
new  subject.  Commissioner  Howard  A. 
Barrows,  who  proposed  the  resolution, 
admitted  that  the  plan  had  been  in  his 
mind  for  several  years,  and  he  explained 
the  details  as  follows :  Once  a  week  chil- 
dren will  turn  in  their  accumulated  sav- 
ings   to    their    respective    teachers ;     the 


teachers  will  credit  each  amount  in  a  little 
book  owned  by  the  depositor;  the  prin- 
cipal will  receive  the  total  deposit  for  the 
school,  and  the  bank  will  collect  it.  Then 
the  individual  child's  deposits  touches 
three  dollars  a  bank  book  will  be  issued 
and  the  acount  will  began  to  accumulate 
interest.  The  Rochester  Savings  Bank 
entered  enthusiastically  into  the  plan  and 
opened  a  new  department  for  the  exclu- 
sive transaction  of  school  children  pa- 
trons. Commissioner  Barrows  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  qualities  cultivated  by 
early  instruction  in  saving  money  would 
be  of  inestimable  value,  especially,  at  this 
day  and  age,  when  our  motto  is  "how 
much  can  we  spend"  instead  of  "how 
much  can  we  save."  The  resolution 
adopted  by  the  board  follows :  "Resolved, 
That,  as  a  means  of  developing  in  the 
lives  of  our  school  children  those  habits 
of  thrift  which  are  so  essential  to  per- 
sonal character  and  to  good  citizenship, 
the  school  savings  bank  plan  be  intro- 
duced into  each  of  the  public  elementary 
schools  of  the  city  of  Rochester,  begin- 
ning October  4,  1915,  and  that  the  Roches- 
ter Savings  Bank  be  designated  as  the 
depository  for  these  funds."  Mr.  Bar- 
rows was  a  great  nature  lover  and  was 
deeply  interested  in  Rochester's  park 
system.  He  was  appointed  to  the  board 
of  park  commissioners  in  191 1  to  succeed 
the  late  Walter  B.  Duflfy,  and  held  that 
position  until  the  old  board  was  abolished 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1916. 

Mr.  Barrows'  fraternal  affiliations  were 
Masonic,  his  orders  including  the  Master 
Mason's  degree.  Valley  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  the  Royal  Arch  de- 
gree, Hamilton  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons ;  the  Templars  degree,  Monroe  Com- 
mandery.  Knights  Templar,  and  the  de- 
gree of  Noble,  conferred  by  Damascus 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rochester  Historical  Society, 


lOI 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Rochester  Archaeological  Society, 
the  Genesee  Valley  Club,  the  Masonic 
Club,  Punxatawney  Club,  Batavia  Club, 
Rochester  Yacht  Club,  in  all  of  which  he 
took  a  keen  interest.  He  was  a  commu- 
nicant of  Christ  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Barrows  married  Anna  Ridley,  who 
died  March.  1916.  Their  children  are: 
Alice  Ridley.  William  Peters,  Mary  Alex- 
ander, Elizabeth  and  John.  Their  home 
life  was  characterized  by  the  strongest 
attachments,  each  for  the  others,  and  that 
broad  spirit  of  comradeship  peculiar  to 
homes  guided  by  a  man  whose  entire  life 
exemplified  the  attributes  of  justice,  toler- 
ance and  kindliness. 

The  sudden  death  of  Howard  A.  Bar- 
rows on  August  19,  1916.  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one  years,  came  as  a  great  shock  to 
the  community.  He  was  a  man  of  fine 
personal  and  social  attainments,  was 
warm-hearted,  devoted  to  his  friends,  and 
popular  with  all  classes  of  people.  As  a 
highly  successful  business  man,  a  con- 
scientious and  efficient  public  official  and 
one  interested  in  the  advancement  and 
progress  of  the  city,  he  will  be  greatly 
missed,  also  a  large  group  of  personal 
friends  regard  his  death  as  an  irreparable 
loss.  Mr.  Barrows  did  more  than  the 
usual  amount  of  hard  thinking.  To  every 
problem  of  life  he  applied  energy,  com- 
mon sense  and  thought.  He  believed 
that  any  young  man  who  is  fairly  en- 
dowed with  natural  intelligence  and  who 
has  sufficient  ambition  to  stimulate  his 
action  and  his  thought  can  achieve  suc- 
cess. His  own  success  as  a  merchant  was 
the  result  of  patient  trying  and  applying 
the  lessons  of  each  year  to  the  work  of 
the  next,  along  with  which  went  the 
erection  of  a  substantial  structure  of  char- 
acter, so  that  when  he  surveyed  the  past 
he  could  find  few  regrets.  On  the  other 
hand,  while  he  enjoyed  rationally  the 
material  comforts  of  life,  the  most  endur- 
ing reward  of  his  work  as  a  business  man 


he  considered  to  be  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  men,  the  real,  honest 
personal  friendship  and  confidence  of 
those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  con- 
tact. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Educa^ 
tion,  held  after  Mr.  Barrows'  death,  the 
pupil's  saving  fund  plan  was  renamed  in 
his  honor.  The  following  expression  was 
adopted  by  the  board : 

On  Friday,  August  18,  1916,  near  midnight, 
our  associate.  Howard  A.  Barrows,  died,  but  a 
few  hours  before  he  counseled  with  us  in  com- 
mittee meeting,  and  suggested  that  the  Board 
meet  at  noon  to-day  to  award  certain  contracts. 
We  are  met  at  noon  but  only  to  record  our  love 
and  respect  for  the  man,  and  to  offer  to  his  fam- 
ily a  sympathy  that  is  quickened  by  the  sorrow 
that  is  ours.  His  love  of  children,  his  interest 
in  their  education  and  his  knowledge  of  finance, 
resulting  from  a  long  and  successful  business 
career,  enabled  Howard  A.  Barrows  to  render 
to  the  school  children  of  Rochester  a  valuable 
and  lasting  service.  For  nearly  five  years  he  had 
worked  most  faithfully  and  intelligently  to  pro- 
vide for  the  children  better  school  facilities  and 
an  education  designed  to  fit  them  for  efficiency 
and  success  in  life.  He  was  particularly  inter- 
ested in  having  habits  of  thrift  and  industry  de- 
veloped during  the  early  years  of  childhood.  To 
this  end  he  led  the  way  in  instituting  the  sav- 
ings bank  plan,  in  the  schools  of  Rochester  and 
to  the  success  of  this  plan  he  gave  most  liberally 
of  his  time  and  money.  His  sudden  and  untimely 
death  brings  not  only  grief  and  a  sense  of  great 
loss,  but  an  acute  appreciation  of  the  service  he 
had  rendered.  It  also  brings  even  a  keener  reali- 
zation of  the  wisdom  of  his  plans  for  the  future 
of  the  Rochester  schools,  and  a  desire  to  realize 
these  plans  as  a  fitting  memorial  to  his  interest 
and  vision.  The  children  have  lost  an  intelligent 
and  sympathetic  friend,  the  Board  of  Education 
a  wise  counsellor,  and  the  city  of  Rochester  a 
loyal  citizen.  Be  it  resolved  therefore,  that  the 
savings  bank  work  in  the  public  schools  of 
Rochester  be  hereby  designated  as  the  Barrows 
Savings  Bank  Plan  and,  Be  it  further  resolved, 
that  this  record  be  spread  upon  the  minutes  and 
that  a  copy  thereof  be  sent  to  his  children. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  Central  Bank  of  Rochester,  the 
following  resolution  was  adopted : 


102 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


In  the  loss  of  our  loved  associate,  Howard  A. 
Barrows,  each  member  of  this  Board  feels  a 
poignant  sense  of  personal  loss.  In  our  business 
relations,  his  sound  judgment,  keen  insight,  wide 
experience,  and  acquaintance  with  men  and 
things,  made  him  a  valued  counselor  and  safe 
advisor;  his  genial  and  kindly  disposition  made 
it  always  a  pleasure  to  work  with  him,  and  our 
social  and  personal  relations  a  continued  joy. 
We  mourn,  and  shall  miss  him  in  all  relations; 
and  would  express  to  his  family  our  heartfelt 
sympathy  in  their  irreparable  loss,  which  will  be 
lightened  and  assuaged  by  the  continuing  and 
fragrant  memory  of  a  kind  father,  a  good  friend, 
a  useful  citizen,  a  man  who  had  successfully  done 
the  work  he  set  his  hand  to.  both  in  private,  busi- 
ness and  public  service,  and  who  leaves  in  his 
sudden  death  the  best  of  monuments,  the  regard, 
respect  and  regret  of  all  who  knew  him.  It  is 
ordered  that  this  minute  be  inscribed  upon  our 
records,  and  a  copy  thereof  be  sent  to  his  be- 
reaved familv. 


WEBSTER,  Daniel  Charles, 
Financier. 

Leaving  school  at  the  age  of  sixteen  to 
enter  the  employ  of  the  People's  National 
Bank  of  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  Mr.  Web- 
ster has  persistently  adhered  to  the  line 
of  activity  he  chose  in  youth,  has  made 
his  life  a  notable  success  and  is  now  vice- 
president  and  director  of  the  City  Bank 
of  Syracuse.  New  York.  He  is  a  son  of 
Dan  Peaslee  Webster,  M.  D.,  an  eminent 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Putney  and 
Brattleboro,  Vermont,  and  a  grandson  of 
Rev.  Alonzo  Webster,  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a  descend- 
ant of  John  Webster,  the  American  an- 
cestor who  came  from  Ipswich,  England, 
in  1634,  settled  at  Ipswich,  Massachu- 
setts, and  there  died  about  1642.  The  col- 
lateral lines  of  descent  touch  many  other 
noted  New  England  families,  including 
the  Duston  founded  by  Thomas  Duston, 
w^ho  was  living  in  Dover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1640;  the  Bailey,  descended  from 
Amos  Bayley,  who  died  in  Haverhill, 
Massachusetts,     in     1800;     the     Sterling, 


founded  by  Captain  Daniel  Sterling,  of 
Lyme,  Connecticut ;  the  Brewster,  found- 
ed by  Elder  William  Brewster,  of  the 
"Mayflower;"  the  Park,  founded  by  Sir 
Robert  Park,  who  died  at  Mystic  River, 
Connecticut,  in  1664,  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  de  Parke,  "baronet,"  who  came 
to  England  with  William  the  Conqueror ; 
the  Peaslee.  descended  from  Joseph  Peas- 
lee, of  Wales,  who  in  1638  moved  to  New- 
berry, Massachusetts  ;  the  Martin,  through 
Mary  (.Martin)  Peaslee,  granddaughter  of 
Susannah  Martin,  "The  Witch  of  Annes- 
bury,"  who  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band was  accused  of  witchcraft,  tried, 
convicted  and  hanged  in  1692.  The  story 
of  the  grief  and  sufferings  of  her  daugh- 
ter is  told  in  a  beautiful  and  touching  bal- 
lad "The  Witch's  Daughter,"  by  Whit- 
tier. 

The  Webster  line  of  descent  is  through 
John  Webster,  the  founder,  and  his  wife, 
Mary  (Shatswell)  Webster;  their  son, 
Stephen  Webster,  the  first  tailor  to  settle 
in  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  in  1653,  ^"^ 
his  wife,  Hannah  (Ayer)  Webster ;  their 
son,  Nathan  Webster,  and  his  wife,  Sarah 
(Low)  Webster;  their  son,  Jonathan 
Webster,  and  his  wife.  Abigail  (Duston) 
Webster;  their  son,  Nathan  Webster,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  his  wife,  Han- 
nah (Bailey)  Webster;  their  son,  Jona- 
than Webster,  and  his  wife,  Lucy  Ster- 
lin  (Sterling)  Webster ;  their  son,  Rev. 
Alonzo  Webster,  and  his  second  w^fe, 
Laura  Ann  (Peaslee)  W'ebster;  their  son, 
Dr.  Dan  Peaslee  Webster,  and  his  wife. 
Ada  (White)  Webster;  their  son,  Daniel 
Charles  Webster,  of  Syracuse,  of  the  ninth 
American  generation. 

Jonathan  Webster,  son  of  Nathan  Web- 
ster, the  Revolutionary  soldier,  moved 
from  Salem,  New  Hampshire,  his  birth- 
place, to  Weston.  Vermont,  where  during 
the  War  of  181 2  he  was  captain  of  a  mili- 
tary company,  represented  his  town  in 
the   State    Legislature   and   died   a   nono- 


103 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


genarian.  He  was  a  devout  Methodist, 
and  his  home,  a  spacious  two-story  farm 
house,  was  always  open  to  the  itinerant 
minister  of  that  denomination.  His  wife, 
Lucy  (Sicrlin)  Webster,  a  woman  of 
marked  individuality  and  devoted  piety, 
exerted  an  influence  for  j^ood  which  can 
never  be  estimated. 

The  son  of  this  excellent  Methodist 
couple.  Rev.  Alonzo  Webster,  w^as  born 
in  Weston,  among  the  Green  Mountains 
of  X'ermont.  January  2^,  i8i8,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  his  son.  Dr.  Dan  P.  Webster, 
in  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  August,  1887. 
He  was  converted  and  joined  the  church 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  henceforth  his 
education  was  directed  toward  one  object, 
the  ministry.  In  June,  1837,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Vermont  Conference,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  an 
active,  useful  and  successful  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was 
but  nineteen  when  ordained  but  even  as 
the  "boy  minister"  his  labors  were  at- 
tended with  successful  result.  He  filled 
many  responsible  pulpits ;  was  secretary 
and  agent  of  the  Vermont  Bible  Society; 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of 
1856;  chaplain  of  the  Vermont  Senate; 
presiding  elder  of  the  Springfield  dis- 
trict ;  chaplain  of  the  Vermont  State 
Prison ;  chaplain  of  the  Sixteenth  Regi- 
ment, later  of  the  Sixth  Vermont  Regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  War,  was  several 
times  honorably  mentioned  for  his  faith- 
ful ministrations  to  the  wounded  and 
dying  in  dangerous  and  exposed  positions 
on  the  battlefield ;  commissioned.  May, 
1865,  by  President  Johnson  and  Secretary 
of  War  Stanton,  hospital  chaplain  in  the 
regular  army  and  stationed  at  Montpelier 
post  hosj)ital ;  owned  and  edited  the 
"Vc-rmont  Christian  Messenger"  for  nine 
years ;  was  in  charge  of  religious  work  at 
Charleston.  South  Carolina,  1865-69;  es- 
labli-hed  Baker  Theological  Institute  and 


the  "Charleston  Advocate;"  president  of 
Clallin  University,  Orangeburg,  South 
Carolina,  1869-73 ;  president  of  Baker 
Theological  Institute,  and  trustee  of  Claf- 
lin  University  until  his  death.  He  re- 
ceived the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  from  Middlebury  College,  Vermont, 
and  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Alleghany 
College,  Pennsylvania.  He  married  (first) 
May,  1844,  Laura  A.  Peaslee,  who  died 
July  10,  1885,  daughter  of  Judge  Peaslee, 
of  Washington,  Vermont.  He  married 
(second)  Sallie  O.  Purdon. 

Dr.  Dan  Peaslee  Webster  was  born  in 
Northfield,  Vermont,  December  7,  1846, 
and  died  in  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  March 
13,  1904.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  the  various 
towns  in  which  his  itinerant  Methodist 
father  served  as  pastor  and  at  Newbury 
Seminary.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  ac- 
companied his  honored  father  to  the  front 
with  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  of  Vermont 
Volunteers  and  especially  after  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  aided  his  reverend  father 
in  his  duties  as  chaplain,  ministering  to 
the  sick,  wounded  and  dying.  He  com- 
pleted courses  at  Newbury  Seminary, 
then  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Vermont,  whence  he  was  graduated  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine,  class  of  1867. 

After  receiving  his  degree,  Dr.  Webster 
located  in  Putney,  Vermont,  there  remain- 
ing in  successful  medical  and  surgical 
practice  for  sixteen  years.  In  1883  he 
moved  to  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  and  there 
continued  in  active  practice  until  1898. 
In  his  new  field  the  demands  upon  his 
professional  skill  were  even  heavier  than 
in  Putney  and  for  many  years  he  minis- 
tered to  a  clientele  as  large  as  any  physi- 
cian in  the  State  and  no  physician  pos- 
sessed greater  skill.  This  fact  was  freely 
acknowledged  by  contemporaries,  and 
even  after  his  retirement  in  1898  on  ac- 


104 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


count  of  his  own  impaired  health  he  had 
an  extensive  practice  as  a  consultant.  He 
was  particularly  skillful  and  correct  in 
<liagnosis  and  luuisually  resourceful  in  his 
methods  of  treatment.  He  kept  fully 
abreast  of  all  medical  discovery  and  never 
allowed  himself  to  fall  behind  or  to  be- 
come wedded  to  old  ways.  His  heart  was 
most  tender,  his  nature  most  sympathetic, 
no  ride  too  long,  no  night  too  dark  or 
stormy,  no  patient  too  poor  to  deter  him 
from  answering  every  call.  Warm-heart- 
ed and  generous  he  possessed  the  love 
and  confidence  of  all,  although  he  was 
strong  in  his  convictions  and  outspoken 
in  his  opinions.  He  gave  liberally  of  his 
skill  and  substance  to  the  poor,  but  so 
unostentatiously  that  only  the  recipient 
knew.  Kind,  courteous,  considerate,  and 
conscientious  in  the  performance  of  every 
duty,  the  poet  had  such  a  man  in  mind 
when  he  wrote : 

When  such  men  as   he   die 
These  places  ye  may  not  well  supply: 
Though    ye   among   thousands   try 
With  vain  endeavor. 

When  Dr.  Webster  gave  up  active  prac- 
tice in  1898  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Brattleboro  by  President  McKinley, 
and  in  1902  was  reappointed  by  President 
Roosevelt.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old 
Connecticut  River  Valley  Medical  Soci- 
ety, serving  as  secretary  and  president, 
and  later  was  a  member  of  the  Vermont 
State  and  Windham  County  Medical  soci- 
eties. He  was  surgeon  of  Fuller  Light 
Battery  of  Brattleboro  and  was  twice  ap- 
pointed surgeon-general  of  Vermont.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics,  represented 
Putney  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1872 
and  1874;  was  State  Senator  in  1878  and 
from  1878  to  1880  a  State  railroad  com- 
missioner. He  was  an  official  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  ;  belonged 
to  the    Independent   Order   of   Odd    Fel- 


lows ;  and  was  very  prominent  in  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  holding  all  degrees  of  York 
and  Scottish  Rite  Masonry,  including  the 
thirty-third,  a  much  coveted  degree  only 
conferred  for  distinguished  services  ren- 
dered the  order.  He  was  made  a  Mason 
as  soon  as  he  reached  legal  age,  in  Golden 
Rule  Lodge,  No.  32,  three  years  later  was 
elected  master  of  that  lodge,  and  from  1876 
to  1881  he  was  deputy  grand  master  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  In  1876  he 
took  his  Templar  degrees  in  Beausant 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Brat- 
tleboro, and  in  1893-94-95  was  eminent 
commander  of  that  body.  In  1892  he  was 
elected  grand  commander  of  Vermont 
Knights  Templar,  and  in  September,  1897, 
received  from  the  Sovereign  Grand  Con- 
sistory that  culminating  honor  of  Amer- 
ican Masonry,  the  thirty-third  degree.  An- 
cient Accepted  Scottish  Rite. 

Dr.  Webster  married  (first)  Ada  White, 
of  Putney,  who  died  in  1887.  He  married 
(second)  Mabel  J.  Waterman,  of  Brattle- 
boro, who  survives  him.  By  his  first  wife 
Dr.  Webster  had  two  sons,  Daniel  Charles 
Webster,  mentioned  below,  and  Harry 
P. ;  and  one  daughter,  Harriette  A. 

Daniel  Charles  Webster  was  born  in 
Putney,  Vermont,  March  18,  1875.  He 
attended  the  grade  and  high  schools  of 
Brattleboro  from  his  eighth  until  his  six- 
teenth year,  then  entered  the  service  of 
the  People's  National  Bank  of  Brattle- 
boro. He  continued  with  that  institution 
until  1895,  then  was  successively  in  re- 
sponsible position  with  the  New  England 
Loan  and  Trust  Company,  Farson  Leach 
&  Company,  N.  W.  Harris  &  Company, 
and  A.  B.  Leach  &  Company,  all  New 
York  City  institutions,  banking,  trust  and 
investment.  In  January,  1916,  he  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  City  Bank  of 
Syracuse,  his  present  position,  in  connec- 
tion with  membership  in  the  board  of 
directors.     The  twenty-five  years  he  has 


105 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


spent  with  financial  and  investment  com- 
panies have  given  him  broad  comprehen- 
sive knowledge  of  the  laws  governing 
finance  and  financial  transactions,  as  well 
as  expert  knowledge  of  banking  methods 
and  their  relation  to  the  business  world. 
Hardly  yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  ex- 
perience to  guide  and  ability  to  fill  any 
position  in  life,  the  future  holds  for  him 
brilliant  promise. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Webster 
was  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  during  the  1896  session  of  the  Ver- 
mont Legi>laturc,  but  otherwise  has  dis- 
played his  interest  in  party  and  public 
affairs  as  a  citizen  only.  He  is  a  member 
of  St.  James  Episcopal  Church  of  Skane- 
ateles,  New  York,  his  home  residence,  the 
Skaneateles  Country  Club,  the  South  Bay 
Club  House  Association,  and  the  Auto- 
mobile and  City  clubs  of  Syracuse.  He 
holds  the  degrees  of  York  Rite  Masonry 
in  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  bodies,  belong- 
ing to  Brattleboro  Lodge,  No.  102,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  Fort  Dummer 
Chapter.  No.  12,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
and  Reausant  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar.  He  is  also  a  noble  of  Mt.  Sinai 
Temple,  Ancient  Order  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  Montpelier,  Vermont. 

Mr.  Webster  married,  April  18,  1901,  at 
Newtown,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
Elizabeth  P.  Cary,  daughter  of  William 
Henry  and  Florence  (Partenheimer)  Cary. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster  are  the  parents  of 
a  daughter:  Elizabeth  Adah  Webster, 
born  .\])ril  10,  1903. 


MARSTON,  Edgar  Lewis, 

Banker,  Man  of  Affairs. 

For  many  years  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  financial  field  and  in  social  and  church 
circles,  Mr.  Mar.ston  descends  from  an  old 
English  family  early  established  in  Amer- 
ica. Various  branches  of  the  family 
achieved    distinction.      Captain    William 


Marston,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in 
America,  was  born  in  Marston  Moor, 
England,  in  1592.  He  married  and  had 
several  children  before  he  emigrated  to 
America  in  1634.  Land  was  granted  him 
in  Hampton  and  he  lived  near  the  present 
site  of  the  town  house  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Frank  Green.  His  wife  seems 
to  have  been  living  in  165 1.  He  died  June 
30,  1672,  leaving  a  widow  named  Sabina, 
who  was  executrix  of  his  will.  She  bore 
him  one  child,  the  other  children  being 
by  a  previous  marriage.  Thomas  Mars- 
ton, son  of  Captain  William  Marston, 
born  about  1615,  in  England,  was  a 
farmer  and  settled  on  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Jeremiah  Marston  place,  which  he 
purchased  October  5,  1653.  He  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  William  Bastow,  and 
their  eldest  child,  Isaac  Marston,  was 
born  about  1647,  in  Hampton,  New 
Hampshire.  He  settled  where  David  S. 
Marston  lived,  in  1897.  The  house  was  a 
short  distance  north  of  the  site  of  the 
present  one.  He  married,  December  23, 
1669,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Brown, 
and  their  eldest  child,  Caleb  Marston,  born 
July  19,  1672,  at  Hampton,  New  Hamp- 
shire, died  there  April  18,  1747.  He  in- 
herited his  father's  homestead  and  settled 
in  Hampton.  He  married,  November  12, 
1695,  Anna,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  John 
Moulton,  called  "The  Giant,"  and  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Anthony  Taylor.  John  Moul- 
ton, father  of  Lieutenant  John  Moulton, 
was  born  about  1599,  in  England,  and  was 
first  deputy  from  Hampton  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  in  Boston,  1639.  Caleb  Mars- 
ton, son  of  Caleb  and  Anna  (Moulton) 
Marston,  born  July  3,  1699,  i"  Hampton, 
settled  in  North  Hampton,  where  he  was 
a  farmer,  and  died  there.  He  married 
(second)  October  5,  1740,  Tabitha,  born 
August  II,  171 1,  daughter  of  Christopher 
and  xA.bigail  Page.  Their  son,  John  Mars- 
ton, was  born  April  3,  1745,  died  in  Tam- 
worth,  where  he  removed  in  1796.  In  1776 


106 


/-6 


THE  ^'c:W  YORK 
PUBLIC  LiBHARYj 


>'i    ION8 


EX'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  removed  to  New  Hampton,  thence  to 
Tamworth.  He  married,  about  January, 
1/66,  Abigail  Bearborn,  and  their  son, 
Jeremiah  ]\Iarston,  was  born  September 
21,  1/88,  in  New  Hampton,  died  October 
i6,  1863.  He  settled  in  Xewfield,  Maine, 
on  the  town  line,  his  brother  James,  own- 
ing the  farm  next  to  his  in  Parsonfield, 
Maine.  He  married,  December  4,  1817, 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Rachel 
Marston.  Their  son,  Sylvester  \V.  Mars- 
ton,  was  born  July  23.  1826,  in  Newfield, 
and  died  at  Eureka  Springs,  Arkansas, 
September  30,  1887.  He  was  a  Baptist 
clergyman  and  held  parishes  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  Illinois,  president  of  educa- 
tional institutions  in  Iowa  and  Missouri, 
and  an  author  of  considerable  reputation, 
one  of  his  historical  works  classed  as  a 
reference  book  of  authority.  He  settled 
in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  was  sec- 
retary of  the  Baptist  Home  Missionary 
Society.  He  married,  in  1848,  Susan  Car- 
penter, of  Newfield. 

Edgar  Lewis  Marston,  son  of  Sylvester 
W.  and  Susan  (Carpenter)  Marston,  was 
born  March  8,  i860,  in  Burlington,  Iowa. 
He  attended  the  Jeflferson  School  of  St. 
Louis.  Missouri,  entered  La  Grange  Col- 
lege in  1874,  and  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1878.  He  studied  his  profession 
at  Washington  University  Law  School, 
St.  Louis,  and  graduated  in  1881,  with 
honors.  He  began  to  practice  law  in  St. 
Louis  in  1881,  in  partnership  with  Ed- 
mund T.  Allen.  He  acted  as  representa- 
tive of  eastern  capital,  making  invest- 
ments in  St.  Louis  and  the  Southwest  in 
many  important  transactions.  In  1887  he 
came  to  New  York  City  and  in  1888  he 
negotiated  the  organization  of  the  Texas 
&  Pacific  Coal  Company,  with  which  he 
has  continued  his  connection  as  president. 
He  became  associated  with  the  banking 
house  of  Blair  &  Company,  when  it  was 


1893  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Bankers  Trust  Com- 
pany;  the  City  National  Bank  of  Dallas, 
Texas ;  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust 
Company ;  Goldschmidt  Detinning  Conv 
pany ;  Lehigh  Coke  Company  ;  Clinchfield 
Coal  Company ;  the  Thompson  Starrett 
Company  ;  Borden's  Condensed  Milk  Com 
pany  ;  Ponds  Extract  Company  ;  Astor  Trust 
Company ;  Guarantee  Trust  Company, 
and  the  United  Dye  Wood  Company,  and 
director  of  the  following  railroads :  Mis- 
souri Pacific  ;  Iron  Mountain  ;  Western 
^Maryland ;  president  of  the  Manhattan 
Elevated  Railroad  Company ;  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Sussex  Realty  Company.  He 
is  president  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Coal 
Company  and  a  member  of  the  finance 
committee  of  the  General  Education 
Board.  In  religion  he  is  a  Baptist,  a 
member  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Baptist 
Church  and  one  of  its  trustees  ;  trustee  of 
Brown  University  and  Vassar  College. 
Mr.  Marston  is  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Society  of  New  York,  the  Mis- 
souri Society  of  New  York,  the  Bibli- 
ophile Society  of  Boston,  the  Colonial 
Society,  New  York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  is  a  patron  of  the  New  York 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Arts.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Union  League, 
Greenwich  Country,  Blind  Brook,  the  Re- 
cess, Bankers',  New  York  Yacht,  Metro- 
politan. Apawamis.  Westchester  County 
clubs  and  the  Downtown  Association.  He 
resides  in  the  town  of  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut, and  his  office  is  at  No.  24  Broad 
street,  New  York. 

Mr.  Marston  married,  June  4,  1884, 
Jennie  C,  daughter  of  Colonel  Robert  D. 
and  Janet  (Webster)  Hunter.  Children: 
Hunter  Sylvester,  born  I\Iay  5.  1885,  in 
St.  Louis;  Edgar  J.,  born  November  10, 
1888,  in  St.  Louis;  Jennie  Frances,  born 


first  established  in  May,   1890,  and  since    .September  13.  1900,  in  New  York  City 

107 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


LAMB,  Anthony, 

Banker. 

A  native  son  of  New  York,  Anthony 
Lamb  prepared  for  college,  intending  to 
devote  his  life  to  professional  work  as  his 
father  before  him,  but  altered  his  plans 
and  pursued  a  business  career  that  in  its 
entirety  has  been  one  of  success  and 
honor.  Banking  has  been  his  chief  activ- 
ity, although  at  one  period  of  his  life  he 
made  an  imj)ortant  diversion  into  the  nur- 
sery and  live  stock  business,  but  in  1891 
returned  to  his  first  choice  and  has  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  banking,  now  being 
vice-president  of  the  Syracuse  Trust  Com^ 
pany.  He  is  of  Revolutionary  ancestry, 
son  of  Anthony  and  Fanny  (Ransford) 
Laml),  his  father  a  college  professor  and 
prominent  in  literary  life.  Professor 
Lamb  was  a  grandson  of  General  John 
Lamb,  a  prominent  figure  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  first  collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York. 

.•\nthony  (2)  Lamb,  son  of  Professor 
Anthony  (i)  Lamb,  was  born  in  Nor- 
wich, Chenango  county,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 19,  1847.  After  an  extended  course 
of  preparatory  study,  completed  with 
graduation  from  Norwich  Academy,  his 
plans  were  suddenly  altered  and  instead 
of  entering  Yale  as  a  sophomore  as  in- 
tended, he  pursued  a  course  at  Eastman's 
Business  College,  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York.  .\t  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Syracuse  City  Bank,  be- 
ginning as  messenger.  His  upward  ad- 
vance was  not  long  delayed  and  he  suc- 
cessively passed  several  desks,  including 
l)aying  teller  and  at  the  time  the  bank 
surrendered  its  charter  and  went  into 
voluntary  liquidation  he  was  acting 
cashier.  His  services  were  at  once  secured 
by  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  first  as  re- 
ceiving, than  as  paying,  teller,  a  post  he 
held  four  years,  resigning  the  latter  posi- 


tion to  become  financial  manager  of  the 
business  of  Smith  &  Powell,  nurserymen 
and  live  stock  breeders.  He  continued  in 
the  nursery  business  twelve  years,  becom- 
ing a  partner,  the  firm  reorganizing  as 
Smiths,  Powell  &  Lamb.  In  May,  1891, 
he  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Commercial  Bank  of  Syracuse,  becoming 
the  first  cashier  of  that  bank  and  the  only 
one  the  institution  ever  had  during  its  life 
of  twenty-four  years.  In  1894  he  was 
elected  a  director  and  also  served  as  vice- 
president.  On  October  13,  1915,  the  Com- 
mercial Bank  merged  with  the  Syracuse 
Trust  Company,  Mr.  Lamb  becoming 
vice-president,  which  responsible  position 
he  now  holds.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  organization  of  the  New^  York  State 
Bankers'  Association  and  as  secretary 
and  chairman  of  Group  IV.  He  is  a  wise 
and  able  financier  and  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  law  governing  financial  transac- 
tions, knowledge  obtained  in  subordinate 
and  responsible  positions  in  State,  National 
and  trust  company  banking.  While  his 
rise  in  life  has  not  been  meteoric  or  spec- 
tacular, it  has  been  continuous  from  mes- 
senger boy  to  vice-president,  and  each 
step  has  been  won  through  merit  alone. 
He  is  highly  regarded  by  his  associates 
and  holds  the  unqualified  respect  of  all  who 
know  him.  His  honorable,  upright,  ener- 
getic life  is  now  in  its  evening,  but  in 
bodily  vigor  and  mental  alertness  he  gives 
little  indication  of  the  years  that  have 
passed  since  his  first  introduction  to  the 
business  world,  although  they  number 
half  a  century.  A  Republican  in  politics, 
he  has  never  sought  office,  but  has  ever 
been  keenly  sensible  of  his  obligations  as 
a  citizen  and  in  a  private  way  has  per- 
formed them.  He  is  a  member  of  Trinity 
Episcopal  Church,  the  Citizens'  Club,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

Mr.   Lamb   married  in  Syracuse,   New 


108 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


York,  June  7,  1870,  Mary  C.  Sprague, 
daughter  of  Wakeman  G.  and  Amelia 
H.  (Curtis)  Sprague.  Children:  Clara 
Eloise,  born  February  3,  1872;  George 
Anthony,  born  June  26,  1874;  Herbert 
Wakeman,  born  October  28,  1877 !  Fannie 
Amelia,  born  July  16,  1884,  died  March 
24,  1 1 


GRAHAM,  William  Pratt,  Ph.  D., 

Educator,  Scientist. 

As  dean  of  the  College  of  Applied 
Science,  Syracuse  University,  Dr.  Gra- 
ham holds  high  position  in  scientific  cir- 
cles, position  attained  through  a  long 
course  of  university  study  at  home  and 
abroad  and  through  previous  work  of  a 
high  order  as  an  educator.  His  major 
subjects  in  university  study  abroad  were 
physics  and  electrical  engineering,  and 
when  in  1902  Syracuse  University  added 
a  department  of  electrical  engineering  Dr. 
Graham  was  called  upon  to  organize  and 
then  to  fill  the  chair.  He  has  delved  deep 
into  the  sciences  in  which  he  specializes, 
did  pioneer  work  on  the  conduction  of 
electricity  through  rarified  gasses,  and  in 
association  with  E.  D.  Roe,  Jr.,  elaborated 
a  new  theory  concerning  comets.  He  is  a 
son  of  Jerome  Bonaparte  Graham,,  sea- 
man, gold  miner  and  Civil  War  veteran, 
and  his  wife,  Sylvia  Aurelia  (Upson)  Gra- 
ham, of  Meriden,  Connecticut. 

William  Pratt  Graham  was  born  in 
Oswego,  New  York,  November  24,  1871. 
After  graduation  from  Madison  grammar 
school  in  January,  1886,  and  from  Syra- 
cuse high  school  in  January,  1889,  he 
entered  Syracuse  University,  whence  he 
was  graduated  Bachelor  of  Science,  class 
of  1893.  The  year  following  graduation 
he  pursued  a  course  of  post-graduate 
work  in  physics  at  his  alma  mater,  going 
abroad  in  1894  and  entering  the  Univer- 
sity of  Berlin.    He  pursued  studies  there 


with  physics  as  the  major  subject  and  in 
1897  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy.  The  period,  1897-98,  was 
spent  in  the  study  of  electrical  engineer- 
ing at  Technische  Hochschule,  Darm- 
stadt. During  these  years  abroad  and 
subsequently  he  traveled  extensively  in 
England,  Germany,  Holland,  Belgium, 
Italy,  Austria  and  France,  adding  to  the 
lore  of  university  the  practical  knowledge 
that  results  from  personal  investigation 
and  travel. 

These  years  had  given  Dr.  Graham 
reputation  as  a  scientist  and  soon  after 
his  return  to  the  United  States,  in  1898, 
he  was  called  by  Syracuse  University  to 
organize  a  department  of  electrical  engi- 
neering, and  until  1901  he  was  associate 
professor  in  the  department.  In  1902  he 
was  elected  professor  of  the  chair  of  elec- 
trical engineering  in  the  newly  estab- 
lished College  of  Applied  Science  at  Syra- 
cuse. In  the  fall  of  191 1  he  was  chosen 
acting  dean  of  the  College,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1912,  was  made  dean,  the  position  he 
now  holds.  Since  1901  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  University  Senate  and  is 
one  of  the  influential  men  of  the  univer- 
sity faculty.  From  January  to  Septem- 
ber, 1889,  although  but  a  high  school 
graduate,  he  was  employed  by  the  Straight 
Line  Engine  Company  of  Syracuse  under 
the  direction  of  John  E.  Sweet,  and  from 
1901  until  1906  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  same  company, 
and  until  1907  he  held  an  interest  in  the 
Home  National  Bank  of  Meriden,  Con- 
necticut. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  takes  no  active  part,  and  in  religious 
faith  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engi- 
neers; Deutscher  Mathematiker  Verein- 
ing ;  Societe  Francaise  de  Physique  ; 
American  Astronomical  Society ;  Tech- 
nology Club  of  Syracuse,  and  of  the  fra- 


109 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tcrnities  Phi  Beta  Kappa  (Scholastic), 
Tau  Beta  Pi  (Engineering),  Sigma  Xi 
(Scientific),  Beta  Theta  Pi  (College). 

Dr.  Graham  married  at  Syracuse,  June 
S,  1899.  Cora  M.  Dodson,  daughter  of 
John  Wesley  and  Rosanna  (Jenkins) 
Dodson.  of  Terra  Haute,  Indiana. 


ELY,  Erastus  U., 

Factor  in  Real  Estate  Operations. 

Descendant  of  the  ancient  Ely  family 
of  Connecticut,  and  son  of  Dr.  David  Ely, 
an  eminent  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Camden,  Oneida  county,  and  of  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  Mr.  Ely  can  claim  the  dis- 
tinction both  of  ancient  lineage  and  native 
sonship.  Dr.  Ely,  born  at  Lyme,  Con- 
necticut, practiced  his  profession  in 
(Jneida  county.  New  York,  for  a  number 
of  years,  then  moved  to  Rochester,  where 
he  died  in  1876,  an  honored,  skillful 
medical  and  surgical  practitioner.  He 
married  Angeline  Upson,  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  old  families  of  Oneida  county, 
New  York.  She  died  in  Rochester  in 
1884. 

Erastus  U.  Ely,  son  of  Dr.  David  and 
Angeline  (Upson)  Ely,  was  born  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  December  20,  1857, 
and  has  ever  been  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
his  birth.  He  completed  the  primary 
grammar  and  high  courses  in  Rochester 
public  schools,  and  prepared  for  the  pro- 
fession of  law  at  Albany  Law  School,  a 
department  of  Union  University,  and  the 
second  oldest  law  school  in  the  United 
States.  He  was  graduated  Bachelor  of 
Laws,  class  of  1889,  and  for  the  ten  suc- 
ceeding years  practiced  his  profession  in 
Rochester  as  a  member  of  the  Monroe 
county  bar.  In  1899  he  withdrew  from 
practice  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
real  estate  investment  in  varied  form  and 
to  mining.  His  connection  has  been 
largely  with  corporate  concerns,  but  his 
private  interests  are  large  and  his  opera- 


tions extensive.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Riverside  Cemetery  Corpora- 
tion, was  the  first  secretary,  and  was 
largely  interested  in  its  development.  He 
has  been  officially  connected  with  other 
corporations,  particularly  those  engaged 
in  real  estate  development  and  in  most  of 
them  was  the  leading  spirit.  He  invested 
largely  in  acreage  property  in  Rochester 
west  side,  secured  ample  street  car  serv- 
ice, and  was  instrumental  in  adding  an 
extensive  and  well  improved,  handsome 
resident  district  to  the  city  area.  As  a 
real  estate  operator  he  has  done  much 
toward  the  development  and  beautifying 
of  his  native  city.  His  operations  have 
extended  to  distant  points,  one  of  the  cor- 
porations in  which  he  was  heavily  inter- 
ested owning  five  thousand  acres  of  tim- 
ber lands  in  the  Adirondacks,  others  in 
mining  and  irrigation  projects  in  Wyo- 
ming and  Nevada.  He  yet  retains  large 
interests  in  lands  and  mines  and  city  prop- 
erty, and  is  one  of  the  men  of  present- 
day  importance  in  the  investment  world, 
particularly  that  portion  of  it  concerned 
in  the  opening,  improving  and  upbuilding 
of  fine  residence  sections  of  the  city.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the 
Masonic  Club,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  Rochester  Club,  the  Rochester  His- 
torical Society,  the  Society  of  the  Gene- 
see, the  Genesee  Golf  Club,  and  the  Oak 
Hill  Country  Club,  and  is  highly  regarded 
as  business  man,  citizen  and  friend.  In 
political  faith  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Ely  married,  July  19,  1895,  May 
Grace,  of  Rochester,  New  York.  They 
have  a  son,  Erastus  LaRue  Ely,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  University  of  Rochester. 


BOND,  George  Hopkins, 

Attorney-at-Lavir. 

George  Hopkins  Bond,  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Syracuse  bar,  was  born  in  that 
city,  August   ID,   1873,  ^^is  parents  being 


no 


"  He 
■her 

'm 

"« in  most  of 

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— '.ester 
'W  car  serv- 

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-'  --"isome 

y  »rea.  As  a 

n-.'jcli 

•  have 
■ecor- 

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:'  tim- 

wts,  others  in 

■   --Wyo- 

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'  •'e^ent- 

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n  it  concerned 

•V,  He 

-:,  the 

■■■,3erce, 

.:  Hi?- 

;  'jene- 

r.d  the  Oak 

•''jirded 

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•  --"They 

jradu- 


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r^^v  ^TEW  YORK 
IpUBLIC  LIBRAE' 

,,,-■.     ciiijNDA    ION3 
•|-|LDfc 'V____-— — - 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  H.  and  Ida  (Hopkins)  Bond. 
His  mother's  family  have  been  residents 
of  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  for  more 
than  a  century.  There  is  both  Scotch  and 
English  blood  in  the  ancestral  lines.  Mr. 
Bond,  of  this  review,  is  the  tenth  in  direct 
line  from  Stephen  Hopkins,  one  of  the 
"Mayflower"  passengers.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  in  Syra- 
cuse University,  being  graduated  with  the 
Bachelor  of  Philosophy  degree  in  1894, 
while  in  1897  the  Master  of  Philosophy 
and  the  Bachelor  Law  degrees  were  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  the  same  institution. 
When  in  college  he  was  a  lover  of  ath- 
letics, and  was  captain  of  the  college  foot- 
ball team. 

His  more  specifically  literary  education 
being  completed,  Mr.  Bond  took  up  the 
study  of  law  with  Senator  Horace  White 
and  Jerome  L.  Cheney  as  his  preceptors. 
He  continued  his  reading  from  1894  until 
1897  and  on  the  first  of  March  of  the  lat- 
ter year  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  For 
one  year  he  remained  in  the  office  of 
White  &  Cheney,  after  which  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Ernest  I.  White,  while 
later  Hon.  Edward  Schoeneck,  a  member 
of  the  Assembly,  and  later  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  admitted,  making  the  firm 
name  White,  Bond  &  Schoeneck,  which 
afterward  became  Bond  &  Schoeneck 
through  the  retirement  of  Mr.  W^hite. 
They  have  a  large  practice,  principally  in 
corporation  law,  their  clientage  being  ex- 
tensive and  of  a  distinctively  representa- 
tive character.  Mr.  Bond  has  been  for 
some  years  an  instructor  in  the  law  school 
of  the  University  of  Syracuse.  Strong  in 
his  political  preference  as  a  Republican, 
he  took  an  active  interest  in  its  afifairs 
and  was  secretary  of  the  Republican  gen- 
eral committee  of  this  county  from  1900 
until  the  latter  part  of  1907.  Later  he 
was  elected  district  attorney  of  Onon- 
daga county  and  served  from   1908  until 


1 914,  two  full  terms,  and  was  president 
of  the  New  York  State  Association  of 
District  Attorneys  in  1912-13. 

On  January  29,  1901,  Mr.  Bond  was 
married  to  Florence  Cherry,  a  daughter 
of  John  A.  Woodward,  of  Syracuse,  and 
they  have  two  children :  Margaret  Eliza- 
beth and  John  W. 

Mr.  Bond  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Cen- 
tral City  Lodge,  is  a  member  of  the  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  col- 
lege fraternities,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Citizens'  and  University  clubs.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  has  attained 
an  enviable  position  in  professional  cir- 
cles, having  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
jurisprudence,  while  his  devotion  to  his 
clients'  interests  has  become  proverbial. 


MOIR,  Edward, 

Manufacturer,   Man   of  Affairs. 

in  the  world,  the  human  phase  of  it, 
are  many  types — and  necessarily  so,  of 
course.  There  are  men  of  lofty  ideals, 
and  men  of  low ;  men  of  initiative  and 
others  of  merely  blind  unquestioning 
obedience.  Some  men  are  capable  of  tak- 
ing hold  of  the  big  afifairs  of  the  nation 
with  less  apparent  effort  than  others,  of 
smaller  calibre,  exhibit  in  the  administra- 
tion of  pennies.  In  1908,  the  nation  was 
in  the  throes  of  a  great  perplexity — the 
revision  of  the  tariff,  and  manipulations 
of  politics  and  politicians  at  the  federal 
capital  threatened  the  continuance  in 
profitable  employment  of  one  industrj^ 
in  particular — the  carded  wool  industry. 
Now,  be  it  known,  the  carded  wool  manu- 
facturers of  the  nation  constitute  a  not 
inconsiderable  aggregation  of  able  minds  ; 
of  aggressive,  skillful  men  of  business. 
Yet,  their  attitude  toward  the  proposed 
legislation  which  would  detrimentally 
afifect  their  industry  was,  in  the  majority 


III 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  instances,  simply  that  of  hopeless,  in- 
active consternation.  It  rested  with  an 
abscure  little  village  in  Onondaga  county. 
New  York  State,  to  provide  the  man  ca- 
pable of  tackling  the  problem ;  to  supply 
the  man  of  sufficiently  large  "measure"  to 
successfully  counter  the  maneuvering  ot 
selfish  politicians  at  Washington,  and  the 
wily  "big  interests"  supporting  them. 
Mr.  Edward  Moir,  who  for  six  days  each 
week  for  very  many  years,  had  been  en- 
grossed in  the  management  of  two  woolen 
mills,  upon  the  continuance  in  operation 
of  which  rested  the  prosperity  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Marcellus,  Onondaga  county,  New 
York  State,  saw  farther  than  his  fellow 
manufacturers;  saw  that  the  legislation 
must  be  checked ;  that  somebody  must  do 
it.  And  he  was  not  of  that  type  which  is 
content  to  leave  to  others  that  to  which 
he  should  set  his  own  hand.  To  guard 
his  own  was  his  own  individual  duty, 
not  his  neighbor's,  as  he  saw  the  philoso- 
phy of  life.  Therefore  he  set  to  work 
himself  and  resolutely;  and  so  it  came 
about  that,  within  a  short  space  of  time, 
the  carded  wool  manufacturers  of  the 
United  States  were  organized  into  an  ac- 
tive, virile  association,  capable  of  making 
its  voice  heard  in  its  own  cause.  The 
Carded  Wool  Association  became  an  ac- 
complished fact,  as  did  also  the  first  act 
of  the  associators  in  appointing  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Moir  its  president,  and  under  his 
guidance  the  destructive  proposed  legis- 
lation was  challenged  by  the  association, 
and  Schedule  K,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 
the  Carded  Wool  Association,  was  in- 
corporated in  the  Payne  Bill  unchanged 
from  the  Dingley  Bill.  From  1867  the 
duty  on  the  imported  wool  had  been  as- 
sessed by  the  pound — no  matter  whether 
it  contained  twenty-five  per  cent,  or  sev- 
enty per  cent,  of  dirt  in  washing  or  scour- 
ing. The  heavier  wools  being  generally 
better   suited    for   carding   purposes    and 


the  lighter  wools  better  for  combing,  it 
necessarily  followed  that  the  worsted 
wool  comber  had  a  preferential  position 
against  his  carded  wool  competitor  as  he 
was  getting  lower  cost  raw  material  due 
to  the  operation  of  the  wool  duty.  Al- 
though defeated  at  that  time,  the  Carded 
Wool  Association  did  not  rest,  but  kept 
up  its  efforts  in  enlightening  the  general 
public,  so  that  in  the  congressional  elec- 
tion in  1910,  Schedule  K  became  a  domi- 
nant feature  and  had  much  to  do  with  the 
defeat  of  the  Republican  party.  When 
]\Ir.  Underw^ood  became  the  chairman  of 
the  ways  and  means  committee  he  recog- 
nized the  justice  of  the  position  taken  by 
the  Carded  Wool  Association,  and  for  the 
first  time  since  1867  the  proposed  duty 
on  wool  in  the  first  Underwood  bill  was 
by  value  and  not  by  weight.  This  vindi- 
cated the  position  taken  by  the  associ- 
ation. The  Carded  Wool  Association, 
while  dormant  seeing  there  is  now  no 
duty  upon  wool,  is  ready  at  any  time  to 
take  up  the  fight,  should  a  successive 
administration  suggest  taxing  wool  by 
weight. 

So  is  one  enabled  to  form  an  estimate 
of  the  man.  Mr.  Moir  had  never  previ- 
ously interested  himself  in  politics,  had 
been  content  in  doing  his  work,  and  doing 
it  successfully  and  thoroughly  in  a  line 
of  practical  eiTort  that  paid  little  heed  to 
theoretical  generalities.  But  when  it  be- 
came apparent  and  necessary,  he  was  ca- 
pable of  assuming  and  successfully  filling 
an  executive  office  of  national  magnitude, 
and  of  prime  importance  in  one  phase  of 
the  legislative  councils  of  the  nation. 

Throughout  his  business  life,  Mr.  Moir 
has  manifested  his  capacity  for  big  things. 
He  was  born  in  Tillicoultry,  Clackaman- 
anshire,  Scotland,  October  26,  1846,  and 
when  ten  years  of  age  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  this  continent,  locating  in  Gait, 
in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  Dominion  of 


112 


EXXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Canada.  There  he,  an  alert  boy,  quick 
of  perception  and  of  retentive  memory, 
absorbed  rapidly  all  that  the  public  and 
grammar  schools  of  Gait  could  afford  him, 
in  the  way  of  learning,  and  to  compensate 
for  lack  of  academic  facilities,  Edward 
Moir  applied  himself  early  to  the  study 
of  the  practical  things  of  this  life.  There 
were  woolen  mills  at  Gait,  and  they  at- 
tracted the  boy,  so  that  he  soon  became 
initiated  into  the  carding  of  wool  and 
other  phases  of  the  industry.  And  his 
interest  was  not  merely  in  the  pay  en- 
velope his  labor  brought  him ;  he  was 
concerned  in  making  a  living;  but  he  was 
also  determined  to  make  a  success,  and  he 
applied  himself  with  all  the  innate  thor- 
oughness and  steadiness  of  his  race  to  be- 
come cognizant  of  and  efficient  in  all 
phases  of  the  woolen  manufacturing  in- 
dustr}^  as  they  came  under  his  observa- 
tion. Subsequently,  his  parents  removed 
to  Waterloo,  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
and  Edward  Moir  went  with  them.  His 
brother-in-law,  the  late  Andrew  Paton,  of 
Sherbrooke,  Quebec,  and  his  father,  were 
building  a  woolen  mill  in  Waterloo,  and 
Edward  sought  and  obtained  employment 
therein,  advancing  rapidly  to  a  position  of 
responsibility.  Later,  his  efficiency  in  the 
business  coming  to  the  notice  of  other 
manufacturers,  he  was  offered  the  man- 
agement of  the  Paton  Mills,  Sherbrooke, 
Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  which  ap- 
pointment he  accepted,  continuing  there 
in  lucrative  responsibility  for  three  years, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  had  ad- 
vanced financially  to  such  a  satisfactory 
condition  that  he  was  enabled  to  venture 
independently  into  the  manufacturing 
field.  He  purchased  the  Auburn  Woolen 
Mills,  at  Peterboro,  Province  of  Ontario. 
Canada.  These  he  enlarged  and  operated 
successfully,  subsequently  also  acquiring 
the  ownership  of  mills  at  Cornwall,  in  the 
same  province.  The  Cornwall  Mills  he 
operated  for  about  eight  years,  and  con- 
N  Y-5-8  I 


tinued  to  meet  with  that  uniform  success 
which  had  followed  all  his  industrial  ac- 
tivities, the  outcome  of  expert  knpwledge, 
consistent  application,  and  masterly  di- 
rection. In  1884,  ^J^i"-  Moir  was  called 
upon  to  consider  a  proposition  which  he 
ultimately  decided  would  be  to  his  advan- 
tage to  accept.  So  he  disposed  of  his 
Canadian  mills,  and  crossed  the  border 
into  the  United  States,  proceeding  to 
Marcellus,  Onondaga  county,  New  Y''ork 
State,  where  he  assumed  the  direction  of 
the  original  Crown  Mill,  situated  just 
north  of  the  village.  Prosperity  followed 
him,  and  to  the  Crown  Mill,  ere  long,  was 
added  by  purchase  the  Moses  Mill,  now 
known  as  the  Marcellus  Mill,  situated  in 
the  village.  During  his  more  than  thirty 
years  of  effort  at  Marcellus,  Mr.  Moir  has 
established  a  prosperity,  and  volume  of 
business  of  such  magnitude  that  he  prob- 
ably does  not  regret  having  crossed  the 
line  from  Canada.  Both  mills  have  been 
considerably  enlarged,  and  under  the 
name  of  the  Crown  Mills  Company,  of 
which  Mr.  Moir  is  president  and  general 
manager,  the  business  has  grown  very 
appreciably,  until  at  present  the  Crown 
Mills  product  is  known  and  in  demand  in 
almost  every  State  of  the  Union.  Ever 
since  Mr.  Moir  took  over  the^  mills  they 
have  with  very  few  exceptions  been  run- 
ning at  full  capacity,  a  triumph  of  organ- 
ization which  one  would  appreciate  fully 
only  when  made  cognizant  of  the  variety 
of  the  Crow^n  ]\Iills  product,  the  uncer- 
tainties of  demand,  the  vagaries  of  fashion, 
and  consequent  changes  of  styles  and 
patterns  at  least  twice  each  year,  and  the 
fact  that  manufacturers  of  similar  lines 
throughout  the  country  often  are  idle  dur- 
ing periods  of  depression  and  the  fading 
away  of  seasons.  Even  during  the  ca- 
lamitous seasons  of  1893  and  1894.  when 
such  disaster  came  to  the  woolen  industry 
in  general,  the  suspension  of  work  at  the 
Crown  Mills  was  of  verv  short  duration. 


13 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


More  need  not  be  stated  here ;  Mr.  Moir's 
record  is  sufticient  to  indicate  his  stand- 
ing and  the  reason  for  it. 

Mr.  Moir  finds  time  for  the  exercise 
of  certain  fraternal  privileges,  and  has 
passed  through  many  chairs.  He  is  past 
master  and  life  member  of  Cornwall 
Lodge.  No.  125,  G.  R.  C. ;  life  member  of 
Grenville  Chapter.  No.  22.  R.  A.  M.,  Pres- 
cott,  Ontario,  Canada ;  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar and  Scottish  Riter  of  Valley.  Auburn, 
New  York. 

Mr.  Moir  married  (first)  February  25, 
1875,  Maud  Macfarlane,  of  Peterboro, 
Province  of  Ontaria,  Canada,  who  died  in 
^L-lrcellus,  Onondaga  county,  New  York 
.^tate.  in  November,  1886.  leaving  three 
children :  John  Macfarlane,  Mary  Winni- 
fred,  and  Edward  Erskine.  Five  years 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Moir 
married  (second)  Clara  Mead  Lyon,  of 
New  York  City,  a  member  of  an  old 
Greenwich  (Connecticut)  family. 


TENNEY,  Harral  Straat, 

Financier. 

Since  1909,  Mr.  Tenney,  as  secretary 
of  the  Syracuse  Trust  Company,  has  oc- 
cupied an  important  position  in  the  finan- 
cial world  of  his  city,  and  has  demonstrated 
a  fitness  for  his  work  unusual  in  a  man  of 
his  years.  He  is  a  son  of  Louis  K.  and 
Emma  K.  (Straat)  Tenney,  his  father  a 
manufacturer  of  carriages. 

Harral  Straat  Tenney  was  born  in 
Cortland,  New  York,  January  28,  1883. 
After  early  attendance  in  public  schools 
he  prepared  for  college  in  one  of  Phil- 
adelphia's famous  schools,  William  Penn 
Charter,  whence  he  was  graduated  in 
1903.  He  then  entered  Princeton  Uni- 
versity, completing  his  course  with  gradu- 
ation and  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  class  of 
1907.  He  began  business  life  the  same 
year,  forming  a  connection  with  Kissel, 


Kinnicutt  &  Company,  bankers  and 
brokers.  No.  14  Wall  street.  New  York 
City,  remaining  with  that  house  two 
years.  In  1909  he  was  elected  secretary 
of  the  Syracuse  Trust  Company  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  a  responsible  position 
he  ably  fills.  He  is  an  Episcopalian,  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 
His  clubs  are  the  Princeton  of  New  York 
City,  Princeton  of  Philadelphia,  Onon- 
daga Golf  and  Country,  Bellevue  Coun- 
tr}^  Citizens  and  City  Club  of  Syracuse. 

Mr.  Tenney  married,  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  October  6,  1909,  Helen 
Thomas,  daughter  of  Charles  E.  and  Re- 
becca S.  (Williams)  Thomas.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tenney  have  two  children  :  Rebecca 
Williams,  born  September  14,  1910;  Har- 
ral Straat  (2),  August  21,  1913. 


BROWN,  Alexander  Timothy, 

Corporation   Official,   Inventor, 

In  the  field  of  public  life  and  commer- 
cial and  industrial  activity,  Alexander  T. 
Brown  has  won  distinction  and  is  to-day 
numbered  among  the  leading  influential 
and  honored  citizens  of  Syracuse,  and 
among  the  captains  of  industry  who  have 
made  that  city  famous  there  is  not  one 
whose  achievements  excel  his  own.  He 
belongs  to  the  little  group  of  distinctively 
representative  business  men  who  have 
been  the  pioneers  in  inaugurating  and 
building  up  the  chief  industries  of  this 
section  of  the  country.  He  is  now  con- 
nected with  many  extensive  and  impor- 
tant business  interests,  and  throughout 
his  career  his  efiforts  have  been  so  dis- 
cerningly directed  along  well  defined  lines 
of  labor  that  he  seems  to  have  realized 
at  any  one  point  of  progress  his  pos- 
sibilities for  successful  accomplishment 
at  that  point.  He  is  another  example  of 
the  country-bred  boy,  who  in  the  city  has 
not  only  held  his  own  in  competition  with 
14 


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IONS     1 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  city-bred  boy  and  man,  but  has  gained 
a  height  of  eminence  in  the  commercial 
world  to  which  few  ever  attain. 

Mr.  Brown  was  born  in  Scott,  Cortland 
county,  New  York,  November  21,  1854. 
He  comes  of  Revolutionary  ancestry  and 
the  line  of  descent  can  be  traced  back  to 
Thomas  Brown  and  Charles  Brown,  of 
Lynn  and  Rowley,  Massachusetts,  re- 
spectively. One  of  his  maternal  relatives 
was  an  early  settler  of  Onondaga  county. 
New  York,  and  one  of  its  pioneer  teachers. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Timothy 
Brown,  settled  in  Scott,  Cortland  county, 
New  York,  in  1800,  and  his  wife's  family 
at  one  time  was  the  owner  of  land  on  the 
site  of  the  city  of  Cortland.  The  father, 
Stephen  S.  Brown,  was  also  a  native  of 
Cortland  county,  New  York,  and  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  In  early  manhood  he 
married  Nancy  M.  Alexander,  a  native  of 
Leyden,  Massachusetts.  His  death  oc- 
curred March  19,  1893,  but  the  mother 
survived  until  the  fall  of  1906.  The  fam- 
ily numbered  three  children,  all  sons,  one 
of  whom  died  many  years  ago,  Alexander 
T.,  and  his  brother,  William  H.,  of  Syra- 
cuse. 

In  district  and  select  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  Mr.  Brown  acquired  his  early 
education  and  afterward  attended  Homer 
Academy,  the  intervals  in  school  life  be- 
ing passed  on  the  home  farm.  Entering 
business  life  he  was  for  some  time  sales- 
man of  agricultural  implements.  The  year 
1879  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Syracuse,  as 
a  young  man  of  twenty-five.  He  secured 
employment  with  W.  H.  Baker  &  Com- 
pany, manufacturers  of  firearms,  working 
in  the  mechanical  department.  He  gave 
himself  for  a  time  to  the  perfecting  of  a 
modern  shotgun,  which  was  placed  upon 
the  market  as  the  L.  C.  Smith  Gun,  and 
later  sold  to  the  Hunter  Arms  Company. 
With  the  great  and  increasing  demand 
for  typewriting  machines,  Mr.  Brown 
turned  his  attention  to  devising  a  machine 


which  should  contain  his  own  mechanical 
ideas.  The  Smith  Premier  Typewriter 
was  the  result,  a  machine  that,  notwith- 
standing the  years  that  have  passed  since 
its  introduction,  has  never  had  its  prestige 
lessened  nor  its  vogue  seriously  inter- 
fered with.  That  machine  was  placed 
upon  the  market  by  the  Smith  Premier 
Typewriter  Company,  in  which  Mr. 
Brown  was  an  important  factor  as  th< 
inventor  in  charge  of  the  mechanical  con- 
struction. Later  he  was  for  several  years 
president  of  the  company.  From  type- 
writing machines  Mr.  Brown  turned  his 
inventive  powers  to  the  automobile  and 
his  master  hand  is  seen  in  many  improve- 
ments in  the  operation  of  those  wonders 
of  mechanical  engineering  and  skill.  The 
telephone  also  attracted  him  and  there  are 
several  patents  pertaining  to  this  art 
credited  to  him.  Mr.  Brown,  associated 
with  Mr.  Charles  E.  Lipe,  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Brown-Lipe  Gear  Com- 
pany, which  company  was  the  parent  of 
the  Brown-Lipe-Chapin  Company,  and  of 
both  these  companies  Mr.  Brown  is  presi- 
dent. Mr.  Brown  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  H.  H.  Franklin  Manufacturing 
Company,  was  at  one  time  its  president, 
and  is  now  a  director.  He  is  also  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Remington  Typewriter  Com- 
pany, the  Globe  Malleable  Iron  and  Steel 
Company,  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Syracuse,  and  the  Syracuse  Journal  Com- 
pany. 

The  extent  and  importance  of  his  busi- 
ness interests  place  him  at  once  in  the 
rank  of  the  foremost  residents  of  Syra- 
cuse. Honored  and  respected  by  all, 
there  is  no  citizen  who  occupies  a  more 
enviable  position  in  commercial,  indus- 
trial and  financial  circles  than  Alexander 
1'.  Brown,  not  alone  by  reason  of  the 
brilliant  success  he  has  achieved  but  also 
owing  to  the  straightforward  business 
policy  that  he  has  ever  followed.  He  has 
formed  his  plans  readily,  has  been  deter- 


iiS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mined  in  their  execution  and  added  to  his 
natural  mechanical  ingenuity  and  inven- 
tive ability  he  possesses  an  aptitude  for 
successful  management  and  the  coordina- 
tion of  forces  that  is  often  sadly  lacking 
in  the  inventor.  Intricate  business  prob- 
lems he  comprehends  with  rare  quickness 
and  the  solution  which  he  proposes  almost 
invariably  proves  to  be  the  correct  one. 
In  1883  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to 
Mary  L.  Seamans,  a  daughter  of  Julian 
C.  Seamans,  of  Virgil,  New  York.  They 
had  two  sons,  Charles  S.  and  Julian  S. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  life  member  of  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neers and  of  the  National  Geographic  So- 
ciety, lie  is  an  interested  member  of  the 
Syracuse  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  of 
that  greater  body,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  the  United  States,  and  takes  an 
especial  pleasure  in  his  affiliation  with 
the  Society  of  Automobile  Engineers. 
Mr.  Brown  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Ma- 
son. Through  his  patriotic  ancestry  he 
has  been  admitted  a  member  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Sports  of 
field,  forest  and  stream  appeal  to  him,  and 
he  holds  membership  in  many  clubs  and 
associations  devoted  to  shooting  and  fish- 
ing, among  them  being  the  Anglers'  As- 
sociation, Stony  Island  Club  and  Adiron- 
dack League  Club.  Other  clubs  in  which 
he  holds  membership  are :  The  Citizens, 
Century,  and  Automobile,  of  Syracuse ; 
the  City  and  Automobile  clubs,  of  Auburn, 
the  Wolverine  Automobile,  of  Detroit, 
Michigan;  the  Onondaga  Golf  and  Coun- 
try, and  the  Bellevue  Country  of  Syra- 
cuse. 

While  he  has  never  taken  active  part 
in  political  affairs,  he  is  a  true  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  as  chairman  of  the 
State  grade  crossing  commission,  as  a 
trustee  of  the  Syracuse  University  and  as 
a  trustee  of  the  New  York  State  College 
of  Forestry,  he  renders  valuable  service. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


MAYER,  William  G., 

Lawyer,  Naval  Veteran. 

The  life  of  Lieutenant  William  G. 
Mayer,  of  Waterville,  New  Y'ork,  has 
been  one  of  stirring  interest  and  danger, 
and  now,  retired  from  active  participation 
in  business  and  professional  affairs,  he  re- 
views that  life  with  the  satisfaction  that 
comes  from  a  knowledge  of  duty  well  per- 
formed. A  man  of  high  culture  and  re- 
lined  tastes,  he  gratifies  his  love  for  books 
and  travel,  and,  by  association  in  many 
societies,  keeps  in  close  touch  with  his 
fellow  men.  Originally  destined  for  the 
naval  service  of  his  country,  he  later  re- 
signed, but  when  the  Spanish-American 
War  broke  out  tendered  his  services  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His 
travels  have  taken  him  to  the  remote 
parts  of  the  world,  and  three  times  has  he 
known  the  perils  of  shipwreck.  These 
experiences  have  broadened  and  enriched 
a  naturally  brilliant  mind,  and  he  is  a 
most  entertaining  companion.  He  is  a 
son  of  Frederick  J.  Mayer,  a  graduate  of 
Heidelberg  University,  Germany,  who 
was  a  participant  in  the  Revolution  of 
1848  and  later  fled  to  the  United  States. 
He  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he 
became  an  influential  citizen,  honored  by 
President  Lincoln  with  appointment  to 
the  office  of  postmaster  of  that  city. 

William  G.  Mayer,  son  of  Frederick  J. 
and  Pauline  C.  Mayer,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  August  15,1850.  After  gradu- 
ating from  Woodward  High  School,  Cin- 
cinnati, he  was  appointed  a  midshipman 
at  the  United  States  Naval  Academy,  An- 
napolis, Maryland,  there  completing  a 
full  course.  After  graduation,  in  1870,  he 
was  assigned  to  sea  duty,  serving  several 
years  and  attaining  the  rank  of  master. 
He  resigned  from  the  navy  in  1875  and 
prepared  for  the  legal  profession  in  the 
College  of  Cincinnati,  whence  he  was 
graduated  LL.  B.  He  began  practice  in 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Cincinnati,  was  admitted  to  all  State  and 
Federal  courts  of  the  district,  and  for  a 
time  was  senior  member  of  the  law  firm 
of  Mayer,  Shaffer  &  Smith.  He  practiced 
his  profession  very  successfully  in  Cin- 
cinnati until  1885,  when  he  located  in 
Waterville,  New  York,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  prominently  associated  with 
the  public  life  of  that  community,  holding 
many  positions  of  trust.  He  is  always 
found  on  the  side  of  progress  and  im- 
provement, and  his  practical  work  has 
been  productive  of  beneficial  results.  Mr. 
Mayer  entered  the  navy  as  a  volunteer 
during  the  war  with  Spain  and  received 
a  lieutenant's  commission,  and  as  navi- 
gating officer  of  the  United  States  ship 
"Siren,"  was  on  blockade  duty  on  the 
North  Cuban  coast  until  the  war  closed, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1898, 

During  his  Cincinnati  residence,  Mr. 
Mayer  was  a  trustee  of  the  Cincinnati 
Public  Hospital,  the  Cincinnati  Law  Li- 
brary, and  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio 
State  Bar  Association.  In  Waterville,  ht 
has  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  president  of  the  Waterville 
Public  Library,  president  of  the  Sanger- 
field  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument  As- 
sociation, president  of  the  Waterville 
Cemetery  Association,  and  while  his  busi- 
ness activity  has  been  confined  to  the  care 
of  his  private  estate,  he  has  served  the 
National  Bank  of  Waterville  as  a  direc- 
tor. In  matters  of  county  and  State  con- 
cern, he  takes  equal  interest.  He  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Court 
House  Commission,  was  one  of  the  effi- 
cient members  of  the  building  committee, 
and  chairman  of  the  executive  and  finance 
committees.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board 
of  managers  of  Utica  State  Hospital,  of 
the  Oneida  County  Committee  of  the  Na- 
tional Red  Cross  Society  and  of  the 
Stevens-Swan  Humane  Society.  He  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Oneida  County 


Republican  Committee,  but  has  neither 
taste  nor  desire  for  public  office.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  American  Associ- 
ation for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Naval  Academy 
Graduates'  Association.  His  naval  serv- 
ices entitles  him  to  numerous  member- 
ships in  patriotic  orders  and  he  has  affili- 
ated with  several,  including  the  Military 
Order  of  Foreign  Wars,  the  Naval  Order 
of  the  United  States,  the  Naval  and  Mili- 
tary Order  of  the  Spanish-American  War, 
the  Regular  Army  and  Navy  Union,  and 
the  United  States  Veteran  Navy  Associ- 
ation. In  Cincinnati  his  clubs  were  the 
University  and  Literary;  in  Waterville 
the  Pickwick,  of  which  he  has  been  presi- 
dent, and  the  Waterville  Golf,  which  he 
serves  as  vice-president.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oneida  County  Historical  So- 
ciety, and  president  of  the  Amos  O.  Os- 
borne Historical  Society.  He  is  a  devout 
churchman,  junior  warden  of  Grace  Epis- 
copal Church.  Waterville,  and  active  in 
church  work,  and  is  president  of  the 
Men's  Church  Club  of  the  Diocese  of 
Central  New  York. 

From  the  foregoing,  the  width,  breadth 
and  depth  of  Mr.  Mayer's  interests  and 
activities  may  be  estimated.  Broad- 
minded  and  progressive,  his  is  not  the 
erudition  of  books  alone,  but  to  that  he 
has  added  a  comprehensive  knowledge 
obtained  by  the  observing  eye  and  the 
attentive  ear  while  in  foreign  lands,  and 
his  retentive  memory  has  preserved  the 
wonders  of  the  United  States,  South 
America,  Western  Asia,  Northern  Africa, 
the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  all  sections 
which  he  has  traversed  as  naval  officer 
and  tourist,  his  love  of  travel  having  been 
fully  gratified. 

Mr.  Mayer  married,  at  Waterville.  Jan- 
uary 14,  1880,  Esther  L.  Osborne,  daugh- 
ter of  Amos  O.  Osborne,  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  Amos  Osborne,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield, 


117 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Oneida  county.  New  York.  He  built  the 
first  brick  residence  in  the  town  in  i8ii, 
that  old  mansion  now  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mayer,  the  estate  coming  to 
Mrs.  Mayer  by  inheritance.  Amos  O. 
Osborne  was  born  in  Waterville,  New 
York,  December  12,  181 1.  died  September 
i-j.  1896.  He  was  adtnitted  to  the  bar  iu 
1837;  practiced  his  profession  in  West- 
field,  New  York ;  was  supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Sang-erfield  in  1845-46;  justice  of 
the  peace  for  thirteen  years,  elected  whiic 
his  party  was  in  the  minority  ;  member 
of  the  State  Legislature  in  1853 ;  director 
of  the  Bank  of  Waterville  for  fifteen 
years;  president  of  the  Cemetery  Asso- 
ciation from  its  incorporation  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  student  of  literature 
and  science,  circumnavigated  the  globe 
in  1855-56,  was  especially  interested  in 
geology,  and  was  an  authority  on  the  ge- 
ological formation  of  the  county,  and 
wrote  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  town  of 
Sangerfield  in  Jones  "Annals  of  Oneida 
County."  He  was  an  original  incorpora- 
tor of  Grace  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Waterville  and  senior  warden  of  the 
church  for  fifty-three  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  many  scientific  societies,  and 
one  of  the  learned,  influential  men  of  his 
day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mayer  have  three 
children :  Ada  Pauline,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  G. 
Randall ;  Rosalie  Catherine  and  A.  Os- 
borne. 


SWANTON,  Thomas  J., 

Financier. 

The  career  of  Thomas  J.  Swanton, 
president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Com- 
merce, of  Rochester.  New  York,  furnishes 
a  notable  example  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished by  a  man  possessing  the  qualities 
of  unfaltering  perseverance,  untiring  in- 
dustry and  an  ambition  for  honorable 
position.  He  is  a  man  of  executive  abil- 
ity, and  is  interested  in  everything  per- 


taining to  the  material,  political,  intellec- 
tual, social  and  moral  progress  of  the  com- 
munity. Plis  upright  character  and  at- 
tractive, personal  characteristics  have 
won  for  him  the  respect  of  his  business 
associates  and  the  esteem  and  loyality  of 
a  wide  circle  of  intimate  friends. 

Thomas  J.  Swanton  was  born  in  Fair- 
port,  New  York,  but  during  his  early- 
youth  his  parents  removed  to  Rochester, 
New  York,  in  which  city  he  has  ever  since 
resided  and  which  has  been  the  scene  of 
his  business  activity.  He  obtained  a  prac- 
tical education  in  the  public  schools  and 
the  Free  Academy,  of  which  latter  named 
institution  he  is  a  graduate,  class  of  1881. 
He  then  began  the  study  of  law  under  the 
direction  of  John  R.  Fanning  and  Charles 
M.  Williams,  continuing  for  a  period  of 
two  years,  and  although  he  then  aban- 
doned his  intention  of  becoming  a  lawyer 
the  mental  training  and  the  legal  knowl- 
edge he  acquired  proved  of  great  value  to 
him  in  his  subsequent  career.  In  1883  he 
began  his  long  connection  with  the  bank- 
ing business  by  entering  the  employ  of 
the  Commercial  Bank.  He  began  at  the 
foot  of  the  ladder,  but  advanced  steadily 
in  position  and  in  the  regard  of  the  of- 
ficials of  the  bank  until  they  deemed  him 
worthy  of  their  highest  appointive  office, 
that  of  cashier,  which  position  he  ably 
filled  until  January  17,  1906.  when  he  re- 
signed to  complete  the  organization  of 
the  National  Bank  of  Commerce.  That 
institution,  duly  chartered  and  organized, 
began  business,  March  i.  1906,  Mr.  Swan- 
ton filling  the  positions  of  vice-president 
and  cashier.  On  January  12,  1910,  he  was 
elected  to  the  presidency,  thereby  gaining 
the  topmost  round  of  the  business  ladder 
He  is  an  able,  well-known  financier,  pro- 
gressive in  his  methods,  and  by  having 
confidence  in  himself  and  his  plans,  he 
inspires  that  feeling  in  the  people  with 
whom  he  associates.  He  holds  mem- 
bership    in     numerous     business     men's 


118 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUEUC  UBRARYl 

ASTOR,   t'NOX 

Til  P>  N     Fi.)UiVpa     IONS 


'..aaiiibti  oi  Coai). 
.  ,1,.  T?r.rhester  C 
Yonnt 
Accepted  Mason - 
Anrjent     A  ;-.,•■  • 

tory,  Anc' 


-Vli.    ov  •  arrled,   jui_y    lo,    ifc>c>9, 

'  rT'^ianuci  .  .^  ;....ns,  daughter  of  Edward 
.■  ,.  :■;  d  Susan  M.  Hopkins,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  two  sons :  Hobart  P., 
treasurer  of  the  Menter  Company,  Inc., 
and  Edward  R.,  who  is  at  present  (1916) 
;  ,-tudent  at  Yale,  class  of  1919- 


I 


HOTCHKISS,  James  L., 

Banker.   Lawyer,   Public   0*Bi:'i.*8, 

J'iiWr-  [otchkiss,  who  .ed 

since  January  i,  1904,  as  clerk  ui  Monroe 
'       -....-  Qf  the 

is  been 
nroe  coun- 
^         .;  -.    Straight- 
thinking'  more  of 
rrsonai  in- 
ai  foUow- 
■\nd    Anna 


count;     V,,,..  \'  ,,; 
legal  :. 

active  m  the  pom. 
ty,  New  Yorl:   ^   ' 
forward  in  hir- 
the  public  good  v 
terests,  he  has  a 
ing.      He  is    a  Si 

Dwight)  Hotchkiss,  ti>e  former  a  native 
'jf  Canaan,  Connecticut,  who  removed  to 
Naples,  New  York,  prior  to  his  marriage, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise business  until  1868.  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Rochester,  New 
^'ork,  and  engaged  in  the  shoe  business 

-  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H  -^ -'  •  -       ^" 

.'oollard.     Later  in  life  he  v- 
djuster.    He  tot 


j.iacn 
til  he 
Janua 
kiss  hab   ^' 
attention   t. 
politics,  his  sei 
ciited  in  the  b 
1916.  he  was  el... 
the    Citizens'    Bai 


ond   vice-pres; 
always  been  )•;• 
can    party,   Wi 
sound  econom 
He  ha: 
public    .... 
among   th- 
He  is  a  n>  • 
Committee 
District  o'< 
since  i90c> 
lican  Gert- 
tv     H^ 


ent'OTi 


ers   for 


•ircl??  < 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ciety,  and  the  County  and  State  Bar  as- 
sociations. Mr.  Hotchkiss  still  retains  his 
interest  in  the  law  firm  of  Hotchkiss  & 
Tuck,  though  he  has  given  but  little  time 
or  attention  to  the  practice  of  law  since 
he  has  been  in  public  office.  Believing 
that  a  public  office  is  a  public  trust,  Mr. 
Hotchkiss  has  ever  been  loyal  to  the  in- 
terests intrusted  to  his  care  and  active  in 
the  performance  of  the  duties  which  de- 
volve upon  him. 

Mr.  Hotchkiss  married,  February  28, 
1907,  Leah  Leach,  a  daughter  of  William 
J.  Leach,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Jeannie  L. 


NOTEBAERT,  Rev.  Alphonse  A., 
Clergyman. 

Since  1879,  Father  Notebaert  has  been 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Vic- 
tory, Rochester,  New  York,  his  pastorate 
having  now  extended  over  a  period  of 
thirty-seven  years.  There  are  members 
of  the  now  prosperous  and  well  organized 
parish  who  recall  the  little  church  and 
parish  which  the  young  Belgian  priest 
had  been  sent  to  minister  unto,  and 
to  such  there  comes  a  full  realization  of 
the  full  scope  of  the  work  the  devoted 
pastor  has  performed.  Father  Notebaert 
is  of  Belgian  birth,  and  now  walks  amid 
the  lengthening  shadows,  rejoicing  that 
all  is  well  with  him  and  the  parish  he 
loves,  but  with  a  heart  bleeding  with  pity 
for  the  land  which  gave  him  birth,  and 
for  those  bound  to  him  by  ties  of  blood 
and  friendship. 

.\  faithful  and  able  representative  of 
the  priesthood,  he  has  been  a  close  stu- 
dent of  the  questions  affecting  the  United 
States  and  foreign  countries,  gaining  wide 
recognition  through  his  published  articles 
in  the  public  press.  He  was  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  question  so  fully  discussed 
a  decade  ago  concerning  Belgium's  rule 
in  the  Congo,  and  through  the  columns 


of  the  Rochester  "Press,"  ably  defended 
King  Leopold's  rule  in  Africa.  His 
letters,  showing  wide  research  and  thor- 
ough familiarity  with  the  subject  under 
discussion,  were  later  published  in 
pamphlet  form  under  the  title  of  "Leo- 
pold II,  King  of  Belgium,  Sovereign  of 
the  Congo  Free  State,  Vindicated  by  Rev. 
A.  A.  Notebaert."  He  received  public 
appreciation  of  his  able  defense  from  not- 
able men  in  Belgium  and  South  Africa, 
as  well  as  in  the  United  States.  There 
are  over  tw^elve  hundred  of  his  country- 
men now  residents  of  the  city  of  Roches- 
ter who  came  to  the  city  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  Father  Notebaert.  He 
feels  keenly  the  sorrows  of  his  native 
land  imposed  by  the  present  European 
War,  and  has  been  untiring  in  his  efforts 
to  alleviate  them.  He  is  an  earnest, 
whole-souled  man,  and  even  divested  of 
his  priestly  authority  would  be  a  not- 
able figure  in  any  community.  He  is  a 
son  of  Dr.  Romain  and  Sophia  (Van 
Couter)  Notebaert,  his  father  an  eminent 
physician,  and  two  of  his  brothers  former 
colonels  in  the  Belgian  army. 

Alphonse  A.  Notebaert  was  born  at 
Duerlyck,  Belgium,  April  12,  1847.  ^^ 
was  liberally  educated  in  excellent 
schools,  completing  his  theological  study 
at  the  Seminary  of  Bruges.  He  studied 
for  Holy  Orders  and  was  ordained  a 
priest  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
1871.  For  six  years  after  his  ordination 
he  was  a  professor  at  Ostend.  On  return 
from  duty  as  an  educator  he  was  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  the  Church  of  St.  Fran- 
cis at  Merien,  Belgium,  there  continuing 
until  1879,  when  he  answered  the  call  of 
duty  and  came  to  the  United  States  to 
become  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Victory  in  Rochester,  New  York,  the 
call  coming  from  Bishop  Bernard  J.  Mc- 
Ouaid.  There  his  work  has  been  ardu- 
ous but  bountiful  in  its  rewards,  a  beauti- 
ful   church   edifice   and    a  parish   school 


120 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  he  founded  being  among  the  tangi- 
ble results.  The  church  and  various  so- 
cieties have  felt  the  constant  influence  of 
the  pastor  urging  them  to  the  higher  con- 
ceptions of  duty,  and  the  quickening  im- 
pulse he  has  imparted  to  parish  work  is 
seen  on  every  hand,  fie  founded  the 
French  Alliance,  of  which  he  has  been 
president  since  1903,  and  is  the  posses- 
sor of  honors  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
sovereigns  of  P>elgium  in  recognition  of 
his  services  in  behalf  of  his  native  coun- 
try while  a  resident  of  Rochester.  These 
include  Knight  of  the  Legion  of  Honor 
of  Belgium,  presented  by  King  Leopold 
n.  in  1895,  and  Knight  of  the  Order  of 
the  Crown,  presented  in  1906.  In  1912  he 
was  made  an  Ofificer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  by  King  Albert  of  Belgium. 
Father  Notebaert  has  the  friendship  and 
respect  of  the  clergy  of  Rochester,  re- 
gardless of  creed,  and  numbers  his  per- 
sonal friends  among  men  of  all  shades  of 
religious  belief.  He  is  a  man  of  strong, 
forceful  character,  devoted  to  his  holy 
calling,  but  not  unmindful  of  the  obliga- 
tions of  citizenship,  not  lacking  in  public 
spirit. 


TROUTWINE,  George  Frederick, 

Manufacturer. 

After  coming  to  the  United  States  from 
his  native  Germany  in  1880,  Mr.  Trout- 
wine  spent  a  few  years  in  various  locali- 
ties in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  New  York, 
finally  settling  permanently  in  Glovers- 
ville.  New  York,  where  since  1888  he 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
leather  manufacturing  industry  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  now  corporation,  George 
F.  Troutwine  &  Sons,  of  which  he  is 
president.  He  brought  from  his  native 
land  those  habits  of  industry,  thrift  and 
close  application  which  characterize  the 
German  people,  and  with  the  fuller,  freer 
opportunity   here    offered     has    found    in 


their  application  abundant  success.  He 
has  built  his  own  fortune  and  through 
honorable,  upright  effort  has  firmly  estab- 
lished himself  among  the  substantial  men 
of  his  city.  In  return  for  the  opportunity 
offered  him  he  has  not  only  aided  in  the 
uplmilding  of  a  prosperous  community, 
but  has  efficiently  served  the  city  of  his 
adoption  in  responsible  position  as  law 
maker  and  city  official.  He  is  a  son  of 
Andreas  and  Frederika  Troutwine,  his 
father  a  farmer  and  soldier  dying  from 
the  efifect  of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

George  Frederick  Troutwine  was  born 
in  Schiltach,  Baden,  Germany,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1859.  He  was  well  educated  in 
excellent  German  schools,  and  until  1879 
he  was  under  the  tutorage  of  an  uncle 
learning  the  leather  industry.  In  1879  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  going  first  to 
Fairview,  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  later 
to  Cuyahoga  Falls,  now  the  city  of  Akron, 
Ohio.  After  a  year  in  business  in  the 
latter  town  he  moved  to  Kingsboro  (now 
Gloversville),  New  York,  spending  the 
years  until  1888  as  superintendent  of  tan- 
neries. He  became  an  expert  in  the  manu- 
facture of  leather,  and  in  1888  organized 
the  firm  of  George  F.  Troutwine,  special- 
izing in  the  manufacture  of  shoe  leather. 
From  1888  until  1909  he  operated  as  a 
firm,  then  incorporated  as  George  F. 
Troutwine  &  Sons,  becoming  its  first  and 
as  yet  its  only  president  and  treasurer. 
He  is  the  able  executive  head  of  a  large 
and  prosperous  corporation  well-known 
in  the  trade  and  well  rated  in  business 
circles. 

In  his  party  afifiliation  Mr.  Troutwine 
is  a  Republican,  and  for  many  years  has 
been  active  in  city  affairs,  serving  Glo- 
versville as  alderman  for  six  years,  as 
water  commissioner  twelve  years  and 
for  the  past  eight  years  as  president  of 
the  board.  During  the  six  years  of  serv- 
ice in  the  law  making  department  of  the 
city's  affairs  he  was  the  champion  of  all 


121 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


forward  movements,  and  as  water  com- 
missioner has  been  liberal  and  public- 
spirited  in  administering  this  department 
of  city  life  which  so  intimately  affects 
every  resident.  Me  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  holding  all  degrees  of  the 
Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  up  to  and 
including  the  thirty-second.  In  the  York 
Rite  he  holds  all  degrees  of  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery.  His  club  is  the  Eccen- 
tric of  Gloversville,  and  in  religious  mem- 
bership he  is  a  Presbyterian. 

Mr.   Troutwine   married,   in   Fairview, 
Erie   county,   Pennsylvania.  January   23. 
1880.  Mary   Barbara,  daughter  of  David 
and  Maria  (Houck)    Hummel.     Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Troutwine  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:     i.  Clara   Katherine,   born    No- 
vember  26.  1880.  at  Fairview,  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania;  educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Gloversville,  New  York, 
then  The  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Fairfield, 
New  York ;   married,  in  1902.  at  Glovers- 
ville. to  L.  H.  King,  Jr.,  of  Port  Byron, 
New  York,  and  they  have  one  child,  Paul- 
ine  L.     2.  Karl  Ludwig,  born   February 
24,    1883,   at    Kingsboro,   Fulton   county, 
New   York ;    educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Gloversville,  New  York, 
the  Fairfield  Military  Academy  at  Fair- 
field, New  York;  he  now  resides  with  his 
parents ;    member  of  the   Eccentric   and 
.Antlers  Country  clubs.     3.  George   Fur- 
beck,  born  May  21,  1885,  at  Gloversville, 
New  York ;    educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Gloversville,  New  York; 
married,  in  1906,  at  Johnstown,  New  York, 
to  Florence  A.  Van  Nest,  of  Johnstown, 
and  they  have  two  children :    George  W. 
and  Ethel  M.    4.  Frederick  Gardner,  born 
December  t8,  1889,  at  Gloversville,  New 
York ;    educated  at   the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Gloversville;   married,  in  1915, 
at   Johnstown,    to   Katheleen    B.    Gustin, 
of    Johnstown.      5.  Anna    Pauline,    born 
January    5,    1894,    at    Gloversville,    New 


York;  educated  at  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Gloversville  and  now  being 
privately  tutored  in  New  York  City. 


BLACKMER,  Louis  Edmonds, 

Chiropractor. 

Among  the  self-made  men  of  the  Em- 
pire State  who  have  developed  profes- 
sional ability  and  achieved  success  in 
other  lines  of  endeavor,  Louis  Edmonds 
Blackmer  should  receive  mention.  He 
was  born  February  i,  1866,  at  McGraw- 
ville.  New  York,  son  of  Ephraim  Newton 
and  Anna  (Edmonds)  Blackmer,  natives 
respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York  States.  Their  children  were  :  Mary 
S.,  wife  of  Professor  Burt  L.  Bentley,  of 
the  Cortland  Conservatory  of  Music,  Cort- 
land. New  York ;  Louis  E.,  the  principal 
of  this  article;  Grace,  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years ;  and  Anna  W.,  wife  of  Hon. 
Newton  B.  VanDerzee,  of  Albany,  New 
York. 

The  name  Blackmer  is  of  English 
origin  and  has  been  long  established  in 
America.  It  is  found  scattered  through 
the  records  of  Rhode  Island  and  in  many 
localities  in  the  Middle  and  Western 
States. 

Louis  E.  Blackmer  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  Homer  Academy 
and  Union  School,  at  Homer,  Cortland 
county.  New  York.  Early  in  life  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  and  was  employed  some 
eighteen  years  with  this  occupation.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  took  a  course  in  mechani- 
cal engineering  in  the  International  Cor- 
respondence School,  of  Scranton,  Penn- 
sylvania, receiving  the  degree  of  M.  E. 
By  study  and  diligent  application,  he  be- 
came an  expert  at  his  trade,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  foreman,  later  to  superintendent 
of  the  Wesson-Nivison  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Cortland,   New   York.     He 


122 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


business  cnteri)rises  he  has  ever  dis- 
played the  utmost  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  his  numerous  employes,  and  has  in- 
stalled every  device  which  could  add  to 
their  comfort. 

Thomas  Ryan  first  saw  the  light  of  day 
in  Tipperary,  Ireland,  on  May  12,  1844, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Margaret 
(Cooney)  Ryan.  He  was  but  four  years 
of  age  when  he  was  brought  to  America 
by  his  parents,  who  made  their  home  in 
Syracuse,  where  he  was  reared  in  the 
First  Ward  of  that  city.  The  public 
schools  of  Syracuse  furnished  him  with 
a  substantial  and  practical  education,  and 
he  was  then  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
cooper's  trade,  with  which  calling  he  was 
identified  until  the  Civil  War.  In  1864 
he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Eighty-sixth 
Regiment,  New  York  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  served  until  mustered  out  in 
1865.  During  this  period  he  served  in  all 
the  engagements  in  the  vicinity  of  Peters- 
burg, and  was  wounded  in  the  foot  at  the 
battle  of  Hatcher's  Run.  Upon  his  return 
to  his  home  city  he  established  himself  in 
the  saloon  business,  and  was  connected 
with  this  enterprise  for  a  period  of  twen- 
ty years.  He  then,  in  association  with 
Charles  L.  HofTman,  engaged  in  the  brew- 
ing business,  but  after  a  time  the  entire 
plant  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Ryan,  and  he 
conducted  this  alone  from  1887  to  1900. 
In  the  last  mentioned  year  he  organized 
his  business  as  a  stock  company  of  which 
he  was  made  president  and  treasurer,  a 
dual  office  he  is  still  filling  with  marked 
executive  ability.  The  plant  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
barrels  of  beer  annually,  the  greater  part 
of  which  is  sold  in  New  York  State.  The 
energy  of  Mr.  Ryan  is  not  satisfied,  how- 
ever, with  this  one  enterprise,  and  he  is  a 
director  and  vice-president  of  the  Mack- 
Miller  Candle  Company,  of  Syracuse  ;  and 
is  president  of  The  New  England  Brew- 


ing Company,  of  Hartford.  Connecticut, 
having  filled  this  ofifice  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  company  in  1890.  This  is 
an  extensive  plant,  the  sales  in  1914 
amounting  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  barrels  of  beer,  and  the  capacity 
of  the  plant  is  two  hundred  thousand. 
Huge  as  are  these  business  enterprises, 
they  have  not  been  allowed  to  absorb  all 
of  the  time  and  attention  of  Mr.  Ryan. 
As  a  good  and  high  minded  citizen,  he  has 
devoted  considerable  time  to  thought  con- 
cerning the  public. welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity, and  has  been  active  in  political 
affairs  since  his  return  from  the  Civil 
War.  He  has  served  as  alderman  of  his 
ward,  the  Fourth,  four  times ;  was  elected 
mayor  of  Syracuse  in  1883,  and  succeeded 
himself  twice,  thus  serving  three  con- 
secutive terms  in  this  office.  While  he 
has  consistently  refused  to  serve  in  this 
office  again,  the  nomination  for  it  has 
been  tendered  to  him  at  each  succeeding 
election.  As  delegate  to  various  conven- 
tions, both  State  and  National,  he  has 
rendered  signal  service,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  delegates  to  the  National  Conven- 
tion held  in  Baltimore  in  1912,  when  his 
vote  aided  in  giving  the  nomination  to 
President  Woodrow  Wilson,  also  a  dele- 
gate to  National  Convention  held  in  St. 
Louis  in  1916,  to  nominate  President  Wil- 
son again.  In  1896  he  was  tendered  the 
nomination  for  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the 
State,  but  declined  this  honor.  His  fra- 
ternal membership  is  with  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  with 
Lillie  Post,  No.  66,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  member  of  Syracuse 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  a  devout 
member  of  the  Church  of  St.  John  the 
Evangelist,  and  a  liberal  contributor  to 
its  support. 

Mr.  Ryan  married  Jennie,  daughter  of 
Captain  Reasel,  and  they  have  an  adopted 
daughter,  Florence  May. 
24 


EXCVCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


PAYNE,  Sereno  E., 

ConstmctiTe   Statesman. 

Sereno  Elisha  Payne,  for  many  years 
a  leader  in  Congress,  and  a  principal  actor 
in  various  important  diplomatic  negoti- 
ations, was  born  June  26,  1843,  i^  Hamil- 
ton, Madison  county,  New  York,  son  of 
William  Wallace  and  Betsey  (Sears) 
Payne. 

He  passed  through  the  public  schools 
and  Auburn  Academy,  then  entering 
Rochester  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1864.  In  college  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Delta  Upsilon  fraternity. 
He  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Rochester  in  June,  1866,  and  entered 
upon  practice  at  Auburn,  which  was  his 
lifelong  residence.  For  a  time  he  was  as- 
sociated with  John  T.  M.  Davie,  and  later 
with  John  W.  O'Brien,  and  John  Van 
Sickle.  From  1908  until  his  death  he 
was  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Payne, 
Payne  &  Clark,  the  second  of  these  being 
his  son,  William  K.  Payne.  For  many 
years  he  was  connected  with  nearly  everj- 
important  cause  in  Cayuga  county,  his 
practice  covering  a  wide  range,  and  con- 
fined to  no  special  branch  of  the  law.  He 
was  deeply  read  in  medicinal  juris- 
prudence, and  was  often  concerned  with 
inquiry  as  to  sanity  in  criminal  and  dis- 
puted will  cases.  During  a  special  court 
term  before  Judge  David  Rumsey,  as 
district  attorney,  he  tried  five  capital  cases 
in  all  of  which  conviction  was  had,  in 
three  of  them  for  murder  in  the  first 
degree,  and  he  conducting  the  cases  with- 
out assistance.  In  all  he  conducted  fifteen 
prosecutions  for  murder,  obtaining  con- 
victions in  all  but  three. 

Mr.  Payne's  official  life  began  in  the 
year  following  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
with  his  election  as  city  clerk,  followed 
by  service  as  supervisor,  district  attorney, 
and  member  of  the  board  of  education. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Fortv-eighth  and 


Forty-ninth  Congresses,  as  a  Republican, 
and  was  the  party  leader  in  the  committee 
on  elections.  He  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Fiftieth  Congress,  but  was  elected  to  the 
Fifty-first,  and  was  reelected  to  all  suc- 
ceeding Congresses,  including  the  Sixty- 
third,  having  been  renominated  without 
opposition  in  nearly  every  instance.  Dur- 
ing almost  all  of  this  time  he  had  been  a 
member  of  the  ways  and  means  commit- 
tee, and  was  chairman  from  1899  to  1910. 
He  was  one  of  the  framers  of  the  Mc- 
Kinley  tariff  bill,  many  of  its  most  im- 
portant features  being  from  his  pen,  and 
his  speech  in  defense  of  the  measure  was 
one  of  his  most  masterly  efforts.  He  took 
an  equally  prominent  part  in  the  debate 
on  the  Wilson  bill  in  1894.  His  most  im- 
portant work  with  relation  to  tarifif  legis- 
lation was  with  the  preparation  and  pass- 
age of  the  Dingley  bill  of  1897.  After 
taking  a  leading  part  in  the  protracted 
debate  in  the  house,  it  was  his  province 
to  make  the  final  speech  just  before  the 
decisive  vote  was  to  be  taken  at  mid- 
night, and  when  the  passage  of  the  bill 
was  declared,  Mr.  Payne  was  accorded  an 
ovation.  In  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  he 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  mer- 
chant marine  and  fisheries  and  under  his 
masterly  leadership  various  important 
bills  were  passed  in  the  interest  of  Amer- 
ican commerce.  In  1899  he  was  one  of 
the  joint  high  commissioners  of  the 
United  States  in  the  negotiation  of  the 
treaty  with  Great  Britain  with  reference 
to  our  relations  with  the  Dominion  of 
Canada.  As  speaker  of  the  house  pro 
tempore,  he  affixed  his  signature  to  the  bill 
providing  for  the  annexation  of  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands  to  the  United  States.  No 
other  representative  was  so  frequently 
called  to  the  chair  as  was  Mr.  Payne,  or 
so  often  made  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  the  whole.  As  a  party  leader,  he  was 
conspicuous  as  a  delegate  in  the  National 
Republican  conventions  since   1892,  and 


125 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1900  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
credentials.  As  an  exponent  of  the  policy 
of  protection  to  American  industries  he 
divided  honors  only  with  Senator  Aldrich, 
the  one  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
and  the  other  in  the  Senate.  In  the  na- 
tional election  of  1912,  when  the  Democ- 
racy swept  the  country,  he  was  the  one 
exception  to  the  general  slaughter  of 
Republican  leaders  in  the  house  who  were 
retired.  He  was  nominated  and  elected 
by  the  majority  he  had  uniformly  re- 
ceived. He  took  his  seat  in  the  Sixty- 
third  Congress  and  served  nearly  through 
the  term  ;  but  died  at  his  home  in  Auburn, 
December  10,  1914,  his  obsequies  being 
of  a  peculiarly  impressive  and  affectionate 
character.  Honored  in  the  nation,  he  was 
greatly  beloved  in  the  district  which  he 
had  so  faithfully  served  so  many  years. 
He  was  laureated  Doctor  of  Laws  by 
Colgate  University  in  1902,  and  by  his 
alma  mater  in  1903.  Mr.  Payne  married, 
April  25,  1873,  Gertrude,  daughter  of 
Oscar  F.  and  Arietta  (Terry)  Knapp. 


GUNTHER,  Charles  Godfrey, 

Publicist. 

Charles  Godfrey  Gunther  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  February  7,  1822.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  this  country  when  they  were 
young.  His  father,  Christian  G.  Gunther, 
for  upward  of  fifty  years  the  leading  fur 
merchant  of  New  York,  had  four  sons  of 
whom  the  deceased  was  the  eldest. 

Charles  Godfrey  Gunther  received  his 
early  education  at  the  Moravian  Institute 
at  Nazareth,  Pennsylvania,  and  on  return- 
ing to  New  York  entered  Columbia  Col- 
lege Grammar  School,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  studies.  At  an  early  age  he 
was  taken  into  business  by  his  father, 
and  sometime  later  the  firm  of  C.  G. 
Gunther   tS:    Company,   fur   dealers,   was 


established  in  Maiden  Lane,  New  York 
City,  comprising  his  father  and  brothers 
and  himself.  Taking  an  active  interest 
in  politics  early  in  life,  he  became  a  leader 
among  the  hardest  w^orkers  in  his  party 
in  the  city.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Young  Men's  Democratic  General  Com- 
mittee, and  his  vote  was  cast  for  Polk  and 
Dallas  in  1844.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Democratic  Union  Club, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1852,  having  made  a 
visit  to  Europe,  returned  in  time  to  en- 
ter vigorously  into  the  Presidential  cam- 
paign, resulting  in  the  election  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce.  In  1855  the  Democratic  Young 
Men's  National  Club  was  formed  with 
James  T.  Brady  as  president.  Mr.  Gun- 
ther received  its  nomination  as  one  of 
the  governors  of  the  almshouse,  and  was 
elected,  leading  his  ticket  by  more  than 
five  thousand  votes,  a  fact  that  was  sig- 
nificant of  his  popularity,  and  was  not 
lost  upon  the  Democratic  organization. 
He  afterward  became  president  of  the 
board  of  governors.  In  the  spring  of  1856 
he  was  elected  sachem  of  Tammany  Hall. 
In  the  contest  of  1861,  Mr.  Gunther  was  a 
Democratic  candidate  for  the  mayoralty, 
but  was  defeated  on  that  occasion  by 
George  Opdyke,  the  Republican  candi- 
date. In  the  fall  of  1863  he  ran  again 
in  a  three-cornered  campaign,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  over  seven  thou- 
sand. He  took  his  seat  as  mayor  on  Janu- 
ary I,  1864,  having  the  reputation  of  being 
a  high-toned  and  honorable  merchant  and 
highly  respected  by  the  citizens.  As  mayor 
Mr.  Gunther  was  economical  in  the  ex- 
penditure of  public  money  to  the  extent 
that,  being  invited  to  preside  over  the 
festival  of  the  city  council  of  New  York 
in  honor  of  the  anniversary  of  Washing- 
ton's birthday,  February  22,  1864,  he  de- 
clined the  invitation  "in  order  to  dis- 
countenance so  far  as  in  my  power  the 
reckless  extravagance  of  the  times."    Mr. 


126 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


Gunther  was  a  member  of  the  old  New 
York  fire  department,  and  after  its  dis- 
bandment  became  president  of  the  Vet- 
eran Association.  After  his  retirement 
from  his  term  in  the  mayoralty,  Mr.  Gun- 
ther attended  strictly  to  his  private  busi- 
ness. He  was  one  of  those  who  recog- 
nized the  possible  future  of  Coney  Island, 
and  he  built  the  first  steam  road  to  the 
beach,  meeting  with  great  opposition 
from  the  old  Dutch  farmers  of  New  Ut- 
recht and  Gravesend.  He  also  erected  a 
hotel  at  Coney  Island,  but  which  proved 
unprofitable ;  and  he  built  a  large  hotel  at 
Locust  Grove,  on  Gravesend  Bay,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  some  years  later. 
In  1878  Mr.  Gunther  was  once  more 
drawn  into  politics,  and  ran  for  State 
Senator  in  the  Seventh  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict, but  was  defeated. 

He  died  at  his  residence  in  East  Four- 
teenth street.  New  York  City,  January  22, 
1885.  He  left  a  widow ;  two  sons.  Chris- 
tian G.  Gunther  and  George  A.  Gunther : 
also  two  daughters,  Mrs.  James  Miller 
and  Miss  Amelia  B.  Gunther. 


GODWIN,  Parke, 

Journalist,  Author. 

Parke  Godwin  was  born  in  Paterson, 
New  Jersey.  February  25,  1816,  son  of 
Abraham  and  Martha  (Parke)  Godwin. 
His  ancestors  emigrated  from  England 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War.  settling 
at  Totowa,  now  included  in  Paterson. 
During  the  war  the  family  was  distin- 
guished for  its  patriotism,  three  of  its 
members,  including  Abraham,  grandfather 
of  Parke,  having  served  from  White 
Plains  to  Yorktown.  During  the  War 
of  1812,  Abraham,  father  of  Parke  God- 
win, served  as  an  officer  under  Pike  and 
Montgomery ;  and  two  of  Parke  Godwin's 
brothers  were  killed  in  the  Civil  War. 

Parke  Godwin  was  educated  at  Kinder- 


hook,  New  York,  and  at  the  College  of 
New  Jersey  (Princeton),  from  which  he 
was  graduated  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  At 
Paterson  he  studied  law,  then  removing 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  soon  returned  to  New  York 
City,  but  did  not  succeed  in  establishing 
a  profitable  practice  in  his  profession.  In 
1837  he  had  the  good  fortune  of  mak- 
ing the  acquaintance  of  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  editor  of  the  New  York  "Even- 
ing Post,*'  who  invited  him  to  serve  tem- 
porarily as  assistant  editor  of  that  journal. 
Although  without  experience  in  journalis- 
tic work,  he  accepted,  and  after  the  death 
of  the  regular  incumbent,  whose  place  he 
supplied,  he  remained  on  the  staff  until 
1873,  a  single  year  excepted.  In  Febru- 
ary. 1843,  ^I^-  Godwin  began  the  publica- 
tion of  "The  Pathfinder,"  a  political  and 
literary  weekly  journal,  to  which  John 
Bigelow,  later  managing  editor  of  the 
"Evening  Post,"  and  better  known  as 
an  historian,  contributed.  Although  ably 
conducted.  "The  Pathfinder"  was  discon- 
tinued with  the  fifteenth  issue,  and  Mr. 
Godwin  was  again  obliged  to  rely  upon 
his  meagre  law  practice.  On  the  estab- 
lishment of  "Putnam's  Monthly  Maga- 
zine" in  1853,  he  became  one  of  its  edi- 
tors, holding  his  position  until  1857,  and 
again  from  1867  to  1870.  Among  articles 
revised  by  him  was  one  with  which  he  did 
not  agree  and  which  caused  him  much 
discomfort — that  by  Delia  Bacon,  ascrib- 
ing the  authorship  of  Shakespeare's  plays 
to  Lord  Bacon.  While  connected  with 
the  "Evening  Post,"  Mr.  Godwin  wrote 
frequently  for  the  "Democratic  Review" 
upon  political  and  miscellaneous  topics, 
and  advocated  many  measures  which  were 
afterwards  embodied  in  the  constitution 
and  legal  code  of  New  York.  During 
the  administration  of  President  Polk  he 
served  as  deputy  collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York.    Joining  the  Republican  party 


127 


I£X CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


on  its  organization  in  1856,  he  gave  it  sub- 
stantial support  by  his  articles  for  the 
press  and  on  the  platform,  until  the  Presi- 
dential nomination  of  his  friend,  Samuel 
J.  Tilden,  whose  cause  he  maintained  with 
all  his  vigor. 

Me  was  the  author  of  "Pacific  and  Con- 
structive   Democracy"    (1844)  ;   "Popular 
View  of  the  Doctrines  of  Charles  Fourier" 
(1844) ;  "Vala,  a  Mythological  Tale,"  de- 
dicated to  Jenny  Lind  (1851),  with  illus- 
trations by  his  friends — Hicks,  Rossiter, 
Wolcott  and  Whitley;  "Political  Essays" 
(1856);  "History  of  France"   (volume  i., 
Ancent  Gaul,   i860)  ;  "Out  of  the  Past," 
essays  (1870) ;  and  "Life  of  William  Cul- 
len    Bryant"    (1883).     He   translated,   in 
collaboration  with  Charles  A.  Dana  and 
others,  "Goethe's  Autobiography"  (1847)  '■> 
"Zschokke's  Tales"   (1848),  and  w^as  the 
editor  of  "Handbook  of  Universal  Biog- 
raph"  (1851,  new  edition,  "Cyclopasdia  of 
Biography,"    1871)  ;   and   "The   Writings 
of    William    Cullen    Bryant"     (1883-84). 
Among  his  notable  addresses  were :   One 
delivered    at   the    Century    Club    on    the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  its  foundation ;  a 
eulogy  on  George  William,  Curtis,  at  the 
same  place  (subsequently  printed  in  pam- 
phlet form) ;  on  the  first  settlers  of  Pater- 
son,  New  Jersey,  at  its  centennial  cele- 
bration in  1892;  at  the  service  in  memory 
of  Edwin  Booth,  by  the  Players'  Club  in 
1893  ;  and  at  Cummington,  Massachusetts, 
at  the  celebration  of  the  one  hundredth  an- 
niversary of  Bryant's  birth,  1884.  In  1884 
he  delivered  lectures  on  art  at  Princeton' 
College.     A  profound  student  of  Shake- 
speare, he  had  made  his  contribution  to 
the  discussion  concerning  the  meaning  of 
the  poet's  sonnets,  his  belief  being  that 
they  tell  the  history  of  their  author's  pas- 
sional  and   intellectual   life    (1900).     Mr. 
Godwin   was   a   member  of  the   Century 
Association,    the    Players'   and    Authors' 
clubs,    the    Dunlap    and    American    Fine 


Arts  societies,  the  Aletropolitan  Museum 
of  Art  and  the  National  Academy  of  De- 
sign. For  some  years  before  his  death, 
Mr.  Godwin  was  a  resident  of  Bar  Har- 
bor, Maine.  He  died  in  New  York  City, 
January  7,  1904. 

He  was  married,  in  New  York  City,  in 
1837,  to  Fanny,  eldest  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Cullen  Bryant,  and  had  three  sons, 
and  three  daughters.  Clover  Croft,  at 
Roslyn,  Long  Island,  was  his  summer 
home  for  many  years. 


LAMONT,  Daniel  Scott, 

Journalist,  Private  Secretary. 

Daniel  Scott  Lamont  was  born  at  Mc- 
Grawville,  Cortland  county.  New  York, 
February  9,  185 1.  He  came  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestors,  who  came  to  this  country 
and  devoted  themselves  to  farming.  From 
such  lineage  sprung  Andrew  Jackson, 
John  C.  Calhoun,  Horace  Greeley,  and 
many  others  of  the  most  eminent  men  of 
America. 

Young  Lamont's  father  was  a  well-to- 
do  farmer,  and  the  boy,  after  having  stud- 
ied in  the  Cortland  Normal  College,  was 
sent  to  Union  College,  Schenectady,  New 
York.  He  did  not  graduate,  how^ever, 
leaving  college  before  the  end  of  the  course 
in  order  to  enter  the  profession  of  jour- 
nalism, for  which  he  possessed  both  taste 
and  predilection.  He  purchased  an  inter- 
est in  the  "Democrat,"  a  paper  published 
at  the  county  seat  of  his  native  county, 
and  became  its  editor,  at  the  same  time 
interesting  himself  warmly  in  politics.  In 
1870  he  was  appointed  engrossing  clerk 
of  the  New  Y^ork  State  Assembly,  and 
was  chief  clerk  in  the  Secretary  of  State's 
department  with  John  Bigelow.  For  a 
time  the  young  man  held  a  position  on 
the  staff  of  the  Albany  "Argus,"  and  he 
thus  became  known  to  many  of  the  most 
influential  politicians  of  the  State.    When 


128 


-•im 

"De- 

■:ath, 

'  '.ar- 

■f-v  lit)', 


-A 

•.nWj 
■rom 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Grover  Cleveland  was  elected  Governor 
of  New  York,  he  met  young  Laniont ; 
and,  having  had  occasion  to  make  use  of 
his  knowledge  and  ability  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  first  message,  offered  him  an 
honorary  position  on  his  military  staff, 
which  gave  him  the  title  of  colonel,  by 
which  he  was  known.  Governor  Cleve- 
land next  appointed  Lamont  his  private 
secretary,  in  which  position  the  latter 
made  himself  so  useful  and  valuable  that 
when  Mr.  Cleveland  became  President, 
he  took  Lamont  with  him  to  the  White 
House.  As  private  secretary  to  the  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Lamont  gained  the  reputation 
of  smoothing  the  paths  of  those  who  vis- 
ited the  executive  mansion,  while  lighten- 
ing the  burdens  of  Mr.  Cleveland  as  prob- 
ably no  other  man  could  possibly  have 
done.  It  followed  that  he  became  uni- 
versally popular,  while  winning  the  high- 
est encomiums  for  his  judgment,  acute- 
ness,  serenity  and  loyalty.  At  the  close 
of  the  Cleveland  administration,  Mr.  La- 
mont formed  important  business  relations 
with  a  syndicate  of  capitalists,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  management  of  valuable 
interests. 

Mr.  Lamont  married  a  Miss  Kinney,  of 
his  native  town,  and  had  two  daughters. 
It  was  Mr.  Lamont,  who,  when  private 
secretary  to  Governor  Cleveland,  origi- 
nated the  phrase,  "Public  office  a  public 
trust,"  and  he  used  this  as  a  headline  in 
compiling  a  pamphlet  of  Mr.  Cleveland's 
speeches  and  addresses.  The  expression 
used  by  Mr.  Cleveland  was  "Public  offi- 
cials are  the  trustees  of  the  people,"  and 
it  was  employed  in  his  letter  accepting 
the  nomination  for  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Buffalo.  He  died  at  Millbrook,  New  Jer- 
sey, July  23,  1905. 


HILL,  David  Bennett, 

Statesman. 

David  Bennett  Hill  was  born  at  Ha- 
vana, New  York,  August  29,  1843.     His 

N  Y-5-9 


ancestors  were  from  New  England.  He 
was  educated  at  the  academy  of  his  native 
town,  and  in  1862  went  to  Elmira,  where 
he  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1864,  and  in  that  year  was  ap- 
pointed city  attorney.  He  soon  gained  a 
considerable  practice  and  became  promi- 
nent in  his  profession. 

Having  developed  a  taste  for  politics, 
he  began  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
different  campaigns,  becoming  a  recog- 
nized leader  of  the  local  Democracy.  In 
1868  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
State  Convention,  and  two  years  later 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  was 
reelected  in  1871.  During  his  first  term 
he  introduced  a  bill  abolishing  the  con- 
tract system  in  the  State  prisons,  which 
passed  in  the  Assembly,  but  was  lost  in 
the  Senate.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
committees  on  judiciary,  railroads,  and 
privileges  and  elections.  The  Legislature 
of  1872  was  the  celebrated  "reform  Legis- 
lature," its  reputation  resulting  from  the 
exposure  of  ring  frauds.  In  the  Assem- 
bly there  were  only  twenty-six  Demo- 
cratic members  out  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight,  among  them  Samuel  J.  Til- 
den.  The  judiciary  committee  was  com- 
posed of  seven  Republicans  and  two  Dem- 
ocrats, the  two  Democrats  being  Mr.  Til- 
dren  and  Mr.  Hill.  Mr.  Tilden  was  at- 
tracted by  the  remarkable  abilities  of  his 
young  colleague,  and  a  warm  political  and 
personal  friendship  sprang  up  between 
them  and  which  ever  continued.  Under 
Mr.  Tilden's  leadership  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee investigated  the  conduct  of  the 
ring  judges  in  New  York  City,  and  Mr. 
Hill  was  of  great  assistance  to  his  leader. 
The  committee  reported  in  favor  of  the 
impeachment  of  Judge  Barnard,  Judge 
Cardozo  having  resigned,  and  Mr.  Hill 
was  elected  by  one  hundred  and  four 
votes  out  of  a  total  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  in  the  Assembly  as  one  of  the  man- 
agers of  prosecution  before  the  Senate. 

129 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1875  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Tilden  a  member  of  the  commission  to 
provide  a  uniform  charter  for  the  cities  of 
the  State,  of  which  WiUiam  M.  Evarts, 
Judge  Hand  and  other  prominent  citizens 
were  members,  but  the  pressure  of  pro- 
fosional  duties,  however,  induced  him  to 
decline  to  serve.  In  1877  he  was  made 
chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Con- 
vention at  Albany,  elected  by  the  Tilden 
wing  of  the  party,  and  he  held  the  same 
position  again  in  1881.  He  served  one 
term  as  alderman  in  the  Elmira  Common 
Council,  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  term 
in  1882  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city, 
leading  his  ticket  largely  and  winning  the 
contest  by  a  majority  of  nearly  four  hun- 
dred over  one  of  the  strongest  and  most 
popular  Republican  candidates  for  the 
office  ever  put  in  the  field,  whose  major- 
ity at  the  previous  term  had  been  five 
hundred.  His  administration  of  the  city 
government  was  brilliant,  signalized  by 
various  reforms  which  not  only  gave  him 
additional  strength  locally  but  extended 
his  reputation  throughout  the  State.  In 
September,  1882,  he  was  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  Lieutenant-Governor,  and 
was  elected.  Two  years  later,  when  Gov- 
ernor Cleveland  was  elected  to  the  Presi- 
dency, Mr.  Hill  succeeded  to  the  Gov- 
ernorship for  the  unexpired  term.  In 
1885  he  was  elected  Governor  for  the  full 
term  of  three  years.  He  was  a  candidate 
for  reelection  in  1888,  and  was  elected  in 
the  face  of  the  defeat  of  Grover  Cleveland, 
Democratic  candidate  for  President.  For 
a  number  of  years  Mr.  Hill  was  proprietor 
of  the  Elmira  "Gazette,"  the  leading  Dem- 
ocratic organ  of  the  "southern  tier,"  but 
he  retired  from  his  connection  with  it 
some  time  previous  to  his  election  to  the 
mayoralty  of  I'-lmira.  He  was  at  one  time 
counsel  for  the  State  Associated  Press. 
He  was  unmarried. 
Mr.  Hill's  gubernatorial  administration 


was  notable  for  its  endorsement  of  the 
idea  of  freedom  of  worship,  its  opposition 
to  the  contract-labor  system  in  relation 
to  State  prisons,  and  his  vetoing  of  the 
census  bill  of  1885,  on  the  ground  that  it 
should  have  provided  merely  for  an  enu- 
meration of  the  inhabitants.  The  result 
of  this  veto  was  that  no  decennial  census 
was  taken  that  year,  and  the  constitu- 
tional requirement  for  an  enumeration  of 
the  inhabitants  every  ten  years  was  disre- 
garded for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
the  State.  He  was  strenuously  opposed 
to  certain  features  of  the  Australian  bal- 
lot system  until  such  a  plan  w^as  devised 
for  its  application  to  the  State  of  New 
York  as  in  his  opinion  would  be  consti- 
tutional and  would  not  disfranchise  any 
citizen  of  the  State  allowed  by  the  con- 
stitution to  vote. 

Governor  Hill  did  not  use  tobacco  or 
liquor  in  any  form,  and  was  not  fond  of 
society,  though  his  manners  were  demo- 
cratic and  cordial.  He  was  rather  sparely 
built  and  a  little  below  the  average  height. 
He  was  one  of  the  shrewdest  and  ablest 
politicians  in  the  country,  and  was  fre- 
quently mentioned  as  a  Presidential  can- 
didate. In  the  spring  of  1891  he  was 
elected  United  States  Senator,  this  being 
the  first  time  in  ten  years  that  there  had 
been  a  Democratic  majority  in  the  State 
Legislature.  Some  of  Governor  Hill's 
professional  undertakings  had  to  do  with 
large  sums  of  money ;  he  was  leading 
counsel  for  the  contestants  in  the  Fiske- 
McGraw  suit  against  Cornell  University, 
in  which  over  $1,500,000  in  coiitroversy 
was  lost  to  the  university.  In  1885  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  State  Bar 
Association,  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber since  its  institution.  Without  the 
least  neglect  of  official  duties,  he  traveled 
throughout  the  country,  making  a  satis- 
factory impression ;  and  in  the  South,  and 
particularly  in  Atlanta,  was  received  with 


[30 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


unusual  enthusiasm.  During  the  election 
campaign  of  1890,  Governor  Hill  went  to 
Ohio,  speaking  with  great  success  in  the 
doubtful  district  of  ex-Congressman  Mc- 
Kinley.  There  is  very  little  doubt  that  Gov- 
ernor Hill's  influence  in  this  canvass,  into 
which  the  Republican  party  threw  some 
of  its  very  best  speakers  and  political  work- 
ers, was  largely  instrumental  in  bringing 
about  the  success  of  John  G.  Warwick, 
the  candidate  opposed  to  Major  McKin- 
ley.    He  died  October  20,  1910. 


STRAUS,  Isidor, 

Lost  in  "Titanic"  Disaster. 

Isidor  Straus,  who,  with  his  wife,  met 
death  in  the  sinking  of  the  steamship 
"Titanic,"  was  born  in  Rhenish  Bavaria, 
February  6,  1845,  eldest  son  of  Lazarus 
and  Sara  Straus.  He  was  brought  to  this 
country  in  1854  by  his  father,  who  settled 
in  Talbotton,  Georgia,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  business.  Here  Isidor 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
subsequently  Tpursued  a  classical  course 
in  the  Collinsworth  Institute.  It  was 
originally  decided  that  he  should  enter 
the  West  Point  Military  Academy,  but 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  changed 
the  plans,  and  he  entered  his  father's  es- 
tablishment. In  1863  he  accepted  the 
offer  of  an  importing  and  exporting  com- 
pany to  go  to  England  with  their  agent  as 
assistant  in  a  shipbuilding  contract,  and 
he  remained  abroad  some  time.  His  father 
lost  heavily  during  the  war,  and  after  a 
residence  of  three  years  in  Columbus, 
Georgia,  removed  to  New  York  City, 
where  the  great  importing  house  of  Laza- 
rus Straus  &  Son  was  established,  which 
immediately  became  a  success.  The  firm 
began  as  dealers  in  and  importers  of 
earthenware,  to  which  was  added  after- 
wards fine  porcelain,  chinaware,  etc.,  and 
it  soon  gained  a  world-wide  reputation. 


Isidor  Straus  contributed  materially  to  its 
successful  and  almost  unprecedented  com- 
mercial achievements. 

Seeking  a  larger  scope  for  his  abilities, 
in  1887  Isidor  Straus,  with  his  brother 
Nathan,  took  a  partnership  in  the  great 
dry  goods  house  of  R.  H.  Macy  &  Com- 
pany, in  New  York  City,  of  which  they 
became  later  the  sole  proprietors.  Under 
the  directing  hand  of  the  two  brothers, 
the  business  developed  into  remarkable 
proportions,  and  became  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  known  department  stores  in  the 
United  States.  The  traveling  American 
hears  of  R.  H.  Macy  &  Company  wherever 
he  goes — Regent  street,  London  ;  the  Fau- 
borg  St.  Germain,  Paris  ;  or  the  Konig- 
gratzstrasse,  of  Berlin.  Isidor  Straus  was 
considered  an  authority  on  financial  mat- 
ters, and  as  such  his  advice  was  eagerly 
sought,  not  only  in  civic  but  in  national 
affairs.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  of 
the  Carl  Schurz  and  Oswald  Ottendorfer 
school.  He  was  a  commissioner  of  the 
proposed  Hudson  River  bridge ;  director 
of  the  Hanover  National  Bank,  and  of  the 
New  York  County  National  Bank ;  vice- 
president  of  the  Birkbeck  Company ;  pres- 
ident of  the  Pottery  and  Glassware  Board 
of  Trade ;  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce ;  also  of  the  Manhattan,  Nine- 
teenth Century,  Reform  and  Free  Trade 
clubs  ;  treasurer  of  the  Montefiore  Home  ; 
vice-president  of  the  Manhattan  Hospital, 
and  belonged  to  many  other  institutions 
and  organizations,  social,  charitable  and 
political.  He  was  among  the  strenuous 
advocates  of  the  plan  of  holding  the  Co- 
lumbian Exposition  in  New  York  City. 
He  married,  in  1871,  Ida  Blun,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Straus,  who  were 
noted  for  their  charitable  and  kindly  at- 
tributes, lost  their  lives  by  the  sinking  of 
the  steamship  "Titanic,"  in  the  North  At- 
lantic ocean,  April  15,  1912. 


131 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SMITH.  Henry  Willis, 

Lawyer. 

Henry  W  illis  Smith,  an  able  and  active 
attorney  of  New  York  City,  is  one  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  and  is  of  Dutch- 
Huguenot  stock.  He  inherits  the  tenacity 
of  purpose  and  industry  which  have  made 
that  class  useful  citizens.  His  ancestors 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  New 
York,  were  loyal  to  the  American  cause, 
and  endured  with  fortitude  the  hardships 
of  Indian  and  Revolutionary  warfare, 
were  faithful  and  conscientious  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  duties  and  obligations, 
rearing  their  children  to  lives  of  useful- 
ness and  industr}',  and  in  every  way  striv- 
ing to  promote  the  moral  and  material 
welfare  of  the  communities  in  which  they 
lived. 

The  original  ancestor  of  the  Smith  fam- 
ily here  under  consideration,  Wilhelmus 
Smith,  came  to  this  country  from  Holland 
in  1690.    His  parents  died  on  the  voyage, 
and  he  was  under  age  at  the  time  of  his 
arrival.    He  first  lived  with  Colonel  Jacob 
Rutscn,  who  settled  at  Rosendale,  New 
York,  on  what  was  later  known  as  the 
"Old    Cornell    or    Hardenbergh    Home- 
stead,"   where    he    remained    until     the 
granting  of  the  Hardenbergh  Patent  by 
Queen  Anne  to  Johannes  Hardenbergh, 
a  son-in-law  of  Colonel  Jacob  Rutsen  and 
others  on  April  20,  1708  (Letters  Patent 
New    York    Secretary    of    State's    Office 
Book  Xo.  7  of  Patents,  page  310),  when 
he  was  given  the  privilege  of  locating  a 
farm  on  any  unoccupied  part  of  the  great 
patent.     His  choice  was  the  farm  lately 
owned    by   his   great-grandson,   William 
Smith,  at  Rifton,  in  the  town  of  Esopus, 
Ulster  county.  New  York,  then  known  as 
Swartekill.     He  received  a  life  lease  of 
this  farm  from  the  patentee  at  an  annual 
rent  of  one  pair  of  chickens.     The  life 
lease  expired  with  his  death  in  1756,  and 


the  farm  was  purchased  from  Johannes 
Hardenbergh  in  1760  by  Hendrick  Smith, 
his  son,  and  was  owned  by  the  family  in 
fee  simple  until  1896.  A  portion  of  the 
farm  is  still  owned  by  William's  son,  the 
Rev.  Henry  Smith,  now  pastor  of  the 
Reformed  Church  at  Woodbourne,  New- 
York  (1917).  Hendrick  Smith  was  born 
January  21,  1733.  He  married  Sarah  Van 
Wagonen,  of  Wagondale,  February  10, 
1759,  and  lived  on  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  died,  July  i,  1779.  ^e  was  an 
avowed  patriot  in  the  Revolution,  and  his 
name  is  found  on  the  Ulster  county  roll 
of  honor  among  those  who  hastened  to 
Kingston,  New  York,  immediately  after 
the  battle  of  Lexington,  to  sign  the  arti- 
cles of  association  pledging  their  loyalty 
to  American  liberty  and  independence. 
("Commemorative  Biographical  Record 
of  Ulster  County,  New  York,"  1896.) 

Eliphaz  Smith,  a  grandson  of  Wil- 
helmus, settled  in  New  Paltz,  Ulster 
county,  New  York,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agriculture,  and  a  man  of  influ- 
ence in  the  community.  He  married 
(first)  his  cousin  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Hendrick,  and  (second)  on  February  24, 
1802,  Elizabeth  York.  Eliphaz  and  his 
second  wife  were  the  parents  of  Peter 
Smith,  born  at  New  Paltz,  August  16, 
1805.  Soon  after  Peter's  birth,  the  family 
moved  to  Greenfield  (now  Dairy  Land), 
Ulster  county,  New  York,  where  he  ac- 
quired a  considerable  tract  of  wild  land 
which  he  cleared  and  improved  with  the 
assistance  of  his  sons,  and  on  which  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death,  March  12, 
1874. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions 
and  sterling  integrity,  and  during  his 
earlier  life  was  an  officer  of  the  militia 
which  assembled  at  Rock  Tavern,  Orange 
county.  New  York,  for  annual  training. 
The  well  by  the  roadside  on  the  old  farm, 
which  in  the  days  of  the  stage  coach  and 
32 


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-he  milto 
.-„  Orange 

..  -achanfi 


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Pu.       . 

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AS  TO 

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TILDbN 

FOUNDAIIONS 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


market  wagon  was  known  as  the  best 
drinking-  water  between  the  Hudson  and 
the  Delaware,  still  stands,  with  the  quality 
of  its  water  unimpaired  (1917). 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  (January  18, 
1824)  he  married  Adah  Holmes  (of 
Quaker  stock),  a  daughter  of  Moses  and 
Mary  (Wright)  Holmes,  born  in  Wawar- 
sing,  September  29,  1803,  and  died  on  the 
farm  at  Greenfield,  May  4,  1886.  She  was 
a  sister  of  Rachael  (Holmes)  Thorn,  a 
prominent  Quakeress.  Their  second  son, 
William  Willis  Smith,  was  born  May  16, 
1829,  at  Greenfield,  and  achieved  distinc- 
tion as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen.  He  is 
still  living  (1917)  with  his  mental  and 
physical  faculties  not  seriously  impaired. 
Trained  to  habits  of  thrift  and  industry, 
he  was  early  accustomed  to  the  labors  of 
the  paternal  farm,  having  when  a  young 
man  laid  seven  rods  of  stone  wall  in  one 
day.  This  wall  is  still  standing,  near  the 
Greenfield  school  house,  and  is  looked 
upon  by  him  as  one  of  his  early  achieve- 
ments. He  attended  the  district  schools 
in  early  youth,  and,  possessed  of  a  keen 
desire  for  education,  he  later  attended  a 
private  school  conducted  by  Judge  Henry 
R.  Low,  near  Liberty,  where  he  was  ac- 
customed to  walk  the  ten  miles  between 
it  and  his  home.  He  was  subsequently  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  Ulster  county, 
and  later  at  Woodbourne,  Sullivan  coun- 
ty, where  he  was  held  in  high  regard  by 
both  parents  and  pupils.  At  this  point 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  which 
he  continued  until  the  destruction  of  his 
property  by  fire  in  1869. 

Previous  to  this  time  he  had  been  active 
in  the  local  affairs  of  the  village,  had  been 
justice  of  the  peace,  supervisor  of  the 
town,  and  held  a  number  of  other  town 
ofifices.  In  1872  he  graduated  from  the 
Albany  Law  School,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  the  following  year,  and  thereafter  con- 
tinued actively  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 


fession. Deprived  of  a  classical  education 
by  the  necessities  of  pioneer  life,  he  was 
a  man  with  a  keen  sense  of  justice  and 
rare  judgment,  and  was  classed  among 
the  leading  trial  lawyers  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State.  He  served  one  term 
as  district  attorney  of  Sullivan  county, 
and  later  was  associated  with  his  son.  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  in  the  argument  of 
the  case  of  Haddock  rs.  Haddock,  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
For  many  years  he  was  an  officer  of  the 
Reformed  Church  of  Woodbourne. 

He  married.  May  23,  1855,  at  Wood- 
bourne, Rachel  DePuy  Hardenbergh,born 
at  Woodbourne,  September  28,  1836,  and 
died  July  13,  1908,  daughter  of  Martin 
Ryerson  and  Eleanor  (DePuy)  Harden- 
bergh.  The  Hardenbergh  and  DePuy  fam- 
ilies were  both  prominent  during  the  Colo- 
nial and  Revolutionary  periods.  The  De 
Puy  (De  Pui)  family  is  of  French-Hugue- 
not origin,  and  has  been  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  France  and  this  country  for  years. 
The  annals  of  the  ancestry  of  the  Harden- 
bergh family  reach  back  to  the  twelfth 
century,  stretching  in  an  unbroken  line 
more  than  seven  hundred  years  to  11 74, 
when  the  old  castle  in  the  Harz  Mountains, 
Germany,  was  the  abode  of  Dietrick  von 
Hardenbergh,  the  supposed  founder  of  the 
family.  The  descendants  from  the  West- 
phalian  branch  of  the  family  passed  over 
into  Holland,  leaving,  as  a  memorial  of 
their  presence  there,  not  only  those  who 
bear  the  name,  but  Hardenbergh  on  the 
River  Vechte,  twenty-three  miles  from 
Zwolle,  the  capital  of  Overyssel. 

Arnoldus  Van  Hardenbergh  came  to 
this  country  in  1644.  He  was  one  the 
council  of  the  director-general  of  New 
Netherlands  in  1649,  but  returned  to  Hol- 
land. The  earliest  ancestor  of  the  Har- 
denbergh family  in  America  was  Jan  Van 
Hardenbergh,  a  brother  of  Arnoldus.  He 
was  in  New  York  City  as  early  as  1644. 


133 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Then  follows:  Captain  Gerrit  Janse  Har- 
denbergh,  who  was  commissioned  com- 
mander of  the  sloop  "Royal  Albany"  by 
Governor  Leisler  on  May  19,  1690.  His 
son,  Johannes  Hardenbergh,  was  twice 
high  sheriff  of  Ulster  county  (1690-1709)  ; 
represented  the  people  as  a  delegate  from 
Ulster  county  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  State  of  New  York  (1737);  and 
was  major  of  the  Ulster  county  militia  in 
1728.  On  April  20,  1708.  he,  together 
with  Leonard  Lewis,  Philip  Rokeby,  Wil- 
liam Nottingham,  Benjamin  Faneiul, 
Peter  Fouconier  and  Robert  Lurting,  re- 
ceived by  royal  grant  from  Queen  Anne 
what  is  known  as  the  Hardenbergh  Pat- 
ent, containing  about  two  million  acres 
of  land  in  the  counties  of  Ulster,  Orange, 
(jreene,  Sullivan  and  Delaware.  (Letters 
Patent,  Vol.  7,  p.  310,  New  York  Secre- 
tary of  State's  Office.) 

Colonel  Joannes  Hardenbergh,  son  of 
Major  Johannes  Hardenbergh,  married 
Maria  Du  Bois.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  first  Provincial  Congress  which  met 
in  New  York,  May  23,  1775,  and  by  this 
Congress  he  was  commissioned  a  colonel 
in  the  regular  army,  October  25,  1775,  and 
cftmmanded  the  Fourth  Ulster  County 
(Hardenbergh's)  Regiment.  In  1783  he 
entertained  Mrs.  Washington,  with  Gov- 
ernor George  and  Mrs.  Clinton,  at  his 
residence  in  Rosendale. 

The  folUnving  is  reprinted  from  a  clip- 
ping from  the  "Kingston  Daily  Freeman," 
Saturday  evening.  May  30,  1908: 

WHEN  CLINTON  WAS  IN  ROSENDALE 
WITH  HIS  WIFE  AND  MRS.  WASHING- 
TON HE  BREAKFASTED  WITH  COL. 
JOHANXIS  HARDENBERGH'S  FAMILY 
IN   1783. 

The  following  letter  written  by  Richard  Varick, 
a  member  of  General  Washington's  staf?  during 
the   Revolution,  is  of  interest  at  this  time: 

Kingston,  June  20,  1783. 
Deak   Sir:     Mrs.   Washington   is   at  this  place 
accompanied  by  His  Excellency  the  Governor  and 


Mrs.  Clinton  and  purposes  to  get  out  tomorrov^r 
morning  so  early  as  to  reach  Head  Quarters  by 
evening. 

She  is  desirous  of  paying  the  Dems.  &  Mrs. 
Hardenbergh  a  visit  on  her  way  down  &  will 
therefore  do  herself  the  pleasure  of  waiting  on 
your  family  tomorrow  at  Breakfast,  at  which 
time  I  shall  do  myself  the  Honor  to  attend  her. 

In  the  mean  time  I  am  very  respectfully, 
Your  Obed.  Servt., 

Col.  Hardenbergh.  Rich.  Varick. 

The  letter  is  folded  and  on  the  outside  is  the 
address  "Col.  Johannis  Hardenbergh,  at  Rosen- 
dale."  The  time  the  letter  was  written  Colonel 
Johannis  Hardenbergh,  Sr.,  occupied  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Cornell  homestead  which  is  still 
standing  in  many  respects  as  in  Revolutionary 
days.  The  letter  was  not  brought  to  light  until 
a  few  years  ago  when  it  was  found  in  some  old 
papers  and  came  into  Edward  Coykendall's  pos- 
session. "Head  Quarters"  evidently  refers  to 
Washington's  headquarters  at  Newburgh,  where 
he  was  at  that  time  located.  Richard  Varick  was 
attached  to  General  Washington's  staff  during  the 
war.  Mrs.  Washington  had  evidently  been  visit- 
ing George  Clinton  in  Kingston  and  left  to  join 
her  husband.  General  Washington  is  also  known 
to  have  visited  at  Colonel  Hardenbergh's.  He 
was  a  warm  friend  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jacobus  Rut- 
son  Hardenbergh,  a  son  of  Col.  Hardenbergh, 
the  former  having  been  pastor  of  the  church  in 
New  Jersey  where  the  general  worshipped  while 
his  army  was  stationed  near  it. 

Captain  Gerardus  Hardenbergh,  son  of 
Colonel  Joannes  Hardenbergh,  married 
Nancy  Ryerson.  "He  was  known  as  a 
bold  and  intrepid  leader,  and  in  August, 
1781,  with  a  force  of  only  nine  men,  de- 
feated the  Indians,  four  hundred  strong, 
thereby  saving  Wawarsing  from  annihila- 
tion." He  later  located  on  the  patent  in 
Sullivan  county,  where  bitter  controver- 
sies arose  over  title  to  his  lands,  and  he 
was  shot  from  ambush  near  the  Reformed 
church  in  Woodbourne  in  1808. 

Herman  M.  Hardenbergh,  son  of  Cap- 
tain Gerardus  Hardenbergh,  married  Elsie 
Hasbrouck.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  for  Sullivan  county  in  1829, 
receiving  all  the  votes  cast  for  that  office 
except  ninety-eight.  He  died  at  Albany, 
March  21,  1830.    The  following  editorial 


134 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


notice  of  his  death  was  published  in  the 
"Albany  Daily  Advertiser"  of  March  22, 
1830 

Herman  M.  Hardenbergh,  Member  of  Assem- 
bly from  Sullivan  County,  was  found  dead  in  his 
bed  yesterday  morning,  at  his  lodgings  at  Gour- 
ley's.  This  sudden  and  afflicting  dispensation  of 
Divine  Providence  has  caused  among  our  citizens 
and  his  colleagues  in  the  Legislature,  deep  reflec- 
tion on  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  much  sympa- 
thy for  his  sorrowing  friends.  He  was  on  the 
previous  evening,  apparently  in  good  health,  and 
conversed  with  his  friends  with  his  usual  cheer- 
fulness. He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Assembly  at  the  last  election,  almost 
unanimously.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
acting  Governor  of  the  State,  the  Senate  and  As- 
sembly, the  Chancellor  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  Circuit  Judges,  the  State  Officers,  and 
a  concourse  of  citizens  and  strangers. 

His  son,  Martin  Ryerson  Hardenbergh, 
born  at  New  Paltz,  October  16,  1803,  and 
died  at  Woodbourne,  September  2^,  1870; 
married  Eleanor  De  Puy,  daughter  of  Ma- 
jor Josiah  De  Puy,  January  3,  1833.  She 
was  born  at  Hasbrouck,  December  14, 1808, 
and  died  at  Greenfield,  January  18,  1884. 
He  was  a  farmer,  generous  to  a  fault ;  but 
a  man  of  pronounced  convictions  and  a 
devout  Christian  of  the  old  school.  He 
was  an  officer  in  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  at  Woodbourne  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  aside  from  this,  while  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  never 
held  office.* 

Henry  Willis  Smith,  eldest  son  of  Wil- 
liam Willis  and  Rachel  D.  (Harden- 
bergh) Smith,  was  born  in  Woodbourne, 
Sullivan  county,  New  York,  March  4, 
1857.  In  early  youth  he  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  in  his  native  village,  studied 


•References. — "Leaves  Out  of  Ancestral  Tablets 
from  Colonial  Days  to  the  Present  Era,"  by 
Theodore  W.  Welles,  D.  D.;  "New  York  Archives 
of  the  Revolution;"  "Genealogical  and  Family 
History  of  Southern  New  York  and  the  Hudson 
River  Valley;"  "Commemorative  Biographical 
Record  of  Ulster  County,  New  York,  1896;"  "His- 
tory of  Sullivan  County;"  "Manual  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  in  America,"  4th  ed.  (1902),  pp. 
511-614;  "New  York  in  the  Revolution,"  by  Hon. 
James  A.  Roberts,  State  Comptroller. 


Latin  with  the  local  minister,  and  spent 
several  summers  on  his  grandfather's 
farm  in  Greenfield.  This  farm  is  at  pres- 
ent (1917)  occupied  by  his  double  cousins, 
Grace  and  Edna,  only  children  of  John  A. 
(son  of  Peter  Smith  and  Adah  Holmes) 
and  Hylah  (Hardenbergh)  Smith,  as  the 
gift  of  their  father. 

For  about  two  years  he  was  a  clerk  in 
the  general  country  store  of  J.  M.  Low  at 
Ellenville,  New  York.  In  1877  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Monticello  Academy, 
where  he  was  valedictorian,  and  his 
brother,  Peter  Austin  Smith,  was  saluta- 
torian  of  his  class.  The  outlook  for  a 
college  course  at  this  time,  or,  in  fact, 
for  any  other,  was  decidedly  gloomy.  The 
principal  industries  of  the  section  had 
been  carried  on  by  tanning  and  lumber- 
ing companies  which  were  then  almost 
without  exception  in  bankruptcy.  They 
had  not  only  afforded  the  people  their 
principal  source  of  revenue,  but  had  actea 
largely  as  the  holders  of  their  savings,  and 
their  collapse  left  the  section  in  a  con- 
dition of  absolute  business  and  financial 
paralysis.  In  view  of  these  conditions, 
his  age,  and,  in  fairness  to  the  other  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  Mr.  Smith  decided  that 
if  he  were  to  have  the  advantages  of  a 
college  course,  they  should  result  largely 
from  his  personal  efforts.  He  worked  as 
clerk  in  the  law  offices  of  his  father  and 
that  of  James  L.  Stewart  during  the  next 
year,  frequently  sat  at  the  table  with  his 
father  and  took  the  testimony  of  wit- 
nesses in  long  hand,  during  trial,  tried  a 
number  of  minor  causes,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1878  secured  a  scholarship  at  Cor- 
nell Unversity  in  a  competitive  examina- 
tion in  his  native  county.  He  then  drew 
a  small  amount  of  money  he  had  in  the 
savings  bank,  collected  thirty-five  dollars 
from  his  father's  impoverished  clients, 
entered  the  university  with  the  class  of 
1882,  in  the  Course  of  Philosophy,  and  re- 


135 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mained  there  two  years.  The  first  two 
terms  of  his  college  year,  he  was  night 
clerk  in  Cascadilla,  then  managed  by  Mr. 
Bement,  and  the  residence  of  Dr.  Wilson, 
the  registrar  of  the  university;  Professors 
Potter,  Corsen,  Lucas  and  a  number  of 
others  ;  hours  of  duty  nine  p.  m.  until  two 
a.  m.  In  the  spring  term  he  carried  the  mail 
to  the  professors  on  the  hill.  His  principal 
revenue  during  his  second  year  was  de- 
rived from  office  work  for  local  lawyers. 
Mr.  Smith  says  he  enjoyed  his  business  re- 
lations with  the  professors  quite  as  much 
as  he  did  those  of  student  and  professor, 
and  particularly  his  comparison  of  views 
with  Professor  Wilder  as  to  the  docility 
of  a  large  Newfoundland  dog  that  fre- 
quently lay  on  his  front  porch,  and  was, 
from  the  view  point  of  the  mail  carrier, 
excessively  officious  and  guilty  of  pre- 
.'•umptious  eflfrontry  when  he  approached. 
While  unable  to  complete  his  course,  Mr. 
Smith  ranked  well  as  a  student  while  at 
the  university,  and  after  leaving  received 
the  following  from  Bert.  G.  Wilder,  M.  D., 
Professor  of  Physiology,  Comparative 
Anatomy  and  Zoology,  Cornell  Univer- 
sity: 

Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  June  21,  1881. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: — 

Mr.  H.  Willis  Smith  attended  my  course  of 
lectures  upon  Human  Physiology  at  Cornell  Uni- 
versity in  the  fall  of  1879,  and  passed  thereon 
with  a  mark  of  5,  being  the  highest  possible  mark, 
and  rarely  given.  Bert.  G.  Wilder,  M.  D. 

THE   CORNELL  UNIVERSITY 
Registrar's  Office 

Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  June  2.T,  1881. 
This  may  certify  that  Henry  Willis  Smith  was 
a  student  in  the  Cornell  University  for  two  years 
from  September,  1878.  He  was  a  good  scholar, 
and  a  young  gentleman  of  pleasing  manners  and 
irreproachable  character.  I  have  no  doubt  he 
would  give  eminent  satisfaction  as  a  teacher  in 
any  branch  of  knowledge  he  may  feel  himself  in- 
clined   to   undertake. 

W.  D.  Wilson,  Registrar, 
Cornell  University. 

i3f) 


He  was  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  county,  an  instructor  in  a  German 
military  academy  at  College  Point,  Long 
Island,  and  principal  of  the  public  school 
at  Fishkill  Village,  New  York.  Having 
previously  served  the  required  clerkship, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883.  He 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Woodbourne,  and  for  the  first  two  years 
after  he  was  admitted  acted  as  assistant 
to  his  father,  who  w^as  then  district  at- 
torney of  Sullivan  county.  He  was  next 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Stapler 
&  Wood,  New  York  City.  In  July,  1886, 
he  was  appointed  an  examiner  in  the 
United  States  Appraiser's  Department  at 
the  Port  of  New  York,  where  he  remained 
until  December,  1889.  He  was  assigned 
to  the  first  division,  and  during  his  in- 
cumbency decided  numerous  important 
claims  made  by  importers  against  the 
government  for  a  refund  of  duty  because 
of  damage  to  merchandise  on  the  voyage 
of  importation.  His  decisions  were  rare- 
ly appealed  from,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  re- 
versed. In  accepting  his  resignation  the 
appraiser  wrote  him  as  follows: 

["Port  of  New  York, 
■{Appraiser's  Office, 
[December  16, 1889. 
Mr.  H.  W.  Smith, 

Examiner,  ist  Division: 
Dear  Sir: — I  have  your  resignation,  and  in  ac- 
cepting the  same  desire  to  acknowledge  the  fidel- 
ity and  ability  with  which  you  have  always  dis- 
charged your  duties  as  an  officer  of  this  Depart- 
ment. Wishing  you  every  success  in  your  new 
field  of  labor  I  remain 

Very  truly  yours, 

M.  W.  Cooper, 
Appraiser. 

He  then  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in 
New  York  City,  in  which  he  has  been  ac- 
tively engaged  since  that  time.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Stapler,  Smith  & 
Tomlinson,  New  York  attorneys  for  the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHY 


Harlan  &  Hollingsworth  Company,  of 
Wilmington,  Delaware  ;  and  later  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Gibson,  Smith  &  Tom- 
linson.  attorneys  for  the  Bank  of  New- 
York.  He  is  at  present  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Tomlinson. 

One  of  his  greatest  pleasures  is  to  un- 
ravel and  master  the  most  intricate  prob- 
lems of  the  law,  giving  his  undivided  at- 
tention to  the  cause  of  his  client.  He 
has  had  an  active  trial  practice,  and 
argued  many  important  cases  before  the 
Appellate  Courts  of  his  native  State, 
among  which  were  :  People  ex  rcl.  Har- 
lan (Sc  Hollingsworth  Company,  which 
case  involved  the  question  of  the  power 
of  the  State  to  tax  foreign  corporations  : 
and  the  case  of  Kate  Taylor,  who  had 
been  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  de- 
gree, in  which  he  was  associated  with  his 
father,  who  had  been  assigned  by  the 
court  to  take  an  appeal.  He  argued  the 
case,  and  secured  a  judgment  of  reversal 
of  the  conviction. 

He  was  counsel  to  the  Board  of  Sewer 
Commissioners  during  the  organization 
of  the  sewer  district  in  the  towm  of  East- 
chester,  Westchester  county.  This  was 
the  first  district  in  the  State  organized 
under  the  statute  permitting  sewer  dis- 
tricts to  be  laid  out  in  towns,  and  in- 
volved an  expenditure  of  upwards  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

He  was  special  counsel  with  Edgar  C. 
Beecroft  in  securing  from  the  United 
States  government  an  opening  for  the 
Bronx  Valley  Trunk  Sewer  into  the  Hud- 
son river.  He  also  argued  important 
cases  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  among  which  were  the 
case  of  Hardenbergh  vs.  Ray,  involving 
the  question  of  the  construction  of  the 
statute  of  wills  in  the  State  of  Oregon ; 
the  case  of  Haddock  vs.  Haddock,  one  of 
the  leading  cases  decided  by  that  court, 
involving  the  question  of  the  construction 
of  the  full  faith  and  credit  clause  of  the 


United  States  Constitution.  He  was  as- 
sociated with  Henry  B.  B.  Stapler  in  the 
preparation  of  the  brief  in  the  case  of 
Goldey  vs.  Morning  News. 

He  was  associated  with  Colonel  Wil- 
liam A.  Phillips,  counsel  for  the  Cherokee 
Nation  in  negotiating  the  sale  of  the 
Cherokee  outlet  (now  Oklahoma)  to  the 
United  States  government,  and  later  ap- 
peared in  behalf  of  the  Choctaw  Nation 
to  oppose  certain  legislation  threatened 
by  the  United  States,  affecting  the  inter- 
ests of  that  tribe. 

In  the  field  of  fraternal  work,  Mr.  Smith 
has  confined  his  efforts  almost  exclusively 
to  the  Masonic  order.  In  the  York  Rite  he 
is  a  member  of  St.  Nicholas  Lodge,  No. 
321,  of  New  York  City;  of  Jerusalem 
Chapter,  No.  8.  Royal  Arch  Masons;  of 
Adelphic  Council,  No.  7,  Royal  and  Select 
Masters ;  and  of  Coeur  de  Lion  Com- 
mandery,  No.  22,,  Knights  Templar.  In 
Scottish  Rite  he  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  being  a  member  of  the  Aurora 
Grata  bodies  of  Brooklyn.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Kismet  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  of  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Smith 
early  became  a  life  member  in  all  the  Ma- 
sonic bodies  with  which  he  is  connected. 
At  different  times  at  the  request  of  the 
Commissioners  of  Appeals  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State,  he  has  acted  as  arbi- 
trator in  the  settlement  of  controversies 
which  arose  between  members  of  the 
order.  He  served  as  master  of  his  lodge 
and  as  commander  of  his  commanderv', 
and  on  the  recommendation  of  Herman 
R.  Kretschmar,  Grand  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Commandery,  Knights  Templar  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Grand  Commandery  of  the  State  of 
Texas  as  its  representative  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  This  appointment  entitled  him 
to  the  rank  of  captain-general  of  the  Grand 
Commandery  of  the  State  of  New  York 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

In   1898,  Mr.  Smith  took  up  his  resi- 


U7 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dence  in  Bronxville,  New  York.  In  politi- 
cal action  he  has  followed  the  precepts  of 
his  honored  father,  and  has  steadfastly 
supported  the  Democratic  party.  In  1905 
and  1906  he  was  on  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  village,  during  which  time  the 
sewer  system  was  inaugurated,  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  trunk  sewer 
constructed.  In  1908,  his  activities  were 
seriously  impaired  by  a  severe  operation 
from  which  he  has  not  fully  recovered. 
In  1913  and  1914,  he  served  as  village 
president,  during  which  period,  in  co- 
operation with  the  board  of  trustees,  he 
succeeded  in  settling  a  considerable 
amount  of  vexatious  litigation  which  had 
been  pending  against  the  village  for  some 
time,  and  of  having  plans  adopted  for 
the  elimination  of  the  grade  crossing  over 
which  there  had  been  a  spirited  contest 
for  nearly  ten  years.  He  was  also  instru- 
mental in  securing  important  legislation 
permitting  the  Bronx  Parkway  Commis- 
sion to  proceed  with  the  development  of 
the  Parkway,  and  recently  received  the 
following  letter : 

BRONX  PARKWAY  COMMISSION, 
280  Madison  Avenue,  Corner  40TH  Street, 
New  York, 
commissioners: 

MarJlBon  Grant,  President. 

wniiam  White  Nlles,  Vice-President. 

James   G.   Cannon,   Treasurer. 

Jay  Downer,  Engineer  and  Secretary. 

January  4,  1917. 
Hon.  Henry  Willis  Smith, 

SaKamore  Road,  Bronxville,  N.  Y. : 
My  Dear  Mr.  Smith  : — I  take  pleasure  in  send- 
ing you   by   messenger  herewith   a  copy  of  the 
Commission's  report  for  the  two-year  period  end- 
ing June  30,   1916. 

I  am  sure  you  will  be  interested  in  noting  the 
progress  of  our  work  in  the  furtherance  of 
which  you  rendered,  in  the  earlier  period,  con- 
spicuously valuable  services. 

Very  truly  yours, 
Jay  Downer, 
Engineer  and  Secretary. 

While  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
politics,   prior  to  locating  in   Bronxville 


he  had  uniformly  declined  to  accept  a 
nomination  for  an  elective  office,  and  on 
each  occasion  there  he  was  elected  with- 
out opposition. 

When  asked  to  give  a  sketch  of  his  life 
when  he  was  a  candidate  for  village  presi- 
dent, he  gave  the  following  epitome : 

I  have  had  a  happy  life  of  unusual  activity  and 
unceasing  labor.  My  personal  feeling  many  times 
i.<;  that  I  have  had  enough  and  done  enough,  in  a 
minor  way,  perhaps;  but  my  happiest  hours  are 
now  spent  with  my  wife  and  children  in  our  sum- 
mer camp  in  the  hills  of  Sullivan  County  where 
we  all  enjoy  our  good  horse  "Gyp"  and  "Dad's 
red    oxen." 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Medical  Jurisprudence;  of  the  West- 
chester County,  New  York  County,  State 
and  City  Bar  associations ;  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution ;  a  life  member 
of  Lawrence  Hospital ;  a  charter  member 
of  the  Lawrence  Park  Country  Club ;  a 
member  of  the  North  Lake  Fish  and 
Game  Club,  of  Canada ;  Lenape  Lake 
Fishing  Club,  Cornell  University  Club, 
and  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  Westches- 
ter County.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  of  Bronxville. 

Mr.  Smith  married.  October  27,  1898, 
Katheryn  Feldhusen,  born  July  2,  1872, 
daughter  of  John  (born  at  Cuxhaven, 
Germany,  August  2,  1838,)  and  Emma 
Maria  (Healy)  Feldhusen  (born  Novem- 
ber 18,  1837,  died  at  Bronxville,  February 
8,  1914).  Their  children  are:  Eleanor 
DePuy  Feldhusen  Smith,  born  October 
I,  1899;  John  Feldhusen  Smith,  born  Jan- 
uary I,  1901,  died  August  6,  1905;  Peter 
Austin  Smith  (2nd),  born  June  18,  1907, 
in  Bronxville. 

Mr.  Smith's  only  sister,  Henrietta,  born 
at  Woodbourne,  February  24,  1856,  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Benjamin  T.  Statesir;  of 
this  marriage  there  are  two  children,  Wil- 
liam and  Elizabeth.  His  brother,  George 
Holmes  Smith,  born  at  Woodbourne,  Oc- 


138 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tober  8,  1864,  is  serving  his  third  term  as 
county  judge  and  surrogate  of  Sullivan 
county,  and  was  a  candidate  for  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  in  the  Third  Ju- 
dicial District,  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
in  the  fall  of  1916.  His  brother,  Peter 
Austin  Smith,  born  at  Woodbourne,  Au- 
gust 31,  1858,  is  a  successful  business 
man  in  New  York  City,  has  served  as 
trustee  of  savings  institutions  and  been 
appointed  by  the  court  as  trustee  of 
estates.  Another  brother,  Ryerson  Har- 
denbergh  Smith,  born  at  Woodbourne, 
February  27,  1863,  was  early  compelled 
to  give  up  active  business  on  account  of 
his  health.  Mr.  Smith's  three  brothers 
are  bachelors. 


STEVENS,  John  Austin, 

Founder  of  Sons  of  the  ReTolntioa. 

John  Austin  Stevens  was  born  in  New 
York,  January  21,  1827,  son  of  John  Aus- 
tin and  Abby  (Weld)  Stevens,  and  grand- 
son of  Ebenezer  Stevens,  lieutenant  in 
the  Second  Continental  Artillery,  one  of 
the  military  escort  of  Washington  on  his 
entry  into  New  York  on  "Evacuation 
Day,"  November  25,  1783. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  of  English  origin,  de- 
scended from  Richard  Warren,  a  signer 
of  the  "Mayflower"  compact,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Miles  Standish's  company  of  mus- 
keteers in  the  great  "Meadow  fight," 
1626;  and  from  Colonel  Benjamin  Church, 
commander  of  troops  for  the  Massachu- 
setts Bay  and  Plymouth  colonies  in  King 
Philip's  war,  1676.  He  was  the  great- 
grandson  of  Colonel  William  Perkins,  of 
Boston,  and  of  Judge  John  Ledyard,  of 
Connecticut,  deputy  to  the  "Colonial  As- 
sembly" of  the  Hartford  Colony.  John 
A.  Stevens  (1795-1874),  father  of  John 
Austin  Stevens,  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1813;  was  secretary  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce ;  first  presi- 


dent of  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and 
first  president  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce, 
1839-66. 

John  Austin  Stevens  was  educated  at 
private  schools  in  New  York,  and  was 
graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1846. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  Spofford,  Tiles- 
ton  &  Company,  had  charge  of  their  entire 
correspondence,  and  was  for  years  cashier 
for  the  firm.  In  1852  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  John  Storey,  of  Cuba,  with 
which  island  they  carried  on  extensive 
importations.  In  the  panic  of  1857  he 
was  secretary  of  the  "Exchange  Commit- 
tee," appointed  by  the  banks  of  New 
York  to  purchase  produce  bills.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Stevens  was  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. In  the  autumn  of  i860  he  organ- 
ized the  great  outdoor  meeting  of  the 
Merchants'  Exchange,  over  which  his 
father  presided,  which  rallied  men  of  all 
parties  in  New  York  to  the  support  of 
Abraham  Lincoln ;  and  alone  he  organ- 
ized the  series  of  public  meetings  at  the 
Cooper  Institute,  when  Chase,  Grow,  Doo- 
little,  Stevens,  Doubleday  and  other  lead- 
ing statesman  spoke  in  turn,  rallying  the 
people  to  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  In 
1862  he  was  the  confidential  secretary  of 
the  treasury  note  committee,  which  raised 
the  first  colossal  loan  for  the  government. 
To  his  suggestion  is  due  the  imprint  on 
the  bonds  of  the  United  States,  pledging 
the  entire  customs  revenues  in  coin  to  the 
payment  of  the  interest  on  the  public 
debt.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  drew  the 
pledge  of  the  Loyal  National  League,  and 
organized  that  body,  which  shaped  the 
Republican  policy  of  New  York.  Draw- 
ing up  a  brief  pledge,  he  called  upon  the 
people  to  form  themselves  into  a  Loyal 
National  League,  pledged  to  uncondi- 
tional loyalty  to  the  national  government, 
to  an  unwavering  support  of  its  eflfort  to 
suppress  the  rebellion,  and  to  spare  no 
endeavor  to  maintain  unimpaired  the  na- 


139 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tional  unity  both  in  principle  and  terri- 
torial boundary.  Copies  of  this  appeal  he 
posted  upon  the  buildings  of  the  "Tri- 
bune" and  "Evening  Post,"  inviting  sig- 
natures, whereupon  ten  thousand  persons 
affixed  their  names.  A  public  meeting  of 
the  signers  was  called  at  the  Cooper  In- 
stitute. March  20,  1863,  a  council  ap- 
pointed, and  the  Loyal  National  League 
soon  had  l)ranches  all  over  the  country. 
That  summer  a  convention  was  called  at 
Utica,  attended  by  an  assemblage  of  dis- 
•.  inguished  men,  virile  resolutions  were 
adopted,  and  the  government  strength- 
ened to  assert  a  vigorous  policy.  He  w^as 
the  manager  and  director  of  the  Loyal 
Publications  Society,  organizer  and  secre- 
tary of  the  National  War  Committee, 
which  succeeded  the  Union  Defence  Com- 
mittee, and  received  the  thanks  of  Secre- 
tary Stanton  and  General  Halleck  for 
timely  service.  The  plan  of  "depot  camps" 
suggested  by  him,  received  the  approval 
of  the  War  Department.  He  organized 
the  expedition  for  the  relief  of  Texas, 
diverted  from  its  original  purpose  to  the 
relief  of  General  Butler  at  New  Orleans. 
In  1861  he  took  under  his  special  charge 
the  recruitment  of  the  Fifty-first  Regi- 
ment, New  York  Volunteers,  sending  it 
to  the  front,  maintaining  it,  and  keeping 
it  in  the  field  from  the  beginning  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  became  secretary  of 
the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
1862.  In  1867  he  published  the  colonial 
records  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
(1768-84),  and  founded  the  gallery  of  por- 
traits. In  1868,  after  organizing  the  cen- 
tennial celebration  of  the  founding  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  when  he  deliv- 
ered the  commemorative  address,  he  re- 
signed his  secretaryship  to  visit  Europe. 
Residing  five  years  abroad,  he  witnessed 
the  downfall  of  the  French  empire  and 
the  proclamation  of  the  republic  (1870). 
Returning  to  New  York  in  1873,  he  re- 


sumed his  interest  in  public  afTairs  and 
financial  matters.  He  was  elected  libra- 
rian of  the  New  York  Historical  Society, 
and  in  1877  he  founded  the  "Magazine  of 
American  History,"  which  he  edited  for 
years,  contributing  his  finest  historical 
essays  to  its  pages. 

Mr.  Stevens  will  be  best  remembered 
as  the  founder  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution,  a  patriotic  society  on 
the  order  of  the  Cincinnati,  yet  on  broader 
lines,  admitting  the  descendants  of  all 
those  who  had  served  in  the  military, 
naval  or  civil  service  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  in  order  "to  keep  alive  among 
ourselves  and  our  descendants  the  patri- 
otic spirit  of  the  men,  who  in  military, 
naval  or  civil  service,  by  their  acts  or 
counsel  achieved  American  independence  ; 
to  collect  and  procure  for  preservation 
the  manuscript  rolls,  records  and  other 
documents  relating  to  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  and  to  promote  intercourse 
and  good  feeling  among  its  members,  now 
and  hereafter."  In  a  circular  letter  headed 
"Sons  of  the  Revolution,"  he  invited  a 
meeting  at  the  New  York  Historical  Soci- 
ety, February  22,  1876.  The  society  was 
reorganized  December  4,  1883,  when  Mr. 
Stevens  was  elected  its  first  president  and 
incorporated  April  29,  1884.  At  Fraunces' 
Tavern,  New  York,  there  is  a  tablet  with 
the  following  inscription  which  perpetu- 
ates this  event: 

Sons  of  the  Revolution — Founded  Feb.  22,  1876, 

By  John  Austin  Stevens. 

New  York  Historical  Society  Library, 

Organized  Dec.  4,  1883,  in  this  room. 

Incorporated  Apr.  29,  1884 — Esto  Perpetua. 

Erected  by  the  Board  of  Managers. 

In  1889,  at  the  Washington  Centennial 
celebration,  Mr.  Stevens,  of  the  general 
entertainment  committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  took  an  active  part  in  all 
the    ceremonies.      In    1893,   on   the    four 


140 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery 
of  America  by  Columbus,  an  appropria- 
tion was  made  by  a  special  committee  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  which  he 
was  the  secretary,  for  the  reception  of  the 
lineal  descendants  of  Columbus,  the  Duke 
of  Verugua,  Lord  High  Admiral  of  Spain 
and  his  family.  These  celebrations,  the 
address  of  welcome  to  the  duke  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  New  York 
Historical  Society  and  the  American  Geo- 
graphical Society,  with  the  magnificent 
reception  at  the  Hotel  Waldorf,  the  ban- 
quet to  the  foreign  and  United  States 
naval  officers,  the  ball  to  the  guests  of  the 
city,  at  the  Madison  Square  Garden,  and 
the  shore  parade  of  the  foreign  and  United 
States  sailors,  all  were  carried  out  by  Mr. 
Stevens  and  his  son.  He  was  the  author 
of  a  "Life  of  Albert  Gallatin"  (1882)  for 
the  "American  Statesman"  series,  and 
with  Professor  J.  S.  Newberry  prepared 
the  article  on  New  York  State  in  the 
ninth  edition  of  the  "Encyclopedia  Britan- 
nica."  He  also  wrote  a  play,  "Colonel 
Beverly,"  and  an  historical  novel,  "The 
Major's  Quest"  (unpublished);  and  con- 
tributed to  "The  Narrative  and  Critical 
History  of  America,"  Wilson's  "Memo- 
rial History  of  New  York  City,"  and  Bay- 
lis*  "History  of  Newport  County."  He 
also  published  many  addresses,  books, 
pamphlets  and  papers.  It  has  been  said 
of  him  that  "to  him  more  than  to  any 
other  man  belongs  the  credit  of  the  move- 
ment to  create  an  interest  in  American 
history."  He  was  a  master  of  English, 
and  had  all  the  resources  of  the  language 
at  his  command.  In  his  historical  essays 
it  is  difficult  to  decide  which  is  most  ad- 
visable, the  vigor  and  sweep  of  his  thought 
or  the  purity  and  power  of  his  style. 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life,  Mr. 
Stevens  made  his  home  in  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  engaged  in  literary  work, 
and  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  politi- 


cal questions  of  the  day.  He  was  mar- 
ried, June  5,  1855,  to  Margaret  Antoinette, 
daughter  of  William  Lewis  Morris,  of 
Morrisiana,  New  York,  and  had  one  son, 
John  Austin  Stevens,  Jr.,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  Morris  and  Abby  Weld  Ste- 
vens. He  died  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
June  16,  1910. 


MERRITT,  Wesley, 

Distinguished  Soldier. 

General  Wesley  Merritt  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  June  16,  1836,  son  of 
John  Willis  and  Julia  Ann  (De  Forrest) 
Merritt.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  in  the  West,  and  in 
1855  was  appointed  to  the  United  States 
Military  Academy,  West  Point,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  i860,  and  as- 
signed to  service  as  brevet  second  lieu- 
tenant of  dragoons.  On  January  28,  1861, 
he  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant ; 
on  May  13,  first  lieutenant;  and  on  April 
5,  1862,  captain  in  the  Second  United 
States  Cavalry. 

Soon  afterward,  the  Civil  War  having 
opened,  he  attached  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  in  the  Virginia  peninsular  cam- 
paign on  the  staff  of  General  Phillip  St. 
George  Cooke,  then  being  transferred  to 
the  headquarters  of  the  Department  of 
Defences,  Washington,  D.  C,  under  Gen- 
eral Heintzelmann.  In  April,  1863,  he  was 
attached  to  the  staff  of  General  Stoneman. 
He  was  an  active  participant  in  the  raid 
on  Richmond,  Virginia,  that  year,  and,  re- 
lieved from  staff  duty,  as  captain  com- 
manded his  own  regiment,  the  Second 
Cavalry,  at  the  battle  of  Beverly  Ford, 
June  9,  1863.  In  July  he  was  brevetted 
major  for  bravery  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, where  he  commanded  the  regular 
cavalry  brigade.  He  was  brevetted  lieu- 
tenant-colonel May  4,  1864,  for  gallantry 
at  the  battle  of  Yellow  Tavern,  Virginia, 


141 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  colonel,  May  28,  having,  meantime, 
been  raised  to  the  rank  of  captain  in  the 
Second  Cavalry,  April  5,  1862,  and  of 
brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  June  29, 
1863.  for  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Beverly 
Ford.  During  1864  he  was  in  command 
of  a  cavalry  brigade  in  Virginia  under 
General  Sheridan  ;  was  present  at  the  bat- 
tles of  Opequan,  Cedar  Creek  and  Fish- 
er's Hill ;  commanded  a  division  of  cavalry 
with  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  valley 
campaign;  on  October  19  was  brevetted 
major-general  of  volunteers,  and  distin- 
guished himself  at  Five  Forks  and  Sailor's 
Creek.  At  the  battle  of  Winchester  a  part 
uf  Merritt's  cavalry  division,  after  re- 
peated charges,  supported  by  the  infan- 
try, turned  General  Early's  line  at  the  de- 
cisive moment,  throwing  him  into  re- 
treat. Later,  he  defeated  General  Ker- 
shaw's division  in  an  attempt  to  force  a 
passage  of  the  Shenandoah,  near  Cedar- 
ville,  inflicting  a  heavy  loss.  In  the  re- 
mainder of  the  campaign,  he  won  re- 
peated distinction,  and  was  one  of  the 
three  Federal  commissioners  to  arrange 
terms  of  surrender  at  Appomattox.  On 
April  I,  1865,  he  was  commissioned  major- 
general  of  volunteers  for  gallantry  at  F'ive 
Forks.  Later  he  participated  in  a  move- 
ment against  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
in  North  Carolina,  then  being  transferred 
to  the  Military  Division  of  the  Southwest 
and  the  Department  of  Texas  in  com- 
mand of  the  cavalry  forces,  and  was 
finally  chief  of  the  Military  Division  of 
the  Gulf  until  December  31,  1865. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  he  was  appointed 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry, 
and  employed  on  inspection  duty  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  Department  of  the 
Gulf  until  February,  1867.  In  1869  he 
was  in  Texas  with  his  regiment,  and  at 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  general  tactics  board  until  De- 
cember, 1870.    From  that  time  until  1875 


he  was  stationed  again  in  Texas  and  dur- 
ing the  next  years  was  inspector  of  cav- 
alry in  the  Military  Division  of  the  Mis- 
souri. He  was  commissioned  colonel  of 
the  Fifth  Cavalry,  July  i,  1876,  and  took 
part  in  the  expedition  against  the  Sioux 
under  General  Crook;  being  afterwards 
appointed  chief  of  cavalry  of  the  Big 
Horn  and  Yellowstone  expeditions,  then 
assigned  to  Forts  D.  A.  Russell  and  Lara- 
mie, Wyoming.  He  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  in  July,  1882, 
and  continued  in  that  position  until  1887, 
when  he  was  commissioned  brigadier- 
general  and  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  Missouri.  In  1895 
he  was  promoted  major-general,  and  as- 
signed to  command  of  department  with 
headquarters  in  Chicago.  In  1897  he  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  East,  with  headquarters  at 
Governor's  Island,  New  York  Harbor. 

In  June,  1898,  during  the  Spanish  War, 
General  Merritt  was  appointed  military 
governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  and, 
sailing  from  San  Francisco  with  an  army 
of  eight  thousand  men,  arrived  at  Manila, 
July  25.  On  August  13  the  Manila 
trenches  were  stormed  by  General  Mer- 
ritt's troops  while  a  part  of  Admiral 
Dewey's  fleet  shelled  the  forts  at  Malate. 
The  Spanish  were  forced  back  by  the 
troops  and  retreated  into  the  walled  city, 
and  there,  seeing  that  further  resistance 
was  useless,  capitulated.  On  August  27 
General  Merritt  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  Filipinos,  and  on  August  30  sailed 
from  Manila  on  board  the  steamer  "China," 
under  orders  to  proceed  to  Paris,  where 
the  Peace  Commission  was  then  sitting. 
He  left  the  "China"  at  Hong  Kong  and 
continued  his  journey  via  the  Suez  canal, 
arriving  at  Port  Said  on  September  28th ; 
going  thence  by  way  of  Marseilles  to 
Paris,  where  he  arrived  October  3.  On  the 
42 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


two  following  days  the  American  peace 
delegates  devoted  their  entire  session  to 
a  conference  with  General  Merritt,  who 
imparted  to  the  commission  his  own  opin- 
ions and  those  of  Admiral  Dewey  con- 
cerning the  physical,  geographical,  moral 
and  political  conditions  prevailing  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.  On  his  return  home 
on  December  30,  he  was  relieved  of  the 
command  of  the  Department  of  the  Paci- 
fic, and  from  all  further  duties  pertaining 
to  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  was  ordered 
to  New  York  to  command  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  East.  General  Merritt  was 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  experienced 
officers  in  the  United  States  army,  and 
always  held  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his 
associates  in  the  many  important  posi- 
tions he  had  so  adequately  filled. 

He  was  twice  married;  (first)  in  1871, 
to  Caroline  Warren,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
who  died  in  1893 ;  (second)  October  23, 
1898,  to  Laura,  daughter  of  Norman  Wil- 
liams, of  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  died  De- 
cember 3,  1910. 


SHERMAN,  James  S., 

statesman. 

James  Schoolcraft  Sherman,  Vice-Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  from  March  4, 
1909,  until  his  demise  on  October  30, 
1912,  and  an  honored  ex-member  of  the 
legal  fraternity  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
was  born  in  Utica,  Oneida  county.  New 
York,  October  24,  1850,  son  of  General 
Richard  U.  and  Mary  F.  Sherman,  the 
former  an  eminent  litterateur  and  editor, 
and  a  great  admirer,  friend  and  supporter 
of  the  Liberal  Republican  policies  of 
Horace  Greeley,  editor  of  the  "New  York 
Tribune." 

After  having  acquired  the  requisite 
elementary  education,  James  Schoolcraft 
Sherman  was  received  into  the  Whites- 
town  Seminary,  whereat  he  assiduously 


pursued  the  academic  course  with  a  view 
of  progressing  ultimately  to  Hamilton 
College,  at  which  famous  collegiate  insti- 
tution he  matriculated  successfully  in 
1875,  and  subsequently  graduated  there- 
from, gaining  the  especial  approbation  of 
the  college  faculty  by  the  intellectual  su- 
periority he  manifested  in  the  creditable 
place  he  attained  among  the  graduates  of 
the  class  of  1878.  Immediately  thereafter 
he  commenced  a  reading  of  law,  and  reg- 
istered as  a  law  student  in  the  office  of 
his  relative,  Henry  J.  Cookinham,  of  the 
law  firm  of  Beardsley,  Cookinham  &  Bur- 
dick,  of  Utica,  New  York,  pursuing  the 
study  with  marked  aptitude  and  diligence 
until  in  1880  he  adequately  satisfied  the 
board  of  examiners,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Oneida  county.  New  York,  in 
the  autumn  term  of  court  of  1880. 

Entering  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, James  S.  Sherman  in  that  year  formed 
professional  association  with  Henry  J. 
Cookinham  and  John  G.  Gibson,  the  three 
constituting  the  law  firm  of  Cookinham, 
Gibson  &  Sherman.  The  partnership, 
however,  was  dissolved  a  year  later,  Mr. 
Gibson  retiring  from  the  firm,  which  then 
became  Cookinham  &  Sherman,  after- 
wards Cookinham.  Sherman  &  Martin, 
and  subsequently  Cookinham,  Sherman  & 
Cookinham,  the  last-named  being  son  of 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  and  nephew 
of  Mr.  Sherman. 

Mr.  Sherman's  practice  of  law  was  able 
and  dignified,  and  drew  to  him,  the  en- 
comiums and  esteem  of  the  judiciary  and 
his  professional  brethren,  and  likewise 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  citizens 
of  Utica ;  so  much  so  that  in  1884  he  was 
elected  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  city. 
His  merit  in  the  mayoralty  gained  him 
further  popular  preferment,  and  in  1886 
he  was  selected  as  representative  to  Con- 
gress, and  was  maintained  in  that  na- 
tional  legislative   office  until    1908,  with 


143 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  exception  of  one  term,  when  he  was 
defeated  by  Harry  W.  Bentley.  James 
Schoolcraft  Sherman  was  a  Republican 
representative  in  the  Fiftieth,  the  Fifty- 
first,  the  Fifty-third  and  the  seven  suc- 
ceeding Congresses,  his  distinguished  and 
honorable  record  in  national  service  dur- 
ing that  period  indicating  to  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  1908  his  title  to  high  execu- 
tive position  in  the  State  administration. 
He  was  consequently,  in  that  year,  made 
the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  was 
elected  and  took  office  on  March  4,  1909. 
He  maintained  the  office  with  a  dignity 
and  standing  compatible  with  his  previ- 
ous record  of  high  moral  integrity  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  Utica,  New 
York,  on  October  30,  1912. 

As  a  member  of  the  national  House  of 
Representatives,  Mr.  Sherman  quickly 
rose  to  leading  rank,  and  in  the  sincere 
esteem  of  his  fellow-legislators.  His  abil- 
ity and  judicial  poise,  rendered  him  a  pre- 
siding officer  of  strength  and  marked  suc- 
cess, and  during  the  discussion  of  impor- 
tant bills,  when  party  feeling  ran  high,  his 
rei)utation  as  a  gentleman  of  honor  and 
impartiality  frequently  brought  demand 
from  Ijoth  sides  that  he  preside  over  the 
deliberations.  He  exercised  an  appreci- 
able influence  upon  the  policies  of  the  ad- 
ministrations in  which  he  participated,  and 
upon  the  party  to  which  he  belonged,  and 
was  perhaps  the  most  influential  of  the 
Vice-Presidents  in  party  councils.  Re- 
garding him,  it  is  on  historical  record 
that  "so  satisfactorily  did  he  preside  over 
the  Senate  that  he  won  the  admiration  not 
only  of  every  member  of  his  own  party, 
but  of  his  opponents  also." 

Mr.  Sherman  was  an  able  advocate,  and 
had  he  devoted  his  talents  to  the  practice 
of  law,  instead  of  almost  wholly  to  the 
national  service,  he  would  probably  have 
attained  high  place  in  the  judiciary  of  the 


State.  In  what  legal  work  he  was  able 
to  do,  he  was  eminently  successful,  and 
as  a  financier  he  also  exhibited  much  apti- 
tude, having  been  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Utica  Trust  and  Deposit  Company, 
and  its  president  from  date  of  organiza- 
tion until  his  decease. 

On  January  26,  1881,  he  was  married, 
at  East  Orange,  New  Jersey,  to  Carrie 
Babcock,  daughter  of  Lewis  H.  Babcock, 
a  prominent  lawyer  of  Utica.  To  them 
were  born  three  children:  Sherrill  B., 
born  in  1883;  Richard  U.,  in  1884;  and 
Thomas  N.,  1886. 


GREEN,  Walter  Jerome, 

Financier,  Railroad  Magnate. 

Over  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  passed 
since  Walter  Jerome  Green  ended  his 
earthly  career  in  the  prosperous  commu- 
nities which  his  creative  genius  caused  to 
arise,  and  after  the  great  development  of 
Southern  Florida  along  the  lines  he  origi- 
nally laid  down.  In  Utica,  New  York, 
both  he  and  his  father  are  remembered  as 
being  prominently  identified  with  financial 
interests  ;  the  elder  Green  being  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  bankers  in  Central 
New  York.  The  life  of  Walter  Jerome 
Green  has  extended  over  a  period  of  but 
forty-three  years,  but  it  was  filled  to  over- 
flowing with  business  activity  and  an  ear- 
nest endeavor  which  left  the  world  better 
for  his  having  lived  in  it.  He  not  only  laid 
his  own  day  and  generation  under  an  obli- 
gation, but  the  generation  which  has 
since  arisen  and  those  to  follow  are  now 
and  will  continue  to  reap  the  benefit.  The 
great  work  in  Southern  Florida  with 
which  the  name  of  Henry  M.  Flagler  is 
so  closely  and  justly  associated  was  be- 
gun by  Walter  J.  Green,  Mr.  Flagler  pur- 
chasing Mr.  Green's  railroad  in  1886  after 
death  had  stilled  the  hand  of  the  builder. 

Mr.  Green  was  a  son  of  Charles  Green, 


144 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


born  at  Sangerfield,  Oneida  county,  New 
York,  May  28,  181 1,  son  of  David  Green, 
born  at  South  East,  Putnam  county,  New 
York,  a  relative  of  General  Nathanael 
Greene,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  trac- 
ing- ancestry  to  John  Alden  and  Pris- 
cilla  (Mullins)  Alden,  who  came  in  the 
"Mayflower."  David  Green,  through  his 
mother,  was  connected  with  the  Hatch 
family  of  Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts,  and 
with  the  Sears  family.  Charles  Green,  an 
influential  banker,  married  Mary  Jane 
Hubbard,  of  Hubbardsville,  Madison 
county,  New  York,  daughter  of  Oliver 
Kellogg  and  Mary  (Meacham)  Hubbard, 
both  born  in  Connecticut,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  Lieutenant  Joseph  Kellogg,  of  Had- 
ley,  Massachusetts.  This  ancestry  opens 
the  doors  of  all  American  societies  basing 
membership  upon  descent  from  Pilgrim, 
Colonist  or  soldier  of  the  period  of  1620- 

1783- 

Walter  Jerome  Green,  son  of  Charles 
and  Mary  Jane  (Hubbard)  Green,  was 
born  in  Hubbardsville,  Madison  county. 
New  York,  October  10,  1842,  died  at  his 
home  on  Rutger  place,  Utica,  New  York, 
January  2^,  1885.  He  was  educated  at 
Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Madison  Semi- 
nary, preparing  for  the  profession  of  law 
at  Albany  Law  School,  whence  he  was 
graduated,  class  of  1864.  He  practiced 
for  two  years  after  receiving  his  degree, 
then  abandoned  a  promising  career  at  the 
bar  to  become  his  father's  assistant  in  the 
banking  business.  This  was  the  turning 
point  in  his  life  and  what  was  loss  to  the 
legal  profession  was  the  business  world's 
gain.  Soon  after  joining  his  father,  the 
young  man  was  admitted  to  a  partner- 
ship in  the  bank,  the  firm  reorganizing  as 
Charles  Green  &  Son.  Young  though  he 
was,  his  enterprising  spirit  soon  made  it- 
self felt  in  the  affairs  of  his  father's  busi- 
ness, which  gradually  broadened  its  field 
of  operations  and  took  a  leading  place 
N  Y— 5-10  145 


among  similar  enterprises  in  the  central 
part  of  the  State.  An  important  depart- 
ment in  the  business  of  the  house  was  the 
trade  in  hops,  which  became  so  extensive 
as  to  place  the  firm  among  the  largest 
dealers  in  the  country.  To  meet  the  de- 
mand for  reliable  intelligence  bearing  on 
the  hop  trade,  the  firm  published  a  journal 
known  as  "Charles  Green  &  Son's  Hop 
Paper,"  a  large  handsomely  printed  four- 
page  folio  of  twenty-eight  columns,  of 
which  an  edition  of  about  five  thousand 
was  isuued,  gratuitously,  each  quarter. 

Mr.  Green  became  interested  in  a  rail- 
road project  in  Florida  which  promised 
the  brightest  results.  Seeking  a  new  field 
for  investment  of  his  capital,  his  attention 
was  drawn  to  the  lack  of  modern  trans- 
portation facilities  in  the  fruit-growing 
section  of  that  State,  and  guided  by  the 
promptings  of  his  judgment,  which  on 
many  previous  occasions  had  been  exer- 
cised with  the  most  fortunate  results,  he 
threw  both  energy  and  money  into  the 
scheme.  The  outcome  of  this  effort  was 
the  Jacksonville,  St.  Augustine  &  Hali- 
fax River  Railroad,  of  which  Mr.  Green 
was  president  and  the  entire  owner.  This 
road  began  at  Jacksonville  on  the  St, 
Johns  river,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of 
the  State,  extended  southwardly  and  east- 
wardly  to  St.  Augustine  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  and  was  thirty-seven  miles  in  length. 
The  road  connected  with  the  Atlantic 
Coast  Steamship  Company,  running  out- 
side to  New  Smyrna  on  the  Halifax 
coast.  Mr.  Green's  intentions  were  to 
extend  the  road  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  six  miles  to  New  Smyrna.  This 
would  have  afforded  quick  and  cheap 
transportation  between  Jacksonville  and 
the  Halifax  and  Indian  river  country. 
Although  recently  constructed,  the  road 
received  an  extensive  patronage  and  its 
energetic  president  and  his  assistants  gave 
ample  proof  of  their  ability  to  meet  every 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


demand  that  should  be  made  upon  them. 
It  ran  through  a  fertile  and  rapidly  de- 
veloping region  and  shortened  the  time  of 
transport  between  the  orange  country  of 
the  east  coast  of  Florida  and  New  York 
by  some  eight  days — a  most  important 
consideration  under  any  circumstances, 
but  more  especially  so  in  view  of  the  per- 
ishable nature  of  the  delicate  fruit  trans- 
ported. While  the  possibilities  of  this 
section  of  Florida  as  a  fruit-growing 
country  and  health  resort  have  long  been 
known  and  to  some  extent  developed, 
progress  has  been  slow  and  uncertain 
owing  to  the  lack  of  railroad  facilities. 
Mr.  Green's  enterprise  bid  fair  to  remedy 
this  drawback  completely,  and  the  benefi- 
cent effects  were  perceptible  in  a  great 
variety  of  ways  in  the  fertile,  beautiful 
and  salubrious  peninsula  traversed  by  his 
road.  Among  the  most  notable  results 
was  the  laying  out  of  new  towns  between 
St.  Augustine  and  Jacksonville.  Here  the 
balmy  breezes  of  the  Atlantic,  softened 
and  toned  by  their  passage  through  miles 
of  health-giving  pine  forests,  impart  a  re- 
cuperative property  to  the  air  which  can- 
not fail  to  make  the  locality  a  favorite 
resort  for  invalids,  while  its  easy  accessi- 
bility must  also  contribute  greatly  to  its 
popularity.  The  impetus  given  to  the 
whole  peninsula  by  the  building  of  the 
Jacksonville,  St.  Augustine  &  Halifax 
River  Railroad  rapidly  attracted  northern 
capital,  and  it  is  probably  no  more  than 
just  to  say  that  this  project,  so  success- 
fully inaugurated  and  carried  through  by 
Mr.  Green,  has  had  more  to  do  with  the 
upbuilding  of  this  part  of  the  State  of 
Florida  than  any  other  influence.  The 
railroad  rapidly  enlarged  its  terminal 
facilities  and  was  supplied  by  its  active 
president  with  additional  freight  and  pas- 
senger cars,  including  two  new  parlor 
cars  and  a  magnificent  new  ferry  boat, 
"The  Mechanic,"  one  hundred  and  forty 


feet  in  length  and  said  to  be  the  finest 
looking  craft  of  its  kind  in  any  waters 
south  of  New  York  City,  capable  of  carry- 
ing eighteen  hundred  people  and  fifteen 
large  teams.  The  arrival  of  "The  Me- 
chanic" recorded  another  step  taken  by 
Mr.  Green  to  secure  for  Jacksonville  the 
immense  trade  that  was  developing  along 
the  South  Atlantic  coast,  and  the  rail- 
road being  now  equipped  with  two 
steamers  was  better  than  ever  to  com- 
mand it. 

Speaking  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Green, 
the  Florida  "Times-Union"  said : 

A  host  of  friends  in  Jacksonville  were  shocked 
this  morning  by  the  announcement  of  the  death  of 
W.  Jerome  Green,  of  Utica,  New  York.  At  once 
the  flags  on  the  steam  ferry  line  were  displayed 
at  half-mast  and  the  office  in  this  city  draped  in 
mourning.  In  the  death  of  Mr.  Green,  Jackson- 
ville loses  one  of  her  best  friends,  for  he  realized 
that  the  interests  of  his  road  and  those  of  the 
city  were  identical  and  shaped  the  management 
and  policy  of  the  road  accordingly.  Our  busi- 
ness men  feel  deeply  for  his  death,  for  it  was 
well  known  that  it  was  his  policy  to  push  the 
road  to  Daytona  and  points  farther  south  with 
all  possible  speed.  While  it  is  true  that  Jackson- 
ville, in  the  death  of  Mr.  Green,  has  lost  a  friend, 
it  is  still  more  true,  if  possible,  that  the  whole 
Halifax  coast  has  suffered  a  much  more  serious 
loss.  Mr.  Green's  wife  and  son  and  friends  have 
the  deepest  sympathies  of  our  entire  community 
in  their  sad  bereavement. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Green  the  property 
was  left  to  trustees  for  his  son.  In  1886 
it  was  sold  to  H.  M.  Flagler,  of  New 
York,  who  has  carried  out  the  plans  and 
ideas  of  its  previous  owner. 

In  the  varied  enterprises  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged,  Mr.  Green  showed 
himself  possessed  of  superior  intelligence 
and  judgment  and  a  rare  degree  of  push 
and  energy.  He  seldom  entered  upon  a 
project  as  a  mere  speculation,  and  what 
to  less  far-sighted  and  sagacious  persons 
might  seem  fraught  with  disaster  proved 
in  his  competent  hands  prolific  of  success. 


146 


TFE  KEvV  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTO«,    L-NOX 
"!■    Dfi"-     FOL'^P'^     IONS 


and   s" 


s    stnc: 


.   friends  to  whom  his  sudd 

pected  j/'   ''    '  :■ 

nd  sorr 

~)n  June  26,  1867,  Mr,  Green  was  united 
in   marriage   to   Sarah   L.    Swartwout,   a 

d^Mrrht-jr  o^  Hrrrv  Swartwor'-,  of  Tro", 

was    - 


d  Anei 


1:1      U  U  - 

ited  a  b 


L  tica. 
EN,  Ernest  Kinzer, 

3u4:«e*sfal  Bnsinesa  Man. 

Old    Domr 
'  0  s   beer: 


y,  first  thrc 
tie  Intern;-'  ' 


rinv.  n.]-' 


of    "Rr, 


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^v  the  viiiasc  u»  Ji)ciriii.o£a.  1j 


.-..•-■•-(■■^•■iji-inv 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  Speiden,  son  of  Robert  and 
Ann  (Williams)  Speiden,  was  born  in 
Washing-ton,  D.  C,  December  25,  1797, 
and  died  in  his  native  city,  December  18, 
1861,  and  was  buried  in  the  Congressional 
Cemetery.  He  was  purser  of  the  United 
States  Navy  under  Commodore  Charles 
Wilkes  on  the  United  States  exploring 
expedition  in  1838-42,  which  visited  South 
America,  the  Samoan,  Fiji,  Hawaiian,  and 
other  islands  in  the  Pacific,  the  Antarctic 
regions,  and  the  western  coast  of  North 
America.  In  the  Ellice  Island  group  is 
an  island  which  Commander  Wilkes 
named  Speiden,  "after  one  of  the  most 
valuable  officers  of  the  expedition."  Wil- 
liam Speiden  was  also  on  the  United 
States  expedition  to  the  China  seas  and 
Japan  under  Commodore  Perry  in  1853, 
during  which  time  the  treaty  was  made 
opening  Japan  to  American  commerce. 
He  was  appointed  by  Commodore  Perry 
to  confer  with  Japanese  officials  in  regard 
to  the  comparative  value  of  the  Japanese 
and  American  currency.  (See  narrative 
of  Commodore  Perry,  compiled  by  Fran- 
cis Hawkes — pages  478-9). 

He  married,  October  7,  1828,  Marian 
Coote,  born  in  England,  March  9,  1810, 
died  in  Alexandria,  Virginia,  October  28, 
1866,  daughter  of  Clement  Tubbs  and 
Mary  (Cole)  Coote,  of  Cambridgeshire, 
England.  The  Cootes  came  to  America 
in  1817  and  settled  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  Mr.  Coote  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business.  He  was  a  lawyer  by  pro- 
fession and  long  held  the  position  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  He  served  as  council- 
man in  1826,  and  as  alderman  from  1827 
to  1834,  most  of  the  time  as  president  of 
the  board.  A  citizen  of  prominence  and 
note,  with  a  forceful,  aggressive  charac- 
ter, he  took  great  interest  in  the  rather 
strenuous  politics  of  that  day.  In  Ma- 
sonic circles  his  interest  and  activity 
dated   from   his  admission  to  the   order. 


He  was  secretary  of  Federal  Lodge,  in 
1827;  senior  warden  in  1828-29,  and  mas- 
ter from  1830  to  1834.  He  served  as 
junior  grand  warden  in  1830;  senior 
grand  warden  in  1831,  and  deputy  grand 
master  in  1834.  He  was  an  interesting 
figure  in  the  history  of  Free  Masonry  in 
W^ashington  during  the  period  of  persecu- 
tion from  1830  to  1840,  and  his  years  of 
service  to  the  fraternity  both  in  his  lodge 
and  in  the  Grand  Lodge  were  troublous, 
indeed,  but  were  m,et  by  him  in  the  lan- 
guage of  a  biographer,  "with  a  patient 
and  formal  dignity."  He  lived,  however, 
to  see  Free  Masonry  in  the  full  tide  of 
prosperity,  and  the  influence  of  the  stal- 
wart service  he  had  given  in  the  hour  of 
trial  was  felt  until  the  period  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  died  in  Baltimore,  May  12, 
1849,  ^"d  was  interred  in  the  Congres- 
sional Cemetery,  the  Grand  Lodge  con- 
ducting the  ceremony. 

W'illiam  and  Marian  (Coote)  Speiden 
were  the  parents  of:  Marian  Eliza,  Wil- 
liam Clement,  Clement  Coote,  William, 
Edgar,  Mariana,  Theodore,  and  Ada  Ro- 
sana. 

Dr.  Clement  Coote  Speiden,  second  son 
of  William  and  Marian  (Coote)  Speiden, 
was  born  in  W^ashington,  D.  C,  May  17, 
1833,  died  in  Marshall,  Fauquier  county, 
Virginia,  August  8,  1898.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate of  the  collegiate  department  of  Co- 
lumbian University,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  after  deciding  upon  a  profession,  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  the  same 
university,  whence  he  was  graduated  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine.  In  early  manhood  he 
located  in  Marshall  and  there  practiced 
his  profession  as  fully  as  health  would 
permit  until  his  death.  In  September, 
1872,  he  was  appointed  medical  director 
and  surgeon  to  the  Atlantic  division  of 
the  Costa  Rican  Railroad  Company, 
South  America,  and  while  in  performance 
of  his  duties  in  Costa  Rica  was  thrown 


148 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  a  handcar,  sustaining  a  fracture  of 
the  leg.  While  disabled  he  contracted  a 
climatic  fever,  and  was  so  thoroughly 
weakened  thereby  that  in  February,  1873, 
he  was  compelled  to  return  to  Virginia. 
He  never  fully  recovered,  but  was  a  suf- 
ferer the  entire  quarter  of  a  century  that 
he  lived  and  practiced  in  Marshall  and 
vicinity  after  his  return  from  Costa  Rica. 

Dr.  Speiden  was  a  refined  and  cultured 
gentleman,  deeply  and  tenderly  loved. 
He  was  converted  to  Methodism  thirty 
years  prior  to  his  death,  and  filled  nearly 
all  the  offices  of  the  church  in  Marshall 
to  which  he  belonged.  But  his  especial 
field  of  usefulness  in  the  church,  and  a 
field  in  which  he  had  no  superior,  was 
the  Sunday  school.  He  was  superintend- 
ent of  that  department  of  the  church 
for  thirty  years,  and  was  also  the  leader 
and  director  of  song,  both  in  the  Sunday 
school  and  in  congregational  worship,  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  constant 
reader  and  a  close  student  of  the  Bible, 
and  in  his  Sunday  school  lessons  gave  to 
the  scholars  the  benefit  of  his  study  and 
knowledge.  Genial,  generous  and  manly, 
he  attracted  all,  and  in  his  home  he  was 
the  soul  of  hospitality. 

Dr.  Speiden  was  married,  April  19, 
1859,  by  the  Rev.  William  E.  Judkins,  of 
the  Virginia  Conference,  to  Ellen  Doug- 
lass Norris,  born  July  22,  1834,  in  Fau- 
quier county,  Virginia,  died  in  Marshall, 
January  11,  191 1,  daughter  of  Judge 
George  W.  and  Mary  D.  (Wright)  Nor- 
ris. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Speiden  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  all  born  in 
Marshall:  i.  Margaret  Wright,  born 
April  30,  i860,  residing  at  the  old  home- 
stead. 2.  George  Norris,  born  October 
8,  1861  ;  married  Lillian  G.  Brooks,  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  July  31,  1886; 
issue :  Norris  Douglass,  Margaret  Clem- 
entine, Henry  Lewis  and  Lillian  Frances. 
3.  William  Edgar,  born  March  16,  1864. 


4  Clement  Coote,  Jr.,  born  May  24.  1866; 
married,  October  12.  1892,  AL  Eleanor 
Wright,  of  Hamilton,  Ontario;  issue: 
Clement  Leith,  Katherine  Douglass,  John 
Gordon  Ferrier,  and  Eleanor  Leith.  5. 
Henry  Waugh,  born  March  18,  1868; 
married,  August  24,  1895,  Harriet  U. 
Utterback,  at  Marshall ;  issue  :  Harriet, 
Clement  Coote,  Ellen  Douglass,  Henry 
Withers,  William  Edgar.  6.  Mary  Doug- 
lass, born  March  19,  1870;  married,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1899,  Alvin  Summers,  of  New 
York  City;  issue:  Virginia  Douglass. 
7.  Ernest  K.,  mentioned  below.  8. 
Marion,  born  September  28,  1874;  mar- 
ried, January  17,  1900,  Sophie  Clayton 
Slaughter,  at  The  Plains,  Virginia;  issue: 
Philip  Clayton  and  Marion  Coote.  9 
Alpheus  Wilson,  born  March  4,  1877; 
married,  December  25.  1900,  Jennie  H. 
Whitney,  at  New  York  City;  issue: 
Margaret  W'right,  Helen  W'hitney  and 
Ernest  Douglass.  10.  Edna,  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1879.  II-  Eben  Childs,  born  Sep- 
tember II,  1882;  married,  October  22, 
1908,  Idyl  Gordon  Bennett,  at  Evansville, 
Indiana. 

Through  his  mother's  line  of  descent, 
Ernest  K.  Speiden  is  of  a  family  that  for 
two  hundred  and  sixty  years  has  borne 
a  prominent  part  in  the  social,  political 
and  military  life  of  that  State  which 
bears  the  proud  subtitle  of  "The  Old  Do- 
minion." Among  his  ancestors  are  ves- 
trymen, justices,  sheriffs,  legislators,  bur- 
gesses, circuit  judges  and  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  The  line  also  includes 
six  generations  of  the  Carter  family,  go- 
ing back  to  Captain  Thomas  Carter,  of 
"Barford,"  Lancaster  county,  Virginia, 
who  came  to  America  and  purchased  a 
large  plantation  on  the  Corotoman  river, 
and  settled  there  in  1652.  He  was  a  jus- 
tice, member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses, 
and  captain  of  Lancaster  Militia.  He 
married     Katherine     Dale,     daughter     of 


149 


EXCVCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Major  Edward  Dale.  Mr.  Speiden's  an- 
cestors fought  in  every  war  and  held  all 
ranks  from  private  to  brigadier-general. 
His  earliest  X'irginia  ancestor  was  Major 
Edward  Dale,  who  was  a  royalist,  and 
came  to  \'irginia  about  1650,  and  was 
justice  of  the  peace  under  the  Crown  from 
1669  until  1684.  In  1670-71-79-80,  he  was 
sheriff  of  Lancaster  county,  Virginia,  his 
commission  as  justice  always  being  for 
that  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
\'irginia  House  of  Burgesses  in  1677  and 
1682;  major  of  militia  in  1680;  clerk  of 
the  county  from  1665  until  1674.  He 
married  Diana  Skipwith,  wdio  traced  her 
descent  from  Sir  William  de  Skipwith, 
Lord  of  Skipwith,  who,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  HL,  married  a  daughter  of  Sir 
John  Thorp.  Sir  William  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Robert  de  Estouteville,  Baron  of 
Cottingham,  in  the  time  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  who  married  Adeliza,  daugh- 
ter of  Ivo,  Count  de  Beaumont.  From 
Baron  de  Estouteville  the  line  of  descent 
is  traced  to  Ernest  K.  Speiden,  through 
twenty-six  generations,  as  follow^s: 

(I)  Robert  de  Estouteville,  Baron  of 
Cottingham  in  the  time  of  the  Conqueror ; 
married  Adeliza,  daughter  of  Ivo,  Count 
de  Beaumont. 

(II)  Robert  de  Estouteville,  married 
Eneburga,  daughter  and  heir  of  Hugh 
I-'itz  Baldoric,  a  great  Saxon  Thane,  Lord- 
ship of  Schypwyc. 

(III)  Patrick  de  Estouteville,  having 
by  gift  of  his  father,  the  lordship  of  Skip- 
with, his  descendants  took  their  name 
therefrom  in  accordance  with  the  custom 
of  the  age.  He  married  Beatrice,  daugh- 
ter of  .Sir  Pagun  De  Langtun. 

(IV)  Jeffrey  de  Schypwith  married 
Marian,  daughter  of  William  de  Schyp- 
with. 

(V)  Sir  William  de  Skipwith,  Lord  of 
Skipwith,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Sir  John  Thorp. 

(VI)  Sir  John  de  Skipwith  married 
Isabella  De  Arches. 

(VII)  John  de  Skipwith  married  Mar- 


garet, daughter  of  Herbert  de  Klinton,  of 
Yorkshire. 

(VIII)  William  de  Skipwith  married 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Ralph  FitzSimon, 
Lord  of  Ormsby,  County  of  Lincoln. 

(IX)  Sir  William  Skipwith  married 
Alice,  daughter  of  Sir  William  de  Hil- 
toft. 

(X)  Sir  John  Skipwith,  of  Ormsby, 
high  sheriff  of  Lincolnshire,  knighted  by 
Henry  IV.  and  Henry  V.,  married  Alice, 
daughter  of  Sir  Frederick  Tilney,  Knight 
of  Tilney,  Norfolk  county. 

(XI)  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith,  second 
son,  w^ho  distinguished  himself  in  the 
French  War  and  was  knighted  by  Henry 
v.,  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  John, 
Lord  Willoughby  de  Eresby. 

(XII)  Sir  William  Skipwith,  died  vita 
patria,  was  knighted  in  France,  sheriff  of 
Lincolnshire,  in  the  thirty-seventh  year 
of  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.  He  married 
Agnes,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Constable, 
Knight  of  Burton-Constable. 

(XIII)  Sir  John  Skipwith  was  made  a 
knight  baronet  for  his  services  against 
the  Cornish  rebels,  being  with  the  King 
at  the  battle  of  Blackheath.  He  married, 
in  1480,  Catherine,  daughter  of  Richard 
Fitzwilliams.  of  Wadsworth. 

(XIV)  Sir  William  Skipwith,  Knight, 
Sheriff  of  Lincolnshire  in  the  eighteenth 
year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.;  mar- 
ried Alice,  daughter  of  Sir  Lionel 
Dymoke,  of  Scrivelsby,  County  of  Lin- 
coln, and  by  her  acquired  considerable 
estate. 

The  Dymoke  line  goes  back  to  William 
the  Conqueror,  and  through  Matilda  of 
Flanders,  wife  of  the  Conqueror,  the  line 
of  descent  extends  back  through  counts  of 
Flanders  to  Baldwin  I.,  Count  of  Flanders, 
who  married  Judith,  daughter  of  Charles 
II.,  "The  Bald,"  king  and  Roman  em- 
peror, who  was  the  grandson  of  Charle- 
magne, one  of  the  world's  greatest  rulers. 
Through  the  wife  of  Henry  I.  of  England, 
and  Matilda,  daughter  of  Malcolm  III., 
King  of  Scotland,  and  his  wife,  the  Saxon 
princess  called  "Saint  Margaret,"  the 
Dymoke  line  goes  back  through  the  kings 
of  Scotland  and  early  kings  of  England 
to  the  good  "King  Alfred  the  Great,"  and 
thus  comes  the  royal  blood  of  the  Skip- 
withs  and  Carters. 


150 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(XV)  Sir  Henry  Skipwith,  who  pur- 
chased Prestwould ;  married  Jane  Hall, 
daughter  of  Francis  Hall,  of  Grantham. 

(XVI)  Sir  William  Skipwith,  Knight, 
died  May  3,  1610;  married  Margaret 
Cave,  daughter  of  Roger  Cave,  of  Stan- 
ford. 

(XVII)  Amy  Kempe,  daughter  of  Sir 
Thomas  Kempe,  Knight,  married  Sir 
Henry  Skipwith,  Bart.,  of  Prestwould, 
Leicestershire.  Created  a  baronet,  De- 
cember 20,  1622. 

(XVIII)  Diana  Skipwith  married  Ma- 
jor Edward  Dale. 

(XIX)  Katherine  Dale  married  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Carter. 

(XX)  Elizabeth  Thornton  married  Ed- 
ward Carter. 

(XXI)  Mrs.  Ann  Hunton  married 
Thomas  Carter. 

(XXII)  Miss  Neale  married  George 
Carter  (i). 

(XXIII)  George  Carter  (2). 

(XXIV)  Kitty  Carter  married  Samuel 
Norris,  son  of  William  Norris. 

(XXV)  Mary  D.  Wright  married 
George  W.  Norris,  son  of  Samuel  Nor- 
ris. He  was  a  judge  of  Fauquier  county. 
His  wife,  Mar}'-  D.  Wright,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  William  B.  and  Penelope  (Man- 
ley)  Wright,  granddaughter  of  Harrison 
and  Margaret  (Barry)  Manley ;  great- 
granddaughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Man- 
ley  ;  and  great-granddaughter  of  Edward 
and  Mary  (Stone)  Barry.  William  Nor- 
ris, grandfather  of  Judge  George  W.  Nor- 
ris, was  an  ensign  in  Captain  Edmund's 
company  of  Virginia  troops  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War,  1761,  and  first  lieuten- 
ant under  F.  Atwell  in  Virginia  militia 
in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

(XXVI)  Ellen  Douglass  Norris  mar- 
ried Clement  Coote  Speiden. 

From  so  honorable  and  ancient  an  an- 
cestry comes  Ernest  Kinzer  Speiden,  son 
of  Dr.  Clement  Coote  and  Ellen  Douglass 
(Norris)  Speiden.  He  was  born  in  Mar- 
shall, Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  April 
13,  1872,  and  there  obtained  his  educa- 
tion. He  began  his  business  career  as 
clerk  in  a  general  store  in  Marshall,  re- 
maining the  two  years  prior  to  his  coming 


to  New  York  City,  in  1889.  After  his 
arrival  in  New  York  City  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  International  Mercantile 
Marine  Company,  in  which  he  continued 
for  twenty-six  years.  He  started  as  a 
clerk,  well  down  the  ladder,  but  his  as- 
cent quickly  began,  and  during  the  last 
sixteen  years  of  his  association  with  the 
company  he  was  in  charge  of  the  freight 
department  of  their  immense  transporta- 
tion business.  He  terminated  the  associ- 
ation by  resigning,  July  31,  1915,  to  be- 
come a  member  of  Innis,  Speiden  &  Com- 
pany, Incorporated,  importers  and  manu- 
facturers of  chemicals,  drugs  and  dye 
stufTs  of  New  York  City.  He  is  the 
assistant  treasurer  of  the  company,  and 
is  successfully  applying  the  knowledge 
and  experience  gained  during  his  long 
years  of  service  with  important  business 
interests. 

Four  of  Mr.  Speiden's  brothers  are  iden- 
tified with  Innis,  Speiden  &  Company, 
Clement  Coote,  Marion,  George  Norris 
and  Eben  Childs.  These  brothers  are  all 
wide-awake,  active  business  men,  and 
thoroughly  interested  in  all  the  important 
questions  of  the  day. 

The  years  have  developed  a  man  of 
sound  judgment,  quick  initiative,  prompt 
action  and  amply  qualified  to  fulfill  the 
responsibilities  that  rest  upon  him.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Drug  and  Chemical 
Club  of  New  York,  the  Merchants'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Traffic  Club,  is  secretary- 
director  and  assistant  treasurer  of  the 
Isco  Chemical  Company,  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Southern  Society,  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Grand  Jurors,  the  Literary  So- 
ciety of  New  York,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  the  National 
Freight  Traffic  Golf  Association,  and  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution.  In  matters  of 
National  politics  he  acts  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  is  independent  of  organ- 
ized influence  in  local  matters. 


mi 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


On  December  26,  1898,  Mr.  Speiden 
married  Annie  E.  Summers,  of  New  York 
City,  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, daughter  of  John  and  Cecilia 
(Bilheimer)  Summers;  and  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  great-great-great-great-grand- 
daughter of  the  Rev.  John  Philip  Boehm, 
who  came  to  America  in  1720  and  founded 
the  Reformed  Dutch  church  in  Pennsyl- 
vania;  on  the  paternal  side,  great-great- 
great-granddaughter  of  George  Summers, 
who  came  to  America  in  1752,  and  gave 
five  sons  to  fight  for  liberty  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Speiden  reside  at  the 
Hotel  Chelsea,  New  York  City. 


HALL,  Francis, 

Representative    Citizen. 

The  lessons  of  life  which  have  real 
value  are  gleaned  from  biography  where- 
in are  set  forth  the  plans  and  methods 
which  lead  the  individual  into  large  and 
successful  undertakings.  Carlyle  has  said 
"biography  is  the  most  interesting  as  well 
as  the  most  profitable  reading"  and  the 
record  of  such  a  man  as  Francis  Hall 
contains  lessons  that  may  be  profitably 
followed,  showing  the  value  and  force  of 
enterprise,  diligence  and  careful  manage- 
ment in  the  active  afifairs  of  life.  He  was 
until  recently  the  secretary  of  the  Syra- 
cuse Chilled  Plow  Company,  with  which 
he  became  connected  in  a  humble  capac- 
ity at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  since 
which  time  he  had  steadily  worked  his 
way  upward  to  his  recent  position  of  trust 
and  responsibility  ;  retiring  after  complet- 
ing twenty-five  years  of  active  service 
with  this  com,pany. 

Mr.  Hall  was  born  in  Scranton,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  I,  1874,  and  traces  his  an- 
cestry back  to  an  early  period  in  Colonial 
history.  Among  the  forty-six  original 
proprietors  of  the  first  territorial  purchase 


from  the  Indian  Sachem  Massasoit  was 
George  Hall,  who  with  his  wife  came 
from  Devonshire,  England,  in  1636.  In 
1639  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Taun- 
ton, Massachusetts.  These  lands  of  the 
territorial  purchase  or  portions  of  them 
have  remained  in  the  family  for  over  two 
hundred  and  seventy  years.  The  early 
Colonial  members  of  the  Hall  family  were 
iron  masters  and  it  is  only  a  few  years 
since  a  "bloomery"  established  by  them 
in  Taunton,  Massachusetts,  has  been  torn 
down.  The  Halls  have  been  iron  masters 
for  eight  generations  in  direct  line  from 
George  Hall.  John  Hall,  grandfather  of 
Francis  Hall,  the  sixth  of  that  name,  was 
a  graduate  of  Y'ale  College,  of  the  class 
of  1802,  and  for  three  years  following 
was  a  tutor  in  Yale.  He  was  a  prominent 
educator  of  Connecticut,  and  for  many 
years  he  conducted  the  famous  John  Hall 
Preparatory  School  at  Ellington.  The 
Rev.  Nathaniel  H.  Eggleston,  who  was 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Ellington  during 
the  last  years  of  John  Hall's  life,  said 
of  him  years  afterward:  "He  was  truly 
and  emphatically  a  Christian  man  and 
was  greatly  interested  in  the  church  and 
in  the  work  of  our  religious  and  benevo- 
lent societies,  in  several  of  which  he  at 
times  held  office.  Unobtrusive,  but  of 
high  character  and  unusual  mental  ability, 
a  student  of  the  best  things  through  life 
— he  was  our  sage.  As  he  walked  our 
streets  he  seemed  like  one  of  the  peri- 
patetic philosophers  of  old,  dispensing  his 
wisdom  as  he  w-alked.  He  sought  to  lead 
others  to  the  pursuit  and  love  of  that 
knowledge  which  he  had  found  to  be 
most  promotive  of  the  highest  achieve- 
ment and  highest  happiness."  Aside 
from  his  work  in  connection  with  the 
school  and  of  all  his  varied  activities  in 
the  various  departments  of  church  and 
mental  work  he  has  also  served  as  judge 
of  his  county.    He  married  Harriet  Reed, 


152 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  direct  descendant  of  William  Bradford, 
who  came  to  America  on  the  "Mayflower" 
and  was  governor  of  the  Plymouth  colony 
for  thirty  years.  There  is  in  Ellington, 
Connecticut,  a  beautiful  memorial  library 
erected  by  the  late  Francis  Hall,  of  El- 
mira,  New  York,  an  uncle  of  our  subject, 
in  memory  of  Judge  John  Hall,  his  father, 
and  of  Edward  Hall,  his  brother,  to  com- 
memorate the  fifty  years  of  educational 
work  represented  by  the  Hall  Prepara- 
tory School  in  Ellington. 

This  Francis  Hall,  son  of  Judge  Hall, 
was  known  as  "the  Traveler"  having 
spent  thirty  years  of  his  life  in  residence 
and  travel  abroad  and  next  to  Bayard 
Taylor  in  his  time  was  the  greatest 
American  traveler.  He  made  a  fortune 
in  Japan,  being  one  of  the  first  to  enter 
that  country  after  the  Perry  treaty  had 
opened  its  ports  to  foreign  trade.  He 
was  the  founder  of  the  firm  of  Walsh, 
Hall  &  Company,  at  the  treaty  port  of 
Kanagawa,  and  was  the  first  president  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  there,  continuing  as 
such  until  he  left  the  country.  He  was 
also  financially  interested  in  various  im- 
portant business  affairs  in  America  and 
was  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  vice- 
president  of  the  Syracuse  Chilled  Plow 
Company.  On  the  occasion  of  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  Hall  Memorial  Library  in 
Ellington,  the  Rev.  David  E.  Jones  said 
of  Francis  Hall :  "He  was  a  man  of 
choice  intellectual  attainments,  beautiful 
character,  and  a  deep  spiritual  life,  of 
charming  personality,  utter  unselfishness 
and  of  marked  enthusiasm  in  every  good 
work  for  the  physical,  intellectual  and 
moral  welfare  of  his  fellows."  At  his 
death  he  left  not  only  the  bequest  for 
the  beautiful  Ellington  Library,  but  also 
gifts  to  various  benevolent  and  other 
institutions  of  Elmira. 

Robert  A.  Hall,  father  of  Francis  Hall 
of  this  review,  was    born  in    Ellington, 


Connecticut,  and  died  January  27,  1910, 
at  Elmira,  New  York,  where  for  many 
years  he  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits, 
being  a  member  of  the  widely  known 
business  firm  of  Hall  Brothers,  dealing  in 
books  and  stationery  on  an  extensive 
scale.  His  wife,  Augusta  (Pratt)  Hall, 
was  born  in  Danville,  Pennsylvania,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Willis  and  Johanna 
(Lucas)  Pratt.  She  is  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Francis  Cook,  who  came  over  in 
the  "Mayflower." 

From  the  foregoing  record  it  will  be 
seen  that  on  both  his  paternal  and  mater- 
nal sides,  Francis  Hall,  of  Syracuse,  is 
directly  descended  from  the  original 
colonists  who  came  to  America  in  1620  in 
the  "Mayflower,"  landing  at  Plymouth. 
Francis  Hall  of  this  review  is  the  only 
such  descendant  on  two  sides  in  Syra- 
cuse. His  father's  family  numbers  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  and  in  the  pater- 
nal home  in  Elmira,  New  York,  he  spent 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  pur- 
suing his  education  in  its  public  schools 
and  academy.  On  January  2,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Syracuse  Chilled  Plow 
Company,  of  which  his  uncle,  Francis 
Hall,  was  vice-president  tor  twenty  years. 
This  business  was  organized  and  built 
up  in  its  infancy  by  Levi  W^ells  Hall,  its 
first  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  later, 
until  his  death,  its  president.  Young 
Francis  Hall  applied  himself  closely  to 
the  mastery  of  the  tasks  assigned  him  and 
gradually  worked  his  way  upward 
through  the  various  departments  of  the 
business  to  his  recent  connection  of  trust 
and  responsibility  as  secretary  and  adver- 
tising manager  of  the  company.  His  pro- 
motion came  in  recognition  of  his  ability, 
his  close  application  and  his  ready  solu- 
tion of  intricate  business  problems. 

On  September  5,  1905,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  and  Ruth  Pauline 


Ov5 


EiXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hoyt,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Mathilde  An- 
toinette Hoyt.  They  now  have  one 
daughter,  PauHne  Migy  Hall.  They  re- 
side at  Xo.  411  Garfield  avenue,  their 
home  being  the  center  of  a  cultured  so- 
ciety circle,  being  a  favorite  resort  with 
their  many  friends  in  Syracuse.  Their 
summer  home  is  "The'  Narrows,"  on  Long 
Lake  in  the  Adirondack  Mountains  of 
this  State,  where  Mr.  Hall  has  large 
holdings  and  the  family  spend  their  sum- 
mers. 

Mr.  Hall  votes  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  belongs  to  the  Congregational 
church,  and  while  in  Elmira  held  member- 
ship in  Thomas  K.  Beecher's  church.  He 
is  one  of  the  old  members  of  the  Citizens' 
Club,  is  also  identified  with  the  Rotary 
Club,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Syra- 
cuse, the  Mystic  Krewe  of  Ka-Noo-No, 
the  Ka-ne-en-da  Canoe  Club  and  is  na- 
tional secretary  of  the  American  Canoe 
Association.  He  is  interested  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  progress  and  upbuilding 
of  his  city.  Yet  a  young  man,  he  has 
nevertheless  made  for  himself  an  enviable 
name  and  a  creditable  position  in  indus- 
trial circles,  being  still  connected  with 
the  Syracuse  Chilled  Plow  Company,  one 
of  the  most  important  business  enter- 
prises of  his  adopted  city. 


STAPLETON.  John  A.,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Hospital  Official. 

Among  the  native  sons  she  delights  to 
honor  for  their  achievement  in  a  chosen 
profession,  Rochester  numbers  Dr.  John 
A.  Stapleton,  physician  and  surgeon.  Dr. 
Stapleton  spent  his  youth  in  Rochester, 
where  he  was  educated  in  public  and 
parochial  schools,  but  after  completing 
his  preparatory  studies  he  spent  the  next 
few  years  in  Buffalo  in  medical  study  and 
hospital  service.  He  then  returned  to 
Rochester,  there    began  private    practice 


and  has  risen  to  the  front  rank  in  his,  the 
oldest  of  all  professions.  He  is  a  deep 
student,  an  advanced  thinker  and  a  hard 
worker,  his  prominence  and  popularity 
resulting  from  these  qualities,  coupled 
with  learning,  experience  and  devotion  to 
his  profession.  He  has  kept  in  step  with 
all  modern  medical  thought  and  dis- 
covery, willing  to  discard  the  hard  gained 
knowledge  of  yesterday  for  the  more  ad- 
vanced wisdom  of  to-day,  in  treatment  of 
disease  or  in  surgical  method.  -His  prac- 
tice is  large  and  during  his  many  years 
of  professional  service  among  the  families 
of  the  city  of  his  birth,  he  has  fairly  won 
high  standing  as  a  progressive,  skillful 
and  honorable  practitioner  in  both  medi- 
cine and  surgery. 

After  deciding  upon  the  practice  of 
medicine  as  his  lifework,  Dr.  Stapleton 
entered  Buffalo  Medical  College  whence 
he  was  graduated  Medical  Doctor,  class 
of  1891.  He  then  served  as  interne  at 
Fitch  Emergency  Hospital  in  Buffalo, 
adding  to  college  theory,  extended  hos- 
pital experience.  His  next  professional 
experience  was  as  resident  physician  to 
the  Infants'  Summer  Hospital  at  Char- 
lotte, New  York,  on  Lake  Ontario,  re- 
signing that  position  to  become  resident 
physician  at  Rochester  City  Hospital. 
Thus  well  equipped  in  theory  and  prac- 
tical experience,  Dr.  Stapleton  in  1892 
began  private  practice  in  Rochester  and 
from  that  date  his  record  has  been  one 
of  constant  advancement  in  public  favor 
as  physician,  surgeon  and  citizen.  For 
several  years  he  has  been  visiting  surgeon 
on  the  staff  of  St.  Mary's  Hospital ;  sur- 
geon for  the  Erie  Railroad,  Rochester 
Division,  and  for  fifteen  years  has  been 
surgeon  to  the  city  police  and  fire  depart- 
ments. For  six  years  he  served  on  the 
board  of  managers  of  the  State  Industrial 
School.  In  1891  and  1892  he  was  State 
Sanitary  Inspector  with  jurisdiction  over 


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EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  Syracuse  to  be  sold  there.  After  this 
stocks  were  frequently  bought  and  sold 
in  a  similar  manner.  In  1892  the  dwell- 
ing of  M.  S.  Price,  "merchant  prince"  of 
his  day,  was  razed  in  order  to  make  way 
for  the  new  building  erected  by  the  firm 
of  Dcy  Brothers,  and  this  was  the  com- 
mencement of  the  fine  structure  they  now 
occupy  at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and 
Salina  streets,  possession  being  taken  of 
the  new  quarters  in  1894.  Although  they 
met  with  much  opposition  in  their  idea 
of  moving  their  business  to  this  section 
of  the  city,  they  were  the  pioneers  of  a 
new  movement,  which  has  rendered  this 
one  of  the  most  valuable  business  sections 
of  the  city.  The  new,  eight-story  addi- 
tion was  completed  in  1912,  this  running 
through  to  Warren  street,  and  the  entire 
store  was  then  remodeled  and  refur- 
nished. Constant  improvement  in  every 
direction  is  the  motto  of  every  member 
of  the  firm,  and  they  live  up  to  this  motto 
in  every  particular.  They  are  the  friends 
of  their  employes  and  show  their  appre- 
ciation of  faithfulness  in  the  discharge 
of  duty  at  every  possible  opportunity. 
They  have  been  the  leaders  in  the  cause 
of  weekly  half-holidays  and  early  closing, 
being  the  only  department  store  in  Syra- 
cuse which  closes  Saturday  afternoons 
during  the  summer  months.  They  have 
about  seven  hundred  employes,  and 
manufacture  their  own  specialties.  The 
work  of  receiving  applicants  for  positions 
has  always  fallen  to  the  share  of  Mr.  Dey, 
and  each  and  every  one  receives  a  care- 
ful and  courteous  hearing.  The  salaries 
of  the  salespeople  are  advanced  by  regular 
gradations,  their  records  regarding  per- 
sonality, manners  and  character,  getting 
due  consideration,  in  this  profit-sharing 
plan. 

Mr.  Dey  takes  great  pleasure  in  his 
work,  and  this  may  be  one  of  the  reasons 
that  he  makes  such  a  decided  success  of 


it.  He  considers  sound  business  judg- 
ment and  ethics  in  the  treatment  of  buyer 
and  seller  as  essential,  and  holds  that 
the  merchant  of  the  future  must  have  a 
broad  education  and  a  liberal  discipline  in 
his  field  if  he  expects  to  succeed.  Tech- 
nical training  may  be  desirable  in  some 
respects,  is  necessary,  indeed,  but  it 
should  not  be  carried  too  far.  In  his 
address  at  a  meeting  of  the  National  Re- 
tail Dry  Goods  Association,  Mr.  Dey  said, 
in  part,  "To  my  mind,  a  dry  goods  store 
is  a  place  seething  with  human  interest, 
touching  the  community  interest  at  the 
cradle,  the  altar  and  the  grave."  He  has 
frequently  been  abroad,  at  first  these  trips 
being  made  for  purely  business  reasons, 
later  more  in  the  nature  of  pleasure  jour- 
neys. In  1909  he  made  an  extended  tour 
with  his  family,  leaving  for  Gibraltar  in 
March,  going  by  way  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean to  Italy,  then  through  France  and 
Switzerland  to  Austria,  and  from  there  to 
the  British  Isles,  which  he  toured  in  his 
American  Pierce-Arrow  motor  car.  When 
the  National  Retail  Dry  Goods  Associ- 
ation was  organized,  Mr.  Dey  was  chosen 
as  one  of  the  directors,  and  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  in  1912,  giving  an 
address  on  "The  Department  Store  and 
Community  Interest,"  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term,  at  the  annual  banquet,  in 
February,  1913.  In  February,  1914,  his 
address  on  "Price  Maintenance"  before 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  at  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  met  with  much  appro- 
bation. In  the  same  year  he  called  a 
meeting  of  the  merchants  of  the  State, 
w^hich  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
New  York  State  Retail  Dry  Goods  Asso- 
ciation, which  has  rendered  excellent 
service  in  promoting  proper  legislation 
for  merchants  and  the  community.  Mr. 
Dey,  however,  is  one  of  those  busy  men 
who  always  find  time  to  shoulder  addi- 


156 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tional  responsibilities.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Dey  Brothers,  private 
bankers ;  was  for  some  years  president  of 
The  Woodsport  Skirt  and  Waist  Com- 
pany ;  is  a  director  of  the  Commercial 
National  Bank.  He  donates  his  services 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  a  number  of  public  interests;  is  trus- 
tee of  the  Syracuse  University  and  of  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 
He  is  a  director,  and  member  of  several 
important  committees,  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  formerly  known  as  the  Busi- 
ness Men's  Association,  and  had  the  name 
changed  while  he  was  in  office  as  presi- 
dent. His  election  as  president  in  1894 
he  regards  as  his  introduction  into  public 
life.  It  aroused  his  interest  still  more 
deeply  in  municipal  affairs,  and  the 
amount  and  importance  of  the  work 
which  might  be  accomplished  by  busi- 
ness men.  From  this  point  of  view  he 
contended  against  the  giving  away  of 
franchises ;  contended  for  better  schools, 
and  started  the  movem,ent  for  a  new  high 
school,  appointing  the  first  committee  to 
investigate  the  condition  of  the  then  ex- 
isting high  school.  The  Central  High 
School  stands  a  monument  to  this  com- 
mission. He  was  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  for  the  Empire  State 
Firemen's  Tournament  in  1906.  He  con- 
tended for  the  need  of  good  roads,  and 
favored  a  fair  deal  with  the  railroad.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  W^hite 
Memorial  Committee,  appointed  to  col- 
lect funds  and  select  a  monument  in 
memory  of  Mr.  White's  civic  service.  He 
was  chairman  of  a  committee  for  the 
abolition  of  toll  gates  and  the  creation  of 
a  greater  fair,  working  with  abiding  in- 
terest for  the  advancement  of  the  Great 
Annual  Fair.  In  1914  he  was  chairman 
of  the  original  Municipal  Day  Committee, 
resulting  in  an  annual  event  for  the  inter- 
ests of  the  community. 


He  had  great  faith  in  the  usefulness 
of  the  Syracuse  University,  and  suggested 
that  the  city  beautify  the  campus ;  in 
1910  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  Campus  Improve- 
ment Committee,  the  work  performed  by 
this  bringing  about  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  institution.  He  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  Mystique 
Krewe,  a  civic  organization  of  great  use- 
fulness, which  made  a  specialty  of  sup- 
porting the  State  Fair,  although  it  ad- 
vanced the  interests  of  the  community  in 
other  ways  also.  Mr.  Dey  was  a  member 
of  its  board  of  directors  for  many  years, 
and  president  in  191 1.  This  organization 
has  had  various  governors  of  the  State 
as  members,  also  presidents  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  greater  number  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Syracuse.  In  1906-09 
he  was  president  of  the  Syracuse  Escort, 
and  much  work  was  accomplished  during 
his  administration  of  office.  In  1905  he 
was  appointed  chairman  of  the  advisory 
committee  to  take  up  the  matter  of  erect- 
ing a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Onon- 
daga County  Soldiers  and  Sailors,  and  in 
1906  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  joint 
committee  which  worked  so  diligently 
that  the  monument  was  dedicated  in  June, 
1910,  and  now  stands  as  enduring  evi- 
dence of  the  interest  the  community  has 
in  the  men  who  defended  the  country  by 
land  and  by  sea. 

When  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation was  considering  the  erection  of 
a  new  building,  ]\Ir.  Dey  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  general  committee,  and 
in  1908,  the  building,  one  of  the  finest  of 
its  kind,  and  the  pride  of  the  city,  was 
completed  and  opened  to  the  public.  In 
the  art  of  music  Mr.  Dey  has  rendered 
equally  high  service.  He  is  a  sincere  lover 
of  music,  was  for  several  years  a  direc- 
tor in  the  ]\Iusic  Festival  Association, 
and  elected  its  president  in  1912.    In  191 1 

57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  was  president  of  the  Syracuse  Arts 
Club,  which,  in  association  with  the 
Music  Festival  Association,  has  done 
much  toward  raising  the  standard  of  this 
art  in  Syracuse. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Dey  is  a  strong 
Republican.  While  he  is  in  no  sense  an 
office  seeker,  he  holds  it  his  duty  to 
accept  office,  when  tendered  him,  if  he 
can  thereby  advance  the  interests  of  the 
community.  He  was  the  city's  Union 
candidate  for  mayor  in  1897,  the  situation 
in  Syracuse  at  that  time  being  similar  to 
that  in  New  York  City  when  Seth  Low 
ran  for  mayor.  He  was  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  State  Senator  in  1908,  and, 
although  defeated  by  the  convention  sys- 
tem, does  not  wholly  condemn  this  sys- 
tem. He  is  a  member  of  the  Century, 
Citizens,  Onondaga  Golf  and  Country 
clubs,  but  spends  very  little  time  in  them. 

Mr.  Dey  married  (first)  June  30,  1886, 
Estelle  Mitchell,  of  Cazenovia,  who  died 
in  April,  1889.  He  married  (second) 
January  18,  1894,  Mary  E.  Duguid, 
daughter  of  Henry  Lyman  Duguid,  a 
member  of  a  well  known  and  prominent 
family.  By  the  first  marriage  there  is  a 
son :  Donald  Mitchell  Dey,  born  April 
13,  1887,  a  m/ember  of  the  firm  of  Dey 
Brothers  &  Company,  Incorporated,  who 
married,  September  25,  1913,  Mabel  Hoyt, 
and  has  a  daughter,  Dorothy  Hoyt,  born 
October  17,  1914.  By  the  second  mar- 
riage there  is  a  daughter:  Harriet  Du- 
guid Dey,  born  October  30,  1894,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Smith  College,  the  alma  mater  of 
her  mother.  Mr.  Dey  is  very  fond  of 
outdoor  recreation,  spends  much  time  in 
walking,  riding  and  motoring,  and  is  an 
enthusiastic  golf  player. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  life  record  of  one 
whose  name  is  inextricably  interwoven 
with  the  history  of  Syracuse.  He  stands 
as  a  splendid  type  of  the  honorable,  re- 
liable, successful  man,  the  public-spirited 
citizen,  and  the  trustworthy  friend. 


DUGUID,  Henry  Lyman, 

Business  Man,   Legislator,   Churchman. 

Fifty-six  years  was  the  span  of  life 
allotted  Henry  Lyman  Duguid,  of  Syra- 
cuse, in  which  to  compile  a  record  which 
in  its  business  progressiveness,  its  fulfill- 
ment of  religious  duty,  its  perfect  domes- 
tic bliss,  is  worthy  of  preservation  and  in 
its  example  worthy  of  emulation.  In  his 
business  and  religious  life  he  filled  the 
Scriptural  description  of  the  man  who 
should  "stand  before  kings"  he  that  was 
"diligent  in  business,  fervent  in  Spirit, 
serving  the  Lord."  In  politics,  although 
a  strong  partisan,  he  strove  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  party  principle  and  in  his 
citizenship  there  was  no  flaw.  The  integ- 
rity of  his  nature  was  displayed  in  the 
administration  of  the  civil  and  financial 
trusts  committed  to  him.  As  State  legis- 
lator and  official,  as  member  of  many 
public  corporations,  and  as  an  advisor  in 
numerous  delicate  and  responsible  afifairs 
of  a  private  nature,  he  held  to  the  very 
last  the  supreme  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
men. 

His  personal  appearance  and  mental 
graces  completed  a  personality  most 
charming.  There  was  grace  in  his  figure 
and  in  every  movement,  a  beauty  and 
delicate  finish  in  every  feature,  a  richness 
of  tone  in  his  voice  and  a  warmth  and 
geniality  which  by  their  own  charm  won 
men  to  him.  But  back  of  this  manly 
beauty  there  was  a  keen  intellect,  a  broad, 
clear  judgment,  a  high  chivalric  spirit,  a 
magnificent  courage.  He  believed  in  his 
party,  loved  his  friends,  stood  by  his 
church,  and  all  the  grand  devotion  of  his 
nature  he  compressed  into  his  public  life 
and  his  private  friendships,  and  while  as 
courteous  as  any  knight  who  ever  "trod 
the  cloth  of  gold"  he  never  furled  the 
banner  of  his  faith  but  stood  by  his  party 
and  his  church  until  the  very  last.  But 
he  loved  peace  and  with  exquisite  charm 


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E.XCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHY 


could  heal  the  alienation  of  friends  and 
dissensions  of  factions. 

In  his  married  life  there  was : 

A  perfect  understanding  each  with  each, 
A  perfect  sjinpathy  of  heart  and  soul, 
A  common  purpose  and  a  common  Lord, 

Thus  throughout  all  the  scenes  of  life, 

*    *    *    They   lived   and  loved — 

Till  she  was  summoned  home — the  trusted  friend 

The   honored   counsellor — she   whom   we 

Had  known  as  Mother,  and  whose  life  had  been 

One  constant  toiling  for  her  fellow  beings — 

Henry  Lyman  Duguid  was  born  in 
Pompey,  New  York,  December  25,  1832, 
died  in  Tucson.  Arizona,  December  30, 
1888,  son  of  William  Duguid,  and  grand- 
son of  John  Duguid.  His  grandfather, 
John  Duguid,  came  from  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  near  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  engaged  in  business.  He 
married  Eunice  Day. 

William  Duguid  was  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  county. 
New  York,  whose  industry,  thrift  and 
sterling  worth  gave  that  town  its  en- 
viable name.  William  Duguid  married 
(second)  Eveline  Van  Buren,  of  Peter- 
boro,  a  descendant  of  Peter  Van  Buren, 
from  Holland,  who  settled  in  the  Hudson 
Valley,  and  married  Elizabeth  Upham,  of 
prominent  early  New  England  family. 
William  and  Eveline  Duguid  were  earn- 
est Christians,  and  in  the  wholesome  at- 
mosphere of  their  home  the  son,  Henry 
Lyman  Duguid,  was  reared  and  there  the 
foundations  of  his  splendid  character 
were  laid. 

His  boyhood  was  spent  in  acquiring  a 
primary,  intermediate  and  preparatory 
education,  and  after  completing  courses 
in  the  public  schools  and  at  Pompey 
Academy,  in  1852  he  entered  Hamilton 
College  whence  he  was  graduated  with 
honors,  class  of  1856.  The  same  year  he 
began   the   study   of    law    under    Daniel 


Gott,  of  Syracuse,  later  under  Judge  J. 
^L  Woolworth,  of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and 
there  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1857.  He 
did  not  attempt  to  practice  his  profession, 
but  studied  law  for  the  mental  stimulus 
and  for  the  value  it  would  be  to  him  in 
after  life.  In  1858  he  returned  to  Onon- 
daga county,  settled  in  Syracuse,  where 
he  became  a  partner  of  Edward  S.  Daw- 
son, in  the  saddlery  hardware  business 
established  by  Pope  &  Dawson  in  1845, 
the  first  saddlery  hardware  business  in 
Syracuse ;  later,  after  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Dawson,  Jacob  Brown  was  admitted 
to  the  firm  and  still  later  Mr.  Duguid's 
brother-in-law,  J.  E.  Wells,  became  a 
member  of  the  firm,  then  becoming  Du- 
guid, Wells  &  Company.  The  business 
was  greatly  extended,  and  as  manufac- 
turers of  saddlery  and  coach  hardware 
the  firm  became  widely  and  favorably 
known.  After  other  changes,  the  firm 
finally  became  Duguid  &  Wells,  continu- 
ing under  that  style  and  title  until  the 
death  of  the  senior  partner  in  1888.  In 
the  upbuilding  of  this  business,  Mr.  Du- 
guid's tireless  energy,  business  thrift,  pro- 
gressiveness  and  trained  legal  mind  were 
the  controlling  factors  and  for  the  last 
twenty  years  of  his  life  he  was  the  prin- 
cipal owner.  The  business  was  later  dis- 
continued. 

During  the  years  he  was  making  his- 
tory as  a  private  business  man,  Mr.  Du- 
guid attracted  the  attention  of  the  finan- 
ciers of  the  city  who  felt  his  ability,  re- 
liability and  popularity  worthy  of  recog- 
nition by  the  banking  interests.  On  De- 
cember 24,  1883.  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  Syracuse  Savings  Bank,  an  honor 
he  accepted  and  held  the  office  until  his 
death. 

An  ardent  Republican,  he  was  active 
in  furthering  the  interests  of  his  party 
and  in  1869  his  services  were  first  enlisted 
in  public  position.     From  1869  until  1873 


159 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  was  United  States  internal  revenue 
collector  for  the  Twenty-third  New  York 
District,  and  upon  the  establishment  of  a 
paid  fire  department  in  Syracuse  was  ap- 
pointed a  fire  commissioner,  serving  as 
president  of  the  board  during  the  years 
1877-78.  He  was  elected  to  represent  a 
Syracuse  legislative  district  in  November, 
1878,  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Lower 
House  of  the  Legislature  during  the  ses- 
sions of  1879-80-81,  being  twice  reelected. 
As  a  legislator  he  lived  up  to  all  the  best 
traditions  of  his  party,  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  house, 
served  on  important  committees  and  on 
the  special  committee  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate the  railroads.  During  his  second 
and  third  terms  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committees  on  commerce  and  navigation, 
and  a  member  of  cities  and  Indian  affairs. 
His  most  important  legislative  service 
was  rendered  in  the  series  of  railroad  in- 
vestigations, his  unimpeachable  integrity, 
his  business  ability  and  legal  learning 
peculiarly  fitting  him  for  service  on  the 
special  committee  conducting  the  series. 
The  work  done  by  this  committee  paved 
the  way  for  the  Inter-State  Commerce 
Commission,  now  so  prominent  in  rail- 
road aflfairs. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Duguid 
was  a  trustee  of  the  Syracuse  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company ;  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Onondaga 
County  Orphan  Asylum,  an  office  he  had 
held  eleven  years ;  president  of  the  Syra- 
cuse Savings  Bank,  the  third  to  hold  that 
office;  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Memorial  Presbyterian  Church ;  mem- 
ber of  the  Citizen's  Club,  and  of  the  col- 
lege fraternity,  Sigma  Chi,  and  president 
of  the  American  Cooperative  Relief  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  a  moving  spirit  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  for  two  years  of  its  early 
history  filled  the  office  of  president. 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Du- 
guid joined  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Syracuse  (of  which  Mr.  Duguid  was  a 
ruling  elder),  continuing  active  and  help- 
ful members  until  1870,  when  they  with- 
drew to  aid  in  the  founding  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  they  were  members  and  cheer- 
ful and  untiring  workers  for  seventeen 
years,  Mr.  Duguid  serving  as  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees  during  that  entire 
period,  Mrs.  Duguid,  a  moving  spirit  in 
the  Ladies'  Prayer  Meeting,  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday  school,  a  worker  in  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
and  endeared  to  all  the  members  of  the 
church.  Both  became  interested  in  Scat- 
tergood  Mission  School  and  in  1887,  feel- 
ing the  time  was  ripe  to  organize  the 
Mission  into  a  church,  they  broke  the 
ties  of  former  affiliation  and  once  more 
went  out  to  build  up  a  new  church.  Mem- 
orial Presbyterian,  a  crowning  act  to  their 
lives  of  self-sacrifice. 

Mr.  Duguid  married  in  Auburn,  New 
York,  January  5,  1859,  Harriet  Eliza 
Wells,  born  at  Pompey,  New  York,  Au- 
gust 26,  1833,  <i^ed  at  the  Murray  Hill 
Hotel,  New  York  City,  while  attending 
a  meeting  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  April  17,  1888.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Selleu  Wells,  a  farmer,  and 
his  wife,  Mary  (Hinsdell)  Wells,  and 
passed  her  early  life  on  the  farm,  obtain- 
ing her  education  in  the  schools  of  Pom- 
pey, Binghamton  and  Hudson,  adding 
musical  instruction  under  Professor  Held, 
of  Syracuse.  She  taught  for  one  year  in 
a  young  ladies'  seminary  in  Hastings. 
Minnesota,  then  returned  with  her  mother 
to  New  York,  taking  up  her  residence  in 
Auburn,  where  her  elder  brother  was  a 
student  in  the  Theological  Seminary. 
There  she  was  active  in  benevolent  and 
church  work  and  resided  until  her  mar- 


160 


THE  KEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  UBRARY 

ASTO'T,    L'  N-^X 
Tl'  DfN     F 


"^.^^Cl 


ENCY*. 


Syracuse   she 
.'.{  charitable 


ing  boxes  of  gifts  to  be  sent  to  the 

^]v;<:'ard  sufTerers.     In.  l8P' 
-lurc;peaii   uair  with  her 
during  the  last  winter 
Florivl 
was  £ 

sense   of  hur  :^    tempered 

kindli  "    '  g 

Her  c      .  ni- 

tine,  home  was  a  sacred  r  ad 

she  loved  it  with  all  her  hc:.ii.     i: ui  ner 
■greatest  pleasure  was  to  s-r-  -others  happy 
about  her.    Her  heart;  it  to  those 

who  were  in  trouble,  wa,iii  Oi  sorrow,  and 

:•;;  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  kindness. 
s  a  member  of  the  Women's  Av 
ilictry  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso 
.  inti.  .n  :  ihe  Woman's  Foreign  Mission' 

iie  Women's  Relief  Cor; 
The  Huinc  Association;  life  member  of 
the  Onond;^.9P.    Co'ir^x   Orri'i.-ci    AsvUrm; 

:i  ember  o 
. -t  promo 
'.he  raising    , - 
:ier  labors  ic 
'I  families,  her  priveit'  ue 

•  an  enumei-;t  f--  Actj;.  ••< 
:/ientione<:                 promin 

circles,  sh  no  le. 

■^robably  nothing  \\ 
piiscd  her  '.an  to  have  knowji  ot 

the   high   *....•...  ...on  in   which   she   was 

*  Id,  as  evidenced  by  the  tender  expres- 
sions of  sympathy  and  the  glowing 
tnbutf-"  *  •  '■  >r  character  which  poured 
it-  u;n  isband  rind  children  at  the 
time  of  her  death. 

had   three    children  .    .c. 

married,  Januarv.   1894.   Don? 


mp.v.   of  Marcellvi 


"covered,  coming  as 
was  lar  from  well.    All  his 
for  her  with  whom  he  hn 
pathway    so  hapj 
years,  and  thtr 
weeks  which  ' 
his  health.    Half  his  life  se 
with  hers,  the- 
npd  upon  him  i. 

battle  against  it.    In  N 
he   journeyed  westward  with 
;  hi;  ;'r  :.  intending  to  winter  ii 
After  one  or  two  vi 
way  his  stren... 


Hiiii  jOiaeii  lUs  Uciovcu 

*   .,...-,.      ''^''■■''■-  ■^•'■^'i. ■•  ■ -^  of  sue; 

ers  can  d.     Th* 

fiuence  never  real.  -,  but  s 


rewards  of  the  wei 


iill^L.,  Wiiii«iir.  H., 

.Fonrnalist,   iLe^ 

\'  ..V.-,  ••■u  April  - 
Cue  bill  "for  the  r. 


NY-5-) 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Governor  Whitman,  Senator  Hill  ever- 
lastingly connected  his  name  with  legis- 
lation genuinely  progressive  and  humani- 
tarian. The  principle  of  the  bill  was  one 
for  which  he  had  long  contended,  and 
while  his  own  State  was  backward  in  the 
matter  of  child  welfare  in  their  own 
homes,  Senator  Hill  finally  secured  the 
passage  of  a  law  pronounced  by  compe- 
tent authority  as  "beyond  question  far 
superior  to  any  thus  far  enacted."  The 
bill  provides  for  the  appointment  of  local 
boards  of  child  welfare  in  the  city  of  New 
York  and  in  each  county  of  the  State  out- 
side of  the  city.  The  bill  tends  toward 
the  preservation  and  protection  of  the 
home  and  is  in  recognition  of  the  posi- 
tion taken  by  acknowledged  experts,  who 
have  made  a  study  of  the  care  of  depend- 
ent children.  It  is  an  efifort  in  the  direc- 
tion of  providing,  where  possible,  for  the 
care  of  dependent  children  in  their  own 
homes.  Senator  Hill  and  the  supporters 
of  the  bill  being  convinced  that  it  will 
substantially  benefit  the  unfortunate  chil- 
dren who  may  be  brought  within  its  pro- 
vision. Senator  Hill,  after  the  passage  of 
the  bill,  sent  a  strong  plea  for  its  approval 
to  Governor  Whitman,  in  which  he 
squarely  met  and  demolished  the  objec- 
tions which  had  been  urged  against  the 
act.  It  is  his  opinion,  born  of  experience, 
that  the  plan  of  caring  for  children  in 
private  instead  of  institutional  homes  and 
of  paying  widowed  mothers  for  services 
rendered  in  the  care  of  their  children  in 
their  own  homes  is  the  very  best  plan  of 
providing  for  dependent  children,  and 
that  the  policy  of  local  boards  of  child 
welfare  will  prove  "stimulating,  inspir- 
ing, and  constructive." 

His  championship  of  this  progressive 
act  which  bears  his  name  is  in  keeping 
with  Senator  Hill's  entire  life  and  public 
career.  As  editor  of  the  "Lestershire- 
Endicott  Record"  he  has  freely  used  its 


columns  to  promote  all  that  is  progres- 
sive in  legislation,  and  as  a  soldier  of  the 
common  good  has  ever  been  in  the  fore- 
most ranks,  an  advocate  of  the  rights  of 
the  masses,  a  champion  of  the  oppressed, 
and  a  legislator  whose  acts  are  born  of 
genuine  interest  and  zeal  for  humanity's 
cause.  One  of  his  proudest  possessions 
is  a  diamond  ring,  presented  by  popular 
subscription,  mainly  among  mill  and  fac- 
tory employees,  on  his  retirement  from 
the  thrice-held  office,  president  of  the 
board  of  village  trustees  of  Lestershire, 
a  prosperous  manufacturing  town  of 
Broome  county.  Senator  Hill  has  not 
waited  until  a  private  fortune  was 
amassed  and  age  had  whitened  his  hair 
before  giving  thought  to  the  duty  he 
owes  his  fellow-men,  but  when  only  a  few 
days  past  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  be- 
gan his  work  as  a  village  official,  having 
been  chosen  president  of  the  board  at  that 
early  age  in  recognition  of  his  known 
sentiments  and  previous  efforts  for  the 
public  good.  He  is  not  a  native  son,  but 
when  his  honored  father.  Rev.  William  J. 
Hill,  D.  D.,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  became  pastor  of  the 
Chenango  Street  Church,  Binghamton, 
New  York,  he  accompanied  him  to  that 
city  from  the  Wyoming  Valley  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Dr.  Hill,  after  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful ministry,  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  at  Johnson  City,  formerly  Lester- 
shire. He  has  served  many  churches  of 
prominence  in  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York,  his  name  one  greatly  honored  in 
Methodism. 

William  H.  Hill  was  born  in  Plains, 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  four  and 
one-half  miles  from  Wilkes-Barre  on  the 
north  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river, 
March  23,  1877.  He  was  educated  in  pub- 
lic schools  in  Pennsylvania  and  Bingham- 
ton schools,  and  in  1895  became  a  resident 
of  Lestershire,  now  Johnson  City,  Broome 


162 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


county,  New  York.  During  the  twenty 
years  he  has  been  a  resident  there  he  has 
been  prominent  in  public  life  and  active 
in  business,  is  a  journalist  of  force  and 
power,  and  in  all  that  concerns  the  de- 
velopment of  his  town  has  taken  an  active 
part.  He  is  president  of  the  Lestershire- 
Endicott  Publishing  Company,  one  of  the 
largest  publishing  houses  of  Southern 
New  York,  is  editor  of  the  "Lestershire- 
Endicott  Record,"  published  by  the  com- 
pany, president  of  the  Prospect  Terrace 
Land  Company,  a  most  successful  com- 
pany and  a  prime  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Lestershire,  now  Johnson  City, 
and  vicinity,  and  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank.  To  his  energy  and  pub- 
lic spirit  much  of  the  industrial  develop- 
ment of  Lestershire,  now  Johnson  City, 
and  Endicott  is  due,  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  no  man  in  public  life  has  stronger 
friends  or  greater  admirers  than  has 
Senator  Hill  among  the  employees  of  the 
great  mills  and  factories  of  these  towns. 
When  just  past  twenty-one  years  of 
age  Mr.  Hill  was  elected  president  of  the 
board  of  village  trustees,  in  1898,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  three  terms,  win- 
ning golden  opinions  and  a  warm  place 
in  the  regard  of  his  townsmen.  Early  in 
the  first  McKinley  administration  Mr. 
Hill  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Lester- 
shire, now  Johnson  City,  and  for  eight 
years  he  held  that  office.  In  Novem,ber, 
1914,  he  was  the  successful  candidate  of 
his  party  for  State  Senator  from  the 
Thirty-ninth  Senatorial  District,  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Broome  and  Del- 
aware, and  during  the  session  of  1914-15 
introduced  and  pressed  to  successful  issue 
Senate  Bill  No.  1060,  known  as  the  "Hill" 
bill,  an  act  "to  amend  the  general  munici- 
pal law  in  relation  to  the  establishment, 
powers,  and  duties  of  local  boards  of 
child  welfare."  With  the  introduction  of 
this  bill  into  the  House  by  Assemblyman 


Martin  G.  McCue,  of  New  York,  his  name 
became  attached,  and  as  the  Hill-McCue 
Bill  it  is  generally  known,  but  to  Senator 
Hill  belongs  the  honor  of  its  fatherhood 
and  successful  issue. 

The  figures  comprising  the  returns 
from  both  Broome  and  Delaware  counties 
attest  Senator  Hill's  popularity  with  his 
constituents.  His  plurality  in  Broome 
county,  five  thousand  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five,  was  the  largest  ever  given  a 
candidate  in  the  county  and  was  three 
hundred  votes  larger  than  the  previous 
record  plurality  given  President  McKin- 
ley. In  his  home  village,  Lestershire, 
now  Johnson  City,  out  of  a  voting  popu- 
lation of  one  thousand  but  eighty-seven 
votes  were  cast  against  him.  His  total 
vote  in  the  county  was  nine  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine.  In  Dela- 
ware his  plurality  was  seven  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  eighty-five,  the  largest 
ever  given  a  candidate  for  senatorial 
honors.  In  the  Senate  he  served  on  com- 
mittees on  finance,  banks,  commerce  and 
navigation,  and  revision.  With  such  a 
record  of  usefulness  behind  him  and  sup- 
ported by  so  loyal,  enthusiastic  a  con- 
stituency, should  Senator  Hill  elect  to  re- 
main in  public  life  the  legislative  records 
of  the  State  of  New  York  will  be  en- 
riched by  his  patriotic  eflforts  in  behalf  of 
every  interest  of  the  State  of  his  adop- 
tion. 

Mr.  Hill  married,  June  23,  1902,  Maud 
Evelyn  Johnson,  daughter  of  C.  F.  John- 
son, of  Lestershire.  Two  children  :  Rich- 
ard, born  1908,  and  Dorothy,  born  1909. 
Mrs.  Hill  died  August  17,  1915. 


WALRATH,  John  H., 

Lawyer,    Public    Official. 

Since  1889  a  resident  of  Syracuse,  New 
York,  and  an  honored  member  of  the 
county  bar,  Mr.  Walrath  has  won  excep- 


16.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tiunally  high  standing  as  a  lawyer,  and 
in  1916  was  elected  district  attorney  of 
Onondaga  county.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
H.  and  Julia  (Yates)  Walrath,  his  father 
a  lumberman  and  farmer. 

John  H.  (2)  Walrath  was  born  in  Chit- 
tenango.  Madison  county,  New  York,  Oc- 
tober 10,  1866.     He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  Yates  Academy  at 
Chittenango,  being  a  graduate  of  the  lat- 
ter    institution,     class     of     June,     1884. 
Choosing  the  profession  of  law,  he  began 
study  under  the  direction  of  Charles  A. 
Hitchcock,    of    Chittenango,    continuing 
until  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Binghamton, 
New  York,  in  September,  1889.    In  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  located  in  Syra- 
cuse, entering  the  office  of  the  late  James 
B.  Brooks,  dean  of  the  College  of  Law, 
Syracuse  University.    In  1890  he  became 
a  partner,  practicing  as  Brooks  &  Wal- 
rath until  1899.    In  1900  Mr.  Walrath  be- 
came associated  in  practice  with  Paul  K. 
Clymer,  and   five   years   later  Virgil   H. 
Clymer  was  admitted  a  partner,  that  ar- 
rangement   terminating    in     1910,    since 
which  year  Mr.    Walrath  has    practiced 
alone.     His  practice  extends  to  all  State 
and    Federal   courts   of   the   district,   his 
clientele  among  the  best  class.     He  is  a 
member  of  the  County  Bar  Association, 
and  is  highly  regarded  by  his  professional 
brethren.     He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  long  been  one  of  the  influential 
men  of  the  party.     In   1916  he  was  the 
Democratic   candidate   for  district  attor- 
ney, was  elected  at  the  November  polls, 
was  sworn  into  office,  January   i,   1917, 
and  is  now  performing  the  duties  of  his 
office.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Citizens 
Club,  Syracuse  Liederkranz,  and  is  an  at- 
tendant of  the   Church   of   Our  Saviour 
(Protestant  Episcopal). 

Mr.  Walrath  married,  June  30,  1902, 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Colonel  John  W. 
and  Fanny  M.  Yale,  of  Syracuse. 


BARNES,  George  M., 

Financier. 

George  M.  Barnes,  who  for  almost  half 
a  century  lived  in  honor  and  respect  in 
the  city  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  and  who 
by  his  sterling  qualities  and  marked  abil- 
ity became  one  of  the  city's  leaders,  was 
a  son  of  Mortimer  and  Anna  (Bull) 
Barnes,  of  New  York  City,  who  later 
moved  to  Troy,  New  York,  w^here  George 
M.  Barnes  was  born. 

The   life   story  of   George   M.   Barnes, 
banker,   reads   like  a  romance.     To  rise 
from  a  newsboy  to  the  dignity  of  a  promi- 
nent place  among  the  leaders  of  business 
and  finance  in  an   important  city  is  an 
example  such  as  should  be  spread  before 
the  vision  of  earnest  youths  w^ho  are  hop- 
ing, by  their  struggles  and  self-sacrifices, 
and  by  plodding,  to  eventually  climb  to 
pinnacles  of  greatness.    Syracuse  is  a  big 
city,  a  city  of  big  men,  a  center  of  learn- 
ing whereto    are    drawn    many    of    the 
nation's    illustrious   thinkers.      And    the 
standard  of  eminence  in  the  city  of  Syra- 
cuse is  proportionate,  so  that  when  it  is 
appreciated  that  the  newsboy  of  Rome,  a 
little  up-state  town,  by  his  own  efiforts, 
his  ability,  his  study,  his  natural  capacity 
of  mind,  and  his  rigid  adherence  to  the 
strictest    principles    of    honor,    advanced 
himself  to  the  forefront  among  the  lead- 
ers of  the  city,  it  will  be  acknowledged  as 
an  achievement  worthy  of  permanent  in- 
clusion in  State  records — if  for  nothing 
else  than  for  the  inspiration  it  will  bring 
to  some  young  men  who  toil,  and  in  their 
toil  need  encouragement  to  continue  until 
the  achievement  of  success.     The  study 
of  the  life  story  of  the  late   George  M. 
Barnes,  who   started  his   sixty  years  of 
business  efifort  cheerfully  and  hopefully 
in  a  town  of  apparently  scant  opportun- 
ity, will  be  of  help  to  more  than  one  boy 
similarly  placed.    The  Syracuse  "Herald" 
in  issue  of  July  24,  1916.  the  day  follow- 

64 


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ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  the  death  of  Mr.  Barnes,  editorially 
stated :  "This  almost  romantic  story  of 
business  and  personal  friendship  may  well 
be  emphasized  now,  as  a  striking  evi- 
dence of  the  fidelity  to  trust,  the  loyal 
whole-hearted  sense  of  com.mercial  integ- 
rity and  moral  obligation  that  made  the 
name  of  George  M.  Barnes  a  symbol  of 
business  probity  and  honor  in  the  city  of 
Syracuse." 

George  M.  Barnes  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Troy,  New  York,  in  1847.  In  1851, 
Avhen  he  was  four  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Rome,  New  York,  where 
his  father  established  a  wholesale  drug 
business,  but  his  death  occurred  when  he 
had  just  gotten  fairly  started  in  the  enter- 
prise, leaving  a  widow  and  three  sons, 
George  M.  the  eldest,  and  Carroll  and 
Lawson,  and  therefore  at  a  very  early 
age  the  main  support  of  the  family  de- 
volved upon  George  M.  He  valiantly 
and  cheerfully  entered  the  struggle  for 
pence  with  which  to  buy  comforts  for  his 
mother  and  younger  brothers,  and  his 
energy  as  a  newsboy  sent  him  further ;  he 
was  an  upright,  steady  boy,  who  could 
safeguard  his  own  interests  in  the  fight 
for  newspaper  patronage,  but  he  never 
sought  to  excel  in  the  diversions  and 
lowering  practices  of  other  boys  of  his 
station.  His  ideal  was  ever  before  him ; 
he  meant  to  succeed,  and  the  hardships  of 
the  moment  did  not  shake  his  determina- 
tion, or  lower  his  spirit ;  consequently  he 
advanced.  From  the  selling  of  news- 
papers, he  ascended  to  a  minor  seat  in  the 
ticket  office  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  depot  at  Rome,  and  from  there 
advanced  to  the  minor,  though  respon- 
sible, position  of  messenger  in  a  Rome 
bank,  this  appointment  testifying  elo- 
quently to  his  character  in  his  young 
days,  as  the  prime  factor  of  importance 
in  the  requisite  qualifications  of  a  bank 
messenger  is  trustworthiness. 


Drawing  near  to  manhood,  full-grown 
and  thoroughly  inured  to  the  hardships 
and  vicissitudes  of  business,  George  M. 
Barnes,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  ven- 
tured into  a  new  field  of  endeavor,  in  the 
hope  that  by  the  change  he  might  better 
his  individual  condition  and,  particularly, 
that  of  his  family.  It  was  in  1870  that  he 
first  entered  the  city  of  Syracuse  in  quest 
of  employment.  He  found  it  almost  im- 
mediately in  the  executive  offices  of  a 
Syracuse  firm  of  iron  founders,  where  he 
efficiently  performed  the  duties  of  a  gen- 
eral clerk,  his  zeal  and  industry  advanc- 
ing him  from  a  temporary  to  a  permanent 
position.  By  close  study  he  acquired  pro- 
ficiency in  accountancy,  which  accom- 
plishment advanced  him  appreciably  in 
the  estimation  of  his  employers,  and  in 
the  period  of  his  service  his  increments 
of  salary  were  frequent  and  substantial, 
and  his  merit  brought  to  him  the  main 
opportunity  of  his  life  in  gaining  him  the 
attention  of  Henry  J.  Mowry,  whose 
friendship  was  destined  to  so  materially 
influence  the  later  career  of  Mr.  Barnes. 
Mr.  IMowry  was  the  directing  head  and 
owner  of  a  meat-packing  business  in 
Syracuse,  and  his  interest  in  the  ability 
of  Mr.  Barnes  persuaded  him  to  bring  the 
young  man  into  active  association  and  co- 
operation with  him  in  his  business.  The 
financial  interest  of  Mr.  Barnes  in  the 
business  was  at  the  outset  of  the  partner- 
ship a  minor  one ;  it  was  really  one  of 
service  and  not  finance,  but  it  was  the 
opportunity  he  had  longed  for  and  he 
applied  himself  to  the  business  of  Mr. 
Mowry  as  only  a  conscientious,  unselfish 
toiler  could ;  he  did  not  measure  his 
efforts  by  his  remuneration,  or  minor 
share  of  accruments  resulting  to  the  firm ; 
and  he  did  not  measure  his  days  of  labor 
by  an  arbitrary  schedule  of  hours,  or  by 
comparison  with  those  given  by  his  part- 
ner.    His  heart  was  in  the  business,  and 


16^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHY 


with  his  immediate  or  ultimate  future  he 
was  not  concerned  to  that  extent  of  ob- 
session whereby  any  opportunity  to  fur- 
ther the  interests  of  his  friend  and  col- 
league stood  in  risk  of  neglect. 

The  sequel  to  this  example  of  loyalty 
and  faithfulness  might  well  prove  a  force- 
ful inspiration  to  young  men  of  conscien- 
tious, earnest    endeavor.     In   the    latter 
years  of  his  partner's  life,  Mr.  Barnes  as- 
sumed almost  the  entire  direction  of  the 
business,  which  he  developed  very  appre- 
ciably  until  it  became  of  great  volume 
both  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and 
so  thonnighly  did  Mr.  Barnes  rise  in  the 
estimation  and  confidence  of  his  partner, 
who  admired  his  character  as  highly  as 
he  did  his  executive  ability,  that  immedi- 
ately after  the  death  of  Mr.  Mowry,  in 
1897,  it  became  known  that  he  had  be- 
queathed practically  his  entire  fortune  to 
his     esteemed     co-worker,     George     M. 
Barnes,  the  erstwhile  humble  little  news- 
boy of  Rome;  a  bequest  that  exceeded 
$200,000.    Then  did  the  real  nature  of  the 
legatee  declare  itself;  one  can  appreciate 
by  one  instance,  noted  at  that  time,  what 
was    the  true    character  of    George    M. 
Barnes.      Replying  to    an    acquaintance 
who,  when  the  bequest  became  publicly 
known,  hastened  to  congratulate  him  on 
his  exceeding  good  fortune  in  having  in- 
herited such  a  large  sum  of  money,  and 
who   ventured    to   inquire    whether    Mr. 
Barnes  did  not  consider  himself  fortunate, 
Mr.   Barnes  answered,  with  obvious  sin- 
cerity  (if   feeling,   "No   I   don't.     I   have 
\()<t  the  best  friend  I  ever  had."     In  that 
his  heart  spake.     How  many  men  there 
are  whose  hearts  have  no  chance  of  ex- 
pression against  the  dictates  of  avarice, 
whose   hearts   are   encrusted   by   a   hard 
shell  of  gold  impossible  to  break.    Money 
was  not  preeminent  in  the  estimation  of 
Mr.  Barnes.     The  friendship  existing  be- 
tween  Mr.   Mowry  and  himself  was  set 


entirely  above  financial  considerations, 
and  was  in  reality  the  outcome  of  a  genu- 
ine appreciation  of  each  other's  natural 
qualities.  This  was  made  reference  to  in 
the  editorial,  previously  mentioned,  of 
the  Syracuse  "Herald."     It  stated: 

The  elder  Syracusan  (Mr.  Mowry)  was  early 
attracted  by  the  industry,  natural  talents,  and 
winning  personal  qualities  of  the  young  account- 
ant, and  associated  Mr.  Barnes  with  him  in  busi- 
ness. Their  successful  business  relation  was  ex- 
ceptional in  the  strong  personal  attachment  that 
existed  between  the  two  men — an  attachment 
notable  among  many  similar  commercial  connec- 
tions for  its  affectionate  character,  and  its  recip- 
rocal confidence,  reliance,  and  helpfulness.  So 
well  understood  in  Syracuse  was  their  devotion 
to  each  other  that  no  one  was  surprised  when, 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  Mowry,  his  faithful  associ- 
ate and  counsellor  inherited  nearly  the  whole  of 
his  estate. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Mowry,  George 
M.  Barnes  was  called  upon  to  assume  the 
wider  responsibilities  of  a  capitalist  and 
administrator,  and  in  his  later  years  the 
business  of  banking  engaged  most  of  his 
time  and  thought.  In  high  executive 
capacities  he  was  associated,  in  turn,  with 
three  of  the  leading  banking  institutions 
of  Syracuse,  and  w-as  individually  largely 
instrumental  in  adding  tw^o  of  them  to  the 
group  of  the  city's  substantial  banks. 
His  knowledge  of  banking  in  both  its 
practical  and  scientific  aspects  was  broad 
and  versatile,  and  his  enthusiasm  for  the 
calling  was  as  ardent  as  his  interest  in 
it  was  alert  and  studious.  Beyond  the 
technical  limits  of  his  business,  far-reach- 
ing questions  like  the  currency  had  for 
him  a  constant  fascination.  He  followed 
with  deep  attention  the  efforts  of  Con- 
gress to  work  out  a  satisfactory  solution 
of  the  currency  problem,  and  his  views 
on  the  note-issuing  functions  of  the  na- 
tional banks,  and  the  conservative  utiliza- 
tion of  the  reserves,  were  often  those  of  a 
deeply-read  original  thinker,  and  denoted 
66 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  financier  of  broad  comprehension  and 
shrewd  calculation.  On  one  occasion, 
after  the  Aldrich  Commission  had  been 
appointed  by  Congress  to  investigate  the 
banking  systems  of  Europe,  and  espe- 
cially the  general  system  of  asset  cur- 
rency now  in  force  in  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Barnes  submitted  an  ingenious  plan, 
largely  of  his  device,  for  employing  bank 
reserves,  in  times  of  emergency,  to  relieve 
stringent  conditions,  under  a  system  of 
cooperation  between  the  banks  and  the 
government  that  would  safeguard  the 
remedy  at  every  point.  To  him  banking 
meant  more  than  the  mere  custody  and 
investment  of  the  money  of  depositors. 
His  vision  was  of  greater  scope ;  his  view 
of  the  range  of  banking  duties  was  of 
much  greater  magnitude  ;  the  utility  and 
direction  of  banking  appealed  to  him  quite 
as  strongly  as  a  factor  in  the  exploita- 
tion and  financing  of  the  nation's  great 
resources.  In  arriving  at  his  estimate  of 
the  higher  national  mission  of  banking, 
he  followed  the  dictates  of  an  ardent 
patriotism,  as  well  as  the  arguments 
prompted  by  his  extensive  business  ex- 
perience and  his  efficient  knowledge  of 
banking,  acquired  by  incessant  study  of 
the  banking  conditions  of  this  and  other 
countries.  He  was  ever  an  eager  student 
and  zealous   seeker  for  information. 

His  first  executive  association  with 
banking  institutions  was  with  the  Onon- 
daga County  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  director  for  twenty-five  years  ;  then 
organized  the  Commercial  Bank,  and 
afterwards  the  Syracuse  Trust  Company, 
resigning  as  vice-president  in  1913  to  give 
his  entire  time  to  the  Commercial  Bank. 
He  served  as  the  first  treasurer  of  the 
Syracuse  Trust  Company  until  191 1.  dur- 
ing which  period  the  volume  of  banking 
placed  with  this  institution  had  increased 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  bring  encomiums 
of  praise  upon  the   man   responsible   for 


its  direction  and  upbuilding.  The  per- 
sonality, ability  and  reputation  for  integ- 
rity of  Mr.  Barnes  was  in  great  measure 
the  cause  of  the  growth  of  the  Syracuse 
Trust  Company.  Mr.  Barnes  was  one 
of  the  most  popular  men  in  Syracuse, 
straight,  outspoken,  quick  in  action,  and 
exhibiting  at  times  that  natural  impati- 
ence a  man  of  the  most  rigid  rectitude  is 
apt  to  manifest  when  confronted  by  evi- 
dence of  subterfuge ;  yet  withal  a  kindly 
man,  and  a  conspicuous  exemplar  of  the 
truth  that  a  man  may  be  strict  in  his 
business  undertakings  and  still  exhibit 
habitually  the  genial  and  gentle  graces 
that  make  life  better  and  manhood  more 
admirable.  The  innate  thoroughness  and 
decision  of  all  the  actions  and  thoughts 
of  Mr.  Barnes  instilled  implicit  confidence 
in  his  judgment.  In  1913  he  organized 
the  Central  City  Trust  Company,  of  which 
he  was  president  from  its  inception  until 
his  death,  and  its  present  position  among 
Syracuse  financial  houses  is  a  tribute  to 
the  general  confidence  and  respect  in 
which  Mr.  Barnes  was  held  by  the  people 
of  the  city  wherein  his  actions  and  life 
for  almost  two  generations  had  been  open 
to  criticism. 

During  the  last  twenty  years  of  his 
life,  he  had  given  his  time  chiefly  to  the 
affairs  of  the  city ;  to  his  administrative 
duties  as  executor  of  the  Mowry  estate ; 
and  to  the  banking  and  other  executive 
offices,  to  which  his  ability  as  a  financier 
and  his  standing  as  a  capitalist  brought 
him.  The  editorial,  before-mentioned, 
further  states :  "As  a  man  and  citizen, 
as  husband  and  father,  Mr.  Barnes'  record 
was  such  as  to  call  for  unqualified  respect 
and  praise.  Supplementing  his  natural 
dignity,  and  his  scrupulous  and  exact 
business  methods,  he  had  a  cordiality  of 
manner  and  bearing  that  never  failed  to 
gain  and  hold  the  goodwill  and  esteem 
of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 


167 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  daily  round  of  business  or  social 
intercourse." 

Mr.  Barnes  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife.  Ida  Helen  (Linkfield)  Barnes,  bear- 
ing him  three  sons:  George  Mowry, 
Stetson  and  Lawrence.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Agnes  Vincent  Raflferty,  sister  of 
the  well  known  attorney,  William  F. 
Rafferty.  The  children  of  the  second 
marriage  are :  Lawson,  Georgianna,  and 
N'ictoria  and  \'irginia,  twins. 

Mr.  Barnes'  demise,  which  came  sud- 
denly while  he  was  enjoying  the  comforts 
of  his  summer  home  at  Round  Island, 
Thousand  Islands,  July  22,  1916,  was 
caused  by  acute  nephritis.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Oakwood  Cemetery, 
Syracuse,  July  25,  1916,  the  funeral  being 
memorable  as  a  magnificent  expression 
of  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Barnes  was 
held  in  the  city  of  Syracuse. 


SPONABLE.  George  Wells, 

Manufacturer. 

The  family  of  which  George  W.  Spon- 
able,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  is  the  lead- 
ing representative,  is  an  old  and  honored 
one  in  Montgomery  county.  They  have 
usually  been  engaged  in  agriculture  and 
have  been  noted,  as  a  family,  for  their 
thrift  and  energy.  Through  the  inter- 
marriages of  his  ancestors,  Mr.  Sponable 
is  descended  from  many  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial old  Dutch  families  of  New  York, 
anrl  has  inherited  the  qualities  of  tenacity, 
industry  and  thrift  which  distinguished 
their  careers. 

The  first  of  his  direct  paternal  ances- 
tors in  this  country  was  Johannes  Spank- 
nable,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1741, 
and  was  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
I'phratah,  Inilton  county,  New  York.  He 
manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted 
country  by  enlistment  as  a  private  in  the 
Tryon  county  militia,  under  Colonel  Jo- 


seph Klock.  During  the  Indian  struggle, 
he  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Indians, 
and  while  held  in  captivity  became  the 
object  of  the  afifection  of  a  young  Indian 
squaw.  Upon  his  refusal  to  marry  her 
he  was  struck  on  the  head  with  a  club  and 
left  for  dead.  He  was  only  stunned, 
how^ever,  and  in  time  recovered  conscious- 
ness and  made  his  way  to  British  lines. 
There  he  failed  to  find  the  succor  which 
he  expected,  was  sold  to  a  Frenchman  as 
a  slave,  and  was  held  in  this  captivity 
four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he 
made  his  escape,  and  made  his  way 
through  the  forests  to  his  home.  He 
again  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Rev- 
olution, and  fought  in  a  battle  near  Johns- 
town. He  died  in  1823.  in  Palatine,  New 
York.     He  married  Elizabeth  Kring. 

Philip  Sponable,  son  of  Johannes  and 
Elizabeth  (Kring)  Spanknable,  was  a 
farmer,  residing  in  iMontgomery  county. 
He  married  xA.nna  Yonker,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  six  sons  and  five  daughters. 

David  Sponable,  son  of  Philip  and  Anna 
(Yonker)  Sponable,  resided  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  birthplace,  and  married  Mag- 
dalena  Vrooman.  She  was  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  oldest  Dutch  families  of 
New  York,  founded  by  Simon  Volkert 
Veeder,  who  was  born  1624,  and  belonged 
to  the  ship  "Prince  Maurice,"  in  1644, 
when  that  ship  plied  between  Amster- 
dam, Holland,  and  New  Amsterdam.  He 
bought  a  lot  in  the  latter  city,  sold  it  in 
1654  for  thirty  beaver  skins,  removed  to 
Beverwyck  and  thence  to  Schenectady  in 
1662.  He  owned  a  "bouwery"  on  the 
"Great  Flat,"  and  a  village  lot  on  the 
north  corner  of  State  and  Ferry  streets, 
and  also  owned  land  on  the  Norman's 
Kill.  In  his  will  he  mentioned  seven  chil- 
dren: Pieter;  Gerrit;  Johannes;  Volkert; 
Volkie,  married  Barent  Janse  Wemp; 
Geesie,  married  Jan  Hendrickse  Vroo- 
man ;    Magdalena,  married  William   Ap- 


168 


^v\ 


TUl 


PliBUo 


^iEW  YOBK    , 
LIEKARY; 


TILCt'> 


-■Oft   I0^fs 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pel.    Volkert  Simon  Veeder,  son  of  Simon 
Volkert  Veeder,  lived  in  Schenectady,  re- 
ceived a  farm  at  Schenectady  by  the  will 
of  his  father,  and  died  there  August   13, 
1733.     He  married,  August  6,  1698,  Jan- 
netje    Schermerhorn,   daughter   of    Reyer 
and     Ariaantje     (Bratt)     Schermerhorn, 
born  about  1683,  granddaughter  of  Jacob 
Janse  Schermerhorn.  an  early  brewer  and 
trader  of  Beverwyck.     Their  son,  Johan- 
nes  Veeder,   was  born   April  8,   1714,   in 
Schenectady,  and  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Mohawk,  in  what 
is  now  Montgomery  county,  New  York, 
where  he  had  a  mill  on  land  now  occupied 
by  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  tracks. 
He  was  the  owner  of  one  thousand  acres 
of  land.    He  died  June  11,  1798.    He  mar- 
ried,   March    6,    1738,    Catherina    Mabie 
Veeder,  baptized  August  6,  1720,  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham   and   Annatje    (Vedder) 
Veeder.    granddaughter   of   Jan    Pieterse 
and  Anna  Pieterse  (Borsboom)  Mabie,  of 
Schenectady.     Their  son,  General  Abram 
Veeder,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
and    a   prominent   man    in   the    Mohawk 
Valley.     Their     son.     Colonel     Volkert 
Veeder,  was  baptized  December  14,  1740, 
in     Schenectady,    and    lived     in    Tryon 
county,     that     part     now     Montgomery 
county.    New   York.      In     1790    he    was 
allowed    damages    from    the     State    on 
account   of  depredations    of  the    enemy 
during  the  Revolutionary  War.     In  1788 
he  was   in   possession    of    land  through 
bounty    rights,    in    Montgomery    county. 
He  was  commissioned,  October  20,  1775, 
as  captain  of  the  Third  Company,  Fourth 
Regiment   (Second  Rensselaerwyck  Bat- 
talion),  was   later   second  major  of  the 
Fifth  Regiment.  Third  Battalion,  and  on 
April  4,    1778,  was   lieutenant-colonel   of 
the   same  regiment.     He  was  a    deputy 
from    Tryon    county    in    the   Third    and 
Fourth  Provincial  congresses,  and  in  1777 
was   appointed   to   distribute   aid   to  the 


distressed  citizens  of  that  county,  who 
had  suffered  from  depredations  of  Indians 
and  Tories.  He  married,  in  March,  1762, 
Elizabeth  Smith,  baptized  1744,  in  Schen- 
ectady, a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
families  of  that  town.  The  baptism  of 
one  son  is  recorded  in  Schenectady. 
Their  daughter,  Nancy  Veeder,  born 
March  18,  1773,  became  the  wife  of  Barent 
Henry  Vrooman,  who  was  born  October 
16,  1771,  and  died  November  19,  1859. 
They  were  the  parents  of  John  Barent 
Vrooman,  who  was  born  July  10,  1809, 
and  died  November  9,  1887.  His  wife, 
Eliza  Ann  (Wines)  Vrooman,  born  July 
23,  181 1,  died  November  30,  1851.  Their 
daughter,  Magdalena  Vrooman,  born  July 
21,  1831,  died  December  29,  1914.  She 
became  the  wife  of  David  Sponable,  as 
above  noted.  They  had  children :  Mary, 
Anna,  Laura,  Jennie,  John,  Frank  and 
George  Wells. 

George  Wells  Sponable,  youngest  child 
of  David  and  Magdalena  (Vrooman) 
Sponable,  was  born  October  16,  1866,  at 
Fort  Plain,  Montgomery  county,  New 
York,  where  he  was  brought  up,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  was  in 
the  employ  of  William  Hudson,  of  Fort 
Plain,  selling  garden  produce,  and  on 
January  15,  1886,  he  entered  a  cigar  box 
factory  at  Cigarville,  New  York.  On 
April  25,  1887,  he  entered  on  an  appren- 
ticeship to  learn  the  gunmaker's  trade 
with  the  Lafeve  Arms  Company  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  where  he  continued 
about  one  year,  after  which  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Cofifin  &  Leighton,  manufac- 
turers of  machinist's  steel  rules  or  scales. 
On  September  23,  1889.  he  w^ent  into  the 
shops  of  the  Straight  Line  Engine  Com- 
pany of  Syracuse,  and  there  remained  un- 
til he  became  master  of  the  machinist's 
trade.  He  entered  the  shops  of  the  C.  E. 
Lipe  Machine  Company  as  a  journeyman, 

69 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


February  6,  1893,  and  has  been  identified 
with  this  establishment  since  that  time. 
On  April  i,  1900,  he  became  foreman  of 
the  shoi)s,  and  is  now  a  stockholder  and 
director  of  the  I!rown-Lipe  Gear  Com- 
pany, and  a  partner  in  Brown,  Lipe, 
Chapin  t^  Company.  Mr.  Sponable  is 
among  the  patriotic  sons  of  New  York, 
and  served  five  years  in  the  National 
Guard.  State  of  New  York,  as  a  member 
of  the  Forty-first  Separate  Company  of 
Syracuse,  from  May  4,  1888,  to  May  4, 
1893.  He  is  actixe  in  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, affiliating  with  all  the  bodies  up  to 
and  including  the  thirty-second  degree, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Club  of 
Syracuse.  With  his  family  he  affiliates 
with  the  Good  W'ill  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 

Mr.  Sponable  married,  October  10,  1894, 
in  Syracuse,  Jessie  !May  Robertson,  daugh- 
ter of  Lucien  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Horn) 
Robertson.  They  have  one  son,  Cleon 
David  Sponable,  born  July  28,  1895. 


BRAINARD,  George  E., 

Well-Known  in  Insnrance  Circles. 

As  agency  supervisor  for  the  Equitable 
Life  Assurance  Society  of  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Brainard  has  reached  a  posi- 
tion of  trust  and  honor  for  which  his 
years  of  training  in  subordinate  position 
eminently  qualifies  him.  In  1886  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  insurance  busi- 
ness and  since  that  time  has  been  con- 
nected with  agency  work,  gaining  experi- 
ence with  the  firm  of  R.  B.  True  &  Com- 
pany in  the  various  departments  of  that 
important  firm  until  admitted  to  a  part- 
nership. When  that  company  retired 
from  the  insurance  field,  Mr.  Brainard 
continued  with  the  Equitable,  his  long 
service  entitling  him  to  membership  in 
the  Veteran  Legion  as  one  of  the  thirty- 
year  class.     He  has  given   his  business 


life  to  the  advancement  of  the  company's 
interests,  and  ranks  with  leading  men  of 
the  agency  department.  Mr.  Brainard  is 
a  grandson  of  Ephraim  Brainard,  and  a 
son  of  Henry  A.  Brainard,  whose  career 
as  an  attorney  was  as  a  member  of  the 
Oswego  county  bar,  located  at  Phoenix, 
where  his  son,  George  E.  Brainard,  was 
born.  Henry  A.  Brainard,  after  a  suc- 
cessful career  at  the  bar,  was  obliged  to 
retire  on  account  of  his  health  and  there- 
after gave  himself  to  out-of-door  occupa- 
tion as  a  civil  engineer.  In  that  capacity 
he  was  intimately  connected  with  the 
location  and  construction  of  the  West 
Shore  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  New 
York  Central  system.  He  continued  en- 
gaged in  engineering  activities  for  many 
years,  until  his  death  in  1900,  and  was  a 
man  of  high  professional  standing.  He 
married  Caroline  Elizabeth  Northrup, 
who  died  in  1904,  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living. 

George  E.  Brainard  was  born  in  Phoe- 
nix, Oswego  county.  New  York,  March 
14,  1869,  ^^'^  there  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  Phoenix  Academy. 
After  completing  his  educational  prepara- 
tion, he  joined  his  father  in  his  engineer- 
ing work  and  spent  eighteen  months  with 
West  Shore  surveying  parties.  The  work 
did  not  appeal  to  him  and  the  next  eigh- 
teen months  were  spent  as  a  bookkeeper 
with  the  Loomis  Lumber  Company  of 
Syracuse.  On  September  i,  1886,  he  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Equitable  Life 
Assurance  Society,  an  association  Avhich 
has  never  yet  been  broken.  His  early 
connection  with  the  Equitable  was  as  an 
employe  of  R.  B.  True  &  Company,  the 
Society's  general  agents  at  Syracuse,  and 
there  he  developed  the  traits  which  placed 
him  in  direct  line  for  the  promotion  which 
rapidly  followed.  He  finally  became  a 
partner  and  until  March  i,  1913,  was  an 
important  factor  in  placing  that  company 


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PUBLIC  Lib..-KY 


ASTOR,   L'NOX 
Til   DEN     FO'JNOA     IONS 


nong^  the  leadin.e  a.r. 
On  the  dati 
cc   company  retired    ii<.'\ii    i.' 
Mr.  Braiiiard  was  n-^roinfcd 
r;t  position,  agei; 
From  the   •■ 


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Jic  ii>  liLki  in  iiigi.  esteem  ' 
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vchiSiOi)  oi  ail  else,  nciili 

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jier  a  t 

"Germany,    i 

in  1830, 

second  year;  h 

L  J  Lorraine,    Frai. 

)!,  in  her  eightieth 

Martin  G.  Grossma 


i   Cuniii. 

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ified  a  Salina   street. 

.  M,,arried,  in  .  w.iv.  ur^v., .  c;  -  that  firm  f^^ 

'  "  t8q2,  Jennie  C.  I-^throp,  daugh-  head  clerl 

Ibert  and  Laura  (Roberts)  of  the 

.  ;.lm.'.     I  ,..  and  Mrs.  Brainard  are  the  ment 

'1-ent?  of  a   son,  Elliott  Roberts  Brain-  226  N 
racuse,  January  21,  189- 


T^-^SSMAN,  Martin  a, 

Bnsi?i«ss    Man,    Tinasr^Je? 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  purchased  and  the  new  purchaser  at 
once  occupied  it.  Mr.  Grossman  may  re- 
view his  thirty-eight  years  of  business 
life  in  Syracuse  with  a  great  deal  of  satis- 
faction, as  he  has  won  honorably  high 
position  from  a  humble  beginning,  the 
only  Open  Sesame  having  been  the  magic 
words  too  often  lightly  regarded,  indus- 
try and  integrity.  In  addition  to  the  ex- 
ecution and  general  management  of  the 
Wood  Glass  Company,  he  is  a  director  of 
the  City  Bank  and  from  its  organization 
has  been  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  board. 

In  politics  Mr.  Grossman  is  an  inde- 
pendent Democrat,  and  from  191 1  until 
191 5  was  school  commissioner.  He  is  a 
member  of  all  bodies  of  the  York  and 
Scottish  Rites  of  Masonry,  holding  the 
thirty-second  degree ;  is  a  Noble  of  Ziyara 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Utica.  New  York,  and  is  a  "Tall  Cedar" 
belonging  to  Keder  Khan  Grotto,  Syra- 
cuse. His  clubs  and  societies  are :  The 
Anglers'  Association,  Automobile  Club, 
Citizens'  Club,  Masonic  Temple  Club, 
Mystic  Krewe,  Rotary  Club,  Bellevue 
County  Club,  City  Club,  Liederkranz, 
Bass  Island  Rod  and  Gun  Club.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  of  Danforth  Congregational 
Church. 

Mr.  Grossman  married,  in  Syracuse, 
September  15,  1885,  Loretta  Freeman, 
daughter  of  Alvin  and  Hannah  (Smith) 
Freeman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grossman  have 
a  son,  Martin  Freeman  Grossman,  born 
March  14,  1899. 


LENNOX,  Frank  R., 

Deprived  of  a  father's  guiding  care 
when  young,  Mr.  Lennox  received  his 
early  lessons  from  a  cultured,  devoted 
mother  who  aided  his  youthful  ambitions 


for  an  education  and  lived  to  see  her  son 
well  advanced  in  his  college  career.  She 
was  a  descendant  of  Heinrich  Starin,  first 
county  judge  of  Herkimer  county.  New 
York,  and  of  Nicholas  Ster  (Stern  and 
Starin)  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Zuyder 
Zee,  Guelderland,  Holland,  in  1663, 
founder  of  the  family  in  America.  The 
founder  came  to  New  Amsterdam'  in  one 
of  the  ships  of  the  Dutch  West  India 
Company  in  1696,  bringing  with  him  six 
children  and  a  second  wife.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  at  Fort  Orange  and  Ger- 
man Flats,  New  York,  the  father  dying 
in  1759,  aged  ninety-six.  From  his  sons 
sprang  the  prominent  Starin  family  of 
the  Mohawk  Valley,  forty-one  of  the  for- 
bears of  Frank  R.  Lennox,  direct  and  col- 
lateral, being  enrolled  as  active  soldiers 
in  the  Tryon  county  militia  during  the 
Revolution. 

Frank  R.  Lennox  was  born  at  Durham- 
ville,  Oneida  county.  New  York,  April  2, 
1873,  son  of  George  Kempton  and  Ger- 
trude (Wilson)  Lennox.  His  father,  a 
lawyer  and  journalist  of  New  York  City, 
died  while  his  children  were  young,  the 
mother  surviving  until  1896.  In  1882, 
Mrs.  Lennox  with  her  children  moved  to 
Canastota,  New  York,  and  there  Frank 
R.  was  educated  and  prepared  for  college 
in  the  grade  and  high  schools.  He  en- 
tered Union  University  at  Schenectady, 
but  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1896  ter- 
minated his  college  course.  He  then  be- 
gan the  study  of  law^  under  the  direction 
of  George  E.  Russell,  of  Canastota.  con- 
tinuing study  in  the  latter's  ofifice  until 
1899,  when  he  moved  to  Syracuse,  New 
York.  He  continued  law  study  in  the 
ofifices  of  Beach,  Barnum  &  Spicer,  and  in 
1900  was  admitted  to  the  Onondaga 
county  bar.  He  practiced  alone  for  a 
time,  then  formed  a  partnership  with  J. 
Charles  Meldram,  an  association  which 
has  never  been  broken,  the  partners  prac- 
72 


THE  NLV/  YlKK     I 
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rogates   Court  and    ^'  ' 
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cuse,  Mr.  i  Cnittenango, 

::.  nt 

in  his  support  of  the  Republican  party, 

hr^      -    -'         -*■  "^nct  committeeman  for 

s  frequently  a  delegate 

state,  county  and  judicial  conventions. 

xn  1914  he  was  elected  a  dele-'     'om 

the    Thirty-seventh    Senaton  Jt, 

uprising  the  cou  ..  Che- 

-■   '  '  '     "  -"'— lal 

'  nember 


La  v%  c-   .  •    ,.  •.-■_-' .       i . 
of  Master  of  Arts 
College,  and  was  : 
that  year.    He  was 
of  Commissioners 
for  three  years,  and  v 
gate  to  the  New   ^' 
tional  Convention 
pendei 
the    Nc. 
York  Coun 

sociation,  tl 


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since 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  civic  societies  is  widely  extended  and 
his  aid  in  furthering  the  ends  for  which 
they  exist  is  most  valuable.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Francis  Cook,  of  the  "May- 
flower," to  whom  the  land  at  Cook's  Hol- 
low, now  the  town  of  Kingston,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  originally  granted.  The 
family  has  been  an  important  one  in  Mas- 
sachusetts down  through  the  centuries  to 
the  present  and  descendants  of  Francis 
Cook  are  found  in  every  part  of  the  Union 
of  no  less  honorable  name  than  their 
Massachusetts  brethren.  He  is  a  son  of 
Miller  and  Martha  (Shape)  Cook. 

Henry  Webster  Cook  was  born  in 
Whitman,  Massachusetts,  September  9, 
1872,  and  there  completed  a  course  of 
public  school  instruction.  He  made  final 
preparation  at  Thayer  Academy,  South 
Braintree.  Massachusetts,  then  entered 
Amherst  College,  where  his  classical  edu- 
cation was  completed.  His  business  edu- 
cation began  under  the  direction  of  his 
father  in  the  latter's  shoe  factories  at 
Whitman  and  there  he  gained  that  expert 
knowledge  of  shoe  manufacture  and  mar- 
keting which  has  won  him  high  standing 
among  his  contemporaries.  In  1904  he  en- 
tered into  a  partnership  with  A.  E.  Nettle- 
ton  and  engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing  in 
Syracuse,  where  he  continues  principal 
owner  and  general  manager  of  the  A.  E. 
Nettleton  Company.  He  is  also  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Central  City  Trust  Company 
and  has  other  important  business  inter- 
ests. He  has  entered  heartily  into  the 
club  and  social  life  of  his  city,  and  in  the 
purely  business  associations  takes  active 
and  leading  part.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  ;  is  an  ex-president  of  the  Na- 
tional Boot  &  Shoe  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation ;  member  of  the  Advertising  Men's 
Club;  president  of  the  Boys'  Club  in 
which  he  is  deeply  interested;  member  of 
the  Citizens'  Club,  an  organization  of  ex- 


ceptional value  to  the  city ;  and  in  all  has 
exerted  a  beneficial  influence.  His  clubs 
are  mainly  those  devoted  to  recreations 
of  the  great  out-of-doors  and  cover  about 
every  phase  of  country  life.  These  in- 
clude the  Automobile  Club  of  Syracuse, 
(vice-president)  the  lagoo,  the  Mad 
River,  Onondaga  Golf  and  Country,  South 
Bay  Club  House  Association,  and  the 
Sedgwick  Farm  Club.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Century  Club  of  Syracuse,  the 
City  Club  of  Auburn  and  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  Club  of  New  York.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  but  beyond  exercising 
his  rights  and  privileges  as  a  citizen  takes 
no  active  part  in  political  affairs,  his  in- 
terest in  city  life  being  as  a  good  citizen 
not  as  a  partisan.  He  is  an  attendant  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  Through 
his  patriotic  ancestry  he  has  obtained 
membership  in  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  belonging  to  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery. 

Mr.  Cook  married,  in  Newton  Centre, 
Massachusetts,  June  11,  1902,  Grace 
Marion  Rowe,  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles 
H.  and  Harriet  Frances  (Kallock)  Rowe. 
Children  :  Robert  Stansfield,  born  Octo- 
ber 6,  1906;  Frances  Kallock,  July  4,  1909; 
Constance  Hawthorne,   October  7,    191 1. 


CHAPMAN,  Edward  D., 

Attomey-at-La^nr. 

There  is  no  region  more  intimately  as- 
sociated with  the  most  romantic  period 
in  our  history,  which  has  to  do  with  the 
relation  of  the  white  settlers  and  the  In- 
dian tribes,  their  predecessors,  than  that 
region  which  extends  from  the  Adiron- 
dack Mountains  southward  to  the  Mo- 
hawk River  and  then  westward  and 
which  includes  the  whole  of  the  north 
central  part  of  New  York  State.  This 
was  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  fierce  but 


174 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


noble  Iroquois  and  to  this  day  it  is  filled 
with   their  wonderful  and  poetic  names. 
It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  country,  in  the 
town  of  Aurelius,   Cayuga  county,   Xew 
Y'ork.  that  Edward  D.  Chapman,  a  well- 
known,  capable  attorney,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1873.    H^  is  the  son  of  George 
and    Sarah    (Davidson)    Chapman.      Mr. 
Chapman,  Sr.,  died  in  1874,  and  the  family 
continued  to  live  at  Aurelius  until  1880, 
when  they  removed  to  Onondaga  Valley, 
Onondaga   county.     The   early  youth   of 
Mr.  Chapman  was  spent  at  this  place  and 
at  the  old  home  of  his  mother  in  the  town 
of  Van  Buren.     His  elementary  education 
was  gained  at  Baldwinsville  High  School 
and     the     Onondaga     Valley     Academy, 
where  he  was  prepared  for  college,  from 
which    he    graduated    with    the    class    of 
1893.    He  entered  the  law  school  of  Syra- 
cuse University,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  November,  1898.     He  at  once  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the 
city  of   Syracuse,   where   he   met  with   a 
very  considerable  and  gratifying  success. 
He   continued    thus   in    private    practice 
until  1908,  a  period  of  ten  years,  when  he 
was  appointed    second  assistant    district 
attorney  of  Onondaga  county.     This  im- 
portant   and    responsible    post    he    held 
from  1908  until  1917,  giving  valuable  serv- 
ice to  the  community  and  discharging  his 
tasks    and    obligations    with    great    effi- 
ciency and  success.     During  that  time  he 
won  for  himself  a  well-deserved  reputa- 
tion as  a  disinterested  and  capable  public 
officer  and  as  an  upright  and  high-minded 
citizen.     Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term 
at  the  beginning  of  1917,   Mr.  Chapman 
renewed  his  private  practice  and  is  now 
so  occupied.    In  politics  Mr.  Chapman  is 
a  Republican  and  is  regarded  as  a  potent 
factor  in  local  political  affairs.    He  is  also 
a  prominent  figure  in  social  and  club  life 
in  Syracuse  and  is  affiliated  with  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 


Fellows.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  the  Republican 
Escort  and  the  City  Club  of  Syracuse. 
In  his  religious  belief  Mr.  Chapman  is  a 
Presbyterian  and  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Church  of  that  denomination  in  Bald- 
winsville. 

On  March  31,  1903,  Mr.  Chapman  was 
united  in  marriage  at  Syracuse  with  Mrs. 
Carolyn  \V.  Becker,  a  daughter  of  Martin 
and  ]\Iary  Wambsgan. 

There  is,   of  course,  no  royal  road  to 
success.    There  is  no  road  even  of  which 
it  may  be  said  that  it  is  superior  to  all 
others,  yet  we  can    scarcely  doubt    that 
there   are,   as   it   were,   certain   shortcuts, 
certain   stretches  of    well   travelled    way 
that   lead   rather   more   directly   and    by 
easier  stages  to  some  specific  goals  than 
do  others,  and  that  it  well  pays  those  who 
would  travel  thither  to  take  note  of  their 
existence.     Let  us  take  for  example  that 
so  widely  desired  success   in  public  life 
for  which  so  many  strive  and  so  few  effec- 
tively ;  here,  putting  aside  a  certain  undue 
influence  said  to  be  too  frequently  exerted 
to-day  in  this  country,  there  are  few  ways 
of  such  direct  approach  as  through  the 
time-honored   profession  of   law.     There 
is   certainly   nothing   astonishing   in   this 
fact — and  it  surely  is  a  fact — because  the 
training,  the    associations,  matters    with 
which   their   daily   work  brings  them  in 
contact,  are  of  a  kind  that  peculiarly  well 
fit   the   lawyers   for  the   tasks   of  public 
office,  many  of  which  are  merely  a  con- 
tinuation or  slight  modification  of  their 
more  private  labors.     To  step  from  the 
bar  to  the  bench  is  to  step  from  private 
to  public  life,  yet  it    involves  no    such 
startling  break  in  what  a  man  must  do, 
still  less  in  what  he  must  think,  and  al- 
though there  are  but  few  offices  in  which 
the   transition   is   as    direct  as  this,    yet 
there  are  but  few  to  which  the  step  is  not 
comparatively  easy.     Of  course  it  is  not. 


^/:) 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


as  has  already  been  remarked,  a  royal 
road,  for  the  law  is  an  exacting-  mistress 
and  requires  of  her  votaries  not  merely 
hard  and  concentrated  study  in  prepara- 
tion for  her  practice,  but  a  sort  of  double 
task  as  student  and  business  man,  as  the 
condition  of  successful  practice  through- 
out the  period  in  which  they  follow  her. 
Nevertheless  what  has  been  stated  is  un- 
questionably true  as  anyone  who  chooses 
to  examine  the  lives  of  our  public  men  in 
the  past  can  easily  discover  in  the  pre- 
ponderance of  lawyers  over  men  of  their 
callings  who  are  chosen  for  this  kind  of 
advancement.  The  career  of  Mr.  Chap- 
man, the  prominent  attorney  of  Syracuse, 
New  York,  is  a  case  in  point,  although 
his  choice  of  the  law  as  a  profession  was 
undoubtedly  dictated  by  a  fondness  for 
the  subject  itself  and  by  no  ulterior  mo- 
tives, however  excellent  in  themselves. 


WINDHOLZ,  Louis, 

Buaineas  Man. 

From  the  year  1868,  when  Mr.  Wind- 
holz  first  located  in  Syracuse,  New  York, 
until  his  death  in  1909,  he  was  identified 
with  the  catering  and  canning  business, 
being  at  his  death  president  of  the  Wind- 
holz  Company.  During  his  forty  years 
of  residence  in  Syracuse  he  revealed  in 
his  business  and  social  life  the  best  quali- 
ties of  the  German  character,  was  a  good 
citizen,  a  loyal  friend,  kindly  and  con- 
siderate in  his  relations  with  men  and 
just  in  all  his  business  dealings.  Syra- 
cusans  of  middle  age  recall  with  pleasure 
the  famous  restaurant  he  conducted  in 
Vanderbilt  Square,  a  gathering  place  for 
many  well  known  men  and  an  admirable 
substitute  for  the  present  day  social  club. 
It  was  one  of  the  traditions  of  the  restaur- 
ant that  it  was  there  that  the  arrange- 
ments were  perfected  which  resulted  in 
the  nomination  of  Grover  Cleveland  for 


governor  of  New  York  State  in  1882. 
Later  as  a  prosperous  canner  he  gained 
greater  business  prominence,  continuing 
until  1905  when  he  retired  from  active 
control.  He  possessed  a  wide  circle  of 
true  friends  who  will  long  recall  the 
memory  of  his  sturdy,  independent  char- 
acter and  many  manly  and  genial  attri- 
butes. 

Louis  Windholz  was  born  in  Karls- 
ruhe, Baden,  Germany,  July  23,  1836,  died 
at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Bull,  Chittenango,  New  York,  April  27, 
1909.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  land 
and  there  remained  until  1853,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  residing  there  and 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  until  1857.  In 
that  year  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
navy  in  the  Coast  Survey  Service  and  un- 
til i860  served  as  steward  on  board  the 
"Saranac,"  one  of  the  olden  type  w^ooden 
side  wheel  war  steamships.  In  i860  he 
opened  a  restaurant  in  Washington,  but 
when  war  broke  out  between  the  States 
he  enlisted  and  served  until  hostilities 
ceased. 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Windholz  was  en- 
gaged as  a  caterer  until  1868  when  he 
permanently  located  in  Syracuse,  New 
York,  opening  the  Amos  Hotel,  corner  of 
Noxon  and  North  Salina  streets,  continu- 
ing its  proprietor  for  three  years  and 
making  it  a  famous  hostelry.  In  1872  he 
opened  a  restaurant  in  the  Monroe  block 
in  Vanderbilt  Square  which  became  fam- 
ous in  Central  New  York  for  the  excel- 
lence of  its  cuisine.  It  was  at  this  restaur- 
ant, on  the  eve  of  the  Democratic  State 
Convention  of  1882,  that  the  leaders  of  the 
Cleveland  forces  from  Buffalo  carried  out 
the  plans  which  gave  Grover  Cleveland  to 
the  Nation.  The  Buflfalo  Democratic 
Club  engaged  the  dining  parlors  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  restaurant  as  their 
headquarters  during  the  convention  and 


176 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,   L-NOX 
TILDE  N     FOUNOA     ions 


■  c~r^^ 


leader,  and  Hugh  "N' 
of  the  Kings  C 
.;  I  them  in  a  " 
AM^   1  greed  that  1'' 
nominated  for  gc^ 


1  I  .  '  \^l  i  v..  I  . 

r's  he  V 


ted  ait> 


•f  York 


';  /  York 

^al   Guard  at   Peekskill.     He  was 
liiSL  given  the  contract  for  catering  to  the 
:  Hvr.  during  the  administration  of  Gov- 
Cornell  and  practically  was  in  full 
ciiciige  of  designing  the  mess  room,  and 
:il'  !>iiildings  of  the  commissary  depart- 
He  was  reawarded  the  contract 
fuig  Governor  Cleveland's  :  ra- 

il   ;in.l    r-^r/u:-    t^,-    J..vr;    n>!n  ;  -ns 

oaiy   Oi_ 

V  nrw    '\:  u 

Johli  W.   \aic  -■li- 

int 

business  uritii  iSSS,  tb  lat 

field  to  devote  himsei;   :. rng 

megar  and  canning  fruits  and  vegetables. 

!e  built  a  factory  in  Cortland  avenue, 
:>yracuse,  where  he  made  vinegar,  and  at 
Homer  and  at  Parish,  Oswego  county, 
operated  canning  factories.  He  conducted 
very  successful  operations  in  both  depart- 
ments until  1905,  when  his  health  failed 

r;d  the  Windholz  Company  was  formed 
i.o  continue  the  business,  the  ?'■"'-•--  '*  ■- 
injr  the  nominal  president  of  t; 
le  sons,  Louis 


iJemocrat  in  poi 
or  accepted  pu'' 
nee  was  wide 

of  both  parties,  and 

grave  of  par: 

cided  ■:  n  the  m 

Mr.    Windholz    married 

Howe,  born  in  England,  v^'  • 

Tht  '.   were  the  ijareiits  of 
laughte 

RoLcrt    L.,    vice-pi^sldcn^ 

T!  v^p -Churchill  Company 
2.  Louis  H.,  general 

Baiiimore  Manufactuv"' 

,'i"r,-.-'.-ir  r."  -hp  Marin^ 
Charle- 

perinteudi 

Syracuse,  . .  v. .      ... 

under  Mayor  Will,  rr 

I,  191-6,  under 

Ethel,  maf!-^' 

Syracuse, 

ried  Emerson  K. 

Dakota.      6.    Pr' 

Charles  Willi 

York. 


4, 

ry 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.'\PHY 


self-reliant  man  with  an  experience  in  life 
that   ranks   him   as    one   of  the    world's 
"hustlers."     He  hustled  for  a  living,  for 
an  education,  and  for  professional  stand- 
ing and  has  won  his  way  unaided  by  in- 
fluential   friends    or    fortuitous    circum- 
stance, has  trusted  to  himself,  and  now, 
successfully  and  firmly  fixed  in  a  good 
practice  in  his  native  city,  Syracuse,  he 
can  review  his  past  life  with  satisfaction. 
William   Charles  Houde  was    born  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  September  12,  1875, 
and  until  eleven  years  of  age  attended  the 
public  schools.    He  then  began  his  career 
as  a  wage  earner,  beginning  as  cash  boy 
in  the  dry  goods  store  of  Milton  S.  Price, 
at  a  salary  of  $1.75  weekly.    Later  he  was 
errand  boy  for  L  McCarthy  &  Company 
and  for  Dey  Brothers,  then  became  er- 
rand boy  in  the  shoe  store  of  Brand  & 
Bauer.     From  mercantile  firms  he  went 
to  the  tin  manufacturer,  John  S.  Carter, 
working   at    the   bench ;    thence   to    the 
Welsh    Furniture    Company    where    he 
learned  upholstering;  thence  to  the  Wolf 
Furniture  Company  as  upholsterer.     For 
a  time  he  worked  in  E.  C.  Stearns  pick- 
ling works,  and  in  a  machine  shop  as  a 
moulder,  earning  $4.50  weekly.     This  is 
the  record  from  the  age  of  eleven  to  six- 
teen.    At  sixteen  he  began  taking  con- 
tracts at  which  he  earned  from  $12  to 
$16  weekly.     At  age  of  seventeen  he  ob- 
tained  a   subscription   agency   from    the 
Syracuse  "Post-Standard"  and  the  agency 
for  a  pants  creaser  company  for  several 
counties.     He   secured   from  his    friend, 
Dr.  W.  F.  Klock,  permission  to  use  his 
ofifice  and  on  all  his  business  cards  had 
his    office    number   prominently    printed. 
In  less  than  three  months  he  sold    his 
agency  profitably,  and  having  during  that 
time   become   interested    in  his    friend's 
dental  work,  asked  to  be  taught  dentistry. 
Dr.  Klock,  not  feeling  that  he  could  afford 
an  assistant,  declined  but  they  did  con- 


clude an  arrangement  by  which  he  was 
to  teach  the  young  man  the  rudiments  of 
dentistry  and  allow  him  to  manufacture 
and  sell  tooth-powder  as  wages.  From 
Dr.  Klock  he  went  to  the  dental  office  of 
Dr.  George  H.  Hardisty,  where  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  and  assisted  in  the  office 
work,  receiving  a  salary  of  $7.00  weekly. 
His  next  position  was  with  Dr.  Silas  Hub- 
bard, who  paid  him  $10  weekly  and  a 
commission  on  all  work  he  brought  to  the 
office.  He  spent  seven  years  in  the  dental 
business  in  Syracuse,  then  decided  to 
start  for  himself.  He  decided  the  city  of 
Mexico  was  a  proper  location  for  a  "hust- 
ler," not  too  well  equipped  with  profes- 
sional skill,  and  in  February,  1898,  he 
started  for  that  city.  His  money  gave  out 
on  reaching  Houston,  Texas,  and  the 
Mexico  trip  was  delayed.  He  got  to  La 
Porte,  Texas,  where  he  opened  a  dental 
office  and  remained  five  weeks  earning 
sufficient  cash  to  continue  his  journey  to 
the  city  of  Mexico.  He  arrived  in  a  sickly 
season  and  soon  decided  that  Syracuse 
was  a  good  place  to  live  in,  and  to  that 
city  he  quickly  returned.  He  worked  for 
a  short  time  for  Dr.  Leon  J.  Weeks,  then 
decided  to  obtain  a  college  degree  and 
settle  permanently. 

In  May,  1898,  he  entered  Philadelphia 
Dental  College,  having  a  capital  of  $125. 
Of  this  $105  was  expended  in  matricula- 
tion and  tuition  charges,  and  the  balance 
being  inadequate  he  began  to  "hustle"  at 
once  for  money  needed  for  instruments 
and  sustenance,  finding  a  source  of  reve- 
nue in  the  sale  of  supplies  to  the  dental 
students,  and  by  working  in  dental  offices 
in  the  city.  In  his  second  year  he  was 
appointed  demonstrator  to  the  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  members  of  the  fresh- 
man class  of  the  college,  to  teach  the 
technicalities  of  dentistry,  but  the  work 
so  interfered  with  his  ow^n  study  that  the 
next  year  he  declined  the  position.  He 
78 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


literally  "worked"  his  way  through  col- 
lege, but  it  took  much  longer  to  finish 
than  it  otherwise  would.  He  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1903,  receiving  his  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  He 
had  married  the  previous  year,  and  in 
addition  to  paying  his  way  through  col- 
lege supported  himself  and  wife. 

After  graduation  he  worked  in  differ- 
ent dental  offices,  and  in  1904  passed  the 
examination  of  the  Xew  York  State 
Board  of  Dental  Examiners  and  was  duly 
licensed  to  practice  his  profession.  The 
same  year  he  opened  offices  in  Syracuse, 
and  has  been  very  successful,  has  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice  and  the  unbounded 
respect  of  all  who  know  him.  There  have 
been  no  periods  of  leisure  in  his  life,  every- 
thing he  has  he  has  worked  for,  and  in 
the  success  that  he  has  attained  there  is 
but  just  reward  for  his  years  of  self  denial 
and  long  hours  of  labor. 

Dr.  Houde  married,  October  i,  1902, 
Mabel  A.  Lyons  and  has  six  children : 
Marion,  born  August  15,  1904,  died  Janu- 
ary 29,  1913;  Mabel,  born  February,  1906; 
Walter  John,  born  1908,  died  in  infancy; 
Eloise,  born  1909;  John  Edward,  born 
191 1 ;  Charles  Goddard  Walter,  born  1913. 


PRATT,  Serene  Stansbury, 

Jonrnalist,  Authority  on  Finance. 

The  late  Sereno  Stansbury  Pratt,  sec- 
retary of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  for  many  years  editor  of  "The 
Wall  Street  Journal,"  was  a  man  of  un- 
usual intellectual  attainments,  and  mer- 
ited in  every  respect  the  high  position  he 
reached  in  his  special  field  of  endeavor. 
Success  would  have  been  drawn  from  any 
ambuscade  by  virtue  of  his  mental  and 
moral  constitution.  He  typified  its  requi- 
sites in  his  industry,  patience,  integrity, 
sobriety,  trustworthiness,  and  that  fidelity 
and  earnestness  that  preserved    and  in- 


sured the  steadfastness  and  loyalty  of  a 
true  man  and  gentleman  to  the  very  in- 
tent, spirit,  and  aim  of  the  faith  and  trust 
of  which  he  was  made  the  repository. 
Mr.  Pratt  had  high  qualifications  in  the 
journalistic  field.  Not  the  least  of  these 
was  a  breadth  of  sympathy  which  at- 
tracted to  him  talent  in  its  developing, 
and  went  far  to  insure  to  any  enterprise 
with  which  he  was  connected  a  kind  of 
team-work  vital  to  newspaper  success. 
Throughout  the  financial  community  he 
was  best  known  to  the  older  representa- 
tives of  the  Stock  Exchange  and  the  bank- 
ing institutions.  His  remarkable  capacity 
to  view  a  question  from  its  many  aspects 
at  the  same  time  gave  a  ballast  to  the 
editorial  utterances  of  "The  Wall  Street 
Journal,"  which  went  far  to  secure  for  it 
its  influential  part  in  the  development  of 
business  responsibility  of  a  higher  order 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 

Mr.  Pratt  was  born  at  Westmoreland, 
Herkimer  county.  New  York,  March  12, 
1858.  His  father,  Enfield  Loring  Pratt, 
was  a  successful  oil  refiner  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  later  a  manufacturer  of  surgical 
supplies  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where 
he  became  a  man  of  influence  in  industrial 
circles,  and  a  representative  citizen. 

When  young  in  years,  Sereno  S.  Pratt 
was  taken  by  his  parents  from  his  birth- 
place to  Burlington,  Vermont,  and  there 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  graduated 
from  the  high  school,  afterwards  attend- 
ing the  University  of  Vermont,  but  left 
without  graduating  after  studying  there 
about  two  years.  However,  he  remained 
a  student  all  his  life  and  became  a  man  of 
ripe  scholarship,  and  on  June  23,  1913, 
the  above  named  institution  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  For  his  place  of  birth  and  the 
scenes  of  his  early  education  in  Vermont, 
he  continued  to  cherish  a  fondness  pecu- 


179 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


liar  to  the  New  Englander  of  his  gener- 
ation. When  about  sixteen  years  of  age 
his  parents  moved  from  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont to  Brooklyn,  New  York,  at  which 
time  young  Pratt  went  to  Montpelier, 
Vermont,  and  became  associated  with 
"The  Advertiser"  at  St.  Albans,  and  he 
was  rapidly  promoted  on  its  staff  until 
he  had  editorial  charge  of  that  paper  in 
1876,  which  position  he  retained  about 
two  years,  then,  seeking  a  wider  field  for 
the  exercise  of  his  talents,  he  came  to 
New  York,  and  from  1878  to  1882  was 
on  the  staff  of  the  New  York  "World"  as 
its  W^all  street  representative.  He  was 
also  associated  in  editorial  capacities  with 
the  "Commercial  Bulletin"  and  the  "Jour- 
nal of  Commerce."  He  was  New  York 
correspondent  for  the  Baltimore  "Sun" 
from  1883  to  1887.  In  the  latter  year  he 
became  manager  for  George  W.  Childs, 
of  the  New  York  bureau  of  the  Philadel- 
phia "Public  Ledger,"  and  held  the  posi- 
tion of  political  and  financial  editor  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  He  became  finan- 
cial editor  of  the  New  York  "Times"  in 
1903.  He  also  contributed  to  various 
other  newspapers  and  magazines,  his 
articles  always  showing  great  versatility 
and  a  depth  of  thought,  accuracy  and 
forceful  style,  at  once  instructive  and  en- 
tertaining, his  talents  showing  with  par- 
ticular lustre  as  a  financial  and  political 
writer.  From  1904  to  1908  he  was  asso- 
ciate editor  of  "The  Wall  Street  Jour- 
nal," later  becoming  editor  of  this  pub- 
lication, having  succeeded  Thomas  F. 
Woodlock.  During  this  period  he  was  a 
potent  factor  in  making  this  famous  jour- 
nal the  financial  authority  not  only  of 
New  York  City  and  America,  but  of  the 
entire  world.  From  December,  1908,  un- 
til his  death,  Mr.  Pratt  was  secretary  of 
the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
discharging  the  duties  of  this  responsible 
position  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much 
credit  upon  his  ability,  fidelity  and  integ- 


rity and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned. 

Mr.  Pratt  was  married  on  October  19, 
1882,  to  Ada  Stuart  Bryden,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  B.  and  Beulah  (Strait)  Bryden, 
a  prominent  family  of  Wellsboro,  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  Bryden  was  a  civil  engi- 
neer. He  served  for  some  time  as  treas- 
urer of  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.  Mrs. 
Pratt  was  given  good  educational  advan- 
tages, and  is  a  lady  of  many  commend- 
able attributes.  She  is  the  mother  of 
three  children,  namely:  Marian  Stuart, 
the  wife  of  H.  T.  McTighe,  of  Brooklyn, 
and  they  have  two  children :  Beulah 
Frederica  and  Winifred  Stuart.  2.  Wini- 
fred Berry,  the  wife  of  Berniss  B.  Shel- 
don, of  Dorset,  Vermont,  and  they  have 
one  child :  Sereno  Stansbury.  3.  Thomas 
Bryden,  unmarried,  makes  his  home  with 
his  mother  in  Brooklyn ;  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  distinguished  father  in  a 
professional  way,  and  is  a  special  writer 
for  Edward  G.  Riggs,  who  is  executive 
assistant  to  President  Elliot  of  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad. 
He  is  the  possessor  of  marked  literary 
ability  and  gives  promise  of  a  successful 
career.  He  is  a  life  member  of  Kane 
Masonic  Lodge  of  New  York  City.  His 
father  was  also  a  life  member  of  this 
lodge,  also  belonged  to  Fulton  Arcanum. 
The  father  was  a  life  member  of  the  New 
England  Society  of  New  York,  and  a 
member  of  the  Quill  Club,  the  Lawyers 
Club  and  the  American  Economic  Asso- 
ciation. 

The  death  of  Sereno  S.  Pratt  occurred 
at  Troy,  New  York,  September  14,  1915, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  Written 
condolences  were  received  by  Mrs.  Pratt 
from  such  notables  as  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller, Sr.,  Henry  Clews,  John  Henson 
Rhodes,  Samuel  Rea,  the  latter  president 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company; 
John  Hayes  Hammond,  and  many  others 


180 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  national  reputation.  For  Mr.  Pratt 
was  honored  and  beloved  by  the  greatest 
men  in  New  York  and  America,  for  he 
not  only  had  the  highest  qualifications  as 
an  editor,  but  was  a  most  companionable 
and  genteel  gentleman  personally — prac- 
tical, definite,  expressive,  frank,  yet  kind, 
indulgent  and  modest,  having  the  general 
bearing  of  a  deep  thinker.  He  was  a  man 
of  serious  manner,  religious  and  helpful. 
Upon  his  death  "The  Wall  Street  Jour- 
nal" printed  the  following: 

It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  that  "The  Wall 
Street  Journal"  records  the  death  of  its  former 
editor,  Sereno  S.  Pratt.  It  would  be  impertinent 
to  say  of  so  distinguished  a  journalist,  of  an 
economist  of  such  broad  knowledge,  that  his 
editorials  carried  great  weight  among  thinking 
people,  and  that  the  beauty,  simplicity  and  stead- 
fastness of  his  character  radically  influenced  all 
who  worked  with  him.  His  work  was  greater 
than  this.  He  took  up  a  good  tradition  and 
carried  it  forward.  Wall  street  in  1904,  when 
Mr.  Pratt  became  associated  with  "The  Wall 
Street  Journal,"  had  much  to  learn  in  those 
higher  qualities  of  service  which  imderlie  success- 
ful commerce  in  any  branch.  It  was  Pratt's 
unaffected  teaching,  combined  with  his  experi- 
enced knowledge  of  what  to  say,  and  what  not 
to  say,  which  greatly  crystalized  this  movement 
into  something  definite  that  Wall  street,  and  the 
country  it  serves,  could  understand.  Perhaps  his 
obituary  is  best  expressed  in  the  following  letter 
from  one  who  was  his  colleague  and  his  prede- 
cessor in  the  editorial  chair: 

The  Editor,  The  Wall  Street  Journal: 

Allow  me  the  privilege  of  saying  a  word  about 
Sereno  S.  Pratt,  your  predecessor  in  the  editorial 
chair  of  "The  Wall  Street  Journal."  In  all  the 
years  during  which  we  were  associated  I  never 
knew  him  to  lapse  from  the  heights  of  the  strictest 
honor  in  thought,  word  or  act.  Kindly,  tolerant, 
patient,  modest  and  most  considerate  of  others, 
he  was  uncompromising  where  principle  entered. 
The  files  of  your  journal  contain  many  articles 
from  his  pen  that  have,  beyond  doubt,  fructified 
in  places  of  which  we  do  not  know,  and  have  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  improvement  in  business 
morals  which  is  so  noteworthy  a  feature  of  Amer- 
ican life  in  the  last  decade  or  two.  His  strength 
was  his  character.  Thomas  F.  Woodlock. 


What  is  there  to  add  in  tribute,  humble,  grateful 
and  sincere,  to  the  memory  of  so  valued  a  citizen, 
cut  off  in  his  fifty-seventh  year?  The  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  suffers  a  serious  loss  in 
the  death  of  its  most  distinguished  secretary.  To 
his  widow  and  family  "The  Wall  Street  Journal" 
extends  its  deepest  sympathy  for  their  irreparable 
loss. 

Another  leading  New  York  daily  had 
the  following  to  say  editorially,  under  the 
caption,  Sereno  Stansbury  Pratt : 

Good  citizenship  and  good  journalism  lose  in 
the  untimely  death  of  Secretary  Sereno  S.  Pratt, 
of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  this 
morning,  a  fine  and  effective  exponent.  Long  a 
resident  of  Brooklyn,  identified  with  its  social 
and  religious  affairs,  he  brought  to  his  work  the 
clear  intellectual  atmosphere,  of  which  his  native 
Green  Mountains  was  the  physical  type,  and  along 
with  it  those  habits  of  plain  living  and  high  think- 
ing which  belong  to  the  true  sons  to  the  manner 
born  of  New  England.  Faithful,  sincere  in  every 
position  in  life,  efficiency  and  recognition  kept 
pace  with  advancement,  and  when,  after  years  of 
conspicuous  service  as  New  York  representative 
of  the  "Philadelphia  Ledger,"  and  later  as  the 
editor  of  "The  Wall  Street  Journal,"  he  assumed 
the  delicate,  highly  responsible  duties  of  secretary 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  demonstrated  at 
once  that  he  was  preeminently  the  man  for  the 
place,  worthy  to  maintain  traditions  and  continue 
labors  long  and  successfully  performed  by  his 
predecessor  and  neighbor,  the  late  George  Wilson, 
honored  incumbent  for  many  years. 

Under  Mr.  Pratt's  wise  guidance,  with  mastery 
of  detail,  with  circumspect,  impartial  judgment, 
with  definite  and  practical  purpose,  the  influence 
and  prestige  of  the  Chamber  rapidly  increased 
and  during  his  service  it  came  more  than  ever  in 
its  history  of  a  century  and  a  half  to  the  front  as 
an  expression  of  the  best  in  New  York  com- 
mercial and  business  life,  methods  and  ambitions. 
Whether  in  the  great  public  questions  which  the 
Chamber  debated  and  upon  which  it  committed 
ilself,  or  in  the  exercise  of  unofficial  municipal 
hospitality,  in  all  that  belongs  to  a  high  and  clear- 
visioned  view  of  its  duties  and  opportunities,  Mr. 
Pratt  was  a  master,  while  in  its  monthly  "Bulletin" 
of  which  he  was  founder  and  editor,  he  gave  a 
practical,  successful  example  of  the  best  sort  of 
wholesome  publicity,  concerning  the  work  and  the 
functions  of  the  Chamber.  Of  singularly  pleasing 
and  kindly  personality,  in  the  best  sense  of  the 


181 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


word,  wearing  his  heart  on  his  sleeve,  loyal  to 
every  duty  of  manhood,  a  Christian  gentleman, 
Mr.  Pratt's  departure  will  bring  sorrow  to  all  who 
have  known  and  will  miss  him  and  long  cherish 
and  honor  his  memory. 


BARTLETT,  William  Alvin, 

ClerKyman,  Man  of  Broad  Activltiei. 

Some  men  there  are  whose  careers  are 
so  full  of  things  accomplished,  who  have 
undertaken  and  carried  to  successful  con- 
clusion so  many  and  so  varied  enterprises, 
that  it  seems  almost  as  though  one  were 
reading  an  account  of  a  number  of  indi- 
viduals, and  we  cannot  but  marvel,  not 
only  at  the  versatility  of  one  who  can 
apply  himself  to  such  diverse  matters, 
how  it  is  possible  that  he  can  find  time 
to  do  so.  If,  as  the  Indian  remarked,  we 
all  of  us  have  "all  the  time  there  is,"  and 
yet  in  that  space  find  it  difficult  enough 
to  attend  to  the  accomplishment  or  only 
one  tolerable  achievement,  how  is  it  pos- 
sible, we  are  prone  to  ask,  for  these  men 
to  carry  on  so  many  allfairs  and  yet  seem 
not  more  hurried  than  ourselves.  We  are 
at  first  almost  tempted  to  think  that  there 
is  some  miraculous  interposition  in  their 
favor,  that  the  sun  and  the  moon  pause  at 
their  bidding,  until  we  remember  that 
time  is  not  measured  so  much  by  minutes 
and  seconds,  by  days  and  years,  as  it  is 
by  events  and  actions,  and  that  so  con- 
sidered the  alert  thinker,  the  prompt  man 
of  action,  is,  in  a  very  real  sense,  the  pos- 
sessor of  more  time  than  those  more 
sluggish.  Achilles  not  only  covers  more 
ground  than  the  tortoise  in  his  race  with 
that  reptile,  but  he  may  be  truly  said  to 
cover  more  than  if  he  be  alive  to  the 
advantages  of  travel,  that  is,  since  he  ex- 
periences more  and  performs  more  and 
these  things  are  the  gauge  of  time.  This 
is  the  case  with  the  active  men  of  to-day, 
such  a  man,  for  instance,  as  William  Al- 
vin Bartlett,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  one  of  the 


leading  Presbyterian  clergymen  in  the 
United  States,  whose  death  on  January 
15,  1917,  removed  a  potent  influence  for 
good  from  the  community  in  general. 

William  Alvin  Bartlett,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
was  born  at  Binghamton,  New  York,  De- 
cember 4,  1831,  and  it  was  there  that  his 
childhood  was  spent  and  the  preliminary 
portion  of  his  education  received.  He  at- 
tended for  some  years  the  old  academy  at 
that  town,  where  he  was  prepared  for  a 
college  career.  He  then  matriculated  at 
Hamilton  College,  where  he  established 
an  excellent  record  for  scholarship  and 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1852,  and 
was  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Upon  com- 
pleting his  own  education,  the  young  man 
decided  to  take  part  in  the  education  of 
others,  and  with  this  end  in  view  he  went 
to  the  town  of  Staunton,  Virginia,  where 
he  secured  a  position  as  school  teacher 
and  held  the  same  for  several  years. 
At  Staunton  he  taught  Greek,  elocution  and 
Latin,  in  which  subjects  he  was  all  his 
life  extremely  proficient,  and  made  a  very 
considerable  reputation  for  himself  in  this 
profession.  For  some  little  time  Dr.  Bart- 
lett preserved  the  intention  of  taking  up 
the  law  as  a  profession,  but  eventually  his 
extremely  strong  religious  nature  asserted 
itself  and  instead  he  entered  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  of  New  York  City, 
to  study  for  the  ministry.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  two  and  a  half  years,  but  did 
not  graduate,  deciding  instead  to  continue 
his  studies  in  Europe.  Accordingly  he 
went  abroad  and  studied  for  some  time 
at  the  University  of  Halle  on  the  Saale, 
Saxony.  Here  he  was  a  classmate  of 
Bishop  Hurst,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  then  studied  for  one  semester 
at  the  University  of  Berlin,  and  then  fi- 
nally completed  his  work  at  the  famous 
old  University  of  Heidelburg.  His  studies 
in  Europe  represented  a  very  valuable  ele- 
ment in   Dr.   Bartlett's   life,   acquainting 

:82 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


him  most  intimately  with  all  that  was 
best  in  the  subjects  which  he  pursued, 
and  finishing  in  a  very  complete  manner 
his  already  great  culture.  Besides  his 
studies  he  had  other  valuable  associations, 
while  abroad,  and  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  many  prominent  and  delightful 
men.  One  of  his  friends  was  Daniel  S. 
Dickinson,  formerly  of  Binghamton,  New 
York,  his  own  native  city,  and  from  this 
gentleman,  who  was  at  that  time  minister 
to  Greece,  he  received  letters  of  introduc- 
tion to  George  M.  Dallas,  United  States 
minister  to  Great  Britain,  and  August 
Belmont,  minister  at  the  Hague,  and  of 
Mr.  Mason,  United  States  minister  to 
France.  He  was  also  fortunate  enough 
to  meet  President-elect  Dwight,  of  Yale 
University,  who  was  himself  traveling 
abroad  before  taking  up  his  duties  as  head 
of  the  great  institution.  Another  man. 
probably  the  greatest  celebrity  of  all 
whom  Dr.  Bartlett  met.  was  the  great 
Alexander  Von  Humboldt,  one  of  the  first 
naturalists  in  the  world. 

Upon  completing  his  studies  and  travel 
in  Europe,  Dr.  Bartlett  returned  to  his 
native  town  of  Binghamton,  in  1858,  and 
was  there  ordained  to  the  ministry.  The 
first  church  of  which  he  took  charge  was 
in  Owego.  New  York,  to  which  he  was 
called  in  September  of  that  year  and 
where  he  remained  throughout  the  winter. 
From  the  very  outset  the  young  man 
made  a  strong  impression  in  the  line 
that  he  had  chosen  for  his  career,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1859  he  received  no  less 
than  four  calls,  one  of  which  was  to 
Brooklyn,  with  the  religious  life  of  which 
he  was  to  be  so  intimately  identified  for 
many  years.  While  still  in  Owego,  he 
had  delivered  a  lecture  before  the  State 
Teachers'  Association,  which  had  brought 
him  very  much  into  public  notice  and  had 
been  instrumental  in  forming  for  him  an 
acquaintance  with  Susan  B.  Anthony,  at 


that  time  a  school  teacher,  and  Professor 
Oren  Root,  of  Hamilton  College.  Of  the 
four  calls  Dr.  Bartlett  accepted  the  one  from 
Brooklyn,  and  went  there  as  pastor  of  the 
Elm  Place  Congregational  Church  at  a 
salary  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year.  How  strongly  his  presence 
was  desired  in  the  city  is  well  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  call  to  the  Elm  Street 
Church  was  signed  not  only  by  its  officers, 
but  by  the  other  four  Congregational  pastors 
of  Brooklyn,  the  Rev.  Drs.  Beecher,  Storrs. 
Buddington  and  Clark.  This  document 
was  greatly  valued  by  Dr.  Bartlett  and 
always  preserved  by  him  up  to  the  close 
of  his  life.  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Mrs.  Bartlett  and  is  doubtless  one  of  her 
most  prized  treasures.  Dr.  Bartlett  at 
once  entered  most  energetically  into  the 
duties  which  he  had  taken  up,  and  one 
year  from  assuming  charge,  built  a  large 
tabernacle  of  stone,  capable  of  seating 
three  thousand  people,  which  was  entirely 
paid  for  during  his  ministry.  For  ten 
years  he  remained  in  Brooklyn,  taking  a 
most  active  part  in  the  life  of  that  city, 
and  was  then  called  to  Plymouth  Congre- 
gational Church,  Chicago. 

Dr.  Bartlett  had.  however,  during  the 
ten  years  of  his  pastorate  become  strongly 
attached  to  his  eastern  home,  and  at  first 
declined  the  oft'er.  He  went,  however,  to 
Chicago  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  for 
his  brother-in-law,  who  up  to  that  time 
had  been  pastor  of  the  Plymouth  Church, 
and  received  a  telegram  while  on  his  way 
back  renewing  the  request  that  he  assume 
its  pastorate.  Again  he  declined  and  once 
again  the  Chicago  congregation  sent  him 
a  committee  of  five  of  its  leading  men. 
However  persistent  he  was,  the  Chicago 
church  was  still  more  so,  and  he  finally 
accepted  the  new  position  at  a  salary  of 
seven  thousand  dollars  a  year,  the  highest 
salary  at  that  time  paid  to  any  pastor  west 
of  the  Allegheny  mountains.    This  was  in 

183 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  year  1868  and  he  continued  at  the  Plymr- 
outh  Congregational  Church  for  a  period 
of  some  eight  years,  devoting  his  whole 
great  energies  toward  the  betterment  of 
social  and  religious  conditions  in  the  great 
and  rapidly  growing  western  city,  which 
then  had  a  population  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand.  The  part  that 
Dr.  Bartlett  played  in  the  great  Chicago 
fire  of  1872  was  a  notable  one,  and  he  and 
those  who  assisted  him  were  able  to  do 
much  to  alleviate  the  great  suffering 
caused  by  that  catastrophe.  It  is  related 
that  after  one  of  his  Sunday  night  serv- 
ices, Dr.  Bartlett  and  a  number  of  his  con- 
gregation stood  talking  over  church  affairs 
when  they  saw  a  light  in  the  sky,  which 
they  rightly  supposed  to  be  the  reflection 
of  a  fire.  They  started  to  walk  in  its  di- 
rection, but  finding  it  in  a  remote  part  of 
the  city  returned  home,  supposing  that  it 
would  soon  be  under  control.  They  found, 
however,  in  the  morning  that  it  had  spread 
so  enormously  that  business  was  at  a 
standstill  in  the  city  and  marshal  law  had 
been  declared.  This  fire,  as  everyone 
knows,  rendered  thousands  destitute,  and 
Dr.  Bartlett  at  once  became  one  of  the 
most  active  in  working  for  the  unfortu- 
nate ones.  He  was  a  member  of  one  com- 
mittee which  raised  the  sum  of  three  mil- 
lion dollars  for  their  relief,  and  in  addition 
to  this  kind  of  work  he  actually  went 
amongst  the  people  and  gave  his  own  per- 
sonal assistance  in  their  behalf.  An  evi- 
dence of  Dr.  Bartlett's  broad-mindedness 
is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  he  at  once 
opened  his  church  building  to  give  shelter 
to  those  thus  left  destitute,  and  the  pews 
in  the  large  auditorium  were  used  as 
sleeping  rooms,  while  the  kitchen,  parlors 
and  other  church  rooms  were  used  for 
cooking  food  and  feeding  the  great  num- 
bers that  here  took  refuge.  Dr.  Bartlett 
said  that  he  knew  of  no  better  use  to 
which  a  church  could  be  put,  and  in  this 


he  was  borne  out  by  the  opinion  of  his 
congregation  and  the  city  in  general. 
Many  of  these  homeless  people  had 
friends  and  relatives  in  other  towns  and 
cities  which  they  were  unable  to  reach 
because  of  lack  of  funds.  Dr.  Bartlett, 
feeling  that  great  relief  would  be  brought 
by  enabling  these  people  to  leave  town, 
met  the  emergency  by  himself  issuing 
passes  over  the  railroads,  which  were 
honored  by  the  companies,  and  thus  re- 
lieved pressure  in  Chicago  to  a  consider- 
able extent.  To  one  railroad  official  who 
wished  to  know  by  what  authority  Dr. 
Bartlett  issued  these  passes,  he  replied 
briefly,  "by  the  authority  of  God  Al- 
mighty." Some  time  after  this,  the 
church  building  of  this  congregation  was 
sold  to  the  Catholics  and  another  was 
built  to  take  its  place,  upon  the  ground 
floor  of  which  alone  two  thousand  people 
could  be  seated. 

In  1874,  however,  upon  the  death  of  his 
wife.  Dr.  Bartlett  accepted  a  call  to  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  which  had 
been  founded  in  Indianapolis  by  Dr. 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  who  was  its  first 
pastor.  Here  Dr.  Bartlett  remained  for 
five  years,  doing  most  effective  work  and 
identifying  himself  most  closely  with  the 
life  of  the  city.  In  the  year  1882  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  New  York  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Washington,  D. 
C,  to  take  the  place  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
R.  Paxton,  who  had  gone  to  New  York 
City.  This  was  the  church  which  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  had  attended  while  in  Wash- 
ington, as  well  as  numbers  of  other  distin- 
guished men.  At  the  time  that  Dr.  Bart- 
lett became  its  pastor  there  were,  how- 
ever, only  one  hundred  and  twenty-three 
members,  but  upon  his  retirement  the 
membership  had  increased  to  thirteen 
hundred,  to  say  nothing  of  a  long  waiting 
list  of  applicants  for  the  pews.  Dr.  Bart- 
lett remained  in  charge  of  this  church  for 
:84 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


thirteen  years  and  then,  in  1895,  retired 
from  active  work  altogether.  During  his 
residence  in  Washington  he  had  filled 
many  important  offices  and  served  in 
many  capacities,  among  others  that  of 
chairman  of  the  board  of  management  of 
the  Columbia  Hospital,  a  most  important 
institution,  which  received  annually  twen- 
ty thousand  dollars  from  the  District  of 
Columbia,  and  this  post  he  held  after  his 
retirement  from  the  ministry.  He  also 
had  charge  of  the  investigation  conducted 
into  the  state  of  all  the  charitable  institu- 
tions receiving  government  aid  in  Wash- 
ington, and  in  this  connection  it  is  inter- 
esting to  recall  the  fact  that  one  of  these 
institutions  so  investigated,  the  Catholic 
House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  elected  Dr. 
Eartlett  one  of  its  directors  upon  the  pub- 
lication of  his  report,  the  first  time  in  its 
history  that  a  Protestant  had  served  in 
that  capacity.  Dr.  Bartlett,  in  spite  of  his 
long  absence,  always  retained  the  strong- 
est kind  of  affection  for  New  York,  and 
after  his  retirement  spent  his  winters  at 
the  Murray  Hill  Hotel  in  that  city,  while 
his  summers  were  passed  at  New  York 
Mills.  New  York,  and  it  was  in  the  former 
place  that  his  death  occurred. 

Dr.  Bartlett  always  retained  the  deepest 
interest  for  Hamilton  College,  and  for 
many  years  always  attended  commence- 
ment exercises  there,  addressing  the 
young  graduates  in  a  most  effective  and 
inspiring  manner.  In  the  month  of  June, 
1916,  he  received  from  this  college  the 
honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of 
New  York,  and  of  the  Fort  Schuyler  Club 
and  the  Sadaquada  Golf  Club,  of  Utica. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  Hamilton  Chap- 
ter, Alpha  Delta  Phi,  and  of  the  Chi  Al- 
pha, a  society  consisting  of  fifty  New  York 
City  ministers  and  of  a  very  exclusive 
character.    He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 


bytery of  New  York  City,  and  his  voice 
always  carried  great  weight  in  the  coun- 
cils of  that  body. 

Dr.  Bartlett  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  having  been  Charlotte  Augusta  Flan- 
ders, of  Milwaukee,  to  whom  he  was 
united  in  1859.  and  whose  death  occurred 
in  1874.  His  second  marriage,  which  was 
celebrated  June  27,  1877,  was  to  Annah 
Louise  W'alcott,  a  daughter  of  William 
Dexter  and  Hannah  Coe  (Hubbard)  Wal- 
cott,  of  Middlefield,  Connecticut,  and  New 
York  Mills,  New  York.  Mr.  Walcott  was 
the  owner  and  president  of  the  New  York 
Cotton  Mills  at  the  latter  place  which  was 
founded  by  her  grandfather,  Benjamin 
Stuart  Walcott.  Mrs.  Bartlett  and  one 
son,  Walcott  Duryea  Bartlett,  survive  Dr. 
Bartlett. 

Dr.  Bartlett  was  a  man  in  whose  char- 
acter the  strong  and  gentle  were  very 
happily  blended.  In  the  matter  of  those 
fundamental  virtues  upon  which  all  real 
character  is  based — honesty  and  courage 
— he  was  almost  a  Puritan  in  his  demands, 
and  neither  himself  fell  away  from  the  ideal 
nor  could  find  any  use  for  the  man  who 
did.  Outside  of  this,  however,  he  was  ex- 
tremely tolerant  in  his  judgment  and  the 
most  companionable  of  men.  He  was  per- 
fectly devoted  to  his  home  and  to  the  best 
interests  of  his  family,  finding  his  greatest 
happiness  in  that  most  intimate  relation. 
He  spent  all  the  time  he  could  by  his  own 
hearth  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and  was 
often  heard  to  remark  that  he  loved  his 
home  and  his  calling  before  all  other 
things.  His  religion  was  the  most  vital 
thing  in  his  life  and  played  a  guiding  part 
in  his  everyday  afifairs.  It  was  his  sincere 
effort  to  model  himself  upon  the  great 
precepts  that  are  voiced  by  his  church 
and  he  succeeded  beyond  the  common  and 
was  a  fine  example  of  good  citizenship  and 
virtuous  manhood. 


185 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SNOW,  Elbridge  Gerry, 
Inanrance. 

Nicholas  Snow,  immigrant  ancestor, 
was  born  in  England.  He  came  to  New 
Plynlilth  in  the  ship  "Ann,"  in  1623,  and 
had  a  share  in  the  division  of  land  in 
Plymouth  in  1624.  He  settled  in  East- 
ham  in  1634  and  became  a  prominent  citi- 
zen. His  home  was  on  the  road  from 
Plymouth  to  Eel  river  on  the  westerly 
side.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  1633, 
and  was  elected  town  clerk  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  town  of  Eastham,  holding 
that  office  sixteen  years.  He  was  deputy 
to  the  General  Court  from  1648  for  three 
years,  and  selectman  from  1663  for  seven 
years.  He  and  his  son  Mark  signed  the 
call  to  Rev.  John  Mayo  to  settle  as  their 
minister  in  1655.  Nicholas  Snow  was  one 
of  Governor  Prence's  associates.  He  died 
at  Eastham,  November  15,  1676.  He  mar- 
ried, at  Plymouth,  Constance,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Hopkins,  who  came  in  the  "May- 
flower." She  died  in  October,  1677.  Chil- 
dren, born  in  Plymouth  :  Mark,  born  May 
9.  1628;  Mary,  about  1630;  Sarah,  about 
1632;  Joseph,  about  1634;  Stephen,  men- 
tioned below;  John,  about  1638;  Eliza- 
beth, about  1640 ;  Jabez,  about  1642  ;  Ruth, 
about  1644;  Hannah,  born  probably  at 
Eastham  about  1646;  Rebecca,  born  at 
Eastham  about  1648.  Bradford  in  his  his- 
tory states  that  Snow  had  twelve  chil- 
dren. 

Stephen  Snow,  son  of  Nicholas  Snow, 
was  born  probably  at  Plymouth,  about 
1636,  died  December  17,  1705,  at  Eastham. 
He  married  (first)  December  13,  1663, 
at  Eastham,  Susanna  (Deane)  Rogers, 
daughter  of  Stephen  and  Elizabeth  (Ring) 
Deane,  born  in  Plymouth  before  1634, 
married  (first)  Joseph  Rogers,  Jr.,  son  of 
Lieutenant  Joseph  Rogers,  who  came,  a 
boy,  in  the  "Mayflower."  She  died  before 
1701,  and  he  married   (second)    April  9, 


1701,  Mary  Bigford.  He  lived  in  what  is 
now  East  Orleans,  Massachusetts.  Chil- 
dren, born  in  Eastham:  Bathshua,  July 
26,  1664;  Hannah,  January  2,  1666;  Mi- 
cajah,  December  22,  1669;  Bethiah,  July 
I,  1672;  Mehitable;  Ebenezer,  mentioned 
below. 

Ebenezer  Snow,  son  of  Stephen  Snow, 
was  born  in  Eastham,  Massachusetts, 
about  1677,  died  before  April  9,  1725.  He 
married,  December  22,  1698,  Hope  Hor- 
ton,  who  married  (second)  Thomas  At- 
kins, and  went  to  Chatham  to  live.  Some 
of  her  children  settled  there.  This  name 
Horton  is  a  variation  of  Houghton  and 
related  to  the  Houghtons,  of  Milton,  de- 
scendants of  Ralph  Houghton,  of  Lan- 
caster, an  emigrant  ancestor.  Ebenezer 
Snow's  estate  was  divided  March  4,  1737- 
38.  Children,  born  in  Eastham :  Susanna, 
born  February  6,  1700;  Thomas,  Febru- 
ary I,  1702;  Ebenezer,  February  16,  1703- 
04;  Nathaniel,  February  7, 1705-06;  Henry, 
January  6,  1706-07;  Aaron,  mentioned  be- 
low; Samuel,  1709-10;  Thankful,  July  3, 
1714;  Elisha,  October  9,  1716;  Hope,  No- 
vember 18,  1718;  Hannah,  December  11, 
1720;   Bashua,  October  4,  1723. 

Aaron  Snow,  son  of  Ebenezer  Snow, 
was  born  at  Eastham,  Massachusetts, 
March  20,  1707-08,  and  died  there.  He 
married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Mathew 
and  Hannah  (Thorpe)  Gage,  granddaugh- 
ter of  Zebulon  Thorpe  and  of  Benjamin 
and  Elizabeth  (Lombard)  Gage,  and 
great-granddaughter  of  Thomas  Gage. 

Ebenezer  (2)  Snow,  son  of  Aaron 
Snow,  was  born  at  Eastham,  Massachu- 
setts, and  died  there.  He  married  (first) 
(intentions  dated  December  11,  1756), 
Mary,  daughter  of  Stephen  Chipman ; 
(second)    January   8,    1774-75,    Elizabeth 

Chase;    (third)  Sarah  .     Elizabeth 

Chase  was  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and 
Susanna  (Berry)  Chase,  granddaughter 
of     Ebenezer    Chase,    and    great-grand- 


186 


^ 


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PUBLiC 

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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Hannah  (Bar- 
ker) Chase.  Susanna  Berry  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Susanna  (Crowell)  Berry, 
granddaughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(Bell)  Berry,  great-granddaughter  of 
Richard  and  Alice  Berry.  Elizabeth 
(Bell)  Berry  was  a  daughter  of  John  Bell. 
Susanna  (Crowell)  Berry  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Bethia  (Sears)  Crowell, 
granddaughter  of  John  and  Mehitable 
(Miller)  Crowell,  great-granddaughter  of 
John  Crowell.  Bethia  (Sears)  Crowell 
was  a  daughter  of  Paul  and  Deborah 
(Willard)  Sears,  granddaughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Dorothy  (Batt)  Sears.  Deborah 
(Willard)  Sears  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Willard.  Children  of  Ebenezer  Snow  by 
first  wife,  all  born  at  Eastham :  Chipman, 
December  31,  1757,  died  young,  Aaron, 
November  10,  1759;  Eben,  February  25, 
1762;  Sarah,  September  5, 1763  ;  Eventon 
or  Aventon,  July  12,  1765,  married  Han- 
nah Pattishall ;  Stephen,  October  16,  1768 ; 
Abel,  August  8,  1770;  Isaac,  July  3,  1773; 
married,  January  20,  1796,  Sarah  Kellogg. 
Children  of  second  wife :  Elkanah,  men- 
tioned below ;  Chipman,  September  2, 
1779;  Hannah,  May  11,  1781.  Children 
of  third  wife:  Mary,  September  3,  1783; 
Ebenezer,  April  7,  1785,  married,  April  i, 
1801,  Abigail  Kelly;  John,  January  6, 
1787;  Benjamin,  December  16,  1788; 
Elizabeth,   April   6,    1792. 

Elkanah  Snow,  son  of  Ebenezer  (2) 
Snow,  was  born  at  Eastham,  Massachu- 
setts. September  8,  1775.  He  married 
(first)  in  1796,  Ruth  Taylor  Higgins,  of 
Orleans;  (second)  December  20,  1810,  in 
Orleans,  Sally,  daughter  of  Eventon  and 
Hannah  (Pattishall  or  Paddeshall)  Snow, 
mentioned  above.  Hannah  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Pattishall.  Children,  born 
at  Orleans,  by  first  wife :  Asa,  Elkanah, 
Jonathan,  Higgins,  Sumner,  Ruth,  Eben- 
ezer and  Winthrope.  Children  of  second 
wife :  Elbridge  Gerry,  mentioned  below, 
and  one  other. 


Elbridge  Gerry  Snow,  son  of  Elkanah 
Snow,  was  born  December  17,  181 1,  at 
Eastham,  Massachusetts,  died  at  Saratoga 
Springs,  New  York,  June  6,  189 1.  Early 
in  life  he  located  in  Pleasant  Valley,  Bark- 
hamstead,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  a 
farmer.  He  married  (first)  Lucinda  Cole, 
who  died  without  issue,  March  20,  1839, 
aged  twenty-four  years,  at  Pleasant  Val- 
ley, and  is  buried  at  New  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut. He  married  (second)  Decem- 
ber 17,  1839,  Eunice  Woodruflf,  born  July 
16,  1815,  at  Barkhamstead,  died  October 
4,  1882,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  she 
was  living  with  her  son,  Lewis  E.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Rhoda 
(Coe)  Woodruff  (see  Woodruff  VI). 
Children  of  second  wife,  born  in  Bark- 
hamstead :  Elbridge  Gerry,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  Rev.  Frederick  E.,  now  of  Guilford, 
Connecticut ;  Lewis  E.,  who  died  in  St. 
Louis ;  Alice  Elizabeth,  unmarried. 

Elbridge  Gerry  (2)  Snow,  son  of  El- 
bridge Gerry  (i)  Snow,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Barkhamstead,  Connecticut,  Jan- 
uary 22,  1841.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  of  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  and  the  Fort  Edward 
Institute  at  Fort  Edward,  New  York. 
Having  decided  to  study  law,  he  entered 
upon  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  a  law  firm 
at  Waterbury,  but  soon  discovered  a  pref- 
erence for  business.  As  a  clerk  in  the 
office  of  J.  W.  Smith,  of  Waterbury,  he 
began  his  career  in  the  fire  insurance  busi- 
ness. In  1862,  soon  after  he  caWe^df  age, 
he  came  to  New  York  City  to  take  a 
clerkship  in  the  main  office  of  the  Home 
Insurance  tonipany  of  New  York  City, 
and  he  continued  there  for  nine  years.  In 
1871  he  ventured  to  start  a  business  on 
his  own  account  with  an  insurance 
agency,  but  soon  returned  to  the  Home 
Company,  to  which  he  had  become  of  un- 
usual value,  and  he  was  soon  afterward 
appointed  general  agent  of  the  company 
for  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  with  head- 


187 


\ 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


quarters  in  Boston,  and  he  was  successful 
in  greatly  increasing  the  volume  of  his 
company's  business  in  Massachusetts. 
While  holding  this  position,  he  formed  a 
partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Hollis 
&  Snow,  and  conducted  an  insurance 
agency  in  Boston,  representing  the  Home 
and  other  companies.  In  1885  he  returned 
to  New  York  City,  however,  to  assume 
the  duties  of  secretary  of  the  Home  In- 
surance Company,  and  his  successful  ad- 
ministration of  that  office  brought  his 
promotion  to  the  office  of  second  vice- 
president,  and  since  then  to  the  present 
time  (1917)  he  has  had  the  virtual  man- 
agement of  the  company,  being  elected  to 
the  high  office  of  president  in  1904.  The 
wisdom,  integrity  and  good  judgment  of 
Mr.  Snow  in  conducting  the  business  of 
the  company  were  shown  publicly  at  the 
time  of  the  recent  insurance  investiga- 
tions by  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
Home  Insurance  Company,  which  is  one 
of  the  largest  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the 
country,  has  prospered  greatly  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Snow,  its  gross  assets 
having  increased  from  $18,040,793,  at  the 
beginning  of  1904.  when  he  assumed  the 
presidency,  to  $30,178,913.63,  seven  years 
later,  and  its  net  assets  in  the  same  time 
from  $9,574,751,  to  $16,829,613.63,  and  at 
the  present  time  its  gross  assets  have  in- 
creased to  $40,047,514.55,  and  its  surplus 
as  regards  policyholders  is  $20,651,748.13. 
He  has  especially  maintained  the  com- 
pany's reputation  for  square  dealing  and 
liberal  treatment  of  honest  claimants,  the 
ruling  practice  of  his  methods  (and,  in 
fact,  a  revealing  characteristic  of  the  man 
himself)  tersely  set  forth  in  a  recent  brief 
advertisement  of  his  company  in  an 
agents'  convention  number  of  an  insur- 
ance paper,  as  follows:  "The  Home 
avoids  controversies  and  disagreements, 
if  practicable;  if  not,  pacifies  or  reconciles, 
if  possible,  rectifies  if  justifiable,  and 
never  fights  in  court  if  preventable."  The 


ownership  of  the  Franklin  Fire  Insurance 
Company  was  shifted  from  Philadelphia 
to  New  York  by  the  acquisition  of  a  large 
majority  of  its  capital  stock  by  interests 
identified  with  the  Home  Insurance  Com- 
pany, and  Elbridge  G.  Snow,  a  figure  of 
world  eminence  in  the  sphere  of  under- 
writing executives,  became  its  adminis- 
trative head.  The  Franklin  Fire  lusur- 
ance  Company  came  into  existence  in  1829 
as  the  third  stock  fire  insurance  company 
organized  in  Pennsylvania,  its  predeces- 
sors having  been  the  American  and  Penn- 
sylvania Fire.  Up  to  September  23,  1915, 
the  date  of  the  election  of  Mr.  Snow  as 
president,  the  Franklin  Fire  Insurance 
Company  had  had  nine  presidents. 

Mr.  Snow's  views  on  the  public  duties 
of  insurance  companies,  as  stated  in  an 
interview  published  in  November,  1910, 
in  the  "Popular  Insurance  Magazine"  are: 
"I  regard  a  fire  insurance  company  as 
charged  with  a  'Quasi-public  function,'  so 
far  as  concerns  its  obligations  to  use 
every  effort  to  lessen  the  fire  waste,  as 
well  as  to  indemnify  for  it ;  to  spread  the 
gospel  of  'conservation  of  created  re- 
sources,' and  to  lessen  the  cost  of  insur- 
ance as  well  as  to  assess  and  distribute  it. 
No  company  which  shapes  its  course  sole- 
ly and  exclusively  from  the  viewpoint  of 
present  dividend  payments,  and  ignores 
the  beneficent  (not  benevolent — business 
men  do  not  want  charity)  nature  of  its  en- 
gagement and  overlooks  its  duty  to  show 
the  public  how  to  diminish  the  excessive 
national  ash  heap,  even  though  it  thereby 
reduces  its  own  average  rate  of  premium, 
fulfills  its  highest  responsibility  and  occu- 
pies a  creditable  place  in  the  general  econ- 
omy." In  the  same  interview  Mr.  Snow 
placed  himself  squarely  in  favor  of  super- 
vision and  investigation  by  the  State. 
"Such  supervision  is  not  only  proper,  but 
necessary.  The  adequacy,  as  well  as  the 
nature,  of  the  resources  of  an  insurance 
company  and  its  financial  ability  to  meet 
88 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


all  demands  made  upon  it  under  its  out- 
standing policy  contracts,  not  only  in  or- 
dinary but  also  extraordinary  measures  in 
cases  of  large  conflagrations,  is  so  un- 
questionably a  subject  of  public  interest 
as  to  make  its  ascertainment  a  very 
proper  subject  of  governmental  adminis- 
tration on  the  part  of  the  state." 

Mr.  Snow  is  a  trustee  of  the  New  York 
Life  Insurance  Company,  director  of  the 
American  Exchange  National  Bank,  the 
United  States  Mortgage  &  Trust  Com- 
pany and  the  Manhattan  Railway  Com- 
pany, all  of  New  York,  and  of  other  cor- 
porations ;  member  of  the  Mayflower  So- 
ciety, the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Colo- 
nial Society,  Founders  and  Patriots  of 
America  Society,  the  Metropolitan  Mu- 
seum of  Art,  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  the  New  England  So- 
ciety of  New  York,  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Board  of  Trade  and 
Transportation,  the  Merchants'  Associ- 
ation, the  National  Geographical  Society, 
and  several  other  similar  societies,  city, 
state  and  national ;  the  Municipal  Art  So- 
ciety, the  Bankers'  Club,  the  Union 
League  Club,  Sleepy  Hollow  Country  Club, 
the  Lotos  Club,  the  Automobile  of  Amer- 
ica Club,  the  Aero  Club,  the  Underwriters 
Club,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Mr.  Snow  has  never  been  very 
active  in  politics,  but  has  supported  Re- 
publican candidates  and  platforms,  as  a 
rule. 

Mr.  Snow  married,  September  5,  1865, 
Frances  Jane  Thompson,  born  November 
17,  1841.  They  have  one  child,  Elbridge 
Gerry,  3d,  born  November  16,  1866,  mar- 
ried (first)  Frances,  daughter  of  Rozelle 
Pickert.  He  was  divorced,  and  married 
(second)  Grace  Hoppe.  Children  of  first 
wife:  Dorothy  Violet,  born  February  13, 
1897;  Elbridge  Gerry,  4th,  born  July  16, 
1899.  Child  of  second  wife,  Frances  Jan- 
nette,  born  January  26,  1905. 


PURCELL,  Hon.  William, 

Editor,  Philanthropiat. 

Not  too  often  can  be  repeated  the  life 
history  of  one  who  lived  so  honorable  and 
useful  a  life  and  who  attained  to  such 
notable  distinction  as  did  the  late  Hon. 
William  Purcell,  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  men  the 
State  has  ever  produced.  His  character 
was  one  of  signal  exaltation  and  purity. 
Well  disciplined  in  mind,  maintaining  a 
vantage  point  from  which  life  presented 
itself  in  correct  proportions,  judicial  in 
his  attitude  toward  both  men  and  meas- 
ures, guided  and  guarded  by  the  most  in- 
violable principles  of  integrity  and  honor, 
simple  and  unostentatious  in  his  self  re- 
specting, tolerant  individuality,  such  a 
man  could  not  prove  other  than  a  force 
for  good  in  whatever  relation  of  life  he 
may  have  been  placed.  His  character  was 
the  positive  expression  of  a  strong  nature, 
and  his  strength  was  as  the  number  of  his 
days.  The  record  of  his  life  finds  a  place 
in  the  generic  history  of  this  State  and 
that  of  the  Nation,  and  in  this  compila- 
tion it  is  necessary  only  to  note  briefly 
the  salient  points  of  his  life's  history.  It 
is  useless  to  add  that  both  the  community 
and  the  State  were  dignified  by  his  noble 
life  and  splendid  achievements,  and  that 
he  stood  as  an  honored  member  of  a 
striking  group  of  noted  men  whose  influ- 
ence in  the  world  of  letters  as  well  as  civic 
affairs  was  of  a  most  beneficent  order.  He 
ever  ordered  his  course  according  to  the 
highest  principles  and  ideals  so  that  he 
was  found  true  to  himself  and  to  all  men 
in  every  relation  of  life.  To  attain  pres- 
tige and  success  in  the  practice  of  his  la- 
borious and  exacting  profession  is  a  task 
too  great  for  the  majority  of  men,  but  Mr. 
Purcell  achieved  it  early  in  his  career. 

Hon.  William  Purcell  was  born  at  Fort 
Covington,  Franklin  county.  New  York, 


189 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


August  15,  1830,  and  died  at  his  home, 
No.  1017  Lake  avenue,  Rochester,  New 
York,  December  27,  1905.  He  was  but 
three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  took 
up  their  residence  in  Rochester,  and  there 
he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  remaining  until  he  had  completed 
one  term  at  the  high  school.  While  thus 
acquiring  an  education,  his  spare  time 
was  utilized  in  the  interests  of  the  "Daily 
Advertiser,"  for  which  he  acted  as  a  car- 
rier boy.  When  he  left  school  he  entered 
into  regular  employment  at  the  office  of 
this  paper  and,  commencing  with  the  po- 
sition of  "printer's  devil,"  he  rose  to  that 
of  foreman,  having  in  the  meantime 
learned  the  compositor's  trade.  In  1852 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Rochester  "Daily  Union,"  and  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  a  reporter  for  this  paper 
until  1856,  when  it  was  consolidated  with 
the  "Daily  Advertiser"  under  the  title  of 
the  Rochester  "Union  and  Advertiser." 
The  editor-in-chief  was  Isaac  Butts,  and 
his  assistant,  William  Purcell.  As  the 
years  passed  Mr.  Purcell  assumed  more 
and  more  of  the  duties  of  editorship,  the 
health  of  Mr.  Butts  having  become  im- 
paired, until  duing  the  early  part  of  the 
Civil  War  he  was  in  all  but  name  chief 
editor  of  the  paper.  He  had  always  been 
a  firm  supporter  of  Democratic  principles, 
so  that,  while  intensely  patriotic,  he  was 
politically  opposed  to  the  administration. 
The  justice  of  his  editorials  was,  how- 
evti ,  acknowledged  by  many  Republicans 
even  at  that  time,  and  even  more  have 
come  to  coincide  witVi  him  since  then. 
As  an  instance  in  point  we  may  mention 
his  opposition  to  the  objections  of  the 
war  department  to  the  exchange  of 
healthy  prisoners  for  so-called  skeletons. 
Under  the  protests  of  Mr.  Purcell  and 
those  who  thought  with  him,  the  public 
mind  was  aroused  to  the  sufferings  and 
perils  of  the  Union  soldiers  confined  in 


Southern  dungeons,  and  the  war  depart- 
ment retreated  from  its  position.  In  1864 
Mr.  Butts  retired  from  the  paper,  and  Mr. 
Purcell  became  the  nominal  as  well  as 
the  actual  head.  That  Mr.  Purcell  was 
public  spirited  was  attested  in  many  ways 
throughout  his  life.  He  was  too  large 
hearted  and  sympathetic  to  confine  his 
thought  and  action  to  material  things 
alone,  and  everything  in  the  community 
that  promised  to  benefit  in  any  way  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  citizens,  morally,  in- 
tellectually or  socially,  received  his  con- 
sistent and  unvarying  support.  In  these 
things  he  was  entirely  unselfish  and  al- 
truistic, and  the  deeper  things  of  life  had 
a  large  meaning  to  him.  The  public  and 
semi-public  offices  of  which  he  was  the 
incumbent  at  various  times  were  numer- 
ous, and  may  be  briefly  listed  as  follows : 
Member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  1852- 
53 ;  member  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Works,  1872-73 ;  delegate  to  Democratic 
National  conventions  in  1873,  1876  and 
1880;  nominated  for  delegate-at-large  on 
Democratic  ticket  for  New  York  in  1884, 
but  declined ;  chairman  of  the  New  York 
State  Democratic  Committee  in  1877-78; 
candidate  for  Secretary  of  State  in  1881 ; 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Board  of 
Mediation  and  Arbitration  from  1886  to 
1899;  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers 
of  the  Western  House  of  Refuge  (now 
State  Industrial  School)  from  1870  to 
1893,  and  president  of  the  board  from 
1881  to  1893,  when  he  resigned.  It  was 
owing  to  his  personal  efforts  that  a  Catho- 
lic chaplain  was  appointed  for  this  insti- 
tution, prior  to  this  time  there  having 
been  only  a  Protestant  chaplain,  and  this 
innovation  has  now  been  introduced  into 
all  State  institutions.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  board  held  shortly  after  the  resigna- 
tion of  Mr.  Purcell,  the  following  pream- 
ble and  resolution  was  adopted : 


190 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Whereas,  William  Purcell  after  twenty-two 
years  of  service  in  this  board  has  resigned  his 
office  as  manager  of  this  institution  and  president 
of  this  board ;    and 

Whereas,  During  that  period  experience  has 
greatly  changed  the  theories  regarding  the  proper 
treatment  of  its  inmates  until  they  are  regarded 
and  treated  as  children  at  school  for  the  purpose 
of  correcting  their  vicious  habits  and  educating 
them  for  useful  citizens  rather  than  as  criminals 
to  be  punished  and  to  be  worked  by  contractors 
for  the  public  benefit ;    and 

Whereas,  Those  who  have  worked  with  our 
retiring  president  appreciate  the  fact  that  under 
great  difficulties  this  change  has  been  brought 
about  in  great  part  by  his  earnest  interest  in  the 
children,  combined  with  indomitable  perseverance 
and  judicious  conservatism. 

Resolved,  That  while  we  recognize  his  right  to 
lay  down  this  burdensome  public  duty,  which  he 
has  so  long  performed  without  other  compensa- 
tion than  the  satisfaction  he  has  felt  at  doing  a 
good  work  which  lay  next  his  heart,  yet  this 
board  cannot  but  regret  the  loss  of  one  of  the 
most  valuable  members  which  it  has  ever  had,  and 
its  individual  members  the  loss  of  an  associate 
who  with  equal  vigor  and  directness  alternately 
opposed  them  or  stood  with  them  as  his  judgment 
might  dictate  was  for  the  general  good. 

Mr.  Purcell  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the 
movement  that  had  for  its  object  the  ele- 
vation of  the  Central  Railroad  tracks 
through  the  city,  the  work  connected  with 
this  being  executed  at  a  cost  of  almost 
two  millions  of  dollars,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  commission  in  charge  of 
the  work,  and  its  secretary  throughout 
the  entire  proceedings.  He  was  possessed 
of  a  marvelous  memory,  which  became 
proverbial  in  the  city,  and  which  was  of 
material  benefit  to  him  in  every  relation 
of  life.  Although  he  kept  no  records,  he 
could  refer  unerringly  to  the  files  of  his 
papers  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  and 
invariably  found  the  item  or  article  he 
wished  at  the  time. 

Mr.  Purcell  married  Catharine  Ann 
Moran,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Keogh)  Moran,  and  of  this  marriage 
there  were  children :    Rosalia,  who  mar- 


ried Augustus  Burroughs ;  Mary  T.,  who 
married  Thomas  P.  O'Kelly ;  Amelia  M., 
who  is  the  editor  of  the  woman's  depart- 
ment of  the  "Union  and  Advertiser"  ;  Wil- 
liam ;  Pierre,  who  was  editor  of  the  local 
department  of  the  '"Union  and  Adver- 
tiser" for  some  years,  died  in  1910;  Maria, 
deceased;  Katherine,  who  married  Joseph 
McLean,  Jr. ;   and  Stella  C. 

In  1891  Mr.  Purcell  made  an  extended  tour 
abroad,  and  the  letters  which  he  sent  at 
the  time,  and  which  were  published,  con- 
tain vivid  descriptions  of  men  and  man- 
ners, as  well  as  descriptions  of  the  cities 
and  towns  he  visited,  and  are  models  of 
literary  style.  Innumerable  were  the  edi- 
torials which  appeared  in  the  public  press 
of  the  entire  country  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  we  can  give  no  better  estimate 
of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  held 
than  by  quoting  from  a  few  of  them. 

In  the  "Union  and  Advertiser"  Charles 
Elliott  Fitch  said  in  part: 

His  place  in  journalism,  in  politics  and  in  civic 
aflfairs  was  prominent  and  persuasive.  Distinctly 
and  above  all  else  he  was  an  editor,  an  editor  who 
dominated  his  columns  and  whose  personal  in- 
fluence was  of  wide  range  and  direct  appeal. 
*  *  *  It  is  as  an  editor  that  he  will  chiefly  be 
remembered,  but  it  is  also  to  be  noted  that  he 
held  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  city  and 
State — educational,  administrative,  political — all  of 
which  he  filled  with  fidelity  and  ability;  and  he 
was  associated  with  several  of  the  great  enter- 
prises which  have  brought  prestige  and  prosperity 
to  the  city.  To  everything  with  which  he  w^5 
connected  he  gave  the  best  of  his  thought  and 
energy,  and  that  was  much.  Tt  will  be  found  that 
it  is  much  that  will  be  abiding. 

Rochester  "Democrat  and  Chronicle": 

As  a  writer  he  was  rarely  gifted  in  force  and 
eloquence.  His  convictions  were  strong  and  his 
courage  was  of  the  sort  that  never  flinched  in  the 
face  or  the  heat  of  a  conflict.  His  utterances  at- 
tracted wide  attention  if  they  did  not  always  com- 
mand approval  and  assent.  For  Mr.  Purcell  had 
a  certain  sturdy  independence  that  at  times  a*- 


191 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


serted  itself  with  uncompromising  aggressiveness, 
even  when  the  result  was  sure  to  be  politically  dis- 
advantageous to  himself.  Thus  it  happened  that 
Mr.  Purcell  was  often  a  leader  of  opinion  while 
at  odds  with  his  party  on  one  question  or  another. 
His  position,  when  he  deemed  it  worth  while  to 
assert  himself,  was  never  in  doubt,  and  there  was 
seldom  a  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  in  which 
there  was  not  an  eager  desire  to  know  his  views, 
whether  they  were  to  prevail  or  not.  When  a 
political  battle  was  on  he  was  a  foe  to  be  dreaded 
on  one  side  and  a  loyal  friend  on  the  other.  But 
foe,  as  well  as  friend,  could  not  help  feeling  a 
certain  admiration  for  the  vigor,  and  often  the 
brilliancy,  of  his  campaign  methods  and  tactics. 

The  Rochester  "Herald": 

His  concern,  as  an  editor  and  as  a  citizen,  for 
the  welfare  and  development  of  the  city  of 
Rochester  was  most  intelligent  and  active.  He 
led  in  the  movements  for  many  administrative 
reforms,  and  for  many  great  public  improvements. 
His  usefulness  to  the  city,  growing  out  of  these 
activities,  was  no  doubt  far  less  appreciated  than 
it  deserved  to  be,  because  of  the  popular  attention 
that  was  drawn  to  his  part  in  important  events 
in  the  State's  political  history. 

Jamestown  "Morning  Post": 

Mr.  Purcell  was  a  man  of  marked  personal 
characteristics.  He  was  not  given  to  many  words, 
but  had  at  heart  all  the  keen  sympathies  of  his 
race  and  was  seldom  appealed  to  in  vain  for  any 
good  cause.  He  had  a  high  sense  of  personal 
honor  and  was  a  man  of  clean  life. 

The  Boston  "Pilot": 

William  Purcell  was  an  able  man,  of  honorable 
ambition  and  commanding  appearance  and  ad- 
dress. While  still  in  his  thirties  he  was  a  political 
power  in  his  city  and  State.  His  style  was  virile 
and  incisive;  and  his  paper  was  among  the  most 
frequently  quoted  and  widely  circulated  outside  of 
the  metropolitan  dailies. 

Buffalo  "Commercial": 

He  was  an  editor  of  marked  ability ;  his  articles 
commanded  wide  reading,  and  exerted  an  influ- 
ence far  in  excess  of  that  exerted  by  the  great 
majority  of  what  are  called  the  "provincial"  news- 
papers. He  was,  moreover,  a  gentleman  of  old- 
time  courtesy  and  genial,  generous  disposition, 
and  numbered  a  large  circle  of  steadfast  friends. 


CRAWFORD,  Gilbert  Holmes, 

Lecturer,  Orator,  Litterateur. 

it  is  claimed  that  a  man's  life,  or  words 
of  disparagement  or  praise  of  it,  should 
not  be  written  until  after  his  death,  per- 
haps, not  until  he  has  been  dead  some 
years.  For,  though,  in  one  sense,  none 
can  know  him  so  well  as  he  knew  himself, 
and  of  exterior  knowledge  gained  con- 
cerning him  the  simplest  facts  are  liable 
to  continual  misrepresentation,  still  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  distance  is  essential  to  the 
breadth,  comprehension  and  truthfulness 
of  the  view — especially  of  that  tuneful 
harp,  that  mysterious  picture,  a  human 
existence.  The  real  worth  and  talents  of 
the  late  Gilbert  Holmes  Crawford,  of 
New  York,  may  not  yet  be  fully  apparent 
to  the  world,  but  all  who  knew  him  real- 
ized most  forcefully  that  he  was  a  man  of 
superior  attributes  and  stood  in  the  front 
ranks  of  his  profession.  He  wisely  chose 
the  law  as  his  vocation,  life  purpose  and 
pursuit.  The  environment  of  his  earlier 
years,  its  discipline,  his  college  course 
and  drill,  the  culture  that  comes  from 
books  and  study  and  travel,  the  success 
with  which  he  met  as  a  lawyer,  and  the 
standard  in  his  profession  to  which  he 
rose — all  testify  to  the  wisdom  of  his 
choice. 

Mr.  Crawford  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  October  4,  1849.  He  was  a  son  of 
the  Rev.  Morris  De  Camp  Crawford,  a 
prominent  Methodist  minister  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  and  for  some  time  presid- 
ing elder  of  his  conference.  His  death 
occurred  many  years  ago,  as  did  also  that 
of  his  wife,  Charlotte  (Holmes)  Craw- 
ford, also  a  native  of  New  York  City. 

Gilbert  H.  Crawford  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  city,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools,  and  also  was  graduated 
from  the  College  of  New  York  City,  as 
valedictorian  of  his  class,  in  1868,  after 
192 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  he  entered  Columbia  Law  School, 
where  he  made  a  brilliant  record  and  was 
graduated  in  1870.  Regarding  his  college 
career  we  quote  sentences,  taken  at  ran- 
dom, from  eulogies  of  him  by  his  class- 
mates, professors  and  others,  spoken  and 
written : 

As  a  student  he  was  peerless.  He  won  highest 
honors  in  the  gift  of  the  college.  His  list  of  prizes 
testifies  to  his  leadership  from  year  to  year.  He 
was  elected  into  the  honorary  society  Phi  Beta 
Kappa.  At  Columbia  Law  School,  in  open  com- 
petition with  the  graduates  of  the  leading  colleges 
of  the  country,  Mr.  Crawford  gained  renown  for 
his  al)iia  ))iater  by  receiving  at  graduation  the 
highest  honors  awarded — the  first  prize  in  munici- 
pal law.  Since  graduation,  his  career  in  his  pro- 
fession and  in  the  community  has  been  one  of 
solid  attainment  and  distinction.  He  was  a  lawyer 
of  great  ability  and  purest  integrity.  He  stood  in 
the  first  rank  of  the  living  arguments  to  whom  the 
advocates  of  the  college  have  been  proud  to  refer 
in  character,  life  and  achievement — a  constant 
demonstration  of  the  manner  in  which  the  college 
has  paid  its  debt  to  the  city.  His  loyalty  and 
devotion  have  been  without  stint  or  limit.  His 
services  were  always  at  the  call  of  the  college, 
associate  alumni  and  the  needy  and  distressed. 
He  was  a  leader  and  executive  in  all  efforts  for 
the  college. 

Mr.  Crawford  continued  to  be  deeply 
interested  in  educational  matters  all  his 
life.  He  was  long  a  trustee  of  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  executive  committee  in  charge 
of  the  college  when  an  effort  was  made  to 
develop  and  increase  the  college  plant, 
and  he  inspired  others  to  greater  activity 
in  this  connection.  He  was  the  youngest 
student  in  that  institution,  and  had  not 
attained  the  age  required  for  entrance, 
but  an  exception  was  made  in  his  case 
owing  to  the  splendid  record  he  had  made 
as  a  student  and  the  fine  examination  he 
passed.  No  other  pupil  ever  excelled  or 
even  reached  the  record  he  made.  Out  of 
a  total  for  five  years  of  college  life  of 
58,250  marks,  he  attained  57,692  marks, 

N  Y— 5— 13  193 


or  more  than  ninety-nine  per  cent.,  reach- 
ing in  some  subjects  an  absolute  maxi- 
mum, in  one  term  the  extraordinary  high- 
water  mark  of  99.8  per  cent,  out  of  a  pos- 
sible one  hundred.  He  won  the  Pell  sil- 
ver medal  of  1864  for  general  proficiency, 
the  Pell  gold  medal  in  1866  for  the  highest 
proficiency  in  all  subjects  for  all  five 
classes.  In  1866  he  also  won  the  Crom- 
well silver  medal  for  excellence  in  com- 
position, and  the  Ward  bronze  medal  in 
history,  the  Ward  medals  being  awarded 
for  individual  subjects  of  study  in  the 
college  year  in  which  that  study  was 
most  prominent.  In  1867  he  was  speaker 
at  the  junior  exhibition,  which  was  an 
additional  college  honor,  and  he  also  won 
the  Ward  medals  in  English  and  logic 
that  year.  In  his  senior  year  he  won  an 
unprecedented  harvest  of  gold  medals. 
The  Burr  gold  medal  was  conferred  on 
him  in  1868  for  mathematics,  and  the  W^ard 
medals  for  moral  philosophy,  German, 
Latin,  astronomy,  English  literature,  law 
and  composition.  He  was  the  youngest 
member  of  his  class,  and  was  very  modest 
regarding  his  honors,  being  naturally  of 
a  retiring  disposition,  no  evidence  of 
haughtiness  ever  manifesting  itself.  He 
was  unspoiled  by  success,  and  was  the 
stronger  for  his  well-earned  triumphs. 
He  was  a  member  and  finally  president 
of  the  leading  literary  and  debating  so- 
ciety— Phrenacasmia.  He  was  a  member 
of  Nu  Chapter,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Republican.  He 
was  an  orator  of  unusual  force,  ability 
and  eloquence,  and  became  a  noted  lec- 
turer. He  remained  a  profound  student, 
and  was  an  authority  on  Hamilton,  Lin- 
coln, Webster  and  Napoleon. 

Mr.  Crawford  was  twice  married  (first) 
en  October  2,  1873,  to  Marion  Curtis 
Fuller,  long  since  deceased.  On  Decem- 
ber 30,  1879,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Sarah  E.  Merritt,  a  lady  of  education  and 
refinement,  and  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Stephen    and    Mary    Eliza    (Shurragar) 
Merritt.     They  are  living  at  Nyack,  New 
York,   each   being  eighty-three  years   of 
age.    The  father  was  for  over  half  a  cen- 
tury one  of  the  eminent  divines  of  the 
State  of  New  York.     Mrs.  Crawford  has 
a  sister,  'Sirs.  Louis  Klopsch,  whose  hus- 
band is  deceased.    Mr.  Crawford's  second 
marriage  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  eight 
children,   four  sons  and  four  daughters, 
namely:   i.  Merritt,  married  Ethel  Dono- 
van, lives  in  Nyack,  New  York,  and  has 
one  child,  Mary  Merritt.     2.  Morris  De 
Camp,  married  Grace  Blauvelt,  and  they 
have  two  children :  Katherine  and  Morris 
De  Camp.    3.  Mary  Merritt,  married  Ed- 
ward Schuster,  an  attorney  of  New  York 
City,    who    also    maintains   an    office   in 
Chili ;    she   was  graduated   from   Cornell 
University  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  also  of  Doctor  of  Medicine;   when 
the  European  war  broke  out  she  went  to 
France,  where  she  spent  about  one  year 
as  a  surgeon  in  the  American  Ambulance 
Hospital,  returning  to  America  in  Octo- 
ber,   1915,   marrying   Mr.   Schuster   soon 
thereafter.      They    have    one    daughter, 
Mary    Crawford    Schuster.     4.  Charlotte 
Holmes,  unmarried.     5.  Caroline  Cecelia, 
unmarried,  lives  at  Nyack,  New  York,  is 
a    law    reporter   and    also    manages   the 
Nyack   "Evening  Star."     6.  Lucy   Shep- 
ard.  unmarried.     7.  Gilbert  Holmes,  un- 
married, is  a  mechanical  engineer  and  re- 
frigerating expert  with  the  De  la  Vergne 
Refrigerating    firm    of    engineers,    New 
York  City.    8.  Conrad,  unmarried. 

Mr.  Crawford  was  very  successful  in 
the  practice  of  law  from  the  first,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  leader  of  the  New  York 
bar.  He  was  a  tireless,  faithful,  painstak- 
mg  advocate,  and  was  especially  strong 
in  the  trial  of  cases,  being  a  forceful,  logi- 
cal and  earnest  pleader.     He  kept  well 


abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  pertained 
to  his  profession.     He  was  attorney  for 
Graham  Bell,  of  telephone  fame.    In  1880 
he   was   appointed    by    Mayor    Cooper   a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and 
continued  to  serve  during  Mayor  Grace's 
first  administration  and  also  Mayor  Ed- 
son's  administration,  and  in  1884  Mayor 
Grace,  who  was  serving  his  second  term, 
re-appointed    him    to   this   office,   and   in 
1886  he  was  again  re-appointed,  thus  serv- 
ing  in    this   capacity   continuously    from 
1880  to  1887.     During  this  period  he  did 
much   to   encourage   a   better   system   of 
public  schools.    He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  at  Nyack,  New 
York,  to  which  place  he  removed  in  1885, 
coming  to  the  metropolis  as  a  commuter 
in  connection  with  his  law  business.     In 
1909    he    located    in    Brooklyn    borough, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
While  living  at  Nyack  he  was  warden  of 
Grace  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.     He 
was  a  man  of  sound  religious  convictions, 
frank,  honest  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
and  prompt  and  dependable.     He  never 
sought  high  public  position,  although  ex- 
ceptionally well   qualified   for   such,   and 
often  urged  to  accept  honors  within  the 
gift   of    the   people.      He   seemed    to   be 
more  deeply  interested  in  doing  something 
to  aid  others,  to  better  educational,  civic 
and   moral   conditions  of  his  city.     And 
when  he  was   summoned   to   his   eternal 
rest,  October  13,  1915,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years,  his  loss  caused  widespread  re- 
gret and  sorrow — all  who  knew  him  feel- 
ing that  there  had  passed  from  their  midst 
a  great  mind,  warm  heart,  a  dauntless, 
tender,  sturdy,  manly,  helpful  character — 
a  memorable  personality. 


KNOX,  George  Hyslop, 

Brilliant  Army  OfiBcer. 

The  late  Captain  George  Hyslop  Knox, 
of  the   United  States  army,  was  born  a 


194 


Micjoaia: 


4-: 


/    " 


THE  NEV\/  YORK 
IpUBLiC  UBRARYI 


ASTOn.   L^  NOX 

1^■    I  .   ^      F.  vj-iDA     IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


leader  of  men  and  the  possessor  of  a 
variety  of  talents  that  not  only  won  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  career,  but  made  him  a 
man  among  men,  greatly  admired  and 
highly  esteemed  by  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  He  was  not  only  a 
military  genius,  but  also  gifted  as  a  diplo- 
mat and  statesman,  and  had  fate  per- 
mitted him  to  live  out  the  Psalmist's  al- 
lotted three  score  and  ten  years  instead  of 
cutting  him  off  in  his  prime  and  full 
vigor  of  youth,  no  doubt  he  would  have 
attained  to  eminent  positions  and  served 
his  country  faithfully  and  well,  for  his 
brilliant  intellect,  ripe  scholarship  and 
high  sense  of  honor  well  qualified  him  for 
leadership. 

Captain  Knox  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  May  28,  1874,  at  No.  46  West  Tenth 
street,  in  the  room  where  had  slept  and 
died  his  great-grandparents,  grandparents 
and  parents.  He  was  a  son  of  Hannibal 
and  Mary  A.  (Knox)  Robinson,  and  a 
grandson  of  Dr.  Robinson,  a  celebrated 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Albany,  New 
York.  The  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Charles  Knox,  who  was  a  descendant  of 
John  Knox,  a  native  of  Scotland.  Charles 
Knox  was  the  founder  of  the  famous 
Knox  Hat  Company,  who  established 
large  manufacturing  plants  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  and  Boonton,  New  Jersey. 
Mary  A.  Knox's  mother  was  known  in 
her  maidenhood  as  Hannah  Maria 
Hyslop,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Hyslop, 
of  Virginia.  Captain  Knox  dropped  the 
name  Robinson  and  legally  assumed  the 
name  Knox  in  order  to  perpetuate  the 
name  of  his  mother's  family  in  our  mili- 
tary annals,  the  name  Knox  having  been 
a  very  familiar  one  in  the  United  States 
army  since  the  days  of  the  early  French 
and  Indian  wars. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Robinson  is  the  mother 
of  one  son  and  two  daughters,  living, 
namely:    i.  Charles   Knox  Robinson,  of 


Brooklyn,  married  Elizabeth  Lyon,  a 
daughter  of  William  Lyon  and  wife,  also 
of  Brooklyn,  and  he  has  two  children: 
Charles  K.,  Jr.,  and  Donald.  2.  Mary  Rob- 
inson, married  G.  Elliot  Little,  a  son  of 
Stephen  Little,  the  noted  railroad  man  of 
the  present  day;  G.  Elliot  Little  is  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  A.  D.  Converse  & 
Company,  bankers,  at  No.  49  Wall  street, 
New  York;  he  has  two  children:  Stephen 
Knox  and  Elliot  Robinson ;  he  resides  at 
No.  456  West  144th  street,  New  York 
City ;  Mrs.  Little  is  a  member  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  was  regent  of  her  chapter  for  four 
years.  3.  Florence  L.  Robinson,  married 
George  Hope ;  they  reside  in  Canada,  and 
have  three  children:  George  H.,  Charles, 
and   Lois. 

George  Hyslop  Knox  received  his  edu- 
cation in  a  private  school  at  Wallingford, 
Connecticut,  later  attended  Pennington 
Seminary,  at  Pennington,  New  Jersey, 
also  Nazareth  Hall,  at  Bethlehem,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  finished  at  Princeton  Uni- 
versity. After  leaving  school  he  entered 
business  life,  associating  himself  with  the 
Knox  Hat  Company,  with  which  he  re- 
mained three  years,  and  although  he  had 
made  an  excellent  start,  his  adventurous 
nature  rebelled  at  the  exactions  of  a  busi- 
ness life,  and  he  longed  for  a  military  ca- 
reer for  which  he  was  evidently  intended 
by  nature.  He  was  seventh  in  descent  in 
a  family  of  army  men,  which  began  in 
this  country  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  as  before  stated.  In  1894  he  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  of  the  famous  Seventh 
Regiment,  New  York  City,  and  owing  to 
his  efificiency  he  was  soon  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  corporal.  Fond  of  athletics, 
he  did  much  to  encourage  the  same  in  his 
regiment.  In  July,  1898,  about  the  close 
of  the  Spanish-American  War.  he  took 
the  West  Point  examination  and  stood 
second  in  merit  and  ability  in  a  large  class 

195 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  selected  young-  men,  numbering  one 
hundred  and  ten.  These  men  had  a  test 
examination  at  Washington,  D.  C,  for 
appointments  as  officers  in  the  United 
States  army.  Mr.  Knox  was  appointed  a 
second  Heutenant  and  assigned  to  the 
Seventh  Infantry,  later  transferred  to  the 
Twentieth  Infantry,  and  finally  to  the 
Twenty-sixth  Infantry.  He  was  detailed 
to  the  Philippine  Islands  for  service,  for 
which  he  spent  some  time  in  preparation 
at  the  Presidio,  at  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, then  sailed  on  the  "Logan"  in  De- 
cember, 1898,  for  Manila,  and  served 
seven  years  in  the  Philippines,  during 
which  time  he  returned  to  the  United 
States  about  every  two  years  on  short 
furloughs.  He  first  met  William  H.  Taft, 
then  Governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
on  board  the  "Logan"  who  finally  be- 
came President  of  the  United  States. 
Governor  Taft  appointed  Mr.  Knox  his 
aide,  and  they  later  traveled  together 
throughout  the  islands,  on  the  governor's 
visit.  On  his  second  visit,  Governor  Taft 
requested  that  Mr.  Knox  be  detailed  again 
as  his  aide.  Mr.  Knox  was  for  some  time 
chief  of  police  of  Quiapo,  one  of  the  Ma- 
nila districts,  and  was  also  judge  advo- 
cate of  part  of  the  Islands.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  the  arrest  of  Aguinaldo, 
the  daring  and  able  leader  of  the  insur- 
gent tribes.  During  those  troublous 
times  Mr.  Knox's  life  was  attempted  by 
poison,  traps,  knives,  bullets  and  garrot- 
ing-,  but  he  escaped  all  snares  and  plots 
by  his  wits  and  ingenuity.  He  was  de- 
tailed by  the  United  States  government 
on  important  foreign  missions,  for  he  was 
not  only  capable  but  could  be  trusted  at 
all  times,  and  he  never  failed  to  success- 
fully perform  every  duty  entrusted  to 
him.  For  two  years  he  was  military  at- 
tache to  the  American  embassy  at  Pekin, 
China,  and  in  Japan,  and,  being  a  close 
observer,  learned  much  of  the  people  of 


both  nations.  He  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Seventh  Infantry  for 
efficiency  and  bravery,  on  September  8, 
1899,  and  in  1905  was  commissioned  a 
captain.  On  December  3,  1912,  he  was 
made  captain  of  quartermaster  corps.  He 
was  detailed  and  served  for  two  years  as 
assistant  quartermaster  of  the  regular 
army,  and  stationed  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  where  all  supplies  are  pur- 
chased and  selected  for  the  United  States 
army.  He  served  for  a  long  period  under 
General  Frederick  Funston,  one  of  the 
most  famous  men  in  the  American  army. 
During  his  career  he  also  saw  service  at 
Fort  Sam  Houston,  Texas ;  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas ;  Fort  Logan,  Colorado  ; 
Fort  Brady,  Michigan ;  and  in  Georgia. 
Also  at  Fort  Sill,  Oklahoma,  his  last  post, 
where  he  had  charge  of  over  three  thou- 
sand men  engaged  in  construction  work, 
which  he  prosecuted  with  his  usual 
promptness  and  executive  ability.  On 
account  of  shortage  of  good  men  to  assist 
in  developing  the  aero  branch  of  the 
army.  Captain  Knox,  who  had  remained 
unmarried,  volunteered  for  this  service, 
and  while  on  a  trip  in  an  aeroplane  with 
Lieutenant  Sutton,  August  12,  1915,  the 
airship  became  unmanageable,  fell  to  the 
ground  and  Captain  Knox  was  killed,  his 
untimely  death  causing  widespread  sor- 
row and  regret,  not  only  among  army  cir- 
cles but  everywhere  that  he  was  known, 
for  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  and 
highly  esteemed  officers  in  the  army.  He 
was  only  forty-one  years  of  age,  and  the 
future  for  him  was  indeed  bright. 

The  death  of  Captain  Knox  was  par- 
ticularly felt  by  his  thousands  of  children 
admirers,  of  whom  he  was  very  fond. 
Seldom  was  he  seen  in  his  automobile 
without  a  number  of  the  little  folks  with 
him.  He  was  a  lover  of  wholesome  out- 
door recreation,  especially  fishing.  He 
was  a  great  athlete,  and  was  a  man  of 


196 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


handsome  and  striking  presence,  was  over 
six  feet  in  height  and  symmetrically  de- 
veloped. He  was  a  member  of  the  Aero 
Club  of  America,  First  Squadron.  He 
was  accorded  a  military  funeral  at  Fort 
Sill,  Oklahoma,  Captain  Sutherland  con- 
ducting the  services.  One  of  the  many 
fitting  tributes  paid  to  him  at  the  time 
was  that  he  was  beloved  by  men  and  re- 
spected by  women,  "one  among  ten  thou- 
sand who  was  altogether  lovely."  The 
casket  was  draped  in  the  flag  that  he  had 
served  so  faithfully  and  honorably.  The 
guard  of  honor  was  composed  of  officers 
of  the  quartermaster's  corps,  of  which 
Captain  Knox  was  commandant. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Robinson,  the  captain's 
mother,  unveiled,  on  May  28,  1916,  the 
monument  erected  to  him  by  his  uncle. 
Colonel  Edward  M.  Knox,  in  Woodlawn 
Cemetery,  New  York.  This  splendid  monu- 
ment consists  of  a  granite  shaft  sur- 
mounted by  a  life-size  bronze  statue  of 
Captain   Knox  in  full  uniform. 

Colonel  Knox  was  very  fond  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  and  had  named  him 
as  his  heir  to  membership  in  the  Militan.- 
Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  America. 
Colonel  Knox  built  at  his  own  expense 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Ma- 
nila, Philippine  Islands,  about  1906,  as  a 
memorial  to  his  father.  Charles  Knox,  and 
a  safeguard  to  his  beloved  nephew,  Cap- 
tain George  H.  Knox,  who  was  at  that 
time  in  the  Philippines. 

Captain  Knox  was  a  diligent  student 
and  one  of  the  most  versatile  men  in  the 
army.  He  was  a  brilliant  conversational- 
ist and  a  linguist  of  ability,  speaking  and 
reading  English,  French,  Spanish  and 
German.  He  also  learned  the  dialect  of 
the  head-hunting  Iggarottes,  of  Mindans, 
Philippine  Islands,  where  he  spent  nine 
months.  He  was  one  of  the  few  white 
men  visiting  that  savage  tribe  who  lived 
to  return  to  civilization.     He  also  lived 


for  one  year  among  the  Maccabeebees. 
By  his  tact,  diplomacy,  kind  and  lovable 
disposition  he  won  his  way  into  the  aftec- 
tions  of  the  various  tribes  of  those  islands, 
and  did  much  toward  their  general  en- 
lightenment and  betterment.  He  gained 
the  confidence  of  the  various  wild  tribes 
and,  learning  how  to  communicate  with 
them,  explained  the  various  phases  of 
good  government  to  them,  and,  being 
himself  a  Christian,  was  desirous  of 
spreading  the  gospel  among  them,  and 
was  enabled  to  impart  to  them  some  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible.  Once  while 
stationed  at  an  army  post  many  of  his 
comrades  became  disheartened  and  pessi- 
mistic, and  one  night  he  wrote  out  the 
following  terse  philosophy  on  his  type- 
writer, and  the  following  morning  tacked 
copies  on  the  doors  of  the  ofhce  building. 
His  wise  words  were  read  and  fully  appre- 
ciated, and  the  effect  on  the  life  of  the  post 
was  at  once  noticeable,  the  situation  being 
changed  for  the  better: 

Live,  L.\ugh  and  Love. 

There  will  come  a  time  when  you  can't.  You 
have  seen  the  Museum  Mummy,  take  a  lesson 
from  him.  He  has  not  had  any  fun  for  over  five 
thousand  years.  He  had  his  opportunity  but  did 
he  get  his  share?     Did  you? 

Ask  the  sick,  the  hopeless  cripple,  the  con- 
firmed invalid,  what  a  sound  body  and  mind  are 
worth.  Ask  the  blind  what  God's  sunshine  means ; 
the  prisoner  what  liberty  is;  the  Mummy  what 
laughter,  song,  love  of  home  and  kindred  really 
are.  He  knew  once,  did  he  enjoy  these  priceless 
blessings  as  Deity  intended?  The  Mummy  can't 
answer,  so  it's  up  to  you.  Happiness  is  a  Divine 
inheritance.  God  never  meant  that  we  should 
sulk  in  the  shadows  of  selfishness,  fanaticism, 
sorrow  or  greed. 

To  laugh  is  to  live;  to  live  is  to  love  life  and 
all  it  contains.  The  man  who  buries  himself  in 
shop  or  office  with  no  thought  of  pleasure  or 
relaxation,  intent  only  on  daily  grind,  who  snarls 
at  those  who  love  the  sunshine,  is  a  fool.  He  is 
as  dead  as  the  Mummy  and  should  also  be  put  in 
the   Museum. 

Don't  take  life  too  seriously;    the  lane  is  not 


197 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


long  at  the  best.  The  Mummy  had  a  long  nap 
and  you  may  have  a  longer.  Loiter  a  little  by 
the  way  and  enjoy  the  sweet  music  Deity  has 
given  to  accompany  us  on  the  road.  You  can  join 
the  song  be  ye  saint  or  sinner,  so  try  your  voice. 
Don't  grieve  over  trifles;  in  the  perspective  of 
the  centuries  we  are  smaller  than  the  atom.  But 
a  kind  Providence  is  always  doing  business  at  the 
same  old  stand.  The  cloud  will  pass  quickly  if 
you  will  help  push.  To-morrow  will  come,  with 
it  hope,  and  may  be  more  butter  on  your  bread. 

He  who  poses  as  a  pessimist,  who  sneers  at 
life's  pleasures,  who  hears  no  music  nor  sees  the 
sun,  is  the  man  whom  nobody  wants  around. 
Avoid  him,  pity  him,  be  sorry  he  occupies  a  place 
on  old  earth.  When  he  finally  crawls  into  his 
hole  will  he  be  missed  or  wanted  back? 

Live,  laugh,  love  and  make  good :  leave  the  rest 
to  God.  Rake  much  hay  in  your  short  summer  and 
remember    the    Mummy. 

George  Hyslop  Knox. 
Capt.  U.  S.  Army. 


HYDE,  Elliott  James, 

I<itterateur. 

Most  of  those  who  are  actively  engaged 
in  the  stern  struggle  for  existence  will 
bear  ready  witness  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
difficult  enough  in  all  conscience  to  gain 
a  real  success  in  any  one  branch  of  human 
endeavor,  and  that  to  keep  one's  self  from 
submergence  in  the  great  army  of  strug- 
gling humanity  is,  in  itself,  a  task  not  to 
be  thought  lightly  of.  What  shall  be  said 
then  of  those  cases  where,  not  content 
with  a  single  success,  ambition  and  en- 
ergy seek  it  along  more  than  one  line  and 
despite  the  multiple  difficulties  achieve 
their  goal  triumphantly?  It  is  natural  for 
most  of  us  in  considering  such  cases  to 
feel  tempted  to  describe  their  accomplish- 
ment to  the  possession  of  powers  not 
held  in  common  with  the  rest  of  us,  but 
from  only  one  point  of  view  is  this  neces- 
sarily true.  One  exceptional  power  is  in- 
deed required  for  success  of  this  kind,  but 
only  one  and  that  is  the  power  of  self  con- 
trol, the  power  of  directing  all  one's  facul- 
ties unremittingly  to  the   pursuit   of   an 


objective.  In  short,  the  power  to  succeed, 
as  Bill  Nye  said  of  the  usefulness  of  the 
postage  stamp,  "Konsists  in  its  ability  to 
stick  to  one  thing  till  it  gets  there." 
Doubtless  it  is  true  that  unusual  talents 
often  play  a  part  as  well  in  the  achieve- 
ment of  great  success,  but  the  crux  of  the 
matter  is  as  stated  above  and  we  have 
only  to  turn  our  eyes  to  the  records  of 
the  majority  of  our  successful  men  to  per- 
ceive that  this  is  true.  It  is  very  clearly 
illustrated  in  the  career  of  such  a  man  as 
Elliott  James  Hyde,  a  typical  example  of 
the  best  New  England  citizenship,  whose 
death  in  New  York  City,  January  4,  1917, 
marked  the  passingof  an  unusually  potent 
influence  for  good  from  the  community. 
Born  April  2,  1857,  at  Newton,  Massa- 
chusetts, Elliott  James  Hyde  was  the 
son  of  the  Hon.  James  F.  C.  Hyde,  like 
himself  a  native  of  Newton  and  the  first 
mayor  of  that  city.  Mr.  Hyde  was  de- 
scended from  a  very  old  and  distin- 
guished Massachusetts  family,  his  ances- 
tors having  originally  been  English,  who 
came  to  this  country  as  early  as  1645, 
when  they  landed  at  Plymouth.  Mem- 
bers of  the  Hyde  family  also  took  an 
active  part  in  the  War  for  American  In- 
dependence, and  have  been  conspicuous 
members  of  the  various  communities 
where  they  have  dwelt  in  every  genera- 
tion. Their  descendants  have  resided  in 
Newton  for  a  period  of  about  two  hun- 
dred years  on  land  purchased  from  the 
Indians.  Mayor  James  F.  C.  Hyde  mar- 
ried at  Newton  Sophia  Stone,  also  a 
member  of  an  old  New  England  family, 
whose  ancestors  had  originally  come 
from  England. 

Elliott  James  Hyde  descended  thus 
from  two  long  and  worthy  lines  of  fore- 
bears, and  spent  his  childhood  and  youth 
in  the  typical  New  England  community, 
where  his  birth  had  occurred.  In  Newton 
also  he  received  his  education,  attending 
98 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  that  purpose  the  excellent  local  pub- 
lic schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen, 
having  completed  his  formal  schooling, 
he  associated  himself  with  his  father  in 
the  real  estate  business  founded  by  the 
elder  man  and  conducted  in  Newton  and 
the  city  of  Boston.  But  although  Mr. 
Hyde  thus  discontinued  his  schooling,  he 
had  already  formed  a  habit  which  kept 
him  a  student  all  his  life.  This  was  the 
habit  of  consistent  and  wide  reading,  in 
which  he  found  not  only  a  most  impor- 
tant cviltural  influence,  but  also  one  of 
the  chief  pleasures  of  his  life.  While, 
however,  he  continued  thus  his  self-edu- 
cation, he  did  not  allow  it  to  interfere 
in  any  degree  with  the  practical  business 
of  life,  which  he  had  taken  up,  and  he 
applied  himself  with  the  utmost  devotion 
toward  the  building  up  of  the  already 
successful  enterprise  of  his  father.  He 
was  a  most  indefatigable  worker,  and  it 
is  due  to  the  industry  of  himself  and  his 
father,  to  the  unusual  executive  ability 
of  both  men  and  their  absolute  integrity 
and  probity,  that  the  great  business  was 
built  up.  The  firm  became  one  of  the 
leading  concerns  in  its  line  in  both  New- 
ton and  Boston,  and  both  the  elder  and 
younger  Hydes  became  prominent  figures 
in  the  business  world  there.  For  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century  father  and  son  re- 
mained in  partnership,  and  then,  upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Hyde,  Sr.,  the  son  with- 
drew from  the  business  and  removed  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  for  a  period  of  some  fifteen  years. 
Upon  coming  to  New  York,  Mr.  Hyde 
took  up  an  entirely  dififerent  line  of  work. 
He  had  always  possessed  a  most  remark- 
able talent  for  expressing  himself  in 
writing  and  he  now  became  associated 
with  the  New  York  "Press"  as  a  special 
correspondent  and  wrote  for  it  in  that 
capacity  for  more  than  ten  years,  for 
four  years  being  associated  with  the  re- 


ligious department  of  that  paper.  He 
also  collaborated  extensively  with  his 
wife  in  the  writing  of  religious  stories 
for  the  "Christian  Herald"  and  other 
religious  magazines,  and  in  this  way  con- 
tributed largely  also  to  the  Sunday  school 
publications  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  their  stories  and  articles  being 
used  in  this  connection  all  over  the  world. 
Mr.  Hyde,  besides  his  other  various 
activities,  was  always  a  prominent  figure 
in  the  political  life  of  the  comm.unity. 
While  a  resident  of  Newton,  he  served 
on  the  Common  Council  in  1889  and 
1890,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  presi- 
dent of  that  body.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  two 
years  there.  Although  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican and  an  upholder  of  the  principles 
and  policies  of  that  party,  Mr.  Hyde  was 
a  great  admirer  of  Woodrow  Wilson  and 
heartily  in  accord  with  the  president's 
conduct  of  the  government,  particularly 
in  connection  with  our  foreign  relations. 
No  account  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Hyde 
can  be  in  any  sense  adequate  which  fails 
to  take  note  of  his  relations  with  the  re- 
markable and  brilliant  woman  who  was 
his  wife.  He  married,  May  i,  1879,  Mary 
Kendall  Bryant,  a  daughter  of  George  S. 
and  Mary  (Freeman)  Bryant,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  Colonial  and  Revolutionary 
stock,  her  ancestors  having  landed  in  this 
country  as  early  as  1640.  Mrs.  Hyde's 
grandfather  and  William  Cullen  Bryant 
were  cousins,  and  she  was  related  to 
many  of  the  most  illustrious  houses  in 
New  England.  From  the  time  of  their 
marriage  until  Mr.  Hyde's  death  there 
existed  a  very  remarkable  mental  asso- 
ciation between  the  two,  and  they  may 
very  appropriately  be  called  chums. 
Their  collaboration  as  authors  was  un- 
usually successful,  both  contributing 
their  best  talents  to  the  resultant  work. 
Mr<;.  Hyde  was  for  five  years  in  charge 

99 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  children's  department  of  the 
"Christian  Advocate,"  and  the  part 
played  by  both  of  them  in  contributing 
to  the  religious  literature  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  has  been  a  most 
important  one.  They  were  intimately 
associated  with  the  advancements  of  its 
cause  in  many  ways,  and  Mrs.  Hyde  is 
acquainted  with  most  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  United 
States.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde  were 
profound  students  of  the  Bible  and  Bible 
literature,  and  both  very  hard  and  in- 
tense workers,  so  that  they  were  right- 
fully regarded  as  authorities  on  this  most 
important  of  subjects.  Undoubtedly  Mrs. 
Hyde  was  the  most  potent  influence  in 
the  life  of  her  husband  from  the  time  of 
her  marriage  to  him,  and  contributed  in 
a  very  large  measure  to  his  success.  They 
were  both  devotedly  fond  of  good  litera- 
ture, and  Mr.  Hyde  possessed  that  most 
delightful  power  of  memorizing  and  re- 
citing in  a  brilliant  manner  the  works  of 
the  great  poets,  to  the  great  delight  and 
edification  of  his  large  circle  of  devoted 
friends.  His  personality  was  a  particularly 
cheerful  and  lovable  one,  and  he  was  the 
possessor  of  versatile  talents  which  made 
him  unusually  popular  with  all  classes. 
He  was  extremely  unselfish,  and  no  ap- 
peal of  the  less  fortunate  than  himself 
ever  fell  on  deaf  ears  when  directed  to 
him.  Hate  and  revenge  seemed  to  have 
been  left  out  of  his  character,  and  he 
may  be  rightly  called  a  great  and  true 
man.  Mr.  Hyde  was  a  prominent  Mason 
and  belonged  to  all  the  Masonic  bodies 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  old  home  in 
Newton.  He  was  closely  affiliated  with 
the  Gethsamene  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  of  that  city,  and  was  for  a  con- 
siderable period  its  high  priest.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Hull  Yacht  Club 
of  Boston.  In  addition  to  his  talent  as  a 
writer,  Mr.  Hyde  had  also  a  delightful 
address  and  was  a  very  popular  and  well 


known    lecturer    in    the    community    of 
which  he  was  a  m,ember. 

Mr.  Hyde  for  many  years  was  an  at- 
tendant at  the  services  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  for  most  of  that 
time  held  positions  of  trust  in  that  con- 
nection. During  all  these  years  he  gave 
generously  of  his  time  and  energies  in 
advancing  the  work  of  the  church  and  in 
supporting  the  many  philanthropies  in 
connection  therewith.  Though  possess- 
ing all  due  dignity,  there  was  nothing  in 
the  least  austere  or  unapproachable  about 
him,  but  on  the  contrary,  a  frank  open 
manner,  and  a  democratic  attitude  to- 
wards all  who  approached  him  which 
disarmed  all  fear  and  awkwardness  on 
the  part  of  even  the  most  humble.  His 
charity  was  of  the  most  spontaneous  order 
which  carries  with  it  no  reproach,  and  it 
embraced  all  men,  showing  itself  both  in 
his  tolerance  of  his  fellows  and  his  readi- 
ness to  aid  misfortune  wherever  it  met 
his  eye.  It  is  little  wonder  that  his  death, 
when  less  than  sixty  years  of  age,  was 
mourned,  not  only  by  his  immediate 
family  and  the  host  of  personal  friends 
which  he  had  gathered  about  him,  but 
by  the  community  at  large  which  felt  it 
had  lost  a  true  and  disinterested  friend. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde  both  believed  in 
translating  their  religious  convictions 
into  terms  of  actual,  everyday  conduct. 
It  was  possibly  because  of  this,  more 
than  for  any  other  reason,  that  they 
were  felt  as  a  very  real  influence  for  good 
among  their  many  associates,  since  there 
is  none  of  us  but  instinctively  recognizes 
sincerity  when  it  exists.  Whatever  was 
undertaken  in  the  city  for  the  common 
welfare  was  pretty  sure  to  have  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde,  who 
were  especially  interested  in  all  chari- 
table and  philanthropic  movements,  and 
there  were  none  who  knew  them  that  did 
not  feel  their  influence  as  exerted  in  the  up- 
lifting and  inspiration  of  all  about  them. 


200 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


KELLER.  Adam. 

Man  of  Enterprise.  Inventor. 

The  assertion  is  sometimes  made  that, 
in  spite  of  certain  notable  exceptions,  the 
type  of  mind  possessed  by  inventive 
geniuses  is  rarely  capable  of  dealing  with 
the  commercial  or  business  aspect  of  life, 
and  we  have  the  popular  and  unfamiliar 
picture  of  the  unsuspecting  ingenuous 
inventor  fleeced  of  the  well  earned  profit 
from  his  devices  by  the  sophisticated  and 
scheming  business  men.  If  this  be  so  it 
is  strange  enough,  for  to  the  layman  at 
least,  there  seems  to  be  no  incompati- 
bility between  the  mind  that  can  grasp 
the  highly  practical  problems  of  physical 
and  mechanical  science  and  the  very 
similar  problems  of  every-day  business 
relations,  but  rather  a  parity  such  as  to 
suggest  that  they  are  of  one  and  the 
same  kind.  However  this  may  be,  it  is 
certain  that  the  remarkable  group  of 
American  inventors  of  the  generation 
just  passed,  whose  achievements  have 
given  rise  to  the  wide-spread  respect  for 
'"Yankee  genius"  were  not  afflicted  with 
any  such  one-sidedness  of  character. 
They,  at  least,  were  not  prevented  of 
their  just  deserts,  but  were  quite  equally 
capable  of  producing  their  masterpieces 
of  mechanical  skill  and  of  marketing 
them  to  their  own  best  advantage  and 
to  that  of  the  world  at  large.  And  if 
they  thus  prove  false  to  this  belief  as  to 
the  one-sidedness  of  genius,  they  no  less 
dispose  of  another  fallacy ;  the  notion, 
namely,  that  such  a  union  of  abilities 
shows  a  man  to  have  developed  the  ma- 
terial side  of  his  nature  at  the  expense 
of  the  spiritual.  Nothing  could  be  fur- 
ther from  the  truth,  as  these  men  have 
well  shown  in  their  lives,  wherein  were 
displayed  that  essential  spirit  of  democ- 
racy that  is  but  another  for  the  Christian 
virtue  of  charity,  and  even  those  higher 


reaches  of  idealism  expressed  in  religion 
and  art.  Such,  for  example,  was  the 
character  of  the  late  Adam  Keller,  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  whose  death  there 
on  January  17,  1917,  deprived  that  com- 
munity of  a  most  prominent  and  highly 
honored  citizen  and  the  industrial  world 
of  a  conspicuous  figure. 

Born  November  2^,  1853,  in  the  charm- 
ing region  known  as  Columbia  Heights, 
Brooklyn,  Adam  Keller  was  a  descend- 
ant of  an  old  German  family,  and  the  son 
of  Martin  and  Anna  (ShaefiFer)  Keller. 
His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many and  came  to  the  United  States  at 
the  ages  of  seventeen  and  fifteen  years, 
respectively,  and  it  was  here  that  they 
met  and  married.  Adam  Keller  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Brooklyn 
and  later  attended  Cooper  Institute  in 
the  evenings,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
was  already  engaged  in  business  during 
the  day.  He  had  secured  a  position  with 
a  gold  smelting  concern  and  there  worked 
for  a  considerable  time,  learning  in  the 
meanwhile  the  detail  of  that  industry. 
At  Cooper  Institute  he  learned  design- 
ing, a  branch  of  knowledge  which  served 
him  well  in  his  subsequent  life  and  was 
applied  by  him  to  the  practical  require- 
ments of  his  business.  After  spending  a 
number  of  years  with  the  gold  smelting 
concern.  Mr.  Keller  severed  his  connec- 
tion therewith  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  brother,  with  whom  he  organ- 
ized the  Keller  Printing  Company,  a  con- 
cern which  has  done  a  very  large  busi- 
ness in  printing  railroad  tickets  and  such 
articles  as  tickets  and  tags  for  clothing 
and  other  marking  purposes.  This  busi- 
ness in  time  grew  to  very  large  propor- 
tions, a  growth  which  was  due  prin- 
cipally to  the  remarkable  executive  abili- 
ties of  our  subject,  who,  on  account  of 
the  ill  health  of  his  brother,  was  prac- 
ticallv  in  sole  charge  of  its  affairs.     Mr. 


201 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Keller  was  a  man  of  strong  ambitions, 
but  it  was  not  only  for  material  advan- 
tage which  he  yearned,  even  greater  de- 
sideratum in  his  mind  being  the  acquire- 
ment of  knowledge  and  culture.  His 
mind  was  an  extremely  fertile  one,  and 
he  possessed  in  addition  that  still  more 
unusual  quality  of  being  able  to  apply 
his  theories  to  the  practical  affairs  of 
every-day  existence,  an  ability  which  ac- 
counts for  the  remarkable  manner  in 
which  his  business  prospered.  Perhaps 
the  most  conspicuous  talent  of  Mr.  Keller 
was  his  remarkable  inventive  genius, 
which  has  already  been  referred  to  as 
quite  compatible  with  his  business  sense. 
It  was  from  his  own  designs  that  the 
printing  press,  which  he  used  in  his 
affairs,  was  constructed  and  indeed  he 
patented  much  of  his  own  machinery, 
his  devices  being  a  great  improvement 
over  the  forms  at  that  time  in  use.  He 
was  a  man  of  profound  thought,  a  student 
and  a  clear-sighted  man,  in  whose  mind 
the  relations  of  life  were  more  ade- 
quately comprehended  than  in  the  minds 
of  the  average,  and  his  ability  to  thus  see 
life  in  its  true  proportions  had  its  inevit- 
able result  in  him  of  making  him  toler- 
ant and  charitable  to  his  fellow-men  and 
to  his  associates  a  true  friend  and  de- 
lightful companion. 

Mr.  Keller  retired  from  business  in  the 
year  1905  and  sold  his  interests  in  the 
Keller  Printing  Company,  but  such  re- 
tirement in  a  man  of  his  character  and 
calibre  could  never  mean  idleness,  and 
we  find  that  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  was 
always  active  both  mentally  and  phy- 
sically. 

Besides  his  personal  business,  he  was 
connected  with  a  number  of  other  im- 
portant concerns  and  was  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  Cook-Keller  Music  Ruler 
Company  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
the   principal   owner   therein.     The   suc- 


cess which  he  met  in  all  his  enterprises 
was  unquestionably  due  in  almost  equal 
measure  to  his  absolute  integrity  and  to 
the  skill  with  which  he  combined  the 
practical  elements  in  life.  He  was  a  man 
whose  tastes  were  wholesome,  and  he 
found  his  chief  pleasures  in  the  intimate 
intercourse  of  family  life  and  in  the 
healthy  sports  and  pastimes  of  outdoors. 
He  was  particularly  fond  of  fishing  and 
yachting  and  was  a  member  of  the  Bell- 
port  Yacht  Club  of  Long  Island,  and  he 
owned  two  handsome  summer  estates  at 
Bellport,  Long  Island.  Mr.  Keller  was 
a  very  charitable  man  and  always  was 
kind  to  all  those  in  unfortunate  circum- 
stances, and  it  was  rare  indeed  that  any 
appeal  made  to  him  went  unheeded.  His 
character  was  a  particularly  genial  one, 
his  manner  jovial  and  his  wit  ready,  so 
that  his  companionship  was  most  delight- 
ful and  he  was  noted  for  the  ease  with 
which  he  kept  his  friends  roaring  with 
laughter  and  in  a  general  good  humor  at 
all  times.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strong- 
est religious  beliefs  and  feelings,  founded 
the  Bethany  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Brooklyn,  and  was  one  of  its  trustees  and 
elders  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  member  of  a  number  of  organiza- 
tions, social  and  fraternal,  among  which 
should  be  mentioned  the  local  lodges  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  American 
Legion  of  Honor,  of  the  latter  of  which 
he  was  commander  for  a  period  of  some 
eighteen  years. 

On  October  25,  1877,  Mr.  Keller  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  New  York  City, 
with  Cassie  Jane  Glassey,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Hutchinson)  Glas- 
sey. and  a  descendant  on  the  paternal 
side  of  an  old  French  Huguenot  family, 
while  on  her  mother's  side  her  ancestors 
were  Scotch.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keller  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  as  follows : 
Edith,  now  deceased ;  Mabel  Agnes,  born 


202 


THE  ; 

JTI    t 

YC 

RK     I 

PUBLIC 

LI 

..RY 

ASTOR,  L- 

-NOX 

TILDE  N- 

FOUf 

•DA' 

IONS     I 

/ 


-^^%: 


m 


i- lustra  tt 


:    i   ter  took  spt 
Greek,  a  fine  scho 
cian,  and  v 
time  in  Br 
ried' Ethel 
one  ch''  ' 

fOTI. 

and  dcA 

chum  1  " 

him  hi- 

a  deeply  religi-  an,  and 

of  a  very  considerable  musical  takx^.L  auu 

■^  delightful  voice,  and  when  M=    :'.    .r!<l 

key  came  to  New  York  a 
l>n  to  hold  their  famous 'revival  be 
she  assisted  them  in  the  musical  :    ,- 
their   services  with   her   splendid   voi. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Brookl)-n  Can- 
tata Society,  and  sang  in  the  c^'  ■-'■'  <^^  '■''■"<•■ 
Bethany  Presbyterian  Church. 
'  The   chief  faculty   <  ' 
without  doubt,  the  saui.   . 

artist,    the    ^acuUv    of   cann^ 


•r;.i;i.v  'Combina- 

tions.   It  is  or  ■  )  that 

these  elments  sn;  ..  lu  i,  .  u;  "* 

varied    as    possible   and   t). 
memory   is   also   most   important, 
these  faculties  were  highly  developcu  ni 
Mr.  Keller  and  the  same    may  be    seen 
again  in  his  immediate  family.     In  i\' 
Keller  it  was  combined  with  a  veryTceen 
interest  in  the  practical  problems  of  his 
c  .lling,  which  led  him  to  consider  them 
and  for  long  intervals  so  that  his 
naturally  worked  in  their  dircc- 
d  here  again  we  h.. 
?  the  is 


LO     Chv 

^  « ...       ■> 

:s  foun. 

.virtues 

■)ts  are   !  „ 

dlv  hon 


a,  and  he  w;; 
huoband  and  an  aflFecuonati 


WELL,  William  Henry 

Mita  of  AirtiBtic  Tastes. 

conflict  war 
tween  good  and 

■''■'"=■■'■    '""^long.3    . 
before 
not  in  ourselv. 
!  igi.i. -/usness,"  is  more  i.. 
success  of  the  good  cause  t! 
The  constitution  of  this  p 
is  against  the  unae-*^'  '''- 
untrue.    The  stars 
against  Sisera.    Th; 
,^  with  strength 
wing   that   he 
ideals  and  who  opmbats  any  ot 


tic  errors  under  thr 

'  ■  '-■  -  '■'- 

of  infinite  and  inv 

i  nerve  the 

[■  cneer 

CI    each   ea- 

•r  for    • 

bc"*j!tv  t'^ 

'"'mf',    pr 

icri'nau 


*'t    4 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


only  found  lite  worth  while,  but  was  of 
inestimable  value  in  pointing  the  way  to 
better  things  to  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

Mr.  Powell  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  August  25,  1866,  and  was  a  son  of 
William  Henry  and  Mary  (Cowing) 
Powell.  The  mother  was  a  representa- 
tive of  a  fine  old  Southern  family  and 
was  a  lady  of  culture.  The  father  was 
one  of  the  famous  artists  of  his  day  and 
generation  in  America,  especially  of  his- 
torical scenes,  among  the  most  notable 
being  his  celebrated  paintings  entitled, 
"Perry's  Victory  of  Lake  Erie,"  "De  Soto 
Discovering  the  Mississippi,"  "Washing- 
ton Irving  at  Sunnyside,"  "Eugene  Sue," 
"Alexander  Dumas  Pere,"  "Lamartine," 
(Alphonse-Marie-Louis  de). 

William  H.  Powell,  Jr.,  attended  pri- 
vate schools,  it  being  his  ambition  to 
become  an  artist,  but  his  father  died 
when  he  was  quite  young,  and  he  be- 
came clerk  and  librarian  at  Cooper  Union 
and  afterwards  secretary  to  the  late  ex- 
Mayor  Abram  S.  Hewitt.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  art 
business,  dealing  with  arts  and  lovers  of 
fine  paintings.  He  inherited  his  father's 
taste  for  art,  and  was  an  exceptionally 
good  judge  of  all  kinds  of  art  work.  He 
also  handled  all  kinds  of  artists'  mater- 
ials, maintaining  a  well  known  and  well 
patronized  store  on  upper  Sixth  avenue, 
New  York,  for  over  thirty  years.  He 
was  known  for  his  industry  and  sound 
business  judgment  as  well  as  his  aesthetic 
qualities.  He  was  a  splendid  example  of 
a  successful,  self-made  man. 

Mr.  Powell  was  married  to  Adelaide 
Henry,  the  accomplished  daughter  of 
Thomas  H.  and  Emily  (Keily)  Henry,  of 
New  York.  Educated  by  private  tutors, 
and  always  deeply  interested  and  evinc- 
ing rare  natural  talent  from  early  life  in 
music    and    painting,    she   was   of    great 


assistance  to  her  husband.  She  says  Mr. 
Powell  left  her  a  rich  legacy  in  the  efifec- 
tionate  appreciation  of  his  fine  character 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  No  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powell.  The 
latter  has  one  sister,  Josephine  Redding, 
a  noted  writer  and  well  known  in  New 
York  City. 

William  Henry  Powell,  of  this  memoir, 
was  a  public-spirited  man.  He  was  an 
advocate  of  preparedness  by  the  United 
States,  for  self-defense,  and  marched  in 
the  artists'  division  of  the  great  prepared- 
ness parade  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  people,  in  New  York,  May  13, 
1916,  the  excitement  attending  it  being 
perhaps  the  direct  cause  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  that  date  suddenly 
and  without  warning.  Mr.  Powell  left 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Walter  Lloyd,  a  well 
known  painter  of  New  York  City.  She 
is  the  widow  of  the  late  Captain  Walter 
Lloyd,  who  was  an  English  naval  officer. 
His  son,  William  Lloyd,  is  now  a  cap- 
tain in  the  British  army,  and  at  this  writ- 
ing (1916)  is  at  the  front  in  France, 
having  distinguished  himself  in  active 
service.  He  is  highly  educated  and  an 
author  of  no  mean  ability. 

Mr.  Powell  had  a  very  wide  acquaint- 
ance among  artists  of  this  land  and  past 
generations,  and  from  his  father  he  heard 
much  of  Albert  Gallatin,  Alexander 
Dumas  and  Washington  Irving,  who  had 
sat  for  him,  and  of  Lamartine  and  Eu- 
gene Sue,  who  were  his  friends.  There 
was  great  sorrow  at  the  news  of  Mr. 
Powell's  death,  for  his  kindly  nature  and 
unfailing  assistance  to  young  artists,  to 
whom  he  often  offered  the  hospitalities 
of  his  galleries  for  exhibition  purposes, 
made  him  hundreds  of  friends. 

The  following  editorial,  entitled  "A 
Good  Man  Gone,"  is  from  a  New  York 
art  journal : 


204 


tr CYCLOPEDIA  OF  EIOGR--\PHY 


In  the  passing  of  William  H.  Powell,  whose 
cbituary  we  publish  with  sincere  regret,  a  good 
man  has  gone  from  the  New  York  art  world. 
For  many  years  the  quiet  little  galler>-  and  artists' 
material  shop,  conducted  by  William  H.  Powell, 
has  been  the  mecca  of  New  York  artists,  even  of 
those  who  did  not  have  studios  nearby,  and  prob- 
ably no  man  in  the  trade  had  as  many  acquaint- 
ances and  warm  friends  among  the  artists  of  the 
cit\-.  He  numbered  also  among  his  friends  many 
a  collector  and  art  lover,  who,  like  the  artists, 
appreciated  his  kindly  and  lovable  nature,  his  true 
knowledge  of  art  and  his  taste  and  discernment. 
So  the  passing  of  William  H.  Powell  is  the  pass- 
ing of  a  friend,  and  one  whose  place  in  the  Metro- 
politan art  world  cannot  be  filled.  He  died  just 
after  finishing  his  march  as  a  patriotic  citizen  and 
a  ■"Christian  Soldier"'  in  the  preparedness  parade 
last  Saturday,  and  his  end  was  peaceful.  To  his 
widow,  also  the  artists'  friend,  we  extend  our  sin- 
cerest  sympathies  and  our  ever>-  wish  for  her 
success  in  the  carrj-ing  on  of  the  work  her  hus- 
band so  well  conducted.  The  old  Greek  epitaph 
applies  with  peculiar  fitness  to  William  H.  Powell : 

Here   wrapt  in  happy  slimiber — Cleon  lies 
Asleep — not  dead — the  good  man  never  dies. 


SCHUSSLER.  Hugh  Kenneth. 

Accomplislied.  Vocalist. 

The  late  Dr.  Hugh  Kenneth  Schussler, 
of  Xew  York  City,  was  a  man  whom 
nature  endowed  with  a  diversity  of 
talents,  and  no  doubt  he  could  have  suc- 
ceeded at  nearly  any  vocation  to  which 
he  might  have  directed  his  energies  and 
attention.  Such  an  intellect  as  he  pos- 
sessed is  not  often  encountered — one  that 
is  quick  to  see  and  to  seize,  to  clearly 
interpret  life  in  all  its  phases  and  mould 
its  issues  to  their  best  purpose.  It 
seems  a  strange  dispensation  of  provi- 
dence that  the  lives  of  such  men  are  usu- 
ally short  and  that  the  breadth  of  life  is 
vouchsafed  to  so  many  of  the  worthless 
and  vile,  those  libels  on  society  that 
cumber  the  fair  earth,  many  of  them  for 
such  a  long  time,  maybe  far  beyond  the 
allotted  three  score  years  and  ten,  the 
outmost    milepost    as    set    by    the    great 


psalmist  of  old.  Yet  such  rare  charac- 
ters as  Dr.  Schussler  accomplish  far 
more  in  their  brief  span  of  years  than  the 
average  individual  does  in  a  full  lifetime. 
He  was  a  successful  physician,  a  great 
athlete,  and  above  all  a  singer  of  unusual 
ability,  and  when  he  was  called  from 
earthly  scenes  at  an  early  age,  his  pass- 
ing was  doubly  sad  in  that  such  a 
talented  man  should  die  so  young. 

Dr.  Schussler  was  born  in  Alton,  Illi- 
nois, October  i6.  1876.  He  was  a  son  of 
the  late  Dr.  L.  F.  and  Mar}-  Schussler. 
The  father  was  a  noted  physician  of  the 
Middle  West.  Hugh  Kenneth,  the  only 
child  of  these  parents,  was  practically  an 
invalid  during  his  early  boyhood,  and  be- 
lieving that  a  change  of  climate  would 
be  beneficial  they  took  him  to  England 
in  his  early  youth.  Being  careful  of  his 
habits  and  taking  a  great  deal  of  outdoor 
exercise,  he  outgrew  his  early  physical 
weakness,  finally  developing  into  a  strong 
athlete,  well  proportioned  and  of  hand- 
some presence.  Among  his  accomplish- 
ments were  boxing  and  marksmanship, 
finally  becoming  the  champion  pistol  shot 
of  the  United  States.  After  receiving 
his  preliminan.-  schooling,  he  entered  the 
Hering  Medical  College  at  Chicago,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1897. 
He  also  took  a  special  course  in  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  Xorthwestern  Uni- 
versity at  Evanston,  Illinois,  where  he 
received  another  degree  in  1903.  He  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Chicago  in  1897.  and  continued  there 
with  success  until  1909,  when  he  located 
in  Xew  York  City. 

Dr.  Schussler  was  a  man  of  decided 
aesthetic  qualities,  and  possessed  an  ex- 
ceptionally good  bass  voice.  Appreciating 
what  nature  had  done  for  him  he  took 
great  pains  to  properly  train  his  voice 
and  he  became  one  of  the  noted  singers 


20: 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  America.  He  was  for  some  time 
soloist  for  the  famous  Symphony  Orches- 
tra, conducted  by  Professor  Thomas,  of 
Chicago.  He  studied  under  the  great 
Oscar  Sanger,  of  New  York  City,  and  by 
years  of  close  application,  persistent 
effort  and  the  overcoming  of  many  ob- 
stacles he  became  a  noted  and  accom- 
plished singer.  He  traveled  extensively, 
singing  in  the  highest  class  concerts, 
abandoning  his  large  medical  practice  in 
order  to  do  so,  consequently  he  became 
known  not  only  throughout  the  United 
States  but  abroad  as  well.  He  finally 
went  in  for  grand  opera,  for  which  he 
was  in  every  way  well  suited,  and  he 
sang  in  Berlin  and  Elberfeld,  Germany, 
also  at  Trappan,  Austria.  He  journeyed 
to  Italy  with  his  intimate  friend,  Putnam 
Griswold,  and  they  sang  together  there 
during  one  summer.  He  also  sang  at 
private  functions  in  Paris  and  London. 
He  was  well  received  wherever  he  ap- 
peared in  Europe,  his  rare  talents  being 
at  once  recognized  and  duly  appreciated, 
and  compliments  were  everywhere  show- 
ered upon  him.  Finally  returning  to 
America,  he  joined  the  Century  Opera  of 
New  York  City.  He  was  always  a 
student,  always  trying  to  climb  a  little 
higher,  to  gain  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
things  worth  while,  and  consequently  he 
became  a  man  of  broad  culture  and  of 
brilliant  intellectual  attainments.  He 
sang  equally  well  in  English,  German, 
French  and  Italian,  mastering  thoroughly 
all  these  languages.  He  took  readily  to 
the  German  language,  as  he  was  of  Ger- 
man descent.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
a  native  of  Germany,  became  one  of  the 
great  chemists  of  his  age,  but  finally  took 
up  his  residence  in  the  United  States  on 
account  of  the  political  troubles  in  Prus- 
sia becoming  obnoxious  to  him. 

Dr.    Schussler's    principal    hobby    was 
angling,  and  he  was    one  of  the    most 


expert  fishermen  in  the  country,  and  be- 
ing of  a  mechanical  turn,  made  a  large 
portion  of  his  fishing  outfit,  turning  out 
higher  class  casting  rods  than  he  could 
purchase.  He  was  a  leading  member  of 
the  Cotton  Thread  Club,  a  Long  Island 
club  composed  of  New  York's  expert 
fishermen.  He  also  possessed  a  very 
high  knowledge  of  modern  photography, 
and  had  a  splendid  collection  of  outdoor 
scenes  which  he  had  taken  in  various 
parts  of  the  world.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  at  Alton,  Illinois, 
in  which  he  attained  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree. 

Dr.  Schussler  was  married  on  Febru- 
ary 2,  1916,  to  Sibyl  Conklin,  in  Brooklyn 
borough.  She  is  a  lady  of  refinement 
and  rare  accomplishments  as  a  vocalist. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Judge  Norman  H. 
and  Myra  (Reese)  Conklin,  a  prominent 
family  of  San  Diego,  California,  where 
the  father  was  for  some  time  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  and  has  long  been  one 
of  the  noted  legal  lights  of  Southern 
California.  He  has  four  children  living, 
namely :  Ralph,  who  is  the  present 
sheriff  of  San  Diego  county,  California; 
Claude,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  his  hom-e  city ;  Harold,  a  law 
student ;  and  Sibyl,  who  married  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir.  Mrs.  Schussler  re- 
ceived her  education  in  public  and  private 
schools  in  San  Diego,  later  taking  up  the 
study  of  music  in  San  Francisco,  in 
which  she  had  decided  natural  talent  as 
a  vocalist,  consequently  she  made  rapid 
progress  in  voice  culture  under  private 
teachers,  the  best  in  the  West.  She  sub- 
sequently came  to  New  York  City  and 
studied  under  Oscar  Sanger,  developing 
a  wonderful  contralto  voice.  She  has 
been  a  member  of  some  of  the  leading 
church  choirs  of  the  country,  has  ap- 
peared in  concerts  of  a  high  order  and  in 
celebrated   oratorio.     She  also  sang  for 


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ASTO- 
TIL  C-  '■      - 


■\c. 


opera  Compai 

She  si'''*^?  ^CM.' 

was  J  ■ 


If:. 

when  hie  pronii^^ed  in. 

;o  admi 
taicats,    and    his    genial, 

9.VVA  !•'!  rin-n.'   •■"  atn  rf. 


SHERWOOD,  Bradford  V 


Revolu 


Ffcysl';'^- 


aiand  is  freely  given  to  tiie 

kind  to '''^  ^'-■'^•'■'e  '  •'-'>'-  I 

metho  ..],,t.     da'vj 

;    vages  of  epidemics.  No  physician  more      officer 
*Iy  appreciates  his  obligations  *-    ^'  ' '       !-    '*^ 
-peel:  than  Dr.  Bradford  W.  Sher 

■cuse,  who  with  all  his  force  and      his 
:  ce  has  labored  for  :-         ■  -       -        ■  ■'■ 
^T-,.    JMig  the  city's  water 

and  properly  locating 
•r    tuberculosis    victimc,    j.; 
liry  inspection.     Neither  h  •. 
Kr^:si'::'  ■-■v::\   '-   .■•Ti  better  res^ : 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  to  that  locality  from  New  Jersey. 
She  was  a  descendant  of  the  Dutch  an- 
cestor of  the  Wyckoff  family  who  settled 
at  New  Amsterdam  and  at  one  time 
owned  a  goodly  tract  of  land  on  Manhat- 
tan Island. 

Dr.  Bradford  Wyckoff  Sherwood,  son 
of  Bradford  (2)  and  Adelaide  (Wyckoff) 
Sherwood,  was  born  on  the  ancestral  farm 
at  Jamesville,  Onondaga  county.  New 
York,  April  18,  1859.  He  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  village  school.  He  prepared 
in  Syracuse  Classical  School,  and  after 
graduating  in  1877  entered  Hamilton 
College  whence  he  was  graduated  Bach- 
elor of  Arts,  class  of  1882,  his  alma  mater 
conferring  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
in  1885.  For  six  years  after  graduation 
he  was  principal  of  Rome  Free  Academy, 
at  Rome,  New  York,  then,  carrying  out 
a  long  formed  plan,  he  entered  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  whence  he  was  graduated 
Doctor  of  Medicine,  class  of  1890.  After 
a  course  of  post-graduate  study  and  work 
at  the  Philadelphia  Lying-in  Hospital, 
he  located  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  where 
since  1890  he  has  been  continuously  en- 
gaged in  medical  and  surgical  practice. 
Since  1891  he  has  been  attending  surgeon 
at  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
surgeon  to  the  Homeopathic  Hospital, 
1897-99,  and  in  addition  has  a  very  large 
private  clientele. 

Dr.  Sherwood  for  many  years  has  been 
known  as  an  ardent  apostle  of  the  gospel 
of  prevention  of  disease  through  sanitary 
precaution,  and  for  several  years  was 
medical  expert  to  the  State  Board  of 
Health  appointed  in  October,  1907.  As 
a  long  time  active  member  of  the  health 
committee  of  the  Syracuse  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  twice  its  chairman,  he  led 
in  the  crusade  for  a  pure  water  supply, 
and  under  his  directions  and  with  the 
assistance   of  another  committee  of  the 


chamber,  a  new  sanitary  code  was  writ- 
ten and  adopted  by  the  City  Council. 
That  code  has  served  not  only  its  purpose 
in  Syracuse,  but  has  been  copied  from  by 
other  American  cities  and  copies  of  the 
code  applied  for  were  sent  to  municipali- 
ties abroad.  He  also  was  identified 
prominently  in  the  establishment  of  a 
tuberculosis  sanitarium  for  Onondaga 
county,  and  in  having  it  properly  located, 
and  to  his  efforts  the  present  system  of 
dairy  inspection  in  Syracuse  is  largely 
due.  In  1904,  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  So- 
ciety, Dr.  Sherwood's  paper  on  "State 
Inspection  of  Summer  Resorts"  aroused 
public  attention  with  the  result  that  the 
State  Board  of  Health  began  that  impor- 
tant work.  On  a  part  of  the  homestead 
farm  in  Jamesville  he  maintains  a  model 
dairy  farm,  and  in  its  operation  proves 
his  theory  that  it  is  possible  to  profitably 
run  a  dairy  under  the  most  exacting 
sanitary  conditions. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  its  second 
vice-president  in  1905,  first  vice-president 
in  1912,  and  president  in  1913;  member 
and  ex-president  of  Onondaga  County 
Homeopathic  Society  and  of  Medico-Chi- 
rurgical  Society  of  Central  New  York ; 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Homeopathy ;  New  York  State  Home- 
opathic Medical  Society ;  and  Syracuse 
Academy  of  Medicine.  He  is  highly  re- 
garded by  his  professional  brethren  and 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  phy- 
sicians of  Central  New  York.  He  meets 
every  demand  made  upon  him  with  con- 
scientious performance,  and  yields  to  no 
man  in  his  devotion  to  private  profes- 
sional obligation  nor  civic  duty.  A  lover 
of  nature  and  the  great  out-of-doors.  Dr. 
Sherwood  is  particularly  fond  of  the 
mountain  and  lake  region  of  his  own 
State,  and  since  1881  has  been  a  regular 


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ASTOR,   t'  '^'"'X 
TILDtN     f   ■'■:'C,-     -vNS 


l^rjas  nis  z  .  j^; 


'ecent  ? 


ommer 


BROWN  IK- 


iTJt  anr] 


tr-seeuig    iu    what   he 
'■h  scarcely  an  except i 
to  which  he  arldre 
alted   in  gr.- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Jersey,  but  retired  from  that  position  and 
became  a  director  in  the  company  that 
operated  this  road  when  it  was  sold  to 
the  Erie  Railroad  Company.  He  was 
very  successful  in  this  field,  but  finally 
retired  from  the  active  railroad  business. 
He  was  kept  very  busy  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  as  referee  in  business 
entanglements  of  various  kinds,  most  of 
them  involving  large  concerns  and  vast 
sums.  He  was  a  frequent  executor  and 
trustee  in  estates  and  other  matters 
settled  in  and  out  of  courts.  He  was  se- 
lected in  these  capacities  partly  because 
of  his  widely  recognized  superior  busi- 
ness ability  and  experience,  and  partly 
because  of  his  fine  sense  of  honor,  integ- 
rity and  fairness. 

Although  a  very  busy  man,  Mr.  Brown- 
ing found  time  for  public  affairs  and  for 
many  years  was  a  leader  in  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Three  times  he  was  elected 
by  the  people  as  a  presidential  elector 
when  McKinley  and  Roosevelt  were 
chosen  president  by  the  electoral  college. 
He  served  in  official  capacities  on  various 
charitable  boards  and  societies,  in  fact, 
he  was  always  deeply  interested  in  charity 
work  and  very  active  in  the  same,  giving 
large  sums  to  worthy  movements  for  the 
benefit  of  the  needy  and  distressed.  He 
was  a  man  of  exemplary  character,  was 
friendly  and  affable  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  world,  kind,  obliging,  approach- 
able, and  was  therefore  greatly  admired 
and  highly  esteemed  by  all  classes.  He 
had  the  ability  to  see  the  bright  and 
humorous  side  of  life  and  scattered  sun- 
shine wherever  he  went.  He  was  very 
fond  of  his  home,  and  especially  enjoyed 
his  beautiful  summer  residence  in  New 
Jersey. 

Mr.  Browning  married,  October  19, 
1871,  in  New  Jersey,  Eva  B.  Sisson,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  G.  and  Mary  E.  (Gar- 
rebrant)    Sisson,  a  highly  respected  old 


family.  Mrs.  Browning  is  a  lady  of  cul- 
ture and  high  standing  socially.  She  has 
one  child :  John  H.  Browning,  a  young 
man  of  unusual  ability  and  promise,  who 
is  single  and  living  at  home.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Browning  occurred  October  26, 
1914,  after  an  exceptionally  successful  and 
useful  life,  one  which  might  well  be  emu- 
lated by  the  ambitious  young  man  stand- 
ing at  the  threshold  of  his  career. 


LOCKWOOD,  Henry  Benedict, 
Man   of   Affairs. 

One  of  the  well  known  and  most  repre- 
sentative business  men  and  highly  es- 
teemed native  sons  of  New  York  City,  of 
a  past  generation,  was  the  late  Henry 
Benedict  Lockwood,  a  scion  of  one  of  the 
prominent  old  families  of  Manhattan. 
His  career  designated  in  a  positive  way 
the  strength  of  a  strong  and  loyal  nature, 
and  to  him  was  ever  accorded  unqualified 
confidence  and  regard,  indicating  the 
popular  appreciation  of  his  worthy  life 
and  worthy  deeds.  He  gave  to  the  world 
the  best  of  an  essentially  loyal,  virile  and 
noble  nature,  and  his  standard  of  integ- 
rity and  honor  was  ever  inflexible.  He 
was  a  citizen  of  high  civic  ideals,  and 
ever  manifested  his  liberality  in  connec- 
tion with  measures  and  enterprises  tend- 
ing to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  the 
public.  He  lived  and  labored  to  worthy 
ends,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
sterling  citizens  and  representative  men 
of  afifairs  of  America's  great  Metropolis, 
so  that  his  name  merits  a  tribute  of  honor 
in  this  publication. 

Mr.  Lockwood  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  April  23,  1852.  He  was  a  son  of 
LeGrand  Lockwood,  for  many  years  one 
of  the  leading  financiers  of  this  country, 
familiarly  known  as  the  "King  of  Wall 
Street."  Not  only  was  he  a  potent  factor 
in  molding  New  York's  business  policies, 


210 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


but  was  influential  in  public  affairs,  and 
during  the  Civil  War  his  loyal  support  of 
the  government  won  favorable  comment 
from  high  officials  of  the  Nation.  He 
equipped  at  his  own  expense  a  fine  regi- 
ment of  infantry  for  service  in  the  Union 
army,  also  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense 
the  well  known  Hays  Relief  Expedition, 
which  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
accompanied,  although  a  mere  boy  at  the 
time. 

Henry  B.  Lockwood  received  his  edu- 
cation in  Lyon's  Collegiate  Seminary, 
Xew  York  City,  and  also  attended  Selig's 
Academy  at  Vevay,  Switzerland.  Through 
business  and  social  relations  and  by 
traveling  throughout  the  civilized  world, 
he  became  an  exceptionally  well  informed 
man  and  was  a  brilliant  conversationalist, 
not  only  entertaining,  but  instructive,  for 
he  was  a  close  and  accurate  observer. 
Upon  his  entry  into  the  business  world 
he  became  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange,  which  he  subsequently 
sold,  then  went  to  California  and  devoted 
his  attention  for  some  time  to  agriculture 
and  horticulture  on  an  extensive  scale, 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  oranges. 
He  finally  sold  his  real  estate  holdings  in 
the  Pacific  coast  country,  returned  to  New 
York  and  purchased  another  seat  in  the 
Xew  York  Stock  Exchange,  and  again 
became  active  in  financial  circles,  in  which 
he  remained  a  dominating  factor  until 
about  two  years  prior  to  his  death,  during 
which  period  he  was  very  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  leading  financiers  of  the 
United  States,  among  whom  he  was  re- 
garded as  a  man  of  rare  business  acumen 
and  foresight,  sound  judgment  and  quick 
perception.  He  met  with  unusual  and 
continuous  success  in  his  operations,  and 
his  counsel  was  often  sought  in  important 
matters  by  the  great  financiers  of  the 
country.  For  they  knew  that  he  was  not 
only  a  genius  in  such  matters,  but  that 


he  could  be  depended  upon,  that  his  word 
was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  that  he  was 
the  soul  of  honor  and  integrity,  worthy 
of  implicit  trust  and  confidence.  No  one 
who  knew  him  well  ever  hesitated  to 
accept  his  word  in  any  kind  of  a  trans- 
action. He  was  very  successful  in  his 
chosen  career,  seldom  meeting  with  de- 
feat, but  when  he  did  he  never  com- 
plained, endeavoring  merely  to  get  a  les- 
son for  future  guidance  from  such  adver- 
sities. His  disposition  was  cheerful, 
modest,  philosophical.  Moreover,  he  was 
charitable,  obliging,  kind  and  compan- 
ionable— a  man  whose  friendship  was 
sought  and  highly  valued.  He  was  also 
greatly  admired  for  his  fine  intellectuality. 
He  loved  social  life  and  was  a  most  suc- 
cessful entertainer,  in  fact,  was  a  leader 
for  years  in  the  best  social  and  club  life  of 
his  native  city.  He  belonged  to  fourteen 
organizations,  among  them  being  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  New  York 
Club,  New  Y'ork  Yacht  Club,  Chesapeake 
Club.  Union  League,  and  the  Masonic 
order.  In  later  life  he  resigned  from 
most  of  the  clubs  he  had  joined  in  his 
earlier  career,  desiring  to  spend  as  much 
time  in  his  own  pleasant  home  as  pos- 
sible, where  he  was  happiest.  Although 
not  in  any  sense  a  politician  or  a  seeker 
after  public  position,  he  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  general  amelioration  of  the 
masses  and  supported  such  measures  as 
had  for  their  object  the  general  good.  He 
was  greatly  interested  in  the  discovery  of 
the  North  Pole  and  in  other  important 
scientific  subjects,  also  took  an  interest  in 
clean  athletic  sports,  being  an  athlete 
himself.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  and 
attractive  physique.  He  was  a  veteran 
of  the  famous  Seventh  Regiment  of  In- 
fantry of  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Lockwood  was  married  on  August 
19,  1885.  to  Rosa  McCay.  a  daughter  of  J. 
P.  and  Emily  Jane  (Bestor-Gray)  McCay, 

II 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  prominent  old  family  of  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  Mr.  McCay  was  one  of  the 
well  known  business  men  of  his  gener- 
ation. He  was  vice-president  of  the  At- 
lantic Coast  Line  Railroad,  and  a  director 
in  many  other  railroads,  and  was  one  of 
the  best  informed  men  in  the  country  on 
railroads.  He  was  very  successful  in  his 
various  operations  and  became  a  great 
financier.  During  the  Civil  War  period 
he  was  in  partnership  with  William  T. 
Walters,  and  they  were  offered,  but  re- 
fused, the  government  banks. 

Mrs.  Lockwood  is  a  lady  of  education 
and  culture,  and  has  long  been  prominent 
in  New  York's  best  social  circles.  She 
was  graduated  from  the  Georgetown 
Convent.  She  was  of  great  assistance  to 
her  husband,  her  sympathy  and  counsel 
contributing  in  no  uncertain  manner  to 
his  great  success  in  life.  They  were  both 
always  welcome  in  select  society  where- 
ever  they  went.  They  worked  together 
for  charity,  and  Mrs.  Lockwood  still  con- 
tinues her  work  in  this  line  in  a  quiet 
way.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lock- 
wood  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  one 
child — Violette  McCay  Lockwood,  who 
became  the  wife  of  James  I.  McCallum, 
of  Washington,  D.  C.  She  was  a  young 
lady  of  accomplishment  and  a  favorite  in 
the  circles  in  which  she  moved,  both  in 
New  York  and  Washington.  She  is  now 
deceased.  Mrs.  Lockwood  is  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  while  her  husband  was  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  his  progenitors  becoming 
very  prominent  in  public  life  in  America 
in  the  early  days,  among  them  being  Gov- 
ernor Fitch,  one  of  the  early  chief  execu- 
tives of  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 
Daisy,  commonly  known  as  "Emily"  Mc- 
Cay, a  sister  of  Mrs.  Lockwood,  married 
Percy  Proctor,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
Washington,  D.  C.  However,  they  spend 
most  of  their  time  travelling.  He  is  a 
representative  of  the  noted  Proctor  family 


of  Cincinnati.  Florence  Lockwood,  sister 
of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  married 
Charles  Snowden  Redfield,  and  they  make 
their  home  in  Glen  Ridge,  New  Jersey. 

The  death  of  Henry  B.  Lockwood  oc- 
curred on  November  ii,  1915,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years,  when  he  was  still  in 
the  zenith  of  his  mental  powers  and  in- 
fluence, and  the  summons  came  as  a  shock 
to  his  host  of  friends,  who  felt  his  loss  as 
a  personal  one. 


HOUGH,  Willard  Parker, 

structural  Engineer. 

To  eulogize  the  deeds  and  preserve  the 
memory  of  our  dead  from  oblivion  is  at 
once  our  privilege  and  our  sacred  duty. 
Since  the  dawn  of  civilization  men  have 
made  expression  at  the  death  of  their 
fellows,  whether  such  dead  were  citizen, 
artisan,  statesman  or  soldier.  Realizing 
that  "all  flesh  shall  perish  together,  and 
man  shall  turn  again  unto  dust,"  we  are 
naturally  inspired  with  the  desire  that  we 
may  be  remembered  after  death ;  that 
after  our  earthly  remains  shall  have  been 
laid  away  to  sleep  throughout  the  silent 
centuries  yet  to  come,  awaiting  the  final 
day,  we  are  fed  by  the  hope  that  some 
human  heart  that  yet  beats  may  cherish 
a  memory  of  us,  may  yearn  for  "one  touch 
of  a  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  a 
voice  that  is  still."  Prompted  by  such 
feelings  we  come  to  chronicle  the  la- 
mented death,  "in  that  he  died  so  young," 
of  the  late  Willard  Parker  Hough,  of  New 
York  City,  a  fine  example  of  a  twentieth 
century,  progressive,  self-made  man,  who, 
although  he  lived  but  thirty-five  years, 
won  a  brilliant  reputation  as  a  construc- 
tion engineer. 

Mr.  Hough  was  born  in  Media,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  22,  1881,  and  was  a 
son  of  Frederick  and  Isabel  (Parker) 
Hough,  both  still  living,  Mr.  Hough  being 


21? 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  successful  agriculturist  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  family  consisted  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Willard  P.,  subject  of 
this  biographical  memoir ;  Frederick 
Lewis,  Calvin  C,  and  Leslie  Seymour. 

Willard  P.  Hough  spent  his  boyhood 
on  the  home  farm,  and  he  received  his 
early  education  in  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  Media,  Pennsylvania.  Very 
early  in  life  he  manifested  a  decided  tend- 
ency toward  structural  engineering,  and, 
having  decided  to  follow  it  for  a  career, 
he  entered  the  Williamson  Trade  School 
of  Architecture  at  Williamson,  that  State, 
where  he  made  an  excellent  record  and 
was  graduated  with  honors  in  1900.  Soon 
thereafter  he  took  a  position  with  the 
American  Bridge  Company  at  Edgemoor, 
Delaware,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
practical  experience  in  engineering.  Later 
he  was  associated  with  the  Phoenix  Iron 
Company,  of  Phoenixville,  Pennsylvania, 
holding  the  responsible  position  of 
checker  and  designer,  although  but  twenty 
years  of  age.  From  there  he  went  to  In- 
dianapolis, Indiana,  and  took  a  position 
with  the  Indianapolis  Bridge  Works,  and 
six  months  later  went  with  the  Brown- 
Ketcham  Company,  structural  engineers, 
of  that  city,  remaining  with  the  latter 
about  six  months.  He  remained  a  close 
student  of  all  that  pertained  to  his  chosen 
vocation  and,  becoming  an  expert,  his 
reputation  spread  all  over  the  country  and 
he  was  offered  the  responsible  position  of 
chief  draftsman  in  the  structural  depart- 
ment of  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit 
Company,  at  Brooklyn,  New  York.  Then 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Boiler, 
Hodge  &  Baird,  who  were  engineers  for 
the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Company, 
with  which  Mr.  Hough  held  an  important 
position,  the  company  at  that  time  being 
engaged  in  strengthening  and  reinforcing 
its  elevated  system.  He  remained  in  this 
position  about  five    years.     In   1909    he 


accepted  a  position  with  Pierson  &  Good- 
rick,  structural  building  engineers,  becom- 
ing chief  engineer  for  the  same.  In  191 1 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  steel  design- 
ing work  of  the  terminals  at  Montreal, 
Canada,  for  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
road, having  been  sent  there  by  the  West- 
inghouse.  Church,  Kerr  Company,  a  large 
engineering  concern  of  New  York  City. 
In  1912  he  took  a  position  with  the  New 
York  Municipal  Railway,  a  branch  com- 
pany of  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Com- 
pany, which  is  now  constructing  the  new 
subways  in  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Hough  occu- 
pied the  responsible  position  of  assistant 
structural  engineer  for  a  period  of  eight 
years  with  this  firm,  and  was  in  charge 
of  the  construction  work  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  It  was  a  great  honor  to  be  en- 
trusted with  so  important  and  gigantic  a 
task  while  yet  a  young  man.  The  com- 
pany reposed  implicit  confidence  in  his 
ability  and  fidelity,  and  his  long  retention 
in  this  important  position  would  indicate 
that  he  gave  eminent  satisfaction  to  all 
concerned. 

Mr.  Hough  was  married  on  June  i, 
1912,  at  Patchogue,  Long  Island,  to 
Martha  Blanche  Edwards,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Lawrence  and  Addie  J.  (Saxton)  Ed- 
wards. The  family  has  long  been  promi- 
nent in  that  locality,  the  father  being  a 
noted  physician  there.  Mrs.  Hough  has 
one  sister — Marguerite,  who  married 
Richard  Smith,  and  they  reside  in  Brook- 
lyn. The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hough 
was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  one  child — 
Lawrence  Edwards  Hough,  born  in  1915- 

Mr.  Hough  was  a  member  of  the 
Brooklyn  Engineers  Club,  the  American 
Legion,  the  Manhattan  Terrace  Field 
Club,  the  Exempt  Volunteer  Fire  Depart- 
ment, of  Patchogue,  Long  Island,  Lodge 
No.  1323,  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  of  that  place,  and  the  Gil- 
bert Council,  Royal  Arcanum,  of  Brook- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lyn.  He  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church  at  Patchogue.  He  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  development  of 
Long  Island,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Long  Island  Waterways  League.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  nation  should  take  ade- 
quate steps  to  prepare  for  defense,  and 
had  signed  to  go  to  Plattsburgh  Camp, 
New  York,  during  the  summer  of  1916, 
to  receive  military  instruction,  with  other 
business  and  professional  men,  under  the 
supervision  of  United  States  army  officers. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  Christian  char- 
acter and  lived  an  exemplary  life.  He 
was  popular  with  all  who  knew  him,  not 
only  on  account  of  his  recognized  superior 
ability  as  an  engineer,  but  also  because  of 
his  lovable  personality,  being  kind,  help- 
ful, companionable  and  at  all  times  a 
genteel  gentleman,  and  when  he  was  sud- 
denly called  from  his  earthly  labors  on 
May  8,  1916,  while  yet  a  mere  youth,  his 
untimely  death  caused  widespread  regret 
and  sorrow,  all  realizing  that  had  he  lived 
to  old  age  he  would  have  been  of  ines- 
timable service  to  mankind. 


CRAFT,  Herbert  Arnold, 

Insurance  Actuary. 

It  was  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  the 
great  Scottish  author,  who  said  that  a  man 
who  follows  his  own  virtuous  heart  will 
be  always  found  in  the  end  to  have  been 
fighting  for  the  best;  that  one  thing  leads 
naturally  to  another  in  an  awakened  mind, 
and  that  with  an  upward  progress  from 
effect  to  cause.  The  late  Herbert  Arnold 
Craft,  for  many  years  prominent  in  insur- 
ance circles  of  New  York  City,  and  a 
broad-minded,  public-spirited  citizen,  was 
a  man  who  had  evidently  "an  awakened 
mind,"  and  whose  career  was  marked  by 
an  "upward  progress."  And  since  it  is 
true  that  individual  success  is  determined, 
in  true  measure,  by  what  one  has  accom- 


plished, his  name  is  deserving  of  a  high 
rank  in  the  list  of  citizens  of  America's 
Metropolis  of  a  past  generation,  who  rose 
principally  through  their  own  efforts, 
often  making  stepping-stones  of  obstacles, 
to  the  top  rung  of  the  ladder  of  material 
success. 

Mr.  Craft  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
November  29,  1862,  and  was  a  son  of 
Elijah  Rosecrans  Craft,  now  deceased, 
but  for  many  years  prominent  in  insur- 
ance circles  of  New  York.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  served  with  distinction 
throughout  the  conflict  as  major  of  the 
Fifth  United  States  Artillery.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States.  His 
widow,  who  was  known  in  her  maiden- 
hood as  Julia  M.  Manchester,  is  living  in 
Bayonne,  New  Jersey,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-four years.  Her  daughter,  Julia 
Gertrude  Craft,  who  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  missionary  in  India,  lives  with 
her. 

Herbert  Arnold  Craft,  who  was  named 
after  General  Arnold,  famous  in  American 
history,  was  of  Holland  descent,  and  evi- 
dently inherited  many  of  the  sterling 
characteristics  of  his  ancestors.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  York  City  and  Bayonne,  New 
Jersey,  graduating  from  the  latter,  his 
parents  having  moved  to  Bayonne  when 
he  was  a  boy.  However,  his  education 
did  not  stop  here,  for  he  remained  a  great 
student  all  his  life  and  became  an  excep- 
tionally well  informed  man  along  many 
lines.  He  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father  when  he  came  to  choose  a  career, 
and  they  became  associated  in  the  insur- 
ance business,  with  offices  at  No.  4  Stone 
street.  New  York  City.  He  soon  gave 
every  evidence  that  he  had  rare  natural 
ability  in  this  line,  and  his  rise  was  rapid 
and  most  satisfactory  from  the  first,  be- 
coming very  prominent  in  this  field.    The 

14 


/fevW';"-/  J<y.    by^v^/^ 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,   LPNOX 
TILDEN     FOUNDA'IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


firm  of  Craft,  Son  &  Company  grew 
rapidly  as  a  result  of  his  industry  and 
keen  foresight.  A  general  insurance  busi- 
ness was  conducted,  including  fire,  marine, 
accident,  etc.,  all  kinds  of  insurance  except 
life.  Young  Craft  studied  every  phase  of 
the  insurance  question  and  introduced  a 
number  of  new  methods  and  ideas,  and 
was  admired  not  only  for  his  ingenuity 
in  this  line  but  for  his  sound  judgment, 
high  sense  of  honor  and  manly  character- 
istics.  In  due  course  of  time  he  became 
sole  manager  of  the  firm,  owing  to  the 
failing  health  of  his  father,  and  continued 
to  act  as  the  executive  head  of  the  same. 
His  word  was  his  bond,  and  business  men 
had  the  utmost  confidence  in  him.  He 
was  an  alert,  thoroughgoing  financier. 

Mr.  Craft  was  married  on  November  8, 
1888,  at  Bayonne,  New  Jersey,  to  Florence 
Estelle  Brush,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  Mor- 
timer Brush,  for  many  years  a  celebrated 
physician  and  surgeon  of  New  York  City 
and  Bayonne,  New  Jersey,  now  living  re- 
tired. He  is  eighty  years  old,  having  been 
born  in  1836  in  New  York  City,  which 
he  has  seen  develop  from  a  few  hundred 
thousand  population  to  over  six  millions. 
He  joined  the  Sixteenth  New  York  Vol- 
unteers, medical  stafif,  in  the  spring  of 
1861,  and  saw  service  at  the  first  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  later  served  on  the  staff  of  the 
old  Fourth  Artillery  of  New  York.  For 
bravery  and  efficient  service  he  was  com- 
missioned a  major  and  was  honorably 
discharged.  Dr.  Brush  was  graduated 
from  New  York  University,  medical  de- 
partment, in  1861.  In  later  years  he  be- 
came quite  successful  in  his  profession. 
He  was  physician  in  charge  of  the  North- 
eastern Dispensary  of  New  York  City  for 
over  six  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Citizens'  Association,  and  he  had  charge 
of  the  sanitary  situation  of  the  nineteenth 
ward,  from  Forty-second  street  to  Eighty- 
sixth   street,   and    from    Sixth   avenue   to 


the  East  river.  He  is  a  member  of  Psi 
Upsilon  fraternity.  His  wife,  who  was 
known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Annie  Eliza 
Hutchinson,  is  now  deceased.  He  has 
always  stood  for  clean  living,  both  in 
private  and  public  life,  and  has  performed 
well  his  part  as  a  public-spirited  citizen. 
His  son,  Frederick  Mortimer  Brush,  is 
interested  in  the  firm  of  Craft,  Son  &  Com- 
pany. 

Mrs.  Craft  received  her  education  in 
I\iblic  School,  No.  i,  Bayonne,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  in  Professor  Sloan's  School  for 
Young  Ladies.  She  is  of  Holland  descent, 
and,  like  her  late  husband,  is  of  Revolu- 
tionary ancestors,  and  she  is  entitled  to 
membership  in  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  Major  Van  Tassel, 
an  officer  in  that  war,  was  one  of  her 
progenitors.  The  union  of  Herbert  Arn- 
old Craft  and  wife  was  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  one  child,  Harry  Mortimer  Craft, 
now  (1916)  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He 
had  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education, 
and  was  graduated  from  Trinity  School, 
New  York  City.  He  lives  with  his 
mother,  and  is  now  conducting  the  busi- 
ness of  Craft,  Son  &  Company,  founded 
by  his  grandfather.  He  is  carrying  the 
same  forward  successfully  along  the  same 
admirable  lines  inaugurated  by  his  father. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Naval  Militia  of 
New  York,  the  First  Battalion. 

Herbert  Arnold  Craft  was  summoned 
to  his  eternal  rest  on  May  13,  1916.  He 
was  a  man  who  loved  the  outdoors,  his 
home  and  his  business,  but  cared  little 
for  club,  social  or  public  life,  but  yet  was 
public-spirited  and  never  neglected  the 
duties  of  what  he  deemed  constituted  good 
citizenship.  He  was  fond  of  baseball  and 
other  legitimate  outdoor  sports.  He  was 
admired  and  esteemed  by  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact.  He  had  a  pleasing 
and  attractive  address,  and  was  popular 
with  all  classes. 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


HOWE,  Henry  Joseph, 

Business  Man,  Veteran  of  Civil  War. 

Henry  Joseph  Howe  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  business  interests  in 
Syracuse,  as  proprietor  of  one  of  the  larg- 
est jewelry  establishment  of  Central  New 
York.  He  was  born  in  Otisco,  New  York, 
March  4,  1840,  a  son  of  Perley  and  Abigail 
(Cowles)  Howe.  The  Howe  family  is  of 
English  descent.  One  of  the  ancestors, 
Robert  Howe,  lived  in  Hatfield,  Essex 
county,  England,  and  his  son,  James 
Howe,  who  was  born  in  1598,  was  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  America,  having 
settled  in  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  in 
1637.  He  later  moved  to  Ipswich,  that 
State,  and  by  profession  was  a  Congrega- 
tional minister.  One,  Perley  Howe,  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  General  Rufus  Putnam. 

Henry  Joseph  Howe,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  his  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  district  schools,  this  study  being  later 
supplem,ented  by  a  course  in  Onondaga 
Academy.  He  remained  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  but  possessing  considerable 
mechanical  genius,  he  was  ambitious  for 
pursuits  other  than  the  farm.  Accord- 
ingly, he  went  about  through  the  country 
repairing  clocks  and  so  successful  was  he 
that  he  decided  to  make  this  his  life  work. 
He  opened  a  small  jewelry  store  and  re- 
pair shop  in  Oneida,  New  York,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  line  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War,  when  on  March  4,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Oneida  as  a  member  of  an 
independent  company  of  volunteer  cav- 
alry. He  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac for  three  years,  serving  under  Gen- 
eral McClellan  in  the  Peninsular  cam- 
paign and  was  with  General  Grant  at 
Petersburg.  He  was  then  detailed  with 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Ellwood  as  clerk  in 
the  mustering  office,  but  when   General 


McClellan  began  his  Peninsular  campaign 
he  joined  his  army  as  courier  and  served 
as  orderly  with  General  Ingalls  for  two 
years.  He  was  then  sent  as  assistant  to 
Adjutant-General  Seth  Williams,  under 
whom  he  served  until  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service  in  Septemher,  1864,  being 
at  that  time  third  sergeant. 

Returning  to  Syracuse  he  resumed  busi- 
ness as  an  employee  of  Tracy  &  Jordan, 
jewelers,  being  employed  as  watchmaker. 
He  was  subsequently  with  various  jewelry 
firms  until  1878,  when  he  purchased  the 
jewelry  establishment  of  Frazer  &  Frazer, 
situated  where  the  Onondaga  County 
Bank  building  now  stands.  Mr.  Howe 
met  with  good  success  in  this  undertaking 
and  remained  in  business  at  that  stand 
until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  the  White 
Memorial  building,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death.  He  owned  and  conducted 
the  largest  establishment  of  this  character 
in  Central  New  York,  and  the  enterprise 
was  developed  from  a  small  beginning 
until  it  employed  twenty-five  people.  Mr. 
Howe  also  manufactured  some  of  his 
goods,  having  a  branch  in  the  Everson 
building.  Mr.  Howe  was  a  Republican  in 
his  political  views,  and  in  religious  faith 
a  Presbyterian,  having  been  an  elder  in 
the  church  of  that  denomination,  while  he 
kept  in  touch  with  his  old  army  comrades 
through  his  membership  in  Root  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Syracuse. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  Possessing  excellent  business 
ability  and  mechanical  ingenuity,  Mr. 
Howe  was  well  fitted  for  the  work  to 
which  he  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
and  that  he  met  with  success  in  this  under- 
taking was  indicated  by  the  fact  that  at 
the  time  of  his  death  he  conducted  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  important  jewelry 
concerns  not  only  of  Syracuse  but  of  the 
central  part  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Howe  was  married  in  1868  to  Emo- 

216 


ESCYCLOFEDIA  OF  EIOGR--\PHY 


gene  C.  Gaylord.  a  daughter  of  B}Ton  and 
Emaline  Gaylord,  farming  people  of  Lis- 
bon, Illinois.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howe 
have  been  bom  two  sons:  Ed\'i"ard  C, 
who  is  with  the  Tinany  Company  of  New 
York  City;  and  Charles  H..  who  is  a 
graduate  of  Princeton  College,  and  was 
emplo^-ed  with  his  father.  Mr.  Howe  died 
May  30,  1916. 


P.-\LMER.  Warrer.  Ber.ia-in. 

PkysiciaiL.  Hospital  QfBciaL 

It  has  not  been  so  very  long  ago  when 
a  physician  was  supposed  to  do  a  little  of 
even.-thing  when  it  came  to  looking  after 
humanitT.-  as  to  its  general  physical  im- 
provement. Anyone  whom  the  medical 
schools  graduated  and  even  many  who 
never  attended  a  medical  school,  were 
called  upon  in  all  kinds  of  physical  needs 
and  exigencies  to  dispense  medicine  for  all 
the  ailments  to  which  flesh  is  heir,  to  look 
after  all  kinds  of  surgical  operations  and 
in  many  instances  perform  the  work  now 
embraced  in  the  science  of  dentistr\-.  In 
short,  the  family  physician  was  a  general 
doctor,  druggist,  chemist,  dentist,  bacteri- 
ologist, surgeon  and  other  things.  But 
that  has  all  changed.  Now  we  have  de- 
partments in  medical  science  and  special- 
ists in  all  departments.  The  neld  is  so 
vast  that  the  man  who  attempts  to  master 
all  phases  of  this  science  only  gets  a  smat- 
tering knowledge,  and  is  never  capable  of 
effective  work  in  any  way.  Realizing  this 
fact  at  the  outset  of  his  career  the  late 
Dr.  AVairen  Benjamin  Palmer,  while  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  general  phases 
of  his  profession,  specialized  in  a  few 
specific  lines,  and  in  due  course  of  rime 
took  his  position  in  the  front  ranks  of  cap- 
able and  noted  specialists  of  Brooklyn. 
-\side  from  his  life  vocation,  he  was  a  man 
of  rare  and  commendable  attributes  along 
many  lines  and  eminently  worthy  of  our 
tribute  here. 


Dr.  Palmer  was  bom  December  21, 
185S.  at  Keansburg,  New  Jersey.  He  was 
a  son  of  Dr.  Warren  W.  and  Weltha 
(Mason)  Palmer,  the  father  being  a  prom- 
inent, successful  and  well  known  physi- 
cian at  Keansburg. 

Dr.  Warren  B.  Palmer  attended  the 
Pennington  Seminar}'  at  Trenton,  Xew 
Jersey,  after  which  he  entered  Albany 
Medical  College,  where  he  made  an  excel- 
lent record  and  was  graduated  with  high 
honors.  He  took  tip  the  practice  of  his 
profess: :n  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
enjoyed  an  extensive  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice, specializing  in  the  treatment  of  the 
ear,  eye  and  stomach,  in  all  of  which  he 
was  particularly  successful  and  gained  an 
envied  reputation  among  his  fellow  prac- 
titioners, and  he  was  frequently  consulted 
on  important  and  baffling  cases,  his  ad- 
^^ce  being  followed  invariably  with  grati- 
fying restdts.  He  not  only  possessed  un- 
usual natural  ability  as  a  physician,  but 
he  applied  himself  very  assiduously  to 
hi?  Ft^^d^e?  and  research  work  and  left  no 
5:  :r r  .:r  V  rr.rd  whereby  he  might  advance 
himself.  He  cime  from  a  family  of  med- 
ical men.  A  brother.  Dr.  Charles  A. 
Palmer,  is  successfully  practicing  medi- 
cine at  Holmdel.  New  Jersey,  and  an 
uncle.  Dr.  Tudson  B.  Palmer,  now  de- 
ceased, commanded  a  large  practice  in 
Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Warren  B.  Palmer  was  married  in 
1SS6.  One  child  was  bom.  Weltha 
Palmer,  whose  birth  occurred  March  21, 
18S8.  When  twelve  years  old  she  entered 
a  convent  school  at  Montreal.  Quebec, 
from  which  she  was  graduated :  also  took 
a  special  course  in  painting  and  music 
She  is  a  young  lady  of  decided  artisric 
temperament,  and  to  her  the  future  holds 
much  of  promise. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Palmer  occurred  at  the 
family  home  in  Brooklj-n,  January  7.  1916, 
he  having  maintained  his  home  ani  rir.ce 


217 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


at  No.  360  Hancock  street.  It  is  said  that 
he  sacrificed  his  life  for  his  patients.  Al- 
though he  had  been  ill  with  pneumonia, 
when  his  services  were  badly  needed  he 
gladly  went  to  the  assistance  of  his 
patients  and  friends  when  he  should 
have  refrained  from  doing  so.  But  that 
was  a  characteristic  trait  of  the  man — 
always  unselfish,  desirous  of  being  of 
service  to  others.  His  kind  heart  and 
broad  sympathy  for  suffering  humanity 
never  permitted  him  to  say  no.  He  was 
always  gentle,  patient,  quiet  and  modest, 
devoting  his  life  to  the  study  and  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  taught  prevention 
of  disease,  and  gave  his  patients  excel- 
lent advice,  it  being  his  desire  to  keep 
them  well  if  possible.  His  fame  was 
widespread,  and  a  number  of  patients 
from  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey  visited 
him  as  well  as  from  all  parts  of  Brooklyn 
and  New  York  proper.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  connected  with  Williams- 
burg Hospital,  from  which  he  resigned 
owing  to  his  large  office  practice  taking 
so  much  of  his  time.  He  was  a  man  of 
religious  convictions  and  a  member  of  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church.  His  daily 
life  was  exemplary  and  his  home  life  a 
model.  He  was  rated  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing medical  men  of  his  adopted  city,  and 
his  loss  will  be  keenly  felt  not  only  in 
medical  circles  but  by  his  vast  number  of 
friends.  The  funeral  services  were  con- 
ducted by  the  Rev.  John  F.  Carson,  pastor 
of  Central  Presbytrian  Church  of  Brook- 
lyn. Interment  was  made  in  a  private 
cemetery  on  the  family  estate  at  Keans- 
burg.  New  Jersey. 


LANGSLOW,  Stratton  C, 

Business  Man. 

As  a  man  and  as  a  citizen,  Stratton  C. 
Langslow  displays  a  personal  worth  and 
an  excellence  of  character  that  not  only 


commands  the  respect  of  those  with  whom 
he  associates,  but  wins  for  him  the  warm- 
est personal  admiration  and  the  staunch- 
est  friendships.  With  a  mind  and  heart 
deeply  concerned  with  the  affairs  of  life, 
the  interests  of  humanity  in  general,  and 
those  problems  bearing  upon  the  welfare 
of  the  race,  he  nevertheless  possesses  good 
business  capacity  and  has  become  a  highly 
successful  man  in  the  accepted  sense  of 
the  term  of  gaining  wealth,  and  is  ac- 
corded a  prominent  place  in  the  business 
circles  of  Rochester. 

Stratton  C.  Langslow  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  July  3,  1857,  son  of  Henry 
A.  and  Catherine  M.  (Cardiff)  Langslow, 
and  grandson  of  Captain  Richard  Langs- 
low, a  native  of  England,  who  for  almost 
two  decades  served  as  a  captain  in  the 
military  forces  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany. In  1817  Captain  Langslow  emi- 
grated to  this  country,  and  during  his 
extensive  travels,  which  extended  over  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  United  States, 
he  kept  a  journal,  which  is  now  both 
curious  and  valuable  and  which  graph- 
ically illustrates  the  pioneer  life  and  not- 
able scenes  enroute,  his  means  of  travel 
being  the  stage,  boat  and  private  convey- 
ance. 

Henry  A.  Langslow,  father  of  Stratton 
C.  Langslow,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
London,  England,  November  16,  1830,  and 
was  there  reared  and  educated,  leaving 
his  native  land  in  1849  ^^^  settling  in 
Nova  Scotia,  from  whence  he  went  to 
Prince  Edward  Island,  almost  immedi- 
ately. Later  he  removed  to  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  remained  one  year, 
and  then  removed  to  New  York  City, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  various  business 
pursuits  for  ten  years,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  time  he  changed  his  place  of 
residence  to  Rochester,  New  York,  this 
being  in  the  year  i860,  and  was  there 
mainly  engaged  in  the  furniture  business 

18 


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THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY} 

ASTOf»,    L"^  'JOX 
TILC^N     FOL'NDA     IONS 


^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


until  his  decease.  In  1875,  fifteen  years 
after  locating  in  Rochester,  he  became 
connected  with  the  furniture  firm  of  Bur- 
ley  &  Dewey,  predecessors  of  the  I.  H. 
Dewey  Furniture  Company,  of  which  he 
was  vice-president  until  January,  1885, 
at  which  time  he  severed  his  connection 
with  the  concern.  Me  married,  in  1850, 
Catherine  M.  CardifiF,  a  native  of  Char- 
lotte Town.  Prince  Edward  Island,  and 
their  children,  all  born  in  New  York  City, 
were  as  follows :  Henry  Richard,  de- 
ceased ;  Thomas  Walter,  deceased  ;  Louis 
A.  G. ;  Stratton  C,  of  whom  further ; 
Helena  M. 

Stratton  C.  Langslow  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Rochester,  New  York,  he  then 
being  only  three  years  of  age,  and  he  was 
reared  and  educated  in  that  city.  He  be- 
gan his  business  life  by  accepting  the 
position  of  traveling  salesman  for  the 
firm  of  Burley  &  Dewey,  with  which  his 
father  was  connected,  that  firm  being  suc- 
ceeded by  the  I.  H.  Dewey  Furniture 
Company,  and  he  retained  his  connection 
with  that  furniture  house  until  1885,  in 
which  year  his  father  and  he,  in  company 
with  P.  A.  Fowler,  organized  the  firm  o' 
Langslow,  Fowler  &  Company,  the  part- 
ners all  being  men  of  broad,  practical  ex- 
perience in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
furniture,  the  manufactured  output  find- 
ing a  ready  market  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,  it  being  noted  for  its  excellence 
and  durability,  style  and  finish.  Upon  the 
death  of  the  elder  Mr.  Langslow.  his  son 
became  the  successor  in  the  business,  and 
by  his  business  ability,  keen  perception, 
conservative  methods  and  far-sighted 
judgment,  the  business  has  increased  ex- 
ceedingly year  by  year  and  they  give  ei^ 
ployment  to  more  than  four  hundred  and 
fifty  hands,  thus  making  it  one  of  the 
profitable  enterprises  of  that  section  of 
the  State.  Mr.  Langslow  possesses  in 
marked  degree  the  faculty  of    handling 


men  in  such  a  manner  that  he  secures 
from  them  the  best  possible  results,  and 
he  in  his  turn  treats  them  one  and  all  in 
an  impartial  manner,  showing  no  favori- 
tism, and  thus  has  been  enabled  to  win 
and  retain  their  respect  and  confidence. 
The  name  of  Langslow  has  ever  stood  as 
a  synonym  for  all  that  is  honest  and  up- 
right in  business,  and  the  following  old 
and  time-tried  maxims.  "Honesty  is  the 
best  policy"  and  "There  is  no  excellence 
without  labor,"  have  constituted  the 
working  basis  of  the  business. 

Mr.  Langslow  married,  in  1883,  Mary 
E.  Thompson,  a  daughter  of  John  Thomp- 
son, of  Ironton,  Ohio,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  two  children :  Harry  R.  and 
Helena  M. 


BAMFORD,  Thomas  Edwin, 

Physician. 

Thomas  Edwin  Bamford,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  physicians  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  and  indeed  a  leader  in 
his  profession  in  New  York  State  gener- 
ally, is  of  Welsh  descent,  his  grandfather, 
Thomas  Bamford,  having  been  born  in 
the  town  of  Newton,  Wales.  This  gentle- 
man married  Elizabeth  Evans,  of  Llan- 
gollen. Wales,  and  came  to  this  country. 
They  died  in  New  York  City  in  1876  and 
1877,  respectively.  Thomas  Bamford  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  Thomas,  George,  John  Al- 
bert, who  is  mentioned  below ;  Edwin, 
Price,  Emma  and  Elizabeth. 

John  Albert  Bamford,  the  father  of 
Thomas  Edwin  Bamford.  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  May  28,  1842.  and  died  in  March, 
1890.  He  married.  October  23,  1865,  Mar- 
garet Groves,  born  October  15,  1840,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  Thomas  Edwin,  whose  career 
forms  the  subject  matter  of  this  sketch ; 
George  P.,  born  May  31,  1868,  and  died 

19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  October,  1900;  Adeline,  born  Decem- 
ber 21,  1869,  and  died  in  1908;  Hattie, 
born  November  11,  1871 ;  Frank,  born 
December  8,  1873 ;  John  Alfred,  born  No- 
vember 28,  1875,  and  died  in  1898.  Mr. 
Bamford,  St.,  w^as  connected  with  the 
American  District  Telegraph  Company 
in  New  York  City,  in  the  capacity  of  dis- 
trict manager. 

Dr.  Thomas  Edwin  Bamford  was  born 
November  11,  1866,  in  New  York  City. 
For  his  education  he  attended  first  the 
local  public  schools  of  his  native  place, 
where  he  was  prepared  for  college,  and 
later  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York.  Dr. 
Bamford  spared  no  pains  to  become  a 
master  of  his  chosen  profession,  and  after 
completing  his  course  at  the  latter  insti- 
tution, traveled  abroad  in  order  to  pursue 
his  studies  there.  For  some  time  there- 
after he  attended  various  famous  schools 
of  medicine  in  Europe  and  studied  at  St. 
George's  Hospital,  London,  at  the  Ecole 
Medical  and  the  Hotel  Dieu,  in  Paris,  and 
then  at  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  in 
Munich.  Returning  to  his  native  coun- 
try, Dr.  Bamford  became  identified  with 
a  number  of  important  institutions  on 
this  side  of  the  water  and  held  at  various 
times  the  following  responsible  posts.  He 
was  superintendent  of  the  Long  Island 
State  Hospital,  Flatbush  Department,  and 
first  assistant  physician  at  the  Hudson 
River  State  Hospital  of  Poughkeepsie, 
New  York.  In  the  year  1901  he  was 
selected  as  delegate  from  the  State  of 
New  York  to  attend  the  Pan-American 
Congress  at  Havana,  Cuba,  and  in  1900 
represented  the  State  at  the  International 
Medical  Congress,  held  in  Paris.  In  the 
year  1904  he  came  to  Syracuse,  where  he 
established  himself  in  his  present  most 
successful  practice  and  rapidly  worked  his 
way  to  the  prominent  place  which  he  at 
present  holds  in   the  medical   profession 


there.  In  the  year  1916  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  staff  of  Grouse  Irving 
Hospital,  a  position  which  confers  dis- 
tinction upon  all  who  hold  it  and  upon 
which  in  turn  Dr.  Bamford  has  shed  addi- 
tional lustre.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
American  Psychological  Association.  Out- 
side of  his  professional  activities.  Dr. 
Bamford  is  very  active  in  the  general 
social  life  of  the  community  and  is  a 
member  of  many  clubs  and  fraternal 
orders  in  Syracuse.  He  is  particularly 
prominent  in  the  Masonic  order,  having 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  in  Free 
Masonry,  and  is  affiliated  with  Pough- 
keepsie Lodge,  No.  260,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  New  York  Chapter, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Royal  and  Select 
Masters ;  Knights  Templar,  and  Mecca 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Shriners  Association  and  the  Citi- 
zens and  Trinity  Men's  clubs  of  Syracuse. 
A  Baptist  in  his  religious  belief.  Dr.  Bam- 
ford attends  the  Delaware  Church  of  that 
denomination  in  Syracuse. 

Dr.  Bamford  was  united  in  marriage, 
September  2,  1903,  in  New  York  City, 
with  Esther  Doughty,  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph and  Phoebe  (Wixon)  Doughty,  of 
that  city.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Doughty 
come  of  old  Dutchess  county  families  and 
their  ancestors  served  in  the  American 
Revolution.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bamford 
two  children  have  been  born  as  follows: 
Thomas  E.,  September  22,  1904,  and 
Esther  E.,  August  i,  1907. 

Dr.  Bamford  is  a  man  in  whom  the 
public  and  private  virtues  are  admirably 
balanced.  He  is  regarded  in  the  profes- 
sional world  and  in  all  his  public  rela- 
tions as  one  whose  principles  are  above 
reproach  and  whose  strict  ideals  of  honor 
and  justice  are  applied  to  every  detail  of 
his  professional  conduct.     Nor  is  it  only 


220 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  his  associations  with  his  patients  that 
these  characteristics  are  displayed,  but 
with  all  those  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact  in  every  other  department  of  life. 
His  courtesy  and  unfailing  concern  for 
the  welfare  of  all  makes  him  a  highly 
popular  figure  in  every  circle  and  has 
established  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held 
upon  the  firmest  kind  of  basis.  In  his 
private  life  these  virtues  have  their  ana- 
logues. A  quiet  and  retiring  character 
makes  him  a  great  lover  of  home  and  the 
domestic  ties,  and  his  never  failing  genial- 
ity endears  him  to  the  members  of  his 
family  and  to  the  friends  of  whom  he  pos- 
sesses so  many. 


FLOY,  Henry, 

Electrical  and  Mechanical  Engineer. 

In  most  cases  when  young  men  start 
out  in  life,  they  are  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
to  undertake,  and  the  consideration  of 
what  they  are  best  adapted  for  by  nature 
is  the  last  thing  which  they  consider. 
They  are  apt  to  be  guided  by  circum- 
stances, choosing  the  undertaking  or  en- 
terprise that  offers  itself  most  conven- 
iently, or  are  governed  by  considerations 
of  gentility,  selecting  something  that  is 
genteel,  or  so  considered,  or  taking  up 
enterprises  or  professions  that  seem  to 
offer  the  greatest  reward  for  the  least 
effort,  or  that  give  the  most  promise  for 
social  or  political  position.  The  late 
Henry  Floy,  noted  mechanical  and  elec- 
trical engineer,  of  New  York  City,  se- 
lected a  line  of  endeavor  for  which  he  was 
well  qualified  by  nature,  one  that  he  liked, 
and,  not  being  afraid  of  hard  work,  he 
forged  to  the  front  in  a  most  praise- 
worthy manner,  leaving  no  stone  un- 
turned whereby  he  might  advance  him- 
self. He  freely  gave  to  humanity  the 
benefits  of  his  genius,  and  made  a  record 
of  which  his  relatives  and  friends  may 
well  be  proud. 

Mr.  Floy  was  born  in  Elizabeth,  New 


Jersey,  September  19,  1866.  He  was  a 
son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Hoole)  Floy, 
and  a  grandson  of  James  Floy,  a  native 
of  England,  and  a  celebrated  clergyman, 
who  finally  established  his  home  in  the 
United  States.  The  father,  who  was  a 
large  real  estate  owner  and  a  prominent 
man  of  affairs,  is  deceased.  The  mother 
survives  and  is  still  residing  in  Elizabeth, 
New  Jersey,  being  now  in  her  eightieth 
year.  To  James  and  Sarah  (Hoole)  Floy 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born, 
namely:  Henry,  of  this  memoir;  Dr.  F. 
H.,  of  New  York  City;  Mrs.  Stephen  T. 
Mather,  of  Chicago ;  and  Grace  Floy. 

Henry  Floy  received  his  education  at 
Dr.  Pingree's  School  for  Boys,  and  at 
Wesleyan  University,  at  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated. He  subsequently  took  a  post- 
graduate course  at  Cornell  University, 
Ithica,  New  York,  in  electrical  and  me- 
chanical engineering.  He  made  a  bril- 
liant record  in  both  these  universities, 
but  knowing  the  vastness  of  the  subjects 
of  electricity  and  mechanics  he  continued 
a  profound  student  all  his  life,  an  ardent 
investigator  of  whatever  pertained  to  his 
chosen  work,  and  he  kept  well  advanced, 
in  fact,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he 
was  in  some  respects  ahead  of  his  times, 
and  his  name  became  famous  throughout 
the  electrical  world.  After  leaving  the 
university  he  took  a  position  with  the 
Westinghouse  Company  for  the  purpose 
of  gaining  practical  experience  and  fur- 
thering his  knowledge  in  his  chosen  field 
of  endeavor,  and  he  remained  with  this 
noted  concern  several  years,  giving  high- 
grade  and  most  satisfactory  service,  his 
promotion  being  rapid.  He  then  formed 
a  partnership  with  Professor  Carpenter, 
who  is  now  in  charge  of  the  engineering 
department  of  Cornell  University.  Under 
the  firm,  name  of  Floy  &  Carpenter  they 
conducted  a  successful  business  in  New 
York  City  for    about  two  and    one-half 


221 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


years,  when  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved, after  which  Mr.  Floy  went  into 
business  for  himself,  and  became  one  of 
the  leading  electrical  and  mechanical  en- 
gineers in  New  York,  and  built  up  a  large 
and  successful  business  as  a  result  of  his 
industry,  rare  business  ability  and  specific 
talents.  He  enjoyed  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  person  that  ever  success- 
fully installed  an  underground  cable  for 
high-power  extension  of  electrical  force. 
He  accomplished  this  notable  feat  in  the 
face  of  great  odds.  Many  of  the  country's 
greatest  engineers  have  stoutly  main- 
tained that  such  a  thing  was  not  practical, 
none  of  them  believing  in  his  project. 
When  he  proved  beyond  a  doubt  that  it 
was  entirely  feasible,  he  was  the  recipient 
of  hearty  congratulations  from  his  profes- 
sional brethren  all  over  the  world. 

Although  a  very  busy  man  with  his 
manifold  daily  duties,  Mr.  Floy  found 
time  to  devote  considerable  attention  to 
authorship,  being  a  writer  of  rare  grace 
and  power,  at  once  entertaining  and  in- 
structive— on  his  chosen  work — con- 
tributing numerous  learned  scientific 
articles  to  the  leading  technical  journals 
of  the  world,  and  three  valuable  books, 
which  had  a  wide  circulation,  namely : 
"Colorado  Springs  Lighting  Contro- 
versy," published  in  1908;  "Valuation  of 
Public  Utility  Properties,"  published  in 
1912 ;  "Value  Rate  Making,"  published  in 
1916.  His  services  were  in  great  demand 
toward  the  latter  part  of  his  career  as  a 
specialty  expert  and  arbitrator  for  large 
companies  and  cities ;  and  for  some  time 
he  had  confined  his  work  to  appraisals  of 
electrical  and  mechanical  properties.  He 
j.ppraised  and  arbitrated  the  work  at 
Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  in  1907,  and 
in  191 5  he  appraised  and  arbitrated  in  the 
matter  of  disagreement  between  the  city 
of  San  Francisco  and  the  Mt.  Whitney 
Water  Power  Company. 

Mr.  Floy  was  married  on  October  23, 

222 


1899,  in  East  Orange,  New  Jersey,  to 
Alice  Van  Benschoten,  the  only  child  of 
the  Rev.  Sanford  and  Ellen  Baker  (Gu- 
lick)  Van  Benschoten,  a  highly  esteemed 
family  of  East  Orange.  The  father  was  a 
noted  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  is  now  deceased,  but 
his  widow  is  living  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-eight  years,  now  making  her 
home  in  New  York  City.  Mrs.  Floy  re- 
ceived her  education  in  Purveyance 
School  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey.  She  is 
a  lady  of  many  praiseworthy  accomplish- 
ments and  was  in  every  way  a  fit  help- 
meet to  her  distinguished  husband.  Their 
union  was  without  issue.  They  were 
always  companions  and  travelled  together 
all  over  Europe  and  the  United  States, 
and  spent  the  summer  of  1915  in  various 
parts  of  California. 

Mr.  Floy  was  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  the 
Illuminating  Engineers,  the  New  York 
Electrical  Society,  also  the  National  Jury 
of  Awards  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Ex- 
position, St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1904. 
He  belonged  to  the  Cornell  University 
Club,  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club,  the 
Bankers  Club,  the  fraternity  Psi  Up- 
silon,  also  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  scholar- 
ship fraternities. 

Mr.  Floy  was  a  broad-minded,  learned, 
progressive  man  of  affairs,  and  a  cultured, 
sociable  and  companionable  gentleman 
who  made  friends  everywhere  he  went. 
He  had  a  high  sense  of  honor,  and  was 
not  only  truthful  and  reliable  in  all  the 
relations  of  life  himself,  but  despised 
those  who  were  not,  never  having  any 
use  for  the  man  whom  he  could  not  trust 
explicitly.  He  was  summoned  from 
earthly  scenes  on  May  5,  1916,  while  still 
in  the  fullness  of  his  physical  and  mental 
powers,  every  one  who  knew  him  or  of 
his  magnificent  work  feeling  that  the  elec- 
trical and  mechanical  world  had  sustained 
a  serious  loss  in  his  death. 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cil,  an  organization  of  the  principals  of 
the  schools  of  the  county,  holding  its 
monthly  meetings  in  Syracuse.  His  last 
pedagogical  work  was  as  teacher  of  Eng- 
lish in  the  German  Academy  at  Hoboken, 
New  Jersey.  Through  his  interest  in 
chemistry,  he  experimented  with  a  by- 
product in  the  manufacture  of  wheat 
starch  and  discovered  a  commercial  use 
for  it.  This  offered  an  opportunity  for  the 
realization  of  his  early  ambition — that  of 
a  business  career.  He  gave  up  teaching 
and  entered  upon  a  business  life  in  1887. 
His  principal  activity  has  been  the  manu- 
facture of  wheat  starch,  and  his  business 
has  steadily  grown  to  its  present  propor- 
tions. He  is  now  and  for  many  years  has 
been  president  of  the  Arthur  S.  Hoyt 
Company,  starch  manufacturers,  director 
of  the  Atlantic  Starch  Works,  Westport, 
Connecticut,  and  of  the  G.  W.  Carnrick 
Company  of  New  York,  manufacturing 
chemists. 

His  rise  to  prominence  has  been  accom- 
panied by  a  series  of  inventions,  not  alone 
serviceable  to  starch  manufacturers,  but 
to  all  factory  owners,  builders,  laundry- 
m^n,  shoe  manufacturers  and  household- 
ers. Among  the  more  valuable  to  his 
own  business  was  the  perfection  of  a 
process  for  making  wheat  starch  without 
fermentation  or  the  use  of  chemicals. 
Another  valuable  invention  for  which  he 
received  patents  in  the  United  States  and 
foreign  countries  was  a  dry  adhesive 
paste  and  starch  for  laundry  purposes,  in 
which  the  cooking  is  done  in  the  process 
of  manufacture  before  drying.  These 
products  are  made  ready  for  use  by 
simply  adding  cold  water  and  thus  save 
the  time  of  the  consumer  spent  in  cook- 
ing the  starch  under  the  old  method,  as 
well  as  the  inconvenience.  To  the  shoe 
manufacturer,  his  invention  of  a  glue, 
made  from  the  gluten  of  wheat,  soluble 
in  cold  water,  came  as  a  boon  and  is  used 


in  large  quantities  for  holding  the  lifts  of 
the  heels  from  checking  while  lying  in 
stock  under  different  climatic  conditions. 
For  this  invention  he  received  the  high- 
est award  at  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position held  at  Chicago.  About  1889, 
Mr.  Hoyt,  noting  the  necessity  of  a  bet- 
ter interior  substitute  for  paint  than 
whitewash,  then  universallly  used  in  fac- 
tories, warehouses  and  similar  buildings, 
began  experiments  to  perfect  a  prepara- 
tion that  would  not  flake  like  whitewash 
and  was  less  expensive  than  oil  paints. 
The  result  was  a  cold  water  paint,  in 
which  his  cold  water  glue  was  used  as  a 
binder  instead  of  oil ;  this  paint  is  being 
extensively  used.  This  also  led  to  the 
invention  of  a  form.ula  for  a  cold  water 
kalsomine.  Modern  building  has  led  to 
the  use  of  a  wall  mortar  that  would 
harden  more  rapidly  than  the  time- 
honored  lime  mortar  which  requires  days 
to  prepare  and  season  and  days  to  harden 
after  application.  The  problem  was  to 
obtain  a  combination  which  would  allow 
time  to  apply,  straighten  and  prepare  a 
surface  for  the  finishing  before  hardening. 
Mr.  Hoyt  invented  the  first  successful 
"retarder"  with  the  result  that  quick 
setting  mortar  has  come  into  universal 
use  among  builders. 

Mr.  Hoyt  was  the  first  to  experiment 
on  the  by-products  of  wheat,  and  as  a  re- 
sult found  them  most  valuable  in  many 
ways.  One  of  these  by-products,  which 
is  known  both  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  is  the  gluten  of  wheat.  Mr.  Hoyt 
was  the  first  to  make  this  valuable  product 
into  a  flour  for  making  gluten  bread, 
which  was  accepted  by  scientists  years 
ago  as  the  standard.  This  has  become  a 
great  aid  to  the  medical  profession  in  ar- 
ranging the  diet  of  patients  when  starchy 
foods  and  m^ats  are  to  be  restricted. 
Thus  he  has  rendered  a  great  service  to 
mankind  and  to  those  afflicted  with  rheu- 


224 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


matism,  diabetes  and  like  complaints. 
Mr.  Hoyt  has  received  awards  on  the 
gluten  of  wheat  from  many  scientific 
organizations,  among  which  is  the  French 
Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris.  One  of 
Mr.  Hoyt's  recent  developments  is  the 
organizing  of  the  Texas  Packing  Com- 
pany, at  Houston,  Texas,  in  which  the 
canning  department  operates  on  the 
Thelen  Process,  putting  the  fresh  raw 
meats  from  the  bone  directly  in  the  cans, 
which  are  hermetically  sealed  and  after- 
ward processed,  thus  retaining  the  full  nu- 
triment and  flavor,  as  well  as  the  aroma 
of  the  meats.  This  process  has  been  in 
use  for  sometime,  and  the  product  sup- 
plied to  the  United  States  army  with 
great  satisfaction,  and  the  product  has 
the  backing  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. His  eminence  in  the  field  of  inven- 
tion and  starch  manufacture  led  to  Mr. 
Hoyt's  selection  by  the  editors  of  the 
"Encyclopedia  Americana"  to  write  for 
that  publication  the  article  on  wheat 
starch  and  its  by-products,  its  history  and 
processes. 

For  five  years  Mr.  Hoyt  resided  at 
Westport,  Connecticut,  as  manager  of  the 
Atlantic  Starch  Works.  During  that 
period  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Street  Car  Company  and  inaugurated  the 
change  from  the  horse-power  then  used 
to  an  electric  trolley  system.  He  spent  a 
part  of  two  winters  in  securing  franchises 
from  the  Legislature  at  Hartford  and 
built  the  electric  line  connecting  Bridge- 
port with  Norwalk,  completing  the  link  in 
the  chain  of  electric  roads  from  New 
York  City  to  Boston. 

As  a  line  of  outside  investment,  Mr 
Hoyt  chose  land,  and  his  activity  in  that 
particular  was  not  confined  to  local 
points.  He  is  president  of  the  Merchants' 
Land  and  Development  Company,  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York-Canada  Farms, 
president  of  the  Eastern  Boroughs  Land 


Company,  and  has  private  landed  inter- 
ests of  importance.  He  is  highly  regarded 
by  his  business  associates,  his  integrity, 
sound  judgment  and  clear  vision  particu- 
larly distinguishing  him.  Business  has 
claimed  him  to  the  exclusion  of  political 
ambition,  but  he  is  interested  in  all  public 
questions,  with  well  grounded  opinions, 
and  is  broad-minded  and  liberal  in  all 
things.  From  youth  he  has  been  an 
ardent  advocate  of  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. 

At  Mallory,  New  York,  he  was  the  chief 
officer  of  the  lodge  of  Good  Templars,  a 
leading  temperance  order,  national  in  its 
extent.  He  espoused  the  cause  of  con- 
stitutional prohibition  and  in  Brooklyn 
was  for  three  years  president  of  the  Pro- 
hibition  Club,  among  the  associates  of  the 
club  being  Dr.  I.  K.  Funk,  publisher  of 
the  "Literary  Digest,"  George  Scott,  pub« 
lisher  of  the  "New  York  Witness,"  Free- 
born G.  Smith,  manufacturer  of  pianos^ 
and  General  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  Prohibition 
candidate  for  president  of  the  United 
States.  Later  Mr.  Hoyt  became  con- 
vinced that  local  option  was  the  true  solu- 
tion of  the  liquor  problem,  and  believing 
the  better  way  to  secure  that  end  was 
through  one  of  the  old  established  polit- 
ical parties,  he  became  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Hoyt's  parents  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  but  he 
could  not  bring  himself  to  believe  in  nor 
subscribe  to  the  doctrines  of  any  denomi- 
nation, his  broad  mind  rejecting  the  idea 
of  man-made  religious  creeds,  but  accept- 
ing the  teachings  of  the  Bible  as  the 
safest  guide  for  men  to  follow.  However, 
he  has  always  attended  churches  of 
various  denominations,  and  was  active  in 
Sunday  school  work  for  many  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum 
of  Art,  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  of  the  Hardware  Club  of 
New  York  City,  of  the  Old  Colony  Club, 


N  Y— 5— 15 


225 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  an  honorary  member  of  the  old  Con- 
necticut Seventeenth  Regiment.  He  has 
travelled  considerably  both  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  Europe. 

Mr.  Hoyt  married,  April  8,  1878,  Emma 
L.  Starr,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Amanda 
(Baird)  Starr.  His  home  is  in  New  York 
City.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Arthur 
S.  Hoyt  Company,  No.  90  West  Broad- 
way, New  York.  The  main  starch  factory 
is  located  in  South  Brooklyn.  He  is  still 
interested  in  the  Westport  plant  and  in 
a  factory  in  Ohio.  His  career  from  farm 
to  executive  position  has  been  marked 
with  energy  and  close  application.  He 
has  persevered  in  his  intelligent,  well- 
directed  efforts  and  men  rate  his  life  an 
eminently  successful  one. 


COVELL,  Charles  Augustine, 

Electrotlierapentist. 

The  Covell  name  under  various  spell- 
ings, Covell,  Cowell,  Covill,  Coville, 
appears  in  public  records  of  New  England 
as  early  as  1644.  Sometime  previous  to 
this,  several  members  of  the  family  came 
over  from  England  and  Wales.  The 
branch  to  which  Dr.  Covell  belongs  lived 
about  Boston,  Brookfaeld  and  Concord. 
Edward  Covell  commanded  a  company 
in  King  Philip's  War,  and  Ebenezer 
Covell  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  serv- 
ing under  Captain  Joseph  Cady  of  the 
Eleventh  Connecticut  Regiment  ^Militia 
in  1776. 

Joseph  Covell,  from  Boston,  settled  at 
Chestnut  Hill,  Thompson  township,  part 
of  Killingly,  W^indham  county,  Connec- 
ticut, in  1720.  Joseph  Covell,  the  grand- 
father of  Dr.  Covell,  was  born  in  Thomp- 
son in  1786.  He  married  Susanna  Cham- 
berlain, and  in  1812  moved  to  Urbana, 
Steuben  county,  New  York.  His  son, 
Joseph  E.  Covell,  was  the  father  of 
Charles    A.    Covell,  the    subject  of    this 


sketch.  Dr.  Covell's  mother  was  Vesta 
M.  (Carr)  Covell,  the  daughter  of  Mi- 
randa (York)  Carr,  of  the  York  family  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  moved  to  Pennsyl- 
vania from  Connecticut  just  previous  to 
the  Revolutionary  War. 

Dr.  Charles  Augustine  Covell,  born 
November  19,  1866,  in  Pulteney,  New 
York,  is  the  oldest  of  three  children.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Steuben  county,  and  was  graduated  from 
Penn  Yan  Academy.  For  some  years  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching,  after  which  he 
entered  Syracuse  University  College  of 
Medicine,  from  which  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1894.  He 
continued  his  studies  in  New  York  in 
1896,  and  in  Paris,  France,  in  1905.  For 
twelve  years  he  was  instructor  in  chemis- 
try at  Syracuse  Medical  College,  and  for 
over  ten  years  was  on  the  active  stafif  of 
the  Syracuse  Free  Dispensary.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  as 
electrotherapeutist,  and  an  active  member 
of  the  American  Electrotherapeutic  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  also  affiliated  with  local 
medical  societies.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
clubs  include  the  Anglers  Association  and 
the  Citizens  Club  of  Syracuse.  In  college 
fraternity  he  is  an  A.  K.  K. 

Dr.  Covell  married  Anna  M.  Hilton,  in 
1898,  and  has  a  son,  Charles  A.  Covell, 
Jr.,  and  an  adopted  son,  Edwin  V.  Covell. 


DEMING,  Lucius  P.,  M.  D., 

Physician. 

The  profession  and  public  accord  to 
Dr.  Lucius  P.  Deming  a  position  of 
prominence  as  a  practitioner  of  medicine 
and  surgery  in  Syracuse.  He  was  born 
within  the  classic  shadows  of  old  Yale, 
December  2-],  1859,  and  traces  his  line- 
age back  through  several  generations,  be- 


226 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  New  Eng- 
land families.  Representatives  of  the 
name  served  in  the  War  for  American 
Independence,  so  that  Dr.  Deming  is  en- 
titled to  membership  with  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  His  father  was 
a  prominent  lawyer  and  the  first  judge  of 
the  criminal  court  of  common  pleas,  being 
elected  by  unanimous  vote  for  service  on 
the  bench  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
where  he  is  still  living.  His  wife,  Laura 
E.  (Russell)  Deming,  died  in  that  city, 
October  i6,  1873.  She  was  a  descendant 
of  Samuel  Russell,  one  of  the  original 
founders  of  Yale  University. 

Dr.  Deming  was  afforded  liberal  edu- 
cational privileges,  attended  Yale  Univer- 
sity, and  was  graduated  from  the  College 
of  Medicine  of  Syracuse  University.  In 
1882  he  entered  upon  an  active  practice 
in  Syracuse,  where  he  has  won  an  excel- 
lent reputation  by  reason  of  the  breadth 
of  his  knowledge  and  his  capability  of 
correctly  applying  the  principles  of  the 
science  of  medicine  to  the  needs  of  suffer- 
ing humanity.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Syracuse  Free  Dispensary,  and  one  of  the 
board  of  directors,  in  addition  to  attend- 
ing to  the  duties  of  a  large  private  prac- 
tice, which  has  constantly  grown  in 
volume  and  importance.  He  belongs  to 
the  Syracuse  Academy  of  Medicine,  the 
Onondaga  County  Medical  Association 
and  the  New  York  State  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, and  thus  keeps  in  touch  with  the 
advance  made  by  the  medical  fraternity 
through  the  interchange  of  knowledge 
and  experience  in  the  meetings  of  those 
societies.  He  has  continuously  been  a 
student  of  his  profession,  carrying  his  in- 
vestigations far  and  wide  into  the  realms 
of  scientific  knowledge,  and  anything 
which  tends  to  bring  to  man  the  key  to 
that  complex  mystery  which  we  call  life 
is  of  deep  interest  to  him.  Dr.  Deming 
manifests    a    public-spirited    interest    in 


matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare 
and  holds  membership  with  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  also  with  Plymouth 
Church,  giving  hearty  endorsement  and 
cooperation  to  many  movements  which 
have  direct  bearing  upon  the  material,  in- 
tellectual and  moral  development  of  the 
city. 

Dr.  Deming  was  married  in  1885  to 
Frances  Whipple,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Frances,  born  May  13,  1898.  Dr. 
Deming  and  his  wife  are  prominent  so- 
cially, the  hospitality  of  many  of  the  best 
homes  being  freely  accorded  them. 


HANSMANN,  Carl  August, 

Liawyer,  Consular  OfElcial. 

The  object  of  the  law  is  to  secure  for 
us  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness— to  measure,  to  define  and  protect 
our  rights  and  afford  redress  for  wrongs. 
It  reaches  and  pervades  every  part  of  our 
social  organization.  It  is  over  us,  and 
around  us,  and  its  silent  power  is  felt  by 
all.  Living,  it  protects  us,  and  dying,  it 
settles  and  distributes  our  estate.  It 
recognizes  no  distinction  among  men ; 
whether  high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  obscure 
or  famous,  all  are  alike  amenable  to  its 
provisions  and  bound  to  obey  it.  The 
present  perfection  of  the  law  was  not 
accomplished  in  a  day  or  years.  It  is  the 
combined  wisdom  of  the  ages.  It  is  said 
to  be  the  perfection  of  human  reason,  and 
has  been  handed  down  to  us  by  lawyers 
and  judges  of  the  long  past.  One  of  the 
ablest  interpreters  of  the  law  of  the  New 
York  bar  in  recent  years  was  the  late  Carl 
August  Hansmann,  who  had  a  keen  legal 
mind  and  was  exceptionally  well  versed 
in  the  basic  principles  of  jurisprudence. 
His  unusual  talents  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  leaders  in  national  affairs,  and 
he  was  chosen  to  fill  offices  of  distinction 


227 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  importance,  and  he  served  the  coun- 
try with  commendable  ability  and  fidelity. 
Mr.  Hansmann  was  born  May  i,  1867, 
in  Anamosa,  Iowa.  He  was  a  son  of  Her- 
man B.  and  Rosalie  (Isar)  Hansmann. 
The  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Stutt- 
gart, Germany,  is  deceased,  but  the  father 
is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety  years,  spending  most  of  his  time  in 
Texas.  He  was  born  in  Oldburg,  Ger- 
many. These  parents  spent  their  earlier 
years  in  their  native  land,  but  immigrated 
to  the  United  States  prior  to  the  Civil 
War  and  were  married  in  this  country. 
To  their  union  four  children  were  born, 
three  sons  and  a  daughter,  namely :  Carl 
August,  of  this  memoir ;  Leopold,  who 
lives  in  Chicago,  Illinois ;  Theodore  A., 
who  resides  in  Missouri ;  and  Emma,  who 
is  the  wife  of  William  Storey ;  they  live 
in  Denver,  Colorado. 

Carl  A.  Hansmann  spent  his  boyhood 
years  in  Missouri,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools  and  the  State  University 
at  Columbia,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated,  then  attended  a  law  school 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1893.  However,  prior  to 
coming  East,  he  taught  school  two  years 
in  Missouri.  He  was  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  adjutant-general  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  for  two  years.  Later  he  was  in  the 
United  States  consular  service  for  over 
five  years,  first  at  Chemnitz  and  Kehl, 
Germany ;  then  at  Lyons,  France ;  Ghent, 
Belgium ;  La  Guany,  Venezuela ;  St. 
Christopher,  West  Indies,  and  Ottowa, 
Canada.  He  gave  eminent  satisfaction  in 
all  these  important  offices,  discharging  his 
duties  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much 
credit  upon  his  ability,  diplomacy  and 
soundness  of  judgment  as  well  as  his  ripe 
scholarship,  especially  in  legal  affairs. 

In  the  year  1894,  Mr.  Hansmann  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  New  York   City, 


becoming  associated  with  the  firm  of 
Carter,  Hughes  &  Dwight,  which  partner- 
ship continued  until  1903,  when  the  name 
of  the  firm  was  changed  to  Carter,  Rounds 
&  Schuman,  and  a  year  later  it  was 
changed  to  Hughes,  Rounds  &  Schuman, 
and  continued  thus  from  1904  until  1916. 
Mr.  Hansmann  was  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  local  bar  during  this  period,  and  was 
very  successful  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession from  the  first,  building  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  his  name  figuring 
conspicuously  in  many  important  cases 
in  the  higher  courts  for  over  twenty  years. 
He  was  known  not  only  as  a  careful, 
painstaking  and  learned  advocate,  but  as 
an  earnest,  forceful,  eloquent  and  brilliant 
pleader.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New 
York  City  Bar  Association  and  the  New 
York  State  Bar  Association ;  also  the 
American  Geographical  Society,  the  Na- 
tional Geographical  Society,  and  the 
MacDonnell  Club. 

Mr.  Hansmann  married,  March  31, 
1896,  Bessie  A.  Cushman,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Morton  Cushman,  deceased,  and 
Sarah  Elizabeth  (Black)  Cushman,  who 
survives  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years,  still  living  in  the  old  Cushman 
home  with  her  daughters,  Bessie  A.  and 
Abbie,  and  the  latter's  husband,  Henry 
T.  Fink.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansmann 
one  son  was  born. 

Personally,  Mr.  Hansmann  was  a  man 
of  exemplary  character  and  a  most  com- 
panionable gentleman — kind,  liberal, 
obliging  and  genial.  He  spoke  ill  of  no 
one,  was  broad-minded  and  tolerant  in 
his  views  of  others.  He  remained  a  deep 
student  all  his  life  and  was  a  brilliant 
scholar.  In  disposition,  he  was  modest 
and  retiring,  never  seeking  the  lime-light. 
He  sought  merely  to  do  his  full  duty  as  a 
citizen,  and  to  discharge  the  afifairs  of  his 
clients  as  ably  and  fairly  as  possible.    He 


228 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


associated  with  men  of  standing,  recog- 
nized culture  and  intellectual  attainments, 
and  numbered  among  his  close  friends 
many  men  well  known  in  national  life, 
and  they  all  were  a  unit  in  pronouncing 
him  deeply  grounded  in  the  philosophy 
of  the  law,  and  a  man  whose  interpreta- 
tion of  the  law  was  clear  and  unbiased, 
one  who  loved  justice  and  honor  above 
fame  or  w-ealth. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Hansmann  occurred 
on  January  9,  1916,  and  caused  wide- 
spread regret  and  genuine  sorrow. 
Among  his  warmest  friends  was  one  of 
his  law  partners,  Charles  E.  Hughes, 
associate  justice  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  who  upon  hearing  of  the 
death  of  our  subject,  wrote  as  follows  to 
Mrs.  Hansmann : 

February  20,  191 6. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  H.^nsmaxx  : 

I  do  not  wish  to  intrude  upon  your  sorrow,  but 
I  cannot  forbear  writing  you  to  express  our  very 
deep  sympathy.  I  cannot  realize  that  this  tragic 
event  has  happened.  When  Mr.  Hansmann  was 
here  with  you  but  a  short  time  ago,  Mrs.  Hughes 
and  I  were  both  impressed  with  his  fine  physical 
condition,  and  I  pictured  him  as  having  many 
years  in  which  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  tireless 
labors.  It  was  a  great  privilege  to  be  associated 
with  him,  and  I  shall  always  remember  him  as  a 
model  of  efficiency.  Keen,  careful,  well  poised, 
full  of  kindliness,  with  a  broad  knowledge  of 
affairs,  he  had  a  rare  equipment  which  assured 
success.  It  was  a  delight  to  work  with  him.  as 
everything  he  did  showed  his  passion  for  accur- 
acy and  thoroughness.  I  cannot  bear  to  speak  of 
this  sudden  disruption  of  the  friendship  I  prized 
so  highly.  May  you  find  consolation  in  your 
severe  afl^iction  as  you  train  the  son — whose 
coming  so  blessed  your  lives,  and  may  he  grow  up 
to  realize  his  father's  ideals  and  to  revere  his 
father's  name. 

Mrs.  Hughes  desires  to  join  me  in  this  word. 
We  both  hope  that  you  will  have  strength  and 
courage.  Yours  faithfully, 

Charles  E.  Hughes. 

Mrs.  Carl  A.  Hansmann, 

485  Manhattan  Ave., 

New  York  City. 


WALSH,  John, 

Man  of  Affiairs. 

There  is  a  popular  notion  that  the  Irish 
people  are  the  most  romantic  in  the  world, 
the  most  easily  appealed  to  by  the  beau- 
tiful and  pathetic,  and  that  consequently 
they  lack  the  stern  practicality  of  certain 
other  races,  such  as  the  Anglo-Saxon.  If 
we  stop  short  with  the  first  half  of  this 
notion,  there  would  be  much  justification 
for  it,  but  surely  nothing  is  further  from 
the  truth  than  the  second  half.  It  is  a 
fallacy  that  is  very  common  to-day  to 
suppose  that  a  man,  because  he  is  fond 
of  the  beautiful,  must  be  incapable  of 
grasping  material  affairs,  that  the  artist 
is  of  necessity  a  poor  business  man.  How 
absurd  such  a  belief  is  there  are  any  num- 
ber of  examples  to  prove,  and  none  better 
than  that  of  the  Irish  people  themselves. 
There  is  no  race  more  keenly  alive  than 
the  Irish  to  practical  things,  none  who 
apply  to  the  affairs  of  life  a  more  pene- 
trating logic,  none  who  more  shrewdly 
gauge  the  aims  and  impulses  of  those 
about  them  than  these  same  romantic  Irish, 
and  it  is  thus  that  they  have  been  enabled 
to  take  so  prominent  a  part  in  the  de- 
velopment of  this  nation,  which  so  many 
of  them  have  adopted  as  their  homes. 
There  is  no  part  of  the  United  States  in 
which  we  do  not  find  them  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  various  communities 
where  they  have  settled,  in  politics,  in 
public  affairs,  in  business,  in  the  sciences, 
in  art  and  letters.  It  was  in  the  world  of 
business  principally  that  John  Walsh,  the 
distinguished  gentleman  whose  name 
heads  this  brief  appreciation,  wrought  his 
notable  success,  identifying  himself  close- 
ly with  the  affairs  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn, 
where  his  death,  January  4,  1917.  was  felt 
as  a  very  real  loss  to  the  community. 

John  Walsh  was  a  member  of  a  very 
old  Irish  family,  which  for  many  years 
had  played  a  prominent  part  in  the  life  of 


229 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


that  country,  and  which  was  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  coat-of-arms.  He  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Ellen  (Maloney)  Walsh,  his 
father  having  been  a  successful  farmer  at 
a  place  called  Johnstown,  County  Kil- 
kenny, Ireland,  where  he  lived,  and  died 
when  his  son  was  still  a  mere  youth.  Mrs. 
Walsh,  Sr.,  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, came  to  the  United  States,  where 
she  finally  died. 

The  John  Walsh  of  this  sketch  was 
born  at  his  father's  home  at  Johnstown, 
Ireland,  June  i8,  1846,  and  there  passed 
his  childhood  and  early  youth.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  while  still  a  lad  of  not 
more  than  fifteen  years,  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  associated  himself 
with  Marsh,  White  &  Company,  a  firm 
which  was  engaged  in  shipping  grain  in 
large  quantities  to  various  parts  of  the 
world  from  New  York  City,  where  the 
offices  were  situated.  He  remained  for  a 
•period  of  ten  years  in  this  employ,  learn- 
ing all  the  details  of  the  business,  which 
was  a  very  large  one.  At  the  end  of  this 
period  he  withdrew  from  the  concern  and 
entered  the  same  business  on  his  own 
account,  a  venture  which  from  the  first 
met  with  a  marked  degree  of  success  and 
which  was  a  great  tribute  to  the  abilities 
and  intelligence  of  its  young  founder.  He 
rapidly  made  connections  in  all  parts  of 
the  United  States,  and  soon  was  shipping 
large  consignments  of  grain  the  world 
over.  The  business  proved  an  extremely 
remunerative  one  and  formed  the  basis  of 
a  large  fortune  which  IVIr.  Walsh  built  up 
during  the  forty  years  that  he  was  active- 
ly engaged  in  it.  His  insight  into  the  con- 
ditions of  trade  the  world  over  was  great, 
and  he  made  a  very  careful  study  of  them, 
keeping  himself  posted  on  the  state  of  the 
various  markets  where  he  dealt  and 
directing  the  conduct  of  his  business  ac- 
cordingly. In  this  manner  he  became  an 
authority  on  the   subject  of  supply  and 


demand,  and  was  recognized  as  such  in 
the  commercial  circles  of  the  city.  His 
reputation  as  a  business  man  was  of  the 
highest,  and  his  integrity  and  probity 
were  never  impeached,  so  that  he  pos- 
sessed in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence 
of  his  associates  and  held  an  enviable 
place  in  the  business  world.  He  with- 
drew from  active  life  in  the  year  1907, 
and  for  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  lived 
in  a  well  earned  retirement  in  his  delight- 
ful home  in  Brooklyn.  But  while  no 
longer  taking  part  in  business,  Mr.  Walsh 
continued  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  place 
in  the  general  life  of  the  community,  and 
was  a  well  known  figure  in  Brooklyn  un- 
til the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man 
of  philanthropic  instincts,  and  had  a 
ready  sympathy  for  all  who  were  less 
fortunate  than  himself,  and  his  charities, 
both  those  in  association  with  benevolent 
institutions  and  those  of  a  more  private 
character,  were  very  large.  John  Walsh 
was  a  staunch  and  devoted  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church  and  attended  St. 
John  the  Baptist  Church,  in  Brooklyn, 
most  consistently  for  many  years,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of 
St.  Patrick's  Church,  Brooklyn.  He  was 
connected  with  most  of  the  organizations 
associated  with  the  Catholic  church  in 
Brooklyn,  and  for  more  than  thirty  years 
was  affiliated  with  the  Catholic  Benevo- 
lent Legion  in  that  city. 

On  September  19,  1875,  John  Walsh 
was  united  in  marriage  at  St.  Ann's 
Church,  New  York  City,  with  Catherine 
O'Rourke,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Howard)  O'Rourke,  of  a  prominent 
Irish  family.  Mrs.  Walsh  was  born  in 
that  country,  July  30,  1855,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1869,  when  but  four- 
teen years  of  age.  She  settled  in  New 
York  City  and  later  met  Mr.  Walsh.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walsh  five  children  were 
born  as  follows :     Helen,  who  makes  her 


230 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


home  with  her  mother  at  the  present 
time;  John  J.  A.,  who  also  resides  with 
his  mother;  Elizabeth,  who  is  engaged  as 
a  teacher  in  the  Queens,  Long  Island, 
schools;  Francis  W.  A.,  married  Estelle 
A.  Hamilton,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T. 
J.  Hamilton,  of  Brooklyn,  who  has  borne 
him  one  child,  Francis  Howard ;  Agnes 
v.,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  in  Brooklyn.  The  married 
life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walsh  was  in  every 
respect  an  ideal  one,  and  undoubtedly 
Mrs.  Walsh  was  a  very  potent  influence 
in  her  husband's  life  and  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  career.  She  is  an  excellent 
Christian  and  a  devout  Catholic,  active  in 
church  circles  and  a  member  of  church 
societies  in  Brooklyn.  A  faithful  wife 
and  devoted  mother,  she  has  transmitted 
to  her  children  the  qualities  of  loyalty  and 
faithfulness  so  marked  in  both  her  race 
and  her  family  as  well  as  the  great  re- 
ligion in  which  for  generations  their  an- 
cestors have  been  reared. 

The  influence  which  Mr.  Walsh  exerted 
in  the  community  of  his  adoption  was  in 
every  way  a  beneficent  one,  and  his  busi- 
ness record  may  well  be  held  up  as  a 
model  in  an  age  when  scrupulous  adher- 
ence to  the  highest  standards  of  honesty 
in  business  dealings  is  somewhat  at  a  dis- 
count. His  personality  was  a  marked  and 
lovable  one,  and  he  made  a  great  number 
of  friends,  not  only  in  the  business 
world  but  in  the  more  purely  social  rela- 
tions of  life.  His  tastes  were  all  of  them 
wholesome  and  in  a  large  measure  con- 
nected with  outdoor  life,  and  he  was  par- 
ticularly fond  of  horses  and  was  rightl> 
regarded  among  his  friends  as  an  excel- 
lent judge  thereof.  He  drove  one  of  the 
finest  teams  in  Brooklyn,  and  was  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  first  horse  trucks  to 
pass  over  the  Brooklyn  Bridge.  His  fond- 
ness for  animals  included  almost  all 
classes  of  our  dumb  associates,  but  was 


particularly  centered  on  his  friend,  the 
horse,  for  whom,  he  claimed  a  high  type 
of  intelligence.  He  was  generally  the 
owner  of  a  considerable  number  of  these 
animals,  among  which  were  always  in- 
cluded ponies  for  his  children.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  strongest  domestic  instincts, 
and  found  his  chief  happiness  in  the  inti- 
mate intercourse  of  his  own  household. 
His  death  was  felt  as  a  very  severe  loss 
in  the  large  circle  of  associates  which  he 
had  formed,  and  his  funeral  was  the 
occasion  of  a  very  noteworthy  gathering 
of  his  friends,  among  whom  should  be  in- 
cluded all  of  those  who  were  even  re- 
motely in  .contact  with  him,  who  came  to 
pay  a  last  tribute  to  one  who  had  occupied 
so  prominent  a  place  in  their  affections, 
and  among  them  were  no  less  than  four- 
teen priests. 


NOLL,  Joseph  Jerome, 

Surgeon,  Man  of  Lofty  Character. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  write  the  biographical 
memoir  of  a  man  who  forced  his  way  up 
the  ladder  of  professional  success,  having 
overcome  obstacles  that  would  have 
downed  myriads  of  men  of  less  sterling 
mettle.  Dr.  Joseph  Jerome  Noll  was  en- 
titled to  the  large  success  he  achieved  as 
a  physician  and  surgeon  in  New  York 
City.  From  the  start  he  applied  himself 
with  faithful  and  conscientious  zeal,  and 
no  oracle,  such  as  the  ancient  Greeks  ap- 
plied to  when  in  doubt  of  the  future,  was 
required  to  forecast  his  professional  suc- 
cess. He  infused  his  personality,  courage 
and  conscience  into  his  work,  was  active 
at  his  books  every  spare  moment,  was  de- 
termined, and  he  had  the  strength  of  will 
for  achievement.  Habits  of  systematized 
thought,  study  and  reflection  invigorated 
his  mind,  and  he  had  clear  discernments 
of  his  profession,  was  comprehensive  of 
its   principles,   and   to  points   obscure   to 


231 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


many  of  his  professional    brethren,   the 
genius  of  their  apphcation. 

Dr.  Noll,  who  was  of  German  descent, 
was  born  March  28,  1864,  in  New  York 
City.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Fran- 
ziska  (Rufif)  Noll,  both  parents  long  since 
deceased.  When  a  child  he  was  educated 
by  private  tutors,  then  attended  Colum- 
bia Grammar  School  and  Columbia  Col- 
lege, graduating  from  the  latter.  He 
then  took  a  medical  course  in  the  New 
York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1885. 
He  was  a  profound  student  and  made  a 
brilliant  record,  becoming  a  great  scholar, 
especially  in  medicine,  surgery  and  the 
languages.  He  spoke  French,  German, 
Spanish,  Swedish  and  English,  and  he 
was  also  familiar  with  the  world's  best 
literature  in  the  five  tongues  which  he 
mastered.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  in- 
tellectual attainments.  He  became  an  in- 
terne at  the  German  Hospital,  also  the 
French  Hospital.  He  began  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  New  York  City,  later  spe- 
cialized in  surgery,  and  was  widely 
known  as  one  of  the  most  skillful  and 
learned  as  well  as  successful  surgeons  in 
New  York  in  his  day  and  generation. 
He  was  also  a  remarkable  diagnostician. 
He  had  executive  ability,  poise,  sound 
judgment,  quick  perception  and  keen 
foresight,  in  fact,  all  the  requirements 
necessary  to  become  a  renowned  surgeon. 
He  was  summoned  on  the  most  baffling 
and  difficult  of  cases,  and  was  very  fre- 
quently consulted  by  younger  surgeons, 
and  his  advice  was  always  followed  with 
invariably  gratifying  results.  He  was 
connected  with  Northwest  Dispensary  at 
Thirty-sixth  street  and  Ninth  avenue  for 
about  ten  years,  and  he  was  visiting  phy- 
sician at  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  County 
Medical  Society,  the  Lotus  Club.  Hunt- 
ers Fraternity,  Athletic  Club,  the  Camp 


Fire  Club,  and  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
Club.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  and  was  very  religious 
and  charitable,  giving  his  services,  advice 
and  means  freely  to  the  poor,  distressed 
and  needy. 

Dr.  Noll  married,  July  8,  1886,  Mary  A. 
Black,  a  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Mary 
(Dean)  Black,  of  New  York  City.  The 
mother  survives,  but  the  father  passed 
away  a  number  of  years  ago.  Mary 
Dean's  mother  came  from  Mt.  Kisco 
about  the  year  1826,  sailing  down  the 
Hudson  river  to  New  York.  General 
Greene,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was  a 
great-great-great-uncle  of  Mrs.  Noll,  and 
thus  she  is  entitled  to  membership  in  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Her  ancestry  was  English,  French  and 
Holland.  The  union  of  Dr.  Noll  and  wife 
was  without  issue. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Noll  traveled  extensively 
all  over  the  world,  except  in  Russia  and 
South  America.  He  was  a  great  lover  of 
outdoor  life  and  was  an  enthusiastic 
sportsman,  but  was  an  advocate  of  game 
preservation  and  never  killed  anything 
except  for  use.  Fourteen  superb  deer 
heads  may  still  be  seen  in  the  beautiful 
hom.e  of  the  family,  skillfully  mounted 
and  decorating  the  walls.  These  were 
shot  by  Dr.  Noll  at  different  times  when 
on  hunting  expeditions,  the  animals  being 
used  for  food  purposes.  He  owned  a  fine 
farm  at  Forest,  Maine,  where  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  summers  of  1914  and  1915- 
He  was  a  lover  of  the  beautiful  in  nature, 
which  he  could  fully  appreciate,  delight- 
ing in  the  simple,  unrestrained  life  close 
to  mother  earth.  As  might  have  been  ex- 
pected of  such  a  man,  he  was  a  whole- 
some, whole-souled,  unassuming  char- 
acter, kind,  generous  and  obliging,  always 
polite  and  considerate  of  the  feelings  and 
rights  of  others.  Everybody  had  implicit 
confidence  in  him.     He  possessed  a  smil- 


232 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LiBRARYl 

TI-;  !  >         no    IONS 


•^ht  to  b 
ith  her 
Dr.  N- 


spapers 


funeral 

ser  vi^ 

Vac 

Lat-i 

:  oseph  J. 

'     --ere- 

uem 

:.■   to 

him. 

Tl 

.':      I  lied    Cu  its 

iuii 

capdcity  with  mourneis,  wuo 

in<  ill  ied  noted 

surgeons  and 

doot:^ 

■?,    : 

"i^   rnanv 

men  and  women  in 

all  walk 

'^'^en    cured     ■  • 

h',^ 

medical 

■turners  ^ 

Sisters  : 

ospital   V 

- 

ars,  who 

r---r  r  ■■-■, ri- 

: anker,  with  two  years'   ; 
ence  w '■'•■■  ^''-  honored  fatJi  -■ 
in  lov  on.  but  in  rapi< 

p  s  of  respori 

■*'  ..iiiu    j'j    .viarch   2, 

I  president  of  the  c 
ceed  Henry  Parish,  resigned, 
"ecutive   position   he   brougi" 
'-i*=nf"<»  add'='d  to  natural  ability. 
ir'e  of  the  laws  r 


rticuiar  institution 


he    hai' 
igth  an-^ 


ERR.  Walter, 

••■-:'■•:•-:•-'.      •    I'i'e'w  Tork  "Li. 
Trngt  Compa 

■  a  now  active  in  banivirig  cr 
*:hr  rc~r"(^  •'^f  A^•  ^.Uer  Kerr,  ''■ 

iias  been  a 

..e.    ::;iiice  i:j';-  he  has  been 

h  the  New  Y  rk  Life  Insur- 

ice  and  Trust  Compan  dtution 

ie  in  the  '  ;als  ol  ; 

thr;  or  the  con- 

and  public  trusts  were 
:;c  aud  act.ye  deposit  r 
the  comoanv  desirino 


;npany's  fir^ 
:  I   structure 


gan  his  < 

the  wondcrnu  r 
serves.     He  hn/' 


abilit 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


been  prominent  down  to  the  present  day. 
His  ancestor,  Walter  Ker,  born  in  1656, 
in  Scotland,  was  dispossessed  and  perma- 
nently exiled  in  1685  for  non-conformity 
with  the  usages  of  the  Established  Church. 
Coming  to  America  he  settled  in  the  town 
of  Freehold,  Monmouth  county,  New  Jer- 
sey, where  he  died  June  10,  1748,  and  was 
buried  on  a  hilly  point,  one-half  mile  east 
of  the  present  Tennent  Church,  formerly 
known  as  the  "Old  Scot's  Church,"  of 
which  he  was  the  founder  and  the  first 
elder.  His  wife,  Margaret  Ker.  born  in 
1661,  died  in  1734.  They  had  four  sons: 
William,  Samuel,  Joseph  and  John.  His 
daughter  Margaret  was  the  first  child  bap- 
tized in  the  First  Tennent  Church  located 
on  White  Hill.  Samuel  Kerr,  second  son 
of  Walter  and  Margaret  Ker,  married 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Aaron  Matthi- 
son,  who  was  prominent  in  the  Tennent 
Church,  and  with  his  brother-in-law,  Wil- 
liam Kerr,  a  member  of  the  committee 
which  built  the  First  Tennent  Church  on 
W^hite  Hill.  Samuel  and  Catherine  Kerr 
had  eleven  children.  The  third  son,  Jo- 
seph Kerr,  born  in  1733,  died  in  1824.  He 
married  Elsie  Hampton,  born  in  1734, 
died  in  1796.  Their  fourth  son  was  Jacob 
Kerr,  born  in  1771,  in  Freehold,  died  in 
1855.  He  resided  in  Warren  county.  New 
Jersey,  whence  he  removed  to  Ithaca,  New 
York' 

His  son,  George  Washington  Kerr, 
was  born  February  15,  1810,  in  Warren 
county,  New  Jersey,  and  died  June  3, 
1890,  in  Newburgh,  New  York.  In  youth 
he  obtained  a  position  in  a  branch  of  the 
Bank  of  Newburgh,  which  was  estab- 
lished at  Ithaca.  In  1830,  when  the  branch 
was  withdrawn,  and  the  Bank  of  Ithaca 
established,  Mr.  Kerr  entered  the  new 
bank  and  remained  there  until  October, 
183 1,  when  a  position  was  oflfered  him  in 
the  Bank  of  Newburgh.  with  the  offi- 
cials of  which  he  had  become  acquainted 


through  his  connection  with  the  branch 
bank.  In  1836  Mr.  Kerr  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  cashier,  and  in  1854  he  was 
elected  president  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  John  Chambers.  In  1864 
the  Bank  of  Newburgh  was  reorganized 
under  the  National  banking  act  as  the 
National  Bank  of  Newburgh.  At  that 
time  it  was  the  sixth  bank  organized  in 
the  State  of  New  York  and  the  eighth  in 
the  United  States.  Mr.  Kerr  was  again 
honored  with  the  presidency.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  position  until  his  death, 
having  been  cashier  of  the  bank  for 
eighteen  years,  and  president  for  thirty- 
seven  years.  Mr.  Kerr  was  a  trustee  and 
vice-president  of  the  village  in  1856,  and 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in 
1852  and  the  years  following  up  to  1854. 
For  forty-seven  years  he  was  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  George's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  for  thirty-one  years  treasurer 
of  the  board. 

Upon  his  death,  the  directors  of  the 
bank  adopted  the  following  minute : 

His  sound  judgment,  perfect  integrity,  and 
eminent  ability,  have  been  long  recognized  in 
financial  circles,  and  his  excellence  in  all  the 
relations  of  life  will  be  long  remembered  in  this 
community.  By  us,  his  immediate  associates, 
and  by  all  in  any  capacity  attached  to  this  bank, 
his  memory  will  be  cherished.  He  has  left  to 
his  family  and  his  community,  where  he  has 
spent  so  many  years  of  a  long  and  useful  life, 
a  legacy  better  than  earthly  riches — a  good 
name. 

The  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church 
adopted  resolutions  recording  their  very 
high  esteem  for  his  character  and  life- 
long devotion  to  the  church  and  her  in- 
terests : 

It  is  with  grateful  feeling  that  we  remember  the 
steady  consistency  of  his  Christian  walk,  his  up- 
rightness as  a  business  man,  his  value  as  a  citi- 
zen, his  zeal  as  a  churchman.  We  owe  him  no 
slight  debt  for  his  faithful  service  as  our  treas- 
urer for  thirty-one  years,  during  which  time  his 


234 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


unflagging  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  parish 
has  contributed  essentially  and  in  a  large  degree 
to  its  stability  and  prosperity. 

Mr.  Kerr  married  (first)  Emeline 
Ross ;  (second)  Margaret  Ludlow  Brown, 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  Brown,  D.  D., 
long  the  rector  of  St.  George's  Episcopal 
Church  of  Newburgh,  and  of  ancient  New 
York  family.  She  died  in  1877.  There 
were  twelve  children  of  the  latter  mar- 
riage, of  whom  six  daughters  and  two 
sons  survive.  The  two  sons  are  John  B., 
vice-president  of  the  Ontario  &  Western 
railroad,  and  Walter,  of  further  mention. 

Walter  Kerr,  second  son  of  George 
Washington  Kerr  and  his  second  wife, 
Margaret  Ludlow  (Brown)  Kerr,  was 
born  in  Newburgh,  New  York,  June  9, 
1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Newburgh  Academy,  his 
studies  selected  with  a  view  to  a  future 
business  career.  After  leaving  school  he 
spent  two  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Newburgh,  of  which  his 
father  was  president,  and  then  came  to 
New  York  in  pursuit  of  a  career.  His 
ideals  were  high,  but  he  was  prepared  to 
start  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  and  accepted 
a  position  as  junior  clerk  with  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Company 
in  1872.  He  never  lost  sight  of  the  truism 
"there  is  plenty  of  room  at  the  top"  and 
he  soon  began  the  upward  climb.  There 
was  nothing  sensational  about  his  rise, 
nor  was  it  accomplished  in  a  day,  but  by 
degrees  he  advanced  to  higher  rank  at  the 
desk,  then  became  cashier,  director,  vice- 
president  and  finally,  when  Henry  Parish 
resigned  the  executive  office  to  become 
chairman  of  the  board  of  directors,  Mr. 
Kerr  was  his  logical  successor.  He  was 
elected  president,  March  2,  191 5,  and  in 
that  office  gives  back  to  his  financial  alma 
mater  the  results  of  her  years  of  training. 
That  his  task  is  no  ordinary  one,  these  ex- 
tracts from  the  company's  annual  state- 


ment made  January  i,  1916,  will  show: 
Deposits,  nearly  thirty-seven  millions; 
annuity  fund,  two  and  a  quarter  millions ; 
life  insurance  fund,  three  hundred  and 
sixty  thousands ;  surplus  and  undivided 
profits,  but  a  little  below  four  millions  of 
dollars.  The  company's  capital  is  one 
million  dollars  and  since  the  panic  of  1873 
the  gold  reserve  in  its  own  vaults  is  one 
of  the  largest  of  any  New  York  institu- 
tion. During  its  long  operation,  1830- 
1916,  the  company  has  served  some  of  the 
city's  most  prominent  families  and  now 
has  supervision  over  the  interests  of  many 
legatees,  orphans,  charitable  and  religious 
institutions.  An  interesting  feature  of 
the  company's  history  has  been  previ- 
ously alluded  to,  the  fact  that  it  has  always 
been  located  at  No.  52  Wall  street.  When 
the  original  structure  was  torn  down  in 
1888  to  make  way  for  the  present  build- 
ing, the  first  cornerstone  was  found  and 
later  was  given  place  in  the  wall  of  the 
new  building,  a  link  between  the  past  and 
the  present.  The  old  cornerstone  bears 
the  names  of  the  company's  first  officers 
and  directors  worked  out  in  the  quaint 
lettering  of  nearly  a  century  ago. 

Mr.  Kerr  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  although  his  American 
ancestors  were  Presbyterian.  When  on 
June  14,  1900,  the  beautiful  structure  of 
granite  brought  from  Scotland,  Ireland 
and  New  England,  erected  by  the  synod 
of  New  Jersey  to  commemorate  the  first 
meeting  of  a  Presbytery  and  the  first 
Presbyterian  ordination  in  America,  Wal- 
ter Kerr,  as  a  lineal  descendant  of  Walter 
Ker,  founder  of  "Old  Scot's  Church"  and 
its  first  elder,  was  chosen  to  unveil  the 
monument.  This  monument  stands  upon 
the  site  of  the  grave  of  Rev.  John  Boyd, 
first  pastor  of  "Old  Scot's  Church,"  now 
"Old  Tennent  Church."  It  is  believed 
that  prior  to  his  coming  this  ancestor  of 
Walter  Kerr,  whose  name  he  bears,  con- 


235 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ducted  the  services  in  the  old  church.  Mr. 
Kerr  is  independent  in  political  action, 
but  beyond  exercising  his  rights  and  privi- 
leges as  a  citizen,  he  takes  no  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs. 

He  married,  in  1884,  Anna  Crawford, 
daughter  of  Richard  A.  Southwick,  of 
Newburgh,  New  York.  The  family  home 
is  in  East  Orange,  New  Jersey,  where 
Mrs.  Kerr  died  in  1908. 


SHEARS,  George  Peaslee,  M.  D., 
Surgeon,  Hospital  Official. 

For  a  period  of  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century  the  name  of  Dr.  George  Peaslee 
Shears,  one  of  the  most  skillful  surgeons 
of  the  City  of  New  York  during  the  past 
generation,  stood  alone  as  an  obstetrician, 
to  which  branch  of  science  he  devoted 
special  attention.  His  marked  success  in 
this  line  was  achieved  by  persistent  and 
painstaking  effort,  and  by  an  honorable 
and  consistent  course  he  rose  to  an  emi- 
nent position  among  his  contemporaries 
in  the  great  city  of  which  he  was  a  native 
and  where  he  spent  his  life.  It  is,  never- 
theless, a  plain  record,  rendered  remark- 
able by  no  strange  or  mysterious  adven- 
ture, no  wonderful  or  lucky  accident  and 
tragic  situation — no  epic  breadth  of  ex- 
pedients. For  Dr.  Shears  was  one  of 
those  estimable  characters  whose  integ- 
rity and  strong  personality,  coupled  with 
rare  natural  skill,  necessarily  force  them 
into  an  admirable  notoriety,  which  their 
modesty  never  seeks,  who  command  the 
respect  of  their  associates  and  acquaint- 
ances and  their  posterity,  and  leave  the 
impress  of  their  individuality  vipon  the 
age  in  which  they  live. 

Dr.  Shears  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
January  15,  i860.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr. 
Charles  H.  and  Lois  Martha  (White) 
Shears,  of  Sharon,  Connecticut,  who  were 
later  residents  of  Amelia,  New  York.  The 


father  was  a  noted  physician  of  those 
places.  Dr.  Shears'  progenitors  came  to 
America  on  the  "Mayflower." 

Dr.  Shears,  of  this  biographical  memoir, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Sharon,  Connecticut,  and  a  boarding 
school  in  New  Haven.  He  began  life  for 
himself  by  teaching  school  in  Norwalk 
and  other  places  nearby  in  Connecticut, 
then  completed  his  education  by  taking 
the  classical  course  in  Trinity  College, 
Hartford,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science.  Subsequently  entering  the 
medical  department  of  the  New  York 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  due  course  of  time,  having  made  an 
excellent  record  there.  He  was  for  some 
time  attending  physician  at  the  City  Ma- 
ternity Hospital.  He  became  assistant 
attending  surgeon  at  the  Mothers'  and 
Babies'  Hospital,  and  was  also  instructor 
in  Cornell  Medical  College,  department 
of  obstetrics,  also  became  professor  of  the 
New  York  Polyclinic  School  and  Hos- 
pital, in  obstetrics,  and  was  attending 
obstetrician.  He  was  senior  attending 
obstetrician  at  the  Misericordia  Hospital, 
and  visiting  obstetrician  to  the  New  York 
City  Hospital.  He  was  universally  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  greatest  experts  and 
most  reliable  authorities  in  obstetrics  in 
America,  was  very  successful  and  wonder- 
fully skillful  in  that  line.  He  was  a  pro- 
found student  and  investigated  every 
phase  of  the  subject,  and  not  only  kept 
abreast  of  his  professional  brethren 
throughout  the  world,  but  it  was  said  of 
him  that  he  was  in  advance  of  his  time. 
He  became  a  noted  lecturer  on  this  sub- 
ject in  New  York,  and  a  famous  contribu- 
tor to  the  leading  medical  journals  on  his 
favorite  theme,  his  articles  on  obstetrics 
always  being  eagerly  read  throughout  the 
medical  world,  arousing  widespread  in- 
terest and  discussion.     He  wrote  a  book 


236 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


on  obstetrics,  normal  and  operative, 
which  now  is  being  published  after  his 
death.  Dr.  Shears  was  a  member  of  the 
West  Side  Clinical  Society,  the  Benjamin 
Rush  Society,  and  the  New  York  County 
Medical  Society.  He  was  religiously  in- 
clined and  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  His  was  a  religion  of  service, 
which  he  brought  into  his  daily  life,  his 
nobility  of  character  being  plain  to  every 
one  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 

Dr.  Shears  was  married,  February  27, 
1889,  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  to 
Susan  Hobbs  Moore,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Armour  Moore,  a  well  known 
merchant  of  Yonkers,  New  York,  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry.  She  is  a  lady  of  education 
and  culture,  was  graduated  from  private 
schools,  and  attended  New  York  College 
of  Music,  and  is  a  talented  musician.  The 
union  of  Dr.  Shears  and  wife  was  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  three  children,  namely : 
I.  Jessica,  unmarried,  resides  at  home,  is 
a  fine  musician,  a  great  reader  and  lover 
of  outdoor  life ;  she  attended  the  New 
York  College  of  Music  for  about  seven 
years.  2.  Lambert  Armour,  graduated 
from  Columbia  College,  is  unmarried, 
and  resides  in  New  York ;  Columbia  Col- 
lege conferred  a  fellowship  on  him.  3. 
Randolph  Moore,  unmarried,  resides  at 
home ;  he  is  a  profound  student  and  a 
great  Latin  scholar. 

Dr.  Shears  was  a  profound  student  of 
many  branches  of  science  and  literature, 
although  a  very  busy  man  with  his  special 
field  of  endeavor.  He  was  a  poet  of  no 
mean  ability  and  wrote  many  beautiful 
verses.  He  spoke  and  understood  both 
German  and  French.  He  was  familiar 
with  the  world's  best  literature.  He  was 
a  lover  of  his  home,  and  happiest  when 
surrounded  by  his  family,  whose  every 
want  he  delighted  in  supplying.  He  was 
charitably  inclined,  helping  the  poor  by 
his  services  in  a  medical  way,  by  advice 


and  financially  whenever  opportunity 
presented  ;  in  fact,  he  became  well  known 
throughout  New  York  as  a  result  of  his 
aid  to  the  poor,  but  he  always  gave  from 
a  sense  of  duty  and  not  to  gain  publicity, 
his  gifts  usually  being  very  quietly  made. 
He  was  summoned  to  his  eternal  rest  on 
December  12,  1915,  his  death  being  a  dis- 
tinct loss  to  the  medical  world. 


HUDDLESTON,  John  Henry,  M.  D., 

Physician,   Surgeon,  Tuberculosis  Expert. 

The  life  of  the  professional  man  seldom 
exhibits  any  of  those  striking  incidents 
that  seize  public  feeling  and  attract  atten- 
tion to  himself.  His  character  is  gener- 
ally made  up  of  the  aggregate  qualities 
and  qualifications  he  may  possess,  as 
these  may  be  elicited  by  the  exercise  of 
the  duties  of  his  vocation  or  the  particular 
profession  to  which  he  belongs.  But  when 
such  a  man  has  so  impressed  his  indi- 
viduality upon  his  fellowmen  as  to  gain 
their  confidence  and  through  that  con- 
fidence rises  to  eminence  and  to  import- 
ant public  trusts,  he  at  once  becomes  a 
conspicuous  figure  in  the  body  politic  of 
the  State.  The  late  Dr.  John  Henry  Hud- 
dleston,  physician,  surgeon  and  tubercu- 
losis expert,  was  one  who,  not  content 
to  hide  his  talents  in  life's  sequestered 
ways,  by  force  of  will  and  laudable  ambi- 
tion forged  to  the  front  in  a  responsible 
and  exacting  calling,  and  earned  an  hon- 
orable reputation  in  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant branches  of  human  service.  His 
life  was  one  of  hard  study  and  research, 
and  the  position  to  which  he  attained  was 
evidence  that  the  qualities  he  possessed 
afforded  the  means  of  distinction  under  a 
system  of  government  in  which  places  of 
usefulness  and  honor  are  open  to  all  who 
may  be  found  worthy  of  them. 

Dr.  Huddleston,  who  was  one  of  Amer- 
ica's   prominent   physicians   of   the    past 


237 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


generation,  and  for  many  years  secretary 
of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine, 
was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  July 
II,  1864,  and  was  a  son  of  Charles  Henry 
and  Susan  Huddleston.  The  father  was 
a  merchant  of  Boston. 

Dr.  Huddleston  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  Boston  public 
schools,  high  school  and  Latin  school, 
then  entered  Harvard  University,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1886.  summa  cum 
laude.  He  was  secretary  of  his  class,  and 
was  exceptionally  strong  in  mathematics. 
He  then  entered  the  m,edical  department 
of  that  institution,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1891  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  and  Master  of  Arts, 
standing  among  the  highest  in  his  class. 
He  became  interne  in  the  Children's  and 
McLean  hospitals  of  Boston.  In  1892  he 
came  to  New  York  and  established  him- 
self as  a  general  practitioner,  but  also  per- 
formed minor  operations.  It  was  not  sur- 
prising that  he  soon  became  remarkably 
successful  in  practice,  for  he  was  a  great 
student  of  everything  that  pertained  to 
his  profession  and  was  by  nature  a  fine 
diagnostician,  and  he  had  a  winning  per- 
sonality, having  qualities  that  made  him 
liked  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. He  was  the  type  of  the  perfect 
family  physician — of  splendid  physique, 
handsome  presence,  firm  will,  courteous 
and  modest,  kind  and  sympathetic. 

He  went  to  Germany,  Italy,  France, 
Switzerland  and  England,  visiting  the 
great  vaccine  laboratories  in  each  coun- 
try, thereafter  using  the  knowledge  gained 
in  raising  to  the  highest  point  of  efficiency 
the  vaccine  laboratory  of  the  Health  De- 
partment of  New  York  City,  of  which 
he  was  a  director  for  many  years. 

His  industry  and  medical  ability  was 
soon  recognized  by  his  colleagues  who 
elected  him  secretary  of  the  New  York 
Academy  of  Medicine  in  December,  1900, 


a  position  he  held  for  thirteen  years,  when 
he  resigned  and  was  made  a  trustee  of 
this  important  institution.  He  was  one 
of  the  censors  of  the  New  York  County 
Medical  Society.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Climatological  Society.  As  a  re- 
sidt  of  his  eminent  standing  among  Amer- 
ican physicians  he  was  chosen  secretary 
of  the  American  commission  to  the  Four- 
teenth International  Medical  Congress, 
which  was  held  in  Madrid,  Spain,  in  1903. 
He  was  instructor  and  chief  of  clinic  at 
the  University  and  Bellevue  Medical 
School  in  1895,  and  was  visiting  physi- 
cian to  the  following  hospitals:  Work- 
house and  Almshouse  from  1894  to  1896; 
St.  Vincent's  from  1898  to  1899,  inclusive ; 
Gouverneur  Hospital  from  1904  until  his 
death  ;  the  Willard  Parker  from  191 1  until 
his  death  ;  Riverside  Sanitorium  from  1906 
until  his  death  ;  he  was  consulting  phy- 
sician to  the  United  Hospital  at  Port 
Chester,  New  York,  from  1910  until  his 
death,  and  to  the  Metropolitan  Sanitor- 
ium, Mt.  McGregor,  from  191 3  until  his 
death.  He  was  also  captain  surgeon  of 
the  Seventh  Regiment,  New  York  Na- 
tional Guard ;  was  Carpenter  lecturer  at 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine  from 
1902  until  his  death ;  was  a  member  of 
the  American  Public  Health  Association ; 
the  Military  Surgeons  of  the  United 
States ;  the  National  Association  for  the 
Study  and  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis ; 
the  Society  for  the  Study  of  Infectious 
Diseases ;  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation; the  New  York  Pathological  So- 
ciety; the  New  York  Practitioners'  So- 
ciety; the  New  York  Society  of  Internal 
Medicine  and  the  Hospital  Graduates' 
Club.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  New  York 
State  Hospital  for  Incipient  Tuberculosis 
at  Ray  Brook  from  1910  until  his  death ; 
was  a  member  of  the  Tuberculosis  Com- 
m.ittee  of  the  State  Charities  Aid  Asso- 
ciation and  assisted  in  forming  the  Tuber- 


238 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


culosis  Clinics'  Association,  of  which  he 
became  vice-president.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Century,  Harvard  and  Bar- 
nard clubs.  As  permanent  secretary  of 
his  class  he  was  widely  known  through- 
out the  country  to  Harvard  men.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the 
medical  boards  of  Gouverneur,  Willard 
Parker  and  Riverside  hospitals.  He  was 
examining  physician  for  Stony  Wold 
Sanitorium ;  was  a  member  of  the  advis- 
ory board  of  the  city  health  department 
and  consulting  physician  to  the  Messiah 
Home  for  Children.  In  1913  he  became  a 
director  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  New  York,  and  was  also 
chairman  of  the  welfare  committee  of  that 
company.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  fraternity. 

He  was  perhaps  best  known  for  his 
preventive  work  in  tuberculosis,  having 
given  this  subject  very  close  attention  for 
many  years,  and  his  research  work  in  this 
direction  attracted  international  attention. 
He  was  largely  responsible  for  the  erec- 
tion by  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  a  sanatorium  for  its  own 
tuberculous  employees,  and  he  became 
one  of  the  company's  principal  advisors 
in  this  work,  supervising  the  construction 
from  a  medical  standpoint  after  he  had 
selected  a  suitable  site,  and  when  the 
institution  was  completed  becoming  its 
medical  counsellor  and  consultant.  He 
greatly  enjoyed  his  work  as  a  medical 
teacher,  being  chief  of  Professor  Hermann 
M.  Biggs'  clinic,  and  instructor  in  medi- 
cme  at  Bellevue,  as  before  stated.  Be- 
cause of  his  excellent  diction  and  pleasing 
personality  he  was  much  sought  as  a 
public  speaker  and  presiding  officer  at 
public  meetings.  In  spite  of  his  busy  life 
as  a  practitioner  he  also  devoted  his  en- 
ergy and  rare  intelligence  to  civic,  philan- 
thropic and  sociological  work,  ever  ready 
to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  all  movements 


having  for  their  object  the  general  better- 
ment of  mankind.  He  was  for  many 
years  an  active  member  of  the  Committee 
on  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis  of  the 
Charity  Organization  Society  and  of  the 
Committee  on  Health  and  Hygiene  of  the 
Association  for  Improving  the  Condition 
of  the  Poor  and  of  the  Committee  of  the 
New  York  Academy  of  Medicine.  In 
1914-15  he  was  chairman  of  the  Health 
Conference  of  all  volunteer  organizations 
interested  in  the  health  of  New  York  City. 

Although  a  very  busy  man.  Dr.  Hud- 
dleston  found  time  to  contribute  many 
learned,  instructive  and  interesting 
articles  to  the  leading  medical  journals. 
He  made  researches  of  an  exhaustive 
character  on  tuberculosis,  tetanus  and 
vaccines,  and  published  reports  on  the 
same.  Of  his  valuable  contributions  to 
scientific  and  popular  medicine  may  be 
mentioned  the  following : 

"A  Study  of  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
eight  Cases  of  Pott's  Paralysis,"  "Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Medical  Sciences,"  August, 
1894.  "The  Sanitary  Supervision  of  Tu- 
berculosis as  Practiced  in  New  York," 
published  in  collaboration  with  Dr.  Her- 
mann M.  Biggs,  1895.  "Two  Cases  of 
Noma,''  "Pediatrics,"  October  i,  1896.  "A 
Discussion  of  the  Composition  of  Cream 
and  a  Consideration  of  the  Desirability  of 
Establishing  a  Standard,"  "Medical  Rec- 
ord," September  11,  1897.  "The  Value  of 
the  Schumburg  IMethod  of  Purification  of 
Water  for  Military  Purposes,"  "The  Med- 
ical News,"  December  29,  1900.  "The 
Method  of  Preparation  of  Vaccine  Virus 
in  the  Vaccine  Laboratory  of  the  New 
York  City  Health  Department,"  "Medical 
News,"  March  30,  1901.  "The  Freezing 
Point  of  Urine  ;  its  Determination  and  the 
Inferences  Wliich  May  be  Drawn  from 
It."  "The  Philadelphia  Medical  Journal,'' 
June  29,  1901.  "Generalized  Vaccinia," 
"Medical  News,"  September  7,  1901.    The 


239 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Wesley  M.  Carpenter  Lecture  of  1902 
(New  York  Academy  of  Medicine),  en- 
titled "On  Relations  of  Physical  Chemis- 
try to  Medicine,"  MSS.  "Tetanus  and 
Vaccine  Virus,"  "American  Medical  Jour- 
nal," December,  1903.  "Municipal  Con- 
trol of  Tuberculosis,"  "Yale  Medical  Jour- 
nal," March,  1905.  "Am  I  My  Brother's 
Keeper?"  "Journal  of  Outdoor  Life,"  July, 
191 1.  Harvard  College  Secretary's  Re- 
port, No.  VII.,  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary, 
191 1.  "Is  the  Economic  Problem  of  the 
Sanatorium  Graduate  Being  Solved?" 
Transactions  of  the  National  Association 
for  the  Study  and  Prevention  of  Tuber- 
culosis, Ninth  Annual  Meeting,  1913. 
"Medical  Work  of  the  Tuberculosis 
Clinics,"  "Clinic  Notes,"  April,  191 5,  vol- 
ume ii.  No.  2. 

Dr.  Huddleston  was  married  at  Ray- 
mond, New  Hampshire,  September  18, 
1894,  to  Mabel  Parker  Clark,  a  daughter 
of  Parker  Hallock  and  Caroline  (Kimball) 
Clark.  She  is  of  English  ancestry  as  was 
also  Dr.  Huddleston.  She  received  excel- 
lent educational  advantages,  and  is  a 
woman  of  commendable  attributes  of  head 
and  heart,  prominent  in  the  circles  in 
which  she  moves.  She  is  chairman  of  the 
local  school  board  for  the  Fourteenth  Dis- 
trict of  New  York  City,  and  is  president 
of  the  Label  Shop,  also  president  of  the 
New  York  branch  of  the  Association  of 
the  Collegiate  Alumnae.  She  is  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Messiah 
Home  for  Children  of  New  York.  She  is 
very  busy  attending  to  these  and  other 
duties,  but  finds  time  to  court  the  muses 
and  is  the  author  of  a  short  volume  of 
verse,  entitled,  "Script  of  the  Sun."  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Municipal 
League  of  New  York  City,  of  which  she 
has  been  a  director,  treasurer,  secretary 
and  committee  chairman.  She  is  a  wide 
reader  and  keeps  well  informed  on  diverse 
subjects.      She    received    the    degree     of 


Bachelor  of  Arts  and  later  Master  of  Arts 
from  Bryn  Mawr  College,  near  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania,  subsequently  study- 
ing and  taking  post-graduate  work  at  Co- 
lumbia University.  The  union  of  Dr. 
Huddleston  and  wife  was  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  three  children,  namely:  Margaret 
Susan,  who  is  now  attending  Smith  Col- 
lege in  Massachusetts ;  Carrol  Hyde,  a 
student  in  Exeter  Academy;  and  Jean 
Fuller,  attending  a  private  school  in  New 
York  City. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Huddleston  occurred 
October  30,  1915,  in  his  fifty-second  year. 
W^e  quote  the  closing  paragraph  of  an 
account  of  his  life  and  labors,  which 
appeared  in  the  "Medical  Record"  in  its 
issue  of  November  13,  1915  : 

Dr.  Huddleston's  gentleness  with  his  patients, 
his  kindness  and  sympathy  for  the  lowly  and  un- 
fortunate, and  his  devotion  to  his  profession  were 
among  the  qualities  which  made  him  the  success- 
ful and  beloved  physician  he  became.  He  died 
altogether  too  soon,  still  in  the  prime  of  life  and 
in  the  midst  of  labors  not  yet  accomplished  and 
dreams  not  yet  realized,  yet  his  life  was  in  a  sense 
complete,  well  rounded  and  beautiful  and  worthy 
of  emulation  in  every  respect.  After  all  it  is  not 
the  number  of  years  of  life  which  count,  but  the 
work  we  accomplish  in  the  years  during  which  we 
live.  With  John  H.  Huddleston's  death  a  man 
passed  from  his  earthly  career  whose  high  con- 
ception of  religion  was  duty  and  service  to  his 
fellow  men.  As  of  old,  well  may  it  be  said  of 
him,  "Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant." 

Commander  Evangeline  Booth,  of  the 
Salvation  Army,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Hud- 
dleston, said  in  part : 

The  Doctor  has  been  a  great  friend  of  the 
Army,  and  to  the  poor,  especially  in  the  valuable 
services  he  has  so  generously  rendered  in  con- 
nection with  our  Women's  Social  Work. 


CLARK,  Elijah  Delevan, 

Educationist,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

The  name  of  Elijah  Delevan  Clark,  who 
recently   passed   to   the    "pale   realms   of 


240 


J 


THE  :'::v/  ygrk 
PUSUC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,   LFNOX 
TILDbN-     FOUNDa  riONS 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shade,"  recalls  the  history  of  the  public 
school  system  in  New  York  City  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  nearly  forty- 
five  years,  and  the  successful  development 
of  which  has  been  due  in  part  to  his  untir- 
ing efforts  and  capable  administration  as 
principal  of  various  schools.  A  man  of 
enlig-htened  views,  he  was  eminently  prac- 
tical, while  liberal  in  his  consideration  of 
the  various  propositions  which  enter  into 
the  scheme  of  modern  education.  His 
pupils  and  those  who  have  been  under  his 
general  care  are.  many  of  them,  filling 
places  of  honor  and  trust  in  all  walks  of 
life  in  Greater  New  York  and  elsewhere. 
Some  have  been  prepared  in  these  schools 
for  prosecution  of  their  studies  in  higher 
institutions  of  learning  in  a  manner  which 
has  reflected  credit  upon  all  concerned, 
while  the  great  majority,  whose  period  of 
tutelage  ended  with  the  completion  of 
courses  in  the  common  schools,  have 
found  themselves  well  equipped  on  enter- 
ing the  "University  of  Life"  to  continue 
their  progress  in  a  manner  which  has 
given  an  insight  into  its  lessons,  enabling 
them  to  reach  attainments  in  which  they 
are  not  far  behind  the  graduates  of  many 
colleges.  Mr.  Clark  was  not  only  great 
as  an  educationalist,  but  also  as  a  business 
man,  possessing  rare  executive  ability 
along  industrial  lines. 

Mr.  Clark  was  born  on  April  lo,  1850. 
at  Manheim.  New  York.  He  was  a  son  of 
Franklin  and  Charlotte  (Timerman) 
Clark,  both  natives  of  the  United  States, 
but  of  English  and  Holland  descent. 

Mr.  Clark,  of  this  memoir,  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Vernon, 
New  York,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  there,  later  from  the  Albany  Nor- 
mal School.  When  but  a  boy  he  decided 
to  devote  his  active  career  to  educational 
work,  and  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  a 
period  of  eight  years  at  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey,  giving  eminent  satisfaction 
from  the  start.  In  1872  he  was  selected 
N  Y-s— 16  24 


by  the  Board  of  Education  of  New  York 
City  as  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  city 
schools — No.  35,  in  Manhattan.  The 
board  was  highly  pleased  with  his  serv- 
ices, and  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  educational  work  in  the  American  me- 
tropolis, where  he  became  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  influential  workers  in 
this  field.  In  1889  he  was  selected  for  the 
principalship  of  Public  School  No.  60,  in 
the  Bronx  (a  part  of  Greater  New  York). 
However,  he  had  previously  taught  in 
Nos.  I  and  31.  In  1905  he  became  prin- 
cipal of  No.  2i7,  in  the  Bronx,  and  there 
remained  until  his  death.  He  preferred 
that  section  of  the  city  to  any  other,  and 
he  selected  a  home  site  in  the  Bronx,  near 
"Pudding  Rock,"  the  shadow  of  the  great 
rock  in  a  strange  land  under  which  the 
Huguenots  camped  in  the  earlier  days, 
and  he  continued  to  reside  in  this  pic- 
turesque home  on  Trinity  avenue  for  over 
thirty  years. 

His  long  retention  in  this  school  would 
indicate  that  his  services  were  eminently 
satisfactory  to  all  concerned,  and  that  he 
was  popular  with  both  pupils  and  patrons. 
He  remained  a  close  student  and  kept 
fully  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  per- 
tained to  his  work,  introducing  new  and 
improved  methods  from  time  to  time  and 
keeping  the  school  under  a  superb  system. 
He  was  greatly  admired  by  his  pupils, 
who  loved  him  not  only  for  his  ripe 
scholarship  and  advanced  methods,  but 
also  for  his  kindly,  helpful,  congenial  and 
gentlemanly  nature.  He  was  considerate 
of  each  one's  best  interests  and  did  much 
to  inspire  his  pupils  to  put  forth  their  best 
efforts  and  to  lead  upright,  useful  lives. 
He  was  even-tempered,  and  exercised  for- 
titude and  tact  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
associates  in  all  walks  of  life.  He  was 
honest,  careful  in  his  habits  and  lived  by 
the  Golden  Rule. 

Mr.  Clark  was  also  a  business  man  of 
great  ability  and  foresight,  and  was  very 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


successful  in  this  line  of  endeavor.  He 
organized  the  New  York  and  Suburban 
Building  &  Loan  Association,  and  was  its 
first  president,  and  continued  in  this  re- 
sponsible position  for  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  during  which  time  he  managed  the 
affairs  of  the  company  in  an  able,  faithful, 
honest  and  satisfactory  manner,  in  fact, 
its  pronounced  and  continued  success  was 
due  to  his  keen  business  acumen  and  in- 
nate talents.  He  was  by  nature  a  great 
executive,  and  his  plans  were  always 
wisely  laid  and  promptly  executed.  He 
was  very  thorough  and  systematic.  He 
was  always  the  executive  head  of  the  com- 
pany. All  who  knew  him  reposed  implicit 
confidence  in  him,  both  as  to  his  ability 
and  integrity.  He  was  firm  when  he 
knew  he  was  in  the  right,  but  was  always 
kind  and  gentle,  and  charitable  to  the 
needy  and  distressed.  As  head  of  the 
large  concern  which  he  organized  he  came 
in  contact  with  not  only  the  home  builders 
of  his  city  but  the  great  financiers  and 
captains  of  industry  as  well,  and  was  ad- 
mired by  all  and  popular  with  all.  He 
was  a  director  in  the  company  all  the 
while.  He  became  an  expert  in  home 
construction  and  also  as  to  real  estate 
values.  Mr.  Clark  was  treasurer  of  the 
Bronx  Automobile  Club  from  1907,  also  a 
member  of  the  Round  Table  in  the  Bronx. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
at  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  a  Knight 
Templar  and  belonged  to  the  Scottish  Rite 
lodge.  He  could  have  becom.e  a  member 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
as  his  forefathers  fought  during  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  for  freedom  from  the  yoke 
of  England. 

Mr.  Clark  married,  July  28,  1875,  Mary 
Brown,  a  lady  of  culture,  and  a  daughter 
of  Matthew  R.  and  Barbara  Ann  (Brad- 
shaw)  Brown.  She  is  of  Scottish  ances- 
try and  eligible  to  membership  in  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Mrs.  Clark  is  a  very  religious  woman  and 


is  active  in  church  work.  She  is  a  good, 
kind,  gentle,  firm  though  fair  woman. 
Two  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clark,  namely:  Edna,  a  gradu- 
ate of  public,  grammar  and  high  schools 
of  New  York  City,  and  is  at  home  with 
her  mother,  and  Ralph  Randle,  who  is  at 
home ;  he  was  graduated  from  the  public, 
grammar  and  high  schools  of  New  York, 
also  graduated  in  architecture  from  Pratt 
Institute ;  he  has  been  for  over  ten  years 
associated  with  the  Public  Service  Com- 
mission of  the  State  of  New  York,  as  its 
architect,  and  has  given  eminent  satisfac- 
tion in  this  responsible  position. 

Elijah  Delevan  Clark,  who  was  known 
as  the  "Dean  of  the  Bronx,"  was  sum- 
moned from  earthly  scenes  on  June  25, 
1916.  The  following  memorial  is  self 
explanatory : 

Whereas,  In  His  Divine  wisdom,  a  merciful 
Providence  has  seen  fit  to  remove  from  our  midst 
our  dearly  beloved  and  esteemed  principal,  Elijah 
D.  Clark,  be  it 

Resolved,  That,  we  the  teachers  of  Public 
School  No.  27<  the  Bronx,  while  bowing  in 
humble  submission  to  the  will  of  our  Heavenly 
Father,  do,  at  the  same  time  deeply  deplore  the 
fate  that  called  him  away  at  this  time;    and  be  it 

Resolved,  That,  as  principal  it  will  be  hard  to 
find  a  firmer  friend  and  a  wiser  counsellor  to  his 
teachers,  and  one  who  was  a  more  conscientious 
worker  in  upbuilding  his  school  and  in  trying  to 
inculcate  into  the  minds  of  both  teacher  and  pupil 
that  the  dominant  factors  of  life's  success  are 
obedience,  truth,  honesty,  justice,  industry  and 
frugality;   and  be  it 

Resolved,  That,  we  believe  that  as  an  organizer, 
a  principal  of  schools  and  a  born  teacher,  he  had 
but  few  equals,  and  as  a  man  of  probity  he  ranked 
among  the  highest,  and  be  it 

Resolved,  That,  as  a  small  token  of  the  esteem 
and  respect  in  which  he  was  held  by  us,  we  have 
these  resolutions  engrossed  and  a  copy  presented 
to  the  family.  Charles  W.  P.  Banks, 

Mary  C.  Rose, 
Josephine  S.  Gibneg. 

Committee. 

The  above  memorial  was  also  signed 
by  fifty-six  other  teachers  of  School 
No.  37. 


342 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


CRAWFORD.  Charles  Gotham, 

Business   Man. 

One  of  the  business  men  of  New  York 
City,  of  a  past  generation,  who  stamped 
his  strong  individuality  upon  the  minds  of 
all  with  whom  he  associated  in  a  manner 
as  to  render  him  one  of  the  conspicuous 
characters  of  his  locality  was  the  late 
Charles  Gorham  Crawford,  who  had  a 
somewhat  varied  career  as  a  man  of 
affairs.  Faithfulness  to  duty  and  a  strict 
adherence  to  a  fixed  purpose,  which 
always  do  more  to  advance  a  man's  inter- 
ests than  wealth  or  advantageous  circum- 
stances, were  dominating  factors  in  his 
life,  which  was  replete  with  honor  and 
success  worthih"  attained.  He  had  in  him 
the  blood  of  sterling  Scotch  ancestors, 
many  of  whose  winning  and  commend- 
able traits  of  head  and  heart  he  evidently 
inherited  as  his  daily  life  clearly  indi- 
cated. He  was  a  splendid  example  of  a 
successful  self-made  man,  having  as- 
cended the  ladder  of  industrial  success 
solely  by  his  own  efforts. 

;Mr.  Crawford  was  born  on  January  29, 
1839,  in  Hudson,  Xew  York.  He  was  a 
son  of  Rev.  John  and  Margaret  (Tomp- 
kins) Crawford.  His  ancestn.-  may  be 
traced  back  to  Ouinton  Crawford,  in  1716. 
The  father  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
prominent  and  influential  ministers  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  Xew 
York  Conference.  He  was  self-educated, 
i.nd  became  widely  known  and  most 
highly  esteemed.  He  was  profoundly 
versed  in  the  Scriptures,  and  was  one  of 
the  noted  pioneer  preachers  of  the  Empire 
State. 

Charles  G.  Crawford  had  little  oppor- 
tunity to  obtain  an  education.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Brooklyn, 
Xew  York,  in  early  boyhood,  and  left 
school  when  only  eleven  years  of  age  to 
begin  a  business  career,  but  being  ambi- 


tious he  continued  a  close  student  during 
his  spare  hours  and  eventually  became  a 
well  informed  man.  He  was  also  by 
nc-ture  a  ver>'  keen  observer  and  obtained 
a  vast  fund  of  knowledge  first-handed 
from  the  world.  At  the  age  mentioned 
above  he  began  working  as  office  boy  for 
William  P.  Martin,  and  later  worked  in 
a  large  shirt  manufacturing  establishment. 
When  twenty-one  years  old  he  opened  a 
printing  shop  in  partnership  with  a  friend. 
He  had  learned  the  printer's  trade  by  ac- 
tual practical  typesetting.  By  the  usual 
hard  knocks  of  experience  he  became  well 
qualified  to  conduct  an  establishment  of 
his  own.  In  due  course  of  time  he  be- 
came an  expert  at  his  trade,  and  upon  dis- 
solving the  above  mentioned  partnership 
he  accepted  a  responsible  position  in  the 
large  printing  establishment  of  ^lartin  B. 
Brown,  giving  eminent  satisfaction  to  his 
employers.  Later  he  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Wynkoop,  Hallenbeck,  Craw- 
ford Company,  a  well  known  corporation 
doing  a  large  printing  business,  maintain- 
irg  a  modernly  equipped  plant,  the  steady 
growth  of  which  was  largely  due  to  his 
able  management  and  industry.  He  re- 
mained as  one  of  the  principal  stock- 
holders and  as  vice-president  of  the  same 
for  over  twenty-five  years.  He  was  a 
man  of  rare  soundness  of  judgment  and 
foresight,  firm,  conser^-ative,  prompt,  and 
scrupulously  honest  not  only  in  the  busi- 
ness world  but  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 
He  was  truthful,  conscientious  and  just. 
He  was  the  possessor  of  rare  executive 
ability.  He  studied  every  phase  of  his 
business  and  kept  fully  abreast  of  the 
times  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  "art  pre- 
ser\-ative."  He  was  loyal  to  his  business 
associates,  and  they  always  reposed  im- 
plicit confidence  in  him.  Islen  of  large 
affairs  in  Xew  York  and  elsewhere  hon- 
ored and  trusted  him.  He  knew  the  value 
of  patience  and  self-control.     He  was  re- 


^43 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ligious  in  his  nature  and  loved  to  attend 
church.  He  was  kind,  helpful  and  charit- 
able, often  giving  in  his  quiet  way  to  the 
sick  and  needy.  He  was  a  plain  unassum- 
ing gentleman,  who  avoided  all  forms  of 
publicity.  He  never  cared  for  social  or 
club  life,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention 
exclusively  to  his  business  and  his  home. 
He  was  a  lover  of  art,  was  a  good  judge 
of  fine  paintings,  also  loved  the  outdoors 
and  often  took  long  walks  for  recreation. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club  of  New  York,  the  Arkwright  Lunch 
Club  (for  business  men),  and  the  New 
York  Historical  Society.  Fraternally,  he 
belonged  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, Anchor  Lodge,  at  Plainfield,  New 
Jersey,  in  which  city  was  located  the 
Crawford  summer  home. 

Air.  Crawford  was  married  on  Septem- 
ber 7,  1864,  to  Vandelia  Baker,  a  daughter 
ot  Halsey  H.  and  Cynthia  M.  (Greene) 
Baker,  both  natives  of  New  York. 

Charles  G.  Crawford  was  summoned  to 
his  eternal  rest  on  July  11,  1916,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years,  his  long  life 
having  resulted  in  much  good  to  himself, 
his  family,  his  associates  and  friends.  His 
funeral  was  attended  by  a  large  number 
of  New  York's  leading  business  men,  and 
among  their  number  were  the  following 
honorary  pall-bearers :  Harry  Hallen- 
beck,  president  of  the  Wynkoop,  Hallen- 
beck,  Crawford  Company,  of  New  York ; 
F.  Y.  Robertson,  of  Pelham  Manor,  New 
York,  general  manager  of  the  United 
States  Smelting  Company ;  Alexander  S. 
Thweatt,  New  York,  eastern  passenger 
agent  for  the  Southern  Railroad ;  William 
J.  Sedgman,  of  New  York ;  Charles  E. 
Ouincey,  of  the  New  York  Stock  Ex- 
change ;  Thornton  Edwards,  of  New 
York ;  Edward  Patterson,  a  noted  attor- 
ney of  New  York;  B.  O.  Bowers,  well 
known  commission  merchant  of  New 
York;    Fred    Freeman,   of  the   Guaranty 


Title  and  Trust  Company,  of  New  York. 
The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
Dr.  A.  H.  Tuttle,  of  East  Orange. 


LOWETH,  Alfred, 

Real  Estate  Expert. 

During  his  residence  in  New  York  City 
and  vicinity  of  half  a  century,   the  late 
Alfred  Loweth  figured  as  one  of  our  most 
enterprising  business  men.     He  was  by 
no  means  an  idle  spectator  to  the  phe- 
nomenal growth  of  the  metropolis  of  the 
western  hemisphere.    He  had  the  sagacity 
to  foresee  the  great  future  of  the  same 
when  he  came  here  as  a  young  man  from 
a  foreign  strand  and  he  never  lost  faith 
in  her  great  destiny,  and  no  one  took  a 
greater   pride   in    seeing   the   great   mart 
advance  along  all  lines  than  he.  and  he 
profited  in  a  legitimate  way  by  that  ad- 
vancement, being  a  business  man  of  keen 
discernment.     He  was  a  fine  example  of  a 
successful  self-made  man,  having  started 
out  with  little  capital  when  he  landed  on 
our  shores,  and  by  judicious  management 
and    honorable   methods    forged   to    the 
front  in  large  undertakings.     Mr.  Loweth 
was  an  advocate  of  right  living,  not  only 
in  private  but  in  commercial  and  public 
life  as  well,  and  he  was  recognized  as  an 
upright  citizen,  square  and  honest  in  his 
dealings  with  his  fellow-men,  and  as  one 
that  could  be  relied  upon  when  called  to 
perform  any  of  the  duties  of  a   faithful 
citizen. 

Mr.  Loweth  was  born  on  September  8, 
1849,  ^^  Yaxley,  near  Peterboro,  England. 
His  father,  Richard  Loweth,  married 
Sarah  Ann  Seton ;  they  were  both  natives 
of  England,  where  they  grew  up  and 
established  their  home,  each  representing 
old  Anglo-Saxon  families.  The  father  is 
remembered  as  an  honest  man  and  a 
gentleman.  He  was  owner  of  a  large 
flouring  mill.     In  addition  to  Alfred,  Mr. 


244 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Mrs.  Loweth  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children :  Joseph,  resides  in  Yonk- 
ers.  New  York :  Walter,  resides  in  New- 
York  City ;  Fred,  Thomas,  Isaac.  Harry, 
Mrs.  Lucy  Morris,  and  Mrs.  Sally  Banige, 
all  residing  in  England. 

Alfred  Loweth  spent  his  boyhood  in 
England,  where  he  received  some  educa- 
tion, but  his  principal  schooling  was  ob- 
tained in  the  world  of  experience  and  by 
miscellaneous  home  reading;  however,  he 
became  an  exceptionally  well  informed 
man.  It  was  in  1867  that  he  immigrated 
to  the  L'nited  States,  locating  in  West- 
chester county,  New  York,  where  he 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  later  engaged  in  selling  meat  in 
West  Farms,  now  a  part  of  New  York 
City,  remaining  in  that  line  of  business 
with  ever-increasing  success  for  a  period 
of  about  twenty  years,  when  he  sold  out 
and  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  real 
estate  in  New  Y^ork  City  and  Long  Island. 
In  this  field  he  also  met  with  pronounced 
success,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best  informed  men  on  real  estate  values 
of  the  city  and  its  environs  that  could  be 
found  anj-where.  He  made  many  large 
and  successful  deals,  both  for  himself  and 
others.  His  advice  was  frequently  sought 
by  others  in  the  same  line,  and  his  sound, 
conser\-ative  and  unbiased  advice  was  in- 
variably followed  with  gratifying  results. 
He  deser\^ed  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  the 
splendid  success  that  attended  his  efforts, 
having  had  to  fight  his  way  unaided  up 
from  a  modest  beginning. 

Alfred  Loweth  married  (first)  Cather- 
ine Bailey,  by  which  union  two  children 
were  born  :  i.  Alfred.  Jr..  a  draughtsman  in 
the  service  of  the  city  of  New  York,  which 
responsible  position  he  fills  most  com- 
mendably  ;  he  married  Hermine  Elizabeth 
Thatcher,  and  to  their  union  seven  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  as  follows :  Alice 
now  sixteen  years  old  (1916)  :  William 
fifteen ;    Richard,    twelve :    lack,    eleven 


Catherine,  nine  ;  Ethel,  three  ;  Lucille,  one. 
2.  Alice,  married  August  E.  Thatcher,  and 
to  their  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  namely :  Alfred,  now  seven  years 
old  ;  and  June,  aged  three.  The  death  of 
Mrs.  Catherine  1  Bailey)  Loweth  occurred 
in  January,  1908.  On  July  7,  1910,  Alfred 
Loweth  married  (second)  Katherine 
Horner,  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and 
Annie  E.  (Thwaits)  Horner,  both  now 
deceased ;  the  father  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of 
New  York.  Mrs.  Loweth  is  a  woman  of 
education  and  high  Christian  sentiments, 
a  devoted  home  woman.  Her  union  with 
our  subject  was  without  issue. 

Alfred  Loweth  was  for  a  period  of 
twenty-five  years  treasurer  and  junior 
warden  of  Grace  Episcopal  Church.  New 
York,  and  was  active  in  the  work  of  the 
church.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  re- 
ligious convictions,  was  an  every-day 
Christian,  and  led  a  blameless  life.  He 
was  industrious,  always  a  hard  worker, 
yet  found  time  for  the  higher  culture  of 
life ;  read  extensively  of  the  world's  best 
literature,  and  was  therefore  broad- 
minded  and  well-versed  on  a  great  variety 
of  topics.  He  was  no  lodge  or  club  man, 
preferring  to  devote  his  spare  hours  at 
home  with  his  family.  He  was  of  a  sunny 
and  optimistic  disposition,  hardships  and 
discouragements  never  subduing  his 
genial  smile.  He  was  even-tempered,  firm 
and  loved  the  truth.  He  avoided  all  men 
of  bad  character,  especially  those  whose 
word  could  not  be  relied  upon.  His  wide 
circle  of  warm  friends  deeply  iruDurned  his 
loss,  when,  on  July  15.  1916.  he  was  sum- 
moned to  his  reward  in  the  "Silent  Land." 


MASON,  John  James.   M.   D., 

FliysiciaiL,   Specialist. 

The  man  who  devotes  his  talents  and 
energies  to  the  noble  work  of  administer- 
ing to  the  ills  and  alleviating  the  suffer- 


245 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ings  of  humanity  pursues  a  calling  which, 
in  dignity,  importance  and  beneficial  re- 
sults, is  second  to  none  other.  If  true  to 
his  profession  and  earnest  in  his  efiforts 
to  enlarge  his  sphere  of  usefulness,  he  is 
indeed  a  benefactor  of  his  kind,  for  to  him 
more  than  any  other  man  are  entrusted 
the  safety,  the  comfort  and  in  many  in- 
stances the  lives  of  those  who  place  them- 
selves under  his  care  and  profit  by  his 
services.  Of  this  class  of  useful  men  was 
the  late  Dr.  John  James  Mason,  of  New 
York  City,  one  of  the  most  scholarly 
scientists  and  renowned  nerve  specialists 
America  has  ever  produced,  in  fact,  he 
stood  for  many  years  with  few  peers  and 
no  superiors  among  the  medical  men  of 
the  world.  He  also  established  a  sound 
reputation  for  uprightness  and  noble  char- 
acter in  all  the  relations  of  life.  He  real- 
ized early  in  his  career  that  to  those  who 
attain  determinate  success  in  any  worthy 
field  of  endeavor,  especially  along  profes- 
sional and  scientific  lines,  there  must  be 
not  only  given  technical  ability,  but  also 
a  broad  human  sympathy  which  must 
pass  from  mere  sentiment  to  be  an  actu- 
ating motive  for  helpfulness.  So  he  dig- 
nified and  honored  the  sphere  of  his 
specific  activity  by  his  able  and  self-abne- 
gating services  which,  through  long  years 
of  close  application,  he  attained  notable 
distinction  and  unqualified  success,  his 
useful  life  as  one  of  the  world's  talented 
workers  being  one  of  devotion,  almost 
consecration,  to  high  ideals,  and  well  did 
he  merit  the  high  esteem  which  he  won. 
Dr.  Mason  was  born  at  Thompson, 
Connecticut,  February  8,  1842.  He  was 
a  scion  of  a  sterling  old  American  family, 
a  descendant  from  prominent  New  Eng- 
land ancestors,  members  of  which  per- 
form,ed  conspicuous  service  for  their 
country  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
His  father.  William  H.  Mason,  was  a  man 
of  importance  in  his  community.    Young 


Mason  received  his  early  education  in 
private  schools  at  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, and  later  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard University,  also  Harvard  Medical 
School,  with  high  honors.  Even  in  his 
youth  he  was  known  as  a  brilliant  scholar 
and  he  remained  a  profound  student  all 
his  life,  delighting  especially  in  research 
work  along  scientific  lines  for  which 
nature  had  well  adapted  him  with  peculiar 
talents. 

After  practicing  medicine  for  one  year 
following  his  graduation,  he  decided  to 
specialize  on  nervous  diseases,  and  in 
order  to  become  better  equipped  he  went 
abroad,  studying  for  some  time  in  the 
great  medical  schools  of  Vienna,  Berlin, 
London  and  Paris.  During  his  sojourn 
in  the  European  capitals  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  most  eminent  medical 
men  of  the  age,  many  of  whom  remained 
close  friends  thereafter,  for  they  were 
quick  to  recognize  the  genius  of  the 
young  American  student.  In  due  course 
of  time  Dr.  Mason  became  an  authority 
on  the  nerves  and  their  disorders  and  he 
wrote  extensively  about  them,  his  books 
and  special  articles  in  the  leading  medical 
journals  of  this  country  and  Europe  at- 
tracting widespread  attention  and  most 
favorable  comment  among  physicians  and 
scientists,  his  fame  encircling  the  world. 

Perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  achieve- 
ment of  Dr.  Mason  was  his  famous  photo- 
graphic plates  of  the  human  nervous 
system,  which  have  since  been  used  by 
the  instructors  in  the  medical  department 
of  Harvard  University,  being  by  far  the 
most  comprehensive  and  valuable  of  their 
kind  ever  made.  He  continued  his  inves- 
tigations along  this  line,  becoming  an  en- 
thusiastic photographer  in  his  special 
field,  and  finally  brought  colored  glass 
works  to  a  high  state  of  perfection. 
Through  his  photographs,  lectures  and 
writings  he  made  a  very  distinct  and  valu- 


246 


viMJ'd^^ 


:  an  to  scieriv 


one  Oi   i': 


^lA  OI 


was  called  to  h 


:-.    He  spent  the 

tioi    (-)i  his  time    ' 


active 
door    .\ 
student 

i;  .'n   and 

•  V  ountry 

Rhode 
Island,  at  Iso 

lived  in  F  v . 

Dr.  Ma  J    Newport 

Reading  Club,  the  Newpori:  Yacht  Club, 
the  Metropolitan  Club  and  various  med- 
ical associations.  For  many  years  he  was 
connected  with  Bellevue  Hospital,  New 
Yor!:. 

jJr    Mason  was  marrie  member 

II,  1893,  in  New  York  City,  to  Florence 

Ang-ell.    '^-         ''-  '■     ''   -'■'■/ :    of 

■-'raak  an  ;  :    a 

prominent  fa 

Islan(.'      "" ''  ■  .  .r^-> 

at-^r  11    and 

Angell 


FRANKLAND,  Frederick 

:?;  siiraace  Actnax;. 


f    Nev- 


nd 

al" 


leading    t 

under    h; 

wirlded   a  •  -s. 

The  union  of  Dr.  an 

h-1l^i■^[    aiiri    >}';•;';■  being   - 

material  aid  to  her  distinguished  husband 

'.'.  '..rKea  r^r-d  :ra -■•::.._  .       _, 
Personally,  Dr.  Mason 


TV,  in   thf 


by    H- 
\n,  Tyndall,  Huxle 

Young    Frank|and    attended, 
careful    preparatory    course, 
C-'    -'    --hool,    T  -  -  •'-     - 
i£  .ersity 

versityj   from  1869  to  1872;  ko> 

lege   of  C''  '       

of  Mine'=' 
head  ! 
M  .- 

standing  second  m  the  ho; 
/!,  in  1870. 

p. 

ties,  government  actuar 


an  whom  i; 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


found  acquaintance  with  the  mathemat- 
ical, the  financial,  the  historical,  the  legal, 
the  medical  and  the  organizational  phases. 
He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1904, 
but  three  months  later  sailed  for  New 
Zealand  by  way  of  Japan,  and  remained 
there  until  1910,  when  he  returned  to 
America,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  jn  New  York  City.  He  became  widely 
known  in  New  Zealand,  where  he  first 
entered  the  Civil  Service  in  1876.  In 
1891  he  represented  that  country  in  the 
International  Congress  of  Hygiene  and 
Demography  at  London.  In  1909  he  was 
agent  for  negotiating  the  sale  of  New 
Zealand  forest  properties  to  American, 
British  and  European  capitalists.  He  was 
for  a  number  of  years  prominent  and 
influential  in  public  afifairs  of  that  coun- 
try, whose  interests  he  had  very  much  at 
heart  and  sought  to  promote,  and  he  did 
much  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  same. 

In  1914  he  was  engaged  by  the  Equit- 
able Life  Assurance  Society  of  the  United 
States  to  advise  professionally  on  some 
of  its  actuarial  and  business  problems.  In 
every  position  of  trust  and  responsibility 
he  discharged  his  duties  most  ably,  con- 
scientiously and  commendably.  He  was 
a  man  of  broad  culture,  wise  foresight  and 
executive  ability.  His  chief  service  to 
life  insurance  lay  in  the  leading  part  he 
took  in  the  inauguration  in  the  United 
States  of  the  insurance  of  under  average 
or  impaired  lives,  a  work  in  which  he  was 
absorbed  from  1893  to  1899. 

Mr.  Frankland  traveled  extensively  in 
the  United  States,  Canada,  Great  Britain, 
Ireland.  France.  Germany,  all  Scandinav- 
ian countries  (including  Iceland),  Italy, 
Greece,  Turkey,  Asia  Minor.  Egypt,  India, 
China,  Japan.  Philippine  Islands,  Hawaii, 
Polynesian  Islands,  Brazil,  Canary 
Islands,  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  He 
was  a  close  observer  and  he  gained  much 
of  his  vast  fund  of  information  by  actual 
contact  with  the  world. 


Politically,  he  was  a  Progressive  Re- 
publican (with  Socialistic  leanings).  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  a 
profound  Bible  scholar  and  a  man  of  deep 
religious  convictions.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and 
Social  Science,  the  Royal  Statistical  So- 
ciety of  London,  Actuarial  Society  of 
America,  Institute  of  Actuaries  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  American  Mathe- 
matical Society,  National  Geographic  So- 
ciety of  Washington,  Mathematical  So- 
ciety of  Palermo  (Italy),  Royal  Colonial 
Institute  of  London,  and  the  Imperial 
Institute  of  London.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  West  Side  Republican  Club 
and  the  Circumnavigators'  Club,  both  of 
New  York :  the  Royal  Societies  Club,  of 
London,  and  the  Wellington  Club.  New 
Zealand. 

Mr.  Frankland  was  an  author  of  great 
ability,  his  style  being  of  such  a  superior 
quality  that  the  scholars  of  the  English- 
speaking  world  delighted  in  doing  him 
honor.  He  was  at  once  clear,  forceful, 
logical  and  entertaining.  He  wrote  volu- 
minously on  mathematical,  metaphysi- 
cal, theological  and  sociological  subjects. 
He  was  author  of  the  following  works : 
"Thoughts  on  Ultimate  Problems"  (fifth 
edition,  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company,  New 
York,  and  David  Nutt,  London),  1912; 
"The  Synoptic  Problem,"  1913,  and  "The 
Johannine  Problem,"  1909,  and  numerous 
professional  papers.  In  these  works  Mr. 
Frankland  expounds  an  original  theory  of 
non-miraculous  Christian  philosophy 
based  on  new  metaphysical  principles. 
He  also  endorses  much  of  the  Biblical 
exegesis  of  New  Haven  Perfectionism 
and  the  advanced  sociological  speculation 
which  historically  resulted  (at  Putney, 
Vermont,  and  at  Oneida,  New  York)  from 
this  exegesis.  He  collected  on  his 
travels  anthropological  corroboration  of 
some  of  the  social  views  referred  to.  In 
metaphysics  he  is  chiefly  known  for  his 


248 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


theories  of  objective  idealism,  of  the 
directness  of  time  and  space,  and  of  time 
as  essentially  a  logical  concatenation. 
His  deepest  intellectual  interest  was  in 
the  ultimate  problems — those  which  lie 
just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  demonstrat- 
ing intellect.  On  the  chief  of  these,  the 
question  whether  the  essential  elements 
of  the  universe  are  material  or  spiritual, 
he  reached  a  conclusion  while  still  a 
young  student.  With  the  sensible  Berke- 
ley and  the  brilliant  Cliftord,  he  decided 
that  the  "stuff"  of  the  universe  is  "mind- 
stuff;"  from  that  decision  he  never 
swerved,  and  every  line  of  his  own  think- 
ing started  from  the  postulate  of  Pan- 
psychism.  On  February  i,  191 5,  he  issued 
in  pamphlet  form  a  brilliant  answer  to 
a  circular  letter,  written  by  Rev.  H.  E. 
Wright,  a  well  known  Methodist  minister 
of  White  Plains,  New  York,  in  which  he 
explained  the  modern  tendency  of  relig- 
ious indifference  and  the  drift  from  the 
church,  and  other  similar  questions. 

Mr.  Frankland  was  married  at  Welling- 
ton, New  Zealand,  April  30,  1879,  ^^ 
Miriam  Symons,  who  was  born  May  8, 
1857,  in  New  Zealand.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Henry  and  Miriam  (Nash) 
Symons,  of  New  Zealand,  but  natives  of 
England,  where  they  spent  their  earlier 
years,  leaving  the  mother  country  in  1840 
to  help  colonize  New  Zealand.  There 
they  established  their  future  home  and 
were  well  known  and  highly  esteemed, 
and  there  Mrs.  Frankland  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  educated.  Three 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs. 
Frankland,  namely :  Octavia,  born  in 
1880,  deceased;  Frederick  Herston,  born 
in  1882;  and  Charles  Edward  Harold, 
born  in  1897. 

F.  Herston  Frankland  attended  Berke- 
ley Military  School,  New  York  City,  after 
he  had  received  his  primary  training  in 
New  Zealand,  his  native  land,  having  at- 


tended private  schools  there  and  in  Eng- 
land, and  is  now  associate  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  New  York  office  of  Waddell 
&  Son,  consulting  bridge  engineers. 
Charles  E.  H.  Frankland  attended  Colum- 
bia University  for  two  years,  taking  the 
business  course  leading  to  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Commerce,  and  also  attended 
University  College  School,  London,  Eng- 
land, and  Wellington  College,  New  Zeal- 
and. Like  his  distinguished  father,  he  is 
a  close  student,  and  no  doubt  future  years 
have  great  things  in  store  for  him. 

Mr.  Frankland's  warm-hearted  and  sym- 
pathetic nature  endeared  him  to  a  very 
large  circle  of  friends,  who  not  only  ad- 
mired his  exceptional  gifts,  but  also  his 
lovable  personality,  one  feature  of  which 
was  his  power  in  intercourse  with  others 
rf  drawing  out  the  very  best  that  was 
in  them.  He  possessed  in  a  very  remark- 
able degree  the  power  of  lucid  exposition, 
and  never  grudged  time  or  trouble  in 
endeavoring  to  clear  away  the  difficulties 
of  others,  quite  irrespective  of  their  intel- 
lectual plane.  He  had  a  wonderful  mem- 
ory, and  in  his  brilliant  conversation  was 
able  to  draw  upon  his  vast  resources  of 
erudition.  Mr.  Frankland's  death  took 
place  at  his  residence  in  New  York  City 
on  July  23.  1916,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 


MINOR,  William  Judson, 

Progressive  Man   of   Affairs. 

There  is  always  valuable  lessons  to  be 
gained  in  perusing  the  life  histories  of 
such  men  as  the  late  William  Judson 
Minor,  for  many  years  a  progressive  man 
of  affairs  of  New  York  City  during  the 
generation  that  has  just  past.  His  life 
forcibly  illustrated  what  energy,  integrity 
and  a  fixed  purpose  can  accomplish  when 
animated  by  noble  aims  and  correct  ideals. 
Wherever  he  was  known  Mr.  Minor  held 
the    unequivocal  esteem    of  those    with 


249 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


whom  he  came  in  contact,  for  he  was  a 
man  whom  to  know  was  to  trust  and 
admire,  owing  to  his  many  commendable 
attributes  of  head  and  heart,  and  when 
"the  reaper  whose  name  is  Death"  gath- 
ered him  in  his  sheaves  he  was  greatly 
missed  by  a  wide  acquaintance.  Whether 
as  a  business  man,  sportsman  or  church- 
man he  was  always  the  high-minded, 
straightforward  and  genteel  gentleman, 
adhering  strictly  to  the  sublime  precepts 
of  the  Golden  Rule ;  therefore  he  merited 
the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  univer- 
sally held. 

Mr.  Minor  was  bom  at  Cairo,  Greene 
county.  New  York,  November  13,  1844. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  two  excellent  old 
families  of  the  Empire  State,  being  the 
son  of  Oliver  P.  and  Laura  Eliza  (Len- 
non)  Minor,  of  English  and  Irish  ances- 
try. The  father  devoted  his  active  life  to 
general  agriculture  pursuits. 

William,  J.  Minor  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Cairo, 
growing  to  manhood  in  his  native  com- 
munity. In  later  life  his  education  was 
greatly  enlarged  by  wide  miscellaneous 
home  reading  and  by  contact  with  the 
business  world.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  offered  his  services  to  the  government, 
becoming  a  member  of  a  military  organi- 
zation and  remained  ready  to  lend  what 
assistance  he  could  to  the  Union.  When 
a  boy  he  assisted  his  father  with  the  work 
on  the  farm,  the  elder  Minor  dying  when 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  twenty-two 
years  old,  whereupon  the  latter  left  the 
homestead  and  went  to  New  York  City 
where  he  secured  employment  in  an  un- 
dertaking establishment  and  there  learned 
the  embalming  business,  later  engaged  in 
the  business  on  his  own  account  at  No. 
112  East  Twenty-ninth  street,  remaining 
in  the  undertaking  and  embalming  busi- 
ness until  his  death,  being  very  successful 
and  becoming  one  of  the  best  known  men 


in  his  line  in  New  York,  maintaining  an 
extensive  and  modernly  equipped  estab- 
lishment. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Minor  was  closely 
identified  with  the  Church  of  the  Trans- 
figuration, the  famous  "Little  Church 
Around  the  Corner,"  of  which  Dr.  Hough- 
ton is  pastor.  It  is  located  on  Twenty- 
ninth  street,  near  Fifth  avenue.  He  was 
the  official  "sexton"  of  this  wealthy  Epis- 
copal congregation,  and  as  such  had 
charge  of  all  entertainments,  weddings 
and  funerals  there.  He  was  active  in  the 
general  work  of  the  church  and  took  a 
deep  interest  in  religious  affairs.  He  was 
well  versed  in  the  Bible  and  his  daily  life 
was  that  of  a  man  of  high  religious  senti- 
ments. He  was  charitably  inclined  and 
tt.'ok  delight  in  assisting  the  needy  and 
helpless.  He  was  personally  acquainted 
with  many  of  the  noted  men  of  the  coun- 
try during  his  day  and  generation,  and 
everyone  always  reposed  implicit  confi- 
dence in  him,  knowing  him  to  be  a  man 
of  high  principles.  He  was  quiet  and  un- 
assuming, yet  a  genial,  companionable 
man  who  made  friends  easily.  He  never 
was  known  to  meddle,  always  attending 
strictly  to  his  own  business. 

Mr.  Minor  was  a  prominent  Odd  Fel- 
low and  IMason,  the  former  lodge  present- 
ing him  with  a  very  fine  regalia  and  a 
beautiful  loving  cup.  He  belonged  to 
Warren  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  also  the  encampment  and 
veterans  of  this  order ;  also  Excelsior 
Lodge,  No.  1905,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  Amity  Chapter,  No.  160,  Royal  Arch 
Masons  ;  the  United  States  Council,  Royal 
and  Select  Masters;  Palestine  Command- 
ery.  No.  18,  Knights  Templar;  Mecca 
Temple,  Azim  Grotto,  No.  7,  M.  O.  V.  P. 
E.  R. ;  Masonic  Veterans,  Masonic  Club, 
and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Society,  Nassau  Driving  Club,  New  York 
Driving  Club,  Road  Drivers'  Association 


250 


EAXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  New  York  City,  the  New  York  State 
Driving  Club,  and  the  Undertakers'  So- 
ciety. 

On  November  21.  1909,  Mr.  Minor  was 
married  in  New  York  City  by  Dr.  Hough- 
ton in  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration, 
to  Elizabeth  ^Vood,  a  daughter  of  Laurin 
and  Elizabeth  (Cole)  Wood,  of  English 
ancestry  and  Revolutionary  stock.  Mrs. 
Minor's  progenitors  came  to  America  on 
the  "^Mayflower''  in  1620.  She  was  of 
great  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his 
work,  at  the  same  time  has  always  been 
active  in  church  affairs  and  is  a  deep  Bible 
student.  She  is  a  charity  worker  and 
known  to  a  large  circle  as  a  helpful,  kind, 
generous  and  noble  character.  The  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minor  was  without  issue. 

The  death  of  William  J-  Minor  occurred 
after  a  brief  illness,  on  Sunday,  December 
3.  1916.  in  his  seventy-third  year.  Among 
the  many  tributes  to  his  memory  was  the 
following  letter  of  condolence  received  by 
jMrs.  ]\Iinor  from  W.  Gartrell,  secretary 
of  the  Nassau  Driving  Club  : 

MixEOLA,  New  York,  December  29.  1916. 
Mrs.  \V.  J.  Minor  : 

Be  it  and  it  is  hereby  resolved.  That  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Nassau  Driving  Club  on  the  ninth  day 
of  December,  mourn  the  loss  of  a  brother,  \V.  T. 
Elinor,  and  tender  their  deepest  S3Tnpathy  to  the 
bereaved  widow,  trusting  that  she  will  be  able 
with  Di^■ine  help  and  strength  to  bear  the  sorrow 
with  fortitude  and  patience,  and  assuring  her  that 
the  A-irtues  of  the  deceased  will  ever  be  cherished 
in  the  memories  of  the  members  of  this  club. 

Mr.  Minor  was  an  expert  amateur 
driver  and  his  hobb}'  was  fine  horses.  He 
won  ten  cups  as  prizes  on  the  speedway. 
We  quote,  in  part,  as  follows  from  an 
article  on  the  death  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  which  appeared  in  one  of  the 
leading  turf  publications  of  America : 

The  death  of  William  T.  Minor,  last  Sunday 
afternoon,  after  a  short  illness,  came  as  a  dis- 
tinct shock  to  his  many  friends  in  light-harness 


circles  in  this  cit>'  (New  York),  and  the  news  of 
his  demise  brought  much  sadness  and  regret  to 
all  those  who  had  valued  his  friendship  as  a  fine 
gentleman,  a  good  fellow-sportsman  and  a  keen 
lover  of  the  light-harness  horse. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Minor's  health  had 
been  slightly  failing,  and  during  the  past  year  he 
had  given  up  driving  in  the  matinees  on  that 
?ccount,  but  it  did  not  prevent  him  from  taking 
an  active  interest  in  local  light-harness  affairs. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Minor  has  been  a  notable 
figure  in  local  amateur  racing  in  this  dty,  and 
with  his  favorite  pacer,  "Hiram  Abiff'" — a  horse 
that  he  loved  as  much  as  any  man  can  love  a 
horse — he  started  in  various  races  on  the  New 
York  Speedway,  the  Parkway  track,  at  the  Empire 
track  and  finally  at  the  Mineola  track.  Although 
during  the  last  ten  jears  of  his  activities  as  an 
amateur  driver.  (Mr.  Minor  was  more  than  sev- 
enty years  old)  his  skill  as  a  reinsman  was  as 
keen  as  that  of  a  professional  driver  of  younger 
jears,  and  many  of  the  ribbons  and  cups  that  he 
won  were  secured  as  much  through  his  abilit>-  as 
a  reinsman  as  through  the  merits  of  the  horses  he 
drove. 

While  Mr.  Minor  owned  a  number  of  fast 
horses,  his  pacer,  "Hiram  Abiff,"  was  his  favorite, 
and  although  the  son  of  "A.  L.  Kempland."  he 
had  had  an  extensive  racing  career  before  Mr. 
Minor  secured  him,  his  speed  abilities  and  his 
endurance  never  waned.  Like  his  departed  mas- 
ter, "Hiram  Abiff"  was  on  the  firing  line  at  all 
times,  never  willing  to  give  up  the  battle  right  to 
the  wire.  Mr.  Minor  used  him  to  drive  summer 
and  winter  and  there  was  never  a  time  when  both 
were  not  ready  for  a  spirited  race. 

Other  horses  that  Mr.  Minor  owned  were  as 
follows :  "Starmoor,"  a  handsome  black  stallion 
with  which  he  won  many  ribbons  on  the  Speedway 
and  other  horse  shows,  and  "Nellie  R.."  a  former 
Speedw^ay  cup  winner. 


THURSTON.  Colonel  Nathaniel  Blunt. 

Prominent  Ofl&cer  of  National  Gnard. 

Success  in  life  is  the  fruit  of  so  many 
diverse  conditions  and  circumstances,  so 
opposed,  it  often  seems  to  us.  that  one 
may  well  be  tempted  to  despair  of  finding 
any  rule  and  criterion  of  the  qualities 
which  go  to  its  achievement.  There  is 
one  thing  of  which  we  may  rest  assured, 
however,  and  that  is  that  despite  appear- 


2>I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ances,  real  success,  success  honestly 
worth  counting-  as  such,  is  never  the  result 
of  fortuitous  elements  in  the  environment, 
but  must  depend  upon  some  intrinsic 
quality  of  the  man  himself.  Admitting 
this,  however,  and  we  still  have  a  field, 
wide  enough  in  all  conscience  from  which 
to  select  the  possible  factors  of  success, 
and  he  is  wise  who  can  adequately  do  so. 
It  may  be  said  in  a  general  way  that  the 
qualities  that  make  for  success  can  be 
grouped  as  the  result  of  native  talent  on 
the  one  hand  and  of  high  education  and 
training  on  the  other.  Nor  is  this,  as  it 
seems  at  first  sight,  in  controversion  of 
the  former  proposition  that  true  success 
must  depend  upon  the  individual  himself, 
for  high  education  and  training  itself  is 
only  attainable  by  those  able  to  master 
it.  If  we  look  about  us  we  shall  see  suc- 
cesses in  great  numbers  depending  on 
both  of  these  situations,  some  won  by 
nothing  but  quick  wits  and  cleverness  and 
others  the  result  of  special  training  with- 
out any  apparent  gift  beyond  the  average 
as  a  foundation.  It  is  where  these  two 
elements  are  found  in  combination,  how- 
ever, that  the  most  brilliant  results  fol- 
low, such  as  in  the  case  of  Nathaniel 
Blunt  Thurston,  whose  career  forms  the 
material  of  this  brief  notice. 

The  career  of  the  late  Colonel  Na- 
thaniel Blunt  Thurston,  which  came  to 
an  untimely  and  abrupt  close  at  his  quar- 
ters at  Camp  Mc Allen,  Texas,  January  15, 
1917,  is  typical  of  all  that  we  think  of  in 
connection  with  the  good  soldier  and  the 
capable  officer.  He  was  a  picturesque  and 
conspicuous  figure,  both  in  the  New  York 
National  Guard  of  New  York  City,  with 
which  he  was  identified  for  so  many  years, 
and  with  the  fire  department  of  New  York 
City,  with  which  in  the  past  he  has  been 
most  closely  associated.  Colonel  Thur- 
ston was  born  April  12,  1857,  in  New 
York  City. 


The  connection  of  Colonel  Thurston 
with  the  National  Guard  began  in  the  year 
1877,  when,  Aug-ust  6th  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  E,  Twenty-second 
Infantry,  New  York  National  Guard.  He 
showed  such  a  profound  interest  in  the 
service  from  the  outset  and  such  an  apt- 
ness in  all  military  matters,  that  he  almost 
at  once  began  his  long  series  of  promo- 
tions, being  advanced  to  the  position  of 
corporal  on  April  3d  of  the  year  following. 
He  was  commisioned  second  lieutenant  in 
1880,  and  a  few  months  afterward  was 
made  first  lieutenant  in  his  company.  He 
was  detailed  July  15th  to  22nd,  1884,  in- 
structor of  guard  duty  at  the  camp  of 
instruction  with  the  First  Provisional 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  and  held  similar 
posts  for  two  or  three  years.  He  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  captain,  December 
20,  1886,  and  was  again  detailed  as  in- 
structor, holding  various  positions  with 
this  rank  for  about  ten  years.  He  was 
also  detailed  for  duty  in  department  rifle 
practice  and  as  inspector  of  drills  at  camp 
of  instruction.  He  became  a  major,  July 
28,  1896;  lieutenant-colonel.  May  14,  1898, 
and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service.  May  24th  of  that  year,  in  the 
Twenty-second  New  York  Volunteer  In- 
fantry upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
stafif  of  the  major-general  commanding  on 
January  i,  1899,  with  the  grade  of  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  the  duties  of  inspector 
of  small  arms  practice  and  ordnance  offi- 
cer. He  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  in 
the  Ordnance  Department,  January  30, 
1908,  and  given  special  duty  under  brevet, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  Thirteenth  Coast  De- 
fense Command,  June  15,  1914.  He  was 
relieved  from  this  post  on  December  11, 
1915,  and  immediately  after  the  call  of 
President  Wilson,  upon  the  National 
Guard  for  service  on  the  border  and  in 


252 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mexico  during  our  recent  troubles  with 
that  country,  he  was  placed  in  temporary 
command  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry, 
New  York  National  Guard.  This  was 
early  in  the  month  of  June,  and  on  the 
27th  day  of  that  same  month  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  Seventy- 
fourth  Infantry,  a  Buffalo  regiment,  which 
he  took  to  Pharr,  Texas,  where  it  re- 
mained until  January  15,  1917,  when  it 
joined  the  rest  of  the  New  York  National 
Guard  forces  at  McAllen,  and  it  was  here 
that  he  met  his  death. 

Colonel  "Peggy"  Thurston,  as  he  was 
popularly  known  among  his  associates, 
was  a  very  well  known  figure  in  military 
circles  and  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  a 
large  number  of  officers,  both  in  the  regu- 
lar army  and  the  National  Guard  of  var- 
ious States.  He  was  particularly  well 
known  on  account  of  the  long  connection 
which  he  had  with  rifle  practice,  which  he 
had  done  much  for,  and  had  reflected  great 
credit  upon  the  service  by  his  association 
therewith.  He  was  himself  a  remarkable 
marksman  and  was  a  familiar  figure  at 
Creedmoor  and  at  the  State,  National 
and  International  matches  at  Sea  Girt, 
New  Jersey  ;  Camp  Perry,  Ohio  ;  Jackson- 
ville, Florida  ;  Bisley,  England  ;  Ottawa, 
Canada. 

Colonel  Thurston  had  played  a  very 
prominent  part  in  the  public  life  of  New 
York  City  during  his  long  residence  there, 
and  was  appointed  first  deputy  police  com- 
missioner by  Mayor  Seth  Low  during  the 
latter's  first  administration  and  he  was 
recently  appointed  by  Commissioner 
Adamson  honorary  battalion  chief  of  the 
fire  department  for  his  valuable  service  in 
drilling  firemen.  He  was  an  enthusiastic 
admirer  of  the  department,  extremely  in- 
terested in  all  its  affairs,  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  organization  known  as  "fire 
fans."  Colonel  Thurston  had  a  fire  alarm 
installed  in  his  room  and  it  is  said  that  he 


never  missed  a  two-alarm  fire  while  in  the 
city,  but  generally  arrived  there  about  the 
same  time  as  the  fire  apparatus. 

Colonel  Thurston  *  was  a  member  of 
many  important  organizations  in  New 
York  City,  among  which  should  be  men- 
tioned the  following:  Society  of  Found- 
ers and  Patriots,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
Society  of  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Society 
of  1812,  Society  of  Foreign  Wars,  Society 
of  American  Wars,  Lafayette  Camp,  Sons 
of  Veterans  (War  of  the  Rebellion),  asso- 
ciate member,  John  A.  Dix  Post,  No.  135, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  (War  of 
Rebellion),  Naval  and  Military  Order, 
Spanish-American  War,  Military  Service 
Institution,  member  of  Army  League,  life 
member  of  National  Rifle  Association, 
United  States  Revolver  Association,  De- 
fendam  Association,  Thomas  Hunter  As- 
sociation, Army  and  Navy  Club,  New 
York  Fireman's  Cycle  Club,  associate 
member,  International  Association  of 
Chiefs  of  Police  ;  associate  member.  Inter- 
national Association  of  Fire  Engineers ; 
vice-president,  Association  of  American 
International  Riflemen  ;  Society  of  Amer- 
ican Officers ;  member  of  George  D.  Rus- 
sell Camp,  U.  S.  N.  Y.,  No.  43,  National 
Guard  Association,  State  of  New  York, 
Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  City  of 
New  York,  honorary  member  of  Thir- 
teenth Regiment  Veteran  Association, 
honorary  chief  officer,  New  York  Fire 
Department,  City  of  New  York;  June 
28,  1915,  S.  O.  115,  Fire  Department 
New  York,  honorary  member  of  Chief 
Officers'  Association,  Fire  Department, 
City  of  New  York.  Major-General  O'Ryan 
issued  an  order  to  the  National  Guard, 
announcing  the  death  of  Colonel  Thurs- 
ton. The  services  were  attended  by  Gov- 
ernor W^hitman  and  his  stafif,  all  the  prin- 
cipal officers  of  the  New  York  Militia 
and  many  city  officials,  particularly  those 
connected  with  the  fire  and  police  depart- 

^5^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ments.  The  honorary  pall-bearers  were : 
Major-General  John  F.  O'Ryan,  Major- 
General  Charles  F.  Roe,  Brigadier-General 
Louis  W.  Stotesbury,  former  Adjutant- 
General  Nelson  H.  Henry,  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Henry  DeWitt  Hamilton,  Major- 
General  Daniel  Appleton,  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral George  W.  Wingate,  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral O.  B.  Bridgman,  Commodore  Robert 
P.  Forshaw,  of  the  Naval  Militia;  Fire 
Commissioner  Robert  Adamson,  ex-Fire 
Chief  Edward  Croker  and  Fire  Chief  John 
Kenlon. 

The  funeral  was  a  military  one  and 
there  was  present  at  it  a  detachment  of  the 
Twenty-second  Engineers  of  the  First 
Field  Artillery  and  of  the  Thirteenth 
Coast  Defense  Command,  in  all  of  which 
Colonel  Thurston  had  served  as  com- 
manding officer  for  a  time. 

The  greatness  and  worth  of  a  com- 
munity are  not,  in  the  final  analysis,  meas- 
ured by  the  geniuses  which  it  produces, 
but  by  the  character  of  the  men  which 
form  the  great  mass  of  its  members,  the 
men  whose  achievements  in  the  aggregate 
mould  the  course  of  events  and  determine 
the  general  character  of  its  institutions. 
That  the  records  of  these  many  careers 
are  worthy  of  remembrance  is  undoubted, 
for  each,  though  of  the  type,  is  individual 
also,  with  its  own  struggles  and  diffi- 
culties, its  own  triumphs  and  successes, 
its  obstacles  surmounted,  its  battles  won, 
and  last  of  all,  its  own  lesson  to  teach  and 
examples  to  ofYer  for  the  guidance  and  en- 
couragement of  those  who  may  recognize 
their  problems  and  haply  the  solution  of 
them  therein.  The  task  of  recording  and 
setting  down  for  perusal  the  lives  of  all 
the  many  who  go  their  way  and  contribute 
to  the  life  of  even  a  smaller  community 
would,  however,  be  an  herculean  one,  but 
fortunately  it  is  saved  us  by  the  fact  that 
there  are  always  to  be  found  certain  ones 
who,  while  leaders  among  their  fellows, 


seem  to  be  of  the  same  mould,  so  that  they 
may  well  act  as  representatives  for  them 
to  interpret  them  to  the  understanding 
and  sympathy  of  posterity.  It  cannot  but 
be  interesting  to  trace  in  the  lives  of  such 
men  who  are  of  the  people,  save  that  they 
are  cast  in  a  slightly  larger  mould,  the 
tendencies  and  impulses  that  have  swayed 
and  influence  a  com,munity  in  any  given 
period,  to  measure  its  accomplishment  and 
gauge  the  part  it  has  played  in  the  action 
of  the  world. 


SHULTZ,  George  S., 

Business  Man. 

In  the  following  biographical  memoir 
is  strikingly  illustrated  the  force  of  well- 
directed  energy,  steadfast  purpose  and 
never  ceasing  efTort  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  noble  ends,  and  the  successful 
overthrow  of  those  obstacles  which  beset 
the  progress  of  every  young  man  who, 
unaided  and  alone,  starts  out  to  combat 
life's  stern  realities  and  hew  his  way  to 
distinction  and  fortune.  It  is  the  story  of 
a  successful  life,  and  from  the  study  of 
such  a  record  the  discouraged  youth  may 
gain  lessons  of  ultimate  value,  lessons  that 
are  calculated  to  inspire  new  zeal  in  his 
faltering  heart  and  new  courage  in  his 
darkened  spirit.  It  shows  that  it  takes 
grit,  perseverance  and  honesty  to  win 
life's  battles,  rather  than  the  help  or 
wealth  or  influential  relatives  or  friends. 
In  other  words,  it  is  better  to  rely  on  our- 
selves and  map  out  our  own  paths,  as  Mr. 
Shultz  did,  than  depend  upon  others  and 
follow  a  career  dictated  by  others. 

The  late  George  S.  Shultz  was  for  many 
years  a  successful  business  man  of  New 
York  City,  where  he  proved  that  one 
could  be  honest  and  conscientious  and  at 
the  same  time  win  out  over  adversity  and 
accumulate  a  comfortable  competency. 
He  is  remembered  as  a  man  of  fine  char- 


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EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


acter,  one  who  adhered  closely  to  the 
Golden  Rule  in  his  daily  affairs,  and  one 
who  was  ever  a  follower  of  high  and  cor- 
rect ideals. 

Mr.  Shultz  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
September  2^,  1843,  ^^^  ^^  Charles  and 
Catherine  (Levey)  Shultz,  natives  of  Bo- 
hemia and  Hung-ary,  respectively,  each  of 
German  ancestry.  They  immigrated  to 
the  United  States  when  young  and  were 
married  in  this  country. 

George  S.  Shultz  attended  the  public 
schools  of  New  York  City,  also  a  French 
school  in  Hoboken,  New  Jersey.  At  the 
early  age  of  fifteen  years  he  mastered  the 
art  of  telegraphy  and  worked  for  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  at  Jamesburg,  New 
Jersey,  where  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
married  Mary  Frances  Van  DerVeer. 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Hunt  and  Ann 
Eliza  (Gulick)  Van  DerVeer.  who  resided 
near  the  town  of  Jamesburg,  where  ^Irs. 
Shultz,  who  sur\-ives  her  husband,  spent 
her  girlhood  and  attended  school.  Shortly 
after  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  ^Mrs.  Shultz 
removed  to  New  York  City,  where  he 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
commission  business — buying  and  selling 
brick.  Later  the  father  retired  and  George 
S.  Shultz  and  his  brother,  Charles  Alex- 
ander Shultz,  took  over  the  business, 
which  they  conducted  successfully,  finally 
engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  at 
Kingston,  New  York,  which  business  is 
still  conducted.  These  young  men  were 
ambitious  and  hard  workers,  and  they 
quickly  attained  success  in  the  business, 
which  under  their  able  management  grew 
to  vast  proportions  with  advancing  years. 
Our  subject  finally  branched  out  into 
other  lines  of  business  in  which  he  was 
equally  successful,  being  a  man  of  indus- 
try, sound  judgment  and  keen  foresight. 
He  was  interested  especially  in  the  John 
B.  Rose  Company,  which  handled  build- 
ing and  construction  road  material.     Mr. 


Shultz  was  not  only  a  heavy  stockholder 
in  this  concern,  but  became  treasurer  of 
the  same  and  was  a  potent  factor  in  its 
rapid  growth,  for  he  possessed  unusual 
executive  faculties  and  was  a  man  of 
force  and  great  energy-,  of  powerful  phy- 
sique and  commanding  presence.  His 
associates  always  relied  on  him  for  coun- 
sel and  advice  in  business. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shultz  three  children 
were  born,  namely:  i.  Aaron  Gulick,  now 
deceased.  2.  Frank  Alexander,  now  de- 
ceased, married  Millie  Weber,  also  de- 
ceased ;  she  was  a  descendant  of  Major 
\'on  Beck,  of  the  German  army;  they  left 
two  children — Frances  Madeline,  who  at- 
tended kindergarten  school,  the  Barnard 
School  for  Girls,  later  attended  Price- 
Cottle  Consen-aton.'  of  ^lusic,  studied 
music  for  twelve  years  and  is  an  expert 
musician ;  has  played  in  many  recitals 
and  other  entertainments :  she  makes  her 
home  with  the  widow  of  George  S. 
Shultz.  as  does  also  her  brother.  George  S. 
The  latter  attended  Barnard  School  for 
Boys,  then  the  New  York  Militan.*  Acad- 
emy at  Cornwall-on-the-Hudson.  In  1916 
he  enlisted  as  an  American  \*olunteer  in 
the  Ambulance  Corps  and  at  this  writing 
(1 91 7)  is  at  the  front  in  France.  3. 
Charles  V.,  deceased.  George  S.  Shultz 
and  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding 
anniversary  at  Carlton  Hall  on  West  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  street.  New 
York,  about  three  hundred  guests  being 
present ;  many  beautiful  presents  were  re- 
ceived and  it  was  a  notable  family  event. 

Mr.  Shultz  w^as  a  member  of  Lodge 
No.  I.  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  of  New  York  City;  Lodge  No. 
320.  Scottish  Rite  Masons ;  Columbus 
Commander}.-.  No.  i,  Knights  Templar; 
Albion  Temple,  No.  26,  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
was  a  Master  Mason  and  prominent  in 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  his  daily  life 


'o.i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


WHEELER,  Charles  Barker, 

I^aTO^yer,    Jurist. 

Charles  Barker  Wheeler,  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  New  York  and  one  of 
the  most  eminent  attorneys  of  the  State, 
comes  of  a  very  old  and  distinguished 
family,  which  was  founded  in  the  New 
England  colonies  as  early  as  1634  by  one 
who  bore  that  name  and  who  came  from 
England,  the  original  home  of  the  Wheel- 
ers. In  an  exceedingly  interesting  paper 
read  by  him  before  the  Cayuga  County 
Historical  Society,  Charles  Barker  Wheel- 
er has  set  down  the  records  of  his  branch 
of  this  family  from  the  time  of  the  immi- 
grant ancestor  to  the  close  of  his  father's 
life.  It  is  from  this  authentic  source  that 
such  information  as  is  contained  in  this 
brief  notice  concerning  the  early  Wheel- 
ers is  derived. 

John  W^heeler,  the  first  of  the  name  to 
come  to  America,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
of  those  liberty-loving  Englishmen  who 
made  their  way  into  the  wilderness  of  the 
new  world  rather  than  submit  to  religious 
and  civil  oppression  at  home.  He  sailed 
with  his  wife  Ann  in  the  good  ship  "Mary 
and  John."  which  arrived  on  the  shore  of 
Massachusetts  in  1634,  only  fourteen 
years  after  the  "Mayflower"  voyage. 
John  Wheeler  was  one  of  the  original  set- 
tlers of  Newbury  and  afterwards  of  Salis- 
bury, Massachusetts,  but  subsequently  re- 
turned to  Newbury  in  the  same  colony, 
where  his  death  occurred  in  1670.  In  his 
will  are  mentioned  eleven  children,  one  of 
whom,  Henry,  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
Wheeler  family  with  which  we  are  con- 
cerned. From  this  Henry  Wheeler  the 
line  runs  through  James,  who  married 
the  daughter  of  Philip  Squire,  of  Boston, 
and  who  settled  at  Rehoboth ;  James  (2)  ; 
Jeremiah;  Jeremiah  (2),  and  Cyrenus 
Wheeler,  Sr.,  the  father  of  Cyrenus 
Wheeler,    Jr.,    and    the    grandfather    of 

N  Y-5-17  257 


Charles   Barker  Wheeler,  both  of  whom 
are  mentioned  below. 

Cyrenus  Wheeler,  Sr.,  married  Thirza 
Dillingham  Evans,  of  Bristol,  Massachu- 
setts, a  daughter  of  Robert  Evans,  who 
fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Imme- 
diately after  this  marriage  he  settled  at 
Seekonk,  a  short  distance  from  Rehoboth, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  occupation  of 
farming  for  many  years.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Dexter  Wheeler,  one  of  the  in- 
dustrial leaders  of  his  time,  and  an  in- 
ventor of  genius.  Among  other  of  his 
inventions  was  a  machine  for  spinning 
cotton  yarn  by  horse  power  and  this  he 
afterwards  modified  so  that  it  could  be 
operated  by  water  power.  With  these  de- 
vices he  established  a  cotton  mill,  and  in 
1813,  in  association  with  his  cousin,  David 
Anthony,  organized  the  first  company  for 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth  at  the 
place  which  has  since  become  Fall  River, 
Massachusetts.  An  account  of  this  in- 
teresting concern  appears  in  the  paper  of 
Mr.  Charles  Barker  Wheeler,  already  re- 
ferred to  above,  and  which  we  quote : 

In  March,  1813,  the  Fall  River  Manufacturing 
Company  was  organized  with  a  capital  of  forty 
thousand  dollars.  This  was  the  very  beginning  of 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth  in  that  now 
famous  city  (Fall  River).  The  original  company 
is  still  in  existence,  but  the  industry  thus  begun 
has  grown  from  one  of  fifteen  hundred  spindles 
to  nearly  two  million  spindles,  and  from  an  in- 
dustry representing  an  investment  of  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  1813,  to  one  representing  in  1890 
thirtj^-two  million,  one  hundred  and  eighteen  thou- 
sand, six  hundred  and  seven  dollars,  and  an  an- 
nual output  of  over  five  hundred  million  yards  of 
cotton  cloth.  In  addition  to  manufacturing  cloth, 
Dexter  Wheeler  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  machinery  at  Fall  River,  and  here  in 
1822  my  grandfather  (Cyrenus  Wheeler,  Sr.), 
leaving  his  farm,  joined  his  brother  Dexter  and 
became  associated  with  him  in  his  business  and 
enterprises. 

At  the  time  of  the  removal  of  Cyrenus 
Wheeler,  Sr.,  to  Fall  River,  his  only  child. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Cyrenus  Wheeler,  Jr.,  was  then  but  four 
or  five  years  of  age.  His  childhood  and 
early  youth  were  passed  in  Fall  River  and 
it  was  there  that  he  received  his  early 
education.  It  was  at  that  time  but  a  small 
village,  and  the  educational  advantages 
ofifered  by  its  schools  were  decidedly 
meagre.  Mr.  Wheeler  did  not  remain 
long  at  these  institutions,  but  received 
from  them  nevertheless  an  excellent 
grounding  in  the  fundamental  educational 
subjects.  He  was  of  the  kind,  however, 
who  learn  readily  from  experience,  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  also  read  much  in  his 
young  manhood  and  thus  supplemented 
what  he  had  gained  in  the  Fall  River 
School.  He  was  still  little  more  than  a 
lad  when  he  entered  the  factory  of  his 
father  and  uncle,  and  there  applied  him- 
self to  what  proved  to  be  very  congenial 
work.  He  had  a  natural  gift  for  me- 
chanics and  proved  so  apt  a  pupil  that 
when  he  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  was  able  to  operate  all  the  machinery 
necessary  to  convert  the  raw  material 
into  the  completed  cotton  cloth.  It  is 
probable  that  he  might  have  remained 
connected  with  this  concern  at  least  for 
many  years,  had  it  not  been  that  the  fail- 
ing health  of  his  uncle  obliged  the  elder 
man  to  dispose  of  his  various  manufac- 
turing establishments  and  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  an  outdoor  form  of  life.  He  de- 
cided to  take  up  farming  in  the  West,  or 
what  was  then  known  as  the  West,  and 
purchased  from  one  Monmouth  Purdy  a 
farm  near  Venice,  Cayuga  county.  New 
York  State.  As  soon  as  the  purchase  was 
completed,  Dexter  Wheeler  returned  to 
Fall  River,  with  the  intention,  however, 
of  taking  up  active  operations  there  the 
following  spring.  This  project,  however, 
fie  was  unable  to  carry  out  as  his  death 
intervened  r-hortly  afterwards.  The  event, 
however,  ciused  his  brother,  Cyrenus 
Wheeler,   to   become   the   owner  of   the 


Cayuga  county  farm,  whither  he  went  in 
1835  with  his  son,  Cyrenus,  Jr.,  then  a 
youth  of  eighteen  years.  The  young  man 
was  left  in  charge  of  the  property  while 
his  father  returned  temporary  to  the  east 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  other 
members  of  his  family  to  the  new  home. 
Upon  reaching  his  majority,  Cyrenus 
Wheeler,  Jr.,  became  the  possessor  of  a 
farm  of  his  own,  which  contained  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  and  which 
adjoined  that  of  his  father,  and  here  he 
very  shortly  began  experiments  in  agri- 
cultural methods,  in  which  he  met  with  a 
remarkable  degree  of  success.  His  mind 
was  far  too  original  to  allow  it  to  rest 
content  with  old  and  accepted  methods 
anywhere,  and  he  was  among  the  pio- 
neers who  attempted  to  devise  a  scientific 
sequence  for  rotation  of  crops.  He  also 
tried  new  grains  and  new  fertilizers,  and 
in  course  of  time  brought  his  farm  up  to 
a  pitch  of  very  high  cultivation.  But 
though  he  took  a  keen  interest  in  these 
operations,  his  mind  really  turned  most 
naturally  to  mechanical  subjects  and  this 
taste  first  found  expression  in  the  fitting 
up  of  a  carpenter  shop  on  his  farm,  which 
he  afterwards  equipped  with  a  lathe  and 
other  tools.  The  combination  of  me- 
chanical taste  and  the  necessity  of  con- 
tinuing with  his  agricultural  activities 
had  the  natural  result  of  turning  his  mind 
toward  the  improvement  of  farming  im- 
plements, and  he  soon  commenced  that 
long  series  of  inventions  which  have  done 
so  much  toward  developing  modern  agri- 
cultural methods.  Among  other  devices 
which  he  originated  or  improved  were 
feed  cutters,  corn  planters  and  hay  forks, 
but  while  these  were  all  valuable  in  a 
way,  the  first  of  his  really  great  contri- 
butions came  with  his  invention  of  a  reap- 
ing machine.  There  had  indeed  been 
reaping  and  mowing  machines  on  the 
market  before  this  time,  but  they  were  of 


258 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OE  BIOGRAPHY 


the  crudest  and  most  primitive  types,  and 
it  was  Cyrenus  Wheeler  who  first  made 
them  applicable  to  the  practical  needs  of 
the  farm.  An  account  of  how  he  came  to 
invent  this  device  is  contained  in  the 
paper  of  Mr.  Charles  Barker  Wheeler, 
already  referred  to,  as  follows : 

As  early  as  1833  Obed  Hussey,  then  of  Cin- 
cinnati, had  patented  a  machine  for  reaping  grain, 
and  in  July,  1837,  a  public  exhibition  of  its  opera- 
tion was  given  under  the  direction  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Maryland  Agricultural  Society.  In  1834 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  of  Virginia,  patented  a 
reaper  which  was  improved  in  1845  and  again  in 
1847,  and  received  a  medal  at  the  World's  Fair  in 
London  in  1851.  Other  inventors  had  made  alter- 
ations and  improvements  from  time  to  time;  but 
the  best  machines  in  operation  in  1852  were  very 
imperfect  and  crude  implements,  although  em- 
bodying in  the  rough  many  of  the  essential  fea- 
tures of  the  mower  and  reaper  of  to-day.  At 
that  time  mowers  and  reapers  had  not  been  gen- 
erally introduced  and  comparatively  few  farmers 
had  even  seen  a  mower  or  a  reaper. 

As  in  the  case  of  many  other  inventors,  my 
father's  attention  and  study  of  mowing  and  reap- 
ing machines  was  turned  to  the  subject  by  a  com- 
paratively trifling  circumstance.  In  the  summer 
of  1852  there  was  held  at  Geneva,  New  York,  the 
first  public  trial  of  mowers  and  reapers  ever  held 
in  this  State.  A  neighbor  of  my  father's  was  pres- 
ent, and  on  his  return  reported  what  he  had  seen 
and  the  result  of  his  observations.  The  trial  had 
not  been  entirely  satisfactory  and  this  neighbor 
expressed  the  opinion  that  a  mowing  machine 
could  never  be  successfully  operated  owing  to  the 
difficulties  inherent  in  the  character  of  the  grass, 
the  fact  that  the  cutters  of  necessity  would  have 
to  travel  in  close  proximity  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  cutters 
sharp  enough  to  do  the  work.  He  named  the 
further  difficulty  of  following  the  surface  of  the 
ground  close  enough  to  mow  the  grass  satisfac- 
torily. 

At  the  same  time  the  "Country  Gentleman,"  a 
farmers'  journal,  published  an  account  of  the 
Geneva  trial,  with  cuts  of  some  of  the  machines. 
This  added  to  the  interest.  My  father's  raind  be- 
came thoroughly  aroused.  He  reflected  on  the  dif- 
ficulties to  be  overcome.  The  subject  possessed 
him.  The  more  he  studied,  the  more  he  became 
convinced  of  his  ability  to  overcome  the  objec- 
tions raised,  and  he  resolved  to  undertake  the  in- 


vention an-d  construction  of  the  machine  that 
would  meet  all  requirements.  Prior  to  his  own 
inventions  and  improvements,  to  use  his  own  lan- 
guage, mowing  machines  had  been  constructed 
with  rigid  finger  beams  for  carrying  the  apparatus. 
In  this  form  of  construction,  the  beam  that  carried 
the  cutters  projected  laterally,  from  the  frame  of 
the  machine,  to  which  it  was  rigidly  connected  as 
in  the  "Ketchum"  type ;  or  was  supported  at  both 
ends  of  the  beam  by  a  frame  work,  as  in  the 
"Manny"  type.  In  both  these  types  or  styles  of 
machine,  the  beam  and  cutting  apparatus  in  all 
positions  when  in  use  stood  at  right  angles  to  the 
main  supporting  frame  and  driving  wheel,  the 
wheel  tipping  laterally,  according  to  the  chang- 
ing position  of  the  outer  end  of  the  beam.  My 
father  constructed  his  machine  with  two  wheels 
for  supporting  the  main  frame  and  gearing  of  the 
machine,  thus  giving  it  a  broad  base  of  support, 
and  instead  of  attaching  the  finger  beam  carrying 
the  cutters  rigidly  to  the  main  frame,  he  con- 
nected it  to  the  corner  of  the  frame  by  double 
hinges.  This  connection  permitted  the  outer  end 
of  the  cutter  bar  to  rise  and  fall,  independent  of 
the  inner  end,  by  reason  of  the  oscillation  of  the 
main  frame  on  its  axis.  The  second  hinge  was  at 
right  angles  to  the  other,  and  was  so  arranged  as 
to  permit  the  finger  bar,  or  cutter  beam,  to  be 
rocked  on  its  axis  for  the  purpose  of  raising  or 
depressing  the  points  of  the  guard  fingers.  Levers 
for  raising,  as  well  as  for  rocking  the  cutters, 
were  also  provided  and  by  this  arrangement  and 
mode  of  connecting  the  cutter  bar  to  the  main 
frame  of  the  machine,  the  bar  could  be  raised  and 
folded  alongside  of  the  machine  when  not  in 
actual  use  in  cutting  grain,  and  was  especially  con- 
venient in  traveling  from  field  to  field.  This  was 
but  one  of  many  important  inventions  which  ap- 
peared from  time  to  time  between  1852  and  1882, 
during  which  period  Mr.  Wheeler  devoted  prac- 
tically all  his  time  and  attention  to  his  mowing 
and  harvesting  machinery,  and  during  which  time 
he  had  to  overcome  many  very  great  difiiculties. 
He  lived  on  a  farm  some  sixteen  miles  from 
Auburn,  the  nearest  city,  and  was  not  only  out  of 
touch  with  other  minds  interested  in  the  same 
line  of  activity,  but  also  had  to  transport  from 
that  distance  all  the  material  used  by  him  in  his 
experiments.  However,  his  patience  and  persever- 
ance triumphed  over  all  the.se  obstacles,  and 
eventually  he  established  companies  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  the  devices  for  which  he  had  been 
granted  patents  by  the  United  States  Government. 
These  met  with  a  very  high  degree  of  success  but. 
though  successful,  in  no  way  measured  the  im- 


259 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mense  advantage  which  has  accrued  to  the  country 
from  the  immense  saving  in  time  and  labor  occa- 
sioned by  the  use  of  his  inventions.  In  1882  Mr. 
Wheeler,  after  having  devoted  thirty  years  to  his 
inventions  and  the  great  manufacturing  enter- 
prises which  had  grown  out  of  them,  finally  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  in  the  manufacturing  concern 
of  D.  M.  Osborne  &  Company  and  retired  entirely 
from  that  field  of  action.  He  did  not,  however, 
altogether  give  up  his  experiment,  a  thing  which 
was  rendered  impossible  by  his  active  mind,  and 
it  is  true  that  even  at  the  time  of  his  death,  when 
eighty-two  years  of  age,  there  was  pending  in  the 
patent  office  applications  for  patents  on  devices 
invented  by  him. 

Another  department  of  life  in  which 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  perhaps  even  better 
locally  known,  though  the  influence  of  it 
may  not  have  been  extended  so  far,  was 
that  in  connection  with  his  public  career. 
He  was  a  man  entirely  unambitious  in 
this  line  and  never  sought  public  office  of 
any  kind.  However,  he  stood  for  so  much 
in  the  community  where  he  dwelt  that  the 
demand  on  the  part  of  his  neighbors  for 
him  to  take  some  responsible  post  in  the 
community  became  very  strong,  and  he 
eventually  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  his 
neighbors.  He  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  while  still  resid- 
ing on  his  farm  in  Venice,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  twenty  years.  He  also 
held  the  position  of  supervisor  of  the 
town,  and  was  for  one  year  the  school  in- 
spector there.  After  his  removal  to  Au- 
burn, for  a  number  of  years  it  became  im- 
possible for  him  to  give  any  of  his  time 
to  public  affairs  as  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  his  industrial  interests  were 
such  as  to  claim  all  his  attention  and 
energy.  Later  on,  however,  after  the  dis- 
posal of  his  interests  in  these  lines,  he  was 
nominated  for  mayor  of  Auburn,  and 
elected  to  that  office  on  four  different  oc- 
casions. During  his  administration  he  de- 
voted the  most  painstaking  attention  to  the 
needs  of  the  community,  and  left  behind  a 
record  for  successful  and  efficient  service 


never  surpassed  in  that  region.  Cyren- 
us  Wheeler,  Jr.,  was  active  in  almost 
every  department  of  the  community's  life, 
and  was  particularly  prominent  in  con- 
nection with  the  work  of  the  Central 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
was  actively  associated  with  this  church, 
and  in  1868  was  elected  one  of  its  trus- 
tees. He  contributed  liberally  to  its  work 
and  did  a  great  deal  to  advance  its  cause 
in  the  community.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  the  following  memorial  was  adopt- 
ed by  his  associates  on  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Cayuga  County  Savings  Bank : 

It  is  with  a  deep  sense  of  personal  bereavement 
as  well  as  the  irreparable  loss  to  the  institution 
with  which  they  are  connected,  that  the  trustees 
of  the  Cayuga  County  Savings  Bank  place  upon 
its  record  this  feeble  tribute  to  the  memory  of  its 
late  president,  Cyrenus  Wheeler,  Jr.  The  position 
held  by  him  as  president  evinces  the  estimate 
placed  upon  his  high  personal  character,  business 
integrity  and  ability  by  his  associates.  His  loss 
brings  sorrow  not  only  to  them  but  to  every  bene- 
ficiary of  the  institution. 

The  week  that  has  removed  by  death  from  our 
city  Dr.  Henry  M.  Booth  and  Cyrenus  Wheeler, 
Jr.,  will  be  one  of  long  and  sorrowful  remem- 
brance to  the  whole  body  of  our  citizens.     *     *     * 

Although  the  unusual  term  of  more  than  eighty 
years  of  life  had  been  given  to  him,  time  had  not 
lessened  his  mental  energy,  diminished  his  love  of 
business  nor  abated  his  unselfish  interest  in  every 
good  work.  His  presence  was  unfailed  at  all  meet- 
ings of  this  board,  and  every  duty  of  his  office 
was  faithfully  discharged.  His  life  in  all  of  its 
relations  was  such  that  even  under  the  shadow  of 
our  present  great  bereavement,  we  should  thank 
the  Giver  of  all  Good  that  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
spared  so  long,  to  bless  our  institution,  and  so 
many  others  in  our  city,  with  his  loving  kind- 
ness, great  ability,  and  untiring  personal  devotion. 

Cyrenus  Wheeler,  Jr.,  was  married 
three  times,  his  third  wife  being  Jane 
Barker.  Charles  Barker  Wheeler  is  a  son 
by  this   marriage. 

Charles  Barker  Wheeler  was  born  De- 
cember 27,  185 1,  at  Poplar  Ridge,  Cayuga 


260 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


county,  New  York.  His  youth  was  spent 
largely  at  Auburn,  where  he  attended  the 
local  school  and  where  he  was  prepared 
for  college.  He  later  matriculated  at  Wil- 
lioms  College,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  with  the  class  of  1873, 
tsking  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
Forty  years  later,  in  1913,  he  received 
from  his  olma  mater  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws.  While  still  attending 
college,  Judge  Wheeler  had  decided  to 
take  up  the  law,  and  with  this  end  in 
view,  after  his  graduation,  entered  the 
office  of  Sprague  &  Gorham,  later 
Sprague,  Gorham  &  Bacon,  attorneys  of 
Buffalo.  Here  he  pursued  his  studies  to 
such  good  purpose  that  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1876.  Immediately  there- 
after he  opened  an  office  in  Buffalo,  and 
there  commenced  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. For  a  time  Judge  Wheeler  was 
a  partner  of  the  firm  of  Bowen,  Rogers  &: 
Locke,  and  eventually  became  universally 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
bar  of  Erie  county.  It  was  in  November, 
1906,  that  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Higgins  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  Supreme 
Court  bench  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
Justice  Daniel  J.  Kenefick.  Upon  the  ex- 
piration of  this  term  in  1907,  he  was 
nominated  by  both  parties  and  elected  for 
a  regular  term  of  fourteen  years.  Since 
that  time  Justice  Wheeler  has  occupied 
this  important  and  responsible  office  in 
a  manner  which  has  shed  lustre  not  only 
on  his  own  reputation  as  a  learned  and 
competent  jurist,  but  upon  the  bench  and 
bar  of  his  State.  For  a  number  of  years 
Justice  Wheeler  was  a  member  of  the 
local  Civil  Service  Commission  and  for 
eight  years  served  as  president  thereof. 
He  is  at  the  present  time  a  member  of  the 
University  Club  of  Buffalo  and  of  the 
Alpha  Delta  Phi  fraternity,  which  he  en- 
tered while  in  college. 

On  June  28,  1883,  Justice  Wheeler  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Frances  Munro 


Rochester,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  F. 
Rochester  and  great-granddaughter  of 
Colonel  Nathaniel  Rochester,  the  founder 
of  the  city  of  that  name. 


HART,  Louis  B., 

LaTFyer,  Public  Official. 

Louis  B.  Hart,  the  well  known  and 
popular  surrogate  of  Buffalo,  New  York, 
comes  of  good  old  New  York  stock,  and. 
all  his  life  has  been  associated  with  the 
traditions  and  affairs  of  that  State.  He  is 
a  son  of  Edward  and  Hannah  Hart,  his 
father  being  a  very  well  known  man  in 
Orleans  county  in  his  day.  Mr.  Hart,  Sr., 
made  his  home  in  the  town  of  Medina,  in 
that  county,  where  for  many  years  he  car- 
ried on  a  successful  mercantile  business 
and  was  regarded  with  the  highest  respect 
by  the  community  in  general.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Union  army 
and  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Regiment  of  New 
York  Volunteers,  seeing  much  active 
service. 

Born  on  March  30,  1869,  at  Medina, 
Orleans  county.  New  York,  Louis  B. 
Hart,  son  of  Edward  and  Hannah  Hart, 
passed  the  early  years  of  his  childhood 
at  his  native  place.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation, or  rather  the  preliminary  portion 
thereof,  at  the  Lockport  public  schools. 
He  had  in  the  meantime,  however,  decided 
to  follow  the  law  as  his  career  in  life,  and 
with  this  end  in  view,  upon  completing 
his  studies  at  the  Lockport  High  School, 
matriculated  at  the  Buffalo  Law  School. 
Here  he  took  the  usual  course,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  April  30,  1891,  and 
began  practice  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  But 
although  Mr.  Hart's  talents  and  abilities 
qualified  him  admirably  for  success  in  his 
profession,  his  tastes  were  even  more 
strongly  directed  toward  the  realm  of 
public  affairs  and  political  life,  and  it 
is  perhaps  in  this  connection  first  of  all 


26] 


E^XYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


that  he  is  well  known  in  the  community 
where  he  has  elected  to  make  his  home. 
The  beginning  of  his  career  may  be  said 
to  have  been  his  appointment  as  private 
secretary  to  Senator  McMillan  at  Albany, 
New  York,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
in  the  two  years,  1887  and  1888.  In  the 
latter  year,  however,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  stenographer  to  the  grand 
jury  of  Erie  county.  New  York,  and  came 
to  Buffalo  to  take  up  his  new  tasks.  Since 
that  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  this 
city  and  has  grown  more  and  more  into 
prominence  in  its  life.  He  continued  to 
hold  the  above  position  until  1896,  when 
he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Surrogate's 
Court,  over  which  Judge  Marcus  presided. 
Upon  the  retirement  from  the  bench  of 
Judge  Marcus,  Governor  Higgins,  of  New 
York  State,  appointed  Judge  Hart  to  suc- 
ceed him  for  the  unexpired  term.  This 
was  in  the  year  1905,  and  in  1906  Judge 
Hart  was  elected  to  that  position  for  a 
term  of  six  years.  Upon  completing  this 
term,  he  was  reelected  for  a  similar  period 
in  1912  and  is  at  the  present  time  (1917) 
still  serving  this  term.  From  the  outset 
of  his  political  career,  Judge  Hart  has 
been  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  at  the  present  time  his  voice 
is  an  influential  one  in  the  councils  of  its 
organization  in  Erie  county.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  opinions  and  beliefs,  and  does 
not  hesitate  to  support  those  issues  in 
which  he  believes  with  an  emphasis  and 
power  most  effective.  He  is  a  man  of 
genial  personality,  however,  and  his 
friends  are  not  confined  to  any  party  and 
he  owns  many  who  take  their  place 
among  the  ranks  of  his  political  oppo- 
nents. In  his  religious  belief  Judge  Hart 
is  an  Episcopalian,  and  an  attendant  at 
divine  service  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Buf- 
falo. He  is  a  prominent  figure  in  club 
and  fraternal  circles,  and  is  affiliated  with 
a  large  number  of  important  organiza- 
tions in  Buffalo.     While  a  student  at  the 


Buffalo  Law  School,  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Phi  Delta  Phi,  legal  fraternity, 
and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  He  is  particularly  prominent, 
however,  in  Masonic  circles,  having  taken 
his  thirty-second  degree  in  Free  Masonry, 
and  is  a  member  of  Landmarks  Lodge, 
Ancient  P>ee  and  Accepted  Masons; 
Adytum  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
and  Ismaila  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Or- 
der Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In 
addition  to  his  fraternal  affiliations.  Judge 
Hart  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  promi- 
nent clubs,  among  which  should  be  men- 
tioned the  Saturn  Club,  the  Country  Club, 
the  Buffalo  Club  and  the  Park  Club,  all 
of  Buft'alo.  He  is  extremely  interested  in 
the  development  of  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  adopted  city,  and  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Grosvenor  Library  of  Buft"alo. 

Louis  B.  Hart  was  united  in  marriage, 
April  19,  1897,  with  Emilie  Monteath 
Weed,  a  daughter  of  Hobart  and  Hattie 
(Monteath)  Weed,  old  and  highly  re- 
spected residents  of  Buffalo. 

There  is  a  certain  quality  about  the 
duties  and  functions  connected  with  the 
meting  of  justice,  whereby  a  vast  amount 
of  litigation  is  settled  through  his  advice 
and  counsel,  that  appeals  from  the  court's 
decision  are  infrequent.  It  is  the  proud 
distinction  of  Judge  Hart,  of  this  article, 
that  he  well  deserves  the  reputation  for 
an  appreciation  of  humanity  and  its  weak- 
ness, displaying  throughout  his  career  all 
those  qualifications  which  are  of  the  es- 
sence of  justice  and  fit  a  man  for  the  per- 
formance of  duties  so  nearly  touching  the 
foundations  of  social  life. 


MEYER,  George  J., 

Business    Man,    Financier. 

Leaders,  men  who  initiate  movements 
of  any  sort,  whether  in  the  political,  fi- 
nancial or  industrial  worlds,  men  who  show 


262 


J 


P! 

THE  Y- 

EV/  YORK 
LIBRARY 

T 

A&TO 
1-    r-    r 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


their  fellows  the  way  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  any  given  result,  are  of  course 
comparatively  rare,  yet  it  seems  probable 
that  the  conditions  of  life  in  America  are 
such  as  to  encourage  and  promote  this 
kind  of  initiative,  for  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  here,  as  perhaps  nowhere  else 
in  the  world,  men  naturally  tend  to  out- 
grow the  conventional  forms  and  methods 
and  establish  their  own  standards  of  life 
and  action.  Nowhere  is  this  more  obvi- 
ously the  case  than  in  that  great  realm  of 
business  in  which  America  has  certainly 
proved  her  preeminence  over  all  the  other 
nations  of  the  earth.  A  preeminence  un- 
questionably due  to  this  ability  and  will- 
ingness to  devise  and  attempt  the  new. 
It  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  some  of 
our  great  industrial  centers  where  manu- 
facturing enterprises  of  great  size  and  im- 
portance spring  into  sudden  development, 
and  perhaps  no  better  example  of  such  a 
community  could  be  found  than  the  city 
of  Buffalo,  New  York.  Buffalo  has  cer- 
tainly been  fortunate  in  the  men  who  have 
taken  the  lead  in  its  industrial  enterprise, 
and  in  a  list  made  up  of  the  names  of  such 
men  as  that  of  George  J.  Meyer,  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  George  J.  Meyer 
Malting  Company,  director  of  the  Ger- 
man-American Bank  and  a  potent  factor 
in  the  management  of  other  large  con- 
cerns, would  figure  prominently.  He  is 
a  son  of  Stephen  and  Cecelia  (Hauser) 
]\Teyer.  his  father  having  been  an  engineer 
of  Buffalo,  in  which  city  be  resided  the 
greater  part  of  his  life. 

Born  April  9,  1864,  in  the  city  of  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  with  the  business  affairs 
of  which  his  subsequent  career  was  to  be 
so  closely  associated,  George  J.  Meyer 
obtained  his  education,  or  rather  the  ele- 
mentary portion  of  it.  at  St.  Michael's 
Parochial  School,  where  he  was  prepared 
for  college.  He  then  entered  Canisius 
College  ot  Buffalo,  where  he  remained  for 


a  short  time.  He  was  unusually  preco- 
cious as  a  boy,  and  was  but  fourteen  years 
of  age  when  he  abandoned  his  studies  to 
begin  the  more  serious  business  of  earn- 
ing a  livelihood  for  himself.  His  first  po- 
sition was  with  the  Curtis  Malting  Com- 
pany of  Iiuffalo,  which  he  entered  in  a 
very  humble  capacity,  but  rapidly  rose  in 
rank  as  his  employers  discovered  his  in- 
dustry and  adaptability  to  whatever  new 
tasks  were  given  him.  As  he  rose  in  rank 
he  lost  absolutely  no  opportunity  to  fa- 
miliarize himself  with  every  detail  of  the 
work,  so  that  by  the  time  he  had  com- 
pleted his  twenty-nine  years  of  service 
there,  and  risen  to  the  office  of  vice-presi- 
dent and  manager,  he  was  one  of  the 
authorities  on  practical  malting  in  the  city 
and  already  recognized  as  an  influence  in 
that  industry.  There  are  few  men  to-day 
in  the  United  States  who  have  such  a 
complete  mastery  of  the  whole  business 
of  malting  as  has  Mr.  Meyer,  who,  besides 
his  practical  familiarity,  has  given  the 
closest  study  to  its  theoretic  aspects  and 
deserves  to  be  ranked  high  among  the 
commercial  chemists  of  the  State.  In  the 
year  1906  Mr.  Meyer  withdrew  from  the 
Curtis  concern,  feeling  a  strong  desire  to 
found  and  operate  a  malting  plant  of  his 
own.  With  his  usual  energy  and  prompt- 
ness, he  at  once  set  about  the  realization 
of  this  desire  and  in  the  same  year  was 
organized  the  George  J-  Meyer  Malting 
Company,  which  has  grown  to  such  enor- 
mous proportions  during  the  decade  that 
has  followed  and  of  which  he  is  the  sole 
owner,  holding  himself  the  double  office 
of  president  and  treasurer.  It  will  be  in- 
teresting in  this  connection  to  quote  from 
the  "Mercantile  and  Financial  Times," 
which,  in  1913,  published  the  following 
comment  on  the  condition  of  the  malting 
industry  in  Buffalo,  in  general,  and  on 
Mr.  Meyer's  great  enterprise  in  particular  : 


263 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


One  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the 
city  is  its  malt  business,  and  this  is  shown  in  that 
the  sixteen  concerns  here  are  employing  some  four 
hundred  persons,  with  an  invested  capital  of 
fifteen  million  four  hundred  and  seventy-two 
thousand  dollars,  and  the  value  of  the  yearly 
output  is  seven  million  and  ninety-five  thousand 
dollars.  Buffalo  concerns  do  sixty-five  per  cent, 
of  the  malt  business  of  the  entire  State  of  New 
York,  and  are  widely  known  the  country  over. 
Thus  Mr.  Meyer,  as  one  of  the  largest  maltsters 
here,  is  justly  entitled  to  special  mention  in  the 
business  annals  of  the  city.     *     *     * 

The  growth  of  this  business  (Mr.  Meyer's  enter- 
prise) during  the  time  it  has  been  established,  has 
teen  one  of  the  interesting  features  of  Mr.  Meyer's 
entire  career.  Starting  in  a  comparatively  small 
way,  he  placed  his  entire  ability  and  determination 
into  his  work,  and  within  a  short  time  became  a 
power  in  the  malting  industry.  This  was  due  in 
no  small  degree  to  a  new  process  which  is  used 
by  his  company,  by  which  it  is  possible  to  make 
malt  at  any  time,  and  which  also  results  in  a 
superior  quality  product.  Within  the  past  three 
years,  the  business  grew  to  such  a  point  that  the 
original  plant  was  inadequate,  and  a  handsome 
and  modern  establishment  now  operated  at  1314 
Niagara  street  was  then  erected.  This  is  second 
to  no  plant  in  the  country  as  regards  up-to-date 
equipment,  labor  saving  facilities,  etc.,  being  oper- 
ated by  electric  power  throughout.  The  present 
business  of  the  company  totals  Fome  two  million 
five  hundred  thousand  bushels  a  year  with  sub- 
stantial increased  demands  being  made  upon  it. 
Some  of  the  largest  and  best  known  users  of  malt 
in  this  country  are  served  by  this  company,  and, 
while  the  greater  portion  of  the  business  is  con- 
fined to  the  states  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania 
and  the  New  England  section,  the  George  J. 
Meyer  Malting  Company  is  also  widely  known  in 
the  Middle  West,  where  it  does  a  substantial  busi- 
ness. 

The  George  J.  Meyer  Malting  Company  was  not 
built  for  a  day,  and  its  founder  has  taken  three  of 
his  sons  into  the  plant,  these  being  George  H. 
Meyer.  Leo  P.  Meyer  and  Eugene  J.  Meyer,  all 
of  whom  are  learning  the  business  from  the 
ground  up,  as  was  done  by  their  father,  so  that 
when  the  day  comes  that  Mr.  Meyer  decides  to 
rest  after  his  busy  life,  the  interests  of  the  com- 
pany will  be  continued  in  capable  hands. 


Although  it  would  seem  that  the  man- 
agement of  a  concern  as  great  as  this,  par- 


ticularly during  that  period  when  its  de- 
velopment was  most  rapid,  would  prove  a 
sufficient  task  for  any  man,  Mr.  Meyer 
has  not  confined  his  energies  to  it,  but, 
while  it  is  undoubtedly  his  chief  interest, 
has  also  found  time  to  think  and  plan  in 
other  directions.  It  has  already  been  men- 
tioned that  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  director  of  the 
German-American  Bank  of  Buffalo,  and 
in  addition  to  this  he  is  connected  with  a 
number  of  other  leading  business  and  fi- 
nancial concerns  in  this  city. 

Entirely  outside  of  business  interests, 
Mr.  Meyer  has  identified  himself  very 
closely  with  the  political  situation  in  New 
York  State,  and  is  regarded  as  a  potent 
factor  in  the  local  organization  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  Erie  county,  with 
which  he  is  most  closely  identified.  Al- 
though he  has  consistently  refused  to  run 
for  public  office,  despite  the  earnest  repre- 
sentations of  his  friends  and  colleagues, 
he  has  disinterestedly  filled  many  impor- 
tant positions  in  the  organization  itself. 
He  was  Democratic  county  chairman  for 
two  years  and  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  Niagara  Falls  reservation  committee 
by  Governor  Martin  Glynn,  in  1914.  He 
was  elected  delegate-at-large  from  New 
York  State  to  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  St.  Louis  in  1916  which 
nominated  President  Woodrow  Wilson 
for  his  second  term.  On  July  3,  1916,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Buffalo  by 
President  Wilson,  and  is  ?t  the  present 
time  occupying  that  responsible  and  im- 
portant office.  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  social  and  fraternal  life  of 
the  community,  and  is  a  life  member  of 
the  Orpheus  Club,  and  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
the  Bufifalo  Club,  the  Buffalo  Country 
Club,  the  Automobile  Club,  the  Bufifalo 
Canoe  Club,  the  Buffalo  Yacht  Club,  and 
the  Illinois  Athletic  Club  of  Chicago.    As 


264 


THE  J- 

V"  ' 

z 

PUBLIC 

LI 

J_>  .  ■.  ~^ 

RY 

ASTO 

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•-ox 

T 1  u  C  f  N 

-Oa     ic 

MS 

//r.   ajid  .  //r,.    J/:  JS.    O^c/en 


EN 


3IOGRAPHY 


'    member   of   the    Bi\ 
Commerce,  he  has  < 
the  general  develo^    : 
nity  and  attract  to  the  city  ind' 
br' 

rcl:^,.-^  ,  ._  .~.  .  . 
Cathoh"c  and  atten<' 
of  that  der 

George    .. 
riage  on  July 

ChurcV  lAdiy 

Jane    1  ■  '■^'"' 

and  a 

(Timms,»  Kiiimge".  loicd  it.si- 

dents  of  this   plac;..      .  .    ..      and   Mrs. 

Meyer  the  following  children  have  been 
born:  Mary,  May  19,  1889,  "^^'^lo  became 
the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Frauenheim ;  George 
Henry,  December  10,  1890;  Leo  Peter, 
February  28,  1893;  Eugene  John,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1894;  Alexander  Curtis.  Au- 
gust II,  1890;  and  Irene  Hi1de??-ard.  Julv 
1903. 

In   spea'  .•.■■.•  ■■. 

;r.c:  comm:  .   Meye  n- 

not  do  better  ihan  once  more  quote  the 
^Mercantile  and  F'-  -  •-'  '~;  ■  "  w^hich 
in  the  course  of  a  e  arti- 

cle, has  the  following: 


charac 


ever-growing  impor- 
,  and  making 
ereof,  persoi; 


^VUOV 


In  cr 
tance.  c 
of  the 

tion  muM   ■.-    i.^..'    -.ji    .         ■"    ■■>    --   •■ 
lines  of  activity  here,  anct  ' 
of  the  \\     '   '    '■ 
made  s 

It  is  ia   tiiia  v-onneciioii   i'tiai  bii-  is 

made  concerning  George  J.  Meyer,  01  '  ad- 

ing  business  men  of  Western  New  York,  who,  on 
a(•.~f^.■T^^  ,,'  fl  ,  <'y/o  and  importance  of  the  ini."- 
?-•  le  is  connected,  has  taken 

.  .^;   f:  rnrT:  -n  itie  spread  of  the  fair  name  of  : 

V  of  Buffalo.     *    *    * 

■'-r  is  a  n-  .'in 


,    progress)  \ 
J.     Meyer,     -. 
tht-ir  appeal  to  ,  _ 
iused  them  to  b 

Is  to  b<f 
.'.,  „  as  wortii 
/ijjT.    By  this  means 
Urv  mt  that  th< 

'■'■'.  ms  held  in   _  . 

ly  place  are  bro 
toniiuy   with  'a  cer 

the  root  of  each  01 

striking  personality  or  grci 
alities  responsible  for 
can.  be  no  question  thu.  . 
cess  as  this  has  been  one  o. 
mcnts  in  the  formation  and 

of     the     --!--*'-•'      c-.:.rl..^,-K 

the  mt 

which  have  witinn  tiie  past 
comple-i'  '-^  -bced  the  old 
and  p;  revolution 

and  consiitution  of  society 


-^  Bradner, 

len  a;:  . 

Id  in  everlasting 


nd  .tivy  cciebratio 
'le   ni.^jrjorv   of  "h- 


measure  r' 
house 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man  Bradner  Ogden  passes  from  earthly 
scenes,  he  does  not  die — the  forces  for 
good  he  set  in  motion  continue  to  pervade 
the  lives  of  those  of  his  former  associates 
—  encouraging,  inspiring  and  uplifting 
them.  His  entire  life  was  spent  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where  he 
became  widely  and  favorably  known  and 
ranked  among  the  leading  business  men 
and  public-spirited  citizens. 

Mr.  Ogden  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  May 
31,  1851.  He  was  a  scion  of  two  old  and 
honored  American  families,  and  was  a 
son  of  James  Bradner  Ogden,  founder  and 
the  first  president  of  the  Russell  Irving 
Company,  manufacturers  of  builders' 
hardware,  which  established  a  large 
manufacturing  plant  at  New  Britain, 
Connecticut,  also  operated  a  large  store 
in  New  York  City.  The  pronounced  suc- 
cess of  both  these  vast  enterprises  was 
due  very  largely  to  the  able  management 
and  wise  foresight  of  James  B.  Ogden,  one 
of  the  progressive  business  men  of  his  day 
and  generation  in  the  East.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Jonathan  Ogden.  The  immi- 
grant ancestor  came  to  the  New  World 
from  Sheffield,  England,  shortly  after  the 
landing  of  the  '"Mayflower,"  which  was  in 
the  year  1620.  Erom  that  remote  day  to 
the  present  time  the  Ogdens  have  been 
prominent  citizens  in  the  various  local- 
ities where  they  have  settled  in  America. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
was  Anna  Conkling  before  her  marriage. 
She  was  a  relative  of  former  United  States 
Senator  Conkling  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  She  was  a  woman  of  old-time 
Christian  fortitude,  and  she  took  great 
pains  in  rearing  her  only  child.  Herman 
Bradner.  She  was  summoned  to  her 
eternal  rest  in  1904,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-one  years. 

Herman  B.  Ogden  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  city,  and  when  a  child  studied 
under  private  tutors,  later  took  a  course 


in  the  Polytechnic  Institute,  of  Brooklyn. 
He  learned  rapidly,  in  fact,  never  ceased 
to  be  a  student,  and  was  therefore  a  man 
of  fine  intellectual  attainments.  When  a 
young  man  he  became  associated  with 
the  Russell  Irving  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany's great  store  in  New  York  City.  He 
was  ambitious,  alert  and  faithful,  and  soon 
had  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
business.  In  due  course  of  time  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  inventories  and  looked 
after  all  the  business  of  the  firm,  which 
was  indeed  quite  considerable,  outside  of 
New  York  City.  His  duties  in  this  con- 
nection often  made  it  necessary  for  him 
to  take  long  trips.  He  was  associated 
with  the  company  for  about  eighteen 
years,  then  retired,  upon  his  father's 
death,  devoting  the  major  portion  of  his 
attention  during  the  remainder  of  his  life 
to  the  management  of  the  large  estate  left 
by  the  elder  Ogden  and  also  to  his  own 
private  affairs.  He  was  known  to  be 
strictly  square  in  all  his  business  dealings 
and  therefore  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
good  will  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
a  director  in  a  number  of  banks,  clubs 
and  other  organizations. 

Mr.  Ogden  was  a  member  of  the  Hard- 
ware Club  of  New  York,  the  Larchmont 
Yacht  Club,  the  Huguenot  Yacht  Club  of 
New  Rochelle,  New  York,  and  the  New 
York  Athletic  Club.  He  was  fond  of 
wholesome  outdoor  recreation  and  was  a 
splendid  yachtsman.  He  was  a  man  of 
patriotic  impulses,  and  was  a  staunch 
advocate  of  "preparedness."  and  wrote 
President  Wilson  not  long  before  his 
death,  commending  the  nation's  chief  ex- 
ecutive for  the  stand  he  had  taken  in  pre- 
paring for  the  adequate  defense  of  the 
Union.  He  was  an  inventor  of  much  abil- 
ity. 

Mr.  Ogden  was  married  in  New  York 
City,  on  August  2.  1893.  to  Pauline  Troy, 
the    ceremony    being    performed    in    the 


266 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Episcopal  church  by  Dr.  Rainsford.  Mrs. 
Ogden  is  a  daug-hter  of  Paul  August  and 
Katharine  Elizabeth  Troy.  The  father 
was  extensively  engaged  in  the  shipping 
business,  which  he  carried  on  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  and  was  captain  of  his  own 
vessel.  ]Mrs.  Ogden  was  born  in  Carde- 
ness,  Cuba.  She  is  a  lady  of  education 
and  culture — a  favorite  in  the  best  circles 
in  Brooklyn  and  New  York.  She  received 
a  liberal  education  in  a  convent  school 
in  Havana,  Cuba.  She  speaks  fluently 
English,  Spanish,  French  and  German. 
When  a  child  she  had  the  best  private 
tutors  obtainable.  It  was  her  custom  for 
years  to  spend  the  winter  months  at  her 
home  in  Cuba  and  the  summers  in  New 
York.  She  is  an  active  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church  in  Brooklyn. 
She  is  a  broad-minded,  intelligent  woman, 
well  advised  on  the  current  topics  of  the 
day  as  well  as  familiar  with  ancient  and 
modern  history.  She  is  not  an  advocate 
of  woman  suffrage.  She  is  not  active  in 
I)ublic  life,  preferring  the  sancity  of  her 
beautiful  home. 

Herman  B.  Ogden  was  called  to  his 
eternal  rest  on  June  6,  1916,  when  still  in 
the  prime  of  life  and  usefulness,  and  his 
]:)assing  occasioned  genuine  regret  to  all 
V'ho  knew  him. 


VAN  ALLEN,  George  Washington, 

Retired   Manufacturer. 

One  of  the  old  Knickerbocker  families 
that  has  maintained  a  high  position  in  the 
regard  of  the  community  throughout  the 
history  of  this  part  of  the  world,  and  won 
distinction  in  the  persons  of  its  various  rep- 
resentatives, is  that  of  Van  Allen,  whose 
lesidence  in  New  York  has  continued 
from  the  early  Colonial  period  to  the  pre- 
sent, and  in  the  course  of  which  those 
that  bear  the  name  and  the  name  itself 
have  come  most  closelv  to  be  identified 


with  the  life  and  traditions  of  the  City 
and  State.  The  Van  Allen  family  was 
founded  in  this  country  in  the  year  1650, 
when  they  came  from  Holland  and  settled 
in  the  old  Manhattan  colony  with  which 
they  have  been  so  closely  identified  ever 
since.  It  would  be  dif^cult  indeed  to  find 
a  house  with  whom  the  traditions  of  old 
New  York  are  more  intimately  associated 
or  which  values  these  traditions  more 
highly  at  the  present  day.  About  the 
early  development  of  New  Amsterdam 
and  New  York  there  has  grown  up  what 
is  perhaps  the  most  individual  atmosphere 
possessed  by  any  of  the  colonies  in  Amer- 
ica. This  is  probably  due  in  part  to  the 
genius  of  Washington  Irving,  who  has 
made  famous  the  early  legends  and  his- 
tory of  the  region,  but  it  is  also  beyond 
question  the  result  of  the  more  cosmopoli- 
tan character  of  the  settlement  of  the  fact 
that  here,  more  than  anywhere  else,  dif- 
ferent races  and  different  classes  met  and 
rubbed  elbows.  Here  too,  in  New  Am- 
sterdam and  later  in  New  York,  some  of 
the  most  stirring  events  in  our  Colonial 
and  National  history  took  place,  so  that 
there  is  a  body  of  tradition  quite  unique 
and  altogether  delightful  which  has 
grown  up  about  the  region.  With  all 
these  things  the  Van  Allen  family,  in 
spite  of  its  unusual  conservatism,  is  close- 
ly related,  so  that  even  to-day  among  its 
members  we  still  feel  the  effect  of  their 
relations  with  the  past. 

The  representative  of  the  Van  Allen 
family  in  the  past  generation  was  George 
Washington  Van  Allen,  whose  death  on 
January  14.  1917,  at  his  home  in  New 
York  City,  was  felt  among  his  large  circle 
of  friends  and  associates  as  a  profound 
loss.  George  Washington  Van  Allen  was 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Henrietta  Elizabeth 
(Hart)  \^an  Allen,  residents  of  New  York 
City,  and  was  born  September  23,  1834, 
at  Nvack,  New  York,  at  his  father's  sum- 


267 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mer  home.     His  mother  was  a  member      president  of  several  Brooklyn  street  rail- 


of  an  old  Pennsylvania  family  which  had 
its  origin  in  Holland  and  had  settled  in 
this  State  at  an  early  day.  The  child- 
hood of  Mr.  Van  Allen  was  passed  in 
New  York  City  and  at  Nyack,  where  the 
family  spent  its  summers  on  the  charm- 
ing country  estate.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived at  private  schools  in  New  York, 
and  upon  completion  he  began  his  busi- 
ness life  in  the  employ  of  Hoe  &  Com- 
pany. Here  he  learned  the  business  of 
the  manufacture  of  printing  presses  and 
became  familiar  with  all  the  details  of 
that  complicated  process.  After  a  period 
spent  with  this  concern,  Mr.  Van  Allen 
severed  his  connection  with  it  and  estab- 
lished the  firm  of  G.  W.  and  W.  H.  Van 
Allen  for  the  manufacture  of  printing 
presses.  After  some  years  it  became  the 
firm  of  Van  Allen  &  Boughton  and  did 
a  very  large  business  both  in  the  making 
of  new  machines  and  the  repairing  of  old. 
There  were  large  machine  shops  situated 
at  No.  59  Ann  street  and  Nos.  17-23  Rose 
street,  where  the  work  was  carried  on, 
and  the  standard  of  its  product  was  espe- 
cially high.  Mr.  Van  Allen  remained  in 
this  business  for  a  period  of  forty-six 
years,  and  eventually  withdrew  from  it 
in  1913,  from  which  time  until  the  close 
of  his  life  he  lived  in  retirement.  This, 
however,  only  applies  to  the  great  indus- 
try which  he  had  built  up,  for  he  con- 
tinued to  maintain  an  office  at  No.  135 
William  street.  New  York  City,  where 
with  the  aid  of  a  secretary  he  looked  after 
his  own  large  interests  and  estate.  Dur- 
ing the  time  in  which  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  industrial  world,  Mr.  Van 
Allen  was  president  of  the  Huber  &  Hod- 
man Printing  Press  Company  of  Taun- 
ton, Massachusetts,  one  of  the  large  con- 
cerns of  that  great  industrial  region.  For 
a  number  of  years,  beginning  with  the 
early    "seventies,"    Mr.    Van    Allen    was 


ways,  among  them  the  Nostrand  avenue 
line  and  Greenpoint  and  Lorimer  street 
line,  and  under  his  able  presidency  some 
lines  were  extended,  thus  adding  to  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  their  many 
patrons.  One  of  Mr.  Van  Allen's  chief 
interests  was  his  magnificent  country 
estate,  "Van  Allen  Grange,"  near  White 
Lake,  Sullivan  county,  New  York.,  which 
consisted  of  over  four  thousand  acres  and 
which  he  had  developed  to  a  wonderful 
state  of  cultivation.  Great  masses  of 
flowering  shrubs  and  plants  of  all  kinds 
made  it  beautiful,  and  he  had  planted 
above  eight  thousand  gladioli  alone  there. 

On  August  16,  1859,  Mr.  Van  Allen  was 
united  in  marriage  in  New  York  City 
with  Sarah  Stone,  a  daughter  of  Jabez  and 
Elizabeth  (Thornton)  Stone. 

Mr.  Van  Allen  was  a  self-made  man  in 
the  best  sense  of  the  term.  Through  his 
own  efforts  he  developed  a  large  business 
and  became  one  of  the  most  prominent 
figures  in  the  industrial  world  of  this 
region.  It  is  always  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible, to  estimate  the  effect  upon  their 
environment  of  such  characters  as  that  of 
Mr.  Van  Allen,  characters  the  influence 
of  which  depend,  not  so  much  upon  actual 
deeds  they  do,  as  upon  the  subtle  force 
which  communicates  itself  unseen  to  all 
about  from  a  strong  and  gracious  per- 
sonality. But  although  any  actual  gauge 
is  difficult  we  are  surely  justified  in  valu- 
ing such  influence  very  highly.  In  Mr. 
Van  Allen's  case  his  tastes  and  instincts 
were  blended  in  so  fortunate  an  admix- 
ture as  to  seem  predestined  for  the  gain 
and  redistribution  of  knowledge.  It  would, 
perhaps,  be  difficult  to  say  whether  art 
with  its  more  direct  emotional  appeal,  or 
science,  whose  voice  is  for  the  intellect, 
ranked  higher  in  his  tastes,  but  certain  it  is 
that  he  loved  both  and  was  able  to  gratify 
his  craving  for  both  extensively.  Yet  love 


268 


THE  ■•,,  •  .: 

pUBLi'.  L._   ..RTj 
( 

ASTC,    I      TX  I 

TILD^N     F^.'jN/OA    IONS     I 


out  t. 


oune  n-' 


TTERY,  John  Mitchell, 

Buildiag  Contractor. 


uity,  met 


He  came  of  stu 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


charged  the  duties  of  this  important  office 
for  a  period  of  nine  years,  when  he  re- 
signed in  order  to  devote  his  attention 
exclusively  to  building  contracting  for 
himself.  His  record  as  building  inspector 
is  a  most  commendable  one,  for  he  was 
faithful,  vigilant  and  honest,  in  fact,  it 
has  often  been  said  that  the  city  has  never 
had  a  more  capable  and  trustworthy  in- 
cumbent of  this  office.  No  one  ever  ques- 
tioned his  high  sense  of  honor.  He 
promptly  and  decisively  refused  all  graft 
money  and  everything  like  it,  had  no 
favorites  and  conducted  the  affairs  of  the 
office  with  as  great  care  as  he  ever  did 
his  own  business.  He  derived  great  pleas- 
ure from  the  fact  that  he  ever  served  the 
public  conscientiously  and  to  the  best  of 
his  ability.  He  became  a  very  successful 
building  contractor.  Among  the  princi- 
pal buildings  which  he  constructed  might 
be  mentioned  the  American  Woolen 
Building,  the  Burgfelt  Building,  Hotel 
Lucerne,  and  many  others  of  note.  To- 
ward the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  con- 
structed two  buildings  of  his  own.  He 
was  an  expert  constructing  engineer,  and, 
having  remained  a  close  student  and  keen 
observer,  kept  fully  abreast  of  the  times 
in  his  chosen  line. 

Mr.  Slattery  has  been  loyal  to  the  in- 
stitutions of  his  adopted  country,  and  as 
soon  as  he  became  of  legal  age  took  out 
naturalization  papers,  and  remained  a 
public  spirited,  patriotic  citizen  of  the 
great  western  Republic  to  the  end  of  his 
days.  He  never  spoke  disparagingly  of 
anyone,  was  a  kind,  obliging,  helpful,  self- 
respecting  and  congenial  gentleman  at  all 
times,  and  was  admired  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  loved  the  truth, 
despised  sham  and  deceit,  and  was  a  man 
of  sound  religious  convictions. 

Mr.  Slattery  was  married  in  New  York 
City,  May  9,  1906,  to  Kathleen  Murphy,  a 
daughter  of  Matthew  and  Anne  (Thomp- 


son) Murphy.  The  latter,  now  deceased. 
was  a  native  of  England.  Mr.  Murphy, 
who  was  born  in  Ireland,  is  also  deceased. 
When  seven  years  of  age  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  England.  He  was  a 
great  lover  of  horses,  was  an  excellent 
judge  of  a  horse,  and  owned  some  very 
tine  blooded  ones.  Mrs.  Slattery  was  bom 
October  24,  1882,  and  grew  to  womanhood 
in  England,  where  she  received  good  edu- 
cational advantages ;  she  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1905.  She  is  a  devout 
Christian  and  is  a  lover  of  home  life,  pre- 
ferring to  give  her  attention  to  her  house- 
hold rather  than  to  clubs  and  society. 
The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slattery  was 
blessed  with  five  children,  all  living, 
namely:  Cecilia,  born  1907;  Kathleen, 
1909;  Anastasia,  1911;  John  M.,  1912; 
and  Edward  W.,  1914. 

Mr.  Slattery  was  also  a  great  home 
man,  being  ever  solicitous  of  the  comfort 
and  welfare  of  his  wife  and  little  ones,  to 
whom,  as  well  as  to  his  host  of  friends 
and  acquaintances,  his  untimely  death,  on 
June  30,  1916,  came  as  a  severe  shock. 
But  he  left  behind  him  a  record  of  which 
they  may  always  be  proud — that  of  a  life 
well  lived. 


JACOBSON,  Nathan,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Snrgeon. 

The  late  Dr.  Nathan  Jacobson,  who  at 
the  time  of  his  death  held  a  position  of 
leadership  in  his  profession,  was  known 
throughout  New  York  State  as  a  physi- 
cian of  great  ability  and  a  surgeon  of  rare 
skill  and  good  judgment,  and  he  possessed 
in  abundant  measure  all  those  qualities 
that  go  to  make  a  great  practitioner,  medi- 
cal learning,  long  practice,  devotion  to  the 
ideals  of  a  noble  profession  and  high  char- 
acter. 

Dr.  Jacobson  was  born  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  June  26,  1857,  eldest  son  of 


270 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Israel  and  Mary  (Sulsbacker)  Jacobson, 
natives  of  Germany,  parents  of  live  chil- 
dren. Israel  Jacobson  in  early  life  moved 
to  England  and  about  1850  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  where  his  marriage  occurred. 
He  died  in  Watkins,  New  York,  August 
19,  1874,  aged  forty-seven  years,  being 
survived  by  his  wife,  a  resident  of  Syra- 
cuse, and  their  children :  Nathan,  now  de- 
ceased; Henry  H.,  Samuel  and  Emanuel, 
engaged  in  business  in  New  York  City 
as  importers  and  cutters  of  diamonds 
under  the  firm  name  of  Jacobson 
Brothers ;  and  Harriet,  who  resides  in 
Syracuse,  wife  of  Henry  Danziger. 

Dr.  Jacobson  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive city  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Syracuse  High  School  in  1874.  He  then 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with 
the  late  Dr.  Roger  W.  Pease,  of  Syracuse, 
and  also  entered  the  College  of  Medicine 
of  Syracuse  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine  in  June,  1877.  He  was  then 
only  twenty  years  old  and  immediately 
went  abroad  where  he  pursued  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  Allgemeines 
Krankenhaus  in  Vienna,  paying  special 
attention  to  surgery  and  the  kindred 
branches.  Returning  to  Syracuse  in  Sep- 
tember, 1878,  he  began  the  active  practice 
of  his  profession  and  met  with  instant 
success.  For  several  years  he  devoted  his 
time  largely  to  general  surgery,  and  while 
still  a  young  man  became  known  as  one 
of  the  leading  surgeons  in  Central  New 
York.  He  began  his  career  when  modern 
surgery  was  in  its  infancy  and  grew  up 
with  the  profession,  and  as  a  result  he 
was  known  wherever  there  were  progres- 
sive surgeons,  particularly  tor  his  literary 
contributions  on  the  subject  of  advanced 
surgery   and   medicine.      While   he   kept 


pace  with  the  great  strides  being  made  in 
the  surgical  profession,  he  was  always 
conservative,  and  he  was  never  inveigled 
into  trying  out  any  new  fad,  and  was 
never  induced  by  any  consideration  what- 
ever to  perform  an  unnecessary  operation. 
He  appreciated  his  responsibility  as  a  sur- 
geon, and  he  never  forgot  that  he  was 
dealing  with  human  life.  In  all  his  long 
career  he  never  had  a  case  where  he  per- 
mitted himself  to  be  influenced  by  pecu- 
niary considerations,  and  on  the  other 
hand  he  had  hundreds  of  cases  where  he 
sacrificed  himself  to  save  the  life  of  a  per- 
son who  had  no  means  to  pay  him. 

Dr.  Jacobson  was  deeply  interested  in 
Syracuse  University,  and  it  was  owing  to 
his  endeavors  in  a  great  measure  that  the 
College  of  Medicine  there  rapidly  ad- 
vanced until  it  now  ranks  high  among 
institutions  of  its  kind.  In  September. 
1885,  he  was  appointed  instructor  in  sur- 
gery in  the  College  of  Medicine,  and  it 
was  in  connection  with  his  duties  as 
teacher  that  he  wrote  many  articles  for 
the  medical  journals,  which  were  eagerly 
read  by  the  profession  and  were  quoted 
with  flattering  frequency  by  men  of  sci- 
ence. His  contribution  to  Bryant's  Sur- 
gery, "Tubercular  Peritonitis,"  is  con- 
sidered standard.  On  June  11,  1888,  he 
was  made  lecturer  on  Clinical  Surgery 
and  Laryngology,  and  in  June,  1889,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Chair  of  Laryngology 
and  Clinical  Surgery,  but  subsequently 
resigned  from  the  first  named  position 
and  held  the  Professorship  of  Clinical 
Surgery  alone.  As  a  member  of  the  fac- 
ulty of  the  College  of  Medicine,  as  well 
as  in  his  previous  capacities  of  instructor 
and  lecturer,  his  efforts  were  character- 
ized as  conscientious,  able  and  valuable. 
He  was  recognized  as  a  teacher  of  note 
and  had  he  chosen  to  leave  his  native  city 
many  chairs  of  surgery  were  open  to  him 


271 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  medical  colleges  throughout  the  United      Onondaga  county  was  present  at  the  serv- 


States.  Dr.  Jacobson's  deep  interest  in 
the  hospitals  of  the  city  took  up  a  great 
portion  of  his  time.  He  was  surgeon  to 
St.  Joseph's  Hospital  and  consulting  sur- 
geon to  the  Syracuse  Hospital  for  Women 
and  Children.  Besides  doing  a  vast 
amount  of  work  in  these  institutions  he 
contributed  freely  to  their  support  when 
they  found  themselves  in  financial  trouble. 

Signal  honor  was  paid  to  Dr.  Jacobson 
when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
American  Surgical  Association,  composed 
of  the  greatest  surgeons  in  North  Ameri- 
ca, and  few  surgeons  in  Central  New  York 
have  been  given  that  distinction.  Dr. 
Jacobson  was  also  identified  with  other 
great  medical  organizations  of  this  coun- 
try. He  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Society,  the  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine of  New  York  City,  the  Central  New 
York  Medical  Association,  and  was  a 
member,  of  the  advisory  board  of  the 
Bureau  of  Health  of  Syracuse  and  of  the 
Onondaga  County  Medical  Society  and 
the  Syracuse  Academy  of  Medicine,  hav- 
ing served  as  president  of  the  two  last 
named  organizations. 

Dr.  Jacobson  married,  January  3,  1883, 
Minnie  Schwartz,  daughter  of  Leopold 
Schwartz,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  who  survives  him,  as 
does  also  his  two  children:  Emma  May, 
wife  of  Dr.  Joseph  Wiseman,  and  Gerald 
Nathan  Jacobson,  of  New  York. 

Dr.  Jacobson  died  September  16,  1913, 
at  Syracuse  Hospital  for  Women  and 
Children,  whither  he  had  gone  to  visit  his 
patients.  Memorial  services  were  held  at 
May  Memorial  Church,  the  arrangements 
in  charge  of  a  joint  committee  represent- 
ing the  Onondaga  Medical  Society  and 
the  Syracuse  Academy  of  Medicine,  and 
practically    every    physician    of    note    in 


ices  which  were  held  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Society  of  Concord.  A  temporary  halt 
was  called  in  the  activities  of  the  city  of 
Syracuse  during  the  time  of  the  funeral 
services,  men  and  women  of  every  station 
in  life,  of  all  creeds  and  races  pausing  to 
do  homage  to  a  departed  friend.  The 
brief  services  were  marked  by  the  noble 
simplicity  which  characterized  the  life  of 
Dr.  Jacobson.  Rev.  Dr.  Adolph  Guttman, 
rabbi  of  the  Temple,  and  a  lifelong  friend 
of  Dr.  Jacobson,  read  the  Twenty-third 
Psalm,  and  also  delivered  a  fitting  eulogy, 
and  this  was  followed  by  an  efi'ective 
eulogy  by  Chancellor  Day. 

The  Syracuse  "Post-Standard"  and  the 
Syracuse  "Herald"  printed  eloquent  testi- 
monials to  the  character  and  worth  of  Dr. 
Jacobson,  the  various  societies  of  which 
he  was  a  member  passed  resolutions  of 
sympathy  and  regret,  and  numerous 
letters  and  telegrams  were  received  by 
the  family,  all  testifying  to  the  appreci- 
ation in  which  he  was  held  by  his  many 
friends  and  professional  comrades.  The 
following  poem  was  written  by  one  of  his 
patients : 

One  of  God's  Noblemen,  he  made 
His  life  a  sacrifice  to  his  fellow-men. 
To  us,  healed  by  his  powerful,  skillful  hand 
His  presence  seemed  a  tower  of  strength,  hope- 
fraught, 
Wherein  we  rested  safe  and  unafraid. 
It  mattered  not  by  whom  or  where  or  when 
His  help  was  sought ;  none  from  his  mercy  banned 
By  creed,  and  none  too  poor  to  claim  his  thought. 
"When  shall  we  see  his  like  again?" 
We  ask  with  saddened  hearts  and  tearful  eyes, 
A  royal  soul  in  a  simple  surgeon's  guise 
What  is  our  loss  is  Heaven's  gain. 

The  following  poem  was  recited  by 
Charles  F.  Ayling  at  the  memorial  serv- 
ice at  May  Memorial  Church  as  being 
applicable  to  Dr.  Jacobson : 


272 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


And,  has  he  not  high  honor? 

The  hillside  for  his  pall; 
To  lie  in  state,  while  angels  wait, 

With  stars  for  tapers  tall; 
And  dark  rock  pines,  like  tossing  plumes 

O'er  his  bier  to  wave; 
And  God's  own  hand,  in  that  lovely  land 

To  lay  him  in  his  grave. 

In  that  deep  grave,  with   such  a  name; 

Whence  comes  his  uncoffined  clay 
To  break  again,  most  wondrous  thought 

Before  the  Judgment  day; 
And  stand  in  glory  wrapped  around 

The  hills  he  never  trod ; 
And  speak  of  the  strife,  that  won  our  life 

With  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God. 

Oh,  lonely  tomb,  in  Moab's  land 

Oh,  dark  Beth  Peors  Hill; 
Speak  to  these  curious  hearts  of  ours 

And  teach  them  to  be  still. 
God  hath  his  Mysteries  of  Grace; 

Ways,  we  cannot  tell ; 
He  hides  them  deep,  like  the  secret  sleep 

Of  Him  he  loved  so  well. 


GERAGHTY,  James  Vincent, 

liaxryer.  Inventor. 

Every  human  being  either  submits  to 
the  controlling  influence  of  others  or 
wields  an  influence  which  touches,  con- 
trols, guides  or  misdirects  others.  If  he 
is  honest  and  successful  in  his  chosen 
field  of  endeavor,  investigation  will 
brighten  his  fame  and  point  the  way  along 
which  others  may  follow  with  like  suc- 
cess. Consequently,  a  critical  study  of 
the  brief  life  record  of  the  gentleman 
whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this 
paragraph  may  be  beneficial  to  the  reader, 
for  it  was  one  of  usefulness  and  honor 
and  indicates  how  one  may  advance  him- 
self to  a  position  of  importance  in  his 
locality,  while  yet  young  in  years,  if  he 
directs  his  energies  along  proper  lines 
and  is  controlled  by  right  ideals.  The  late 
James  Vincent  Geraghty,  of  New  York 
City,  was  a  man  of  varied  talents ;  he  had 
N  Y-5-18  273 


decided,  natural  ability  as  an  inventor, 
penetrating  into  the  baffling  realm  of  elec- 
tricity, and  he  also  possessed  a  legal  mind 
of  rare  depth  and  clearness.  He  had  made 
notable  progress  along  the  highway  of  life 
when  cut  oft'  in  his  prime  by  the  "Reaper 
whose  name  is  Death,"  of  whose  ruthless 
scythe  our  greatest  poet  sang. 

Mr.  Geraghty  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  November  5,  1872.  He  was  a  son  of 
Patrick  G.  and  Mary  (Merrins)  Geraghty, 
of  Irish  ancestry.  For  many  years  the 
father  was  successfully  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  New  York  City, 
and,  having  accumulated  a  comfortable 
competence,  he  retired  from  active  life 
several  years  prior  to  his  death.  His  fam- 
ily consisted  of  the  following  children : 
James  V..  Richard.  Ennis  and  Mary. 
They  are  all  now  deceased. 

James  V.  Geraghty  received  his  educa- 
tion at  Saint  Lawrence's  Academy,  and 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
where  he  also  attended  a  private  normal 
school,  and  later  Columbia  University, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893. 
Soon  thereafter  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice and  entered  the  law  office  of  Charles 
Miller,  a  noted  New  York  attorney,  and 
remained  with  him  about  two  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  got  a  good  start  and 
gave  promise  of  attaining  a  very  high 
rank  at  the  local  bar,  but  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  give  up  his  practice, 
which  was  rapidly  growing,  and  retire 
from  the  law.  Although  a  serious  dis- 
appointment, he  did  not  permit  this  cir- 
cumstance to  crush  him,  and  upon  regain- 
ing his  health  he  occupied  himself  for  the 
most  part  by  looking  after  his  father's 
estate  until  his  death.  He  also  remained 
a  close  student  and  could  usually  be  found 
during  his  spare  moments  with  his  own 
books  at  home,  or  among  the  reference 
books  in  the   city  library,  his   investiga- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion  being  confined  principally  to  electric- 
ity, in  which  he  became  very  deeply  en- 
grossed and  made  notable  progress.  He 
was  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  and 
shortly  before  his  death  the  government 
issued  from  Washington  papers  to  him 
on  a  patent  electrical  sounding  device  to 
be  used  on  electrical  cars  to  prevent 
wheels  from  slipping,  and  to  prevent  rails 
from  corrugating,  thereby  preventing 
many  accidents,  delays  and  annoyance. 
There  was  also  another  patent  pending 
on  an  electrical  brake  for  cars,  which 
patent  was  granted  some  months  after 
his  death.  Had  he  been  spared,  no  doubt 
he  would  have  been  a  great  blessing  to 
humanity  through  his  wonderful  inven- 
tions. He  was  ambitious  along  this  line, 
not  for  pecuniary  gain  or  fame,  but  solely 
because  of  his  desire  to  accomplish  some- 
thing worth  while  for  the  benefit  of  the 
race — to  make  life  easier,  safer  and  hap- 
pier for  the  masses.  Of  a  quiet,  retiring, 
unobtrusive  disposition,  he  never  sought 
publicity.  He  was  not  interested  in 
politics  further  than  to  assist  in  putting 
honest,  capable  men  in  the  various  city, 
State  and  National  offices.  He  was  an 
advocate  of  honorable,  wholesome  living 
in  all  walks  of  life,  private  and  public, 
and  his  own  life  was  a  splendid  example 
in  this  respect.  He  was  very  enthusi- 
astic in  whatever  he  undertook  and  had 
much  zeal  and  courage.  His  hobbies 
were  golf  playing  and  walking.  He  took 
long  strolls  alone  in  the  parks  and  by- 
ways, during  which  his  mind  was  always 
busy  with  some  important  problem. 

Mr.  Geraghty  was  married  on  June  6, 
1900,  in  New  York,  to  Julia  M.  Maher,  a 
daughter  of  Edward  A.,  president  of  the 
Third  Avenue  Railroad,  and  Jane  (Tier- 
man)  Maher,  formerly  of  Albany,  this 
State,  where  Mrs.  Geraghty  was  born. 
She  was  educated  at  the  Academy  of  the 


Sacred  Heart,  Kenwood,  near  Albany, 
and  is  a  model  home  woman.  She  has 
three  brothers  and  three  sisters,  namely: 
I.  Thomas  A.,  married  Seraphine  Mona- 
han,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Eugene  and  Mary 
Monahan,  and  they  have  two  children ; 
Edward  A.  and  Ruth.  2.  Edward  A., 
vice-president  of  the  Third  Avenue  Rail- 
road, married  Frances  Gilroy,  a  daughter 
of  ex-Mayor  Thomas  and  Madeline  Gil- 
roy, and  has  two  children :  Edward  and 
Francis ;  lives  in  New  York  City.  3.  John, 
married  Dolorita  O'Gorman,  a  daughter 
of  James  O'Gorman,  the  present  United 
States  Senator  and  a  former  chief  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York ;  John 
Maher  resides  in  New  York  City,  and  has 
one  son,  Stuart  Maher.  4.  Jane  T.,  mar- 
ried Oscar  Allen  Craine,  now  deceased ; 
she  lives  in  New  York  City,  and  has  one 
child,  Robert  C.  5.  Kathleen,  married  C. 
Otto  Heydt,  private  secretary  to  John  D. 
Rockefeller,  Jr. ;  they  live  in  Montclair, 
New  Jersey,  and  have  one  child,  William. 
6  Florence  G.,  is  single  and  lives  with 
her  father. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geraghty  have  four  chil- 
dren, named  as  follows:  Miriam,  Lulu 
M.,  Florence,  Inez.  These  bright,  prom- 
ising daughters  are  attending  Holy  Name 
School  in  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Geraghty  was  happiest  when  sur- 
rounded by  his  family,  they  always  being 
the  object  of  his  chief  care  and  solicitude. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Tu  Alpha  Club, 
in  connection  with  Columbia  University ; 
he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Larchmont 
Yacht  Club  of  New  York.  He  was  popu- 
lar with  all  who  knew  him,  being  kind, 
helpful,  genial,  indulgent,  companionable, 
yet  of  a  serious  turn.  His  untimely 
death,  which  occurred  February  28,  1916, 
at  the  age  of  forty-three  years,  brought 
sorrow  and  genuine  regret  to  the  hearts 
of  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 


274 


THE  !-■-.'  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTO".    L'  NOX 

TILC  '   ~      p.-.MNDA'  IONS 


^  «  I  # 


WHITE,  Canvas??    William  ( 

Pierrepont 
Leaders   In  Traa«p«rtatio»   Deveiopxttsnt, 

The   hi-;^ 
Oneida  co 
the  pionet 
was   fifth 


nu 


DVit-      ' 


.\pi\i    K.^ 


n)wn  cemetery  he  is  burie<i 
bearing'  this  inscri' 


Here  sleep  the  rem 

TTv,,.!-,  vrhlt. 

who  was  faorr. 

in  Connect' 

n  the  year  178  . 

w 

(xerraan 

He  V.  ..- 

and  decJ 

r'^r-rded  a;^   . 

New  En 

As  a  r 

char?»cter  ■ 

verbial. 


settlemen 

Historical  oocicLv  ciccvcC  on  the  viiUgo 
srreen  a  granitp  ■■'<-.^'  {■■  ■  r:u,]r.^:r<<i--::^.c  tl,e 
iV -1  settleme^ 

;  and  fanuiy,     ^lix*^.. 

iidants  of  Judge  Hu,^  . 

.irandson,     Honorable     Huv. 

-.  son  of  the  R: 
(2)  White.     H 

:,  1798,  a  graduc 

class   of    i^' 


cl-; 


r>n 


ENCfCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  such  advantages  only  for  acquiring 
an  education  as  the  very  limited  common 
schools  of  that  period  afforded ;  and  it  was 
not  until  the  winter  of  1813  that  an  oppor- 
tunity occurred  for  him  to  pursue  those 
studies  essential  to  success  in  the  profes- 
sion he  had  chosen.  In  February,  1803, 
he  entered  Fairfield  Academy  and  there 
studied  mathematics,  astronomy,  chem- 
istry, mineralogy  and  surveying  until  he 
completed  the  course,  after  which  he  con- 
tinued these  studies  under  Dr.  Josiah 
Noyes,  of  Clinton,  New  York.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Colonel  Carpenter,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  spring  of  181 1,  during 
which  period  he  gained  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  his  employer  and  became  a  gen- 
eral favorite  with  all  his  acquaintances. 
At  this  time  his  health  became  precarious, 
and  a  sea  voyage  was  advised  as  a  means 
of  restoration.  He  therefore  shipped  as 
supercargo  on  board  a  merchant  vessel 
bound  for  Russia,  and  did  not  return  until 
October,  1812.  The  captain  while  in 
Russia,  remained  ignorant  of  the  declara- 
tion of  war  and  commencement  of  hostili- 
ties between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  and  took  in  an  assorted  cargo  and 
sailed  for  Hull,  England.  He  was  un- 
aware of  the  war  until  they  entered  the 
English  port,  when  they  were  made  pris- 
oners and  their  ship  and  its  cargo  seized. 
For  some  unexplained  reason  the  captain 
and  crew,  however,  were  released,  per- 
mitted to  discharge  their  ship,  take  in  an- 
other lading,  and  continue  their  home- 
ward voyage.  The  ship  had  scarcely 
cleared  the  mouth  of  the  Humber  when  a 
violent  storm  and  high  tide  drove  them 
ashore,  leaving  the  vessel,  when  the  tide 
receded,  sixty  rods  from  the  sea.  An 
inspection  of  the  bottom  of  the  ship  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  much  of  the  planking 
was  completely  rotten.  Young  White 
advised  that  new  planks  be  substituted 
and  a  channel  opened  through  the  sand 
that  would  admit  the  tide  to  the  stranded 
boat.  A  few  days  later  the  ship  was  on 
her  way  to  New  York,  where  she  arrived 
in  the  latter  part  of  September. 

Mr.  White's  health  was  materially  im- 
proved by  the  voyage,  and  on  his  return 
he  again  entered  the  employ  of  his  former 
patron    and    friend.    Colonel    Carpenter, 


where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1814  when,  having  raised  a  company  of 
volunteers,  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant in  Colonel  Dodge's  regiment,  and 
took  part  in  the  assault  and  capture  of 
Fort  Erie,  opposite  Buffalo.  While  in 
occupation  of  the  fort  with  his  command, 
he  was  severely  wounded  by  a  shell  fired 
from  the  enemy's  redoubt,  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant. Soon  after  his  recovery  an  oppor- 
tunity occurred  for  revenging  himself  on 
the  enemy.  A  reconnoitering  party  from 
the  British  camp  was  discovered  in  an 
adjacent  wood,  and  Lieutenant  White 
was  sent  with  his  command  to  capture  or 
disperse  them.  He  succeeded  in  capturing 
the  whole  party,  killing  and  wounding 
several  before  they  surrendered.  He  re- 
mained with  his  regiment  until  the  expi- 
ration of  its  term  of  service,  when  he  re- 
turned home  and  resumed  his  studies. 

In  the  spring  of  1816,  Judge  Benjamin 
W^right  was  forming  a  corps  for  prosecut- 
ing the  surveys  of  the  Erie  Canal.  Mr. 
White  solicited  a  position,  and  was  en- 
gaged by  Judge  Wright  as  one  of  his 
assistants.  During  this  and  the  succeed- 
ing season  he  was  employed  in  taking  the 
levels  westward  from  Rome.  In  this  duty 
he  acquitted  himself  so  well  that  he  very 
soon  won  the  esteem  of  the  chief  engineer, 
between  whom  and  himself  there  ever 
afterward  existed  a  firm  and  unbroken 
friendship.  About  this  time  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Governor  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton, who  was  highly  pleased  with  his  per- 
sonal qualities  and  professional  abilities. 
At  this  early  day  the  knowledge  of  canal 
construction  among  the  engineers  of  the 
country  was  very  limited,  and  Mr.  W''hite, 
at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Governor 
Clinton,  determined  to  visit  England  for 
the  purpose  of  examining  public  works 
and  procuring  the  most  improved  instru- 
ments in  use.  In  the  autumn  of  1817  he 
carried  out  this  determination,  and  made  a 
careful  examination  of  the  canals  of  the 
United  Kingdom,  traveling  for  this  pur- 
pose more  than  two  thousand  miles  on 
foot.  He  returned  the  next  spring,  bring- 
ing instruments  and  accurate  drawings  of 
the  most  important  structures  on  those 
works,  and  much  valuable  information  for 
the  benefit  of  the  State  in  the  construction 
of  its  canals.     About  this  time  there  was 


276 


E>:CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


much  discussion  on  the  subject  of  lock 
construction,  some  favoring  wood  and 
others  stone,  or  a  combination  of  the  two. 
It  was  tinally  decided,  however,  to  build 
stone  locks,  using  quick-lime  mortar  for 
the  masonry,  and  pointing  the  joints  with 
hydraulic  cement,  then  imported  at  great 
cost  from  England.  Mr.  White  soon  dis- 
covered a  valuable  lime  rock  near  the 
route  of  the  canal  in  Madison  county, 
which,  after  repeated  experiments,  he  con- 
verted into  a  cement  equal  to  the  im- 
ported, and  at  much  less  cost  to  the  State. 
For  this  discovery  he  obtained  a  patent, 
but  permitted  its  use  under  the  promise  of 
the  canal  commissioners  that  a  just  com- 
pensation should  be  allowed,  not  only  for 
it.  but  for  his  expenses  and  services  while 
abroad.  The  commissioners,  however, 
failed  to  obtain  the  necessary  authority 
from  the  Legislature  to  fulfill  their  prom- 
ise, notwithstanding  the  recommenda- 
tions of  the  Governor  and  other  officers 
of  the  State.  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton, 
in  a  letter  to  a  committee  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1824,  said  "that  Mr.  White  had 
been  of  great  use  in  his  operations  as  an 
engineer,  and  that  his  skill,  industry,  and 
integrity  in  that  department  furnish 
strong  recommendations  to  the  favorable 
notice  of  the  State."  Judge  \\"right  stated 
before  the  same  committee :  "I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  the  discovery  of 
hydraulic  cement  by  Mr.  White  has  been 
of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  State,  and 
that  it  is  a  discovery  which  ought,  in  jus- 
tice, to  be  handsomely  remunerated."  Mr. 
Flagg  reported  from  the  same  committee, 
"that  Mr.  White,  a  principal  engineer,  had 
made  this  discovery  after  repeated  experi- 
ments and  received  a  patent  in  1820,  and 
that  he  introduced  it  at  great  expense 
amidst  the  doubts  and  fears  which  oper- 
ated against  its  use." 

The  Canal  Commissioners  in  their  re- 
port of  February,  1820,  say:  "Between 
the  Seneca  and  Genesee  rivers.  Canvass 
White,  engineer,  had  the  charge  of  a  party 
which  has  been  engaged  for  several 
months  in  leveling  over  and  surveying 
different  routes  for  the  canal  line.  These 
labors  he  performed  much  to  our  satisfac- 
tion, and  having  presented  a  view  of  them 
to  a  meeting  of  our  Board  held  in  Octo- 
ber,  at   L'tica,  we  thereupon   decided  in 


favor  of  the  route  originally  explored  be- 
tween these  rivers  in  the  year  1816."  The 
canal  through  and  eight  miles  east  of 
Utica  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1820, 
Canvass  White  being  the  resident  engi- 
neer. In  1820  Messrs.  Wright  (principal) 
and  White  (acting)  engineer,  explored  the 
country  thoroughly  from  Little  Falls  to 
the  Hudson,  and  pronounced  imprac- 
ticable the  route  from  Schenectady  con- 
necting with  the  Hudson  at  Albany,  and 
located  the  line  zna  Cohoes  and  Troy. 
This  location  was  finally  fixed  upon  by 
Messrs.  Wright,  Geddes,  and  White. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  1822,  Canvass 
White  was  sent  to  lay  out  the  Glens  Falls 
feeder,  and  in  that  year  he  planned  and 
directed  the  building  of  the  lock  and  dam 
between  Troy  and  Waterford  until  the 
8th  of  June,  when  William  Jerome  took 
charge.  Judge  Wright,  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Hosack  in  December,  1828,  says: 

Here  it  is  proper  that  I  should  render  a  just 
tribute  of  merit  to  a  gentleman  who  now  stands 
high  in  his  profession  and  whose  skill  and  sound 
judgment,  as  a  civil  engineer,  is  not  surpassed,  if 
equalled,  by  any  in  the  United  States.  The  gentle- 
man to  whom  I  refer  is  Canvass  White,  Esq.,  who 
commenced  as  my  pupil  in  1816  by  carrying  the 
target ;  he  took  an  acrtve  part  through  that  year 
and  through  1817.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year 
he  made  a  voyage  to  England  on  his  own  account, 
and  purchased  for  the  State  several  leveling  in- 
struments, of  which  we  stood  much  in  need.  He 
returned  in  the  spring  and  brought  with  him  much 
valuable  information,  which  he  has  usefully  de- 
veloped, greatly  to  the  benefit  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  To  this  gentleman  I  could  always  apply 
for  counsel  and  advice  in  any  great  or  difficult 
case,  and  to  his  sound  judgment  in  locating  the 
line  of  the  canal,  in  much  of  the  difficult  part  of 
the  route,  the  people  of  thie  State  are  under  obli- 
gations greater  than  is  generally  known  or  ac- 
cepted. 

Simon  Guilford,  who  was  Mr.  White's 
assistant  civil  engineer,  related  the  follow- 
ing incident : 

When  that  portion  of  the  canal  along  the 
Mohawk  River  between  Little  Falls  and  Cana- 
joharie  was  completed,  and  the  supply  of  water 
was  turned  in,  owing  to  the  very  porous  soil 
over  which  a  considerable  portion  of   the  canal 


277 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  made,  the  supply  proved  inadequate,  which 
was  fully  realized  as  the  first  boat  passed.  The 
question  was  as  to  how  the  difficulty  was  to  be 
overcome.  Mr.  White  replied,  "A  feeder  must  be 
obtained  from  the  river  at  this  place"  (a  few 
miles  above  Fort  Plain),  and  on  being  asked  how 
long  it  would  take  to  build  a  dam  across  the 
river,  900  feet  long,  so  as  to  raise  the  water  nine 
feet  above  the  ordinary  surface,  he  replied,  "A 
few  weeks."  The  dam  was  completed  in  60  days, 
inclusive  of  a  side-cut  and  bridge  connected  with 
it. 

Mr.  White's  professional  success,  scru- 
pulous integrity,  and  modest  demeanor,  in 
all  transactions  of  life,  won  for  him  the 
enduring  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  was 
associated.  For  these  admirable  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  he  became  widely 
known,  and  as  a  consequence  frequent 
and  urgent  offers  were  tendered  him  for 
engineering  services  in  other  States.  He 
continued,  however,  in  the  active  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  an  engineer  on  the 
Erie  Canal  until  it  was  so  nearly  com- 
pleted that  his  place  could  be  supplied 
from  his  assistant  engineer,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded Loammi  Baldwin  as  chief  engineer 
on  the  Union  Canal  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
continued  in  that  position  until  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  1826,  when  in  con- 
sequence of  a  severe  illness  contracted 
while  conducting  the  surveys  of  the  canal 
west  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  he  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia  and  resigned  his 
connection  with  the  company.  Meanwhile 
he  had  been  called  to  New  York  to  exam- 
ine the  sources  of  supply  for  pure  and 
wholesome  water  for  the  city.  He  re- 
ported that,  for  the  present  need  of  the 
city,  and  its  probable  requirements  for 
twenty  years  thereafter,  a  sufficient  sup- 
ply could  be  obtained  from  the  Rye  pond 
and  the  Bronx  river  in  Westchester 
county,  "but  after  the  city  should  extend 
to  one-third  the  surface  of  ^Manhattan 
Island  it  would  be  necessary  to  add  the 
Croton  river  to  their  other  sources."  The 
report  was  accompanied  with  full  details 
and  strongly  impressed  the  city  govern- 
ment with  the  importance  and  feasibility 
of  the  project. 

While  engaged  upon  these  two  enter- 
prises he  was  solicited  to  take  charge  of 
the   works  of   the   Schuylkill    Navigation 


Company,  which  were  then  in  course  of 
construction.  After  making  a  rapid  sur- 
vey of  the  ground  and  the  plans  of  the 
company  he  suggested  alterations  and  rec- 
ommended the  employment  of  Captain 
Beach  as  their  chief.  Mr.  White  contin- 
ued as  consulting  engineer  until  the  work 
was  completed,  and  was  at  the  same  time 
consulting  engineer  for  the  Delaware 
&  Chesapeake  Canal,  Judge  Benjamin 
Wright  being  the  chief  engineer.  The 
success  and  reported  profits  of  the  Erie 
Canal  gave  an  impetus  to  canal  construc- 
tion in  that  day  that  would  have  resulted 
in  a  system  of  artificial  internal  naviga- 
tion as  universal  as  our  present  railroad 
system  could  the  capital  necessary  for  the 
purpose  have  been  obtained.  Projects 
were  started  in  various  parts  of  the  Union, 
and  a  pressing  demand  was  made  upon 
the  time  of  the  few  engineers  then  in  the 
country.  The  citizens  of  Hartford  con- 
ceived the  project  of  improving  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Connecticut  river,  and  the 
Windsor  locks  were  built  by  Mr.  White 
as  chief  engineer.  Careful  financial  men 
were  led  away  by  the  prevailing  spirit  of 
the  time,  and  large  amounts  were  ex- 
pended upon  impracticable  enterprises. 
Among  these  was  the  Farmington  Canal, 
constructed  from  New  Haven  to  Farming- 
ton  and  thence  up  the  Farmington  river, 
"as  money  could  be  found  to  prosecute 
the  work."  Mr.  White  was  applied  to  for 
plans  and  surveys  and  for  an  opinion  of 
the  value  of  it  when  completed  ;  he  fur- 
nished the  former,  and  remained  consult- 
ing engineer  during  the  construction  of 
the  work,  but  frequently  expressed  an 
opinion  adverse  to  the  success  of  the 
canal,  which  ultimately  proved  correct. 
In  the  spring  of  1827  he  was  appointed 
chief  engineer  of  the  Lehigh  Coal  and 
Navigation  Company,  and  resumed  the 
construction  of  a  canal  along  the  Dela- 
ware river  from  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  to 
navigable  waters  below.  This  project  had 
been  inaugurated  in  1825  for  the  purpose 
of  increasing  the  company's  facilities  for 
shipping  coal  from  Mauch  Chunk  to  Phil- 
adelphia, and  a  canal  one  mile  in  length, 
with  five  locks  and  a  large  basin  at  Mauch 
Chunk,  had  been  built.  ]\lr.  White  pros- 
ecuted the  work  with  such  diligence  that 
the  first  boat  passed  through  the  canal  in 


278 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


July,  1829.  At  that  tinije  the  Lehigh  Canal 
was  the  most  capacious  work  of  the  kind 
yet  undertaken  in  the  country,  and  was 
considered  a  bold  project.  In  the  summer 
of  1825,  Mr.  White  was  appointed  chief 
engineer  of  the  Delaware  and  Raritan 
Canal.  He  organized  a  party  for  prelim- 
inary surveys  and  placed  it  under  the 
immediate  charge  of  John  Hopkins,  one  of 
the  most  trusted  assistants.  This  work 
was  discontinued  in  the  fall  after  the  loca- 
tion of  about  twelve  miles,  and  was  not 
resumed  again  until  the  spring  of  183 1. 
The  construction  of  the  canal  from  the 
Delaware  to  the  Raritan  rivers  was  at- 
tended by  many  difficulties  and  met  many 
obstructions,  all  of  which  were  success- 
fully overcome.  In  the  prosecution  of 
this  important  work,  Mr.  White  always 
acknowledged  with  becoming  gratitude 
the  generous  and  wise  course  of  Commo- 
dore Robert  F.  Stockton,  who  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise. In  the  autumn  of  1834,  when  this 
work  was  nearly  completed.  Mr.  White's 
health  was  so  much  impaired  that  his  phy- 
sician advised  him  to  seek  a  more  genial 
climate.  He  sailed  soon  after  for  St. 
Augustine,  Florida,  where  he  died  within 
a  month  after  his  arrival.  His  remains 
were  returned  to  New  Jersey  and  lie 
buried  in  the  church  yard  at  Princeton, 
where  his  family  resided  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Mr.  White  was  personally  popular  with 
all  who  were  favored  with  his  acquaint- 
ance. General  Bernard,  a  French  engi- 
neer in  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
remarked  of  him,  that  "as  a  civil  engineer 
he  had  no  superior;  his  genius  and  inge- 
nuity were  of  surprising  magnitude  ;  his 
mild  and  gentle  ways,  his  sweet  and 
amiable  temper,  his  modest  and  retiring 
manners,"  won  universal  respect  and  con- 
fidence. When  the  project  of  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio  Canal  was  first  set  on 
foot  and  an  engineer  was  wanted  for  its 
construction,  Henry  Clay  said:  "Get  Can- 
vass White  ;  no  man  is  more  competent ; 
no  man  more  capable ;  and  while  your 
faith  in  his  ability  and  fidelity  increases, 
your  friendship  will  grow  into  affection." 
Mr.  White,  in  his  day,  stood  at  the  head 
of  American  canal  engineers,  and  his 
strength   lay  in  his  cool,  practical   judg- 


ment. The  comprenhensive  nature  of  his 
mind,  through  which,  at  a  glance,  he 
grasped  the  salient  points  of  a  subject, 
and  his  systematic  habit  of  arranging 
details,  enabled  him  to  accomplish  an 
extraordinary  amount  of  professional 
work.  In  stature  he  was  five  feet  nine 
and  one-half  inches,  and  weighed  from 
145  to  160  pounds.  The  most  prominent 
and  striking  feature  in  the  general  con- 
tour of  his  person  was  an  unmistakal)le 
impress  of  genius,  modesty  and  amia- 
bility. 

Another  grandson  of  Hugh  White,  the 
pioneer,  was  Philo  White,  who  was  the 
son  of  Philo  White,  son  of  the  pioneer. 
He  was  born  in  Whitestown,  June  23, 
1796,  and  after  attaining  his  early  educa- 
tion at  Whitestown  Seminary  and  having 
spent  some  years  in  a  printing  office  in 
Utica,  he  removed  to  North  Carolina  in 
1820,  where  he  located  at  Salisbury, 
Rowan  county,  and  became  the  editor  of 
the  "Western  Carolinian,"  which  he  con- 
ducted until  1830,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  Navy  Agent  for  the 
Pacific  Station.  Returning  home  in  1834, 
he  established  the  "North  Carolina  Stand- 
ard" at  Raleigh,  and  was  elected  State 
printer. 

Philo  White  removed  to  Wisconsin  at 
at  early  period  of  its  territorial  existence, 
and  fixed  his  residence  at  Racine.  He  was 
the  editor  of  several  newspapers  at  differ- 
ent periods.  In  1847  he  was  chosen  one 
of  the  Council  of  the  Territorial  Legisla- 
ture, and  in  the  following  year  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  of  the  State  Legislature.  As 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  education 
he  shared  largely  in  devising  the  present 
system  of  public  instruction  in  that  State. 
At  a  later  period  he  acted  in  the  founding 
of  Racine  College,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  that 
diocese.  In  1852  he  was  chosen  one  of  the 
presidential  electors  of  Wisconsin.  In 
1849   ^^^-   White    was    appointed    United 


279 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


States  Consul  to  the  Hanseatic  republic  of 
Hamburg,  and  resided  there  for  one  or 
two  years.  In  1853  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Pierce,  United  States  minister 
to  Ecuador  in  South  America,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year  went  with  his  family 
to  Quito,  the  scene  of  his  diplomatic 
duties — receiving-  from  the  President  the 
highest  office  in  his  gift,  which  is  literally 
true,  as  the  geographical  location  of  Quito 
in  the  Andes  is  ten  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  there  is  no  other 
city  of  national  government  that  is  con- 
ducted at  such  a  high  altitude. 

Mr.  White  was  of  medium  height,  five 
feet  seven  inches,  and  slight  build ;  re- 
markably active  in  his  habits ;  his  conver- 
sation was  somewhat  rapid,  but  gracefully 
intoned,  and  full  of  pleasant  recollections 
and  acute  observations. 

Mr.  White  returned  to  Whitestown  in 
1858,  and  in  i860  donated  to  the  town  the 
original  plot  of  ground  w^hich  was  donated 
by  his  grandfather,  Hugh  White,  as  a  site 
for  a  court  house  and  public  green,  which 
through  some  technicality  of  the  original 
deed  had  reverted  to  the  heirs ;  and  the 
citizens,  in  addition  to  accepting  the  gift, 
placed  in  the  hall  an  oil  portrait  of  Philo 
^^'hite.  He  died  in  Whitestown,  February 
15,  1883,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

Another  grandson  of  Hugh  White,  the 
pioneer,  was  Hon.  Fortune  Clark  White, 
son  of  Daniel  Clark  W^hite.  He  was  born 
in  Whitestown,  New  York,  July  10,  1787. 
He  was  a  prominent  lawyer  in  the  county 
of  Oneida,  having  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Jonas  Piatt,  and  for  nearly  a  half 
a  century  maintained  a  prominent  position 
in  the  most  brilliant  bar  west  of  Albany 
at  that  day.  He  was  elected  the  first  chief 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter 
Sessions  of  Oneida  county  from  1837  to 
1843,  ^^'^  attained  a  high  reputation  as  a 
jurist  and  an  able  expounder  of  the  law. 

Endowed  with  a  commanding  presence 


and  a  proclivity  for  martial  display,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
militia,  serving  in  two  campaigns  in  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  in  1812,  being  in 
command  of  a  company  at  Sackett's  Har- 
bor in  1813,  and  aide-de-camp  to  General 
Collins  in  1814.  He  was  twice  a  member 
of  the  Legislature.  He  died  at  Whites- 
town,  August  27,  1866,  leaving  four  sons 
and  one  daughter. 

William  Mansfield  White,  son  of  Hon- 
orable Hugh  (3)  and  Maria  Mills  (Mans- 
field) White,  grandson  of  Hugh  (2) 
White,  and  great-grandson  of  Judge 
Hugh  White,  the  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Saratoga  county.  New  York, 
July  8,  1833,  and  died  in  Utica,  January 
2.  1896.  He  was  educated  in  public 
schools,  Galway  Academy,  Professor 
Kingsley's  Military  School  at  West  Point, 
and  at  Hamilton  College,  whence  he  was 
graduated,  class  of  1854.  His  vacations 
during  his  school  years  and  early  married 
life  were  spent  at  "Sweet  Briar  Farm," 
in  the  town  of  Ossian,  Livingston  county, 
New  York,  owned  by  his  father.  As 
his  family  increased,  he  moved  to  Utica 
to  give  them  the  benefit  of  better  educa- 
tional advantages.  His  location  in  Utica 
was  in  September,  1882,  just  ninety-eight 
years  after  the  settlement  of  Hugh  White 
at  Whitestown  in  1784. 

After  locating  in  Utica,  Mr.  White  be- 
came quickly  interested  in  business  and 
became  identified  with  manufacturing, 
railroad  and  financial  interests,  becoming 
a  leading  spirit  in  all.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  Second  Na- 
tional Bank ;  vice-president  of  the  Utica 
Pipe  Foundry ;  director  of  the  Utica  & 
Mohawk  Street  Railroad  Company; 
director  of  the  Jefferson  County  National 
Bank  of  Watertown ;  director  of  the 
Rome,  Ogdensburg  &  W'atertown  Rail- 
road Company,  elected  in  1871 ;  and  from 
the  time  of  the  death  of  his  father-in-law, 


280 


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■':;te 


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THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,  LENOX 
TILDEN     FOUNDA'IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  C.  Pierrepont,  an  executor  of 
the  large  estate  he  left,  and  manager  of 
the  large  landed  property  in  Northern 
New  York,  a  part  of  the  H.  B.  Pierrepont 
estate. 

But  his  prominence  in  the  business 
world  was  not  greater  than  in  church, 
education  and  philanthropy.  He  was  a 
leading  layman  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church,  and  for  twenty  years  w-as 
a  delegate  to  diocesan  conventions  of 
Central  and  Western  New  York,  and  for 
fifteen  years  represented  his  diocese  in 
general  conventions  of  the  church.  Be- 
fore coming  to  Utica  he  was  w^arden  of 
Trinity  Church,  at  Canaseraga,  and  of 
Zion  Church  at  Pierrepont  Manor.  At 
Utica  he  was  first  vestryman,  then  war- 
den of  Grace  Church,  lay  reader  appointed 
by  Bishop  Huntington,  and  member  of 
the  standing  committee  of  Central  New 
York  Diocese.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
trustee  of  Hobart  College :  president  of 
the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  ; 
ex-officio  trustee  of  Cornell  University ; 
director  of  Utica  Female  Seminary  ;  presi- 
dent of  St.  Luke's  Home  and  Hospital. 
He  cast  his  first  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont, 
the  first  presidential  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  during  his  residence 
at  Sweet  Briar  Farm  was  one  of  the 
prominent  leaders  of  the  party  in  that 
section.  He  never  sought  nor  accepted 
public  office,  but  w^as  often  a  delegate  to 
district  and  State  conventions.  Mr. 
White  was  the  soul  of  honor — generous, 
kind,  courteous  and  hospitable.  While 
not  in  the  usual  sense  a  clubman,  he  de- 
lighted in  the  social  side  of  life  and  in  the 
society  of  his  fellowmen.  He  served  the 
Utica  Country  Club  as  president,  and  the 
Fort  Schuyler  Club  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  managers,  and  was  very  popular 
in  both.  His  benevolences  extended  to 
all  worthy  objects — hospitals,  educa- 
tional   institutions,    and    individuals    all 

28 


profiting  through  his  open  handed  gener- 
osity. A  public-spirited  citizen  as  well  as 
an  able  business  man,  his  acquaintance 
was  naturally  very  large  and  his  friends 
legion.  He  met  to  the  full  every  demand 
made  upon  him,  and  left  to  posterity  an 
unsullied  name.  Of  commanding  pres- 
ence, fully  six  feet  in  height,  weighing 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  his  nature 
was  in  proportion,  and  harbored  nothing 
small  or  belittling.  Men  knew  him  as  one 
to  be  implicitly  trusted  in  all  things.  Had 
he  a  trait  more  noble  than  another,  it 
was  his  devotion  to  his  home  and  fam- 
ily. His  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
children  extended  far  beyond  their  ma- 
terial prosperity,  and  with  precept  and  by 
example  he  sought  to  imbue  them  with 
his  own  high  ideals  and  broad  outlook  on 
life.  Although  his  smoothly  shaven  face 
was  perhaps  austere  in  its  expression,  it 
was  not  a  true  index,  for  his  nature  was 
cheerful  and  optimistic. 

]\Ir.  White  married.  January  22,  1863, 
Anna  Maria  Pierrepont,  who  died  in 
Utica,  September  22,  1884,  daughter  of 
William  Constable  Pierrepont,  of  Pierre- 
pont Alanor,  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
White  were  the  parents  of  six  sons  and 
five  daughters:  Hugh,  William  Pierre- 
pont, Anna  Maria,  H.  Lawrence,  Florilla 
Mansfield,  Mary  Pierrepont,  Cornelia 
Butler,  Isabel,  DeLancey  Pierrepont, 
Charles  Carroll,  and  John  Dolbeare. 

The  following  sketch  comprises  a 
record  of  some  of  the  transportation  work 
in  New^  York  State  achieved  by  the  de- 
scendants of  John  White,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in 
1636: 

It  is  always  of  interest  to  see  in  print 
an  article  on  James  G.  Hill  or  H.  H.  Har- 
riman,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  or  any  other 
of  the  men  well  known  at  the  present 
time  for  their  accumulated  wealth — accu- 
mulated by  reason  of  their  knowledge  of 
transportation,  and  its  effect  in  develop- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  along  the  lines  of  their  ever  progress- 
ing steel  rails,  new  fortunes  made  in 
city  sites,  and  from  undeveloped  mineral 
resources,  as  well  as  by  reason  of  new 
values  added  to  the  billions  of  acres  of 
agricultural  lands  belonging  to  others 
through  which  the  railroads  of  this  coun- 
try have  been  built. 

It  is  our  purpose  now  to  reveal,  in  con- 
secutive order,  some  of  the  history  of  a 
family  by  the  name  of  White  that  has 
had  more  to  do  with  the  vast  wealth 
created  by  water,  steam,  and  highway 
transportation  in  this  nation  than  per- 
haps any  other  family — a  wealth  created 
for  others  ;  a  wealth  but  little  redounding 
to  themselves  ;  a  willing  work,  going,  in 
time,  over  a  hundred  years,  freely  and 
unbegrudgingly  given  to  their  State  and 
the  Nation,  and  given  with  a  full  knowl- 
edge prior  to  the  doing  of  the  work  of  its 
real  value  and  its  wealth  begetting  power. 

Such  in  fact  is  the  record  made  by  a 
New  England  family  whose  first  represen- 
tative in  America  was  John  White,  born 
at  Chelmsford,  England,  about  1595,  and 
who  with  his  wife  Mary  sailed  on  the  ship 
"Lyon,"  Captain  Pierce  commanding, 
who  arrived  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
September  16,  1632,  to  become  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Cambridge  in  Massachu- 
setts, of  Hartford  in  Connecticut,  and  of 
Hadley  in  Massachusetts.  Hadley,  set- 
tled in  1659,  was  the  frontier  settlement  of 
that  day,  looking  out  toward  the  north, 
west,  and  east  on  the  boundless  forest 
and  its  savage  Indian  occupants.  John 
White  was  one  of  the  main  body  of  set- 
tlers who  followed  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker 
a  "hundred  miles  through  a  hideous  and 
trackless  wilderness  to  Hartford  in  1636." 
They  had  no  guide  but  their  compass ; 
made  their  way  over  mountains,  through 
swamps,  thickets,  and  rivers  which  were 
only  passable  with  exceeding  great  diffi- 
culty. They  drove  with  them  a  hundred 
and  sixty  head  of  cattle,  and  by  the  way 
subsisted  on  the  milk  of  the  cows.  They 
were  nearly  a  fortnight  on  this  journey. 
John  White  held  high  and  important 
offices  as  selectman  of  Cambridge,  also 
of  Hartford  and  Hadley.  In  1664  and 
1669  he  was  deputy  to  the  General  Court 
or  Legislature  in  Massachusetts,  sitting 
in  Boston.  During  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  his  life  he  was  the  ruling  elder 


in  the  South  Church,  and  an  able  suc- 
cessor to  Hooker.  He  died  in  1683,  hav- 
ing lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

Harvard  College  was  founded  in  1636; 
William  and  Mary's  College  was  found- 
ed at  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  in  1693 ; 
Yale  College  was  founded  in  1701.  These 
three  seats  of  learning  were  found- 
ed to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  perpetua- 
tion of  the  names  of  their  founders. 
Not  so  was  the  foundation  made  for  the 
public  schools  by  Nathaniel  White,  son  of 
John  White  above,  when  he  died  in  171 1. 
He  was  born  about  1629,  and  in  his  will 
dated  August  16,  171 1,  gave  one-fourth 
of  his  share  in  the  common  and  undivided 
lands  "to  remain  for  the  use  of  the  Public 
Schools,  already  agreed  upon,  in  the  Town 
of  Middletown  forever."  This  gift  to  the 
publick  school  marks  one  of  the  distin- 
guishing features  of  this  family  from  all 
others.  When  they  give  of  their  property, 
or  their  ability,  it  is  not  to  perpetuate  their 
name  in  connection  with  some  object 
which  their  wealth  maintains  as  a  bene- 
faction to  the  community  ;  but  they  give 
to  the  "Publick,"  and  attach  no  strings. 
The  gift  of  171 1  still  exists,  and  is  to-day 
providing  schooling  in  the  "Publick 
Schools  in  Middletown,"  now  called 
Cromwell,  Connecticut. 

The  Connecticut  river  still  flows  past 
the  site  of  the  old  homestead  of  Nathaniel 
White,  and  in  1902  C  Collard  Adams,  on 
the  building  of  the  present  well  equipped 
brick  school  building,  asked  that  it  be 
called  "The  Nathaniel  White  Public 
School"  out  of  recognition  of  the  simple 
straightforward  gift  made  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  years  before  to  the 
"Publick  Schools  forever,"  by  a  man  who 
did  not  seek  as  did  Elihu  Yale  and  John 
Harvard  to  couple  their  names  with  edu- 
cation and  posterity  on  certain  lines  of 
thought  which  they  and  their  patrons  de- 
sired to  stamp  upon  the  "Publick,"  but 
who  did  seek  to  give  to  the  "Publick 
Schools  forever"  a  foundation  fund  that 
the  "Publick"  might  use  for  the  benefit 
of  the  "Publick"  as  the  "Publick"  might 
determine  from  time  to  time  was  for  the 
best  development  of  the  "Publick."  This 
thoughtfulness  for  the  public  is,  as  we 
have  said,  a  distinguishing  mark  of  this 
family  of  New  England  Whites. 

We    must   hasten    now    past    nearly    a 


282 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


hundred  years  of  virile  manhood  and 
staunch  integrity  to  one,  Hugh  White, 
born  January  25,  1733,  in  Upper  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  selectman 
there.  1779  to  1783.  He  served  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  and  was  a  cap- 
tain in  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  In 
charge  of  the  commissary  department  he 
used  his  entire  fortune  to  secure  credit  to 
buy  food  for  the  soldiers,  accepted  his 
pay  in  depreciated  Continental  currency, 
and  found  himself,  his  five  daughters,  five 
sons,  and  his  sons-in-law,  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  worth  but  little  more  than  their 
health. 

Having  marched  to  the  relief  of  Fort 
Stanwix  (now  Rome.  New  York),  he  had 
a  knowledge  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
joined  with  William  Floyd,  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  four  others,  in  the  purchase  of 
the  Hugh  Wallace  patent  of  some  six 
thousand  acres  of  land  lying  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Saquoit  Creek,  and  just  east  of  the 
battlefield  of  Oriskany.  This  purchase  he 
surveyed  with  the  aid  of  his  five  sons  in 
the  summer  of  1784,  and  the  following 
year  they  brought  their  wives  and  fami- 
lies from  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and 
made  the  first  permanent  settlement  west 
of  German  Flats. 

Hugh  White  in  1784,  being  fifty-one 
years  of  age  and  the  hero  of  two  w^ars, 
led  the  migration  of  the  New  Englanders 
through  the  Mohawk  Valley  and  started 
the  great  migration  of  Revolutionary  fam- 
ilies through  the  forests  to  settle  the  new 
and  cheaper  lands  which  were  paid  for 
by  Continental  scrip.  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, was  settled  in  1779  by  a  migration 
of  soldiers  passing  over  the  Cumberland 
road  and  following  the  Allegheny  and 
Ohio  rivers.  Cleveland,  Ohio,  was  settled 
in  1796.  These  two  migrations,  after 
reaching  Fort  Duquesne,  went  down  with 
the  river's  current ;  Hugh  White's  migra- 
tion went  up  the  river's  current,  poled  in 
flat-bottomed  bateaux  on  the  ]\Iohawk. 

In  1825,  twelve  years  after  Hugh 
W'hite's  (the  pioneer)  death,  the  Erie 
Canal  was  opened  from  Buffalo  to  Albany, 
and  with  the  Hudson  river  made  the  navi- 
gable water  connection  from  the  (ireat 
Lakes.  This  water  development  of  trans- 
portation  raised   the  population   of   New 


York  City  from  30,000  people  to  its  pres- 
ent 4,000,000  of  souls. 

The  building  of  this  canal  wrested  from 
New  London.  Boston,  Providence,  Phil- 
adelphia, Baltimore,  Yorktown,  and  every 
port  on  the  /Atlantic  ocean  from  Bangor 
to  New  Orleans,  its  former  prestige  in 
commerce.  The  tonnage  from  the  city  of 
New  York  grew  by  leaps  and  bounds ; 
its  wealth  and  importance  increased  until 
it  has  become  not  only  the  chief  city  of 
the  nation,  but  the  money  center  of  the 
world.  The  accomplishing  of  this  tre- 
mendous growth  in  a  century  and  a  quar- 
ter is  politically  and  historically  attributed 
to  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton,  who  was 
the  canal's  most  influential  patron.  Its 
engineering  success  is  historically  and 
officially  ascribed  to  its  chief  engineer, 
Benjamin  Wright,  of  Rome,  New  York, 
but  the  actual,  practical,  level-headed 
work,  and  the  efficient  work  in  the  survey 
of  much  of  the  canal,  together  with  its 
practical  working ;  the  efficiency  of  its 
locks,  the  selection  of  the  type  of  its 
boats,  and  the  conservation  of  the  water 
in  its  feeders,  together  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  strength  of  its  embankments, 
were  largely  entrusted  by  both  DeWitt 
Clinton  and  Benjamin  Wright  to  Canvass 
White,  a  grandson  of  Hugh  White,  the 
pioneer  settler  of  Whitestown. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age 
Canvass  White  started  in  on  the  survey 
between  Rome  and  Utica.  In  1816-17,  at 
the  request  of  Governor  Clinton  and  Ben- 
jamin Wright,  but  at  his  own  expense. 
Canvass  White  went  to  England.  Holland 
and  Germany,  making  an  inspection  of  the 
canals.  He  tramped  two  thousand  miles 
on  foot  in  this  examination,  and  brought 
back  the  model  for  the  canal  boats.  He 
approved  of  long  narrow  boats  and  locks  ; 
this  for  the  purpose  of  conserving  the  cost 
of  the  work,  the  quantity  of  water  to  be 
used  in  the  locks,  and  the  lessening  of  the 
strain  against  the  embankments  by  reason 
of  limiting  the  width  of  the  waterway. 
All  should  remember  that  the  first  canal 
was  developed  by  building  it  along  the 
side  of  a  hill,  using  the  hillside  for  one  side 
of  the  canal  and  the  dirt  as  excavated  for 
the  other  side.  Of  course,  the  hillside  of 
the  canal  could  not  leak  or  be  thrown  over 
by  the  pressure  of  the  water  caused  by 

283' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  rapid  movement  of  the  boats  through 
the  water.  The  embankment  side  was.  of 
course,  subject  to  all  these  troubles,  and 
had  to  be  continually  guarded  to  keep  the 
water  from  breaking  through  and  stop- 
ping transportation.  The  tributes  paid  to 
Canvass  White's  modesty,  ability,  and 
even  his  genius,  bear  the  indispvitable 
evidence  that  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton 
and  Benjamin  Wright  were  both  largely 
credited  with  the  results  of  Canvass 
White's  keen  and  mature  knowledge  of 
transportation  and  its  far  reaching  effects 
on  the  wealth  and  population  of  the 
country. 

While  Canvass  White  was  working  on 
the  State  canals  with  a  rare  vision  of  the 
future  growth  of  this  the  then  only  known 
means  of  transportation  over  the  earth's 
surface,  other  than  the  ox  or  horse  drawn 
vehicles,  his  cousin,  W^illiam  C.  Young, 
also  a  grandson  of  Hugh  W^hite,  the  pio- 
neer settler  of  Whitestown,  was  taking 
his  course  at  W^est  Point  and  becoming 
a  most  efficient  civil  engineer.  Where  it 
came  to  Canvass  White  to  be  the  first  to 
produce  the  model  of  the  canal  boat  and 
canal  locks,  it  came  to  William  C.  Young 
to  be  the  first  to  make  transportation  by 
steam  engine  on  railroads  economically 
practical. 

Watts  invented  the  steam  engine  in  1763 
or  1764.  The  first  steam  railroad  in  Amer- 
ica was  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  commenced 
in  1828.  It  is  true  that  a  step  had  been 
made  when  a  steam  engine  was  invented 
and  that  another  great  step  was  taken 
when  the  steam  engine  was  placed  upon 
the  railroad,  but  the  railroad  as  built  was 
not  practical,  and  was  too  expensive  in  its 
cost  per  mile  to  become  more  than  a  play- 
thing in  exploiting  a  scientific  possibility. 
The  solution  of  the  problem  came  from 
William  C.  Young,  who  had  inbred  in 
him  from  the  White  family  of  Whites- 
town,  the  intuitive  understanding  of 
transportation  questions  and  their  solu- 
tion. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  the  Saratoga  & 
Schenectady  Railroad  Company  w^as  or- 
ganized with  J.  B.  Jervis  as  chief  engineer. 
Mr.  Jenns  was  at  the  same  time  engi- 
neer of  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  River 
railroad,  also  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson 
Canal ;  so  he  could  give  but  little  of  his 


time  to  the  road  projected  between  Sara- 
toga and  Schenectady.  As  his  resident 
engineer  he  selected  William  C.  Young, 
to  whom  fell  not  only  the  locating  but  the 
construction  of  the  road. 

Here  it  was  that  Mr.  Young  proposed 
and  practically  introduced  the  present 
system  of  supporting  car  rails  on  the 
road-bed —  that  is,  the  use  of  cross  ties  in 
lieu  of  the  stone  blocks  and  fotmdations, 
which  formerly  sustained  the  sleeper,  to 
which  the  strap  rail  was  spiked.  The 
advantage  gained  by  this  method  in  ex- 
pediting the  work,  lessening  the  cost  of 
construction  and  maintaining  and  dimin- 
ishing the  chances  of  change  in  gauge, 
were  so  obvious  that,  though  the  idea 
was  entitled  to  a  basic  patent,  its  general 
adoption  was  immediate,  and  constituted 
such  a  marked  advance  in  railroad  con- 
struction that  while  since  1832  it  has  been 
improved  on,  the  fundamental  idea  has 
never  been  changed. 

This  road  was  completed  in  1832,  and 
so  pronounced  was  its  success  that  Mr. 
Young's  ability  was  again  immediately 
called  to  use  as  chief  engineerof  construc- 
tion and  superintendent  of  operations^  of 
the  Utica  &  Schenectady  road,  which 
was  organized  in  1833.  What  at  the  pres- 
ent day  would  be  comparatively  simple, 
with  each  department  specialized  and 
conducted  by  trained  men,  was  at  that 
time  a  work  only  to  be  undertaken  by 
men  far  in  advance  of  the  then  existing 
simple  methods  of  work,  involving  cal- 
culations which  the  pioneers  of  rail- 
road building  had  to  work  out  for  them- 
selves. After  sixteen  years  of  unremit- 
ting toil,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
his  road  not  alone  a  source  of  pride  and 
convenience  to  the  State,  but  of  profit  to 
the  investors. 

In  1849  ^^  became  chief  engineer  of  the 
Hudson  River  railroad,  then  completed 
only  from  New  York  to  as  far  as  Peeks- 
kill'  (forty  miles)  and  in  1850  extended  to 
Poughkeepsie.  Mr.  Jervis,  the  chief  engi- 
neer preceding  Mr.  Young,  had,  upon  the 
selection  of  Mr.  Young  as  his  successor, 
enjoined  upon  the  management  that  they 
should  under  no  circumstances  alter  the 
line  of  the  road  as  located  by  him  from 
Poughkeepsie  to  Albany,  a  distance  of 
some   seventy-five    miles,   running    along 


284 


fSTC",    L^  NOX 
T I L  1 1  f-.      rO  U  N  D  A  r  IONS 


niijA     fh^^oS^ 


w    H    i 


hills  back  fron. 
)  Mr.  Young  rcsur- 
^ted  on  its  h<-^r     1- 
'I   water   lei 


nlarged 

of  the 

pub- 

.  he 

or- 


river  }v 
not  a  {;■ 
lb  a  gr; 


.;ioui  11 
route 


3 Qures  across  xhe  c 
the  only  "water  le 
fore    can    carry    frt 
v:'b  greater  comfon  a-vi  .-..,. 
'  than  any  other  railroad 
i  1851  Mr.  Young  be 
road.    In  1852  he  -". 
<  request  of  the  pr. 
inroad,    and    rod: 
:;    n  a  mul- 
-     prepare 
.  :ed  by  f 
•nee,  wl 
-      '.  for  mai 


,  ana. 
•■  the 


f 


ihe  san 


.1  1855  and  • 
Young  becamr 
stern  Division  <: 
•road,  fr 
i  eluded 
.t  of  Re 
■   vcars  i 

h  public  enterpr 
,  ...lestown  in  1799,   u.     ^,. 
ik  City  in  1894,  aged  ninety- l 
his  country  has  had  no  interi: 
■nrtant  than   her  railroads 


"  h  p    t ' 


trom  r.; 
.  „  .;ian  h  1  - 
by  reas' 
■   ...■-,r-.  err-- 
iimand  i 
-    tren\e: 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  creaking  wheels  were  also  highly 
esteemed,  and  fall  and  spring  the  air  was 
darkened  with  the  flights  of  the  now  ex- 
tinct pigeon.  His  father's  farm,  some 
fifteen  hundred  acres,  with  ample  barns 
and  a  homestead,  built  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Hugh  White,  of  Saratoga,  who 
after  stamping  his  heel  in  the  soft  dirt 
under  the  forest  trees,  paced  twelve  paces, 
stamped  his  heel  again,  then  turned  at 
right  angles,  paced  twenty-seven  paces, 
again  stamped  his  heel  and  told  his  car- 
penters to  square  it  up,  dig  a  cellar,  build 
it  two  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a  gable 
roof,  divide  the  length  of  the  interior 
into  three  equal  areas,  and  when  that  was 
finished  he  would  lay  out  the  rooms.  This 
was  done,  and  after  adding  a  lean-too  for 
the  kitchen,  and  for  his  son's  office,  it  be- 
came the  homestead,  and  the  birthplace  of 
the  subject  of  our  sketch. 

William  C.  Young,  after  retiring  from 
public  life,  made  his  home  on  this  farm 
for  over  a  third  of  a  century.  Hugh 
White,  of  Saratoga  county,  was  frequently 
there. 

As  a  boy,  W.  Pierrepont  W'hite  heard 
these  men  and  his  father  tell  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  canal  and  the  railroads,  and  was 
grounded  in  the  basic  truth  of  transpor- 
tation— that  the  least  cost  in  transporta- 
tion is  only  to  be  obtained  by  following 
the  water  levels.  These  men  were  still 
talking  of  the  isolation  of  the  back  coun- 
try in  spite  of  the  vast  development  of 
wealth  and  population  already  accom- 
plished by  water  and  rail  transportation, 
which  still  left  the  optimistic  but  unfor- 
tunate persons  who  were  a  few  miles 
away  from  the  canal  or  railroad  station, 
forever  doomed  to  poverty,  because  the 
cost  of  getting  that  ten  miles  with  an 
ox  cart  compelled  the  producing  on  his 
lands  of  a  crop  which  by  its  conversion 
would  be  light  in  pounds  and  high  in 
value.  That  is,  a  ton  of  hay  going  ten 
miles  would  take  all  day  to  cover  the  de- 
livery and  sell  for  seven  dollars ;  while  a 
ton  of  wheat  at  one  dollar  per  bushel 
would  sell  for  thirty-three  dollars,  and  a 
ton  of  cheese  at  ten  cents  a  pound  would 
sell  for  two  hundred  dollars.  Compre- 
hending the  answer  to  these  problems, 
and  familiar  from  childhood  with  the 
poverty  forced  upon  the  deserving  man- 


hood of  the  rural  communities  of  the  State, 
because  the  State  of  New  York,  with  its 
lavish  wealth,  was  being  unintentionally 
exploited  by  its  politicians,  without  any 
attempt  on  their  parts  to  economically 
bring  the  food  from  the  farms  to  the  ever 
increasing  centers  of  population,  so  as  to 
provide  cheap  food  for  their  own  people 
and  profitable  occupation  for  the  farmers. 

Mr.  White,  after  a  trip  to  England  in 
1890,  where  he  saw  the  English  system  of 
roads,  determined  to  bring  about  a  change 
in  the  highway  laws  that  would  influence 
all  subsequent  generations,  and  bring  un- 
told millions  to  the  vakies  of  New  York 
State's  farm  lands  by  bringing  to  the 
farmers  of  the  State  a  market  for  their 
prodvice,  and  restore  manhood  and 
womanhood  to  the  poverty  ground  fam- 
ilies of  the  landowners. 

So  prodigious  a  piece  of  work  was 
smiled  upon  by  Mr.  W'hite's  friends  and 
acquaintances  ;  no  newspapers  would  pub- 
lish his  articles  advocating  the  subject 
except  they  bore  his  signature,  that  their 
readers  might  know  that  he  alone,  and 
not  the  paper,  was  responsible  for  such 
astounding  announcements  of  what  would 
follow,  if  only  the  roads  were  improved. 

In  his  own  county,  Oneida,  a  commit- 
tee of  supervisors  who  were  appointed  at 
Mr.  White's  request  to  investigate  the 
question  in  each  township,  were  notified 
that  if  they  did  not  stop  their  work,  that 
their  meetings  would  be  broken  up  and 
the  members  of  the  committee  would  be 
"rotten  egged." 

Mr.  Wliite  persisted,  and  in  persisting 
used  all  of  the  determination  of  every  de- 
ceased member  of  his  family  since  Elder 
John  White  when  he  came  to  Cambridge 
in  1634  and  faced  with  Elder  Hooker  the 
"hideous  trackless  wilderness."  His  own 
father  told  him  that  the  work  of  road 
improvement  could  not  be  successfully 
accomplished,  and  that  his  ideas  were  too 
vague.  He  continued  to  persist,  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  after  the  death  of 
their  father,  intimated  in  no  friendly 
language  that  it  would  be  better  for  their 
and  his  financial  interests  if  he  would 
mind  the  interests  of  his  father's  estate, 
and  not  go  gadding  about  the  State  hold- 
ing "Good  Roads  Meetings,"  and  paying 
his  own  expenses. 


286 


'•■•e.nate, 
■'■  n\  its 
""'•lonally 

■' ■  'ver 

"  ■'  '-•  tO 

■  ?''>it 
■■^'A  :n 

,  -'-l'.  0! 

■  '-'-iVt 

""'^ence 

•\>w  York 

"■-  '.:  the 


-  ao 
'''■  :a- 

■•:  ra 
:;an(l 

..ipui}- 

.it  their 
X  and 
•;r  such 
••would 
"oved, 
.■oinniit- 
Titedat 
:2te  the 
notified 
rk,  that 
up  and 


abridge 
•  kerthe 

ri  own 

■  .-J 


X 


YORK 


P/i'):JOA-  iONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


As  one  of  his  father's  executors  and 
executor  of  his  grandfather,  William  C. 
Pierrepont,  of  Jefferson  county,  New 
York,  Mr.  White  personally  represented 
and  was  in  actual  contact  with  upwards 
of  35.000  acres  of  farm  land  in  nine  coun- 
ties, all  of  it  unaccessible  to  transporta- 
tion because  of  the  mud  roads  of  the 
townshi])s.  All  of  it  unmarketable  at 
anywhere  near  its  real  farming  value. 
Realizing  that  improved  road  transporta- 
tion was  essential  to  the  solution  of  the 
problem  affecting  the  family  pocketbook 
of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  as  well  as  the 
pocketbook  of  every  other  family  in  the 
State  who  were  gaining  their  living  from 
the  values  in  their  crops,  because  they 
were  barred  by  the  mud  roads  from  par- 
ticipating in  their  portion  of  the  State's 
ever-increasing  wealth,  Mr.  White  con- 
tinued to  persist ;  and  to  his  efforts  from 
1890,  when  he  became  secretary  of  the 
Oneida  County  League  for  Good  Roads, 
to  1906,  when  the  people  voted  to  adopt 
Mr.  White's  amendment  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  State  providing  $50,000,000  for 
highways  to  be  improved  and  equitably 
apportioned  among  the  counties,  did  he  for 
one  instant  ease  up  in  the  forceful  manner 
in  which,  day  and  night,  he  insisted  upon 
his  good  roads  propaganda. 

From  1900  to  1907  he  prepared  able 
editorial  matter  which  was  published  in 
all  parts  of  the  State,  constantly  calling 
attention  to  the  necessity  of  improving 
the  roads  so  as  to  cheapen  transportation 
to  the  canals  and  railroads  already  serv- 
ing the  people.  He  was  for  seven  years 
chairman  of  the  standing  committee  of 
the  New  York  State  Supervisors'  annual 
conventions  that  met  in  Albany  pursuant 
to  the  call  of  the  State  engineer.  During 
this  time  he  annually  formulated  and  pre- 
pared all  of  the  annual  reports,  which 
were  to  the  point  and  were  also  very  brief. 
They  ably  expounded  in  language  easily 
understood  by  the  farming  interest  of  the 
State,  the  simple  rules  of  cheap  trans- 
portation. He  memorialized  the  Legis- 
lature, the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
Utica,  New  York,  and  other  cities.  He 
prepared  magazine  articles  ;  one  published 
in  "Outing"  in  1907,  being  most  able, 
simple,  and  effective. 

He  was  the  first  county  superintendent 
of  roads  in  Oneida    county,  serving   his 


first  year  without  pay.  He  secured  an 
accurate  record  of  the  mileage  of  the 
highways  in  this  county,  and  then  used 
the  State  engineer's  office  to  force  a 
similar  record  of  mileage  from  each  of  the 
other  counties.  With  this  New  York 
State  mileage  record  officially  certified  to 
by  the  State  engineer,  he  then  forced  from 
the  newly  created  Federal  Bureau  of  Good 
Roads  at  W'ashington,  D.  C,  a  table  for 
highway  mileage  for  each  State  in  the 
Union. 

Previous  to  the  preparation  of  this  mile- 
age table,  no  one  of  the  highly  salaried 
State  or  Federal  officeholders  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  know  the  actual  mileage  of 
highways  involved  in  the  basic  question 
that  was  being  publicly  discussed  and 
legislated  on.  Mr.  White  was  educated 
under  tutors  at  home,  at  DeVeaux  Col- 
lege, Suspension  Bridge,  at  the  Utica 
Academy,  and  at  Columbia  University, 
where  he  received  his  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
New  York  City  in  1890,  being  a  student 
in  the  law  office  of  William  B.  Horn- 
blower.  But  little  court  work  has  come 
to  him  ;  his  office  work  has  been  in  con- 
nection with  the  management  of  estates 
and  corporations. 

Canvass  White  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-four,  having  expended  his  fortune  in 
building  the  Delaware  breakwater  for  the 
Federal  government  at  the  original  con- 
tract price,  after  encountering  unforeseen 
quicksand,  rather  than  ask  for  a  modifi- 
cation of  the  contract,  so  as  to  include  an 
additional  amount  from  the  government 
for  the  additional  work.  He  had  under- 
taken the  contract  at  a  certain  price  ;  and 
his  integrity  was  such  that  he  used  his 
entire  fortune  to  complete  the  contract. 
Canvass  White  was  the  first  to  develop 
the  cement  industry  of  this  nation.  He 
permitted  his  discovery  in  cement  to  be 
used  at  a  great  saving  to  the  State  of  New 
York  in  the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
He  was  promised  a  patent  and  a  royalty, 
as  suggested  by  his  superiors  in  the 
canal  work.  This  patent  and  royalty, 
although  favorably  reported  on  by  a  legis- 
lative committee,  the  Legislature  never 
granted. 

No  one  in  the  State  or  National  govern- 
ment ever  turned  to  thank  William  C. 
Young  for  his  part  in  making  practical 


287 


"'  ■'?i!t  still 

^^f:ent 


:r.  the 


■..  '«5 

:.,  Ji'ay 

-:  Hci- 
.  The 
retired 
-."even 
':.ir.oiij 
'•htor- 
-red  in 
■^:!land, 

■  ;j  also 
-le  was 
-'■er  19, 

■  er.  of 


■;:  early 
:  New 
o  o;ave 

.  ibility, 

^  indus- 
Mrs  oli 
■eFiskc 
several 


:./^^t:/.' 


THE  NEW  YOFK 
PUBLIC  UBRARY 

ASTOn,   L-^NOX 
Tl'   Dt  N     FOUNDA     IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


years.  Later  he  was  associated  with  a 
large  concern  dealing  in  laces,  then  be- 
came a  salesman  for  the  Remington 
Typewriter  Company  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  The  firm  offered  him  the  manage- 
ment of  its  business  in  different  States, 
but  he  preferred  to  remain  in  his  home 
city,  and  he  made  a  pronounced  success 
as  city  salesman  for  this  great  company, 
the  managers  reposing  implicit  trust  and 
confidence  in  his  ability,  honesty  and 
fidelity.  In  fact,  he  possessed  all  the 
qualifications  for  a  successful  salesman. 
Coupled  with  his  natural  ability  and  high 
sense  of  honor  were  other  winning  traits 
such  as  tact,  geniality,  brotherly  love, 
companionship  and  the  dignity  of  a  true 
gentleman.  He  was  witty  and  a  good 
entertainer,  was  widely  known  in  his 
native  city,  and  all  who  knew  him  were 
glad  to  include  him  on  their  list  of 
friends.  He  was  charitably  inclined — 
always  doing  somebody  a  favor — never 
neglecting  a  chance  to  do  good.  His 
popularity  was  therefore  well  deserved. 
He  was  a  man  of  ambition,  of  nervous 
energy,  a  tireless  wOrker,  and  was  a  keen 
judge  of  human  nature.  His  personal 
habits  were  ever  above  idle  cavil.  He 
was  a  great  reader  of  history,  ancient  and 
modem. 

Mr.  Van  Holland  w^as  deeply  interested 
in  athletics  and  wholesome  outdoor 
sports.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  phy- 
sical development.  He  believed  with  the 
ancient  Latins  that  the  body  should  be 
developed  along  with  the  mind  and  the 
soul,  and  he  did  much  to  encourage  clean 
living  and  clean  sports  among  young 
men.  He  was  a  great  runner,  oarsman 
and  swimmer.  He  was  commodore  of 
the  Harlem  Yacht  Club,  and  was  very 
fond  of  motor  boating;  he  owned  a  motor 
cruiser,  which  Mrs.  Van  Holland  still  re- 
tains, on  which  he  frequently  spent  the 
summer  months  with  his  wife,  who  al- 
ways enjoyed  outdoor  life   with  him,  in 


fact,    they    were    ever    inseparable    and 
mutually  helpful  and  happy. 

Mr.  Van  Holland  was  married  in 
March,  1894,  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  to 
Minnie  Vosburgh,  a  daughter  of  William 
Gilbert  Vosburgh,  who  was  born  in  Vcr- 
bank,  New  York,  January  10,  1837,  and 
is  now  living  in  Newark,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  located  in  the  year  1858,  and 
during  his  residence  there  of  sixty-seven 
years  he  has  become  well  and  favorably 
known,  and  has  lived  to  see  wonderful 
changes  in  his  locality.  He  is  of  Hol- 
landish  descent.  His  wife,  who  was 
known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Priscilla 
Jane  Morgan,  is  of  English  descent,  and 
was  the  first  child  born  in  her  family  in 
the  United  States ;  her  birth  occurred  in 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  November  30,  1846. 
Mrs.  Van  Holland  grew  to  womanhood 
in  Newark,  and  she  had  the  advantages 
of  a  liberal  education,  being  trained  for 
a  school  teacher.  She  was  graduated 
from  the  Newark  Normal  School,  later 
taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  the 
Trenton  Normal  School,  after  which  she 
taught  seven  years  most  successfully  in 
the  primary  schools,  holding  the  position 
of  vice-principal  in  the  Newark  schools. 
She  is  familiar  with  the  world's  best 
literature  and  is  a  lady  of  culture.  She 
belongs  to  the  Rubenstein  Musical  Club, 
the  Beethoven  Musical  Society,  the  Na- 
tional Opera  Club  of  America,  the  New 
York  Theatre  Club,  and  the  Drama 
League.  She  is  a  complimentary  mem- 
ber of  the  Harlem  Yacht  Club.  Her 
mother's  uncle.  Colonel  Youth,  was  a 
celebrated  English  army  ofificer. 

Mr.  Van  Holland  was  summoned  to 
his  eternal  rest,  January  29,  1916,  from 
the  family  residence  in  New  York  City 
where  he  had  spent  his  life.  He  was  still 
in  his  prime,  in  the  zenith  of  his  physical 
and  mental  powers,  and  his  untimely 
death  caused  widespread  sorrow  among 
his  hosts  of  friends  throughout  the  city. 


N  Y— 5— 19 


289 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


MARBLE,  Manton, 

Veteran  Journalist. 

Manton  Marble,  a  veteran  journalist, 
was  born  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
November  i6,  1834.  His  early  education 
was  supervised  by  his  father,  Joel  Marble, 
and  he  entered  the  Albany  Academy, 
graduating  in  1853.  Two  years  later  he 
completed  his  education  at  the  University 
of  Rochester.  He  was  assistant  editor  of 
the  "Boston  Journal"  for  a  year,  begin- 
ning in  1855.  He  then  went  to  the  "Bos- 
ton Traveler''  and  remained  there  a  year 
as  editor.  He  joined  the  staff  of  the  New 
York  "Evening  Post"  in  1858  and  con- 
tinued in  its  service  until  i860. 

Mr.  Marble  joined  "The  World"  in  i860, 
and  two  years  later  became  owner  and 
editor,  and  continued  as  such  through  the 
period  of  the  Civil  War  and  the  period  of 
reconstruction.  His  connection  with  the 
paper  ended  in  1876.  He  was  one  of  the 
last  prominent  survivors  of  the  journalistic 
era  of  the  Civil  War,  and  his  writings  ob- 
tained the  attention  of  the  country.  While 
he  held  that  no  course  but  war  was  open 
after  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  he  op- 
posed executive  power  being  carried  be- 
yond proper  or  unusual  limits.  He  op- 
posed also  custom  house  taxation,  green- 
backs, negro  suffrage,  federal  income  tax, 
and  the  impeachment  of  President  John- 
son. He  supported  the  Geneva  arbitra- 
tion treaty  and  the  Washington  treaty 
and  the  Alabama  awards. 

"A  Letter  to  Abraham  Lincoln"  was 
written  in  1864,  and  the  incident  that  drew 
this  famous  document  was  the  ordered 
arrest  and  imprisonment  of  Mr.  Marble 
by  the  President,  the  occupation  of  the 
office  of  "The  World"  by  a  military 
guard,  and  the  suspension  of  the  publica- 
tion for  two  days,  May  20  and  21,  1864. 
"The  World"  and  the  "Journal  of  Com- 
merce" were  made  the  victims  of  a  fraud 


in  the  publication  of  a  forged  call  from 
President  Lincoln  for  400,000  men  by 
draft  or  enlistment  in  the  Union  army. 
Although  Mr.  Marble  did  everything  in 
his  power  to  rectify  the  mistake  as  soon 
as  it  was  discovered,  the  President  issued 
the  order  for  his  arrest,  and  the  Secretary 
of  War  sent  a  military  guard  to  occupy 
"The  World"  offices. 

In  his  letter  to  the  President  Mr.  Mar- 
ble said  that  the  forgery  was  written  by 
a  person  who  "ever  since  your  departure 
from  Springfield  for  Washington  in  1861 
has  enjoyed  private  as  well  as  public  op- 
portunities for  learning  to  counterfeit  the 
peculiarities  of  your  speech  and  style,  and 
enabled  him  to  insert  his  clever  forgery 
into  the  regular  channels  by  which  we 
receive  news  at  a  time  when  competent 
inspection  of  its  genuineness  was  impos- 
sible and  suspicion  of  its  authenticity  was 
improbable." 

He  always  took  a  keen  interest  in  poli- 
tics and  was  consulted  by  the  leading  poli- 
ticians of  his  day.  His  views  were  em- 
bodied in  many  State  and  national  plat- 
forms of  the  Democratic  party  and  he 
wrote  the  Democratic  State  platform  of 
1874.  Two  years  later  he  wrote  the  na- 
tional platform  of  his  party  and  he  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  platform  of 
1884. 

Because  of  his  learning  and  his  loyalty 
to  the  Democratic  party  Mr.  Marble  was 
sent  abroad  by  President  Cleveland  in 
1885  on  a  confidential  mission  to  obtain 
from  European  governments  opinions  on 
bimetallism.  It  was  not  until  after  he 
returned  in  November  of  that  year  that 
the  purpose  of  his  mission  was  made  pub- 
lic. He  was  instructed  to  ascertain  the 
opinions  and  purposes  of  the  European 
governments  in  respect  to  the  establish- 
ment internationally  of  a  fixed  relative 
value  between  the  two  metals,  one  ratio 
of  weight  between  gold  and  silver  coins. 

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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  free  coinage  of  both  metals,  and  the 
international  use  of  both  as  money  of  an 
unlimited  legal  tender. 

Mr.  Marble,  on  his  return  reported  per- 
sonally to  Secretary  of  State  Bayard. 
While  abroad  every  facility  was  afforded 
him  by  the  governments  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Germany.  He  conferred  with 
Prince  Bismarck,  Mr.  Gladstone,  Lord 
Iddesleigh,  and  Mr.  Goschen,  and  Messrs. 
Freycinet  and  Carnot.  He  also  had  a  con- 
ference with  Cernuschi,  an  authority  upon 
international  bimetallism.  Pie  advised 
President  Cleveland  that  the  cooperation 
of  the  United  Kingdom,  for  which  either 
Tory  or  Liberal  leaders  were  prepared, 
was  the  conditio^  precedent  of  German  or 
French  resumption  of  free  bimetallic  coin- 
age. He  told  President  Cleveland  that,  in 
his  opinion,  the  purchases  of  silver  by  the 
United  States  Treasury  should  cease. 

As  a  writer  on  political  subjects  Mr. 
Marble  held  high  rank.  He  was  the  au- 
thor of  "The  Presidential  Counts"  and  "A 
Secret  Chapter  of  Political  History."  pub- 
lished in  1878.  He  also  wrote  the  memoir 
of  Dr.  Alexander  G.  Mercer,  prefacing  his 
"Notes  of  An  Outlook  on  Life,"  in  1899. 

Mr.  Marble  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Manhattan  Club  in  1865,  and  he  was 
president  of  the  club  for  the  five  years 
beginning  in  1884.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Century  Association,  the  Round 
Table,  the  Metropolitan  Club,  and  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Cobden  Club. 

He  died  July  24,  1917,  in  his  eighty- 
third  year,  at  the  home  of  his  son-in-law, 
Sir  Martin  Conway,  Allington  Castle,  near 
Maidstone,  England,  where  he  had  passed 
the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life. 


TOOKER,  William  Wallace, 

Antiquarian. 

William  Wallace  Tooker,  known  the 
land  throughout  as  a  first  authority  on 
Indian  history,  was  born  at  Sag  Harbor, 


Long  Island,  New  York,  January  14,  1848, 
and  died  there,  August  2,  1917.  His  death 
terminated  an  almost  lifelong  disability. 
While  a  young  man,  he  fell  from  the  loft 
of  his  father's  barn,  and  received  injuries 
of  the  head  and  spine,  that  caused  a  partial 
paralysis  of  his  limbs.  He  was  the  eldest 
child  of  William  H.  and  Virginia  V.  (Ford- 
ham)  Tooker,  the  father  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, and  the  mother  of  Long  Island. 
On  both  parental  lines  he  came  from  a 
long  line  of  English  stock,  and  on  his 
mother's  side  was  descended  from  Rev. 
Robert  Fordham,  the  pioneer  minister  at 
Hempstead,  Long  Island,  and  the  second 
minister  at  Southampton.  Hannah  Froth- 
ingham,  his  maternal  grandmother,  was 
the  daughter  of  David  Frothingham,  the 
first  newspaper  editor  and  publisher  on 
Long  Island. 

William  Wallace  Tooker  was  educated 
in  a  private  school  preparing  for  Yale 
University.  As  a  young  man  he  clerked  in 
a  drug  store  at  Sag  Harbor  for  the  late 
William  Buck.  When  Mr.  Buck  went  into 
the  banking  business,  young  Tooker  was 
taken  into  partnership  in  the  drug  store. 
Later  he  became  sole  owner  of  the  phar- 
macy, and  for  years  conducted  it. 

As  an  avocation  Mr.  Tooker  made  ex- 
tensive studies  of  the  customs  and  lan- 
guages of  the  Long  Island  tribes  of  In- 
dians, and  in  this  field  did  valuable  re- 
search work.  He  spent  much  of  his  time 
studying  the  languages  of  the  Long  Island 
aborigines,  and  was  perhaps  the  leading 
authority  on  the  Island  Indians.  The 
mounds  and  shell-heaps  at  Montauk, 
Shinnecock  and  other  places  where  Indian 
villages  once  existed  were  as  open  books 
to  him.  He  read  from  them  many  pages 
which  he  wrote  into  his  book,  "Indian 
Place  Names  on  Long  Island."  in  the  in- 
troduction to  which  he  said  : 

I  have  devoted  considerable  study  to  the  sub- 
ject of  Indian  names,  and  Trumbull's  work  was 
familiar  to  me  prior  to  1887,  in  which  year  I  was 


291 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


invited  by  H.  F.  Gunnison,  then  editor  of  The 
Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle  Almanac,  to  prepare  a  list 
of  the  "Indian  geographical  names  of  Long 
Island,  with  their  signification,"  for  that  annual 
for  the  coming  year,  1888.  The  list  was  revised 
'  and  corrected,  with  additions,  in  the  Almanacs 
for  1889  and  1890.  This  was  followed  in  1893  by 
an  essay  on  "The  Indian  Names  and  Places  in 
Brooklyn."  In  1894  "The  Aboriginal  Terms  for 
Long  Island"  appeared.  In  1895  was  published 
an  essay  on  "Some  Indian  Fishing  Stations  on 
Long  Island."  My  theme  for  1896  was  "The 
Significance  of  the  Name  Montauk."  In  1897 
my  contribution  was  "The  Derivation  of  the 
Name  Manhattan."  After  the  lapse  of  some 
years  this  was  followed  in  the  Almanac  of  1904 
by  a  continuation,  with  additions  and  revisions 
of  "The  Indian  Names  and  Places"  from  the 
Almanac  of  1890,  which  completed  my  contribu- 
tions to  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  Almanac,  all  of 
which  were  drawn  from  the  present  work  while 
it  was  still  in  the  manuscript. 

His  collection  of  more  than  15,000  In- 
dian relics  was  without  question  the  finest 
in  this  locality,  and  now  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous place  in  the  Brooklyn  Institute. 

Mr.  Tooker  was  an  indefatigable  worker 
in  the  preparation  of  these  studies,  often 
driving  himself  to  the  point  of  exhaustion. 
The  attention  of  Mrs.  Russell  Sage  was 
attracted  to  his  work,  and  after  he  became 
partially  unable  to  carry  it  out  unaided 
because  of  the  nervous  affliction  resulting 
from  the  blow  on  his  head  years  ago,  she 
arranged  to  have  an  amanuensis  make 
daily  visits  to  his  home  to  help  him  make 
his  scattered  and  uncompleted  notes  into 
marketable  manuscript.  The  work  was 
stretched  over  four  years,  and  when  pub- 
lished was  dedicated  to  "Margaret  Olivia 
Sage."  In  all  he  published  forty-three 
articles  on  Indian  nomenclature,  and  gain- 
ed the  reputation  of  being  the  most  in- 
defatigable and  successful  antiquarian  on 
Long  Island. 

A  paper  on  "The  Sag  Harbor  Refugees 
of  the  Revolution"  illustrates  exactly  the 
kind  of  research  work  that  he  loved  to  do. 
Many   unpublished   papers  of  this   char- 


acter were  left  at  his  death,  and  will  be  a 
veritable  mine  for  researchers  probably 
for  years  to  come. 

He  lectured  before  the  Brooklyn  Insti- 
tute of  Arts  and  Sciences,  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Sci- 
ence, the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 
and  the  Suffolk  County  Historical  So- 
ciety. He  was  a  member  of  many  scien- 
tific and  historical  societies.  Besides  be- 
ing vice-president  of  the  Sag  Harbor  His- 
torical Society,  he  was  a  fellow  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science  and  of  the  Anthropologic 
Society  of  Washington,  D.  C.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  American  An- 
thropological Association,  a  correspond- 
ing member  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  and 
of  the  Numismatic  and  Antiquarian  So- 
ciety of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Tooker  was  prominent  in  village 
affairs.  Until  failing  health  compelled  his 
resignation,  he  was  for  a  number  of  years 
police  justice.  He  was  for  ten  years  sec- 
retary of  Wamponamon  Lodge,  No.  437, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  also  its 
treasurer  for  a  time.  He  was  a  member 
of  Christ  Church,  and  had  served  as  a 
vestryman  for  several  terms.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  a  brother,  Seymour,  of  Attle- 
boro,  Massachusetts,  and  sister,  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Metchler,  of  Meriden,  Connecticut. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Thomas  Cartwright,  of  Shelter  Island, 
died  in  1909. 


SHEARMAN,  Thomas  G., 

I/a\«ryer,  Author. 

The  city  of  Brooklyn  is  known  through- 
out the  world  as  the  "City  of  Churches," 
not  so  much  because  of  its  religious  in- 
stitutions as  because  of  their  influence  on 
the  community.  That  Plymouth  Church 
has  been  the  most  potent  factor  in  the 
accomplishment  of  these  wonderful  re- 
sults goes  without  saying.     Next  to  Mr. 


292 


^^rl\ 


?     I      f     V     »      I 


rv-r:  vr'.v  YOPX 

ASTOR,   LENOX 
TILDE  N     FOUNDATIONS 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Beecher,  the  man  who  exercised  the 
greatest  influence  and  probal)ly  did  more 
than  any  other  man  to  shape  its  policy 
was  Thomas  G.  Shearman.  He  was  a 
man  of  broad  and  liberal  views,  of  cool 
judgment,  calm,  deliberate  and  dispas- 
sionate in  his  utterances,  and  withal  in- 
tensely earnest,  so  that  he  seldom  failed 
to  carry  conviction  except  to  the  most 
prejudiced  minds.  At  the  weekly  prayer 
meeting  his  voice  was  always  heard,  and 
his  sayings  as  well  as  Mr.  Beecher's  were 
quoted  by  the  press  and  echoed  and  re- 
echoed from  one  end  of  the  country  to 
the  other. 

His  passing  away  was  deeply  felt  by 
the  religious  community  throughout 
Greater  New  York,  and  his  name  will  live 
while  Plymouth  continues  to  exist  as  a 
church.  It  took  years  to  establish  this 
church,  but  it  came  near  being  wrecked 
in  a  day.  The  consummate  skill  with 
which  he  handled  the  case,  combined 
with  his  great  legal  ability  and  immense 
personal  influence,  was  all  that  saved  it 
from  disruption.  He  stood  in  front  of 
his  pastor  and  bore  the  brunt  of  the  bat- 
tle, hurling  thunderbolts  of  wrath  and 
righteous  indignation  against  the  enemies 
of  Mr.  Beecher,  who  sought  to  crush  him. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  masterly  efforts 
ever  made  by  any  lawyer  in  this  coun- 
try. The  very  best  legal  talent  was  em- 
ployed on  both  sides,  and  the  result  of 
the  trial — thanks  to  the  efforts  of  ]\r- 
Shearman — was  a  complete  vindication 
of  Mr.  Beecher  and  the  establishment  of 
Plymouth  Church  on  a  stronger  founda- 
tion than  ever.  Had  this  been  the  only 
achievement  of  Mr.  Shearman's,  it  would 
have  been  glory  and  honor  enough  f 
one  man ;  but  this  was  only  an  instance 
in  his  professional  career,  which  abounded 
with  great  success  and  gave  him  a  world- 
wide reputation  as  a  lawyer. 

Thomas  Gaskill  Shearman,  who  might 


be  termed  one  of  the  ''old  guard"  of 
Plymouth  Church,  was  born  in  Birmip' 
ham,  England,  November  25,  1834,  and 
died  September  29,  1900.  He  came  to 
New  York  at  the  age  of  nine  years  with 
his  father,  who  was  a  physician,  his 
mother  coming  later.  For  Mr.  Shearman 
the  hidings  of  power  were  his  ancestry. 
God's  first  gift  was  one  of  his  greatest — 
the  gift  of  a  good  mother  and  grand- 
mother. The  tides  of  intellect  and  pur- 
pose flow  down  from  ancestral  hills.  But, 
early  overtaken  by  misfortune  through 
his  father's  illness,  he  was  thrown  on  his 
own  resources  and  was  self-educated  and 
self-made  :  his  intellect  was  hammered  on 
upon  the  anvil  of  adversity.  Romantic, 
indeed,  his  life's  story.  At  twelve  he  wa5 
out  in  the  world  for  himself,  at  twelve  his 
school  days  ended  forever.  At  fourteen 
he  entered  an  ofifice,  where  he  received 
one  dollar  a  week  for  the  first  year  and 
two  dollars  for  the  second.  Out  of  his 
little  store  of  wealth  he  allowed  himself 
three  cents  a  day  for  luncheon ;  but  when 
he  heard  of  Macaulay's  "History  of  Eng- 
land" he  reduced  his  allowance  to  two 
cents,  and  after  two  months  bought  the 
first  volume. 

In  1857  he  removed  from  New  York  to 
Brooklyn  and  two  years  later  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  The  ensuing  seven 
vears  were  spent  in  writing  law  books, 
editing  law  journals  and  in  other  work 
of  this  character.  He  earned  for  himself 
even  at  that  early  period  a  reputation  for 
accuracy  and  thoroughness  and  was 
known  to  the  members  of  the  profession 
as  a  painstaking  student.  His  work  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  that  eminent  jur- 
ist, David  Dudley  Field,  and  in  1860  Mr. 
Field  employed  him  as  secretan,'  to  the 
Code  Commission.  In  1868  Mr.  Field 
and  his  son  Dudley  took  Mr.  Shearman 
into  partnership.  This  was  regarded  as 
a  high  honor  for  so  young  a  professional 


293 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man,  Mr.  Shearman  being  then  only 
thirty-four  years  of  age.  Five  years  later 
— in  1873 — the  firm  of  Field  &  Shearman 
dissolved  and  Messrs.  Shearman  and 
Sterling  (John  W.  Sterling),  both  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  of  Field  &  Shearman, 
entered  into  close  professional  relations 
under  the  name  of  Shearman  &  Sterling. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  Mr.  Shearman 
figured  largely  in  proceedings,  in  which 
the  Erie  Railroad  Company  was  made  a 
conspicuous  litigant.  Injunctions  were 
the  order  of  the  day,  and  Mr.  Shearman 
earned  even  from  those  who  opposed  him 
the  name  of  being  one  of  the  ablest  legal 
strategists  as  well  as  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed railroad  lawyers  in  the  country. 
His  originality  in  devising  new  and  more 
effective  methods  in  litigation  subjected 
him  to  much  criticism,  but  these  methods 
were  literally  copied  by  his  opponents 
and  critics.  His  practice  of  serving  in- 
junctions by  telegraph,  which  was  most 
severely  criticised  at  the  time,  has  since 
been  sanctioned  by  the  highest  courts  in 
England  as  well  as  by  some  of  the  most 
prominent  American  judges.  After  the 
close  of  the  Beecher  trial,  to  which  refer- 
ence has  already  been  made.  Shearman  & 
Sterling  were  retained  in  numerous  liti- 
gations arising  out  of  the  famous  gold 
speculations  in  1869,  in  all  of  which  they 
were  successful.  They  were  also  largely 
employed  in  the  foreclosure  of  railway 
mortgages,  the  reorganization  of  large 
railway  companies,  the  organization  and 
administration  of  various  corporations, 
etc. 

Mr.  Shearman  always  took  an  active 
interest  in  public  questions.  From  his 
youth  up  he  was  an  advocate  of  the  total 
abolition  of  slavery,  he  worked  vigor- 
ously with  the  Republican  party  from 
1856  to  1868,  but  was  never  a  candidate 
for  office.  In  respect  to  tariff,  prior  to 
i860,   he   was   a   "protectionist,"   but   he 


then  became  a  convert  to  free  trade.  From 
1880,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  he 
devoted  much  time  to  the  promotion  of 
absolute  free  trade  and  the  abolition  of 
all  indirect  taxation.  He  made  numerous 
addresses  and  published  several  pam- 
phlets upon  these  subjects,  which  awak- 
ened much  interest  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  Mr.  Shearman  was  proba- 
bly as  well  known  as  a  public  economist 
as  for  his  legal  attainments.  Among  his 
important  works,  all  of  which  are  recog- 
nized as  standard  publications,  are  "Till- 
inghast  &  Shearman's  Practice"  (1861- 
65);  "Shearman  &  Redfield  on  Negli- 
gence" (1869-88) ;  "Talks  on  Free  Trade" 
(1881);  "Pauper  Labor  of  Europe" 
(1885)  ;  "Distribution  of  Wealth"  (1887) ; 
"Owners  of  the  United  States"  (1889)  ; 
"The  Coming  Billionaire"  (1890),  and 
"Crooked  Taxation"  (1891). 

Mr.  Shearman  married,  January  29, 
1859,  Elmira  Partridge,  a  daughter  of 
James  Partridge,  of  Brooklyn. 


VERBECK,  Gen.  William, 

Educator,  Man  of  Affairs. 

Brigadier-General  William  Verbeck, 
New  York  National  Guard,  educator  and 
man  of  affairs,  has  for  many  years  held  a 
conspicuous  place  in  the  general  life  of 
New  York  State,  and  enjoys  the  honor 
and  affection  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  an 
increasing  degree  as  he  grows  older  and 
comes  more  and  more  before  their  notice. 
General  Verbeck  is  the  brilliant  son  of  a 
brilliant  father,  the  latter  having  been  the 
well-known  educator.  Dr.  Guido  Fridolin 
Verbeck. 

Dr.  Verbeck's  name  was  one  of  those 
submitted  for  election  for  a  place  in  the 
"Hall  of  Fame  for  Great  Americans,"  and 
though  not  an  American  born,  well  de- 
serves that  title.  He  was  a  native  of 
Zeist,    Holland,    and   there   attended   the 


294 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Moravian  Seminary,  lie  later  studied  at 
the  Utrecht  Polytechnic  College  and  then, 
while  still  a  young  man,  came  to  New  York 
in  1852.  Here  he  attended  the  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1859.  Greatly 
interested  in  the  spread  of  Christianity 
and  Christian  ideals  by  means  of  mission- 
ary work,  he  volunteered  as  a  missionary 
himself,  and  was  sent  by  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  of  America  to  Nagasaki, 
Japan.  From  this  point  he  was  trans- 
ferred first  to  Tokio  and  then  to  Yeddo. 
arriving  at  the  latter  place  shortly  before 
the  Shogun,  the  head  of  the  old  govern- 
ment, was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  rule  of 
the  Mikado.  While  at  Tokio  he  occupied 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  teachers 
and  instruction  in  the  foreign  department 
of  the  Imperial  University  during  the  four 
years  between  1869  and  1873,  having  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment in  the  former  year.  He  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  the  Shogun  and  became 
quite  prominent  in  political  affairs,  and 
after  the  abdication  of  that  ruler,  also  won 
the  high  favor  of  the  Mikado,  becoming 
one  of  his  chief  advisers.  The  influence 
of  Dr.  Verbeck  in  the  final  awakening 
of  the  Japanese  nation  and  its  breaking 
out  from  its  age-old  isolation,  would  be 
difficult  to  overestimate.  He  it  was  who 
induced  the  Mikado  to  send  embassies  to 
the  United  States  and  the  various  Euro- 
pean countries,  a  policy  which  undoubted- 
ly has  had  great  efifect  in  forming  the 
modern  Japan.  His  influence  was  also 
exerted  in  other  ways,  if  less  direct,  no 
less  potent,  and  especially  through  his 
contact  with  many  of  the  prominent  and 
influential  men  of  Japan,  when  they,  as 
children,  attended  the  classes  in  his 
school.  The  influence  of  his  strong  per- 
sonality was  of  necessity  very  potent  in 
this  field,  and  when  we  recall  the  fact  that 
not  only  a  recent  prime  minister  of  Japan 


but  also  many  other  high  functionaries 
had  been  his  pupils  in  the  past,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  his  name  is  ranked  high 
among  those  who  have  done  most  to 
modernize  the  Kingdom  of  the  Cherry 
Blossoms.  Another  service  that  he  per- 
formed for  Japan  was  in  the  advice  which 
he  gave  and  which  was  followed  to  a 
large  degree,  that  the  Japanese  navy 
should  be  modeled  upon  the  style  of  the 
British  navy.  Certainly  not  the  least  of 
his  services  was  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  Japanese,  and  it  is  related  of 
him  that  when  Lord  Sterling,  admiral 
of  the  British  fleet,  was  in  Japanese 
waters  during  the  time  of  the  disturb- 
ances in  L-hina,  when  Hong  Kong  became 
an  English  province,  a  native  prince  by 
the  name  of  Wakasa  No  Kami,  was  di- 
rected to  patrol  in  native  boats  between 
the  foreign  vessels  and  the  ports  in  order 
to  prevent  any  communication  between 
the  British  and  Japanese,  that  one  of  the 
prince's  followers  discovered  a  book  float- 
ing in  the  bay,  and  took  it  to  the  prince, 
who  in  turn  sent  it  to  Dr.  Verbeck  with  the 
request  that  its  contents  be  made  known. 
The  book  happened  to  be  a  Dutch  P)ible, 
and  as  Dr.  Verbeck  had  been  born  in 
Holland,  he  w^as  able  to  translate  most 
of  it.  These  translation?  brought  at)Out 
the  conversion  of  the  ])rince  to  the 
Christian  faith,  and  with  his  son  he 
was  baptized  by  Dr.  \'erbeck,  this  be- 
ing the  first  baptism  of  any  of  the  nobil- 
ity. It  was  no  light  matter  to  become  a 
Christian  in  Japan  in  those  days,  however, 
as  all  converts  were  ordered  beheaded,  so 
that  Dr.  Verbeck's  visits  and  talks  with 
the  prince  and  his  family  were  necessarily 
entirely  secret.  Between  1891  and  1898 
Dr.  Verbeck  taught  in  the  Meiji  Gakuin 
and  during  this  period  made  a  number  of 
verv  important  translations  in  behalf  of 
the  lapanese  Government,  most  of  which 
w^ere  of  a  legal  nature.     He  was  also  en- 


295 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gaged  in  original  work  at  the  time  and 
his  "History  of  Protestant  Missions  in 
Japan,"  published  in  1883,  is  a  recognized 
authority  on  this  subject. 

Dr.  Verbeck  made  several  visits  to  the 
United  States,  the  last  of  which  was  in 
1894,  when  he  visited  his  son,  General 
Verbeck,  at  Manlius,  New  York.  Four 
years  later  he  died  in  Japan,  after  having 
given  forty  years  of  his  life  in  the  service 
of  the  Japanese  people.  Most  of  his  time 
was  given  to  educational  work,  as  Dr. 
Verbeck  very  clearly  realized  that  this 
was  necessary  before  any  very  great  ad- 
vances could  be  made  in  the  conversion 
of  the  islands,  as  some  little  familiarity 
with  the  traditions  and  ideals  of  Christi- 
anity were  necessary  before  the  people 
could  grasp  the  general  principles  of  the 
religion. 

Dr.  Verbeck  married,  April  18,  1859, 
Maria  Manion,  who  lived  with  her  hus- 
band in  Japan  for  many  years. 

General  William  Verbeck,  son  of  Guido 
Fridolin  and  Maria  (Manion)  Verbeck, 
was  born  January  18,  1861,  at  Nagasaki, 
Japan.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
Imperial  University  there,  of  the  foreign 
department  of  which  his  father  was  the 
head,  and  continued  to  reside  in  his  native 
land  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years.  Fie  then  came  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  became  commandant  at 
St.  Matthew's  Hall  in  1883.  He  received 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Syra- 
cuse University  (honorary  degree).  For 
a  time  he  resided  in  California,  where  he 
was  a  member  of  the  California  National 
Guard  and  where  he  was  married.  He 
later  came  to  New  York  and  settled  in  the 
town  of  Manlius,  having  been  elected 
president  and  head  master  of  St.  John's 
School  there.  He  has  been  very  active 
in  national  guard  matters,  served  on  the 
stafifs  of  Governors  Morton  and  Black. 
He  was  breveted  colonel,  July  3.  1905.  and 


was  raised  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
eral in  1910.  General  Verbeck's  experi- 
ence in  education  has  been  long  and  his 
association  with  it  close,  as  he  had  already 
become  well  known  in  this  department  be- 
fore coming  to  New  York  State  and  had 
been  commandant  at  St.  Matthew's  Hall. 
San  Mateo,  California.  In  his  religious 
belief  Dr.  Verbeck  is  an  Episcopalian  and 
attends  Christ's  Church  of  that  denomi- 
nation at  Manlius.  In  politics  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican,  although  a  man  of 
such  broad  and  independent  mind  that  he 
never  allows  partisan  considerations  to 
interfere  with  his  personal  judgment  on 
questions  of  principle. 

General  Verbeck  was  united  in  mar- 
riage on  July  28,  1886,  at  San  Francisco, 
California,  with  Katherine  Jordan,  of  that 
city.  He  makes  his  home  at  the  present 
time  at  Manlius. 


BUTLER,  Edward  H.,  St., 

Founder   of   Great   New^spaper. 

Edward  H.  Butler,  Sr.,  was  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Buffalo  "Evening  News" 
and  the  Buffalo  "Sunday  News."  The 
"News"  has  the  largest  circulation  of  any 
daily  paper  between  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago, and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  best 
newspaper  properties  in  the  country  out- 
side of  two  or  three  of  the  greatest  cities. 
The  "Sunday  News"  was  established  by 
Mr.  Butler  in  1873,  and  was  the  first  suc- 
cessful Sunday  paper  published  in  Buf- 
falo. 

Mr.  Butler's  newspaper  career  was 
closely  identified  with  his  activities  in 
every  direction,  both  commercial  and 
political.  He  was  a  staunch  Republican, 
a  personal  friend  of  presidents  and  gov- 
ernors, and  intimately  associated  with  the 
politics  of  the  day.  His  success  as  a  jour- 
nalist was  due  to  his  business  capacity, 
his    intellectual    force    and    his    habit    of 


296 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


being  in  touch  with  the  people.  His  sym- 
pathies were  warm,  his  friendships  very 
numerous,  and  his  zeal  for  causes  that 
were  sound  and  worthy  was  no  less  re- 
markable than  his  ability  in  their  ad- 
vocacy. 

In  his  capacity  as  an  editor  and  as  a 
citizen,  Mr.  Butler  always  promoted 
causes  for  the  welfare  of  humanity  and 
that  made  for  good  government.  He  was 
a  firm  believer  in  the  value  of  sound  cul- 
ture ;  he  was  connected  with  many  clubs 
and  institutions  exemplifying  good  citi- 
zenship, and  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
everything  that  made  for  the  welfare  of 
Buffalo. 

Edward  Hubert  Butler  was  born  in  Le- 
Roy,  Genesee  county,  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1850.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  LeRoy  and  also  in  pri- 
vate schools ;  on  the  completion  of  his 
academic  education  he  entered  the  office- 
of  the  LeRoy  "Gazette,"  and  after  a  short 
experience  there  he  became  a  member  of 
the  staff  of  the  Scranton  "Times"  and 
later  was  interested  in  the  Scranton 
"Press."  Mr.  Butler  had,  all  the  time  of 
his  work  in  Scranton,  the  idea  of  estab- 
lishing a  paper  in  Buffalo,  near  his  old 
home,  which  he  regarded  as  a  most  favor- 
able field  for  a  modern  high-class  news- 
paper. In  his  twenty-third  year  he  real- 
ized that  dream,  and  coming  to  Buffalo 
established  the  Buffalo  "Sunday  News." 
The  venture  was  a  bold  one,  yet  not  with- 
out precedent,  for  other  papers  had  been 
unsuccessfully  tried.  His  paper,  how- 
ever, prospered  from  the  beginning.  It 
represented  independent  journalism  of 
the  popular  kind  with  an  appeal  to  the 
people  that  was  notable  for  its  fair  and 
straightforward  character,  its  freedom 
from  offensive  matter  and  its  purity  of 
motive.  He  at  once  struck  a  chord  of 
public  approval  which  has  never  ceased 
to  vibrate  actively.     The  circulation   in- 


creased rapidly,  the  leading  merchants 
became  patrons  of  the  paper  and  its  ad- 
vertising l)usiness  became  great  and 
profitable.  The  *' Sunday  News"  grew 
and  was  enlarged  from  time  to  time  to 
meet  the  exigencies  of  the  times  and  de- 
mands of  the  business.  It  gave  a  strik- 
ing demonstration  of  its  strength  in  1875 
when  it  advocated  the  People's  ticket  an<! 
fourteen  of  its  candidates  were  elected. 

In  1879  Mr.  Butler  established  the 
Bradford  "Sunday  News"  and  conducted 
it  for  several  years  until  it  had  become 
an  important  paper,  requiring  so  much 
personal  attention  that  rather  than  yield 
his  Buffalo  interests  he  disposed  of  his 
Bradford  enterprise.  While  publishing 
a  Sunday  paper  several  years,  Mr.  But- 
ler carefully  worked  out  the  project  of 
establishing  an  afternoon  paper  at  the 
price  of  one  cent.  On  October  11,  1880, 
the  first  issue  of  the  "Evening  News,"  a 
twenty-four  column  quarto  daily,  ap- 
peared. On  the  first  day  of  publication 
more  than  seven  thousand  copies  were 
sold  on  the  streets  alone  and  the  circula- 
tion at  once  jumped  to  more  than  twenty 
thousand  copies  a  day.  The  record  of 
the  "News"  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent has  been  one  of  very  great  popularity. 
It  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  news- 
paper properties  in  the  United  States. 
Its  circulation  is  greater  than  that  of  any 
other  paper  between  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago, and  it  is  believed  to  be  the  most 
widely  circulated  straight  Republican 
newspaper  in  the  United  States,  with  a 
single  exception.  Its  advertising  patron- 
age is  known  throughout  the  newspaper 
world  as  probably  the  most  enviable  pos- 
sessed by  any  newspaper  in  the  count^\^ 
for  it  has  much  more  than  one-half  the 
business  of  the  city  of  Buffalo  and  vicin- 
ity. In  editorial  influence  it  stands  easily 
at  the  head  of  all  dailies  in  Western  New 
York.      Although    a   strong   party   news- 


297 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


paper,  the  "News"  opens  its  columns  to 
all  discussions  and  expresses  its  own 
opinions  on  all  questions  wholly  without 
waiting  for  directions  or  orders  or  inti- 
mations from  any  other  source  than  the 
mind  of  its  proprietor. 

It  stands  always  for  sound  maxims  in 
business  policies,  and  fearlessly  applies 
them  to  both  local  and  general  interests. 
In  municipal  affairs  it  is  insistent  for 
practical  administration  ;  it  advocates  re- 
form when  it  thinks  reform  is  needed, 
and  it  is  a  safe  and  conscientious  guide 
in  the  choice  of  candidates  and  political 
policies.  It  is  an  exponent  of  doctrines 
of  economy  in  government,  but  believes 
in  liberal  investment  of  public  money  in 
enterprises  of  improvement,  which  can- 
not be  had  on  the  basis  of  economy  that 
goes  to  the  length  of  absolute  parsimony. 

Mr.  Butler  had  been  identified  with 
many  movements  in  furtherance  of  large 
aims  of  reform  and  benevolence,  and 
perhaps  the  "News"  came  to  the  front 
most  conspicuously  in  that  respect  in  the 
warfare  which  it  waged  for  many  years 
for  a  better  means  of  discipline  in  the 
Elmira  Reformatory,  then  imder  the  su- 
perintendency  of  the  famous  Z.  R.  Brock- 
way.  In  the  commercial  field  the  most 
conspicuous  and  illustrative  triumph  of 
the  "News"  was  the  campaign  for  the 
Barge  Canal  enterprise.  The  project  of 
canal  improvement  had  been  defeated  in 
the  Legislature  of  1902  and  was  supposed 
to  be  dead.  The  following  summer  Mr. 
Butler  took  it  up  and  in  his  paper  advo- 
cated the  enterprise  on  the  largest  scale 
and  forced  it  into  the  Republican  State 
platform.  The  Democrats  had  no  alter- 
native but  to  follow  suit,  both  parties 
adopted  the  idea  and  pledged  themselves 
to  carry  it  out,  but  the  great  battle  really 
occurred  the  following  winter  in  the 
Legislature  and  afterwards  by  referen- 
dum to  the  people,  so  that  the  campaign 


was  continued  for  sixteen  months  con- 
tinuously from  the  time  the  "News"  took 
vip  the  project  and  advocated  it  in  the 
way  that  was  finally  adopted.  Incident- 
ally the  "News"  made  a  permanent  gain 
of  circulation  to  the  extent  of  more  than 
twenty  thousand  during  that  campaign, 
and  entered  the  class  of  papers  that  are 
on  the  one  hundred  thousand  mark. 

In  political  warfare  no  more  remark- 
able campaigns  were  ever  conducted  by 
a  newspaper  in  this  State  than  the  cam- 
paign of  the  "News"  for  Governor  Hig- 
gins  in  1904,  and  that  which  resulted  in 
the  reelection  of  Chauncey  M.  Depew  to 
the  United  States  Senate. 

Mr.  Butler  had  the  distinction  of  being 
the  most  successful  newspaper  publisher 
in  the  United  States,  who  was  the 
founder,  developer,  sole  proprietor  and 
editor  of  his  paper,  and  who  retained 
these  relations  from  the  beginning.  No 
other  man  has  built  up  so  splendid  a 
newspaper  property  all  by  himself.  He 
made  his  magnificent  score  entirely  off 
his  own  back. 

In  1896  Mr.  Butler  was  Republican 
presidential  elector-at-large  for  New 
York  State ;  in  1900  he  was  an  elector 
and  served  as  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Electors.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Grade  Crossing  Commission  of  Buf- 
falo, and  was  the  last  survivor  of  the 
original  commission  after  a  number  of 
years  of  service.  He  was  president  of 
the  Buffalo  Publishers'  Association  and 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Grosvenor  Library  and  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Buffalo ;  a  director  of  the  Buffalo  Auto- 
mobile Club,  the  largest  resident  mem 
bership  of  any  club  in  the  United  States, 
and  of  the  American  Savings  Bank  and 
other  financial  institutions,  both  in  Buf- 
falo and  in  other  cities.  He  was  vice- 
president  of  the  United  Press,  and  at  one 


298 


EX'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


time  a  director  of  the  Associated  Press. 
He  served  as  president  of  the  State  Edi- 
torial Association  and  of  the  Republican 
State  Editorial  Association.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  social  life  of  Buffalo, 
and  in  LeRoy,  where  he  established  a 
handsome  country  home.  He  belonged 
to  the  leading  Eufifalo  clubs,  to  the  Clover 
Club  of  Philadelphia,  the  Lotus  Club  and 
the  Automobile  Club  of  America  in  New 
York,  and  other  leading  clubs.  Mr.  But- 
ler was  president  of  the  McKinley  Monu- 
ment Commission  and  was  responsible 
for  the  placing  of  the  McKinley  monu- 
ment on  Niagara  Square,  where  it  stands 
in  memory  of  our  late  President. 

Mr.  Butler  married  Mary  E.  Barber, 
deceased,  of  West  Pittston,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  of  whom  two,  a  daughter  and  a 
son,  survive. 

Mr.  Butler  was  as  well  known  for  his 
generosities  as  for  his  success  in  busi- 
ness, and  he  was  in  every  respect  one  of 
the  most  esteemed  and  respected  citizens 
of  Buffalo.  He  died  March  9,  1914, 
lamented  bv  all. 


BUTLER,  Edward  H.,  Jr., 

Journalist. 

Edward  H.  Butler,  Jr.,  son  of  Edward 
H.  Butler,  Sr..  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New 
York,  June  19,  1883.  He  was  educated 
in  the  private  schools  of  Buffalo  and  at 
The  Hill  School  at  Pottstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  leaving  there  he  entered 
Yale  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1907.  He  then  entered  the  "News" 
office.  In  191 2  he  was  made  the  pub- 
lisher of  the  "News,"  and  after  his 
father's  death  he  became  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  paper. 

Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  of  the  Buffalo, 
Saturn,  University,  Country  and  Park 
clubs,  and  also  of  the  Yale  Club  of  New 


York.  He  is  the  president  of  the  local 
Board  of  the  State  Normal  School,  a 
director  of  the  Bank  of  Buffalo  and  the 
American  Savings  Bank,  and  also  direc- 
tor of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Children,  and  a  director  of  the 
Buft'alo  Society  of  Natural  Sciences. 

Mr.  Butler  married  Kate  Maddoc  Rob- 
inson, of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  in  1909.  A 
son,  Edward  H.  Butler  (3rd),  was  born 
August  5,   191 5. 


CLINTON,  George, 

Liavpyer,  Leader  in  Canal  Improvement. 

George  Clinton,  lawyer,  but  whose 
principal  work  in  life  has  been  leadership 
in  canal  improvements  and  legislation  to 
promote  the  usefulness  of  inland  water- 
ways, was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York, 
September  7,  1846,  son  of  George  \V. 
Clinton. 

He  spent  his  boyhood  and  gained  his 
earlier  education  in  his  native  city,  grad- 
uating from  the  Buffalo  Central  High 
School  in  1865.  In  the  following  year  he 
entered  the  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  graduating  two  years  later  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He 
practiced  for  a  year  in  New  York  City. 
He  then  removed  to  Hudson,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  followed  his  profession  for  five 
years.  In  1874  he  returned  to  Buffalo, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  continuing 
the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  Clinton  was  early  recognized  as  a 
strong  personality  in  politics  and  public 
affairs.  In  1883  he  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and 
served  with  high  credit,  being  character- 
ized for  independence  and  conscientious 
care  for  the  interest  of  the  people.  He 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Assembly 
Canal  Committee,  and  throughout  his 
civic  career  has  been  noted  for  his  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  of  canals,  and  for  the 


299 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


weighty  responsibilities  he  has  borne  in 
connection  with  both  State  and  National 
waterway  questions.  As  a  leading  mem- 
ber and  second  president  of  the  Union 
for  the  Improvement  of  the  Canals,  Mr. 
Clinton  has  been  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing about  the  extensive  improvements 
made  in  recent  years  on  the  State  Canals. 
In  1898  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  com- 
mission appointed  by  Governor  Black, 
pursuant  to  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  to 
investigate  and  report  on  the  expenditure 
of  the  $9,000,000  appropriation  for  the 
improvement  of  the  Erie  and  other 
canals.  The  same  year  the  commission 
made  its  investigation,  and  submitted  its 
report,  the  result  being  the  purification 
of  the  State  Engineer's  Department,  and 
the  adoption  of  a  much  better  system  of 
administration  in  that  department  and 
the  State  Department  of  Public  Works. 
In  1902  President  Roosevelt  appointed 
Mr.  Clinton  a  member  of  the  American 
section  of  the  International  Waterways 
Commission  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
various  questions  arising  relative  to  the 
water  boundaries  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  and  to  consider  and 
report  upon  the  advisability  of  construct- 
ing a  dam  at  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Erie 
for  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  lake 
level.  This  commission  recently  com- 
pleted its  work.  Mr.  Clinton  enjoys  an 
international  reputation  as  authority  on 
admiralty  law,  and  is  retained  in  cases  of 
the  greatest  importance. 

Mr.  Clinton  shows  a  practical  interest 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of 
Bufifalo.  He  helped  prepare  the  present 
city  charter,  and  labored  earnestly  to 
secure  its  adoption.  He  has  been  park 
commissioner,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Trunk  Sewer  Commission  during  the 
building  of  the  Genesee  and  Bird  avenue 
branches  of  the  sewer  system.  He  aided 
in  establishing  the  Buffalo  Law  School, 


and  for  several  years  was  the  Professor 
of  Admiralty  Law.  He  is  a  firm  friend 
of  the  public  schools,  and  has  been  active 
in  the  endeavor  to  raise  their  standard 
and  remove  them  from  political  influ- 
ences. He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  its  predecessor,  the 
Merchants'  Exchange,  and  in  1893  was 
president  of  that  organization. 

Mr.  Clinton  is  a  communicant  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Bufifalo  Society  of  Natural  Sciences,  the 
Buffalo  Historical  Society,  the  Acacia 
Club,  and  other  social  and  charitable  or- 
ganizations. 

Mr.  Clinton  was  married,  in  Trinity 
Church,  Buffalo,  January  17,  1872,  to 
Alice  Thornton,  daughter  of  Thomas  F. 
and  Jane  Parker  Thornton.  Children:  i. 
George,  Jr.,  born  January  18,  1887;  he  is 
partner  with  his  father  in  the  law  firm 
of  Clinton,  Clinton  &  Striker ;  he  married, 
January  25,  1908,  Sophie  Klein.  2.  Laura 
Catherine.  3.  Elizabeth  Spencer,  mar- 
ried, June  5,  1901,  Chester  D.  Richmond. 


CHAPMAN,  John  Curtis, 

Civil    'War    Soldier,    Gentleman    Sportsman. 

The  mightiest  ship  that  cleaves  the 
ocean  leaves  no  lasting  mark  behind  her 
on  the  waves,  but  "the  smallest  barque  on 
life's  tempestuous  sea  will  leave  a  track 
behind  forevermore ;  the  slightest  wave 
of  influence  set  in  motion  extends  and 
widens  to  the  eternal  shore."  The  influ- 
ence of  such  men  as  the  late  John  Curtis 
Chapman,  whose  long  life  of  more  than 
three-score  and  ten  years  was  spent  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  still  survives  and 
will  survive  for  many  years  to  come. 
"Although  he  is  not  among  us  any  more 
to  counsel  the  forces  he  set  in  motion  to 
popularize  wholesome  athletic  sports  and 


300 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


thereby  benefit  in  an  incalculable  degree 
the  American  youth  in  upbuilding  both 
body  and  mind,  he  will  continue  to  oper- 
ate for  good.  Indeed,  his  role,  which  was 
unique  in  our  annals,  was  well  played, 
and  his  name  merits  a  place  in  the  history 
of  the  State. 

Mr.  Chapman  was  born  on  Washing- 
ton avenue,  Brooklyn,  March  8,  1843.  He 
was  a  son  of  Henry  Thomas  and  Char- 
lotte Clarissa  (Curtis)  Chapman.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Troy,  Ohio,  April  16, 
181 7,  and  her  death  occurred  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1904.  The  father  was  born  in 
London,  England,  October  i,  1809;  he 
grew  up  and  was  educated  in  his  native 
land,  immigrating  to  the  United  States 
about  1830,  and  here  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  for  many  years  engaging 
successfully  in  the  wholesale  drug  busi- 
ness in  New  York  City,  and  for  a  period 
of  more  than  twenty  years  he  was  the 
official  appraiser  of  drugs  in  the  customs 
office  of  the  United  States  in  New  York 
City.  He  was  an  expert  in  his  line,  in 
fact,  was  one  of  the  best  drug  authorities 
in  the  east.  He  built  up  a  very  exten- 
sive business  through  his  industry  and 
able  management.  His  death  occurred 
in  Brooklyn,  September  27,  1897.  His 
family  consisted  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  named  as  follows:  i.  John 
Curtis,  subject  of  this  memoir.  2.  Henry 
T.,  deceased ;  married  Martha  E.  Ester- 
brook,  who  lives  in  Brooklyn,  and  to  their 
union  four  children  were  born :  Henry 
E.,  Robert  L.,  Frederick  A.  and  Alfred 
B.,  the  last  named  being  deceased.  3. 
William  L.,  deceased ;  married  Lenora 
Strube,  who  lives  in  Brooklyn,  and  they 
have  three  children  :  Mrs.  J.  Austin  Roe, 
Dr.  William  L.  and  George  Frederick. 
4.  Benjamin  F.,  who  resided  in  Brooklyn, 
married  Josephine  Davy,  now  deceased, 
and    to    their    union    five    children    were 


born:  Albert  B.,  William  L.,  Paul  L., 
Benjamin  F.  and  Henry  S.  5.  Charlotte 
C,  unmarried,  lives  in  Brooklyn,  where 
she  received  a  good  public  school  educa- 
tion, also  studied  music,  is  a  lady  of  many 
commendable  qualities  of  head  and  heart, 
who  prefers  home  life  to  society.  6. 
Emma  F.,  deceased ;  was  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Harding,  who  lives  in  Brooklyn, 
and  to  their  union  four  children  were 
born  :  Robert,  Mrs.  W^  W.  Green,  George 
S.  and  Charlotte  C.  7.  Helen  E.,  married 
Henry  M.  Needham  ;  they  live  in  Brook- 
lyn and  have  three  children  :  Mrs.  George 
C.  Flynt,  George  A.  and  Henry  C. 

John  C.  Chapman  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  city,  and  there  received  a  good 
practical  education  in  private  and  public 
schools.  His  wide  experience,  volumi- 
nous reading  and  extensive  travel  in  later 
life  made  him  an  exceptionally  well  in- 
formed man.  Although  but  a  boy  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Chapman 
proved  his  patriotism  by  enlisting  in  1861 
in  Company  G,  Twenty-third  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry,  of  Brooklyn.  His 
three  brothers  also  enlisted,  all  fighting 
gallantly  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He 
was  the  youngest  soldier  in  the  regiment, 
and  he  became  regimental  flag  bearer, 
which  position  subjected  him  to  the 
greatest  danger,  but  he  performed  his 
duties  faithfully  and  bravely,  and  saw 
much  hard  service,  participating  in  many 
important  engagements. 

Mr.  Chapman  seemed  to  take  naturally 
to  outdoor  sports  and  was  especially  in- 
terested in  baseball  as  a  boy,  becoming 
an  exceptionally  good  player,  his  en- 
thusiasm increasing  with  advancing  years 
for  the  game.  He  assisted  in  organizing 
the  first  professional  baseball  league, 
known  as  the  "National  Association," 
later  becoming  manager  of  the  Louisville 
Club  in  the  American  Association.  He 
was  by  nature  a  great  organizer  and  a 


301 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man  of  exceptional  executive  ability  and 
he  became  known  as  one  of  the  leading 
baseball  men  in  the  world,  retiring  from 
this  field  of  endeavor  in  the  nineties  after 
gaining  great  fame  in  the  same.  He  en- 
couraged Hughie  Jennings  to  persevere 
and  as  a  result  Jennings  became  one  of  the 
noted  players  of  America.  Mr.  Chapman 
played  ball  for  some  time  with  the  famous 
Atlantic  Baseball  Club  of  Brooklyn.  He 
organized  several  baseball  leagues  in  New 
England,  all  of  which  were  successful. 
He  was  one  of  the  greatest  athletes  of  his 
day  and  generation,  and  no  man  loved 
athletic  sports  more.  He  believed  that  it 
was  a  good  thing  to  encourage  the  young 
man  to  engage  in  wholesome  athletics  as 
thereby  they  would  be  benefited  physi- 
cally, mentally  and  morally.  He  believe^', 
with  the  old  Greeks  and  Romans  that  th 
body  should  be  developed  along  with  the 
mind,  in  other  words,  believed  in  syi 
metrical  development. 

The  latter  part  of  Mr.  Chapman's  life 
was  spent  as  a  salesman  and  manager  in 
several  States  for  H.  B.  Kirk  &  Company, 
of  New  York  City,  giving  this  firm  emi- 
nent satisfaction,  for  he  was  energetic, 
faithful,  diplomatic,  scrupulously  honest 
and  therefore  did  much  to  increase  the 
prestige  and  business  of  the  firm  over  a 
wide  territory.  He  was  popular  every- 
where he  went,  for  he  was  always  a 
genteel  gentleman,  sociable,  obliging,  a 
good  entertainer,  and  especially  kind  and 
considerate  of  the  aged,  always  doing 
some  favor  to  old  people.  He  was  very 
charitable. 

Mr.  Chapman  remained  unmarried.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Veterans  of  the 
Twenty-third  Regiment,  the  Society  of 
Old  Brooklynites,  and  Lodge  No.  22, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
of  Brooklyn. 

Mr.  Chapman  was  summoned  to  close 
his  eyes  on  earthly  scenes,  June  10,  1916, 

302 


at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  Brook- 
lyn, where  he  maintained,  his  home  all  his 
life,  during  which  time  he  saw  many 
wondrous  changes  in  his  vicinity,  and  he 
was  always  interested  in  the  betterment 
of  the  same.  Owing  to  his  public  spirit 
and  many  excellent  qualities  he  was  held 
in  high  esteem  by  all  classes. 


SHELL,  Howard  B., 

Physician. 

The  Snell  family,  represented  in  the 
present  generation  by  Dr.  Howard  B. 
Snell,  a  well  known  and  highly  success- 
ful physician  of  Brooklyn,  who  by  nature 
and  training  is  fitted  for  his  chosen  call- 
ing, in  which  he  has  won  prestige  and  dis- 
tinction in  recognition  of  his  learning, 
skill  and  devotion,  is  an  old  and  honored 
Mohawk  Valley,  New  York,  family,  with 
an  honorable  record  in  peace,  and  an  en- 
viable one  in  war.  The  family  originally 
settled  in  Herkimer  county  and  Mont- 
gomery county.  New  York,  about  1724, 
and  there  is  a  locality  in  the  former 
named  county  named  Snell's  Bush.  In 
the  early  records  the  name  is  found 
spelled  Schnele.  Nine  members  of  the 
family  went  to  their  death  at  the  battle 
of  Oriskany,  led  by  the  gallant  General 
Herkimer.  From  Snell's  Bush  settlement 
there  were  five  killed:  Joseph,  Jacob, 
Frederick.  Suflferenus  and  Peter  Snell. 
From  Stone  Arabia,  four  gave  up  their 
lives :  John,  George,  John,  Jr.,  a  fifer,  and 
Jacob. 

(I)  Jacob  Snell,  the  progenitor  of  the 
line  here  under  consideration,  is  supposed 
to  have  been  a  native  of  Holland,  from 
whence  he  emigrated  to  this  country, 
locating  in  Stone  Arabia,  Montgomery 
county.  New  York,  and  there  took  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  community  affairs.  He 
married   a    member   of   the    Dockstadder 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


family,  and  their  children  were :  Xancy, 
Betsy,  William,  Jacob,  George,  John, 
Henry,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Henry    Snell,    son    of    Jacob    and 

(Dockstadder)  Snell,  was  born  at 

Palatine  Bridge,  Montgomery  county. 
New  York.  He  was  a  highly  respected 
resident  of  that  locality,  performing  well 
the  duties  and  obligations  that  fell  to  his 
lot.  He  married  Catherine  Schultz,  who 
bore  him  four  children  :  John  Jacob  Hamil- 
ton, of  whom  further ;  Aaron  Burr,  Lucy, 
Catherine. 

(III)  John  Jacob  Hamilton  Snell,  son 
of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Schultz)  Snell, 
was  born  at  Palatine  Bridge,  Montgom- 
ery county,  New  York,  July  29,  181 2,  and 
died  May  21,  1904.  He  was  an  industri- 
ous and  enterprising  man,  provided  well 
for  his  family,  and  also  performed  all  the 
duties  pertaining  to  good  citizenship.  He 
married  (first)  Mariah  L.  Mallett,  and 
(second)  Marietta  Kittle  (huyn).  His 
children  were :  Henry,  of  whom  further ; 
Marietta  C,  Charlotte  B..  Morris  H., 
Lucy  K. 

(IV)  Henry  (2)  Snell,  eldest  son  of 
John  Jacob  Hamilton  and  Marietta  (Kittle 
(huyn))  Snell,  was  born  at  Canajoharie, 
Montgomery  county.  New  York,  March 
12,  1843,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
April  6,  1884.  He  acquired  a  practical 
education  in  the  Canajoharie  High  School, 
and  later  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  law, 
following  that  profession  throughout  his 
active  career,  in  which  he  was  eminently 
successful.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
politics,  giving  his  allegiance  to  the 
Democratic  party,  and  in  the  year  1884 
served  in  the  capacity  of  assistant  district 
attorney.  He  was  a  member  of  Volun- 
teer Fire  Company,  No.  50,  New  York 
City.  He  was  a  Baptist  in  religious  faith. 
He  married,  October  11,  1865,  Elizabeth 
Harris,  born  August  18,  1845,  i"  New 
York  City,  died  May  26,  1904,  daughter 


of  William  Moorehead  and  Phoebe 
(Westerfield)  Harris  (see  Harris).  Chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Harris:  Harry  E., 
born  July  19,  1867,  in  ^'ew  York  City; 
William  H.,  born  February  16,  1870,  in 
New  York  City,  died  in  June,  1909;  Flor- 
ence, born  December  29,  1873,  in  New 
York  City,  died  July  8,  187-I  :  Howard  B., 
of  whom  further. 

(V)  Dr.  Howard  B.  Snell,  youngest 
child  of  Henry  (2)  and  Elizabeth  (Harris) 
Sncll,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
August  16,  1876.  He  obtained  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  Public  School,  No. 
32,  Brooklyn,  which  was  followed  by  a 
course  in  Sentfner  Preparatory  School, 
New  York  City,  which  qualified  him  for 
an  active  career.  His  first  employment 
was  as  clerk  for  the  Nassau  Gas  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  until  he 
matriculated  in  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital. Brooklyn,  1896,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1899.  He  lo- 
cated for  active  practice  in  the  city  of  his 
birth,  was  successful  in  his  diagnosis  and 
treatment  of  disease,  and  has  attained  an 
eminent  position  in  his  chosen  calling,  be- 
ing deeply  interested  in  everything  which 
pertains  to  a  solution  of  the  problems  of 
life,  and  to  life's  ennobling  and  embellish- 
ment. He  keeps  in  touch  with  his  pro- 
fessional brethren  by  membership  in  the 
County  and  State  Medical  societies,  and 
he  also  holds  membership  in  Ezel  Lodge, 
No.  J^)'^,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
Third  District,  New  York,  of  which  he  is 
past  master,  and  in  the  Long  Island  Auto- 
mobile Club.  He  was  formerly  a  Baptist, 
but  is  now^  a  member  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church,  Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Snell  married.  June  18,  1902,  in  the 
Church  of  the  Redeemer.  Brooklyn,  Ella 
M.  Reid,  born  in  Mt.  Forest.  Canada.  June 
22.  1877,  daughter  of  Josej^h  and  Mary 
(Morrison)  Reid,  the  former  named  a  re- 
tired farmer.     Children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 


303 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Snell :  Howard,  born  June  5,  1905,  died 
same  day;  Donald  Morrison,  born  June 
21,  1906,  at  the  present  time  (1917J  an 
attendant  at  the  Friends  School ;  Mona 
Elizabeth,  born  March  26,  191 3. 

(The   Harris    Line). 

The  surname  Harris  is  Welsh  in  origin, 
and  means  "the  son  of  Harry,"  a  transla- 
tion from  the  Brithonic  or  Celtic  equiva- 
lent. Lower  says :  "Those  who  are  con- 
versant with  documents  belonging  to  the 
Middle  Ages  are  well  aware  of  the  dis- 
position that  then  existed  to  make  the 
father's  Christian  name  the  surname  of 
the  child."  In  England,  when  the  patro- 
nymic was  used,  the  word  "son"  was 
affixed,  as  Adamson  ;  in  Ireland,  Scotland 
and  the  Isle  of  Man  "o"  (descendant)  and 
"Mac"  (son)  and  often  "ni"  (daughter) 
were  used ;  and  in  Wales  the  prefix  "ap" 
(son)  was  employed,  later  in  many  cases 
to  be  dropped,  while  the  paternal  name 
was  put  in  the  genitive  case,  as  Griffith 
Williams,  David  John's  or  Jones,  Rees 
Harry's  or  Harris.  Harry  is  a  diminutive 
of  Henry. 

The  earliest  known  ancestor  of  the 
branch  of  the  family  herein  followed  was 
James  Harris,  who  was  born  in  Bristol, 
England,  about  the  year  1700,  was  there 
reared  and  educated,  and  emigrated  to  this 
country  in  1725.  He  resided  in  Essex 
county,  New  Jersey,  where  his  son,  John 
Harris,  was  born  in  the  year  1750,  and  he 
in  turn  was  the  father  of  a  son,  John  Har- 
ris, Jr.,  born  in  the  year  1785,  married 
Elizabeth  Allen,  and  their  son,  William 
Moorehead  Harris,  was  born  in  French- 
town,  New  Jersey,  December  7,  1817,  died 
January  2Ty,  1892.  He  married  Phoebe 
Westerfield,  born  April  9,  1817,  died  No- 
vember II,  1901.  Children:  William; 
Elizabeth,  aforementioned  as  the  wife  of 
Henry  Snell ;  Charles  W.  and  George  H. 
Harris. 


JEWETT,  Edgar  Boardman, 

Public   Official. 

General  Edgar  B.  Jewett,  ex-mayor  and 
ex-police  commissioner  of  Buffalo,  presi- 
dent of  The  Jewett  Refrigerator  Com- 
pany, enjoys  the  triple  distinction  of  mili- 
tary, civic  and  business  achievements  of 
a  very  high  order.  As  a  soldier.  General 
Jewett  has  a  brilliant  record  of  service 
and  promotion.  Elected  mayor  of  Buffalo 
by  the  largest  majority  up  to  that  time 
ever  given  a  candidate  for  the  office,  he 
proved  the  power  of  a  strong  personality 
in  municipal  afifairs.  His  administration 
was  characterized  by  the  large  number  of 
difficult  and  important  questions  that 
arose  and  by  the  able  way  they  were  met. 

Edgar  Boardman  Jewett  was  born  at 
Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  December  14,  1843. 
While  still  a  child  he  came  to  Bufifalo  with 
his  parents,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  city.  In  i860  he  en- 
tered the  John  C.  Jewett  establishment. 
A  year  later  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C, 
Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  National  Guard, 
State  of  New  York.  In  May,  1863,  he 
was  elected  sergeant,  and  held  that  rank 
during  the  period  following  General  Lee's 
invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  from  June  to 
August  of  the  same  year.  In  the  cam- 
paign immediately  succeeding  the  Con- 
federate leader's  famous  attempt  to  gain 
a  foothold  on  northern  soil.  Sergeant 
Jewett  participated,  his  services  being 
highly  creditable.  Returning  to  Buffalo 
as  first  sergeant.  June  29,  1865,  he  was 
commissioned  first  lieutenant ;  April  3, 
1866,  captain ;  October  9,  1870,  inspector 
of  the  Fourteenth  Brigade;  April  11,  1877, 
major ;  and  was  also  appointed  inspector 
of  rifle  practice  of  the  Thirty-first  Bri- 
gade. On  October  25,  1880,  he  was 
appointed  lieutenant-colonel  and  chief  of 
staff    of    the    Fourteenth    Brigade.      On 


304 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sailing  to  this  country  as  early  as  1635 
and  landing  in  Massachusetts  in  that 
same  year.  He  settled  at  Newbury  in 
that  colony  first,  and  later  in  the  town  of 
Salisbury.  The  religious  opinions  of  those 
days,  as  it  is  well  known,  were  extremely 
violent  and  no  less  prejudiced  and  Thom- 
as Macy,  who  was  a  Baptist,  had  more 
liberal  and  tolerant  ideas  than  the  ma- 
jority of  his  Puritan  neighbors.  He  even 
went  to  the  length,  in  those  days  inex- 
cusable, of  giving  some  countenance  to 
the  Quakers  who  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. It  was  even  claimed  against  him 
by  the  more  rigorous^of  the  Puritans  that 
he  had  sheltered  them  from  the  operation 
of  some  of  the  Colony's  laws.  It  certainly 
is  largely  to  Thomas  Macy's  credit  if  he 
did,  as  the  laws  were  about  as  barbarous 
as  any  devised  by  human  beings.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  great  pressure  was 
brought  against  him  and  he  found  it 
necessary  to  leave  Massachusetts  much  as 
Roger  Williams  was  forced  to  do.  He 
went  further  than  the  latter,  however,  and 
in  company  with  Tristram  Coffin,  Peter 
Coffin  and  other  gentlemen,  purchased  the 
island  of  Nantucket,  which  although  part 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  is  far  out  to 
sea  and  may  be  supposed  to  have  afforded 
a  pretty  safe  refuge  even  against  the 
malice  of  Puritans.  The  instrument  deed- 
ing the  island  to  Thomas  Macy  and  other 
purchasers  by  the  Sachems  of  Nantucket 
was  signed  and  delivered  in  the  presence 
of  Peter  Folger,  Felix  Kuttashamaquot, 
interpreter,  and  Edward  Starbuck,  and 
was  witnessed  by  Peter  Folger,  Mary 
Starbuck  and  John  (I.  C.)  Coffin.  For 
many  years  Nantucket  remained  in  the 
sole  possession  of  these  families  and  was 
the  home  of  Thomas  Macy's  descendants 
for  a  number  of  generations.  The  name 
of  Macy  is  associated  with  almost  every- 
thing in  that  region,  and  the  liberal  ad- 
ministration of  the  island's  affairs  in  those 


early  times  does  much  credit  to  both  the 
brains  and  hearts  of  the  Macys.  It  is 
natural  that,  living  in  a  place  so  sur- 
rounded by  the  sea,  the  Macys  should 
have  become  a  seafaring  race  and  accord- 
ingly we  have  records  of  several  of  that 
name  who  sailed  the  more  or  less  hazard- 
ous ocean  voyages  of  those  days. 

Josiah  Macy,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  son  of  a  sea  cap- 
tain was  himself  a  skipper  and  the  owner 
of  his  own  vessel  and  carried  on  a  very 
successful  trade  in  a  number  of  quarters. 
In  1828  he  withdrew  to  a  certain  extent 
from  the  actual  sailing  of  his  vessel,  and 
coming  to  New  York  City  there  engaged 
in  a  shipping  and  commission  business. 
He  formed  a  company  with  his  son,  Wil- 
liam H.  Macy,  under  the  style  of  Josiah 
Macy  &  Son,  and  this  concern  did  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  very  profitable  busi- 
ness in  the  city.  A  little  later  another  son 
was  admitted  and  the  firm  became  Josiah 
Macy  &  Sons,  a  name  which  remained 
with  it  for  a  long  time.  William  H.  Macy 
was  the  eldest  of  the  eight  children  of 
Josiah  and  Lydia  (Hussey)  Macy.  He 
married  Eliza  L.  Jenkins,  a  daughter  of 
Sylvanus  Jenkins,  of  New  York.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children  of 
whom  the  sixth,  Josiah  Macy,  Jr.,  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Josiah  ]\Iacy,  Jr.,  was  born  in  the  year 
1838.  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  was 
educated  at  a  Friends'  School  at  Sixteenth 
street  and  Rutherford  place,  a  portion  of 
the  city  which  is  associated  with  many  of 
the  most  distinguished  New  York  names. 
His  father  had  destined  him  to  a  mercan- 
tile career,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  he  was  taken  into  partnership  as  a 
member  of  the  old  firm  of  Josiah  Macy  & 
Sons,  founded  by  his  grandfather  and 
father.  From  the  beginning  of  his  busi- 
ness life,  Mr.  Macy  displayed  a  remark- 
able organizing  ability,  especially  for  his 


306 


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three 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


great  philanthropies  were  objects  of  his 
personal  solicitude;  the  social  side  of  life 
drew  him ;  to  the  more  than  twenty  thou- 
sand descendants  of  the  "Mayflower" 
Doty,  he  gave  the  "Doty-Doten  Book''; 
and  to  the  community  which  knew  him 
from  a  boy  he  gave  the  example  of  an 
honorable  upright  life ;  and  the  inspira- 
tion which  flowed  from  that  life  has 
nerved  many  to  more  perfectly  live  theirs. 

The  American  advent  of  the  family  was 
with  the  "Mayflower"  and  her  first  land- 
ing, Edward  Doten  (Doty)  being  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  "Compact,"  and  one 
of  the  party  of  sixteen  Englishmen  who 
went  ashore  in  the  shallop  in  Cape  Cod 
harbor,  at  which  point  the  "Mayflower" 
arrived  November  ii,  1620.  The  shore 
explorations  of  the  party  began  on  No- 
vember 15.  On  Monday,  December  11 
(our  December  21,  Forefathers'  Day), 
they  sailed  for  the  mainland  in  the  "May- 
flower," and  the  landing  at  Plymouth 
Rock  was  soon  accomplished.  The  sor- 
rows and  sufiferings  of  that  first  winter 
are  historic  ;  but  the  youthful,  strong  and 
athletic  Edward  Doten  (Doty)  passed  all 
its  perils,  married  Faith  Clarke,  January 
16,  1634,  and  died  August  24,  1655,  and 
founded  the  Doty-Doten  family  of  which 
his  descendant,  Ethan  Allen  Doty  (1837- 
1915),  was  a  distinguished  representative. 
He  was  a  son  of  Warren  S.  Doty,  paper 
manufacturer,  and  first  in  this  country  to 
make  surface-coated  paper,  senior  of  the 
firm  Doty  &  Bergen,  and  his  wife,  Sarah 
M.  Child,  daughter  of  Rev.  Caleb  Child, 
an  Episcopal  clergyman  of  Albany,  New 
York. 

Ethan  Allen  Doty  was  born  in  lower 
New  York  City.  June  14,  1837,  and  died 
at  his  home.  No.  736  St.  Mark's  avenue, 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  March  10,  191. S.  At 
the  age  of  ten  the  family  moved  to  Brook- 
lyn, which  city  was  ever  afterward  their 
home.      His   education,   begun   in   Public 


School  No.  I,  was  completed  at  the  Free 
Academy,  now  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  whence  he  was  graduated  with 
high  honors.  After  graduation  he  was 
appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  Mercantile 
Library  (now  Brooklyn  Public  Library), 
leaving  that  position  fifteen  months  later 
to  become  librarian  of  the  Brooklyn  Athe- 
naeum, and  holding  that  position  one  year. 
He  then  held  a  confidential  position  with 
the  business  house  of  Charles  B.  Norton 
&'  Company,  continuing  until  1856.  He 
then  began  his  long  connection  with  paper 
manufacturing,  a  connection  only  dis- 
solved by  death  fifty-nine  years  later.  He 
was  associated  with  his  father  as  a  con- 
fidential employee  of  Doty  &  Bergen  dur- 
ing the  first  year,  but  the  death  of  Warren 
S.  Doty  in  1857  brought  the  young  man 
the  responsibility  of  administering  the 
father's  interest  on  behalf  of  the  estate. 
He  administered  that  trust  faithfully,  and 
found  the  business  so  congenial  that  he 
ever  remained  its  head.  The  original 
business  was  founded  in  1809  by  Pollock 
&  Doty,  later  was  Doty  &  Jones,  and  in 
1845  became  Doty  &  Bergen,  the  firm 
occupying  until  1850  the  lower  floor  of 
the  historic  old  Rigging  Building  at  now 
120  William  street,  known  as  "The  Birth- 
place of  Methodism,"  from  the  fact  that 
the  first  meeting  of  Methodists  in  this 
country  was  held  in  its  loft  in  1767.  In 
1862  the  firm's  name  was  again  changed, 
becoming  Doty  &  McFarlan,  and  in  1879 
Doty  &  Scrimgeour,  so  continuing  until 
Ethan  Allen  Doty's  death. 

The  manufacturing  plant  of  the  firm 
was  at  Willoughby  avenue  and  Walworth 
street,  Brooklyn,  and  in  addition  to  the 
management  of  that  large  department  of 
the  business,  Mr.  Doty  was  in  active 
charge  of  the  store  and  ofifice  of  the  firm 
at  No.  70  Duane  street.  New  York,  where 
the  selling  department  of  the  business  was 
located.       Althougrh     he     extended     and 


308 


EXXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


broadened  his  business  connections  and 
maintained  large  interests  of  varied  na- 
ture, the  paper  business  was  his  chief  con- 
cern. In  addition  to  making  and  being 
the  oldest  manufacturer  of  surface-coated 
glazed  paper  in  the  United  States,  he  was 
proud  of  the  business  which  his  father  had 
founded  and  that  he  had  developed,  and  it 
was  his  wish  that  it  should  be  continued 
after  his  death.  In  accordance  with  his 
desire,  Mrs.  Doty  has  continued  it  even 
against  the  advice  of  her  lawyers,  and  has 
in  her  management,  by  carrying  out  his 
wishes,  been  very  successful,  a  fact  most 
creditable  to  her  business  ability,  as  she 
had  no  previous  experience.  The  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  in  1901  as  Doty 
&  Scrimgeour  (Inc.),  reincorporated  in 
1914  as  Doty  &  Scrimgeour  2^Ianufactur- 


a  personal  and  intimate  friend  of  ex-Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  he  followed  him  into  the 
Progressive  party,  was  present  at  the  con- 
vention which  nominated  him  for  Presi- 
dent, and  remained  active  in  the  councils 
of  the  party  until  his  death.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  civil  service  commission  under 
Mayor  Seth  Low,  who  held  him  in  the 
highest  esteem  ;  and  who,  after  the  death 
of  -Mr.  Doty,  wrote  a  letter  to  the  effect 
that  Mr.  Doty  was  the  one  man  he  would 
go  to  if  he  wanted  to  know  anything 
truthfully  and  reliably  about  politics  in 
Brooklyn.  Like  Mr.  Low.  he  was  a  warm 
supporter  of  the  claims  of  George  F.  Ed- 
munds, of  Vermont,  for  the  Republican 
presidential  nomination.  In  the  State 
Convention  of  1884  in  which  he  sat  as  a 
delegate,  the  Blaine  forces  displayed  such 


ing  Company,  and  again   in   1915  as  the      strength  that  President  Arthur's  friends, 


Doty  &  Scrimgeour  Company.  The  com- 
pany's mill  is  now  located  at  No.  319 
River  street,  Reading,  Pennsylvania. 

In  1889  Mr.  Doty  was  elected  president 
of  the  Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Com- 
pany of  Brooklyn,  an  executive  office  he 
most  efficiently  filled  until  1898.  In  order 
to  protect  his  interests  in  loans  made  to 
the    Kings    County    Refrigerating    Corn- 


through  Michael  J.  Dady  speaking  for 
Arthur,  and  Ethan  Allen  Doty  speaking 
for  Edmunds,  were  scarcely  able  to  have 
the  four  New  York  delegates-at-large  sent 
to  the  convention  pledged  to  Senator  Ed- 
munds. This  coup  was  in  a  large  degree 
responsible  for  the  defeat  of  President 
Arthur  for  renomination,  James  G.  Blaine 
receiving  the   coveted   honor  only   to   be 


pany,  he  became  president  of  that  com-      defeated  by  Grover  Cleveland.     Mr.  Doty 
pany  and  administered  the  affairs  of  the      in  that  campaign  refused  his  support  to 


corporation  until  1914.  At  one  time  he 
was  a  director  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Bank, 
the  Franklin  Safe  Deposit  Company,  the 
Lafayette  Insurance  Company  and  the 
Journeay  &  Burnham  Company.  His  con- 


Mr.  Blaine,  just  as  in  1912,  with  millions 
of  others,  he  refused  to  support  President 
Taft  for  reelection.  For  years  he  was 
leader  of  his  local  district,  but  at  no  time 
did  he  seek  office  for  himself,  his  accept- 


nection  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce      ance  of  the  post  of  chairman  of  the  Civil 


was  long  and  active,  and  his  aid  could 
always  be  relied  upon  in  the  various 
movements  the  chamber  fostered. 

Few  of  Brooklyn's  older  citizens  were 
more   actively   connected   with   so  many 


Service  Commission  from  the  hands  of 
Mayor  Low  in  1888  being  his  only  experi- 
ence in  a  public  office.  His  efficient  ad- 
ministration of  that  office,  however, 
caused   his    friends   to   deeply   regret   his 


different  interests.     In  politics  he  was  an  refusal  to  accept  other  posts  within  their 

ardent  Republican,  but  personally  politics  gift. 

made  no  appeal  to  him.    He  supported  the  Throughout  his  lifetime.  Mr.  Doty  was 

party  candidates  until   1912,  when,  being  a   liberal   supporter  of  philanthropy   and 

309 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


charity,  but  so  quietly  and  unostenta- 
tiously was  his  giving  that  few  knew  of 
his  benevolences.  The  Brooklyn  Orphan 
Asylum,  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital  and 
other  institutions  praticularly  appealed  to 
him,  and  he  was  a  heavy  contributor  to 
the  erection  of  the  General  Grant  statue 
in  front  of  the  old  Union  League  club 
house  on  Bedford  avenue,  Brooklyn.  His 
first  wife  was  the  founder  of  the  Kinder- 
garten Department  of  the  Brooklyn  Or- 
phan Asylum,  and  after  her  death  he  gave 
a  certain  amount  of  money  for  this  depart- 
ment, to  be  named  in  her  honor — the 
Ellen  E.  Doty  Kindergarten  of  Brooklyn 
—in  connection  with  the  Brooklyn  Or- 
phan Asylum.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
trustee  of  Unity  Unitarian  Church ;  a 
member  of  its  Men's  Club  and  at  one  time 
treasurer  of  the  church.  In  those  days  the 
treasury  was  often  empty  and  it  was 
quietly  known  that  often  it  was  replen- 
ished from  the  treasurer's  private  funds. 
In  earlier  years  one  of  his  favorite  char- 
ities was  an  annual  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration for  the  poor  of  his  neighborhood, 
whom  he  invited  to  join  with  him  in  regu- 
lation festivities  on  the  lot  adjoining  his 
home,  he  providing  the  good  things  to  eat, 
with  music  and  fireworks.  Among  the 
various  clubs  with  w^hich  he  was  con- 
nected at  different  times  were  the  Hamil- 
ton. Lincoln,  Brooklyn  League,  Union 
League  and  Young  Republican  clubs.  He 
left  the  Union  League  in  1912  as  a  result 
of  the  fight  over  the  endorsement  of  Presi- 
dent Taft  for  reelection.  He  was  passion- 
ately fond  of  music,  and  in  his  earlier 
days  was  active  in  amateur  dramatic  cir- 
cles and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Ama- 
rath  Society  in  1878.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  Brooklyn  Volunteer  Fire 
Department.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Genealogical  and  Historical 
Society,  and  deeply  interested  in  his  fam- 
ily history.  He  compiled  the  "Doty-Doten 


Book,"  tracing  the  family  back  to  its  re- 
corded beginning,  and  contributing  a  most 
valuable  genealogical  work  to  the  litera- 
ture of  his  day. 

]\Ir.  Doty  married  (first)  Ellie  E.  Mc- 
Farlan,  of  Brooklyn,  who  died  in  1900, 
daughter  of  James  McFarlan.  of  Doty  & 
McFarlan.  He  married  (second)  in  Gratz, 
Pennsylvania,  December  22,  1901,  Eliza- 
lieth  Louise  Scheib,  daughter  of  William 
Scheib,  of  France,  and  his  wife,  Sarah 
Brosious.  Mrs.  Doty  survives  her  hus- 
band, with  the  only  child  of  Ethan  Allen 
Doty,  Ethan  Allen  Doty  f3rd),  born  in 
Brooklyn.  September  17,  1906.  The  Doty 
home  was  for  several  years  on  Livingston 
street,  Brooklyn,  but  in  1868  Mr.  Doty 
built  a  mansion  at  No.  736  St.  ]\Iark's  ave- 
nue, in  which  he  lived  for  fifty-two  years. 
Since  assuming  management  of  the  Doty- 
Scrimgeour  Company.  Mrs.  Doty  has 
moved  her  residence  to  Reading,  Penn- 
sylvania, that  she  might  give  her  personal 
attention  to  the  business  she  so  ably  man- 
ages. 

Mr.  Doty's  little  son,  Ethan  Allen  (3rd), 
has  acquired  from  his  father  the  same 
quiet,  gentle  disposition.  His  love  for 
books  is  just  as  great  as  his  father's,  and 
his  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  world 
is  as  great  as  a  man  of  twenty. 


DOUGLAS,  James,  LL.  D., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Since  the  earliest  known  period  of  Scot- 
tish history  the  name  of  Douglas  has  been 
eminent  in  that  kingdom,  coupled  with 
romance  and  strong  achievement.  Wher- 
ever descendants  of  this  name  have  located 
they  have  carried  with  them  the  qualities 
of  dominating  energy,  and  have  been 
found  at  the  front  in  every  field  of  en- 
deavor. From  Scotland  branches  of  the 
family  removed  to  other  sections  of  the 
British  Kingdom,  and  the  United  States 


310 


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ASTOR,  LFNOX 

TILDtN     FOUN'DA^IONS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  been  indebted  to  no  small  degree  to 
this  famous  family  for  its  leaders  in 
achievement.  In  the  eighteenth  century 
there  resided  in  Yorkshire  a  mason  and 
stonecutter  bearing  the  name  of  Richard 
Douglas.  His  son,  George  Douglas,  a 
Methodist  clergyman  of  scholarly  repute 
and  attainments  in  England  and  Scot- 
land, was  stationed  at  Brechin,  Scotland. 
There  his  son,  Dr.  James  Douglas,  a  very 
distinguished  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Canada,  was  born.  Possessing  the  energy 
and  enterprise  of  his  forefathers,  he  early 
took  into  his  own  hands  the  making  of  his 
career.  After  a  short  time  at  school  in 
Scotland  he  was  placed  by  his  father  in  the 
Methodist  Academy  at  Woodhouse  Grove. 
Here  he  complained  that  the  standard  of 
education  was  below  that  to  which  he  had 
been  accustomed,  and  he  ran  away  from 
the  school,  being  then  twelve  years  of 
age.  Soon  after  he  was  indentured  to  a 
physician,  with  whom  he  served  six  years, 
after  which  he  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  Edinburgh  University.  After 
graduating  as  a  surgeon  in  Edinburgh  and 
London,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  East 
India  Company,  soon  after  which  he  took 
medical  charge  of  Sir  Gregor  MacGregor's 
Colony  on  the  Mosquito  Coast  of  Central 
America.  Here,  with  his  contemporaries, 
he  was  prostrated  by  disease,  and  was 
rescued  by  a  Yankee  skipper,  who  took 
him  to  Boston.  Many  months  were  con- 
sumed in  the  recovery  of  his  health,  after 
which  he  located  at  Utica,  New  York, 
w^here  for  some  years  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  surgery.  For  a  time  he  served 
as  professor  of  anatomy  at  Auburn  Medi- 
cal College,  and  then  removed  to  Quebec. 
Canada,  where  he  soon  acquired  a  very 
large  practice,  became  noted  for  his  scien- 
tific attainments,  and  was  founder  of  the 
first  public  institution  for  the  care  of  the 
insane  in  the  Canadian  Dominion.  For 
many  years  he  was  in  charge  of  this  insti- 


tution. He  made  large  investments  in 
gold  and  copper  mining  enterprises  of 
Canada  and  the  United  States. 

Dr.  James  Douglas,  son  of  Dr.  James 
and  Elizabeth  (I'erguson)  Douglas,  was 
born  November  4,  1837,  in  Quebec,  and  as 
a  boy  attended  the  schools  of  that  city. 
Under  the  instruction  and  intiuence  of  his 
able  father  he  was  inspired  to  deep  study, 
and  made  rapid  progress  in  intellectual 
development.  In  1855  ^^^  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  where  he 
continued  two  years,  then  returned  to 
Canada,  and  completed  his  studies  at 
Queen's  University,  Kingston,  Ontario, 
from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  A. 
B.  in  1858.  Going  again  to  Edinburgh 
he  took  a  course  in  theology,  and  was  ad- 
mitted as  a  licentiate  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  The  broad  culture  which  he 
obtained  through  this  connection  has  been 
of  great  benefit  to  him  through  life,  and 
his  career  has  ever  been  dominated  by 
deep,  religious  conviction  and  Christian 
spirit.  After  traveling  extensively  with 
his  father  in  Europe  and  the  Orient,  mak- 
ing three  different  visits  to  Egypt,  he  took 
up  the  study  of  medicine  in  order  to  be 
able  to  assist  his  father,  whose  health  was 
failing,  and  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the 
Quebec  Lunatic  Asylum,  which  the  rather 
had  established,  and  which  was  still  large- 
ly in  an  experimental  state.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  medical  studies  the  son  in- 
terested himself  in  mining  and  metal- 
lurgy, in  order  to  conserve  the  interests 
of  his  father  in  great  mining  properties. 
He  was  thus  led  away  from  his  literary 
and  religious  work,  and  in  fact  provided 
most  of  the  expenses  of  his  own  living  by 
fees  obtained  for  lectures  on  chemistry 
and  metallurgy.  For  three  years  he  was 
Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Morrin  College. 
Quebec,  where  he  made  experiments  with 
the  hydro-metallurgy  of  copper,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  life-long  friend,  the  late 


3^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHY 


Dr.  Thomas  Sterry  Hunt.  The  latter  was 
interested,  in  association  with  Professor 
Silliman,  of  New  Haven,  in  a  company 
organized  to  extract  copper  from  ores  of 
the  Jones  Mine  on  the  Schuylkill  river, 
above  Phoenixville,  Pennsylvania.  To  Dr. 
Douglas  they  offered  the  position  of  man- 
ager of  this  company,  which  he  accepted, 
and  in  1875  came  to  the  United  States  in 
pursuit  of  his  duties.  Through  lack  of 
capital  the  Chemical  Copper  Company 
was  obliged  to  suspend  business,  but  it 
was  a  pioneer  in  working  out  many  of 
the  methods  that  have  since  proved  of 
great  value  to  the  copper  industry.  It 
was  the  first  to  refine  copper  electrolyti- 
cally.  While  employed  at  Phoenixville, 
Dr.  Douglas  continued  to  experiment,  and 
gained  a  valuable  experience  in  metal- 
lurgical processes,  and  in  developing  the 
Hunt-Douglas  patents  for  the  wet-extrac- 
tion of  copper.  His  previous  experience, 
his  scientific  knowledge,  and  his  powers 
of  observ^ation  and  description  had  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  copper  operators, 
and  his  services  were  in  demand  as  an 
investigator  and  mining  expert.  In  the 
course  of  his  labors  he  became  acquainted 
with  two  members  of  the  firm  of  Phelps, 
Dodge  Sz  Company,  which  subsequently 
became  financially  interested  in  the  De- 
troit Copper  Company,  and  through  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Douglas,  acquired  the  Cop- 
per Queen.  Atlanta  and  other  copper 
properties  in  Arizona  and  Mexico.  Under 
the  management  of  Dr.  Douglas  these 
properties  have  attained  a  marvelous 
growth  and  prosperity.  A  great  smelting 
center  was  established  at  Douglas.  Ari- 
zona, and  in  order  to  secure  the  desired 
supply  of  fuel,  Phelps.  Dodge  &  Company 
purchased  the  Dawson  coal  fields,  and 
also  constructed  transportation  lines.  After 
building  several  branch  railroads,  they 
were  instrumental  in  the  completion  of 
the   El    Paso   Sz   Southwestern   Railroad, 


which,  with  its  Mexican  connections, 
covers  a  trackage  of  more  than  one  thou- 
sand miles  of  standard  gauge  railway. 
The  company  is  now  putting  out  annually 
about  180,000,000  pounds  of  copper,  or 
seven  per  cent,  of  the  total  world's  pro- 
duction. This  enormous  output  of  copper 
is  made  through  a  number  of  subsidiary 
companies,  including  the  Copper  Queen 
Consolidated  Mining  Company,  the  De- 
troit Copper  Mining  Company,  the  Mon- 
tezuma Copper  Company,  and  the  United 
States  Mines.  Another  subsidiary  com- 
pany, the  Stagg  Canon  Fuel  Company, 
extracts  one  and  one-half  million  tons  of 
coal  yearly,  of  which  about  one-half  is 
converted  into  coke.  Dr.  Douglas  is  presi- 
dent of  all  the  companies  above  men- 
tioned, the  origin  of  which  is  due  to  him. 
His  business  ability  and  thoroughness  are 
amply  attested  by  their  great  success.  Dr. 
Douglas  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  all  his  employees,  or  any  that  may  be  as- 
sociated with  him,  and  is  joined  by  his 
associates  in  every  effort  to  provide  for  the 
comfort,  welfare  and  uplifting  of  miners 
and  all  in  the  service  of  the  various  com- 
panies. These  companies  have  never  been 
associated  with  any  stock  jobbing  deals, 
and  their  business  has  always  been  con- 
ducted along  legitimate  lines,  with  no 
taint  of  double  dealing  of  any  sort.  Dr. 
Douglas  is  a  free  trader  in  ideas,  and  is 
never  too  busy  to  advise  or  assist  his  fel- 
low engineers  or  any  student.  His  mines 
and  works  are  always  open  to  public  in- 
spection, and  many  have  profited  through 
the  knowledge  of  his  experience. 

For  many  years  his  residence  has  been 
in  New  York  City.  He  has  been  twice 
elected  president  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  ;  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society,  the 
American  Geographical  Society,  the  So- 
ciety of  Arts  of  London,  England,  the 
Iron  &  Steel  Institute,  and  manv  other 


312 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


prominent  associations  of  America  and 
Europe.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  of  New  York, 
has  been  honored  with  the  degree  of  LL. 
D.  by  McGill  University,  of  Montreal,  and 
received  a  gold  medal  from  the  Institu- 
tion of  Mining  &  Metallurg}-,  London, 
England,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  In  the 
midst  of  all  his  material  pursuits.  Dr. 
Douglas  has  ever  kept  alive  his  interest  in 
literature,  and  he  has  been  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  the  public  press.  During  the 
time  when  Mr.  Garrison  was  editor  of 
"The  Nation,'"  Dr.  Douglas  contributed 
papers  to  that  journal  on  a  wide  range  of 
subjects,  literary,  historical,  religious, 
philosophical  and  sociological,  many  of 
which  attracted  wide  attention.  He  has 
also  been  a  contributor  to  various  Ameri- 
can, Canadian  and  British  periodicals ;  is 
an  authority  upon  the  early  history  of 
Canada,  and  has  published  several  valu- 
able books,  including:  "Canadian  Inde- 
pendence;" "'New  England  and  New 
France — Contrasts  and  Parallels  in  Colo- 
nial History;"  "Imperial  Federation  and 
Annexation,'"  and  "Old  France  in  the  New 
World."  His  reports  and  papers  on  strict- 
ly scientific  subjects  reflect  the  same  liter- 
ary training  and  are  distinguished  for 
their  lucidity  and  accuracy.  His  contribu- 
tions to  the  literature  of  mining  and 
metallurgy  are  numerous  and  important. 
Following  are  some  of  the  more  impor- 
tant: "The  Gold  Fields  of  Canada,"'  1863; 
"The  Copper  Deposits  of  Harvey  Hill," 
1870;  "Recent  Spectroscopic  Observa- 
tions of  the  Sun,"  1870;  "The  Copper 
Mines  of  Chili,"  1872;  "Conditions  of  the 
Survey  for  the  Candian  Pacific  Railway," 
1873 ;  "The  Copper  Mines  of  Lake  Su- 
perior,"' 1874:  "Historical  and  Geographi- 
cal Features  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Rail- 
ways ;"  "The  Metallurgy  of  Copper," 
1883 ;  "The  Cupola  Smelting  of  Copper 
in   Arizona,"   1885 ;    "Copper  Production 


of  the  United  States."  1892;  "Recent 
.'Vmerican  Methods  and  Appliances  in  the 
Metallurgy  of  Copper,  Lead,  Gold  and 
Silver"  (Canter  Lectures)  1895;  "Record 
of  Borings  in  Sulphur  Springs  X'alley, 
Arizona,"  1898;  "Treatment  of  Copper 
Mattes  in  Bessemer  Converter,'"  i89<^; 
"Gas  From  Wood  in  the  Manufacture  of 
Steel,"  1902. 

Dr.  Douglas  married,  iS^kd,  Naomi 
Douglas,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Eleanor 
(Ilerrald)  Douglas,  born  in  1838.  Walter 
Douglas  commanded  the  "Unicorn,"  the 
first  vessel  of  the  Cunard  Line  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  in  1840,  and  for  some  years  con- 
tinued in  the  Cunard  Company's  service 
as  marine  superintendent  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland. 


TRENOR,  John  Delaf^eld, 

Inventor,  Traveler,  Linguist. 

At  the  age  of  seventy  years  John  Dela- 
field  Trenor  passed  from  earthly  scenes, 
leaving  a  record  of  honorable  usefulness 
such  as  few  men  outside  of  public  life 
have  compiled.  Prior  to  his  coming  to 
the  United  States  he  had  been  intimately 
connected  with  British  telegraph  interests 
in  Europe  and  Egypt,  but  during  his  more 
than  forty  years  in  the  United  States,  his 
connection  was  with  commercial  inter- 
ests, ranking  very  high  as  an  able  man- 
ager and  executive.  The  necessities  of 
his  business  in  earlier  life  required  a 
knowledge  of  different  tongues  and  he 
became  master  of  several  languages.  He 
became  an  authority  on  immigration 
problems,  was  honored  with  important 
commissions  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, and  was  a  personal  friend  of  Presi- 
dents Roosevelt  and  Taft  and  Judge 
Charles  E.  Hughes.  He  was  a  man  of 
cultured  tastes,  intensified  by  the  experi- 
ences of  extensive  travel  in  many  coun- 
tries, was  of  happy  disposition,  possess- 


3L^ 


ENCYCLOPEDiIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  not  only  the  faculty  of  making  friends 
but  of  retaining  them.  He  was  a  son  of 
James  Delafield  Trenor,  born  in  1800,  died 
in  1863,  and  his  wife,  Mary  (O'Driscoll) 
Trenor,  who  were  married  in  1835. 

John  Delafield  Trenor  was  born  in  Bris- 
tol, England,  May  2.2,,  1847,  died  in  the 
City  of  New  York,  January  2,  1917.  He 
was  educated  at  the  Clifton  Grammar 
School,  standing  at  the  head  of  his  class 
during  his  last  year,  being  especially  pro- 
ficient in  Latin  and  in  mathematics.  His 
brother,  James  Trenor,  was  also  a  noted 
Latin  scholar,  winning  a  prize  at  the  Paris 
Sorbonne  for  proficiency  in  that  language. 
After  graduation  in  1863,  ^^r-  Trenor  be- 
came associated  with  the  Eastern  Tele- 
graph Company  (Limited),  of  London, 
and  in  1869  was  sent  to  the  Island  of 
Malta,  in  charge  of  their  cable  service. 
Later  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  Messina 
and  Naples,  Italy,  and  when  the  company 
extended  their  lines  in  Egypt  to  keep  pace 
with  the  English  occupation  he  was  sent 
there,  and  was  with  General  Kitchner  in 
his  Khartoum  campaign.  These  were 
wonderful  experiences  for  the  young  man, 
and  under  the  responsibilities  imposed 
he  broadened  and  developed  a  strong, 
self-reliant  character,  able  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  so  exacting  a  chief  as  Lord 
Kitchner.  In  1872  his  health  broke  under 
the  load  of  responsibility  and  the  trying 
climatic  conditions,  an  attack  of  typhoid 
fever  followed  and  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  England.  After  recovering  from 
his  illness  he  came  to  the  United  States 
late  in  1872,  and  ever  afterward  made 
New  York  City  his  home.  Soon  after  his 
arrival,  he  became  manager  of  the  Ameri- 
can District  Telegraph  Company,  a  post 
he  ably  filled  until  1874,  when  he  became 
associated  in  managerial  capacity  with 
the  Havemeyer  Sugar  interests.  He  be- 
came a  prominent  member  of  the  New 
York  Produce  Exchange,  was  intimatelv 


connected  with  the  sugar  interests  of  the 
United  States  for  many  years,  represented 
the  Hawaiian  Sugar  Planters'  Association 
in  New  York  and  Washington,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  one  of  the  oldest 
members  of  the  Produce  Exchange,  al- 
though he  had  retired  from  business  sev- 
eral years  before. 

Mr.  Trenor  traveled  extensively  both  in 
this  country  and  abroad,  spoke  several 
languages  fluently  and  gave  especial  at- 
tention to  labor  and  immigration  prob- 
lems. During  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  he  was  commissioned  by 
the  government  to  make  an  investigation 
of  labor  conditions  in  the  Balkan  States, 
a  work  for  which  his  gifts  as  a  linguist 
as  well  as  his  deep  personal  interest  in 
such  problems  peculiarly  fitted  him.  Upon 
his  return  he  published  a  work  entitled. 
■'The  Immigrant  in  America,''  giving  the 
results  of  his  investigations  and  conclu- 
sions on  the  question  of  foreign  immigra- 
tion, a  vital  one  to  the  United  States. 
After  his  retirement  from  business,  Mr. 
Trenor  took  a  deep  interest  in  political 
affairs,  although  he  never  accepted  office. 
Deeply  as  he  was  immersed  in  business 
affairs,  Mr.  Trenor  gave  full  vent  to  his 
cultured  nature,  was  a  great  lover  of 
music  and  art  and  belonged  to  various 
societies.  As  a  young  man  he  possessed 
an  exceptionally  fine  tenor  voice,  and 
even  as  the  years  detracted  from  its  vol- 
ume and  range  it  did  not  destroy  its 
sweetness  of  tone.  He  also  possessed 
considerable  inventive  genius,  and  in 
1885  "^^'^s  awarded  a  medal  at  the  Inter- 
national Inventions  Exhibition  held  in 
London  for  a  movable  watch  dial  of  his 
own  invention.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Pan-American  Union  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  a  member  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  member  of 
the  Italian  Society,  and  for  a  time  be- 
longed to  the  New  York  Athletic  Club. 


314 


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t  the  age  of  eig^hty-six, 
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'.   '..v^.ior::*;o  and  accepted  a 
work  a  gold  mine.    He  sold 
business,  and  with  his  wife 
en  started,  on  June  i8,  1862, 
>|pj'ns  for  Pike's  Peak,  Colo- 
>f  seven  hundred  miles, 
:uian  country.     The  outfit 
I'oar  heavy  wagons,  loaded 
ji  machinery,  a  half-ton 
half- ton  of  mercury,  the 
;  m  the  process  of  extract- 
ore  ;  a  provision  wagon 
''^"s,  which  carried  the 
nsils,  and  a  three- 
•■awn  by  horses, 
:i.     There  were 
the  freight,  and 
With  this 
.  forty-three 
,>s  and  tj/finy  in- 
i.  journey  that  to- 
hours,  in  luxurious 
,old  mines  that  had 
o  that  country  soon 
,  he  turned  his  atten- 
ro  other  work,  doing  various  things. 
r,  he  acquired  much 
J  the  methods  of  ex- 
from  the  ore.    The  process 

■  ">  crush  the  ore  in  heavy 

run  with  water  through 
.i.nd  then  over  copper  plates 

■  —V,  to  which  the  gold 

:le,an  would  adhere, 
5s  much  gold  was  lost. 
.  cived  the  idea  of  organ- 
i:  company,  with  mill  in 
•o,  in  order  to  car- 
.  .1  whereby  gold  cO' 
n  the  ore  without  S''   ' 
',  in  December,  1865, 
Vork,  crossing  the  pla^  ■ 
<  stage  coach  in  midwinr 
zero.     The  Indi: 
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and  as 


i 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


coach  carried  the  mail  it  was  accompanied 
every  night  by  an  armed  guard  of  cavalry 
for  about  four  hundred  miles,  there  being 
nine  passengers,  all  fully  armed.  After 
organizing  his  company  he  returned  to 
Colorado,  reaching  there  in  February, 
1866.  and  began  at  once  to  build  the  Colo- 
rado Ore  Reducing  Works,  with  a  capital 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  was  com- 
pleted the  following  October  and  began 
work  at  once.  The  new  process  worked 
well,  and  success  and  prosperity  were 
within  his  grasp  when  the  w^orks  caught 
fire  and  burned  to  the  ground,  just  one 
year  after  completion,  w^hich  was  a  crush- 
ing blow  to  Mr.  Du  Bois.  In  September, 
1868,  he  decided  to  return  with  his  family 
to  New  York  and  engage  in  business 
there.  He  became  manager  of  a  lead  pipe 
plant,  and  while  thus  occupied  invented 
a  machine  for  making  plumber's  die- 
drawn  seamless  lead  traps.  Patents  were 
obtained  in  this  country  and  in  England. 
France  and  Germany,  and  to-day  these 
traps  are  in  use  over  the  entire  civilized 
world.  Mr.  Du  Bois  lived  for  many  years 
after  perfecting  this  last  invention  to  en- 
joy the  benefits  thereof  and  the  fruits  of 
his  years  of  hard  labor. 

He  died  July  8,  191 5,  at  Catskill,  New- 
York,  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born,  and 
which  he  had  purchased  in  later  years  and 
used  as  his  summer  home.  From  early 
youth  to  death  he  was  a  student,  keeping 
abreast  of  the  times.  He  was  an  author- 
ity on  metals,  and  attended  lectures  at 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Society,  the  Geographical  Society  and  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  For  twen- 
ty-five years  he  served  as  a  trustee  of 
the  Washington  Heights  Presbyterian 
Church,  now  the  North  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Washington  Heights. 

Mr.  Du  Bois  was  married,  in  1851,  to 
Helen    A.    Riley,   of   Toronto,    and   their 


married  life  extended  over  a  period  of 
fifty-eight  years.  Children:  1.  James 
Frederick,  born  November  2"^,  1852,  died 
in  Colorado,  December  25,  1863.  2.  Alice, 
born  April  ii,  1856;  married,  in  New 
York  City,  February  5,  1878,  Frank  Willis 
Blauvelt ;  they  had  three  children :  Eve- 
lyn, Frederic  Du  P.ois  and  Madeleine  Al- 
laire. 


LITTLEFIELD,  Calvin  Alfred, 
Electrical    Engineer. 

Calvin  Alfred  Littleheld  was  born  at 
Germantow^n,  Pennsylvania.  November 
28,  1867,  son  of  Milton  Smith  and  Anna 
Elizabeth  (Shull)  Littlefield.  and  a  de- 
scendant of  Edmund  Littlefield.  who  was 
born  in  England  in  1590,  and  came  to 
America  in  the  year  1637.  He  settled 
that  year  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  and 
in  1641  he  removed  to  Wells,  York  coun- 
ty, Maine,  where  his  descendants  still  live. 

From  him  and  his  wife, Annis,  the 

line  of  descent  is  traced  through  their  son 
Francis  and  his  wife,  Jane  Hill ;  their  son 
Edmund  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Mott ; 
their  son  Nathaniel  and  his  wife,  Abigail 
Spear;  their  son  Edmund  and  his  wife. 
Mary  Castle  ;  their  son  Jesse  and  his  wife, 
Elinor  Pennell ;  their  son  James  Pennell 
and  his  wife.  Phebe  Smith  ;  their  son  Mil- 
ton S.  and  his  wife,  Anna  Elizabeth  Shull, 
who  were  the  parents  of  Calvin  Alfred 
Littlefield.  Mr.  Littlefield  was.  therefore, 
of  the  ninth  generation  of  his  father's 
family  in  this  country.  Through  his 
grandfather's  maternal  line  he  traces  his 
descent  from  one  of  the  families  of  the 
"Mayflower."  His  great-great-grand- 
father. Edmund  Littlefield.  served  in  the 
French  and  Indian  and  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary wars,  and  was  present  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Bunker  Hill  with  three  of  his  sons. 
On  the  maternal  side  he  is  descended 
from  Lord  Shane,  of  Shane  Castle,  Ire- 


3' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land,  through  Colonel  Thomas  Lowrey, 
who  commanded  the  Third  New  Jersey 
Regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Milton  Smith  Littlefield,  father  of  Calvin 
Alfred  Littlefield,  was  a  brevet  brigadier- 
general  of  United  States  volunteers,  and 
one  of  the  first  to  develop  the  railroads 
of  Florida.  He  is  the  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Milton  S.  Littlefield,  D.  D.,  author  and 
educator. 

Shortly  after  the  birth  of  Calvin  Alfred 
Littlefield  the  family  moved  to  Jackson- 
ville, Florida,  where  his  early  life  was 
spent.  After  living  there  a  number  of 
years,  he  came  North,  settling  in  Morris- 
town,  New  Jersey,  and  graduated  from 
the  Morristown  High  School.  A  year  or 
so  after  graduation  he  came  to  New  York, 
connecting  himself  with  a  civil  and  sani- 
tary engineer,  leaving  his  employment  on 
May  I,  1891,  to  enter  the  service  of  the 
Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Company  of 
New  York,  the  predecessors  of  the  New 
York  Edison  Company.  About  six  or 
eight  months  after  coming  with  the  com- 
pany he  was  transferred  to  the  inspection 
department,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr. 
Arthur  Williams,  occupying  during  these 
times  various  positions.  At  that  time  the 
old  Pearl  street  station  at  No.  255  Pearl 
street  was  in  operation  and  required  much 
of  his  time,  but  this  did  not  last  long  as 
the  station  was  abandoned  shortly  after- 
ward. Mr.  Littlefield,  in  point  of  service, 
was  one  of  the  oldest  men  in  the  contract 
and  inspection  department,  having  been 
with  the  company  for  twenty-five  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  four  or  five 
who,  in  the  early  nineties,  bent  every 
effort  toward  the  development  of  the  New 
York  Edison  Company  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  lighting  industry  in  general. 

While  still  in  his  twenties,  Mr.  Little- 
field joined  the  company  on  May  7,  1891, 
as  a  member  of  the  staflF  in  the  general 
ofifices  then  located  at  No.  432  Fifth  ave- 


nue. His  work  at  that  time  was  in  con- 
nection with  compilation  of  field  books 
and  map  plotting,  all  of  which  was  con- 
nected by  what  was  then  known  as  the 
underground  department.  Mr.  Littlefield's 
work  in  this  division  lasted  but  a  few 
months,  for  in  the  early  fall  of  1891  he 
became  a  member  of  the  present  contract 
and  inspection  department,  then  known  as 
the  inspection  department.  His  work  in 
this  new  field  was  that  of  chief  clerk  and 
as  such  he  handled  many  of  the  impor- 
tant details  in  connection  with  records, 
etc.  In  the  meantime  the  general  offices 
had  been  moved  from  the  Fifth  avenue 
address  to  Duane  street,  the  inspection 
department  taking  quarters  in  the  second 
fioor  of  the  building  that  then  occupied 
the  Duane  street  site.  Mr.  Littlefield  con- 
tinued this  work  of  responsibility  for  a 
long  time  and  later  became  general  agent 
of  the  retail  bureau  of  the  company,  which 
position  he  occupied  with  splendid  success 
until  his  death. 

Mr.  Littlefield  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Illuminating  Engineering  Society,  in 
1914  became  its  general  secretary,  and  he 
was  active  in  committee  work  in  this  so- 
ciety since  its  organization.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Electric  Light 
Association,  having  joined  in  1905  and 
was  secretary  of  the  commercial  section 
from  July  i,  1914,  to  July  i,  1915,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  publications  committee 
from  July  i,  1915.  to  July  i.  1916.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  National  Dis- 
trict Pleating  Association,  the  Electric 
Vehicle  Association  of  America,  the 
American  Museum  of  Safety,  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Association,  and  director  of  the 
New  York  Edison  Saving  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, as  well  as  being  a  member  of  sev- 
eral other  civic,  national  and  religious  or- 
ganizations. 

Calvin  Alfred  Littlefield  married,  in 
1906.  Evelyn  Blauvelt,  of  New  York,  who 


318 


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mourned  loss  J;( 


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iiistory  of  tlu'    ^wo 
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chore 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


American  ancestor  being  Sir  William 
Rogers,  of  Delaware.  Dr.  Rogers  was  a 
son  of  Greenberry  and  Eliza  (Wall) 
Rogers,  of  Georgetown,  Delaware. 

Willard  Hall  Rogers  was  born  in 
Georgetown,  Delaware,  April  24,  1850, 
died  at  his  home  No.  225  West  Twenty- 
second  street.  New  York  City,  February 
9,  191 7.  The  first  eighteen  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  Georgetown,  acquiring 
an  English  education,  but  in  1868  he  be- 
gan learning  the  printer's  trade  in  New 
York  City,  a  trade  he  followed  for  seven 
years,  becoming  a  foreman.  During  those 
years  he  carefully  conserved  his  earnings, 
having  in  view  a  medical  education,  and 
in  1874  he  entered  JefTerson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  whence  he  was  grad- 
uated Doctor  of  Medicine,  class  of  1876. 

After  graduation,.  Dr.  Rogers  settled 
in  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York,  there 
continuing  his  successful  country  practice 
until  1881,  winning  high  reputation  as  a 
physician  of  skill  and  reliability.  In  1881 
he  disposed  of  his  practice  and  located  in 
New  York  City,  maintaining  an  office  and 
home  on  Fifteenth  street  for  two  years. 
In  1883  he  opened  an  office  at  No.  225 
West  Twenty-second  street,  also  his 
home,  and  continued  in  practice  until  his 
death  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
County  of  New  York;  the  New  York 
County  Medical  Association ;  the  Medi- 
cal Society  of  the  State  of  New  York ; 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine ;  the 
American  Medical  Association ;  the  Phy- 
sicians Mutual  Aid  Association ;  and  in 
all  took  an  active  interest.  He  kept 
abreast  of  all  medical  discovery  or  ad- 
vance in  diagnosis,  treatment  or  appli- 
ance, and  was  highly  regarded  by  his  pro- 
fessional brethren.  He  was  a  member  of 
Mosaic  Lodge,  No.  418,  Free  and  Accept- 
ed Masons,  and  a  man  of  social,  generous 
nature  greatly  admired  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him. 


Though  the  doctor  had  many  close 
friends,  he  had  few  recreations  aside  from 
his  studies  and  scientific  reading.  He 
was  an  accomplished  linguist,  speaking 
several  languages  and  had  a  most  excel- 
lent library  where  he  spent  practically 
all  his  leisure  hours  reading  scientific 
works  and  keeping  abreast  of  the  latest 
thought  in  his  profession.  He  rarely 
took  a  vacation,  but  carried  on  his  studies 
both  summer  and  winter  to  the  very  day 
of  his  death.  He  is  buried  in  Woodlawn 
Cemetery  and  will  long  be  remembered 
for  his  contributions  to  medical  science 
and  apparatus. 

Dr.  Rogers  married,  June  21,  1876,  im- 
mediately after  obtaining  his  medical  de- 
gree, Mary  L.  Benjamin,  daughter  of 
Martin  Everett  and  Sarah  Morell  (Shep- 
ard)  Benjamin,  of  New^  York.  Mrs. 
Rogers  accompanied  her  husband  to 
Western  New  York,  and  was  his  devoted 
helpmeet  during  their  forty-one  years  of 
married  life. 


BURNETT,  General  Henry  Lawrence, 
Civil  War  Veteran,  Lawyer. 

When  for  gallant  and  meritorious  serv- 
ice the  rank  of  colonel  was  awarded 
Major  Henry  Lawrence  Burnett,  to  be 
followed  five  days  later  by  brigadier-gen- 
eral by  brevet,  an  honor  was  conferred 
upon  a  brave  and  unselfish  man  whose 
heart  beat  only  for  his  country.  Later  in 
life  General  Burnett  won  distinction  in 
the  equally  strenuous  though  peaceful 
warfare  of  the  courts,  and  in  the  annals 
of  the  New  York  bar  from  1872  to  1897 
no  name  stands  higher.  He  bore  well  his 
part  in  military  and  civic  life,  and  in  all 
things  measured  up  to  the  full  stature  of 
a  man. 

The  Burnett  family  is  of  Scotch  ances- 
try, and  was  founded  in  this  country  by 
Dr.  Ichabod  Burnet,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Edinburgh.     After  obtain- 


N  Y— 5-21 


321 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ing  his  degree,  Dr.  Burnet  came  to  the 
American  colonies,  settling  in  Elizabeth- 
town,  New  Jersey,  where  he  won  fame  as 
a  physician  and  surgeon  and  practiced 
until  his  death.  He  was  the  great-grand- 
father of  General  Henry  Lawrence  Bur- 
nett, to  whose  memory  this  tribute  is 
dedicated. 

William  Burnet,  son  of  Dr.  Ichabod 
Burnet,  was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  New 
Jersey,  December  13,  1730,  and  died  in 
1791.  He  was  educated  at  the  College  of 
New  Jersey  (Princeton)  while  that  insti- 
tution was  located  in  Elizabethtown,  and 
during  the  presidency  of  Rev.  Aaron 
Burr.  He  was  graduated  in  1749,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr. 
Staats,  of  New  York  City,  later  engaging 
in  successful  private  practice  until  the 
war  clouds  broke  and  the  Revolution  was 
on.  He  entered  ardently  into  the  strug- 
gle for  liberty,  becoming  a  member  of  the 
Newark  (New  Jersey)  Committee  of 
Safety,  which  included  Judge  J.  Hedden 
and  Major  S.  Hays.  With  these  men  he 
took  a  leading  part  in  resisting  the  en- 
croachments of  the  British  government 
until  1776,  when  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Continental  Congress.  During 
that  year  he  was  appointed  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  the  Eastern  division  of  the  Ameri- 
can army,  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
his  office  with  distinction  until  the  war 
ended.  During  the  war  he  lost  much 
property  at  the  hands  of  the  British  ma- 
rauders, including  a  large  and  valuable 
library.  In  1780  and  1781  he  was  again 
a  delegate  from  New  Jersey  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  and  became  a  warm 
friend  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  He  died 
in  1 79 1.  Among  his  sons  were  Dr.  Wil- 
liam (2)  Burnet,  of  New  Jersey;  Major 
Ichabod  Burnet,  of  Georgia ;  Hon.  Jacob 
Burnet,  a  distinguished  Ohio  pioneer ; 
and  David  G.  Burnet,  provisional  presi- 
dent of  the  Republic  of  Texas. 


Judge  Jacob  Burnet,  son  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Burnet,  grandson  of  Dr.  Ichabod 
Burnet,  was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, February  22,  1770,  and  died  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  May  10,  1853.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Princeton,  class  of  1791,  and 
in  1796  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey.  He  im- 
mediately removed  to  Ohio,  settling  in 
Cincinnati,  then  a  mere  village.  He  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Legislative 
Council  by  President  Adams  in  1799,  and 
held  that  office  until  Ohio  became  a  State 
in  1802.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio 
Legislature  in  1812;  was  appointed  a 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1821,  re- 
signing in  1828  to  become  United  States 
Senator,  an  office  he  held  until  1831.  He 
was  an  intimate  friend  of  Daniel  W^eb- 
ster,  and  when  Haynes  made  his  noted 
speech  on  nullification,  took  full  notes, 
which  he  gave  to  Webster,  who  was  thus 
as  well  prepared  to  reply  as  though  he 
had  heard  the  speech.  He  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Cincinnati  Colonization 
Society ;  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Mi- 
ami Canal ;  a  founder  of  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege, and  its  first  president ;  active  in  the 
reorganization  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  and  in  the  establishment  of  the  Lan- 
castrian Academy,  serving  both  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trustees.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Astronomical  So- 
ciety of  Cincinnati,  member  of  the  French 
Academy  of  Sciences  upon  General  Lafa- 
yette's recommendation,  and  author  of 
"Notes  of  the  Early  Settlement  of  the 
Northwestern  Territory."  Princeton  Col- 
lege and  the  University  of  Lexington  both 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws.  Judge  Burnet  mar- 
ried, at  Marietta,  Ohio,  January  2,  1800, 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  Rev.  Matthew  Wal- 
lace. She  bore  him  eleven  children,  five 
of  whom  survived  him. 

From     such     distinguished     ancestors 


322 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  General  Henry  Lawrence  Burnett,      pany  C,  Second  Ohio  Cavalry  Regiment, 

and  was  chosen  its  captain.  He  went 
with  hi?,  company  to  Cleveland,  where 
after  drilling  for  a  time  they  were  sent 
to  Missouri,  were  engaged  in  the  actions 
at  Carthage  and  Fort  Wayne,  the  expedi- 
tion going  to  Cherokee  City,  and  on  into 
Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory.  For 
valiant  service  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  in  the  summer  of  1862,  and 
served  under  General  Burnside  during  a 
part  of  the  Knoxville  campaign.  On 
March  8,  1865,  he  was  promoted  colonel 
"for  gallant  and  meritorious  services," 
and  brevet  brigadier-general  five  days 
later.  He  was  a  brave  and  able  officer, 
beloved  by  his  comrades  and  trusted  by 
his  superiors,  numerous  occasions  giving 
evidence  of  his  marked  military  genius. 
General  Burnett  was  appointed  judge 
advocate  of  courts  martial  in  1863  and 
ordered  to  Cincinnati,  continuing  in 
charge  of  the  Department  of  Ohio  and 
the  Northern  Department  of  the  State  on 


great-grandson  of  Dr.  William  Burnet, 
and  grandson  of  Judge  Jacob  Burnet,  and 
son  of  Henry  and  Nancy  (Jones)  Burnett, 
as  he  spelled  the  name,  the  original  spell- 
ing being  with  the  single  "t."  Henry 
Burnett  was  a  farmer  of  northeastern 
Ohio,  and  a  contractor. 

Henry  Lawrence  Burnett  was  born  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  December  26,  1836, 
and  died  in  New  York,  January  4,  1916. 
From  boyhood  he  manifested  a  strong  de- 
sire for  learning,  a  love  for  books,  and  an 
ambition  for  a  professional  career.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  left  home  with  the 
sum  of  forty-six  dollars  which  he  had 
saved  by  strict  economy,  and  walked  to 
Chester,  Ohio,  where  he  entered  the  acad- 
emy at  which  James  A.  Garfield,  later 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  a 
student.  By  denying  himself  luxuries 
and  even  necessities,  he  managed  to  live 
on  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  a 
week,  paying  part  of  his  tuition  and  liv- 
ing expenses  by  building  fires,  ringing 
the  bells,  and  similar  tasks.  But  he  was 
determined  to  succeed,  and  such  a  course 
proved  the  mettle  of  which  he  was  made, 
and  augured  well  for  the  future  success 
of  this  fine  type  of  the  "self-made  man." 
He  later  entered  Hiram  Institute,  in 
which  his  former  classmate,  James  A. 
Garfield,  was  a  tutor.  He  obtained  his 
professional  education  at  the  Ohio  State 
National  Law  School,  Poland,  Ohio, 
whence   he   was   graduated   in    1859,   and 


|the  staffs  of  Generals  Heintzelman  and 
Hooker.  He  distinguished  himself  by 
faithful,  prompt,  conscientious  service. 
and  performed  a  number  of  arduous 
duties  involved  in  famous  court  martial 
cases,  particularly  the  one  against  the 
conspirators  St.  Leger  Granfer  and  others 
at  Chicago.  While  so  engaged  he  was 
sent  by  Secretary  of  War  Stanton  at  the 
suggestion  of  Governor  Oliver  P.  Morton, 
of  Indiana,  to  prosecute  the  Sons  of  Lib- 
ertv  in  that  State  in  cases  growing  out 


soon  afterward  he  began  the  practice  of      of  an  attempt  to  liberate  the  prisoners  at 


his  profession  at  Warren,  Ohio. 

The  Civil  War  interrupted  his  grow- 
ing practice,  and  to  aid  the  Union  cause 
he  traveled  over  the  State,  making 
speeches  to  stimulate  enlistment.  Dur- 
ing one  of  the  speeches  he  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  question:  "Why  don't  you 
enlist?"  "I  will,"  he  replied:  and  in  Au- 
gust, 1861,  he  became  a  member  of  Com- 


Camp  Douglas.  Seven  of  the  men  were 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  death.  Fol- 
lowing the  assassination  of  President  Lin- 
coln. April  15.  1865.  General  Burnett  was 
ordered  to  Washington  by  Secretary 
Stanton,  and  assigned  to  the  trial  of  the 
cases  against  those  implicated  in  the  plot 
to  murder  the  President  and  cabinet  offi- 
cers.    He  prepared  the  evidence  in  part, 


Z^Z 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  shared  in  the  distinction  of  bringing 
the  guilty  parties  to  justice.  He  con- 
tinued on  special  detail  in  the  War  De- 
partment until  December,  1865,  then  re- 
signed, and  located  in  private  legal  prac- 
tice in  Cincinnati.  He  remained  there 
in  successful  practice  until  1872,  having 
as  partners  at  different  times  ex-Chief 
Justice  T.  H.  Hartley,  ex-Governor  J.  D. 
Cox,  and  John  F.  Follett. 

In  1872  he  located  in  New  York  City, 
where  he  immediately  attained  distinc- 
tion and  success  in  the  practice  of  law, 
becoming  a  leader  of  the  bar,  and  continu- 
ing in  active  practice  for  a  period  of  twen- 
ty-five years.  During  that  period  he  was 
in  partnership  with  the  eminent  lawyers, 
E.  W.  Stoughton,  Benjamin  H.  Bristow, 
William  Peet,  W.  S.  Opdyke,  Edward  B. 
Whitney  and  Judge  James  Emott.  He 
was  counsel  for  the  Erie  railroad,  and 
tried  many  noted  cases,  among  them  the 
Emma  Mine  cases,  in  which  he  repre- 
sented the  English  bondholders. 

General  Burnett  was  an  organization 
Republican  and  a  close  personal  friend 
of  President  William  McKinley,  who  re- 
ferred to  him  as  "Lightning  Eyes"  Bur- 
nett. In  January,  1897,  President  McKin- 
ley appointed  him  to  succeed  Wallace 
McFarlane  as  United  States  district  at- 
torney for  the  Southern  District  of  New 
York,  his  commendable  and  brilliant  rec- 
ord in  this  important  office  influencing 
President  Roosevelt,  who  reappointed 
him  in  1901,  his  service  covering  full 
terms. 

General  Burnett  included  among  his 
close  personal  friends  many  men  of  dis- 
tinction, Admiral  Dewey  and  General 
Horace  Porter  being  two  of  his  best 
friends.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York  from 
1885  until  his  death,  its  president  for  four 
years,  and  he  also  served  four  years  as 
commander  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 


Loyal  Legion  of  New  York.  Being  a 
man  of  unusual  executive  ability,  his  work 
in  organizing  the  district  attorney's  office 
attracted  favorable  comment.  The  bar 
and  judges  of  various  courts  had  implicit 
confidence  in  his  administration  of  the 
office  and  recognized  his  learning  of  the 
law,  his  sound  judgment  and  integrity. 
He  never  used  the  power  of  his  office  for 
personal  ends  in  any  way,  or  abused  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  at  any  time,  his  chief 
aim  always  being  to  perform  his  duties 
ably  and  impartially. 

His  country  estate  at  Goshen,  New 
York,  was  a  favored  place  of  recreation, 
and  there  he  maintained  for  several  years 
a  stable  of  light  harness  horses  which  he 
delighted  to  exercise  and  speed  on  the 
track  of  the  Goshen  Driving  Club.  Dur- 
ing the  last  years  of  his  life  he  was  less 
active  in  his  profession,  and  spent  more 
time  on  the  farm.  He  was  very  fond  of 
and  an  excellent  judge  of  horses,  the  pair 
he  kept  for  his  private  driving  being  the 
finest  in  the  town.  Fire  destroyed  his 
stables  in  1915,  and  he  finally  sold  the 
horses  he  was  so  proud  of.  Another  fire 
a  few  months  later  destroyed  his  country 
residence,  and  while  supervising  the  erec- 
tion of  its  successor  he  was  stricken  with 
a  fatal  illness.  Of  social,  genial  nature, 
he  enjoyed  social  life,  and  was  a  member 
of  Metropolitan.  Century,  Union  and 
Colonial  clubs  of  New  York,  and  the 
Goshen  Driving  Club. 

General  Burnett  married,  in  1859,  Kath- 
erine  Hoffman,  of  Warren,  Ohio,  who 
died,  leaving  daughters  Grace  Hoffman 
and  Katherine  Cle\^land  Burnett.  He 
married  (second)  in  1867,  Sarah  G.  Lan- 
sing, of  Buffalo,  New  York,  who  died  in 
1876  leaving  a  son,  Lansing,  deceased,  and 
Catherine  Burnett.  One  of  the  General's 
daughters  is  the  Baroness  Von  Ortsen, 
wife  of  General  Victor  Von  Ortsen,  of  the 
German  army.     General  Burnett  married 


324 


THE  ;-_,.•  YCRK 
PUE^iC  LIBRARY 

ASTO'T,    L'^NOX 
TILDE  ^     FO'JNOA    IONS 


Mu^-  'uu^i-i>^iLM 


ft    i 


I 


warr 
erno 
Cole 
and  • 


N.  and 


;tt--'-^ 


Burnett  re- 
•ns  of  sym- 


'ompany,  held 
r" solution  was 
..  and  a  copy 


"it 
durin^: 

Burnett,  in  his  sever 
nett  was  a  director 
since  ?ts  inception.  :. 
an  old  resident  of  Vaz 
the  benefit  to  accrue  to  i* 
the  Inn,  and  was  one  c' 
promote  the  enterpri:- 
member  of  the  exec 
liveliest  interest  in   ,.■- 
A  noted  lawyer,  distingu 
eral  Burnett  enjoyed  the 
his  associates,  and  the  ' 
ire-    -vin  be   f'^U  b: 
desirt't  :o  record  tbii- 
nave  ordered  that  a  copy  thereot  be  sent  to  Mrs. 

A.llow  me  as  prci.icTu  o^  '-   -  "'•' 

my  sincere  sympathy  in  your  ' 
mourn  with  you  in  :' 
have  always  enjoy- 


r 
ti 

he  was  av.,.,  .  v  ■  . 
Orders  by  the  Rt. 
Bishop, 

I 


Dr.  Crockett  catne  to  t' 


Transfigfuration,  a  mi 


ton  s' 


later  he  was  n; 


CKOCKETT.  Rev.  Stuart,  i 

Clerp  ithor. 

I  he  Rev. 
born  in  Cour. . 
6.  1854.     He  W3 


I 


tuart,  t 


.^-.S 


Iffi^^ 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGILAPHY 


beth  Sutphen.  daughter  of  John  Schure- 
man  and  Hyacinth  Adeline  Sutphen.  of 
New  York  City.  He  died  at  his  resi- 
dence, Xo.  1 60  West  Seventy-second 
street,  X'ew  York  City.  March  12,  1917. 
His  funeral  was  held  in  Holy  Rood 
Church,  Bishop  Greer.  Bishop  Burch  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Leighton  Parks  officiating. 
He  was  buried  in  Woodlawn  Cemeterv. 


BISHOP.  Levi  Jesse  Putnam. 

Man  of  Affairs.  PlLilanthropist. 

The  true  American  spirit  of  progress 
and  enterprise  was  strikingly  exemplified 
in  the  life  of  the  late  Levi  Jesse  Putnam 
Bishop,  for  many  years  one  of  New- 
York's  most  progressive  citizens,  whose 
energetic  nature  and  laudable  ambition 
enabled  him  to  conquer  many  adverse  cir- 
cumstances and  advance  steadily  along 
legitimate  and  useful  lines.  He  met  and 
overcame  obstacles  that  would  have  dis- 
couraged, if  not  completely  thwarted, 
many  men  of  less  determination  and 
heroic  mettle,  and  won  for  himself  not 
only  a  large  degree  of  material  success, 
but  also  a  prominent  place  in  the  ranks  of 
workers  w-ho  toil  for  the  amelioration  of 
earth's  unfortunates,  becoming  widely 
known  in  missionary  circles  and  other 
similar  organizations  of  his  home  city. 
His  business  interests  as  a  citrus  fruit 
operator  on  a  vast  scale  brought  his  name 
conspicuously  before  the  people  of  the 
State  of  Florida,  where  he  was  equally 
esteemed  and  honored  for  his  many  com- 
mendable characteristics  of  head  and 
heart.  No  man  is  worthier  of  specific 
mention  in  a  volume  of  the  province  of 
the  one  in  hand. 

Mr.  Bishop,  who  was  a  scion  of  a  ster- 
ling old  western  family,  was  born  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  March  13,  1853.  He  was  a 
son  of  Jesse  P.  and  Eliza  (White)  Bishop, 
the   latter's  ancestry  going  back   to  the 


first  family  by  the  name  of  White  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts.  The  father  was 
for  many  years  a  leading  legal  light  in 
the  city  of  Cleveland  in  the  early  days, 
who  not  only  stood  in  the  front  ranks  of 
the  bar,  but  who  became  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Cuyahoga 
county,  Ohio,  which  responsible  position 
he  held  for  many  years  discharging  the 
duties  of  the  same  in  an  able  and  highly 
satisfactory  manner,  having  been  a  man 
of  unusual  judicial  learning.  He  was  also 
active  in  public  and  religious  life,  and, 
with  Moses  White,  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Cleve- 
land. When  the  present  handsome  edifice 
of  that  congregation  was  erected,  the 
judge's  son.  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
placed  a  handsome  memorial  window  in 
that  church  in  memory  of  his  father. 

Levi  J.  P.  Bishop  grew  to  manhood  in 
Cleveland,  where  he  was  graduated  from 
the  public  and  high  schools,  later  attend- 
ing Oberlin  Lniversity  at  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
and  then  studied  at  the  University  of 
Rochester.  Rochester,  New  York,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1874.  He  made  a  brilliant  record  in  all 
these  schools,  also  in  the  Cleveland  Law 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1876,  having  first  studied 
law  in  his  father's  office.  Soon  after  his 
graduation  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  joined  the  law 
firm  with  which  his  father  was  connected, 
that  of  Bishop.  Adams  &  Bishop,  with 
which  he  remained  until  about  1896.  He 
was  very  successful  as  a  lawyer,  being 
painstaking,  persevering,  and  possessing 
a  profound  knowledge  of  the  law  in  all 
its  phases.  However,  early  in  his  profes- 
sional career  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  orange  industry  in  Florida.  This  he 
was  induced  to  do  through  his  uncle.  P.  P. 
Bishop,  a  Baptist  missionary,  who  went 
south  for  his  health,  and  while  in  Florida 


327 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


is  said  to  have  originated  the  pineapple 
orange.  At  one  time  Mr.  Bishop  was 
associated  with  John  D.  Rockefeller  in 
the  Marion  Fruit  Company.  Ever  since 
oranges  and  grape  fruit  have  been  sold 
at  auction  in  New  York,  Mr.  Bishop  has 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  all  those  trans- 
actions. He  and  his  family  were  heavily 
interested  in  the  Bishop-Hoye  Groves  at 
Citra,  Florida,  the  other  interest  being 
that  of  the  Colgate  Hoyte  family.  This 
has  long  been  one  of  the  famous  groves 
of  that  State.  During  the  orange  season 
Mr.  Bishop  always  gave  his  personal  at- 
tention to  the  auction  sales  of  this  fruit 
in  New  York  for  a  period  of  thirty  years. 
It  was  about  the  year  1893  that  he  became 
the  legal  representative  in  New  York  City 
of  the  vast  interests  of  the  firm  of  Bishop, 
Hoyte  &  Company,  owners  of  the  largest 
orange  interests  in  Florida.  Up  to  1896 
he  spent  most  of  his  time  during  the  win- 
ter months  in  New  York  and  his  sum- 
mers in  Cleveland ;  but  after  that  he  de- 
voted his  attention  very  largely  to  the 
orange  business,  and  spent  a  part  of  each 
winter  in  Florida.  Some  years  ago,  when 
the  old  Courtin-Golden  Company  failed 
and  Arthur  Courtin  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  same,  Mr.  Bishop  and  Harry 
Cadenas  took  over  the  name,  Mr.  Bishop 
looking  after  the  Florida  business  and 
Mr.  Cadenas  after  the  Cuban  end ;  but 
later  on  the  name  was  dropped  and  the 
L.  J.  P.  Bishop  Company  was  formed, 
with  Mr.  Bishop  as  president. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  a  man  of  rare  executive 
ability  and  business  acumen,  everything 
under  his  control  being  operated  by  a 
superb  system,  and  throughout  his  career 
both  as  a  business  and  professional  man 
he  was  noted  for  a  high  sense  of  honesty 
and  fairness,  his  word  being  as  good  as 
the  bond  of  most  men.  Although  very 
busy  with  his  extensive  personal  inter- 
ests, he  was  greatly  interested  in  histori- 


cal research  work,  also  missionary,  social 
settlement  and  church  work.  Charitably 
inclined,  he  gave  freely  of  his  time  and 
means  in  this  line.  He  was  a  deacon  in 
the  Judson  Memorial  Baptist  Church  for 
many  years,  recording  secretary  of  the 
Baptist  Church  Convention,  and  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Settlement  for  Chil- 
dren in  East  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  street.  New  York.  He  was  long 
closely  identified  with  the  work  of  the 
State  Missionary  Convention,  also  with 
the  work  of  the  City  Mission  Society.  He 
organized  the  first  Bible  Class  in  New 
York  among  college  men,  the  first  meet- 
ing being  held  in  his  home.  He  was  for 
some  time  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  in  his  church,  and  also  taught  the 
Bible  class.  He  was  profoundly  versed  in 
the  Scriptures.  He  remained  a  student 
all  his  life,  and  was  well  versed  not  only 
in  Holy  Writ  and  the  best  literature  of 
the  world,  but  also  in  current  events.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Fruit  Ex- 
change, and  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  frater- 
nity of  the  University  of  Rochester.  He 
was  eligible  for  membership  in  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution  and  the  Soci- 
ety of  the  Mayflower.  He  often  con- 
ducted chapel  exercises  on  the  East  Side. 
His  work  along  this  line  was  so  systema- 
tized and  well  founded  that  a  number  of 
churches  grew  out  of  the  missions  he  was 
instrumental  in  founding. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  married,  in  1876,  to 
Minnie  Sage,  a  member  of  a  prominent 
family  of  Rochester,  New  York.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1891.  On  September 
6,  1893,  he  was  married  at  Aconomowac, 
Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Mary  Lathrop  Bishop, 
a  daughter  of  Putnam  B.and  Mary  (Lath- 
rop) Bishop,  an  honored  old  family  of 
Auburn,  New  York,  where  the  father  was 
for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church.  He  was  one  of  the  noted  minis- 
ters of  his  denomination  in  the   Empire 


328 


PUEuC  LiJRARY 

ASTOn,    L'^NOX 
TILDE  N     FOUNDA'IONS 


V/^^i^^^tZ*c-<:-<-''^^^     . 


1 


•%SV," '.^V.V.V 


;R-\pmv 


State    : 

Msrv 

father,   wa 
gate  Univt 
He  was  a; 
in     M.:  ■ 
known  ... 
and  a  suco 


;i    PavT 


■stice  (i 
New 

-.1    ,-..!, 


zh 

bi) 

-  -  -  —  '—   -ip 

ch 

0  American  Revo- 

w 

al  Dames  and  So- 

to- 

.    ■         ■   .1       v..k.                

'^ne  has  been  for 

the     .. 

ars  one  of  the  n. 

ent  workers  in 

rPH'i'^'''- 

city  mission  circlt 

and  is 

widely  known  for 

.>  .^.    c  work 

the  Vacation  B 

•ol  Movement. 

She  is  ver>'  active 

jential  in  both 

hk 

church  and  charity 

nd  is  an  officer 

.  1  several  mission: 

ties.     She  is  a 

lady   of  culture   ancj 

ciooation,   being  a 

graduate  of  Greenr  ''■ 

■    n's  College, 

■.'■11,  '  •■ 

of  Greenville,  Sor 

She  pos- 

her    f.. 

sesses    decided    !• 

nd    is 

widely  known  for  i  ■. 

-   ;  .ff  chil- 

-  u  ■ : :-    ' 

dren,  on  social  servtr^ 

le  themes. 

sitv   st 

Both    marriages 

bishop    were 

Of- 

-without   issue.     A  • 

-ng  period   of 

1 

failing  health,  cov- 

'  or  five  years, 

he    was    summon' 

eternal   rest, 

it-: 

from  his  late  hom-: 

-k  City,  on 

.... 

July  22,   1916,  at 

oixty-three 

years.      He    acco  ; 

much    good, 

especially    in    his 

-•rk    in 

which  he  wa?  no 

.  sense 

and  for"  his  fir 

;  devotion. 

Bn 

His  memorv 

cherish: 

by   those    c 

:i     in     31. 

>vork. 

Ol,    i-e 


c;tiirfi#».H     C' 


KNAU' 


I<BXr-7'?T' 


Tm=;t.'ir:C( 


Born  in  Germa  of  an  emin* 

banker,  Antonio  Knauth  spent  the  f* 
^wenty-two  years  of  his  life  in  acqtiirir.^;      I'l^rarj 


iur. 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ciated  himself  with  his  father,  and,  start- 
ing at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ladder, 
worked  his  way  upwards,  becoming  in  the 
process  thoroughly  familiar  with  every 
detail  of  the  building  business,  and 
familiarizing  himself  with  the  principles 


try,  Mr.  Webster  became  associated  with 
various  fire  insurance  companies  of  New 
York  City  as  an  appraiser,  a  work  for 
which  his  great  knowledge  of  construc- 
tive materials  and  the  prices  thereof  emi- 
nently  fitted   him.      He   also   engaged   in 


of  construction  and  architecture.  He  building  here,  and  met  with  a  high  degree 
worked  with  the  most  unremitting  zeal  of  success.  Mr.  Webster  was  a  very 
and  industry,  and  under  the  tuition  of  his  prominent  Free  Mason,  and  was  a  mem- 
father  soon  became  a  very  capable  de-  ber  of  Altair  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and 
signer  and  practical  engineer.  After  the  Accepted  Masons,  and  chaplain  thereof ; 
death  of  the  elder  man,  Mr.  Webster  of  Constellation  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
shouldered  the  whole  of  the  great  busi-  son.-^ ;      Clinton      Commandery.     Knights 


ness  and  conducted  it  with  a  very  high 
degree  of  success,  many  of  the  largest  and 
most  important  buildings  in  that  section  of 
England  being  entrusted  to  him.  He  did 
a  particularly  large  number  of  churches, 
and  the  great  Central  Mission  Hall  of 
the  city  of  Manchester  was  among  the 
number  of  these  which  still  bear  witness 
to  his  art  and  constructive  genius.  He 
was  himself  connected  from  childhood 
with  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  church, 
and  was  a  very  ardent  churchman  all  his 
life.  As  early  as  the  year  1865  he  became 
treasurer  of  the  Sunday  School  Mission- 
ary Society,  a  fact  of  great  interest  to  his 
friends  and  associates  in  America,  as  he 
later  held  precisely  the  same  position  in 
the  Janes  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
this  country.  While  a  young  man  he 
erected  the  Moss  Side  Wesleyan  Church 
of  Manchester,  and  here  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school,  a  trustee, 
and  the  leader  of  the  choir. 

It  was  in  the  year  i(S<S7  that  he  left  his 
native  land  for  America,  arriving  in  the 
port  of  New  York,  on  Saturday.  May  21, 
of  that  year.  The  very  next  day  he  came 
to  the  Janes  Church,  bearing  with  him 
letters  of  the  highest  recommendation 
from  his  church  in  England  and  from  that 
time  to  his  death  was  most  intimately 
associated  with  the  life  of  the  new  church 
here.     Shortly  after  arriving  in  this  coun- 


Templar;  and  Kismet  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  Besides  his  Masonic  fraternities, 
Mr.  Webster  was  a  member  of  General 
Putnam  Council,  Royal  Arcanum  :  and  of 
the  St.  George  Society  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Webster's  connection  with  the 
Janes  Church  was  very  close,  and  there 
have  been  few  men  who  have  labored 
more  consistently  for  its  advantage.  He 
was  assistant  Sunday  school  superintend- 
ent there,  class  leader,  steward,  trustee, 
treasurer  of  the  Sunday  School  Mission- 
ary Society,  vice-president  of  the  Social 
Union,  and  chorister  of  the  men's  class. 
He  was  possessed  of  an  unusual  musical 
talent  and  a  very  delightful  voice,  so  that 
he  was  able  to  take  a  prominent  part  in 
the  musical  activities  of  the  church.  In 
the  course  of  an  obituary  article  printed 
in  a  publication  of  the  church  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  the  following  words  appear: 
"He  had  a  remarkable  voice,  understood 
music,  and  was  the  personification  of  the 
motto  of  the  Janes  Choral  Union,  to 
which  he  belonged,  'we  sing  because  we 
love  it'.'" 

On  June  24.  1874,  Mr.  Webster  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Manchester.  Eng- 
land, with  Miss  Rebecca  Walker,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Anne  (Lord) 
Walker,  natives  of  that  place.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walker  had  migrated  to  the  United 


331 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


States  about  the  year  1847  ^"^  settled  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  their  daugh- 
ter was  born,  December  6,  1850.  It  was 
on  a  trip  to  England  that  she  married  Mr. 
Webster,  and  their  three  children  were 
born  in  that  country,  as  follows  :  Harold, 
who  married  Miss  Edna  Caroline  Ham- 
mond, by  whom  he  has  had  two  children  : 
Louis  Hammond  and  Harold  Chester,  and 
now  resides  in  Brooklyn,  New  York  ;  Rob- 
ert Cecil,  who  married  Miss  Gertrude  May 
Hammel,  now  deceased,  by  whom  he  had 
one  daughter,  Laura  Ann,  born  May  8, 
1914;  Ada  Walker,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Eugene  Lewis  Hale,  of  Brooklyn,  New 
York.  Mrs.  Webster  is  a  women  of  re- 
markable ability,  who  exercised  a  power- 
ful influence  in  the  formation  of  her  hus- 
band's character  and  career.  She  has 
been  a  most  devoted  wife  and  mother,  in- 
dulgent and  kind,  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  church  and  philanthropic  work  in 
Brooklyn. 

Such  a  life  as  that  of  Air.  Webster  may 
well  serve  as  an  example  to  ambitious 
youths  wherever  it  is  to  be  found,  and  is 
a  lesson,  indeed,  so  obvious  that  he  who 
runs  may  read.  It  bears  incontrovertible 
testimony  to  the  fact  that  undeviating  pur- 
suit of  an  objective  must  in  the  end  bring 
accomplishment,  especially  if  it  be  allied 
with  a  strong  sense  of  one's  obligations 
to  his  fellow  men.  For  we  shall  find  it 
universally  true  that  only  this  alliance 
may  be  counted  on  as  the  sure  foundation 
of  success.  While  brilliant  achievement 
oftentimes  seems  the  fruit  of  selfish  in- 
trigue, a  second  glance  will  always  dis- 
close the  worm  at  the  core  which  mars 
that  fruit  so  that  it  may  not  be  enjoyed. 
Our  own  age,  indeed,  offers  only  too 
many  examples  where  the  most  brilliant 
success  has  turned  out  a  bitter  portion  in- 
deed, because  it  has  grown  from  indiffer- 
ence to  others,  whose  enmity  and  hate 
have  in  the  end  blasted  all  that  achieve- 


ment. With  such  examples  in  view  it  is 
refreshing  to  turn  to  such  success  as  that 
of  Mr.  Webster  which,  founded  on  the 
regard  and  good  will  of  all  his  aSvSOciates, 
proved  not  less  sweet  in  realization  than 
in  anticipation. 


MacGRUER,  Henry  Alexander,  M.  D., 
Specialist,  Hospital  0£B.cial. 

Dr.  Henry  Alexander  MacGruer,  of 
Syracuse,  New  York,  who  occupies  an 
assured  position  in  the  medical  profes- 
sion there,  was  born  on  September  3, 
1874,  at  Ogdensburg,  New  York.  He  is 
a  son  of  John  Gregory  and  Ida  Alay 
(Welles)  MacGruer.  Mr.  MacGruer,  Sr., 
is  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he 
was  born  February  9,  1843,  i"  the  town 
of  Lochiel,  while  Mrs.  MacGruer,  Sr.,  is 
a  native  of  New  York  State,  having  been 
born  October  23,  1853,  at  Ogdensburg. 
To  them  two  children  were  born — Henry 
Alexander,  whose  career  forms  the  sub- 
ject matter  of  this  brief  sketch  ;  and  John 
A.,  born  April  17,  1890. 

Dr.  MacGruer's  youth  was  passed  at 
his  birthplace,  the  elementary  portion  of 
his  education  being  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ogdensburg;  the  Lockwood 
Academy  in  Brooklyn,  New  York ;  St. 
Paul's  School  at  Salem,  New  York;  and 
St.  John's  Military  Academy  at  Manlius, 
New  York,  from  which  he  graduated.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  matriculated 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  New  York,  and  was  graduated  from 
this  institution  with  the  class  of  1898,  the 
first  class  of  the  then  newly  instituted 
four  years'  course.  In  the  year  1901  he 
began  the  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Syracuse,  and  has  remained  there 
up  to  the  present  time.  His  experience 
while  in  New  York  was  especially  valu- 
able, having  been  acquired  through  his 
connection  with  the  Vanderbilt  Clinic  at 


332 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  and  at  the 
West  Side  German  Clinic. 

Since  coming  to  Syracuse,  Dr.  Mac- 
Gruer  has  made  for  himself  a  very  con- 
spicuous position  among  his  professional 
colleagues  in  the  city  and  holds  a  number 
of  important  medical  posts. 

In  the  year  191 5  he  was  elected  super- 
visor of  Onondaga  county,  and  has  held 
this  responsible  position  ever  since.  He 
also  is  professor  of  dermatology  and 
syphilis  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
Syracuse  University,  and  dermatologist 
and  syphilographer  to  the  Hospital  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  at  Syracuse.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Syracuse  Free  Dis- 
pensary, the  Onondaga  Orphans'  Home, 
St.  Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum,  the  House 
of  Providence  and  St.  Mary's  Visiting 
Nurses'  Association. 

Dr.  MacGruer  is  affiliated  with  a  large 
number  of  organizations,  not  only  medi- 
cal but  civic,  social  and  fraternal,  and 
takes  a  most  active  part  in  the  general 
life  of  the  community.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Syracuse  Academy  of  Medicine,  the 
Onondaga  County  Medical  Society,  of  the 
Citizens'  Club,  the  City  Club,  the  Belle- 
vue  Country  Club,  the  Question  Club,  the 
Hunting  Literary  Society,  the  Onondaga 
County  Medical  Society,  the  Medical  As- 
sociation of  Central  New  York,  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society,  and  the 
American  Medical  Association.  He  is  also 
•a  member  of  Syracuse  Lodge,  No.  31, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
In  his  collegiate  days  Dr.  MacGruer  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Nu  Sigma  frater- 
nity. Dr.  MacGruer  is  particularly  prom- 
inent in  Masonic  circles  and  has  taken 
the  thirty-third  and  last  degree  of  Free- 
masonry. He  is  a  member  of  many  Ma- 
sonic bodies,  including  Weedsport  Lodge, 
No.  385,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, of  which  he  is  past  master ;  Central 
City  Chapter,  No.  70,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
of  which  he  is  past  high  priest ;  Central 


City  Council.  No.  13,  Royal  and  Select 
Masters,  of  which  he  is  past  thrice  illus- 
trious master  ;  Central  City  Ccjmniandery, 
No.  25,  Knights  Templar,  of  which  he  is 
past  commander  ;  Central  City  Lodge  of 
Perfection,  of  which  he  is  past  master; 
Kedar  Kiian  Grotto,  No.  12,  Mystic  Order 
Veiled  Prophets  of  the  Enchanted  Realm, 
of  which  he  is  past  monarch  ;  and  the  Su- 
preme Council,  Mystic  Order  Veiled 
Prophets  of  the  Enchanted  Realm,  of 
which  he  is  past  grand  monarch.  Dr. 
MacGruer  is  also  a  member  of  the  Cen- 
tral City  Coordinate  Scottish  Rite  bodies, 
the  National  Masonic  Research  Society, 
the  Masonic  Temple  Club  of  Syracuse, 
New  York,  and  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Ho  Tax,  Zeba,  Cashmere,  Zem  Zem, 
Islam,  Alethia.  He  was  elected  to  the 
thirty-third  degree  in  September,  1916. 

Dr.  MacGruer  has  been  very  actively 
connected  with  the  local  organization  of 
the  Republican  party,  of  the  principles  of 
which  he  is  a  staunch  supporter,  and  has 
held  the  position  of  county  committee- 
man since  1905.  In  his  religious  belief  he 
is  an  Episcopalian.  His  office  is  located 
at  No.  809  University  Block,  Syracuse. 

There  is  something  intrinsically  admir- 
able in  the  profession  of  medicine  that 
illumines  by  reflected  light  all  those  who 
practice  it.  Something,  that  is,  concerned 
with  its  prime  object — the  alleviation  of 
human  suffering,  something  about  the 
self-sacrifice  that  it  must  necessarily  in- 
volve that  makes  us  regard,  and  rightly 
so,  all  those  who  choose  to  follow  its  diffi- 
cult way  and  devote  themselves  to  its 
great  aims,  with  a  certain  amount  of  re- 
spect and  reverence.  It  is  true  that  to- 
day there  has  been  a  certain  lowering  on 
the  average  of  the  standards  and  tradi- 
tions of  the  profession,  and  that  there  are 
many  within  its  ranks  at  the  present  time 
who  have  proposed  to  themselves  selfish 
or  unworthy  objects  instead  of  those 
identified  with  the  profession  itself,  whose 


333 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


eyes  are  centered  on  the  rewards  rather 
than  the  service,  yet  there  are  others  also 
who  have  preserved  the  purest  and  best 
ideals  of  the  calling,  and  whose  self-sacri- 
fice is  as  disinterested  as  that  of  any  who 
have  preceded  them.  To  such  men  we 
turn  to  seek  the  hope  of  the  great  pro- 
fession in  the  future,  to  the  men  who, 
forgetful  of  personal  considerations,  lose 
themselves  either  in  the  interest  of  the 
great  questions  with  which  they  have 
concerned  themselves,  or  in  the  joy  of 
rendering  a  deep  service  to  their  fellow 
men.  The  place  held  by  Dr.  MacGruer 
in  the  community  is  one  that  any  man 
might  desire,  but  it  is  one  that  he  de- 
serves in  every  particular,  one  that  he 
gained  by  no  chance  fortune,  but  by  hard 
and  industrious  work,  and  a  most  liberal 
treatment  of  his  fellow  men.  He  is  a  man 
who  enjoys  a  great  reputation,  and  one 
whose  clientele  is  so  large  that  it  is  easy 
for  him  to  discriminate  in  favor  of  the 
better  or  wealthier  class  of  patients,  but 
it  is  his  principle  to  ask  no  questions  as 
to  the  standing  of  those  who  seek  his 
professional  aid,  and  he  responds  as  read- 
ily to  the  call  of  the  indigent  as  to  that 
of  the  most  prosperous.  It  thus  happens 
that  he  does  a  great  deal  of  philanthropic 
work  in  the  city,  and  is  greatly  beloved 
by  the  poorer  classes  there.  It  is  the 
function  of  the  physician  to  bring  good 
cheer  and  encouragement  almost  as  much 
as  the  more  material  assistance  generally 
associated  with  his  profession ;  often,  in- 
deed, it  forms  the  major  part  of  his  treat- 
ment, especially  in  those  numerous  cases 
where  the  skin  is  involved,  and  for  this 
office  Dr.  MacGruer  is  particularly  well 
fitted  both  by  temperament  and  philoso- 
phy. There  is  much  that  is  depressing 
about  the  practice  of  medicine,  the  con- 
stant contact  with  suffering  and  death, 
yet  the  fundamental  cheerfulness  of  Dr. 
MacGruer  never  suffers  eclipse  and  is 
noticeable  in  every  relation  of  his  life. 


BROCK  WAY,  Albert  Leverett, 

Accomplislied  Arcliitect. 

It  is  a  popular  notion  that  the  reward  of 
merit  is  generally  delayed  until  after  the 
death  of  the  deserving,  and  that  very  few 
men  ever  taste  the  fruit  of  their  own 
achievement.  But  this  is  only  very  im- 
perfectly true  to-day  in  this  country,  and 
applies  only  to  certain  departments  of  en- 
deavor, departments  to  which  the  public 
as  a  whole  are  indifferent.  In  almost 
every  other  matter  the  people  of  our 
country  are  far  too  alert  and  practical  to 
allow  talent  and  ability  to  go  unre- 
marked or  unrewarded,  and  are  rather 
disposed  to  pay  a  heavy  premium  for 
their  service.  Especially  is  this  the  case 
in  everything  that  has  to  do  with  the 
operation  of  business — industrial,  com- 
mercial, financial — and  the  talented  in 
any  of  these  lines  is  apt  to  be  early  sought 
and  discovered.  But  it  applies  also  to 
many  of  the  professions,  and  even  to  that 
one  which  includes  so  large  an  element 
of  the  aesthetic  in  its  nature — architec- 
ture. Here  too,  if  the  qualifications  of 
him  who  professes  it  are  notable,  appreci- 
ation and  recognition  is  often  bestowed  in 
large  measure,  and  the  reward  granted  is 
in  some  degree  commensurate  with  the 
service  offered.  The  truth  of  the  above 
finds  illustration  in  the  career  of  Albert 
Leverett  Brockway,  of  Syracuse,  New 
York,  whose  reputation  as  an  architect 
has  become  national,  and  whose  influence 
upon  his  art  and  its  practice  has  been  ex- 
tremely marked,  and  always  exerted  in 
the  direction  of  higher  ideals  and  better 
standards  of  practice. 

Albert  Leverett  Brockway  comes  of 
good  New  York  stock,  and  is  a  son  of 
Leverett  E.  and  Clara  (Kingsley)  Brock- 
way, and  a  brother  of  Howard  Brockway, 
the  distinguished  musician  and  composer. 
He  was  born  December  28,  1864,  at  Utica, 
New   York,   and   as   a   lad   was   sent   to 


334 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Brooklyn,  where  he  entered  the  Brook- 
lyn Polytechnic  Institute,  where  he  took 
a  scientific  course  and  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1883.  Upon  the  comple- 
tion of  his  studies  at  this  institution,  Mr. 
Brockway,  who  had  decided  in  the  mean- 
time upon  architecture  as  his  career  in 
life,  traveled  abroad,  and  spent  the  two 
following  years  at  the  Ecole  des  Beaux 
Arts,  where  he  took  a  course  in  this  sub- 
ject. Upon  returning  to  the  United 
States  after  his  studies  in  Paris,  he  set- 
tled at  Syracuse,  New  York,  where  he  be- 
gan the  practice  of  architecture.  His 
progress  in  this  direction  was,  however, 
interrupted  by  an  offer  from  the  Syracuse 
University  that  he  should  occupy  its  chair 
of  architecture.  This  he  accepted,  and  in 
1893  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his 
professorial  incumbency.  He  began  at 
once  to  remodel  the  whole  architectural 
course  of  the  university,  bringing  it 
into  line  with  more  modern  ideas.  With 
this  purpose  in  view  he  modeled  it  upon 
the  similar  course  as  given  at  the  Ecole 
des  Beaux  Arts.  He  resigned  from  this 
position,  however,  in  1895,  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he 


the  Society  of  Beaux  .-\rts  Architects, 
chairman  of  the  City  Planning  Commis- 
sion of  Syracuse,  and  member  (jf  the  ad- 
visory board  of  the  Department  of  Effi- 
ciency and  Economy.  Mr.  Brockway  re- 
sides at  No.  403  Comstock  avenue,  Syra- 
cuse, and  maintains  an  office  in  the  Third 
National  Bank  Building  of  that  city.  Mr. 
Brockway  was  united  in  marriage,  on  the 
thirty-first  day  of  October,  1893,  with 
Miss  Frances  Hart  Dunn,  (jf  Syracuse, 
New  York. 

The  success  of  Mr.  Brockway  in  his 
chosen  profession  is  due  to  the  posses- 
sion by  him  of  a  combination  of  virtues 
and  talents  greatly  in  demand  in  this 
world.  At  the  basis  of  his  character,  as 
they  are  at  the  basis  of  all  character  that 
amounts  to  anything,  are  the  fundamental 
virtues  of  sincerity  and  courage,  a  sincer- 
ity which  renders  him  incapable  of  taking 
advantage  of  another  and  a  courage  that 
keeps  him  cheerful  and  determined  in  the 
face  of  all  obstacles.  To  these  he  adds 
a  practical  grasp  of  affairs  and  an  idealism 
which  keeps  his  outlook  fresh  and  his 
aims  pure  and  high-minded.  Both  these 
qualities,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  point 


has  continued  with  unabated  success  ever     out,  are  most  valuable  ones  in  the  profes- 


since.  He  is  a  recognized  authority  on 
his  subject,  and  some  time  ago  was  re- 
tained by  the  State  to  write  an  article  on 
the  "Problems  of  construction  of  build- 
ings for  the  State  Hospitals  for  the  In- 
sane." 

He  is  affiliated  with  many  of  the  most 
important  professional  organizations  in 
this  country,  and  is  a  fellow  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Architects,  president  of 
the  New  York  State  Association  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Architects,  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Housing  Association, 
of  the  general  board  of  the  National  City 
Planning  Conference,  of  the  Architec- 
tural League  of  New  York  City,  of  the 
National  Fire  Protection  Association,  of 


sion  of  architecture,  where,  as  has  already 
been  remarked,  the  practical  and  the  artis- 
tic are  so  closely  wedded.  And,  indeed, 
his  work  as  an  architect  amply  shows  this 
happy  union  of  qualities,  combining  as  it 
does  an  intelligence  in  plan  and  arrange- 
ment with  a  beauty  of  design  quite  re- 
markable. In  all  the  relations  of  his  life, 
in  all  his  associations  with  his  fellows, 
these  same  qualities  stand  out  in  a  marked 
manner,  and  gain  for  him  the  admiration 
and  affection  of  all  who  come  in  contact 
with  him,  even  in  the  most  casual  way. 
In  his  domestic  relations  his  conduct  is 
of  the  highest  type,  and  he  finds  his  chief 
happiness  in  the  intimate  intercourse  of 
liis  own  household. 


335 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGFL\PHY 


RUBER,  George  Henry, 

Man  of  Enterprise. 

The  dignity  of  labor  is  a  theme  much 
discussed.  In  the  Old  World  it  has  al- 
ways meant  a  different  thing  to  the  con- 
struction put  upon  the  phrase  in  America, 
for  in  lands  where  caste  prevails  between 
classes,  the  aristocracy  is  inclined  to  look 
down  on  the  classes  that  do  the  real  work 
of  the  world ;  but  of  this,  happily,  we 
know  practically  nothing  in  the  United 
States ;  in  fact,  here,  if  one  does  not  labor, 
or  at  least  is  employed  at  something  one 
is  not  likely  to  be  as  highly  regarded  by 
one's  associates  as  if  he  were  energetic 
and  not  afraid  of  honest  work.  The  late 
George  Henry  Huber,  well  known  horse- 
man and  business  man  of  New  York  City, 
was  a  believer  in  the  dignity  of  labor,  and 
he  was  possessed  of  great  energy  and 
industry,  worked  his  way  up  from  a 
modest  beginning  to  a  position  of  promi- 
nence in  the  world's  affairs  through  his 
own  indomitable  efforts,  and  at  the  same 
time  won  and  retained  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
associated. 

Mr.  Huber  was  born  on  September  29, 
1843,  ^^  Lockport,  Miami  county,  Ohio, 
his  birth  occurring  in  a  pioneer  wagon  or 
old-time  "prairie  schooner"  in  which  his 
parents  were  journeying  to  the  then  west- 
ern frontier  in  search  of  a  new  home.  He 
was  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Frances  Huber, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  where  they 
spent  their  earlier  years,  finally  immigrat- 
ing to  the  United  States,  establishing 
their  home  at  Hicksville,  Ohio.  They 
were  plain,  honest,  hardworking  people, 
and  there  became  very  comfortably  situ- 
ated through  their  industr\^  There  their 
son.  George  H.  Huber.  grew  up  amid  a 
primitive  environment  worked  hard  when 
a  boy,  assisting  his  father,  and  attended 
the  public  schools  there.     He  was  an  ex- 


ceptionally bright  lad  and  was  ambitious 
to  rise  in  the  world.  He  devoted  his  spare 
moments  at  home  to  study,  and  became  a 
splendid  example  of  a  self-taught,  self- 
made  man.  He  began  life  for  himself  by 
teaching  school  at  Hicksville,  but  did  not 
remain  long  in  this  field  of  endeavor,  later 
entering  the  service  of  a  noted  physician 
of  that  place,  assisting  him  in  his  work 
for  some  time.  But  desiring  to  do  big 
things,  he  left  Hicksville  and  went  to 
Chicago,  where  he  knew  he  would  have 
every  opportunity,  and  there  learned  the 
grocery  business.  Seeing  an  opportunity 
to  win  success  in  selling  gas  fixtures, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  a  gas  fixture 
manufacturing  company  as  salesman,  in 
which  work  he  was  very  successful  from 
the  first  and  subsequently  reaped  large 
financial  rewards  in  this  line.  He  finally 
went  to  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  en- 
tered the  restaurant  and  hotel  business. 
He  had  joined  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks,  which  lodge  had  no 
meeting  place  of  its  own  in  Brooklyn,  so 
Mr.  Huber  set  aside  a  room  permanently 
for  this  purpose  in  his  place  of  business, 
which  proved  to  be  the  first  home  of  this 
now  great  fraternal  order  in  Brooklyn. 
He  met  with  success  from  the  first  in  his 
ventures  in  a  business  way  in  this  city. 

On  November  5.  1888,  Mr.  Huber  was 
married,  in  New  York  City,  to  Minnie 
Schult.  and  they  immediately  went 
abroad,  visiting  her  parental  home  in  Ger- 
many. While  on  this  trip  Mr.  Huber  be- 
came strongly  attached  to  Matilda  Schult, 
a  little  girl,  and  obtained  consent  of  her 
parents  to  care  for  her  through  life,  so  he 
brought  the  child  to  America  with  them, 
reared  her  carefully,  and  gave  her  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  splendid  education.  Mrs. 
Huber  was  a  noted  singer,  and  was  a  de- 
vout Christian  and  home  woman,  and 
accorded  the  tenderest  of  motherly  treat- 
ment to  her  beautiful  adopted  daughter. 


336 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mrs.  Huber  was  summoned  to  her  eternal 
rest  in  the  year  1901. 

Upon  his  return  from  Europe,  Mr. 
Huber  established  a  large  museum  on 
Fourteenth  street,  New  York  City,  which 
became  widely  known,  and  attracted  the 
thinking  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  for  it  contained  many  of  the  most 
interesting  of  the  earth's  wonders  and 
was  always  a  favorite  resort  for  the 
studious  and  curious.  He  spared  no  ex- 
pense in  collecting  suitable  exhibits  and 
attractions,  and  this  business  gave  him  a 
world-wide  reputation. 

Mr.  Huber  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
blooded  live  stock,  especially  horses,  of 
which  he  was  an  exceptionally  good  judge. 
He  purchased  over  six  hundred  acres  of 
valuable  land  near  Lake  Champlain,  New 
York,  which  he  improved  into  a  model 
stock  farm  on  which  he  raised  large  num- 
bers of  blooded  horses  and  other  stock. 
He  became  a  familiar  figure  on  the  speed- 
way, driving  his  own  horses,  and  was  for 
years  widely  known  as  a  horseman.  He 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  outdoors,  and 
also  traveled  extensively.  However,  he 
was  ever  a  hard  worker  and  applied  him- 
self closely  to  business.  He  could  always 
be  found  at  his  desk  in  his  downtown 
ofifice  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
He  was  enterprising,  farseeing,  and  pos- 
sessed splendid  judgment ;  was  broad- 
minded  and  an  authority  on  many  lines 
of  business,  so  that  many  sought  his  ad- 
vice in  their  business  affairs.  He  was 
popular  with  a  very  wide  acquaintance, 
and  was  known  as  a  man  of  high  ideals 
and  upright  character, — scrupulously  hon- 
est, kind,  genial,  and  obliging.  His  em- 
ployees always  appreciated  him,  remain- 
ing in  his  service  as  long  as  possible.  He 
was  a  plain  unassuming  gentleman,  and 
never  talked  of  his  business  plans,  of  his 
successes  or  ambitions.  Charitably  in- 
clined, he  often  helped  the  sick  and  needy. 


On  July  2,  1902,  Mr.  Huber  married  fur 
his  second  wife,  Miss  Matilda  Schult,  a 
daughter  of  Magnus  and  Anna  (Burning) 
Schult,  natives  of  Germany,  who  eventu- 
ally established  their  home  in  America. 

George  Henry  Huber  was  summoned 
to  close  his  eyes  on  earthly  scenes  at  his 
late  beautiful  home  in  New  York  City,  on 
June  24,  1916,  when  lacking  a  few  months 
of  his  seventy-third  birthday,  thus  round- 
ing out  a  long,  successful  and  useful  life. 


SHANTZ,  Moses  B., 

Manafactnrer. 

Rochester,  known  everywhere  as  a 
great  manufacturing  city,  is  further  nota- 
ble in  the  fact  that  it  is  the  home  of  many 
enterprises  which,  starting  from  humble 
beginnings,  have  become  the  largest  in 
the  world.  This  argues  that  in  their  de- 
velopment a  man  was  the  prime  factor,  a 
man  of  imagination,  invention,  energy, 
power  of  concentration  and  organization, 
with  the  executive  strength  to  conduct 
after  creating.  Coming  to  this  point 
without  forcing  the  conclusion,  the  busi- 
ness of  M.  B.  Shantz,  Incorporated,  is 
cited  as  a  case  in  point.  Mr.  Shantz  did 
not  invent  buttons,  nor  their  uses,  nor 
the  machinery  for  making  them.  But  he 
has  developed  one  of  the  largest  button 
manufacturing  businesses  in  the  United 
States,  and  behind  this  business  is  the 
man.  Aside  from  his  own  large  business 
that  he  personally  conducts,  it  is  a  fact  of 
absorbing  interest  that  a  large  percentage 
of  the  men  who  are  now  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  buttons  all  over  the 
United  States  received  their  training 
under  Mr.  Shantz  at  Berlin,  now  Kitch- 
ener, Ontario,  that  plant  being  familiarly 
known  in  the  trade  as  the  "Button 
Makers'  College." 

A  review  of  his  ancestry  is  both  inter- 
esting and  pertinent  to  this  summary  of 


N  Y-5-22 


337 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  career.  His  great-grandfather,  Jacob 
Shantz,  a  Mennonite,  seeking  refuge  from 
religious  persecution,  learned  that  in  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania,  in  far-away- 
America,  William  Penn  had  established  a 
colony  where  man  might  worship  God 
"according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  con- 
science." In  1710  he  came  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, locating  near  Philadelphia,  and  there 
a  son,  Jacob  Shantz,  was  born.  In  1810 
Jacob  Shantz  immigrated  to  what  is  now 
Kitchener,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
passing  on  his  way  through  the  Valley  of 
the  Genesee,  having  part  of  the  time  as 
a  traveling  companion  Colonel  Nathaniel 
Rochester,  later  the  founder  of  the  city 
that  bears  his  name. 

Jacob  Y.  Shantz,  grandson  of  the 
founder  and  father  of  Moses  B.  Shantz, 
became  a  large  landowner  at  Berlin,  now 
Kitchener,  Ontario,  Canada,  his  fourteen 
hundred  acres  being  made  to  produce 
abundantly  through  following  the  best 
methods  obtainable  from  books  or  experi- 
ence. He  became  the  financial  magnate 
of  his  section  and  in  his  daily  walk  ex- 
emplified the  best  teachings  of  the  re- 
ligion of  his  fathers,  a  faith  he  unquali- 
fiedly adopted  as  his  own.  There  was 
quite  a  large  colony  of  Mennonites  in  Ber- 
lin and  in  the  surrounding  country,  and 
through  the  influence  of  Jacob  Y.  Shantz 
a  tide  of  Mennonite  immigration  was 
started  toward  Manitoba,  now  an  im- 
mense wheat  granary-.  The  history  of  the 
Mennonite  settlement  in  Manitoba  is  a 
part  of  the  life  story  of  Jacob  Y.  Shantz, 
little  known  beyond  his  family  circle.  The 
Mennonites  of  Germany,  cruelly  perse- 
cuted through  their  refusal  to  perform 
military  service,  sought  asylum  in  Russia 
by  invitation  of  the  Russian  government. 
About  1870,  however,  that  government 
revoked  the  order  exempting  them  from 
military  duty  and  a  ukase  was  promul- 
gated by  the  Czar  compelling  them  with- 


in a  period  of  about  ten  years  to  comply 
with  the  compulsory  military  service  laws 
under  which  Russians  lived.  Rather  than 
do  violence  to  their  religious  principles 
forbidding  war,  the  Mennonites  decided 
to  emigrate  once  more.  Their  representa- 
tives, sent  abroad,  after  visiting  Australia 
and  South  America,  went  to  the  Men- 
nonite community  in  Berlin  and  there  met 
Jacob  Y.  Shantz,  who,  speaking  the  Ger- 
man language,  was  able  to  converse  with 
them.  They  insisted  that  he  should  ad- 
vise them  as  to  a  suitable  location,  and  he 
presented  the  claims  of  Manitoba.  He 
visited  that  Canadian  province  with  them, 
and  promised  them  financial  aid  if  they 
decided  there  to  locate.  When  it  was  so 
decided  Mr.  Shantz  personally  obtained 
thirty-four  thousand  dollars  as  a  loan 
from  his  Mennonite  neighbors  of  Berlin 
and  obtained  from  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment a  further  loan  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  to  aid  the  movement,  pledg- 
ing his  own  honor  and  property  as  secur- 
ity. He  made  contracts  with  steamship 
companies,  saw  the  first  colony  located  on 
its  farms,  bought  agricultural  implements 
from  the  United  States  by  almost  train 
loads  and  financed  the  colony  until  they 
harvested  a  crop,  became  self-supporting 
and  began  repayment.  In  1874  about 
eighteen  hundred  colonists  were  brought 
over,  in  1875  twenty-two  hundred  more 
arrived,  and  within  three  years  from  the 
beginning  of  the  flow  thirteen  hundred 
and  forty-three  families,  numbering  eight 
thousand  souls,  settled  in  Manitoba 
through  the  efforts  of  Jacob  Y.  Shantz. 
Industrious,  frugal,  and  thrifty,  the 
colony  prospered,  all  moneys  advanced 
were  repaid,  and  there  peace  and  content- 
ment reign. 

When  it  was  proposed  to  start  a  button 
factory  at  Berlin,  Mr.  Shantz,  with  his 
accustomed  public  spirit,  encouraged  the 
enterprise    by    subscribing    liberally    for 


238 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOCRAril^' 


stock.  Under  the  earlier  management  the 
enterprise,  unskillfully  handled,  did  not 
prosper,  and  to  protect  his  investment  as 
well  as  to  continue  employment  for  the 
many  young  people  of  Berlin,  Mr.  Shantz 
purchased  the  business  and  conducted  it 
under  the  name  of  the  Dominion  Button 
Company.  Thus  button  manufacture  be- 
came an  inheritance  of  Moses  B.  Shantz 
from  his  honored  father. 

Moses  B.  Shantz,  son  of  Jacob  Y.  and 
Barbara  (Biehm)  Shantz,  was  born  in 
Berlin,  now  Kitchener,  Canada,  August 
24,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  public 
schools  and  Hamilton  Business  College, 
spending  his  early  life  on  the  home  farm. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  his  father 
gave  him  a  force  of  six  or  eight  hands 
and  placed  him  in  charge  of  one  of  his 
farms.  Thus  early  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  he  developed  the  quality  of 
initiative  and  the  habit  of  self-reliance 
that  have  characterized  his  later  years. 
In  addition  to  managing  the  farm  allotted 
to  him  he  was  able  to  render  his  father 
great  service  in  connection  with  the 
colony  of  Mennonites  heretofore  men- 
tioned. He  was  entrusted  with  the  settle- 
ment of  accounts  with  the  steamship  com- 
panies, with  the  United  States  implement 
dealers,  and  with  the  various  concerns 
supplying  seed,  food,  and  other  neces- 
saries. He  paid  all  these  bills,  and,  when 
the  tide  turned,  he  collected  the  payment 
due  from  the  colonists,  at  times  returning 
from  a  collection  trip  with  ten  thousand 
dollars  in  gold  in  a  bag  on  his  shoulder. 
After  a  course  at  business  college  he  be- 
came bookkeeper  for  the  Dominion  But- 
ton Company,  then  owned  by  his  father, 
and  there  clearly  saw  why  the  company 
was  losing  money.  When  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  factory  gave  up  his  posi- 
tion young  Mr.  Shantz  importuned  his 
father  to  give  him  the  management  of  the 
plant,  promising  quickly  to  improve  the 
financial  condition.    This  promise  he  kept 


by  stopping  the  leaks  and  by  installing 
a  system  of  manufacture  that  br(jught  n(jt 
only  profit,  but  fame.  He  continued  in 
charge  of  the  "Berlin  Button  College,"  as 
the  plant  was  familiarly  known  in  the 
trade,  until  1886.  then  became  manager 
of  a  branch  factory  located  at  Buffalo. 
New  York.  In  1887  he  sold  his  interests 
elsewhere  and  located  in  Rochester,  con- 
ducting a  button  factory  on  Water  street. 
He  there  prospered,  and  in  1891  incor- 
porated as  the  M.  B.  Shantz  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  M.  B.  Shantz,  president. 
H.  K.  Welcher,  vice-president.  H.  K.  Kls- 
ton,  secretary  and  treasurer.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Welcher,  Mr.  Shantz  with- 
drew from  the  company  and  organized 
his  present  enterprise,  which  he  incor- 
porated as  the  M.  B.  Shantz,  Incorporated. 
The  name  Shantz,  so  well  and  favorably 
know-n  to  the  trade  everywhere,  is  re- 
tained, and  all  printed  matter  issued  by 
the  company  carries  the  name  "M.  B. 
Shantz,  Incorporated."  Mr.  Shantz  oper- 
ates one  of  the  largest  button  manufac- 
turing factories  in  the  United  States  on 
Monroe  avenue,  Rochester,  with  branch 
salesrooms  in  New  York  and  Chicago,  his 
specialties  being  buttons  made  from  vege- 
table ivory  and  pearl.  The  factory  is 
eciuipped  with  every  modern  mechanical 
invention,  device,  or  process  that  makes 
for  efficiency  in  production  and  quality, 
and  is  one  of  Rochester's  prominent  in- 
dustrial plants.  In  achieving  a  notable 
success  in  the  commercial  world  Mr. 
Shantz  has  maintained  the  highest  stand- 
ard of  business  integrity,  has  sacrificed  no 
high  ideal,  nor  has  compromised  the  lofty 
principles  that  marked  his  upright  father. 
All  recognize  the  sterling  quality  of  his 
manhood  and  pay  to  him  the  tribute  of 
esteem  that  everywhere  is  accorded  true 
moral  worth.  Refined  by  nature,  soft  of 
voice,  intellectual  in  his  tastes,  keen, 
shrewd,    sympathetic,   and    approachable, 


^o9 


EXXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  is  a  man  gifted  with  a  personality  that 
explains  why  it  is  the  man,  rather  than 
the  product,  that  has  won  success. 

Mr.  Shantz  married,  December  7,  1875, 
Veronica,  daughter  of  Jonas  Bingeman, 
of  Waterloo  county,  Ontario,  Canada. 
Their  children  are:  Edgar;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  H.  M.  Rogers,  of  Springfield,  Mas- 
sachusetts ;  Alson ;  Vera ;  Irene,  wife  of 
Charles  Henry  Hathaway,  of  New  York 
City  ;  Marshall  B. ;  and  Harold  E.,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Rochester,  class 
of  1915. 


LOUCKS,  Willis  Isaac, 

Manufacturer. 

There  are  many  descendants  of  Philip 
and  Nicholas  Laux,  Palatinates,  who  on 
Christmas  Day  of  1709  sailed  from  Eng- 
land, and  after  a  perilous  voyage  of  six 
months  arrived  in  New  York,  June  14, 
1710,  driven  from  Germany  by  the  venge- 
ance of  the  French  King,  Louis  XIV., 
who  was  particularly  bitter  against  his 
Protestant  subjects  who  had  fled  from  his 
tyranny  first  to  Germany,  thence  to  Eng- 
land. Late  in  171 1,  Philip  Laux  and  fam- 
ily settled  in  Schoharie  county,  New 
York,  buying  land  at  Middleburg,  in  the 
town  of  Sharon,  where  he  founded  the 
family  to  which  Willis  Isaac  Loucks, 
president  of  Loucks  Brothers,  glove 
manufacturers  of  Johnstown,  New  York, 
belongs. 

The  American  history  of  the  family 
shows  that  as  soldiers,  farmers  and  busi- 
ness men,  the  name  was  prominent  in 
Schoharie  and  other  counties  of  the  State, 
and  that  all  bore  well  their  part  in  found- 
ing a  nation  and  in  developing  the  re- 
sources of  the  commonwealth.  Many  of 
the  Laux  family  served  in  the  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  wars ;  served  with 
Herkimer  at  Oriskany,  with  the  Ameri- 
can army  on  the  Niagara  frontier  in  1812, 
and  in  the  great  Civil  War.  Willis  I. 
Loucks  (as  the  name  was  anglicized)  is 


a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elzina  (Darrow) 
Loucks.  Daniel  Loucks  was  born  Febru- 
ary 10,  1840,  and  became  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  hop  grower  of  Sharon  Hill, 
New  York. 

Willis   Isaac   Loucks  was  born  at  the 
homestead  farm  at  Sharon  Hill,  town  of 
Sharon,    Schoharie    county.    New    York, 
June   15,  1873.     He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  finishing  with  a  full  course 
at  Gloversville  Business  College,  whence 
he  was  graduated,  class  of  1893.     He  be- 
gan business  life  as  an  employe  of  Mc- 
Graw    &    Zimmer,    glove    manufacturers, 
and  from  that  time  has  been  closely  iden- 
tified with  that  great  New  York  industry, 
glove  manufacturing.   He  spent  five  years 
in  mastering  the  details  of  the  business, 
becoming    thoroughly    familiar    with    its 
every  feature  from  the  skin  to  the  shelf 
of  the  retailer,  then  began  manufacturing 
under   his   own    name   as   partner   of   the 
firm  of  McGraw  &  Loucks,  organized  in 
1898.     That  firm  had  a  successful  life  of 
seven  years,  then  Mr.   Loucks  organized 
and  incorporated  his  business  as  Loucks 
Brothers,  and  since  1905  has  been  its  first 
and  only  executive  head.    He  is  a  capable, 
energetic  business  man,  progressive  in  his 
methods,  honorable  and  upright  in  all  his 
dealings  and  highly  esteemed  in  his  com- 
munity. 

He  is  a  member  of  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  In 
all  that  pertains  to  material  and  moral 
improvement  he  lends  a  willing  hand,  and 
can  always  be  found  on  the  side  of  law, 
order  and  all  good  causes. 

Mr.  Loucks  married,  December  25, 
1895,  at  Gloversville,  New  York,  Leonora 
May  Fort,  daughter  of  John  Henry  and 
Carrie  (Heath)  Fort.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Loucks  have  two  children :  Milton  Al- 
bert, born  February  11,  1897;  Ruth  He- 
lene,  born  March  23,  1907.  The  family 
home  is  at  Johnstown,  New  York. 


340 


TKE  K^W  KPX 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,    L'^».;"X 


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EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHY 


31,  1S99;   Esther  Louise,  born  September 
3.  1905- 

cThe  Webster  Line). 

(li  Mrs.  Alexander  Meldrum  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Webster,  who  lived 
with  his  wife  Margaret  in  Ormsby.  Xor- 
folk  countv,  England,  where  he  died  in 
April,  1634.  Mis  widow  subsequently 
married  \\  illiam  Godfrey,  with  whom  she 
came  to  America,  bringing  her  son.  Thom- 
as 1  2  1  Webster. 

(II)  Thomas  (2)  Webster,  son  of 
Thomas  ( i )  and  Margaret  Webster, 
was  born  in  November.  1631,  in  Ormsby. 
England,  and  came  to  Watertown,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  company  with  his  foster 
father  and  other  early  settlers  of  that 
town.  He  removed  with  the  pioneers 
to  Hampton.  Xew  Hampshire,  where  he 
died  January  5.  1715,  aged  eighty-three 
years.  He  married.  Xovember  2.  1656. 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Brewer,  of 
Roxbury,  ^lassachusetts. 

(III)  Ebenezer  Webster,  second  son 
of  Thomas  (2)  and  Sarah  (Brewer)  Web- 
ster, was  born  August  i.  1667.  served  in 
the  Indian  War,  and  was  pilot,  guide  or 
scout  to  Captain  Oilman's  company.  Au- 
gust, 1710,  which  went  in  pursuit  of  In- 
dians. He  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
Kingston.  X'ew  Hampshire,  and  a  settler 
there.  He  married.  July  25.  1709.  Hannah 
Judkins.  who  died  February  21,  1756. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  (2)  Webster,  eldest  son 
of  Ebenezer  (i)  and  Hannah  (Judkins) 
Webster,  was  born  October  10,  1714.  and 
lived  in  Kingston,  where  he  was  identified 
with  the  clearing  up  of  that  portion  of  the 
wilderness.  He  married,  July  20.  1738. 
Susannah  Batchelder.    She  was  born  May 

■28.  1713.  in  Hampton  Falls,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Susannah  ( Page)  Batchel- 
der. 

I  V)  Deacon  Thomas  (3)  Webster,  son 
of  Ebenezer  (2)  and  Susannah  '  Batchel- 
der) Webster,  was  born  about  1741.  and 
lived  in  the  west  parish  of  Haverhill,  Mas- 


sachusetts, where  he  died  December  31, 
1781.  He  married,  October  14,  1706,  a 
widow,  Abigail  Emery.  j'he  births  of 
two  of  their  sons  are  recorded  in  Haver- 
hill;  Thomas,  August  10.  1767;  Daniel, 
July  2y,  1771.  The  birth  of  their  third 
son,  Enos,  is  not  recorded  in  Haverhill. 

(\'I)  Family  records  show  that  Enos 
Webster  was  the  son  of  Deacon  Thomas 
(3)  Webster,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
was  born  about  1780. 

(\TI)  Benjamin  Franklin  Webster,  son 
of  Enos  Webster,  married  Elizabeth 
Story  Hackett,  and  was  the  father  of 
Ann  Elizabeth  Webster,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Meldrum  as  above  noted. 

(The  Hackett  Line). 

The  Hackett  family  is  an  old  one  in 
Xew  England. 

(I)  Captain  William  Hackett.  who  was 
a  mariner,  lived  in  Salisbury.  Massachu- 
setts, and  died  there,  March  6,  1713.  He 
received  a  grant  of  land  in  Dover,  Xew 
Hampshire,  in  1665-67,  and  possessed  a 
share  in  the  common  lands  in  Amesbury, 
Massachusetts.  In  1671  he  commanded 
the  sloop  "Tndeavor"  and  was  detained  in 
Xew  Jersey  for  failure  to  pay  duty,  after 
having  made  payment  in  Xew  York.  The 
sloop  was  seized  by  Xew  Jersey  author- 
ities. He  married,  January  31,  1667.  Sarah 
Barnard,  of  Amesbury.  daughter  of  Thom- 
as and  Elinor  Barnard. 

(II)  Their  third  son.  Captain  William 
(2)  Hackett.  was  born  March  10,  1683.  in 
Salisbury,  was  a  soldier  in  1702-10.  and 
died  August  12,  1753.  in  his  native  town. 
He  married.  December  9.  1708.  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Hannah  (Whit- 
tier)  Young. 

(III)  Their  second  son,  William  (3) 
Hackett,  born  Xovember  2S.  1712,  in  Sal- 
isbury, married  in  that  town.  May  15. 
1735,  a  widow,  Elizabeth  Stephens.  They 
had  four  sons  born  in  Salisbury. 

(I\*)   Their    second    son,    William    (4) 


343 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hackett,  was  born  May  i,  1739,  in  Salis- 
bury. In  association  with  John  Hackett 
he  owned  the  ship  yards  and  built  the 
first  frigate  owned  by  the  Continental 
Congress,  the  "Alliance,"  so  named  in 
honor  of  the  alliance  with  France  in  the 
American  Revolution.  She  was  the  best 
ship  in  sailing  qualities  ever  possessed  by 
the  Americans.  This  ship  was  in  the  fight 
between  the  "Bonhomme  Richard''  and 
the  "Serapis."  This  ship  was  later  pre- 
sented to  the  French  Government.  It  is 
the  ship  in  which  General  Lafayette  re- 
turned to  France. 

Other  vessels  were  planned  and  built 
under  the  supervision  of  William  Hackett. 
One,  the  frigate  "Essex,"  built  at  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  was  commanded  by  Com- 
modore Porter.  This  ship's  record  may 
be  found  in  United  States  history.  Wil- 
liam Hackett  married,  April  10,  1760,  in 
Salisbury,  Nanny  Osgood,  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  1738,  in  that  town,  daughter  of 
William  and  Sarah  (Jones)  Osgood. 

(V)  Their  third  son,  Andrew  Hackett, 
born  May  18,  1776,  married  Abigail  Mann, 
and  their  youngest  child,  Elizabeth  Story 
Hackett,  born  August  12,  181 1,  became 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Webster,  of  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  and  the  mother  of 
Ann  Elizabeth  Webster,  wife  of  Alexan- 
der Meldrum. 


POOLEY,  Charles  A.. 

LiAxryer,  Jurist. 

Justice  Charles  A.  Pooley,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  is 
an  example  of  a  type  of  jurist  which  we 
perhaps  are  apt  to  associate  more  with  the 
generation  which  has  passed  than  with 
that  of  the  present.  It  appears  that  we  do 
not  find  to-day,  as  frequently  as  we  might, 
that  type  of  lawyer  and  judge  with  which 
the  splendid  traditions  of  the  American 
bar  have  made  us  familiar  in  past  times. 


the  lawyer  who  is  wrapped  up  in  his  pro- 
fession for  its  own  sake  without  regard  to 
ulterior  objects,  the  judge  who  loves  jus- 
tice above  gain  and  sets  the  welfare  of  the 
Commonwealth  before  the  advantage  of 
any  private  interest  whatsoever.  But  al- 
though we  instinctively  turn  to  the  past 
when  we  would  look  for  such  a  figure, 
nevertheless  our  own  day  affords  us  many 
fine  examples  of  such,  nor  could  we  desire  a 
better  one  than  that  offered  by  Charles 
A.  Pooley,  the  distinguished  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  brief  appreciation 
and  whose  reputation  has  so  far  over- 
lapped the  limits  of  his  home  community 
that  he  is  now  a  figure  of  State-wide  im- 
portance and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
foremost  lawyers  of  the  Empire  State. 
Justice  Pooley  comes  of  that  fine  stock 
upon  which  American  citizenship  is  based 
as  upon  a  rock,  and,  while  a  native  of  this 
country,  is  a  member  of  an  English  family 
which  migrated  to  the  New  W^orld  at  a 
time  as  recent  as  the  generation  just 
passed. 

His  father,  the  late  William  Pooley,  was 
born  in  Cornwall.  England,  ?nd  his  grand- 
father. Richard  Pooley,  lived  and  died  in 
that  region.  Richard  Pooley  was  the 
owner  of  considerable  land  in  Cornwall, 
and  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity. His  son,  William  Pooley.  being 
of  an  exceedingly  enterprising  nature, 
gave  up  the  advantages  which  were  his 
in  the  mother  country  and  came  to  the 
United  States  as  a  young  man,  about 
1845.  Five  years  later  he  settled  at  Buf- 
falo. New  York,  where  for  a  number  of 
years  he  successfully  carried  on  a  lumber 
and  planing  mill  industry.  Retiring  from 
that  business  in  1876.  he  thereafter  de- 
voted himself  to  the  care  of  his  very  con- 
siderable property  until  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1902.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
and  marked  character,  and  his  citizenship 
was  of  that  sterling  type  which,  without 


344 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


the  influence  which  comes  from  public 
position,  exerts  a  strong  and  beneficent 
effect  upon  the  community-at-large.  Mr. 
Pooley  married  Mary  A.  Menary,  a  lady  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage,  whose  family  had 
settled  in  Canada  about  the  same  time 
that  Mr.  Poole\-  had  come  to  the  United 
States.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pooley  were  the 
parents  of  several  children,  of  whom  the 
survivors  are  :  Charles  A.,  with  whose  ca- 
reer we  are  especially  concerned  ;  George 
C,  and  Minnie  M.,  who  became  the  wife 
of  George  C.  Finley.  all  residents  of  Buf- 
falo. 

Born  November  17.  1854.  in  the  city  of 
FiufTalo.  New  York.  Charles  A.  Pooley 
gained  his  elementary  education  at  Public 
School  Xo.  I,  and  afterwards  attended 
Central  High  School,  from  which  he 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1873.  On 
completing  his  studies  at  the  latter  insti- 
tution, he  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  latter's  large  lumber  busi- 
ness and  continued  actively  engaged 
therein  for  some  three  years.  He  did  not, 
however,  find  this  occupation  wholly  con- 
genial to  him,  his  mind  being  of  that  type 
which  finds  its  most  normal  expression  in 
some  kind  of  professional  work.  Of  this 
fact  he  himself  was  thoroughly  aware, 
and  accordingly  he  began  the  study  of 
law,  January  i,  1876.  entering  for  this  pur- 
pose the  office  of  the  late  Senator  A.  P. 
Laning.  an  eminent  attorney  of  Buffalo. 
Here  he  pursued  his  studies  to  such  good 
purpose  that  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Erie  county  in  April.  1879.  After  his 
admission,  the  young  man  continued  in 
association  with  the  firm  where  he  had 
conducted  his  studies  and  was  for  a  time 
employed  by  them.  This  firm,  which  was 
known  as  Laning.  McMillan  &  Gluck. 
afterwards,  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Laning  and  the  admission  of  Justice 
Pooley.  became  McMillan.  Gluck  & 
Pooley.      Subsequently    was    formed    the 


well  known  law  partnership  of  McMillan, 
<jluck.  Pooley  (Sj  Depew,  which  was  one 
of  the  foremost  legal  firms  in  the  State 
and  handled  the  business  of  some  of  our 
largest  corporations.  Upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Gluck  the  firm  became  McMillan. 
Pooley,  Depew  cS:  Spratt,  and  later,  with 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  McMillan,  it  be- 
came Pooley,  Depew  &  Spratt.  Its  final 
form  was  as  Pooley  <\:  Spratt,  and  this 
firm  was  dissolved  in  February,  1907,  Jus- 
tice Pooley  continuing  his  practice  alone 
until  his  election  to  the  Supreme  Court. 

Justice  Pooley  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  prominent  legal  advisors  of  the 
Xew  York  Central  lines  and  other  large 
corporate  interests,  and  has  always  had 
a  personal  clientage  of  the  highest  class, 
which  received  his  counsel  and  advice. 
His  ideals  in  regard  to  the  office  of  judge 
are  so  high  that  he  regarded  an  election 
to  the  Supreme  Court  as  the  highest  hon- 
or in  the  gift  of  the  State.  He  was  strong- 
ly endorsed  for  appointment  to  succeed 
Judge  Haight  when  the  latter  was  ele- 
vated to  the  Court  of  Appeals,  the  petition 
of  Governor  Morton  being  signed  by  a 
great  number  of  representative  lawyers 
without  regard  to  political  affiliation.  In 
the  summer  of  1895  Justice  Pooley's  name 
was  again  prominently  brought  forward 
as  that  of  a  desirable  candidate  for  the 
Republican  nomination  of  the  Supreme 
Court  bench.  It  was  in  the  year  1910. 
however,  that  he  accepted  the  nomination 
to  this  office  from  the  Democratic  party, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  has  always 
remained  a  staunch  Republican  in  prin- 
ciple. His  action  on  this  occasion  was  in- 
fluenced by  the  fact  that  the  Democratic 
party  in  that  year  was  standing  for  re- 
forms in  the  judiciary  approved  of  by  him. 
and  he  at  the  same  time  accepted  an  en- 
dorsement from  an  independent  move- 
ment which  was  supporting  a  judiciary 
ticket  of  it?  own.     In  the  election  which 


345 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


followed,  Justice  Pooley  received,  not- 
withstanding a  normal  Republican  major- 
ity ranging  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thou- 
sand, a  large  independent  majority  of  the 
ballots  cast,  a  tribute  at  once  to  his  own 
personal  popularity  and  to  the  cause  for 
which  he  had  been  working.  He  assumed 
office  on  January  i,  191 1,  for  a  term  of 
fourteen  years. 

During  his  entire  life,  since  he  reached 
an  age  to  consider  such  matters,  Justice 
Pooley  has  always  taken  the  keenest  in- 
terest in  municipal  afifairs  and  in  problems 
connected  with  the  civic  advancement  and 
general  interests  of  his  home  community. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  law  library  of  the 
Eighth  Judicial  District,  and  for  three 
years  served  as  a  director  of  the  Buffalo 
Library.  He  has  also  been  extremely 
prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and  has 
taken  his  thirty-second  degree  in  Free 
Masonry,  besides  holding  various  offices 
in  the  Masonic  bodies.  Among  those  with 
which  he  has  been  affiliated  are  the  De- 
Molay  Lodge,  No.  498,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  ;  the  Buffalo  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  and  Buffalo  Consistory,  Sover- 
eign Princes  of  the  Royal  Secret.  He  is 
a  past  master  of  DeMolay  Lodge,  and  has 
also  served  a  term  as  district  deputy  grand 
master  of  the  State  of  New  York  for  the 
twenty-fifth  Masonic  district,  and  on 
the  committee  of  the  constitution  of  the 
Grand  Lodge,  under  appointment  of 
Grand  Master  Penney. 

Justice  Charles  A.  Pooley  was  united  in 
marriage,  June  4. 1884,  with  Carrie  Adams, 
a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  S.  Gary  Adams,  of 
Buffalo.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children  :  Harriett  A.,  a  graduate 
of  Vassar  College;  Charles  W.,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Harvard  University  and  now  ac- 
tively practicing  law  in  Buffalo  ;  and  Mar- 
garet H. 

Much  might  be  said  of  the  scholarship 
of  Justice  Pooley,  especially  in  his  own 


subject  and  also  how  it  extended  to  many 
other  matters  besides  the  law,  so  much 
so,  indeed,  that  he  is  justly  regarded  as 
a  man  of  unusual  culture.  As  a  trial 
lawyer  he  is  exceptionally  forceful  and 
backs  up  his  natural  ability  in  this  line 
with  a  very  profound  knowledge  of  his 
subject.  His  career  is  one  that  well  re- 
pays study,  his  character  being  one  of 
those  which  impresses  itself  strongly  upon 
those  about  until  it  has  left  a  certain 
stamp  of  its  own  quality  upon  the  com- 
munity, which  is  thus  enriched  by  its 
presence.  That  he  has  had  a  very  large 
legal  practice  or  even  that  he  is  now  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  conveys  no 
adequate  idea  of  the  place  he  occupies  in 
both  county  and  State  affairs.  The  law 
is  an  exacting  mistress  to  those  who 
would  follow  her.  but  though  exacting, 
she  brings  her  rewards.  Of  her  votaries 
she  demands  from  first  to  last  that  they 
make  themselves  students,  nor  will  she 
excuse  them  from  this  necessity,  howso- 
ever far  they  may  progress  in  knowledge. 
Of  them,  too,  she  will  have  the  strictest 
adherence  to  her  standards,  the  closest 
observation  of  the  etiquette  she  has  ap- 
proved, so  that  one  should  not  inconsider- 
ately pledge  himself  to  her  cause.  If. 
however,  after  learning  all  these  things, 
he  still  feels  a  devotion  to  her  strong 
enough  for  him  to  brave  them,  then  let 
him  undertake  her  adventure,  satisfied 
that,  pursued  boldly  and  diligently,  it  will 
lead  him  eventually  to  some  fair  port,  to 
some  well-favored  place  in  her's  and  the 
v.'orld's  esteem.  Although  there  is  no 
royal  road  to  public  office  and  political 
preferment,  the  palm  must  certainly  be 
given  to  the  law  as  the  best  way  to  these 
desirable  altitudes,  the  way  along  which 
the  majority  of  our  higher  public  officers 
have  traveled.  It  is  perhaps  this,  as  much 
as  any  other  matter,  that  makes  it  the 
choice  of  so  many  of  our  young  men  as  a 


346 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


career  in  life,  a  throng  so  great  that  all 
complain  of  its  overcrowding,  and  yet  a 
throng  that  continues  to  increase.  It  is 
this,  not  unwarrantable  imagination,  that 
it  eventually  leads  somewhere,  more  than 
the  pure  love  of  the  subject  itself,  that 
makes  this  road  so  well  traveled.  Vet 
there  are  some  who  possess  a  pure  love 
of  the  law  for  its  own  sake,  even  in  this 
day  and  generation,  some  who  would  re- 
gard it  as  well  worth  their  best  efforts 
even  though  it  were  an  end  and  not  a 
means,  a  road  that  existed  for  its  own 
sake  and  led  nowhither.  Such  is  un- 
doubtedly true  in  the  case  of  Justice 
Pooley.  To  that  strong  and  essential 
honesty  that  is  the  very  foundation  of 
social  life,  he  adds  a  toleration  of  others 
that  draws  all  men  towards  him  as  to  one 
they  instinctively  recognize  as  a  faithful 
friend,  nor  has  he  ever  disappointed  such 
as  have  trusted  him  with  their  confi- 
dences, giving  comfort  and  advice,  sym- 
pathy or  wholesome  rebuke  as  the  occa- 
sion warrants,  and  ever  with  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  the  circumstances  and  a  pro- 
found and  charitable  understanding  of  the 
motives  of  the  human  heart. 


HAZEL.  John  Raymond, 

'La.-wyer,  Jurist. 

Judge  John  Raymond  Hazel,  of  the 
United  States  District  Court,  who  has 
made  for  himself  a  distinguished  position 
upon  the  bench  of  his  State,  is  a  native  of 
Buffalo,  with  the  life  and  affairs  of  which 
city  he  has  been  most  intimately  identified 
throughout  his  lite  up  to  the  present  time 
(1917).  He  is  of  German  parentage,  both 
his  father  and  mother  having  been  born 
in  Baden,  both  coming  to  the  United 
States  while  still  young.  His  father, 
John  Hazel,  was  a  locomotive  engineer,  some  little  opposition  to  his  appointment 
and  settled  in  Buffalo.  New  York,  where  as  judge  on  the  part  of  those  acquainted 
he  carried  on  the  practice  of  his  trade  for      with  his  character  and  reputation.     Not 

347 


a  number  of  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife. 
who  before  her  marriage  was  Adelaide 
Scherzinger,  are  now  deceased. 

Born  December  18.  i860,  at  Buffalo, 
Xew  York,  John  Raymond  Hazel  at- 
tended the  parochial  and  public  schools  of 
that  city.  Owing  to  circumstances,  how- 
ever, his  schooling  was  decidedly  meagre, 
and  he  is  to  a  large  extent  self-educated. 
When  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  most  of  his  studies  and 
take  up  some  active  employment,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  secured  a  position  in  a  fac- 
tory, where  he  labored  in  a  humble  capac- 
ity for  a  number  of  years.  He  v.as  a 
youth  of  strong  ambitions,  however,  and 
his  attention  being  attracted  to  the  law,  he 
decided  to  make  a  study  of  this  subject, 
and  with  this  end  in  view  sought,  and 
was  successful  in  obtaining,  a  position  in 
a  law  office  at  Buffalo.  Here  he  pursued 
his  studies  to  such  good  purpose  that  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Roche^ter. 
Xew  York,  in  1882.  and  in  association 
with  two  other  young  men  formed  the 
firm  of  Fullerton,  Becker  &  Hazel.  This 
association  was  continued  at  Buffalo  un- 
til the  year  1892.  when  Mr.  Hazel  with- 
drew and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Frank  A.  Abbott,  later  district  attorney 
of  Erie  county.  Xew  York,  under  the 
style  of  Hazel  &  Abbott,  this  firm  con- 
tinuing to  practice  until  the  year  1900. 
In  that  year  Mr.  Hazel  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court, 
for  the  Western  District  of  Xew  York,  by 
President  McKinley. 

Up  to  this  time  Judge  Hazel  had  been 
extremely  active  in  politics,  and  from  1894 
to  1900  was  the  acknowledged  leader  of 
the  Republican  party  in  Erie  county.  Xew 
York,  and  one  of  the  potent  factors  in 
State    politics,    a    fact    which    occasioned 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  of  the  critics  was  more  certain  of  his 
unfitness  than  the  New  York  "Post," 
which  was  animated  by  the  feeling  that 
the  office  was  given  Judge  Hazel  more 
as  a  political  reward  than  for  any  other 
reason.  Intimations  of  his  intellectual 
deficiencies  were  common  enough  but  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  party  leader  and  a  ma- 
chine man  seemed  conclusive  against  him. 
Judge  Hazel  has  been  on  the  bench  long 
enough  to  demonstrate  his  abundant  in- 
tellectual and  moral  qualifications  for 
judicial  work.  And  the  "Post"  comes 
along  now  to  commend  his  attitude  to- 
ward practical  politics  when  it  says,  in 
speaking  of  the  talk  among  Democrats  of 
taking  a  judge  for  their  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor :  "We  are  glad,  by  the  way,  to  note 
that  a  man  whose  elevation  to  the  bench 
was  opposed  by  the  'Evening  Post'  be- 
cause his  canvass  was  pushed  on  the 
ground  of  his  'claims*  as  a  political  worker 
— Judge  Hazel  of  BufTalo  and  the  United 
States  District  Court — answers  an  inquiry 
about  the  political  situation  in  Erie  coun- 
ty in  this  sensible  way:  'Oh,  I'm  out  of 
politics  entirely  now.  You  know  that  the 
judiciary  is  not  a  partisan  affair,  and  I 
have  plenty  to  occupy  my  attention  in  my 
judicial  duties,  without  reference  to  cam- 
paign affairs'."  The  following  is  an  ex- 
cerpt from  a  letter  written  Judge  Hazel 
by  Judge  William  J.  W^allace.  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  who  recently 
died  after  upwards  of  thirty  years  of 
judicial  service,  shortly  before  his  resig- 
nation from  the  federal  judiciary :  "I  feel 
that  I  ought  to  frankly  say  that  the  mis- 
givings that  I  felt  when  you  were  ap- 
pointed from  your  comparatively  limited 
experience  as  a  practitioner,  and  possibly 
because  of  the  extent  of  your  political  ac- 
tivities, long  since  gave  way." 

John  Raymond  Hazel's  record  as  a 
judge  is  one  which  deserves  mention  be- 
cause of  the  importance  of  the  litigation 


which  has  been  tried  before  him  and  be- 
cause of  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  his 
verdicts,  wisdom  and  justice  admitted  by 
all,  even  those  who  have  been  his  oppo- 
nents. Judge  Hazel  has  sat  in  a  number 
of  important  cases,  which  were  of  public 
interest,  as  well  as  in  hundreds  of  cases 
of  a  more  private  nature,  or  of  less  inter- 
est to  the  people  generally.  Litigation  of 
the  most  important  kind  in  the  modern 
business  world  has  come  before  him, 
causes  involving  great  sums  of  money 
and  most  complicated  questions  of  fact, 
together  with  difficult  problems  in  law. 
They  include  patent,  admiralty,  bank- 
ruptcy, criminal,  equity  and  common  law 
cases.  In  fact,  the  United  States  District 
Court  has  jurisdiction  on  all  questions 
that  come  ordinarily  before  a  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  where  the  litigation  is 
between  citizens  of  different  States,  and 
in  addition  it  has  jurisdiction  over  litiga- 
tion arising  over  validity  of  rights  claimed 
under  United  States  laws,  such  as  those 
arising  from  claim  of  infringement  of 
patent,  admiralty,  and  so  on.  No  other 
judge  sitting  in  any  English-speaking 
country  has  so  wide  a  jurisdiction  and 
power  as  the  United  States  Circuit  and 
District  judge. 

Soon  after  his  appointment  to  the  bench 
the  case  was  argued  before  him,  sitting  as 
equity  judge,  of  the  Underground  Rail- 
way Company  against  the  City  of  New 
York,  in  which  the  complainant  sought 
to  enjoin  the  city  and  the  contractors  of 
the  subway  from  completing  the  work  of 
building  the  subway,  the  ground  of  action 
being  that  the  Legislature  had  previously 
granted  the  right  to  build  the  subway  to 
another  corporation.  The  case  was  argued 
by  such  eminent  counsel  as  Edward  M. 
Shepard,  Attorney-General  Wickersham, 
Delancy  Nicoll  and  Roger  Foster.  Judge 
Hazel's  opinion  in  that  hard-fought  battle 
was  sustained  ultimatelv  bv  the  United 


348 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAl'IiY 


States  Supreme  Court,  which  held,  as 
he  did,  that  whatever  rights  the  original 
company  had  were  forfeited.  Another 
case  of  even  wider  popular  interest  was 
that  in  which  after  amendment  to  the 
copyright  law  a  music  publishing  com 
pany  sued  a  music  manufacturing  com- 
pany, the  White-Smith  Company  against 
the  Apollo,  the  question  being  whether  a 
musical  composition  was  in  the  pianola 
or  phonograph,  or  automatic  music  box, 
an  infringement  of  the  copyright  stafif  no- 
tations and  a  musical  production.  Judge 
Hazel  held  that  the  copyright  act  could 
not  be  enlarged  to  include  modern  appli- 
ances for  reproducing  sound  or  music. 
He  was  sustained  all  the  way  up  to  the 
higher  court,  the  case  being  argued  on 
one  side  by  Governor  Hughes.  One  of 
the  most  noted  cases  decided  by  Judge 
Hazel  was  that  in  the  action  against  di- 
rectors of  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance 
Company  on  the  ground  of  alleged  wrong- 
doing. Judge  Hazel  held  that  the  policy- 
holder could  not  sue  the  society  in  equity 
for  asserted  wrong-doing  of  former  offi- 
cers of  the  company.  He  dismissed  the 
appeal.  Among  the  eminent  counsel  in 
that  company  were  William  D.  Guthrie. 
William  B.  Hornblower  and  John  R.  Dos 
Passos.  In  that  case  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Appeals  reversed  Judge  Hazel,  but  the 
Federal  Court  sustained  him  and  dis- 
missed the  appeal.  Judge  Peckham,  re- 
cently deceased,  writing  the  opinion  of 
the  court.  The  case  of  Thomsen  et  al.  v. 
Sir  Charles  Cayser  et  al.,  was  a  case  to 
recover  treble  damages  under  the  Sher- 
man Anti-Trust  Act  involving  the  con- 
struction of  the  act  with  regard  to  its 
application  to  a  combination  of  steam- 
boat lines  for  maintaining  transportation 
rates  from  New  York  to  South  African 
ports.  The  case  was  tried  before  Judge 
Hazel  and  a  jury  and  a  verdict  for  the 
plaintiff  was  rendered,  which  was  subse- 


(lucntly  reversed  by  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Appeals,  but  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  recently  affirmed  the  opin- 
ion of  the  District  Court,  saying  of  Judge 
Hazel's  instructions  to  the  jury:  "The 
record  shows  a  most  painstaking  trial  of 
the  case  on  the  part  of  counsel  and  the 
court,  a  full  exposition  of  all  the  elements 
of  judgment  and  careful  instructions  of 
the  court  for  their  estimate." 

The  first  litigation  coming  before  any 
court  concerning  aeroplanes  or  flying  ma- 
chines was  tried  and  decided  by  Judge 
Hazel  (Wright  v.  Curtiss,  204  I'"ed.  597) 
and  the  patent  issued  to  Wilbur  and  Or- 
ville  Wright  as  inventors  was  held  a  pio- 
neer patent  in  the  art  and  infringed  by  the 
Curtiss  aeroplane  which  it  had  been 
claimed  was  operated  on  a  radically  dif- 
ferent principle.  This  decision  was  af- 
firmed by  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals 
upon  the  opinion  of  Judge  Hazel  and  was 
followed  in  various  similar  actions  on  the 
patent  in  France  and  England.  Another 
case  of  interest  was  the  Goodwin  Film 
and  Camera  Company  z'.  Eastman  Kodak 
Company,  207  Fed.  351.  involving  a  patent 
for  making  photographic  films  by  dissolv- 
ing nitrocellulose  in  a  solution  of  nitro- 
benzole  and  spreading  upon  it.  after  it 
had  become  hardened,  a  sensitizing  emul- 
sion. The  defendant  claimed  to  operate 
under  a  widely  different  process  including 
different  ingredients  for  making  the  film, 
but  Judge  Hazel  held  that  the  Goodwin 
patent  w^as  a  pioneer  invention  and  the 
claims  allowed  by  the  Patent  Office  broad 
enough  to  include  defendant's  process. 
The  case  commanded  much  attention  at 
the  time  and  was  earnestly  contested,  but 
on  appeal  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals 
Judge  Hazel's  opinion  was  unanimously 
sustained.  Many  other  cases  of  import- 
ance have  been  decided  by  Judge  Hazel 
on  the  patent,  admiralty  and  common  law 
sides   of   the   court,    also   many   criminal 


349 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cases  involving  violations  of  the  Sher- 
man Anti-Trust  and  Elkins  Acts  prohibit- 
ing the  giving  of  rebates  on  interstate 
transportation  have  been  tried  before  him 
and  the  defendants  found  guilty,  and  for 
such  violations  he  has  imposed  fines  dur- 
ing the  years  1911-16,  inclusive,  aggregat- 
ing upwards  of  $300,000.  Judge  Hazel 
has  won  golden  opinions  from  members 
of  the  bar  for  his  work  on  the  United 
States  District  Court  bench  and  all  of  his 
heavy  penalties  against  violators  of  the 
trade  and  commerce  laws  have  been  col- 
lected. 

In  1881,  when  John  Raymond  Hazel 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  the  Sixty-fifth  Regiment, 
National  Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
He  was  elected  sergeant  soon  afterwards, 
and  later  served  for  four  years  as  first 
lieutenant.  He  was  instrumental  in  the 
organization  of  Company  B.  Judge  Hazel 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  at  St.  Louis  in  1896,  when  he 
voted  for  Levi  P.  Morton,  and  to  the  Re- 
publican National  Convention  at  Philadel- 
phia in  1900,  when  he  voted  for  President 
McKinley.  He  was  one  of  the  first  promi- 
nent men  to  support  Theodore  Roosevelt 
for  Governor  of  New  York,  and  as  chair- 
man of  the  Erie  county  delegation  cast 
fifty-five  votes  for  him.  In  his  autobiog- 
raphy. Colonel  Roosevelt  acknowledges 
his  debt  to  Judge  Hazel  and  states  that 
his  nomination  was  largely  brought  about 
by  the  Hon.  Benjamin  B.  Odell,  later 
Governor  of  New  York :  Congressman 
Lemuel  E.  Quigg,  and  John  R.  Hazel.  In 
the  year  1900,  at  the  Republican  State 
Convention,  Judge  Hazel  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  nominations  of  dele- 
gates-at-large  to  the  National  Convention, 
and  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  notify  Colonel  Roose- 
velt of  his  nomination  as  Governor.  Judge 
Hazel  is  a  strong  personal  friend  of  Sen- 


ator Depew,  and  was  an  associate  of  Sen- 
ator Piatt  until  the  latter's  death.  Judge 
Hazel  had  already  occupied  public  oflice 
before  his  appointment  as  judge,  and  in 
1894  was  commissioner  of  corporation 
law,  an  office  to  which  he  was  appointed 
by  James  A.  Roberts,  comptroller  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  In  1896  he  was  ap- 
pointed with  Senator  H.  H.  Persons,  re- 
ceiver of  the  insolvent  Bank  of  Commerce 
of  Buffalo,  by  Justice  Henry  A.  Childs  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  In  1900 
he  received  his  appointment  from  Presi- 
dent McKinley  as  judge  of  the  United 
States  District  Court,  a  place  for  which 
he  was  recommended  by  Senators  Piatt 
and  Depew  and  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  as  well  as  by  many  lawyers  and 
other  prominent  men.  He  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  reception  committee  at 
the  time  President  McKinley  was  shot  at 
the  Pan-American  Exposition,  and  after 
the  latter's  death  was  selected  by  the 
cabinet  to  deliver  to  Theodore  Roosevelt 
the  constitutional  oath  of  office  at  the 
home  of  Ansley  Wilcox  in  Buffalo. 

Judge  Hazel  is  a  man  of  catholic  inter- 
ests and  broad  sympathies,  and  is  very 
much  of  a  student  in  several  different  de- 
partments of  science.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Natural  Science  and  the 
Historical  Society  at  Buffalo.  His  clubs 
are  the  Buffalo,  the  Wanakah  Country, 
and  he  is,  of  course,  a  member  of  the 
County  and  State  Bar  associations. 

Judge  Hazel  married,  June  26,  1902, 
Elizabeth  Guest  Drake,  a  daughter  of 
Captain  Marcus  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Lud- 
low) Drake,  old  and  highly  honored  resi- 
dents of  Buffalo.  Captain  Drake  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  for  many 
years  w^as  a  sea  captain.  He  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity, and  has  served  as  an  alderman 
and  as  commissioner  of  public  works  in 
Buffalo.     To  Judge  and  Mrs.  Hazel  the 


350 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\PHV 


following  children  have  been  born  :  Mar- 
garet Drake.  May  22,  1904;  Adelaide  Lud- 
low, May  II,  1906;  John  Raymond,  Jr.. 
December  8.  1907:  Mollie,  February  9. 
1909:  and  Elizabeth.  June  12.  1913. 


MOOT,  Adalbert. 

Attorney-at-Law, 

Buffalo.  New  York,  can  claim  many 
distinguished  attorneys  among  those  of 
its  citizens  who  practice  at  the  Xew  York 
bar,  among  them  being  Adelbert  Moot, 
who  for  many  years  has  been  identified 
most  closely  not  only  with  the  legal  life 
of  the  city,  but  with  the  community-at- 
large.  and  whose  name  has  earned  a  well- 
deserved  respect  in  every  department  with 
which  it  has  been  associated.  Mr.  Moot 
is  a  native  of  Xew  York  State,  though 
not  of  Buffalo,  and  comes  of  good  old 
Xew  York  stock.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles 
D.  and  Mary  (Rutherford)  Moot,  who  for 
many  years  resided  in  the  town  of  Allen 
in  Allegany  county,  Xew  Y^ork,  where 
they  stood  high  in  the  regard  of  their 
neighbors. 

Born  X'ovember  22.  1854,  at  his  father's 
home  in  Allen.  Allegany  county.  Xew 
York.  Adelbert  Moot  attended  for  the 
elementary  portion  of  his  education,  first. 
the  local  public  schools  and  afterwards 
the  high  schools  and  academies  in  Bel- 
mont. Xew  York  :  X'unda.  Xew  York,  and 
the  X'ormal  School  at  Geneseo.  Xew  York. 
As  the  result  of  his  studies,  he  taught 
school  some,  but  finally  he  matriculated 
at  the  Albany  Law  School.  Here  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  during  the  years  1875  and 
1876,  and  graduated  in  the  latter  year 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  the  town  of 
X'unda.  N^ew  York,  but  did  not  remain 
there  for  a  great  period,  coming  later,  in 
1878.  to  the  city  of  Buffalo,  where  he 
opened  an  office  and  has  continued  in  ac- 


tive practice  ever  >ince.  Here  his  prac- 
tice became  large,  varied  and  State-wide. 
In  the  year  1904  he  received  the  honor 
of  being  appointed  to  the  board  of  com- 
missioners of  statutory  consolidation, 
which  was  created  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
solidating all  the  general  statutes  of  New 
York  State  which  had  come  into  force 
from  the  year  1777.  This  great  work  was 
performed  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the 
commission.  For  this  reason  the  com- 
mission was  continued  to  simplify  the 
civil  practice  and  it  is  now  engaged  in 
that  work.  This  is  a  work  which  has  for 
a  long  time  been  greatly  needed  and  no 
better  men  than  the  surviving  commis- 
sioners. John  G.  Milburn.  Adelbert  Moot 
and  Charles  A.  Collins,  could  have  been 
chosen  for  the  task.  Another  honorable 
place  held  by  Mr.  Moot  was  that  of  presi- 
dent of  the  Xew  York  State  Bar  Associ- 
ation, which  office  he  filled  for  the  official 
year  1909  and  1910.  He  always  has  been 
and  still  is  keenly  interested  in  everything 
that  makes  for  the  best  advantage  of  the 
profession  and  of  those  who  practice  it  in 
the  State,  and  rendered  a  distinct  service 
both  to  the  association  and  to  his  profes- 
sional colleagues  in  this  capacity.  He  is 
at  the  present  time  one  of  the  associ- 
ation's most  honored  members.  In  the 
year  191 2  Mr.  Moot  was  selected  regent  of 
the  L'niversity  of  the  State  of  New  York 
at  X'ew  York  City,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  present  (1917)  has  served  faithfully 
in  this  responsible  office. 

While  he  is  regarded  as  an  important 
factor  in  the  public  life  of  the  community. 
Mr.  Moot  cannot  be  said  to  take  an  active 
part  in  politics  in  a  usual  sense  of  the 
term.  Perhaps  it  has  been  partly  due  to 
the  possession  of  an  extremely  independ- 
ent mind  that  he  has  never  become  more 
closely  identified  with  partisan  organiza- 
tions. However  this  may  be.  it  is  cer- 
tainlv  true  that  he  has  always  held  him- 


351 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


self  free  from  partisan  considerations  in 
his  political  life,  and  may  perhaps  best  be 
described  as  an  Independent  Republican. 
On  the  question  of  general  policies  and 
principles,  he  is  at  one  with  this  party,  but 
reserves  to  himself  the  uncjualified  right 
to  support  such  issue  or  man  as  his  judg- 
ment tells  him  will  most  subserve  the 
public  good.  He  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  every  movement  of  import- 
ance undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  civic 
betterment,  and  the  community  owes  not 
a  little  to  his  consistent  disinterestedness 
and  public-spirited  altruism.  Mr.  Moot  is 
a  Unitarian  in  his  religious  belief,  and  has 
been  very  prominent  in  the  life  of  the 
Unitarian  church  in  New  York  State,  and 
for  many  years  was  president  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Conference  for  the  Middle  States 
and  Canada.  He  ceased  to  serve  in  this 
capacity  in  the  year  191 5,  in  view  of  the 
great  demands  made  upon  his  time  and 
activity  by  other  important  tasks  en- 
trusted to  him.  Mr.  Moot  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Buffalo  Law  School  in 
1887,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  member 
of  its  teaching  faculty.  He  is  also  presi- 
dent of  the  Alumni  of  the  Albany  Law 
School  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Moot  was  united  in  marriage,  July 
22,  1882,  with  C.  A.  Van  Ness,  of  Cuba. 
New  York,  a  daughter  of  Enos  and  Adelia 
(Moses)  Van  Ness,  honored  residents  of 
that  place. 

About  the  learned  professions  gener- 
ally, and  especially  that  of  the  law,  there 
has  grown  up  a  great  body  of  tradition, 
an  atmosphere  of  them,  it  might  be  said, 
the  intensity  and  mass  of  which  it  is  very 
difificult  to  imagine  for  those  who  have 
never  entered  it.  The  law  is  the  heir  of 
many  ages,  not  merely  in  its  substance, 
its  proper  matter,  but  in  a  myriad  conno- 
tations and  associations  involving  all 
those  who  from  time  immemorial  have 
dealt  with  and  in  it ;   the  great  men  who 


have  made  and  adapted  it,  the  learned 
who  have  interpreted  and  practiced  it,  the 
multitudes  who  have  been  protected  and, 
alas,  victimized  by  it.  From  each  and  all 
it  has  gained  its  wisdom  or  wit,  its  elo- 
quence or  its  tale  of  human  feeling  to 
point  a  moral,  until,  by  a  sort  of  process 
of  natural  selection  there  has  arisen  a  sort 
of  system  of  ideals  and  standards,  lofty  in 
themselves,  and  a  spur  to  the  high- 
minded,  a  check  to  the  unscrupulous, 
which  no  one  may  disregard.  The  bench 
and  bar  in  America  may  certainly  point 
with  pride  to  the  manner  in  which  their 
members  have  maintained  the  splendid 
traditions  of  the  profession ;  yes,  and 
added  their  own  no  inconsiderable  quota 
to  the  ideals  of  a  future  time.  Among 
those  who  may  be  prominently  mentioned 
as  having  ably  maintained  these  legal 
traditions  in  this  day  and  generation  in 
the  State  of  New  York  is  Mr.  Moot, 
whose  career  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession is  worthy  of  remark. 


WITHERBEE,  Frank  Spencer, 

Man  of  Large  Affairs,  FMlanthropist. 

The  late  Frank  S.  Witherbee,  whose  ca- 
reer was  such  as  to  warrant  the  trust  and 
confidence  of  the  business  world,  and  the 
regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought 
in  contact,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he 
ever  conducted  all  transactions  on  the 
strictest  principles  of  honor  and  integrity, 
was  a  descendant  of  an  old  New  England 
family. 

The  earliest  record  of  the  family 
(known  to  this  compiler)  dates  from 
1290,  when  some  of  the  family  held  high 
offices  in  church  and  State,  as  they  also 
did  in  1425  to  1437,  and  in  1560. 

In  1558  Robert  Witherby  was  con- 
demned to  death  for  heresy  by  Queen 
Mary,  but  escaped,  because  she  died  three 
davs  before  the  date  fixed  for  his  execu- 


352 


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his  politic, 
described 
On  the  q;. 
pnnciples. 
reserves  t' 
to  sup 


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tr 
f 


made  and  adapted  it,  the  learned 

'"  "    •  -lerpreted  and  practiced  it,  the 

ho  have  been  protected  and, 

imized  by  it.    From  each  and  all 

lined  its  wisdom  or  wit,  its  elo- 

ir  its  tale  of  human  feeling  to 

a  moral,  until,  by  a  sort  of  process 

mral  -^c  lection  there  has  arisen  a  sort 

ideals  and  standards,  lofty  in 

a    spur    to    the    high- 

'c    to    the    unscrupulous, 

ly  disregard.    The  bench 

may  certainly  point 

nner  in  which  their 

•led   the   splendid 

■  1 ;     yes,    and 

.  "rable  quota 

ae.     Among 

V  mentioned 

.    these    legal 

;  this  day  ana  generation  in 

cjic    of    New    York    is    Mr.    Moot. 

-e  c3re<^r  in  the  practice  of  his  pro 

f  remark. 


WITHERBEE,  Frank  Spencer, 

Man  of  Large  Affairs,  PMlanthTopiat. 

I  be  late  Frank  S.  Witherbee,  whose  ca- 

>     -;  to  warrant  the  trust  and 

...u.:  _:::•..:  .  :  Ci'c  business  world,  and  the 

regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought 

■      fact  that  h- 

.ions   on    th^ 

test  principles  of  honor  and  integrity 

-;dant  of  an  old  New  England 


the    family 
dates    from 
ly  held  hijrl 
as  they  als 


tresy   by   Queei; 

se  ^he  died  threi 

ed  for  his  execr 


■— ^^"^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGK^PHY 


tion.  Then  Queen  Elizabeth  released 
him,  restored  his  confiscated  estates,  and 
conferred  the  royal  ermine  on  his  coat- 
of-arms,  giving  him  the  motto.  "Tciia.v  in 
fide"  (Steadfast  in  the  faith),  while  his 
daughter  was  appointed  maid  of  honor  to 
the  Duchess  of  York.  There  is  a  hamlet 
of  "Wetherby'"  in  West  Riding,  York- 
shire, near  Harrowgate. 

The  family  name  is  variously  spelled 
in  at  least  five  different  ways  in  America 
at  present.  In  England  it  has  been  spelled 
"Witherby"  for  about  two  hundred  years, 
and  they  have  a  tradition  that  before  that 
it  was  'AVetherby."  This  seems  plausi- 
ble, because  the  crest  on  the  coat-of-arms 
is  a  zvether  (sheep),  while  the  old  word 
"by"  or  "bye"  means  a  locality  or  estate  ; 
so  that  the  whole  name  may  well  mean 
what  is  now  called  a  sheep  ranch,  perhaps 
for  choice  sheep. 

John  Witherbye.  who  was  born  in 
County  Suftolk.  England,  about  1650, 
came  to  America  in  1672.  His  name  first 
appears  at  Marlboro.  2^Iassachusetts,  as 
having  married  May  A.,  daughter  of  John 
Howe,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  place. 
He  fought  in  ""King  Philip's  War."  and 
on  March  26,  1676.  when  he  was  at 
church,  it  was  attacked  by  the  Indians, 
who  also  set  fire  to  his  house.  He  was 
later  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of 
Stow,  Massachusetts,  and  in  1688  was 
elected  a  selectman  of  that  town,  where 
he  died  about  the  year  171 1. 

His  son.  Thomas  Witherbye.  was  born 
January  5.  1678.  in  Sudbur}',  Massachu- 
setts, resided  in  Marlboro,  and  died  Janu- 
ar}'  23,  1713.  He  married.  February  20. 
1699,  Hannah  Wood. 

Their  second  son.  Captain  Silas  Wither- 
bye. was  born  July  20.  1707.  at  Marlboro, 
and  died  at  Shrewsbury.  March  10.  1783. 
He  married.  August  20,  1738,  Thankful 
Keyes.  daughter  of  Major  John  Keyes. 
known  at  that  time  as  ''the  famous 
Major." 

N  Y-5— 23  3; 


Their  son,  Lieutenant  Thomas  Wither- 
bye, was  born  June  i,  1747.  in  Grafton, 
Massachusetts,  and  died  May  9,  1827,  in 
Shrewsbur>-.  whither  he  had  removed  in 
1777.  He  married.  January  2,  1770,  Relief 
Huston,  of  Dunstable,  New  Hampshire. 

Their  second  son.  Jonathan  Witherbye, 
was  born  March  3.  1772.  in  Fitzwilliam, 
Massachusetts,  ajid  died  in  LJridport.  Ver- 
mont, August  18,  1820.  He  married. 
October  30.  1795,  at  Shrewsbury,  \irtue 
Hemenway,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
Silas  and  Mar>-  (Smith)  Hemenway.  bom 
there  January  23,  1775.  and  died  there 
May  10,  1849. 

Their  son.  Thomas  Witherbye.  was 
born  April  2.  1797.  and  died  at  Port 
Henry,  New  York,  August  12,  1850.  He 
married.  November  4,  1819,  Millie  Adams. 
of  Bridport.  Vermont,  born  July  2.  1799. 
in  Dublin,  New  Hampshire,  and  died  at 
Port  Henry,  May  2/,  1879.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Timothy  Adams,  who  was  a 
descendant  of  Henry  Adams,  of  Quincy. 
Massachusetts,  the  ancestor  of  the  two 
Presidents  Adams. 

Jonathan  Oilman  Witherbee,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Millie  (Adams)  Witherbye. 
was  bom  June  7,  1821,  in  Crown  Point. 
New  York,  and  died  at  Port  Henry.  Au- 
gust 25. 1875.  About  this  time  the  spelling 
of  the  name  was  changed  from  Wither- 
bye to  Witherbee.  Mr.  Witherbee  was 
one  of  the  principal  pioneers  of  the  iron 
ore  industry  of  Lake  Champlain.  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  firm  of  L«e.  Sher- 
man &  Witherbee.  established  in  1849, 
and  merged  into  the  firm  of  Witherbee. 
Sherman  &  Company  in  1862.  which  was 
incorporated  under  the  same  name  in 
1900.  and  is  now  (1917)  one  of  the  larg- 
est producers  of  iron  ore  in  this  country. 
Mr.  \\"itherbee  was  a  man  of  wide  influ- 
ence in  both  business  and  political  circles. 
He  married.  May  13.  1846.  Charlotte  Spen- 
cer, born  February  15. 1827,  in  Vergennes. 
Vermont,  whose  father  was  Jonathan  B. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Spencer,  born  1796,  in  Vergennes,  and 
died  at  Westport,  New  York,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1875.  Jonathan  B.  Spencer  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  developing  the  lumber 
districts  of  Canada  and  the  Western 
States,  and  distinguished  himself  in  the 
War  of  1812,  and  for  services  received  a 
tract  of  land  in  the  State  of  Iowa.  He 
married  May  Walker,  born  April  6,  1802, 
in  Vergennes,  died  in  Westport,  in  July, 
1895,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years. 

Frank  Spencer  Witherbee.  son  of  Jona- 
than G.  and  Charlotte  (Spencer)  Wither- 
bee, was  born  May  12,  1852,  in  Port 
Henry,  New  York,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  vil- 
lage, Poughkeepsie  Military  Academy, 
Hopkins  Grammar  School,  New  Haven, 
and  was  graduated  from  Yale  University 
in  1874  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  Immediately  after  graduation  he 
took  a  trip  around  the  world.  Returning 
in  1875  he  entered  the  firm  of  Witherbee, 
Sherman  &  Company,  of  which  his  father 
was  one  of  the  founders.  He  immedi- 
ately took  a  deep  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, that  of  iron  ore  mining,  in  the  Lake 
Champlain  district,  and  showed  strong 
executive  ability.  The  company  has  for 
many  years  been  the  largest  producer  of 
iron  ore  east  of  the  Lake  Superior  dis- 
trict, and  much  of  the  development  has 
been  due  to  Mr.  Witherbee's  progressive 
ideas  and  business  judgment.  Upon  the 
incorporation  of  the  company  in  1900  he 
was  elected  its  first  president,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  13,  1917.  He  was 
then  also  president  of  the  Lake  Cham- 
plain  &  Moriah  Railroad  Company,  and  of 
the  Cubitas  Iron  Ore  Company,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Cheever  Iron  Ore  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Witherbee  was  formerly  presi- 
dent of  the  Troy  Steel  Company  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Tennessee  Coal.  Iron  and 
Railroad  Company,  both  of  which  com- 


panies were  merged  in  the  United  States 
Steel  Corporation.  He  was  a  director  of 
the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society,  the 
Chatham  &  Phenix  National  Bank,  the 
Fulton  Trust  Company  of  New  York ;  the 
Citizens'  National  Bank,  Port  Henrys  New 
York,  and  the  Central  Hudson  Steamboat 
Company. 

Mr.  Witherbee  in  public  life  never  ac- 
cepted office,  but  his  advice  was  highly 
valued  by  the  leaders  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  a  presidential  elector  for 
Harrison  and  for  Taft ;  he  represented 
New  York  State  on  the  Republican  na- 
tional committee  during  the  second  Harri- 
son campaign,  was  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  State  committee 
of  New  York,  and  was  frequently  a  dele- 
gate to  National,  State  and  other  nomi- 
nating conventions  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  active  in  securing  the  leg- 
islation to  create  an  Adirondack  State 
Park  and  to  complete  the  State  Barge 
Canal.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost  advo- 
cates of  improved  waterways  for  the  State 
of  New  York,  an  active  member  of  the 
New  York  Board  of  Trade  and  Transpor- 
tation, served  on  a  number  of  canal  com- 
missions, and  was  one  of  three  commis- 
sioners appointed  by  Governor  Roosevelt 
to  study  and  report  on  the  canal  systems 
of  Europe. 

Mr.  Witherbee  early  became  prominent 
in  all  phases  of  civic  and  social  life,  and 
his  unvarying  courtesy  and  kindliness 
won  for  him  a  host  of  friends,  both  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  He  served  five  years 
in  the  State  Militia.  His  clubs  were  the 
Union  (of  which  he  was  a  governor), 
University.  Metropolitan,  Republican, 
Railroad,  of  New  York  City.  Bankers 
(of  which  he  was  a  governor),  Tux- 
edo, Sleepy  Hollow  Country,  Travellers' 
(Paris),  and  Benedict  (Port  Henr}-,  New 
York).  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution  and  of  the  Pilgrim 


^?A 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\i'lIV 


Society.  For  his  services  in  connection 
with  the  Champlain  Tercentenary,  Mr. 
Witherbee  was  made  a  Knight  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor  by  the  President  of  the 
French  Republic.  He  was  a  director  of 
the  American  Iron  and  Steel  Institute, 
New  York  Railways  Company,  New 
York  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers,  Lake  Superior 
Alining  Institute,  Metropolitan  Museum 
of  Art,  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  New  York  State  Historical  As- 
sociation, American  Scenic  and  Historic 
Preservation  Society,  American  Geo- 
graphic Society,  Zoological  Society,  and 
president  and  trustee  of  the  Sherman 
Free  Library  of  Port  Henry.  Mr.  Wither- 
bee was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Port  Henry,  in  which  he  took 
an  active  interest,  and  while  in  New  York 
was  a  regular  attendant  at  Grace  Church. 
Me  was  an  earnest  Christian  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  many  charitable  enter- 
prises in  which  he  was  interested. 

Mr.  Witherbee  married,  April  25,  1883. 
Mary  Rhinelander,  daughter  of  Lispenard 
and  Mary  (Rhinelander)  Stewart,  who 
survives  him.  Children  :  Lispenard  Stew- 
art, born  June  i,  1886,  in  New  York  City, 
died  February  8,  1907;  Evelyn  Spencer, 
born  July  8,  1889,  at  Port  Henry,  New 
York,  married,  August  16,  1917,  Charles 
Duncan  Miller. 

Mr.  Witherbee  had  not  been  in  good 
health  for  several  years,  but  it  w^as  not 
until  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  that 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  his  many 
activities.  The  death  of  his  only  son,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  was  a  shock  and 
sorrow  so  deep  that  he  never  entirely  re- 
covered from  it. 

A  man  of  broad,  humane  vision,  Mr. 
Witherbee  brought  into  large  affairs  rare 
qualities   of   service    without   expectation 


of  reward.  i  k-  always  maintained  his 
legal  residence  in  I'ort  Henry.  New  York, 
and  no  man  in  Northern  New  York  and 
the  Lake  Champlain  district  was  more 
widely  known  and  highly  respected.  His 
city  residence,  in  which  he  died,  was  at 
No.  4  I*"ifth  avenue,  New  York. 


MILLER,  Edwin  G.  S.. 

Man    of    Large    Affairi. 

The  gaining  of  great  material  success 
for  himself  and  a  position  of  power  and 
control  in  the  business  and  financial 
world  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  has  been  in 
no  wise  incompatible  in  the  case  of  Ed- 
win George  Simon  Miller  with  the  great 
and  invaluable  service  rendered  by  him 
to  the  community,  of  which  he  was  so 
distinguished  a  member  prior  to  his  death 
there  on  the  third  day  of  November,  191 5. 
Preeminently  a  man  of  affairs,  he  made 
his  enterprises  subserve  the  double  end 
of  his  own  ambition  and  the  welfare  of 
his  fellows.  Buffalo,  New  York,  was  his 
lifelong  home  and  the  scene  of  his  many 
important  activities,  and  his  memory  is 
there  held  in  the  highest  veneration  and 
respect  by  all  who  knew  him  or  came  into 
even  the  most  casual  contact  with  his 
strong  and  impressive  personality,  and 
by  the  community  at  large,  which  feeh 
strongly  how  great  is  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude that  it  owes.  Strong  common  sense 
and  an  invincible  will,  the  latter  tempered 
with  unusual  tact  and  judgment,  were 
the  basis  of  his  character  and  incidentally 
of  his  great  success. 

l]orn  March  9.  1854.  at  Buffalo.  New 
^'ork.  Edwin  George  Simon  Miller  was 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Fougeron) 
Miller,  old  and  highly  respected  residents 
of  this  place.  Mr.  Miller.  Sr.,  was  of  Ger- 
man origin,  and  for  many  years  had  been 
a  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  hard- 
ware merchant  in  Buffalo.    His  wife,  who 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  Miss  Mary  Fougeron  before  her  mar-      Brewery,   and   from   that   time   until   the 


riage,  was  of  French  extraction.  Upon 
reaching  an  age  to  attend  school,  Mr. 
Miller  was  sent  to  the  Little  French 
School  at  the  Church  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Lourdes,  which  occupied  the  site  on 
which  the  new  Lafayette  Hotel  now 
stands.  Here  in  the  parochial  school  the 
lad  was  taught  not  only  the  elements  of 
a  secular  education,  but  was  also  given 
instruction  in  religious  principles,  and  it 
was  doubtless  here  that  he  first  imbibed 
the  strong  religious  instincts  and  feelings 
which  were  so  characteristic  of  him. 
After  completing  all  the  courses  that  the 
school  had  to  ofifer,  the  lad  attended  for 
a  time  the  local  public  schools,  and  here 
established  an  excellent  reputation  for 
himself  as  an  intelligent  and  industrious 
student.  An  account  is  preserved  of 
some  of  the  amusing  and  original  games 
which  he  and  his  companions  played  at 
this  time,  one  of  which  was  a  mock  bank, 
in  which  Mr.  Miller  was  the  cashier, 
while  his  playmates  deposited  hypotheti- 
cal millions.  It  was  obvious  from  an 
early  age  that  Mr.  Miller  had  a  strong 
practical  sense  and  possessed  business 
talents  which  were  likely  to  lead  him  to 
a  prominent  position  in  the  world  of 
affairs.  Accordingly,  he  determined  upon 
a  commercial  course  at  the  well  known 
business  school  of  Bryant  &  Stratton, 
and  after  completing  his  studies  there  he 
began  the  serious  business  of  earning  his 
own  livelihood.  His  first  position,  which 
he  secured  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  was 
with  the  "Urban  Flour  Mill"  establish- 
ment, where  he  worked  for  a  time  in  the 
capacity  of  bookkeeper,  but  he  rendered 
himself  of  so  much  value  to  his  employ- 
ers here  that  it  was  not  long  before  he 
was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  busi- 
ness. It  was  in  1884  that  he  first  became 
associated  with  Gerhard  Lang,  his  father- 
in-law,    and    the    founder    of    the    Lang 


elder  man's  death  he  gradually  took  upon 
his  own  shoulders  more  and  more  of  the 
responsibility  for  the  management  of  this 
great  concern,  thus  relieving  the  elder 
man  of  what  was  proving  rather  onerous 
duties  in  his  old  age.  In  1892,  after  eight 
years  of  this  association,  Mr.  Lang  died, 
and  Mr.  Miller  became  the  president  of 
the  Brewing  Company,  an  office  which  he 
held  until  his  death.  Under  his  very 
capable  management  the  business  rapidly 
grew  until  it  attained  its  present  great 
proportions.  Mr.  Miller  did  not,  how- 
ever, give  up  his  interest  in  the  Urban 
Mill  when  he  first  became  associated  with 
the  Lang  Brewery,  but  continued  affili- 
ated with  the  former  concern  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  eventually  sold  these 
interests  for  a  large  sum  to  a  syndicate. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  dis- 
covery of  natural  gas  on  the  grounds  of 
the  Lang  Brewery,  opened  up  a  new  field 
for  Mr.  Lang's  endeavors  and  there  are 
many  of  the  older  citizens  of  Buffalo  who 
still  recall  the  scene  when  this  first  gas 
well  was  tapped  and  thousands  of  people 
gathered  to  witness  the  sight.  The  dis- 
covery was  entirely  owing  to  Mr.  Miller's 
foresight,  who  suggested  that  gas  be 
searched  for  on  the  premises.  Mr.  Miller 
was  a  man  of  remarkable  resource,  whom 
no  contingency  could  disconcert,  and, 
when  prohibition  threatened  the  brewing 
business,  he  invented  a  non-alcoholic 
beverage  which  he  named  the  "Liberty 
Brew,"  and  which  had  a  fair  sale  on  the 
market,  and  was  held  by  him  in  readi- 
ness for  a  time  when  a  large  demand  for 
this  kind  of  beverage  might  exist.  Mr. 
Miller  was  always  of  the  opinion  that  the 
more  malt  beverages  used  in  a  commu- 
nity, the  less  would  be  the  consumption 
of  distilled  liquors,  with  the  resulting  im- 
provement of  the  public  morals.  One  of 
the  greatest   services   performed   by   Mr^ 


356 


EXCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Miller  to  the  commviiiity  was  his  associa- 
tion with  the  German-American  Bank  of 
BtjfFalo.  In  the  year  1904  a  certain  capi- 
talist and  promoter  attempted  to  estab- 
lish a  chain  of  banks  throughout  the 
country  for  a  purpose  which  was  obvi- 
ously the  financing  of  his  own  enter- 
prises Among  the  banks  which  he  at- 
tempted to  incorporate  in  this  organiza- 
tion was  the  German  Bank  of  Buffalo, 
and,  after  purchasing  a  controlling  inter- 
est in  this  institution,  he  endeavored  to 
extend  his  influence  to  the  German- 
American  Bank,  of  which  Mr.  Miller  was 
a  director.  Mr.  Miller  at  once  set  him- 
self to  prevent  this  operation,  but  when 
the  purchase  was  consummated  in  spite 
of  him,  he  at  once  severed  his  connection 
with  the  bank.  It  was  but  a  few  months 
after  this  that  rumors  became  current  to 
the  effect  that  all  was  not  well  with  the 
German  Bank,  and  not  long  after  there 
was  a  tremendous  run  on  that  institution. 
which  upon  examination  was  discovered 
to  have  been  looted  of  nearly  seven  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  through  loans 
made  on  worthless  securities,  and  its  con- 
dition was  shown  to  be  so  poor  that  the 
banking  department  refused  to  allow  it 
to  reopen  for  business.  It  was  natural 
that  suspicion  should  at  once  be  turned 


the  proper  one  could  be  found.  In  the 
meantime  the  run  on  the  bank  wa>  con- 
tinuing, so  that  it  became  a  matter  of 
great  difficulty  to  find  anyone  who  would 
risk  advancing  cai)ital  to  title  over  the 
bank's  difficulty.  In  fact  nobody  could 
be  found  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Miller, 
who  at  once  responded  to  the  appeal 
made  him,  was  elected  president,  and  as- 
sumed personally  the  direction  of  the  in- 
stitution's affairs.  The  run  ceased  as 
though  by  magic,  and  everybody  in  the 
community  at  once  felt  a  renewed  con- 
fidence in  the  financial  situation,  which 
had  come  to  a  decidedly  serious  pass  in 
view  of  the  failure  of  one  great  bank  and 
imminent  danger  of  another.  But  it  was 
not  merely  in  bridging  this  peril  that  Mr. 
Miller  was  successful.  As  soon  as  the 
actual  danger  was  over.  Mr.  Miller  set 
himself  to  reorganize  the  whole  situa- 
tion, and  under  his  capable  management 
the  bank  grew  more  rapidly  than  it  had 
ever  done  before,  until  it  became  one  of 
the  strongest  financial  institutions  in  the 
community,  and  from  deposits  of  less 
than  one  million  dollars  during  the  panic 
rose  to  have  resources  approaching  nine- 
teen million  dollars  about  a  year  after  Mr. 
Miller's  death.  It  is  interesting  to  con- 
sider that,  although   Mr.  Miller  had  had 


to  the  German-American  Bank,  which  no  preliminary  training  as  a  banker,  and 
was  known  to  be  controlled  by  the  same  although  the  affairs  of  the  bank  prior  to 
interest,  and  the  depositors  of  this  insti-  his  accepting  the  office  of  president  had 
tution  commenced  a  second  great  run.  been  conducted  by  trained  bankers,  that 
Fortunately  for  the  German-American  nevertheless  the  increase  in  its  resources 
Bank,  the  new  interests  had  been  in  con-  during  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  its 
trol  a  comparatively  short  time  and  had  existence  had  reached  a  sum  not  greatly 
not  yet  impaired  its  condition  to  the  same  exceeding  three  million  dollars,  and  that 
extent.  The  banking  department,  there-  during  the  ten  years  of  Mr.  Miller's  con- 
fore,  agreed  to  allow^  it  to  continue  busi-  trol  the  rate  of  increase  was  almost  four 
ness   provided   that   a   strong  man   could  times  as  much. 

be  induced  to  take  charge  of  its  afifairs.  In  addition  to  his  brewing  and  banking 
Those  interested  in  it  at  once  set  about  interests.  Mr.  Miller  became  affiliated 
finding  such  a  man.  and  Judge  Loran  L.  with  a  large  number  of  industrial  con- 
Lewis  became  temporary  president  until  cerns  of  importance,  and  one  of  his  most 

357 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


interesting  enterprises  was  in  connection 
with  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Kirk- 
land  Lake  district  of  Northern  Ontario, 
about  sixty  miles  north  of  Cobalt.  His 
original  investment  in  this  property  was 
not  great,  but  he  became  the  owner  of  a 
three-eighths  interest  in  a  certain  claim 
which  he  thought  promised  well.  He 
made  a  very  complete  investigation  of 
the  matter  before  investing,  and  the  re- 
sult amply  justified  his  opinion.  The  at- 
tention of  others  soon  became  directed 
to  the  same  district,  and  a  number  of 
successful  gold  strikes  were  made  in  the 
surrounding  region.  A  number  of  offers 
were  made  to  Mr.  Miller  to  sell  his  inter- 
ests, but  this  he  steadily  refused  to  do, 
and  as  each  claim  about  his  property  was 
worked  and  valuable  gold  deposits  found 
there,  the  value  of  his  own  holdings 
rapidly  increased  and  he  could  doubtless 
have  disposed  of  it  for  a  large  sum.  How- 
ever, his  somewhat  sudden  death  left  him 
still  in  possession  of  this  property,  and 
shortly  thereafter,  after  a  second  investi- 
gation, his  heirs  purchased  a  sufficient 
further  interest  to  secure  the  control  of 
the  property,  and  at  the  present  time  it  is 
being  operated  with  promise  of  great  suc- 
cess. Indeed,  many  experts  claim  that 
the  Wright-Hargreaves  mine,  as  the 
property  is  known,  is  likely  to  be  one  of 
the  most  valuable,  if  not  the  most  valu- 
able, of  the  many  mines  in  the  Dominion 
of  Canada. 

Mr.  Miller's  activities  were  by  no 
means  confined  to  financial  and  industrial 
circles,  however.  He  was  a  man  of  far 
too  broad  sympathy  to  be  content  with 
a  life  of  mere  acquisition,  and  he  always 
maintained  a  keen  interest  in  the  public 
aflfairs  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lived.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
took  an  active  leadership  in  the  affairs  of 
his  party,  though  his  independence  was 
great  and  he  never  allowed  partisan  con- 
sideration to  interfere  with  what  he  be- 


lieved to  be  the  real  advantage  of  the 
community.  He  was  presidential  elector 
in  1892,  and  voted  for  the  election  of  his 
intimate  friend,  Grover  Cleveland,  for  his 
second  term  of  office.  Mr.  Miller  was 
also  very  prominent  in  municipal  affairs, 
and  was  identified  with  a  large  number 
of  movements  undertaken  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  common  weal.  One  of 
these  was  the  effort  made  to  secure  bet- 
ter transportation  facilities  in  the  city  of 
Buffalo,  efforts  which  resulted  in  a  com- 
plete and  efficient  system  of  surface 
transit.  In  recognition  of  his  services  in 
this  direction,  he  was  elected  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Buffalo  Traction  Company. 
of  which  he  had  had  so  large  a  part  in  the 
organization. 

Edwin  G.  S.  Miller  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  1884  with  Miss  Annie  E.  Lang, 
a  daughter  of  Gerhard  Lang,  whose  asso- 
ciation with  Mr.  Miller  has  been  men- 
tioned before.  The  ceremony  took  place 
in  the  old  St.  Louis  Church  on  Edward 
and  Main  streets,  and  was  performed  by 
the  pastor.  Father  Sorg.  assisted  by 
Father  Frey  and  Father  Philipps.  Four 
children  were  born  of  this  union,  as  fol- 
lows :  Hilda  Mary :  Edwin  Lang :  Ger- 
hard F. ;  Harry  B. 

No  account  of  Mr.  Miller's  life  would 
be  complete  without  referring  to  his 
strong  religious  tendencies  and  beliefs. 
He  was  brought  up  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  continued 
consistently  in  that  faith  throughout  his 
life.  He  was  a  man  who  endeavored  to 
practice  thoroughly  what  he  professed, 
and  how  he  impressed  those  who  best 
knew  his  personal  life  may  be  gathered 
from  the  words  of  the  editor  of  the  "Cath- 
olic Union  and  Times,"  which  were  as 
follows : 

There  was  another  side  to  Mr.  Miller's  life  of 
which  the  world  knew  naught.  We  refer,  of 
course,  to  his  deeply  religious  character.  He 
did   not   go    about    proclaiming    this;    rather   he 


358 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.\rilV 


preferred  to  go  quietly  about  his  duty  toward 
his  God;  but  he  never  forgot.  Now  that  he  has 
been  called  to  his  reward,  many  a  benefactor 
comes  forward  with  a  story  of  Mr.  Miller's 
goodness  to  the  poor,  of  his  interest  in  the  un- 
fortunate, of  his  unostentatious  generosity  to 
the  church,  particularly  parishes  which  were 
struggling  under  great  financial  burdens. 

Indeed,  his  philatithropy  was  of  great 
magnitude,  and  while  he  gave  generously 
to  institutions  in  whose  purposes  he  sym- 
pathized, his  private  benefactions,  which 
were  largely  unknown  save  to  the  re- 
cipients, were  even  larger.  These  did  not 
consist  merely  in  charitable  giving,  but 
often  in  nothing  more  than  friendship  and 
good  advice  when  needed,  such  as  in  the 
case  of  two  orphan  girls  who  owned  a 
small  property  worth  possibly  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  who  were  persuaded  by  him 
to  retain  possession  of  it  for  a  few  years, 
during  which  time  values  had  so  in- 
creased that  they  were  able  to  dispose  of 
it  for  fourteen  thousand.  He  was  particu- 
larly good  to  the  sick,  and  those  who  were 
for  any  cause,  suffering,  and  did  much  to 
alleviate  their  pain. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  the  various 
institutions  with  which  he  was  affiliated 
passed  appropriate  resolutions,  some  of 
which  follow.  The  German-American 
Bank,  for  whom  he  wrought  so  great  a 
service,  drew  up  the  following  memorial : 

Whereas  in  the  death  of  our  highly  esteemed 
president,  Mr.  Edwin  G.  S.  Miller,  this  bank 
has  sustained  a  loss  of  a  true  friend,  an  able 
counsellor,  a  man  of  unquestionable  integrity, 
fidelity  and  courage,  one  who  possessed  our 
confidence  as  well  as  that  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  and 

Whereas,  he  was  a  man  upon  whom  all  his 
business  associates  relied  because  of  his  un- 
swerving honesty,  energy,  ability  and  character, 
a  man  having  a  rare  combination  of  patience, 
foresight,  untiring  devotion  to  detail  and  the 
gift  of  stimulating  the  finest  qualities  in  other 
men,  and 

Whereas,  Mr.  Miller  was  elected  president  of 
this  bank  in  1905.  and  his  intense  interest  in  the 


institution  and  untiring  cfTorts  in  its  behalf,  are 
best  reflected  in  the  extraordinary  growth  of 
this  institution,  and 

Whereas,  in  his  relations  with  his  associates 
he  was  always  considerate  and  just,  his  noble 
personality  impressing  itself  upon  all  who  met 
him,  and 

Whereas,  we,  realizing  the  great  loss  this  bank 
has  sustained,  feel  it  fitting  to  pay  tribute  to  his 
sterling  qualities  f)f  mind  and  heart,  therefore, 
be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  death  of  our  friend  and 
associate  as  President  and  Director  of  this  bank 
creates  a  vacancy  that  in  many  respects  will  be 
felt  for  all  time;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That,  as  a  mark  of  the  appreciation 
of  his  useful  and  inspiring  life  and  as  a  testi- 
monial of  our  grief  at  his  death,  these  pre- 
ambles and  resolutions  be  inscribed  in  the  Book 
of  Minutes  of  this  Board  and  a  copy  thereof  be 
delivered  to  the  immediate  members  of  the  be- 
reaved family  of  our  late  associate,  such  copy 
to  be  signed  by  all  members  of  this  Board. 

The  Buffalo  Trust  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Miller  was  a  director,  passed  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions: 

An  honored  member  of  our  Board  has  just 
passed  away,  and  it  seems  fitting  at  this  time 
that  some  expression  of  our  appreciation  of  his 
worth  should  be  made. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Miller  served  actively  as 
a  trustee  of  this  Board  and  was  one  of  the  chief 
executive  oflficers  of  this  Company;  possessed 
of  sound  business  acumen,  and  unerring  judg- 
ment of  character  and  wide  and  varied  experi- 
ence in  business  relations  and  conscientious 
loyalty  to  his  duties  in  whatever  capacity  he 
was  called  upon  to  serve.  His  advice  and  co- 
operation brought  strength  to  any  enterprise 
and  courage  to  all  who  associated  with  him  in 
business  relations  or  came  within  the  sphere 
of  his  influence  or  employed  the  favor  of  his 
friendship. 

To  many  of  us,  his  untimely  death  is  a  per- 
sonal loss,  the  ending  of  a  long  friendship  of 
the  closest  and  warmest  nature. 

Resolved,  That  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Edwin  G.  S.  Miller  be  spread  upon  the  minutes 
of  the  proceedings  of  our  Board  and  that  a 
copy  thereof  be  sent  as  an  expression  of  the 
sense  of  our  profound  loss  and  the  deep  sym- 
pathy which  we  feel  to  the  members  of  his  be- 
reaved  family. 


359 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  Buffalo  Brewers'  Exchange  also 
hastened  to  put  its  appreciation  upon  rec- 
ord, as  follows : 

Whereas,  in  the  death  of  Edwin  G.  S.  Miller 
the  City  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  has  lost  an  in- 
fluential business  man  and  a  prominent  citizen; 
and 

Whereas,  Mr.  Miller  has  been  instrumental 
by  his  business  instincts  and  ability  in  helping 
make  the  Gerhard  Lang  Brewery  the  largest 
institution  of  its  kind  in  Western  New  York, 
a  fact  that  won  him  wide  reputation;  and 

Whereas,  the  Buffalo  Brewers'  Exchange,  of 
which  the  Lang  Brewery  and  Mr.  Miller  were 
members  for  a  good  many  years  in  the  past, 
deeply  deplores  the  death  of  one  of  its  business 
associates  in  the  brewing  industry,  with  which 
he  was  long  identified  and  for  which  industry 
and  its  interests  he  did  strive  in  their  councils 
up  to  a  few  years  ago  to  elevate,  better,  and 
protect  at  all  times;   now  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  survivors  and  members  of 
his  immediate  family,  be  informed  of  the  deep 
and  heartfelt  sympathy  of  the  officers  and  all 
the  members  of  this  Exchange  in  their  bereave- 
ment; and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  of  con- 
dolence be  spread  upon  the  minutes  and  a  copy 
thereof  duly  sent  to  the  bereft  family. 

Another  set  of  resolutions,  those  passed 
by  the  Buft"alo  German  Insurance  Com- 
pany, follows : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  the  members 
of  this  Board,  that  in  the  untimely  death  of 
their  associate,  Mr.  Edwin  G.  S.  Miller,  the 
directorate  of  this  Company  has  suffered  a  loss 
of  an  able  and  faithful  counsellor,  and  the  Com- 
pany itself  is  deprived  of  a  source  of  wisdom  and 
strength  in  the  guidance  and  management  of  its 
affairs. 

Long  interested  in  the  Company,  Mr.  Miller 
was  elected  to  a  place  on  its  Board  of  Directors 
on  the  first  day  of  February,  1900.  Continu- 
ously from  that  date  until  his  death,  he  was 
faithful  to  the  trust  so  imposed  upon  him  and 
eager  and  efficient  in  the  discharge  of  the  task 
incident  to  his  office.  Closely  identified  with 
the  best  banking  institutions  of  the  City  of 
Buffalo;  a  director  in  many  of  its  industrial 
corporations  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  for 
fifteen  years  President  of  one  of  its  leading  and 
strongest    commercial    banks,    which    under    his 


guidance,  had  increased  its  resources  over  ten- 
fold, he  brought  to  the  council  table  of  this 
Company  a  broad  vision,  and  great  wisdom, 
and  experience  in  financial  affairs.  Coupled 
with  a  sterling  integrity  of  mind  and  character, 
a  strength  of  purpose,  and  unswerving  loyalty, 
these  attainments  constituted  Mr.  Miller  an  as- 
set to  us,  impossible  of  easy  replacement. 

Cut  off  in  the  prime  of  an  active  enjoyment 
of  vigorous  powers  by  a  Divine  Providence,  it 
is  with  sorrow  that  this  Board  accepts  the  loss 
imposed  and  registers  its  deep  feeling  of  be- 
reavement, because  of  the  death  of  Mr.   Miller. 


NOONAN,  Thomas  Hazard, 

Jndge   of   City   Court. 

Although  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  with  the 
affairs  of  which  place  and  those  of  Erie 
county  he  has  been  most  intimately  iden- 
tified for  a  number  of  years,  Thomas 
Hazard  Noonan  is  not  a  native  of  that 
region,  nor  indeed  of  New  York  State  at 
all.  He  comes,  on  the  contrary,  of  an 
old  New  England  family,  and  was  born 
in  that  region. 

Thomas  H.  Noonan  was  born  in  Ferri.s- 
burgh.  Vermont,  December  17,  1865,  a 
son  of  Thomas  R.  and  Mary  Esther  (An- 
thony) Noonan.  His  childhood  and 
early  youth  were  spent  in  his  native  State 
and  his  education  was  gained  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Addison,  Vermont,  and 
Beeman  Academy,  New  Haven,  Vermont. 
At  the  latter  institution  he  was  prepared 
for  college,  and  graduated  therefrom  in 
1887.  He  then  matriculated  at  Middle- 
bury  College,  Middlebury,  Vermont,  and 
after  establishing  for  himself  an  excellent 
reputation  for  general  character  and  good 
scholarship,  was  graduated  therefrom 
with  the  class  of  1891. 

The  attention  of  Mr.  Noonan  had  al- 
ready been  turned  very  potently  to  the 
subject  of  the  law,  and  he  had  decided 
by  this  time  to  make  this  his  career  in 
life.     Accordingly  he  began  the  study  of 


360 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR.-\PHV 


his  chosen  subject  and  continued  it  in  a 
number  of  different  law  offices,  first  at 
St.  Regis  Falls,  New  York,  and  later  at 
Potsdam  and  Watertown,  New  York.  At 
Potsdam  he  was  in  the  office  of  the  Hon. 
Theodore  H.  Swift,  afterwards  chief 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Claims,  and  while 
at  Watertown  he  was  in  the  office  of  the 
Hon.  Hannibal  Smith.  It  was  in  Sep- 
tember, 1894.  that  Mt.  Noonan  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Utica,  New  York, 
immediately  after  which  he  came  to  Buf- 
falo, where  he  established  himself  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  From  the  out- 
set his  success  was  assured  and  he  soon 
rose  to  a  leading  position  at  the  bar  of 
Erie  county.  For  eighteen  years  he  con- 
tinued in  active  practice,  betv/een  1894 
and  1912.  and  then,  on  January  i.  1912. 
became  judge  of  the  City  Court  of  Buf- 
falo. From  that  time  to  the  present 
(191 7)  he  has  continued  to  occupy  this 
most  responsible  post,  and  has  estab- 
lished for  himself  a  record  on  the  bench 
equal  to  that  already  won  by  him  at  the 
bar. 

In  addition  to  his  judicial  office.  Judge 
Noonan  has  also  held  a  number  of  other 
important  official  posts,  and  in  every  case 
has  performed  the  duties  thereof  in  a 
manner  highly  satisfactory-  to  his  fellow 
citizens.  Between  1903  and  1910  he  was 
United  States  Loan  Commissioner  for 
Erie  county,  and  in  1909  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  Attorney  General  for  the  prose- 
cution of  violations  of  the  agricultural 
law  in  Erie  county,  a  post  which  he  held 
in  that  and  the  succeeding  year.  Judge 
Noonan  was  for  a  number  of  years  asso- 
ciated with  the  National  Guard  of  the 
State,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  Company 
B,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  in  January, 
1895,  and  continuing  thus  until  February, 
1900. 

Judge  Noonan  is  a  conspicuous  figure 
in  the  social  and  fraternal  world  of  Buf- 


falo, and  is  affiliated  with  a  number  of  im- 
portant organizations  there,  especially 
the  Masonic  order,  in  which  he  is  very 
prominent.  He  is  a  member  of  DeMolay 
Lodge,  No.  498.  Free  and  .\cccpted  Ma- 
sons, of  which  lodge  he  is  a  past  master ; 
of  Buffalo  Chapter,  No.  71,  Royal  Arch 
Masons:  Keystone  Council,  No.  20,  Royal 
and  Select  Masters :  Lake  Erie  Com- 
mandery.  No.  20,  Knights  Templar,  and 
the  Buffalo  Consistory  of  the  .-\ncient 
Accepted  Scottish  Rite  Masonry.  Judge 
Noonan  is  also  orator  of  Palmoni  Lodge 
of  Perfection,  and  in  1917  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  grand  standard  bearer  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
Judge  Noonan  is  affiliated  with  a  num- 
ber of  important  clubs,  including  the  New 
York  State  Association  of  Magistrates,  of 
which  in  1917  he  is  the  president;  the 
Lawyers'  Club  of  Buffalo,  in  which  he 
held  a  similar  office  in  1907:  the  Acacia 
Club,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1916; 
the  University  Club  of  Buffalo ;  the  Buf- 
falo Canoe  Club,  and  the  Erie  County 
Bar  Association.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  attends  the 
North  Presbyterian  Church  in  Buffalo. 

Thomas  Hazard  Noonan  was  united  in 
marriage.  July  2,  1909.  at  Buffalo,  New 
York,  with  Eleanor  L'Hommedieu,  and 
to  them  one  child,  Thomas  Robert 
Noonan,  was  born  May  2.  191 2. 


LYNCH,  James  Mathew. 

Leading  Exponent  of  Labor  Intereit*. 

James  Mathew  Lynch  was  une  of  the 
most  conspicuous  figures,  both  in  Demo- 
cratic politics  and  the  development  of 
the  labor  interests  in  Central  New  York 
State,  during  the  present  generation. 
Born  at  Manlius.  New  York.  January  n. 
1867.  he  was  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Caufield)  Lynch,  old  and  well  known 
residents  of  that  place. 


.-.61 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  early  life  of  Mr.  Lynch  was  passed 
in  his  native  town,  and  it  was  there  that 
he  gained  his  education,  attending  the 
local  public  schools  for  this  purpose. 
Upon  completing  his  studies  at  these  in- 
stitutions he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Syracuse,  New  York,  where  he  secured  a 
position  as  compositor  with  the  "Syracuse 
Herald,"  and  later  with  the  "Syracuse 
Post-Standard."  As  a  member  of  the 
Typographical  Union,  Mr.  Lynch  early 
became  interested  in  the  labor  questions 
which  were  then  and  are  still  agitating 
the  country,  and  he  soon  became  a  cham- 
pion of  the  cause  of  labor,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  a  leader  in  that  region.  Rapidly 
his  influence  grew  and  spread,  and  his 
name  soon  became  known  in  labor  circles 
throughout  the  country.  It  was  in  the 
year  1883  that  he  first  came  to  Syracuse 
and  began  his  work  as  a  compositor,  and 
from  that  time  during  the  next  sixteen 
years  until  1899  ^^  came  to  take  ever  a 
more  important  part  in  deciding  the  issues 
which  so  much  interested  him.  In  the 
latter  year,  he  was  elected  vice-president 
of  the  International  Typographical  Union, 
and  in  1900,  one  year  later,  became  presi- 
dent of  that  powerful  organization,  de- 
spite the  fact  that  he  was  then  but  thirty- 
three  years  of  age.  For  fourteen  years 
he  held  this  ofifice,  and  during  that  period 
was  of  invaluable  service  to  the  cause  not 
only  of  this  particular  union  but  of  labor 
generally. 

In  the  meanwhile  Mr.  Lynch's  atten- 
tion had  been  drawn  to  politics,  a  subject 
in  which  he  had  always  felt  a  keen  inter- 
est, and  with  his  usual  success  had  taken 
part  in  the  public  afifairs  of  New  York 
State.  He  is  naturally  a  leader  of  men,  and 
his  unusual  personality  rapidly  forced  him 
into  a  prominent  position  in  this  new 
field.  On  October  22,  1913,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Commissioner  of  Labor  for  the 
State  of  New  York,  holding  this  most 
important  office  until  June  30,  1915,  when 


he  became  a  member  of  the  Industrial 
Commission  of  New  York  State,  on  the 
first  day  of  July  in  that  year.  Mr.  Lynch 
still  holds  this  office  at  the  present  time, 
and  it  has  been  his  privilege  to  do  much 
for  the  furtherance  of  a  proper  relation 
between  labor  organizations  and  the  State 
government,  and,  through  that,  with  the 
people  at  large.  Throughout  the  term  of 
his  political  offices  he  has  ever  kept  in 
view  the  real  interest  of  labor  and  of  the 
community,  which  in  essence  are  the 
same  ;  and  it  has  been  his  task  to  insist 
upon  this  fact  to  the  decided  bettering  of 
relations  between  the  various  factors  of 
the  body  politic.  There  has  probably 
never  been  a  period  in  the  history  of  the 
world  when  the  rights  of  labor  have  met 
with  a  more  candid  recognition,  when  the 
fact  has  been  realized  that  it  is  upon  labor 
as  upon  a  base,  that  society  rests  and  that 
there  can  be  no  final  stability  for  civiliza- 
tion until  that  base  is  given  a  permanence 
and  strength  which  only  can  be  realized 
with  the  granting  of  its  full  rights  and 
legitimate  interests.  And  if  no  time  has 
done  so  much  justice  to  labor  as  the 
present,  neither  has  any  country  been  so 
prone  to  recognize  these  rights  as  Amer- 
ica. The  focusing  of  this  attitude  to  the 
early  part  of  the  twentieth  century  and 
to  the  United  States,  has  been  in  large 
measure  due  to  the  activities  of  just  such 
men  as  Mr.  Lynch.  No  cause,  so  great  as 
that  of  labor,  can  possibly  be  urged  with- 
out a  large  degree  of  selfishness  finding  its 
way  into  the  action  of  those  who  pose  as 
its  exponents.  But  to  men  whose  object  is 
an  interested  one,  labor  owes  little,  if  any- 
thing. Rather  it  is  to  those  who,  like  Mr. 
Lynch,  have  striven  earnestly  for  their 
ideal,  irrespective  of  what  the  result  may 
be  upon  their  individual  fortunes,  that  it 
is  indebted  for  the  immense  strides  that  it 
has  made  in  power  and  prestige  in  this 
age  and  nation. 

While  Mr.  Lynch  has  been  chiefly  asso- 


362 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ciated  with  the  great  issue  already  men- 
tioned, he  has  not  by  any  means  been  an 
inactive  figure  in  the  other  departments 
of  the  community's  life.  As  has  already 
been  stated,  he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  it  is  without  doubt  due  to  the  firm 
grasp  that  he  has  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples that  he  has  been  so  successful  in  all 
the  dealings  which  he  has  had  with  the 
great  proletariat  and  the  forces  which  it 
represents.  Me  has  been  an  active  figure 
in  fraternal  circles  in  Central  New  York, 
and  has  been  affiliated  with  Court  Syra- 
cuse. Foresters  of  America,  in  the  capac- 
ity of  chief  ranger;  with  Syracuse  Lodge. 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
as  lecturing  knight  and  leading  knight : 
with  the  Union  Council.  Knights  of 
Columbus  :  with  the  Syracuse  Aerie.  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles ;  Syracuse  Lodge. 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose ;  the  Order  of  the 
Alhambra, — in  addition  to  the  Tyjx)- 
graphical  Union  with  which  his  associ- 
ation has  already  been  remarked.  His 
affiliation  has  been  through  Union  No. 
55.  of  w^hich  he  held  the  office  of  presi- 
dent for  two  terms.  Mr.  Lynch  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church,  and  he  has 
always  been  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  great  faith  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

It  was  on  the  28th  day  of  June.  1899.  at 
Syracuse.  New  York,  that  Mr.  Lynch  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Letitia 
Cecelia  McVey,  of  that  city.  To  them 
have  been  born  nine  children,  as  follows : 
Richard,  Francis,  John.  Robert,  Letitia. 
Martha,  Charles.  Jane  and  Daniel. 

Mr.  Lynch  is  a  man  of  high  ideals,  to 
which  he  adheres  with  an  imusual  degree 
of  faithfulness  in  the  conduct  of  his  life, 
and  might  well  be  pointed  out  as  a  model 
of  good  citizenship.  In  all  the  relations 
of  life  he  displays  those  cardinal  virtues 
that  have  come  to  be  associated  with  the 
best  type  of  American  character — an  un- 
compromising   idealism,    united    with    a 


most  practical  sense  of  worldly  affairs. 
His  success  is  of  that  quiet  kind  which 
integrity  and  just  dealing  with  ones  fel- 
low men  is  sure  to  bring  when  coupled 
with  ability,  such  as  his — a  success  of  the 
permanent  type  which  the  years  increase 
and  render  more  secure  because  it  rests 
on  the  firm  foundation  of  the  trust  and 
confidence  of  his  community.  In  his  ca- 
reer as  public  servant  he  showed  himself 
without  any  personal  ambition,  and  actu- 
ated with  no  desire  other  than  to  further 
the  advantage  of  the  community,  and  to 
strengthen  his  party,  wherever  that  did 
not  conflict  with  the  public  weal.  His 
private  virtues  were  not  less  remarkable 
than  his  public,  and  the  deep  affection 
with  which  his  family  and  intimate 
friends  regard  him  is  the  best  tribute 
which  can  be  paid  to  the  strength  and 
sincerity  of  his  domestic  instincts.  He  is 
the  most  devoted  of  husbands  and  par- 
ents, ever  seeking  the  happiness  of  those 
about  him.  and  the  most  faithful  friend, 
winning  by  his  charming  personality  a 
host  of  intimates  who  repay  his  fidelity 
in  like  kind.  The  community  at  large 
feels  the  wholesome  and  inspiriting  effect 
of  his  example,  and  it  will  be  long  before 
its  members  cease  to  respond  to  its  influ- 
ence. 


LITTLETON.  Martin  Wilie. 
Lawyer. 

When  Martin  W.  Littleton  fir-t  located 
in  New  York  City,  he  was  a  young  lawyer 
with  five  years'  experience  in  practice  at 
the  Texas  bar.  He  is  now  the  veteran  of 
a  quarter  of  a  century  of  legal  conflict, 
twenty  of  these  years  having  been  spent 
in  now  Greater  New  York.  Although 
new  to  the  methods  of  northern  courts, 
he  wa*^  well  grounded  in  the  lore  of  the 
law  which  changes  not  with  locality,  and 
he    quickly    demonstrated    his    ability    to 


363 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cope  with  the  learned  and  skillful  law- 
yers of  his  new  environment.  Four  years 
at  the  Brooklyn  bar  in  private  practice 
brought  him  official  recognition,  and  from 
that  day  until  now  his  star  has  steadily 
risen,  and  whenever  there  is  an  important 
criminal  case  to  be  tried  in  the  New  York 
courts,  he  is  usually  found  among  the 
eminent  lawyers  engaged.  The  three 
years  spent  as  prosecuting  attorney  in 
Dallas,  Texas,  and  four  years  as  assistant 
to  the  district  attorney  of  Kings  county, 
New  York,  gave  him  valuable  experience 
in  criminal  practice,  and  the  years  have 
brought  him  fame  as  an  exponent  of  both 
criminal  and  civil  law.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  many  of  the  celebrated  cases 
of  the  past  twenty  years  both  as  prose- 
cutor and  defender,  his  victories  largely 
outbalancing  his  defeats.  He  has  served 
his  communities  well  as  their  legal  rep- 
resentative in  the  national  House  of 
Representatives,  and  his  was  the  eloquent 
voice  to  present  to  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  of  1904  the  name  of 
Judge  Alton  B.  Parker  as  the  choice  of 
the  New  York  Democracy  for  the  presi- 
dency of  the  United  States. 

Martin  Wilie  Littleton  was  born  near 
Kempton,  Roane  county,  Tennessee,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1872,  son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Han- 
nah B.  (Ingraham)  Littleton,  his  father, 
a  farmer  of  Tennessee,  born  in  Indiana, 
October  18,  1830,  died  in  181 5.  So  far  as 
school  attendance  is  concerned,  his  edu- 
cation ended  in  his  seventeenth  year,  but 
in  reality  it  then  only  commenced,  for  he 
has  been  a  student  all  his  life.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  became  a  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  house,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  pursued 
a  course  of  law  study  during  the  hours 
not  employed  at  the  store.  An  idea  of  the 
amount  of  self-imposed  work  he  per- 
formed in  preparing  for  his  profession,  is 
gained  from  the  fact  that  he  passed  all 


tests,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in 
1891,  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  located 
in  Dallas.  Texas,  being  chosen  district 
attorney  in  1893  and  serving  until  1896. 

In  1896  Mr.  Littleton  came  north, 
located  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
there  began  anew  the  making  of  a  career. 
He  practiced  at  the  Kings  county  bar  in 
private  capacity  for  four  years,  1896-1900, 
then  was  named  as  first  assistant  to  the 
prosecuting  attorney,  serving  four  years. 
They  were  four  fruitful  years  for  the 
young  lawyer,  and  brought  him  into  such 
prominence  that  in  1904  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  borough  of  Brooklyn. 
From  the  date  of  his  coming  in  1896,  he 
has  been  continuously  in  practice  at  the 
bar  of  Greater  New  York,  his  residence 
since  1905  having  been  in  the  borough  of 
Manhattan,  his  present  offices  at  No.  149 
Broadway.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York  ; 
the  New  York  County  Lawyers"  Associ- 
ation ;  the  New  York  State  Bar  Associ- 
ation ;  and  of  other  professional  societies. 
His  clubs  are  the  Brooklyn,  Manhattan, 
Garden  City  Golf,  Manhasset  Bay  Yacht, 
New  York  Athletic,  Bankers,  Down 
Town,  and  National  Golf  Links  of  Amer- 
ica. He  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  and 
Tennessee  societies  of  New  York.  His 
recreations  are  those  of  out-of-doors,  and 
in  golf  he  takes  special  pleasure. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Littleton 
ever  since  reaching  man's  estate  has  been 
active  in  advancing  the  interests  of  his 
party,  and  as  a  Democrat  was  elected  to 
the  offices  above  enumerated.  In  1900  he 
was  chairman  of  the  New  York  State 
Democratic  Convention  ;  in  1901  he  w^as 
chosen  to  present  to  the  convention  the 
name  of  Edward  L.  Shepard  for  mayor 
of  New  York ;  in  1904  he  made  the  nomi- 
nating speech  placing  the  name  of  Alton 
B.  Parker  before  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  in  session  at  St.  Louis ;  and 


364 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1910  he  was  elected  member  of  Con-  New  \\jrk  City,  was  a  man  who  knew 
gress  from  the  First  Congressional  Dis-  the  value  of  good  ideals — an  intellectual 
trict  of  New  York,  serving  in  the  Sixty-  abode,  and  thus  he  was  not  only  a  sue- 
second  Congress,  1911-1913.  His  course  cessful  man  of  aflfairs,  but  was  a  useful 
in  Congress  and  his  administration  of  and  helpful  citizen,  who  was  very  highly 
every  public  trust  reflects  nothing  but  appreciated  by  all  who  knew  him.  and, 
honor;  his  professional  career  has  been  although  he  was  a  young  man  and  New 
both  brilliant  and  successful,  while  in  his  York  is  a  vast  metroi)olis.  it  is  not  too 
private  life  he  has  won  the  warmest  much  to  say  that  he  wielded  a  potent 
friendships.  Hardly  yet  in  the  full  prime  influence  for  her  ci\ic  betterment,  having 
of  his  powers,  the  future  holds  further  devoted  considerable  time  in  the  interest 
promise  to  the  man  who  at  the  age  of  of  a  j)urer  city  government, 
forty-five  reviews   a   life   already   so   full  Mr.   Hunter  was  a  scion  of  a  tine  old 


of  achievement. 

Mr.  Littleton  married,  in  Dallas,  Texas, 
December  i,  1896,  Maud  Elizabeth  Wil- 
son, born  in  Beaumont,  Texas,  daughter 
of  Edward  E.  Wilson.  They  have  two 
sons :  Martin  Wilson  and  Douglas  Mar- 
shall Littleton.  The  family  residence  is 
at  No.  113  East  Fifty-seventh  street,  New 
York. 


Southern  family,  many  of  who>e  charm- 
ing characteristics  he  seemed  to  inherit. 
He  was  born  in  San  .Xntonio,  Texas, 
August  30,  1871.  He  was  a  son  of 
George  Maxwell  Hunter,  who  was  con- 
nected with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Rail- 
road Company  in  a  responsible  position 
for  seven  and  one-half  years.  He  later 
became  associated  with  several  large  law- 
firms  as  an  investigator,  looking  after 
various  details  of  cases  preparatory  for 
trial.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he 
was  in  x\frica  on  business,  but  upon  re- 
Everyone,  in  addition  to  his  ordinary  turning  to  the  United  States  in  1863. 
work-a-day  life,  whether  it  be  profes-  offered  his  services  to  the  Union,  and  was 
sional,  political,  commercial,  or  one  of  appointed  to  a  position  in  the  quarter- 
manual  labor,  by  which  he  earns  his  daily  master's  department  at  Washington,  D. 
bread,  needs  to  have  something  aside  C,  under  Colonel  Rockwell  and  General 
from  his  material  existence  to  which  he  James  A.  Hardee,  who  was  at  that  time 
can  turn  for  relaxation.    If  he  is  to  escape      stationed    in   Washington,   and    who   be- 


HUNTER,  William  S.  A. 

Railroad    Official. 


the  limitations  of  a  humdrum,  common- 
place, provincial  and  narrow  existence,  he 
must  build  for  himself  a  home  in  the 
realm  of  the  ideal.  Thus  he  will  be  able 
to  escape  when  he  wishes  from  the  ordi- 
nary environment  of  business  or  profes- 
sional life,  and  become  a  citizen  of  the 
world,  living,  in  a  sense,  a  life  as  wide  as 
that  of  humanity. 

The  late  William  Stuart  Appleton 
Hunter,  who  for  many  years  was  con- 
nected with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Rail- 
road Company  in  an  official  capacity,  in 


came  acting  Secretary  of  War  during  the 
illness  of  Secretary  Stanton.  He  per- 
formed his  duties  in  a  faithful  and  patri- 
otic manner,  and  after  the  war  resumed 
business  in  the  east,  in  which  he  was  very 
successful,  being  a  man  of  splendid  intel- 
lectual attainments  and  irreproachable 
character. 

The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as 
Georgiana  Armistead  .Appleton.  and  is 
still  living  in  New  York  City.  She  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  coming  of 


565 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


an  excellent  southern  family.  She  mar- 
ried Mr.  Hunter  in  New  York  City,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1869,  ^^  Trinity  Chapel,  a  place 
of  historic  interest.  She  is  entitled  to 
membership  in  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  She  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  War  of 
1812  by  reason  of  the  service  in  that  war 
of  her  maternal  grandfather.  Colonel 
George  Armistead,  who  was  in  command 
of  Fort  McHenry,  at  Baltimore,  the  bom- 
bardment of  which  fort  by  the  British 
fleet  inspired  Francis  Scott  Key  to  write 
our  national  song,  "The  Star  Spangled 
Banner."  Grandmother  Georgiana  Armi- 
stead was  born  at  Fort  McHenry,  and 
while  living  there  a  flag  was  presented  to 
her,  which  is  now  on  display  in  the 
National   Museum   in   Washington   City. 

Mrs.  Georgiana  A.  A.  Hunter  has  one 
son  and  two  daughters  living,  namely : 
1.  Henry  Rockwell  Hunter,  of  New  York ; 
married  Elizabeth  Frances  Gertrude 
Quick,  and  they  have  four  children : 
George  Rockwell,  age  ten ;  Robert,  age 
five  ;  Edward  Francis,  age  six;  and  Wini- 
fred, one  year.  2.  Maude  Hunter,  mar- 
ried, in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1894, 
to  Herbert  Stoddard  Carpenter,  now  de- 
ceased, who  was  a  noted  attorney  of  Lan- 
caster, New  Hampshire ;  he  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  Dartmouth  College  and  of  the  Law 
Department  of  Columbia  University ; 
Mrs.  Carpenter  resides  at  Lancaster,  New 
Hampshire,  with  her  three  children : 
Katheleen,  age  twenty ;  Herbert  Stod- 
dard, age  seventeen ;  and  Armistead 
Hunter,  age  twelve  years.  3.  Isabelle 
Card  Hunter,  unmarried,  and  resides  with 
her  mother.  Of  two  children  deceased, 
one  is  William  Stuart  Appleton  Hunter, 
of  this  memoir. 

William  S.  A.  Hunter  was  seven  years 
old  when  his  parents  located  at  Tarry- 
town,  New  York,  the  picturesque  country 
of  Washington  Irving,  and  there  young 


Hunter  grew  to  manhood,  attending  the 
public  schools  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
old,  or  1886,  in  which  year  his  father  died. 
However,  his  education  did  not  cease,  for 
he  was  always  a  student,  and  he  became  a 
well  informed  man  through  wide  miscel- 
laneous home  reading  and  study,  and  by 
contact  with  the  world.  When  seventeen 
years  old  he  was  appointed  to  a  position 
in  the  customs  service  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  he  remained  for  five 
years,  giving  most  satisfactory  service. 
He  then  began  the  study  of  law  under  the 
preceptorship  of  J.  C.  Hurd,  a  noted  at- 
torney, remaining  with  him  and  assisting 
him  in  his  ofiice  work  until  Mr.  Hunter 
was  thirty-seven  years  old,  during  which 
period  he  became  profoundly  versed  in 
the  law,  and  gave  promise  of  a  brilliant 
career  at  the  bar  ;  but  he  decided  to  accept 
the  responsible  positon  of  manager  of  the 
stationery  department  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad  Company,  with  headquar- 
ters in  New  York  City,  the  duties  of 
which  he  discharged  in  a  most  faithful, 
able  and  commendable  manner  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  His  superior  officials 
placed  implicit  confidence  in  his  ability 
and  integrity. 

Mr.  Hunter  was  never  a  seeker  of  pub- 
lic office  or  political  leadership,  but  he 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  civic  welfare 
of  New  York  City,  and  devoted  much 
time  in  assisting  in  selecting  honest  and 
capable  men  to  fill  the  various  city  offices, 
his  work  in  this  respect  being  somewhat 
unusual  in  that  he  never  claimed  to  be  a 
politician.  He  merely  took  this  course  to 
be  of  service  to  his  country.  He  was  cap- 
tain of  the  Twenty-third  Assembly  Dis- 
trict; and  a  member  of  the  Republican 
Club  of  New  York  City,  in  which  he  was 
active  and  influential.  He  was  known  as 
a  man  of  high  ideals — unselfish,  amiable, 
kind,  honest  and  true  in  all  relations  of 
life,  and,  while  he  was  a  great  lover  of 


366 


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1 

.     .  _  :-  City  as  headquar- 

sale^  department,    Captain 

iiere  the  same  year  as  man- 

offices  at   Broadway   and 

868  the  increase  in  de- 
.  ^sitated   enlarged   quar- 

buikiing  Avas  secured  at 

Hter  ah'.                 streets, 

1  -'.uiicers  ever,  ^ue.r  products 

rubber    frames    for    eyeglasses. 

i  they  «' 

...  I  .- 

tenses  were  introduced  that 

■•'■•":'    -ariety    hitherto 

company  were 

■yle  and  finish, 

-  vuig  public  were 

"he    growth   of   the 

aided   by    Mr. 

;,., stable  eyeglass 

.?  the  delay,  incoii 

h  the  failure  ot 

^-r-,        fO        (]f'f^\  :■;• 

omptly. 

:ed  befo;;:,  Ali.   Llausch  h.-  . 
beginning  ground  his  ov.  > 
the  year  1865  he  had  re^ici 
wi'  perfection  .in  this  product 
h'm   to  the  invention  of  deli 
ind  adjustable  machin 
•:d   to  meet  the   ia- 
?  of  the   lens  hv.' 
actory  building  on 

-  lie  plant  on  St.  Paul  stre 
(i  and  occupied  in  1874,  an 
nanufacture  of  microsco; 

-  •  Hded,  Mr.  Bausch  . 

-t   American  ma"  ■ 
rrients. 
.    ill  11.,    ..  .,i..h  nov  ao-.u. 
isrh  ^  T>omb  Optical  C 

i 

tw.-' 

tunity  to  e: 
.     ;v.   products  at  t:. 
'tion  in  Philadelphia,  am-  'i>r 
roscope? 

^ 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


While  the  steady  development  and  im- 
provement of  the  microscope  made  it 
better  known  and  established  with  the 
users  of  such  instruments,  the  manufac- 
ture of  photographic  lenses,  whose  use 
had  by  1S85  been  much  advanced  by  the 
invention  of  dry  plates,  also  offered  a 
good  field  of  endeavor  and  quickly  the 
company  gained  a  place  among  the 
world's  leading  makers  of  that  kind  of 
lens. 

The  progress  of  instantaneous  photog- 
raphy led  in  1888  to  the  invention  of  the 
Iris  Diaphragm  Shutter,  which  proved 
very  efficient. 

Gaining  so  important  a  position  as  pho- 
tographic lens  manufacturers,  the  Bausch 
&  Lomb  Optical  Company  made  an  agree- 
ment with  the  noted  Carl  Zeiss  Optical 
Works  of  Jena,  Germany,  and  in  1890 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  formula 
for  making  the  famous  Zeiss-Anastigmat 
phoio  lenses,  with  exclusive  American 
righ  s  of  manufacture.  Later,  in  1898, 
the  manufacture  of  Zeiss  Stereo  Prism 
Field  Glasses  was  begun.  During  the 
period  of  1890  to  1900,  the  standardiza- 
tion of  spectacle  lenses  was  one  of  the  im- 
portant factors  and  much  was  done  along 
these  lines  as  well  as  in  developing  vari- 
ous forms  of  meniscus,  cylindrical,  sphero- 
cylindrical and  toric  lenses,  and  prisms. 
The  microscopes  and  photographic  lenses 
kept  pace  in  the  meantime  with  all  other 
branches  of  the  business.  Along  with  the 
foregoing  there  came  the  Mangin  and 
parabolic  types  of  searchlight  mirrors  for 
naval  and  military  purposes,  and  later  for 
automobiles,  etc.  About  the  year  1900 
the  first  standard  improved  apparatus  for 
optical  projection  was  manufactured,  and 
this  is  now  designated  "Balopticon."  This 
apparatus  has  proven  a  great  aid  in  edu- 
cational and  scientific  work. 

In  1903  the  semi-centennial  of  the 
founding  of  the  business  was  celebrated 


with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  the 
hearty  good  will  and  cooperation  exist- 
ing between  the  company  and  its  em- 
ployees was  manifested  in  various  ways, 
one  being  the  granting  l:)y  the  firm  of  a 
nine-hour  work-day  in  place  of  ten  hours, 
with  full  pay  as  heretofore,  and  another 
being  the  presentation  by  the  employees 
of  a  beautifully  etched  silver  loving  cup 
in  honor  of  the  Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical 
Company  and  its  fifty-year  anniversary. 

During  the  year  1905  Mr.  George  N. 
Saegmuller.  of  Washington,  D.  C,  whose 
reputation  as  a  maker  of  engineering 
astronomical  instruments  was  interna- 
tional, became  associated  with  Messrs 
Bausch  &  Lomb,  with  whom  he  had  been 
for  many  years  a  warm  business  friend. 

The  business  of  Mr.  Saegmuller  was 
transferred  from  Washington  to  Rochester 
and  the  manufacture  of  astronomical  and 
engineering  instruments  was  continued, 
also  the  making  of  military  optical  instru- 
ments such  as  telescopic  gunsights,  range 
finders,  etc.  These  instruments  were 
especially  adopted  by  the  United  States 
government,  and  later  on  foreign  govern- 
ments sought  their  use. 

The  follownng  years  saw  important  en- 
largements in  the  factory  buildings,  there- 
by permitting  the  necessary  expansion  in 
the  various  branches  of  the  industry,  and 
in  1908  the  firm  of  Carl  Zeiss,  Jena,  be- 
came associated  with  Bausch  &  Lomb, 
the  object  being  to  concentrate  the  knowl- 
edge, skill,  experience  and  energy  of  the 
leading  optical  firms  of  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica for  scientific  advancement.  This  rela- 
tion continued  for  some  years,  but  is  now 
discontinued. 

Within  the  last  ten  years  the  business 
has  seen  the  steady  and  consistent  growth 
which  came  through  the  constant  effort 
of  Mr.  Bausch  and  his  associates.  A  large 
optical  glassworks  has  been  added,  thus 
obviating  any   dependence   on   European 


N  Y-5-24 


369 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sources  for  raw  optical  glass.  To-day 
over  three  thousand  people  are  employed 
in  the  various  departments,  which  num- 
ber will  shortly  be  increased.  At  this 
time  an  extensive  addition  to  the  present 
factory  is  under  way  to  aid  in  supplying 
the  urgent  needs  of  the  United  States 
government. 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  foregoing 
part  of  the  history  of  John  J.  Bausch  and 
the  industry  he  heads,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  man  who  sixty-four  years 
ago  started  to  grind  the  old-fashioned 
spectacle  lens  in  a  small  way,  to-day  can 
number  in  his  output  things  optical  which 
serve  uses  in  ways  ten-fold  as  compared 
to  the  modest  beginning  of  his  first  lens. 
Among  these  instruments  are  found : 
Eye  glasses,  magnifiers,  reading  glasses, 
microscopes,  astronomical  telescopes, 
photographic  lenses  and  shutters,  micro- 
tomes, opera  and  field  glasses,  projection 
apparatus,  engineering  instruments, 
searchlight  reflectors,  photomicrographic 
apparatus,  ophthalmic  lenses  and  instru- 
ments, range  finders,  telescopic  gunsights, 
and  many  other  scientific  instruments 
which  can  be  found  the  world  over  in 
daily  use  at  the  universities,  hospitals, 
laboratories,  in  the  field,  the  army  and 
navy,  theatres,  and  even  in  the  home. 

Besides  giving  his  utmost  attention  to 
this  great  business,  Mr.  Bausch  has  found 
time  for  other  interests,  and  at  his  ad- 
vanced age  he  is  president  of  the  Me- 
chanics' Savings  Bank  of  Rochester  and 
has  been  one  of  its  trustees  for  many 
years,  a  generous  giver  both  of  his  time 
and  material  support  to  the  Rochester 
General  Hospital,  of  which  institution  he 
is  vice-president,  and  at  all  times  he  has 
been  willing  to  assist  in  worthy  causes. 
He  is  a  welcome  visitor  and  member  of 
the  Rochester  Club.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  :  steadfast  in  support  of  party 
principles,  believing  them  to  be  the  best 
adapted   to  give   his   adopted   land   good 


government  and  prosperous  conditions. 
He  is  fully  alive  to  his  duties  as  a  citizen, 
but  has  never  accepted  public  office. 

The  esteem  and  affection  entertained 
for  Mr.  Bausch  by  his  numerous  em- 
ployees was  amply  evidenced  at  his 
eighty-fifth  birthday.  He  was  presented 
with  a  beautiful  bound  book  containing 
a  salutation  and  the  signatures  of  the  two 
thousand  and  five  hundred  in  his  employ. 
The  salutation  is  finely  engrossed  in  old 
English,  and  reads  as  follows: 

We  take  this  notable  occasion  to  express  to 
you  in  a  manner,  all  inadequate,  our  appreciation 
of  what  your  life  has  stood  for  and  what  it  has 
meant  to  us.  You  have  now  passed  the  eighty- 
fifth  milestone  of  an  unusual  life,  a  life  which 
affords  an  example  for  generations  present  and 
for  generations  to  come.  Sixty-two  years  of 
that  period  have  been  given  over  to  the  industry 
of  which  you  are  still  the  active  head.  During 
that  time  it  has  been  given  to  you,  by  virtue  of 
your  application  and  merit,  to  achieve  far  more 
than  the  average  of  your  fellows.  Yet  to  those 
of  us  whose  good  fortune  it  has  been  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  you  longest,  you  are  still  the  same 
true  friend,  the  same  unassuming  fellow  work- 
man. As  you  survey  to-day  the  tremendous 
growth  of  the  industrial  seed  which  you  planted 
in  a  humble  way  so  many  years  ago,  you  are 
justified  in  entertaining  a  feeling  of  pride.  Nor 
would  anyone  begrudge  you  such  a  feeling,  for 
your  success  is  the  kind  the  world  gives  homage 
to.  It  has  been  builded,  not  upon  the  oppression 
or  hardships  of  others,  but  upon  whole-souled 
cooperation  with  your  fellowmen  and  upon  the 
unquestioned  worth  of  the  goods  you  have 
wrought.  We  feel  that,  outside  of  the  immedi- 
ate family,  none  can  know  you  as  we  know  you, 
your  employees.  It  is  a  constant  inspiration  to 
observe  that  your  greatest  satisfaction  is  still 
found  in  working  with  us.  Your  shoulder  is  still 
at  the  wheel.  We  feel  it  daily,  whether  it  is  at 
the  workbench  or  at  the  desk,  and  the  personal 
touch  is  ever  a  dominating  influence  with  us. 
Your  interest  is  ours,  and  we  know  that  ours  are 
yours.  So  we  greet  you  to-day  with  full  hearts, 
rejoicing  in  the  belief  that  your  work  is  not  yet 
finished,  and  your  sun  is  far  from  setting.  That 
your  span  of  life  may  be  extended  many  more 
years,  as  full  and  fruitful  as  those  gone  before, 
is  the  sincere  wish  of  the  undersigned,  your 
employees,  and  to  an  individual,  your  friends. 


370 


ASTon,  lfnox 


rA.  ^-„^„«^  A/isr,r'^„/S 


■n,i>*:?. 


dnv   he  left   tar 


■lb      k 


I 


^« 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGR,\PHY 


the  various  cemeteries  of  the  city,  and 
was  thus  enabled  to  assist  in  making  the 
observance  and  work  of  Memorial  Day. 
and  also  the  records  of  the  living  and 
dead  veterans  of  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try— in  the  opinion  of  many  outside 
•  irand  Army  men  and  Sons  of  \'eterans — 
the  most  practical  and  complete  in  the 
country.  In  1883  he  assisted  in  organiz- 
ing the  German-American  Society,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  second 
centennial  of  the  first  German  coloniza- 
tion within  the  boundaries  of  the  United 
States  ;  this  society  has  long  been  bene- 
ficial in  aiding  German  immigrants,  as 
well  as  those  who.  from  want  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  language  and  conditions. 
needed  help. 

Captain  Lomb  married,  in  1865,  Emilie 
Klein,  of  Rochester,  who  survives  him 
with  their  two  sons :  Adolph  and  Henry 
C.  While  his  condition  had  not  been  a 
ven.-  robuit  one  for  about  a  year  prior 
to  his  death.  Captain  Lomb  could  not  be 
considered  in  ill  health,  and  his  death  was 
caused  by  the  gradual  wasting  of  his 
strength  due  to  old  age,  and  was  as  gen- 
tle as  his  life  had  always  been.  The 
highest  honors  were  paid  his  memory. 
His  funeral  services,  which  were  held  in 
Convention  Hall,  were  attended  by  an 
audience  from  all  classes  of  society,  which 
was  attached  to  him  by  the  bonds  of 
friendship  or  gratitude.  The  guard  of 
honor  was  from  the  Old  Thirteenth  Regi- 
ment, and  detachments  from  Glidden, 
O'Rorke  and  Pierce  Camps,  and  Colonel 
Tames  S.  Graham  had  charge  of  the 
arrangements.  "'Wie  Sie  So  Sanft  Ruhn" 
was  sung  by  the  Rochester  Maennerchor. 
of  which  Captain  Lomb  had  been  a  mem- 
ber many  years.  An  idea  of  the  esteem 
and  veneration  in  which  Captain  Lomb 
was  held  may  be  gained  by  the  following 
extracts  from  the  addresses  made  on  this 
occasion  : 


Mr.  Lewis  P.  Ross,  president  of  the 
Mechanics'  Institute,  said  in  part : 

We  are  here  today  to  give  expression  of  our 
love  and  our  appreciation  for  our  comrade,  our 
fellow  worker,  our  friend,  who  has  gone  from  us, 
to  give  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  the  life 
which  has  been  spent  among  us  and  the  influence 
of  which  will  be  felt  at  all  times. 

Dr.  Rush  Rhees.  president  of  the  Uni- 
\  ersity  of  Rochester,  said  : 

A  vast  company  of  men  and  women,  more  than 
this  hall  could  hold,  are  bowed  in  grief  at 
this  hour  to-day  at  the  loss  of  this  great  man. 
Things  that  are  to  be  said  concerning  Captain 
Lomb  are  all  obvious,  for  there  never  was  a 
life  of  greater  transparency  than  his.  Of  a  quiet 
and  retiring  disposition,  in  him  was  found  an 
exposition  of  the  commandment.  "Let  not  thy 
right  hand  know  what  thy  left  hand  doeth."  His 
character  stands  out  as  an  exhibition  of  true 
philanthropy.  There  is  a  philanthropy  that  is 
the  result  of  a  good  natured  disposition  to  share. 
and  such  was  the  philanthropy  of  Captain  Henry 
Lomb.  This  city  has  within  it  a  great  monu- 
ment to  his  solicitude  for  the  lives  of  the  men 
and  women  about  him;  he  would  give  that  man- 
hood and  womanhood  might  flourish.  Whenever 
any  enterprise  appealed  to  his  heart,  he  gave  his 
heart  to  it.  The  Mechanics  Institute  is  a  mon- 
ument of  that  kind  of  liberality,  the  Rochester 
Public  Health  Association  is  another. 

Mr.  Herman  Pfaefifiin.  v/ho  spoke  in 
German.  sa.id  in  part : 

Rich  and  poor  have  tasted  of  the  fruits  of  his 
endeavor  and  accordingly  his  death  is  looked 
upon  by  all  as  the  loss  of  a  dear  and  true  friend. 
His  life  was  an  evidence  that  he  had  grasped 
the  essential  meaning  of  the  duties  incumbent 
on  one  in  this  world,  and  we  need  but  read  the 
sketches  of  his  life,  which  have  appeared  within 
the  past  few  days,  to  learn  of  the  direct  growth 
of  the  man.  who  would  have  achieved  a  position 
of  eminence  had  it  not  been  for  his  retiring  dis- 
position. While  still  a  young  man  we  find  him 
busily  engaged  in  stri\'ing  for  the  advancement 
of  those  about  him  despite  the  fact  that  he  was 
forced  to  work  hard  for  his  sustenance.  He  had 
been  a  workman  before  he  became  an  employer, 
and  he  ever  kept  the  interests  of  his  employees 


Z72, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


steadily  in  mind.  When,  in  tiie  hour  of  peril,  his 
adopted  fatherland  was  forced  to  war  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  enlist  under  the  starry  banner,  and  the  fiery 
patriotism  which  actuated  him  then  remained 
strong  in  him  until  he  drew  his  last  breath.  The 
rapid  accumulation  of  wealth  did  not  change  his 
character,  as  is  so  frequently  the  case,  nor  did  it 
make  him  look  down  on  those  possessed  of  less 
of  this  world's  goods.  By  his  care  for  the 
health  and  prosperity  of  his  employees,  his  work 
ior  the  establishment  of  the  kindergarten  system 
in  this  city,  and  the  assistance  rendered  the 
mechanics  Institute,  he  placed  the  seal  of  his 
jTeat  personality  on  the  city's  activities.  Thou- 
■  sands  of  little  ones  who  owe  their  moral  and 
physical  well-being  to  the  kindergarten  system, 
thousands  of  older  children  who  have  been 
placed  in  the  way  of  becoming  good  citizens, 
thousands  of  families,  some  of  whose  members 
have  been  employed  by  him,  mourn  his  loss.  He 
has  completed  his  span  of  life,  but  his  deeds  will 
liive  and  his  name  will  be  held  in  honor,  for  the 
man  who  has  done  his  best  for  his  own  age  will 
I've  for  ages. 


I.OMB,  Adolph, 

Member  of   Bausch   &   Lomb   Optical   Com- 
pany. 

In  acquiring  a  university  and  technical 
education,  Mr.  Lomb  embraced  the  best 
advantages  of  his  own  land,  then  supple- 
mented his  attainment  by  courses  of  stud}- 
in  foreign  cities,  returning  to  take  his 
place  in  the  great  Bausch  &  Lomb  Opti- 
cal Company,  with  which  the  name  Lomb 
lias  been  so  long  and  so  prominently  as- 
'iociated.  To  that  world-wide  known 
company  he  has  devoted  his  mature 
years,  his  learning  and  his  talents,  and 
while  never  taking  conspicuous  part  in 
public  nor  social  life,  is  keenly  alive  to 
the  responsibilities  of  citizenship. 

Adolph  Lomb.  eldest  son  of  Captain 
Henry  and  Emilie  (Klein)  Lomb,  was 
born  in  1866  in  Rochester,  New  York,  but 
spent  most  of  his  boyhood  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  New  York  and  later  in  Brook- 
lyn, cities  to  which  his  parents  removed. 


there  obtaining  his  early  education.  In 
1878  his  parents  made  a  tour  of  Europe, 
and  during  a  stay  in  Frankfort  he  at- 
tended the  State  School.  In  1880  Cap- 
tain Henry  Lomb  moved  from  Brooklyn 
to  Rochester,  where  Adolph  attended 
Public  School  No.  15.  and  finished  a 
course  in  the  Free  Academy.  He  began 
his  practical  experience  in  the  Bausch  & 
Lomb  factory,  serving  an  apprenticeship 
in  the  different  departments,  taking  ])ar- 
ticular  interest  in  the  more  delicate  and 
intricate  operations,  an  interest  which  has 
continued  unabated  since  that  time.  His 
activity  in  that  was  later  interrupted  l)y 
his  university  training,  which  commenced 
at  the  L^niversity  of  Rochester  in  1888. 
continuing  at  the  Massachusetts  Insti- 
tute of  Technology,  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  gave  especial  attention  to 
engineering  branches,  while  still  pursu- 
ing the  work  in  mathematics  and  physics, 
commenced  at  Rochester.  Subsequently 
he  continued  the  work  in  the  latter 
branches  at  the  University  of  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, and  later  in  Paris,  France,  in  both 
places  devoting  his  attention  particularly 
to  theoretical  optics.  While  abroad  he 
spent  considerable  time  at  the  Carl  Zeiss 
Works  in  Jena,  and  was  instrumental 
later  in  the  introduction  of  iheir  methods 
in  the  factory  of  Bausch  &  Lomb  at 
Rochester.  On  his  return  to  the  United 
States  he  became  interested  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  Bausch  &  Lomb  Opti- 
cal Company,  assuming  responsibilities 
which  have  increased  with  the  years,  now 
being  assistant  secretary  of  the  company 
and  member  of  the  board  of  directors. 


WOLLENSAK,  Andrew, 

Manufacturer,   Inventor. 

It  pleases  Americans  to  speak  of  their 
country  as  the  "land  of  opportunity."  and 
so  it  is,  but  opportunity  only  knocks,  the 


374 


:1  1 


^«»N^ 


,.,.!;  of  their 

...v,''3ini 

,-.vktlie 


-•></^ 


I 


ir,iig    a   stay    in 


..    15.    n- 
ree  Aca 

iT)    tr;C 

an  app; ! 
!-ent  departments,  taking;  pa 
'   '  ■   the  tnor-    '- '      '     ' 
an  int'- 

at  time.     t\ : 

aining;'. 


LOMB.  Adolph, 

Membci    ui'   Banaoli    .%    loxab   Optica)    Coiu- 

r  n  1;  y . 


jfk    in    the 

the  University  of  Berlin.  Ger- 
•  in  Paris,  France,  in  hotn 
:  Iv-;  'ttention  particular! 
theoretical  While  abroad  h- 

,'jie  lune  at  the  Carl  Zeiss 
,:      i^^d    W.1S    instrumental 
of  their  methoi 
laiisch    &    Lon  ' 
ret"r"  to  the  L 

1  in  the  man 


Me:: 


k  of  their 

■rtunity."  an^.! 

"nocks,  the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man  must  answer,  rise  and  embrace. 
Opportunity  lurks  everywhere  and  ac- 
comi)lishcs  nothing  until  seized  by  the 
right  man.  then  together  great  deeds 
are  accomplished.  There  is  something 
fme  to  contemplate  in  the  life  history 
of  Andrew  Wollensak.  of  Rochester,  Xew 
York,  one  of  the  men  of  that  city  whose 
fame  as  a  manufacturer  has  made  it 
famous.  Me  came  to  Rochester  in  1882, 
arriving  with  five  cents  in  his  pocket,  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  But  he  was 
master  of  a  good  trade,  possessed  a  stout 
heart,  believed  in  God  and  himself. 

With  mechanical  ability  and  strong 
personal  attributes  as  capital,  he  began 
life  in  Rochester  in  1882,  served  in  sub- 
ordinate capacities  until  iS'^o.  then  seized 
the  great  opportunity  and  to-day  is  the 
employer  of  tw'O  hundred  and  fifty  em- 
ployees, located  in  a  healthful,  beautiful 
factory  home,  manufacturing  a  product 
of  superior  quality  knowm  in  every  photo- 
graphic art  studio  of  repute  in  the  United 
States.  Thirty-three  years  cover  his  ca- 
reer in  Rochester,  but  for  only  sixteen 
years  of  that  period  has  he  been  a  manu- 
facturer of  photographic  shutters,  and 
only  since  1903  have  photographic  lenses 
been  a  part  of  his  factory  product.  Yet  in 
that  time  he  has  placed  his  goods  so  high 
in  the  estimation  of  dealer  and  user  that 
Wollensak  stamped  on  lens  or  shutter  is 
a  guarantee.  Opportunity  and  the  man 
met,  but  honor  goes  to  this  man  of  high 
ideals,  deep  religious  convictions,  me- 
chanical and  business  ability,  who,  un- 
daunted and  unafraid,  used  his  talents 
and  won  for  himself  an  honored  place  in 
the  commercial  world,  a  private  reputa- 
tion without  a  blemish,  and  citizenship 
beyond  reproach. 

Wollensak  is  an  ancient  German  family- 
name.  Andrew  Wollensak,  grandfather 
of  Andrew  Wollensak.  of  Rochester,  was 
twice    married,    and    died    at   the    age    of 


eighty-two  years.  Johan  Wollensak,  son 
of  Andrew  Wollensak  and  his  first  wife. 
Helena,  was  a  carpenter.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Bollin,  daughter  of  Johan  and 
Barbara  (Alohr)  Bollin,  who  bore  him 
twelve  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Andrew,  of  Rochester ;  John  C. 
associated  w-ith  his  brother  Andrew  in 
business;  Victoria,  wife  of  John  Hicks, 
of  Rochester.  Johan  Wollensak,  the 
father,  died  in  1880,  aged  fifty-seven 
}'ears  ;  his  wife  died  in  1874.  aged  forty- 
two  years. 

Andrew  \\  ollensak,  son  of  Johan  and 
Elizabeth  ( Bollin)  Wollensak.  was  born 
in  Wiechs,  Baden,  Germany,  November 
13.  1862.  He  attended  public  school  until 
fourteen  years  of  age.  then  left  home  to 
become  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  mill- 
wright and  machinist.  He  remained  in 
his  native  land  until  1882.  then  came  to 
the  United  States,  locating  in  Rochester. 
New  York,  his  funds  barely  allowing  him 
to  reach  that  city.  He  secured  work  at 
his  trade,  and  in  the  following  year  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Bausch  &  Lomb 
Optical  Company.  Quickly  mastering  the 
detail  of  optical  instrument  and  lens 
manufacture  as  practiced  by  the  company 
he  w^as  employed  with,  he  attracted  favor- 
able notice  and  received  several  promo- 
tions during  the  sixteen  years  he  re- 
mained in  that  employ,  finally  becoming 
foreman  of  a  department.  After  sixteen 
years'  service  with  the  Bausch  Sz  Lomb 
Company,  he  resolved  to  test  his  own 
ability  and  to  engage  in  business  on  his 
own  account,  therefore  he  tendered  his 
resignation,  and  in  June,  1899.  he  began 
with  a  factory  force  consisting  of  himself 
and  one  boy  to  manufacture  shutters  for 
photographic  cameras.  The  shutter  was 
of  his  owm  design,  was  satisfactory  in  its 
operations,  and  soon  a  demand  was  cre- 
ated, the  price  as  well  as  the  quality  be- 
ing attractive  to  the  trade.   For  four  years 


37: 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  continued  the  exclusive  manufacture 
of  shutters,  increasing  his  force  and  en- 
larging his  quarters.  In  1903  he  added 
the  manufacture  of  camera  lenses,  that 
department  being  in  charge  of  his  brother, 
John  C.  Wollensak.  Both  departments 
have  prospered  abundantly,  both  shutter 
and  lens  being  kept  on  sale  by  practically 
every  dealer  in  photographic  supplies  in 
the  United  States,  dealer  and  user  having 
found  that  "Wollensak"  stands  for  un- 
surpassed excellence  in  quality  and  a 
"square  deal"  both  for  the  man  who  sells 
and  for  him  who  uses.  His  trade  in  the 
United  States  is  very  large  and  widely 
extended,  an  export  trade  of  generous 
proportions  also  having  been  developed. 
The  officers  of  the  company  are  as  fol- 
lov/s:  Andrew  Wollensak,  president;  il. 
C.  Gorton,  vice-president  and  treasurer; 
John  C.  Wollensak,  secretary  ;  Jacob  G. 
Magin,  assistant  secretary.  The  presi- 
dent, Andrew  Wollensak,  has  invented 
and  patented  some  twenty-four  machines 
and  devices  pertaining  to  the  manufacture 
of  shutters  and  lenses.  He  is  the  in- 
ventor of  the  first  automatic  shutter  and 
has  recently  (1915)  invented  and  patented 
the  first  high-speed  automatic  shutter, 
which  will  soon  be  placed  upon  the  mar- 
ket under  the  name  of  "Optimo." 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  sentiment  in 
Mr.  Wollensak's  nature  and  one  form  of 
it  is  displayed  in  the  conditions  under 
which  his  two  hundred  and  fifty  em- 
ployees work.  Everything  in  his  great 
factory  (he  is  the  largest  manufacturer 
of  camera  shutters  in  the  United  States) 
is  designed  for  comfort,  health,  efficiency 
and  the  safe  guarding  of  his  employees, 
there  being  a  separate  entrance  for  the 
women  employed,  and  a  strict  rule  of  the 
establishment  is  that  no  profanity  or 
objectionable  language  be  used,  the  result 
being  that  parents  are  pleased  to  find  em- 
ployment there  for  their  sons  and  daugh- 
ters.    The  grounds  surrounding  the  fac- 


tory are  beautifully  laid  out  and  well  kept, 
the  fine,  modernly-equipped  power  plant 
located  at  a  distance  from  the  factory, 
and  the  entire  forty  thousand  feet  of  floor 
space  in  the  factory  laid  off  with  the  idea 
that  perfect  goods  can  only  be  made 
under  perfect  conditions.  The  factory, 
two  hundred  by  one  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  in  area,  two-storied  in  front,  and  one- 
storied  in  the  rear,  contains  as  one  of  its 
departments  a  machine  shop  in  which  all 
the  tools  used  are  made.  This  plant  and 
business,  the  outcome  of  sixteen  years  as 
a  manufacturer,  shows  the  quality  of  the 
man  who  accomplished  it,  his  executive 
ability  as  well  as  his  inventive,  mechan- 
ical skill.  But  back  of  his  skill  and  his 
ability  has  been  his  indomitable  will,  per- 
severance and  industry,  a  few  days'  vaca- 
tion in  the  sixteen  years  covering  the 
period  of  relaxation  from  toil. 

Mr.  Wollensak  considers  religion  one 
of  the  serious  concerns  of  life,  and  so 
orders  his  afifairs.  He  is  a  member  of  St. 
Michael's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  has 
served  on  its  board  of  trustees  for  twenty- 
four  years,  and  is  devoted  to  the  parish 
interests.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  St.  John,  the  Catholic  Mutual  Bene- 
ficial Association,  St.  Anthony's  Benevo- 
lent Association,  and  the  Badicchen 
\"erein.  He  abjures  politics,  but  per- 
forms his  duties  as  a  citizen  faithfully. 
His  family,  his  business,  his  church,  and 
his  fraternities  meet  all  the  requirements 
of  his  nature,  public  life  having  for  him 
no  charm.  No  call  of  charity  or  religion 
is  disregarded,  and  his  place  among  the 
prominent,  respected  business  men  of  his 
community  is  secure. 

Mr.  Wollensak  married  Frances,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Barbara  (Trabert)  Noll, 
of  Sargenzell,  Germany.  She  died  No- 
vember II.  1913,  leaving  a  daughter, 
Emma,  wife  of  Jacob  G.  Magin,  associ- 
ated as  assistant  secretary  in  the  business 
of  his  father-in-law. 


Zl^ 


THiZ  NEV/  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ASTOR,   LENOX 
TIIDEN     FOUUDA  (  IONS 


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ed. 

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chased the  bu'^iness  and  conducted  it  un- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ness  college  and  afterwards  became  book- 
keeper for  the  Dominion  Button  Works, 
then  owned  by  his  father.  When  the 
superintendent  of  the  factory  gave  uj)  his 
position  young  Shantz  offered  to  take  the 
management.  He  continued  in  charge  of 
the  business  and  the  plant  until  1886, 
then  became  manager  of  a  branch  factory 
located  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  In  1887 
he  sold  his  interests  elsewhere  and  located 
in  Rochester,  conducting  a  button  fac- 
tory on  North  W^ater  street,  and  in  1891 
incorporated  as  the  M.  B.  Shantz  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  of  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  name  Shantz,  so  well  and 
favorably  known  to  the  trade  everywhere, 
is  retained,  and  all  printed  matter  issued 
by  the  compan}-  carries  the  name  "M.  B. 
Shantz,  Incorporated.''  Mr.  Shantz  oper- 
ates one  of  the  largest  button  manufac- 
turing industries  in  the  United  States. 
His  specialties  being  buttons  made  from 
vegetable  ivory  and  pearl.  The  factories 
are  equipped  with  every  modern  mechani- 
cal invention,  device,  or  process  that 
makes  for  efficiency  in  production  and 
quality,  and  is  one  of  Rochester's  promi- 
nent industrial  enterprises.  Mr.  Shantz 
has  maintained  the  highest  standard  of 
business  integrity,  and  sacrificed  no  high 
ideal,  nor  has  compromised  the  lofty  prin- 
ciples that  marked  his  upright  father.  He 
is  a  man  gifted  with  a  personality  that 
explains  why  it  is  the  man,  rather  than 
the  product,  that  has  won  success. 

Mr.  Shantz  married,  December  7,  1875. 
\"eronica,  daughter  of  Jonas  Bingeman. 
of  Waterloo  county.  Ontario,  Canada. 
Their  children  are : 

1.  Edgar,  born  March  26.  1878;  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  high  schools  of 
Rochester  and  the  University  of  Roches- 
ter ;  now  engaged  with  his  father  in  busi- 
ness as  technical  engineer  ;  married  Grace 
Moore  :  they  have  one  son,  Edgar  M. 

2.  Elizabeth,  born  October  11.  1879; 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Rochester,  and  Vassar  College  ;    mar- 


ried  Hiram  M.   Rogers,  they  have  three 
children:   Clara  E.,  Heney  S.,  and  John. 

3.  Alson,  born  May  19,  1881  ;  educated 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Roches- 
ter, and  the  Rochester  lousiness  Institute; 
now  vice-president  of  his  father's  busi- 
ness ;  also  captain  of  Troop  H,  New  York 
Cavalry,  now  on  war  duty.  Married  to 
I'lorence  Hawley ;  they  have  one  son, 
Alson   McKay. 

4.  Vera,  born  September  15,  1885;  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  ]jri\'ate  schools  of 
Rochester,  and  the  Dana  Hall  School  for 
Girls  at  Wellesley,  Massachusetts ;  un- 
married. 

5.  Irene,  born  May  27,  1888;  educated 
in  the  public  and  private  schools  of 
Rochester,  and  the  Dana  Hall  School  for 
Girls  at  Wellesley,  Massachusetts  ;  mar- 
ried Charles  H.  Hathaway. 

6.  Marshall  B.,  born  Februar}'  28,  1890; 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Rochester,  and  W^illiams  College  ;  now 
salesmanager  of  his  father's  business ; 
also  second  lieutenant  in  the  cavalry  di- 
vision of  the  United  States  army  now  on 
war  duty ;    unmarried. 

7.  Harold  E.,  born  January  10,  1894; 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Rochester,  and  University  of  Roches- 
ter; engaged  in  his  father's  business  ;  also 
second  lieutenant  in  the  cavalry  division 
of  the  United  States  army  now  on  war 
dutv ;  unmarried. 


BARTON,  Frank  Adalbert, 
Manufacturer. 

One  of  the  most  progressive,  energetic 
and  successful  manufacturers  of  Syracuse, 
New  York,  is  Frank  Adelbert  Barton,  who 
comes  of  good  old  New  York  stock,  and 
who  has  been  most  intimately  associated 
with  the  business  life  and  affairs  of  Syra- 
cuse, and  the  surrounding  region  of  the 
State. 

He  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Susan  Bar- 
ton, old  and  highly  respected  residents  of 
the  town  of  Pompey.  New  York,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  the  city 
of  Manlius.  Frank  Adelbert  Barton  was 
the  youngest  of  his  parents'  children,  and 
was  born  April  3.  1864.  at  Pompey.     He 


.^7') 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


attended  the  local  public  schools  for  his 
education,  and  eventually  the  high  school 
at  Manlius,  remaining  at  the  latter  insti- 
tution until  within  six  months  of  gradu- 
ation. Upon  completing  his  studies  he 
secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  the 
firm  of  Cheney  &  Son,  at  Manlius,  who 
were  engaged  in  business  there.  Here  the 
young  man's  aptness  and  industry  recom- 
mended him  to  his  employers,  and  he  was 
later  advanced  to  the  position  of  corres- 
pondent for  this  firm.  Mr.  Barton  sub- 
sequently severed  his  connection  with  S. 
Cheney  &  Son  and  became  associated 
with  the  H.  H.  Franklin  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Syracuse.  With  this  large 
and  important  concern  he  has  remained 
connected  to  the  present  time,  and  now 
occupies  the  office  of  secretary-treasurer. 
It  is  due  in  no  small  degree  to  the  ability 
which  Mr.  Barton  has  displayed  in  this 
responsible  position  and  to  his  unusual 
faculty  for  organization  that  the  concern 
has  enjoyed  so  satisfactory  a  development 
in  recent  times.  He  stands,  and  the  con- 
cern with  which  he  is  connected  stands, 
for  the  highest  ideals  of  commercial  in- 
tegrity and  square  dealing,  and  enjoys  a 
well  deserA^ed  and  enviable  reputation  in 
the  business  world  of  that  region. 

Mr.  Barton  is  an  influential  figure  in 
both  the  industrial  and  financial  circles  of 
Syracuse,  and  is  more  or  less  closely  con- 
nected with  other  concerns.  Particularly 
close  has  been  his  association  with  the 
Cit\'  Bank  of  Syracuse,  and  he  at  the 
present  time  is  a  member  of  its  board  of 
directors.  But  Mr.  Barton  has  not  con- 
fined his  activity  to  the  business  world  at 
all,  and  both  during  his  residence  in 
Manlius  and  now  in  Syracuse,  has  taken 
no  small  part  in  the  general  public  affairs 
of  the  community.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  his  voice  is  an  influential 
one  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  that 
part  of  the  State.  While  living  at  Man- 
lius he  held  several  different  local  offices, 
and  was  at  various  times  a  member  of  the 


board  of  trustees  and  the  president  of  the 
village.  He  is  an  active  participant  in  the 
social  and  club  life  of  the  community,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Bellevue  Country 
Club,  the  City  Club,  the  Technology  Club, 
the  Citizens'  Club  and  the  Automobile 
Club,  all  of  Syracuse.  Another  direction 
in  which  his  interests  are  enlisted  is  that 
concerned  with  the  philanthropic  enter- 
prises of  the  city.  He  is  especially  active 
in  connection  with  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  is  president  of 
the  Syracuse  branch  of  that  great  organ- 
ization. In  his  religious  belief  Mr.  Barton 
is  a  Baptist,  and  attends,  with  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  the  Delaware  Street 
Church  of  that  denomination. 

Frank  Adelbert  Barton  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Franklin,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  R.  Franklin,  of  Syra- 
cuse. One  child  has  been  born  of  this 
xmion,  Kenneth  Franklin  Barton,  Janu- 
ary 5,  191 1. 

Frank  Adelbert  Barton,  though  a  Syra- 
cuse man  only  by  adoption,  is  one  of  the 
community's  most  energetic  and  disin- 
terested members.  He  is  very  public- 
spirited,  and  gives  a  great  deal  of  time 
and  attention  to  the  manifold  movements 
undertaken  for  the  city's  welfare.  He  is 
a  man  of  unimpeachable  integrity,  and  a 
hard  worker  in  all  that  he  undertakes,  and 
these  traits,  added  to  a  mind  with  unusual 
power  of  grasping  concrete  problems, 
render  him  successful  in  his  business  ca- 
reer. But  they  do  more  than  this :  they 
gain  for  him  in  a  high  degree  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  his  fellow  townsmen, 
which  his  truly  democratic  outlook  on 
life,  his  treatment  of  all  men.  high  or  low, 
rich  or  poor,  without  fear  or  favor,  only 
tends  to  confirm  and  deepen  into  aflfec- 
tion.  His  personality  gains  him  a  host  of 
warm  and  devoted  friends,  and  he  is  gen- 
erally well  thought  of  in  both  S\Tacuse 
and  the  entire  middle  west  of  New  York 
State. 


380 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Adams,  Guilford  R.,  22 

Reuben  A.,  Dr.,  67 

Sidney  I.,  69 
Allen,  Chauncey  L.,  25 

Florence  R.,  27 

George  R.,  25 

Bamford,  Esther,  220 

John  A.,  219 

Thomas,  219 

Thomas  E.,  Dr.,  219,  220 
Barnes,  Agnes  V.,  168 

George  M.,  164,  165 

Ida  H.,  168 

Mortimer,  164 
Barrows,  Anna,  102 

Howard  A.,  100 

Melvin,  100 
Bartlett,  Annah  L.,  185 

Charlotte  A.,  185 

Walcott  D.,  185 

William  A.,  Rev.,  182 
Barton,  Edward,  379 

Frank  A.,  379 

Mary  A.,  380 
Bausch,  Barbara,  371 

Caroline,  371 

John  J.,  367 
Beach,  Abel,  35 

Angelica  C,  35 

Daniel,  34,  35,  36 

David,  35 

Ephraim,  35 

George  C,  35,  36 

John,  34 

Josiah,  34 

Marion  S.,  36 

Matthew,  34 

Nathaniel,  34 

Obadiah,  34,  36 

Stiles,  36 


Beckley,  Belle,  31 

John  N.,  30 

Walter  R.,  31 
Bennett,  Burton  G.,  58 

John  M.,  58 

Kathro  B.,  59 
Bishop,  Jesse  P.,  327 

Levi  J.  P.,  ZV 

Mary  L.,  328 

Minnie,  328 
Black,  Frank  S.,  5 

Jacob,  5 

Lois  B.,  7 
Blackmer,  Ephraim  N.,  122 

Louis  E.,  122 

Mildred  A.,  123 
Blauvelt,  Alice,  317 

Frank  W.,  317 
Bond,  Florence,  iii 

George  H.,  no 

William  H.,  Ill 
Bosworth,  Frank  A.,  54,  55 

Hattie  J.,  55 

Nellie  E.,  55 

Obadiah,  55 

William  V.,  55 
Brainard,  Elliott  R.,  171 

Ephraim,  170 

George  E.,  170 

Henry  A.,  170 

Jennie  C,  171 
Brockway,  Albert  L.,  334 

Charles  T.,  76 

Emma,  JJ 

Frances  H.,  335 

Lelia  A.,  j'j 

Leverett  E.,  334 

Tiffany,  76 

Wolston,  76 
Brown,  Alexander  T.,  114 

Mary  L.,  116 


.^^3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Stephen  S.,  115 

Timothy,  115 
Browning,  Eva  B.,  210 

John  H.,  209,  210 
Burnett,  Agnes  S.,  325 

Henry,  323 

Henry  L.,  Gen.,  321,  323 

Ichabod,  Dr.,  321 

Jacob,  322 

Katherine,  324 

Sarah  G.,  324 

William,  322 
Butler,  Edward  H.,  Jr.,  299 

Edward  H.,  Sr.,  296,  297 

Kate  M.,  299 

Mary  E.,  299 

Cadman,  Esther  L.,  86 

Robert,  84 

Samuel,  84 

Samuel  P.,  Rev.,  84 
Candee,  Julius,  81 

Louise,  82 

William  B.,  81 
Chapman,  Carolyn  W.,  175 

Edward  D.,  174 

George,  175 

Henry  T.,  301 

John  C,  300,  301 
Clark,  Elijah  D.,  240,  241 

Franklin,  241 

Mary  B.,  242 

Ralph  R.,  242 
Clinton,  Alice,  300 

George,  299 

George,  Jr.,  300 

George  W.,  299 
Cook,  Francis,  174 

Grace  M.,  174 

Henry  W.,  173,  174 

Miller,  174 
Covell,  Anna  M.,  226 

Charles  A.,  Dr.,  226 

Joseph,  226 

Joseph  E.,  226 
Craft,  Elijah  R.,  214 


Florence  E.,  215 

Herbert  A.,  214 
Crawford,  Caroline  C,  194 

Charles  G.,  243 

Charlotte  H.,  194 

Conrad,  194 

Gilbert  H.,  192,  194 

John,  Rev.,  243 

Lucy  S.,  194 

Marion  C,  193 

Mary  M.,  194 

Merritt,   194 

Morris  D.  C,  194 

Morris  D.  C,  Rev.,  192 

Sarah  E.,  194 

Vandelia,  244 
Crockett,  Adeline  E.,  326 

Joseph,  325 

Stuart,  Rev.,  325 
Cronise,  Adelbert,  64,  65 

Henry,  64 

John,  64 

Maria,  66 

Simon,  64 

Danforth,  Edwine  L.,  67 

George  F.,  66 

Henry  G.,  66,  67 
Deming,  Frances,  227 

Lucius  P.,  Dr.,  226 
Denton,  Eugene  C,  69,  70 

Mary  H.,  70 

Stephen  E.,  70 
Dewey,  Florence,  46 

Howard  G.,  45 

William,  45 
Dey,  Donald,  155 

Donald  M.,  158 

Estelle,  158 

Harriet  D.,  158 

Mary  E.,  158 
Doty,  Edward,  308 

Elizabeth  L.,  310 

Ellie  E.,  310 

Ethan  A.,  307,  308 

Warren  S.,  308 


384 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Douglas,  George,  311 

James,  310 

James,  Dr.,  310,  31 1 

Naomi.  313 

Richard,  311 
Du  Bois,  Benjamin,  315 

Frederick  N.,  315 

Helen  A.,  317 

John.  315 

John  D.,  315 

Louis,  315 

Solomon,  315 
Duguid,  Harriet  E.,  160 

Henn,'  L.,  158,  159 

Henr}-  W.,  161 

John,  159 

William,  159 

Edelman.  Adolph,  91 

Edward  C,  91 

George  L.,  91 

Joseph,  90 

Lewis,  90,  91 

Louis,  91 

Mary  A.,  91 
Ely,  David,  Dr.,  no 

Erastus  L.,  no 

Erastus  U.,  no 

May,  no 

Floy,  Alice,  222 

Henry,  221 

James,  221 
Foote,  Charlotte  A.,  22 

Nathaniel,  21 
Frankland,  Charles  E.  H.,  249 

F.  Herston,  249 

Frederick  W..  247 

Miriam,  249 

Sir  Edward,  247 

Geraghty,  James  V.,  273 

Julia  M.,  274 

Patrick  G.,  273 
Getman,  Benjamin,  49 

Christian,  49 


Frederick,  49 

George,  49 

Levina,  51 

Oliver,  48,  50 
Gilleran,  Rose,  173 

Thomas,  173 
Gillette,  Bessie  J.,  33 

Charles,  Rev.,  32 

George  A.,  31,  32 
Glenn,  Archibald,  62 

Hallie,  64 

James  A..  63 

Lilla.  64 

Richard  M.  C.  62,  63 
Godwin,  Abraham,  127 

Fanny,  128 

Parke,  127 
Gordon,  Edgar  D.,  51 

James,  51 

Mina  D.,  52 

Merritt  W.,  52 
Graeser,  John,  96 

Katherine,  97 

William  V.,  96 
Graham,  Cora  M.,  no 

Corden  T.,  Dr.,  94,  95 

Jerome  B.,  109 

Louise  M.,  96 

Merritt  E.,  Dr.,  94 

William  P.,  109 
Green,  Charles,  144 

David,  145 

Sarah  L.,  147 

Walter  J.,  144,  145 
Grossman,  John.  171 

Loretta,  172 

Martin  F.,  172 

Martin  G.,  171 
Gunther,  Charles  G.,  126 

Christian  G.,  126.  127 

George  A.,  127 

Hackett,  Andrew,  344 

William.  343 

William,  Capt.,  343 
Hall,  Francis,  152,  153 


385 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


George,  152 
John,  152 
Robert  A.,  153 
Ruth  P.,  153 
Hansmann,  Bessie  A.,  228 
Carl  A.,  227,  228 
Herman  B.,  228 
Hardenbergh,  Arnoldus,  133 
Gerardus,  Capt.,  134 
Joannes,  Col.,  134 
Johannes,  Maj.,  134 
Herman  M.,  134 
Martin  R.,  135 
Harper,  Charles  G.,  70 
Clair  C,  70,  71 
John,  Capt.,  70 
Marie  I.,  71 
Nellie,  71 
Harris,  James,  304 
John,  304 
William  M.,  304 
Hart,  Edward,  261 
Emilie  M.,  262 
Louis  B.,  261 
Hawes,  Amelia  A.,  20 
Edmond,  18 
James,  18 
James  W.,  ly,  18 
Hawkins,  Lucia  C,  82 

Watson  S.,  82 
Hazel,  Elizabeth  G.,  350 
John,  347 
John  R.,  347 
Hickey,  Constance  J.,  100 
Jeremiah,  97 
Jeremiah  G.,  97 
Hill,  David  B.,  129 
Maud  E.,  163 
William  H.,  161,  162 
William  J.,  Rev.,  162 
Hotchkiss,  James  L.,  119 
Leah,  120 
Levi,  119 
Houde,  Mabel  A.,  179 

William  C,  Dr.,  177,  178 
Hough,  Frederick,  212 
Martha  B.,  213 


Willard  P.,  212,  213 
Howe,  Charles  H.,  217 

Edward  C,  217 

Emogene  C,  216 

Henry  J.,  216 

John  B.,  47 

John  H.,  47 

Perley,  216 
Hoyt,  Arthur  S.,  223 

Emma  L.,  226 

Joseph  J.,  223 
Huber,  Anthony,  336 

George  H.,  336 

Matilda,  2,2>7 

Minnie,  336 
Huddleston,  Charles  H.,  238 

John  H.,  Dr.,  237,  238 

Mabel  P.,  240 
Hunt,  Cathryn  L.,  72 

John  F.,  71,  72 

William,  71 
Hunter,  George  M.,  365 

Georgiana  A.  A.,  365,  366 

Henry  R.,  366 

William  S.  A.,  365,  366 
Hyde,  Elliott  J.,  198 

James  F.  C,  198 

Mary  K.,  199 

Jacobson,  Gerald  N.,  272 

Israel,  271 

Minnie,  272 

Nathan,  Dr.,  270 
Jewett,  Augusta  E.,  305 

Edgar  B.,  Gen.,  304 

Elizabeth  F.,  305 

Keller,  Adam,  201 

Adam,  Jr.,  203 

Cassie  J.,  202 

Lydia  F.,  203 

Mabel  A.,  202 

Martin,  201 
Kerr,  Anna,  236 

George  W.,  234 

Walter,  233,  235 
Kidder,  Camillus,  40 


386 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Camillus  G.,  38,  40 
James,  39 
Jerome  H.,  Dr.,  40 
John,  39 
Matilda  C,  41 
Reuben,  39,  40 
Thomas,  39 
v>       Knauth,  Antonio,  329 
Else  M.,  330 
iClise  R.,  330 
Theodor,  329 
Knox,  George  H.,  194,  195 

Lamb,  Anthony,  108 

Mary  C,  109 
Lamberton,  Alexander,  92 

Alexander  B.,  91,  92 

Eunice  B.,  94 
Lament,  Daniel  S.,  128 
Langslow,  Henry  A.,  218 

Mary  E.,  219 

Stratton  C,  218,  219 
Lapham,  S.  Gurney,  27 

William  G.,  27,  29 
Lennox,  Clara  L.,  173 

Frank  R.,  172 

George  K.,  172 
Littlefield,  Calvin  A.,  317,  318 

Edmund,  317 

Evelyn,  318 

Milton  S.,  317 

Milton  S.,  Rev.,  319 
Littleton,  Martin  W.,  363,  364 

Maud  E.,  365 

Thomas  J.,  364 
/       Lockwood,  Henry  B.,  210 

Le  Grand,  210 

Rosa,  211 
Lomb,  Adolph,  374 

Emilie,  373 

Henry.   Capt.,  371 
Loucks,  Daniel,  340 

Leonora  M.,  340 

Willis  I.,  340 
Loweth,  Alfred,  244,  245 

Alfred,  Jr.,  245 


Catherine,  245 
Katherine,  245 
Richard,  244 
Lynch,  James,  361 
James  M.,  361,  362 
Letitia  C,  363 

MacGruer,  Henry  A.,  Dr.,  332 

John  G,  332 
McCarthy,  Dennis,  72 

Mary  B.,  74 
McClelland,  .Xnnie,  90 

Edna,  90 

James  D.,  86 

John,  86 
Mclnerney,  John  J.,  74.  75 

Michael  G.,  75 
McKelvey,  Grace,  54 

John, 54 

William  J.,  53,  54 
Mace,  Benjamin,  13 

Eli,  13 

Ira,  13 

Julia  I.,  17 

William  H.,  13,  14 
Macy,  Caroline  L.,  307 

Josiah,  306 

Josiah,  Jr.,  305,  306 

Thomas,  305 

William  H.,  306 
Marble,  Joel,  290 

Manton,  290 
Marsh,  Abel,  29 

Albert  L.,  29 

Charles  D.,  29 

Ednor  A..  29 

Lina,  30 
Marston,  Edgar  L..  106.  107 

Jennie  C,  107 

Sylvester  W.,  107 

William,  Capt.,  106 
Mason,  Florence,  247 

John  J..  Dr.,  245,  246 

William  H.,  246 
Mayer,  Esther  L.,  117 

Frederick  J.,  116 


387 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  G.,  ii6 
Meldrum,  Alexander,  341 

Herbert  A.,  341 

Louise,  342 
Merritt,  Caroline,  143 

John  W.,  141 

Laura,  143 

Wesley,  Gen..  141 
Meyer,  George  J.,  262,  263 

Mary  J.,  265 

Stephen,  263 
Miller,  Annie  E.,  358 

Edwin  G.  S.,  355 

Edwin  L.,  358 

John,  355 
Minor,  Elizabeth,  251 

Oliver  P.,  250 

William  J.,  249,  250 
Moir,  Clara  M.,  114 

Edward,  11 1 

Maud,  114 
Moot,  Adelbert,  351 

C.  A.,  352 

Charles  D.,  351 
Mossman,  Adelaide,  223 

Mary  E.,  223 

Nathan  A.,  Dr.,  223 

Noll,  Joseph,  232 

Joseph  J.,  Dr.,  231,  232 

Mary  A.,  232 
Noonan,  Eleanor,  361 

Thomas  H.,  360 

Thomas  R.,  360 
Notebaert,  Alphonse  A.,  Rev.,  120 

Ogden,  Herman  B.,  265,  266 

James  B.,  266 

Pauline,  266 
O'Grady,  Daniel,  59 

James  M.  E.,  59 

Margaret  L.,  60 
Osborne,  Amos  O.,  118 

Palmer,  Warren  B.,  Dr.,  217 
Warren  W.,  Dr.,  217 


Weltha,  217 
Payne,  Gertrude,  126 

Sereno  E.,  125 

William  W.,  125 
Pidrick,  Anna,  57 

William,  56 

William  H.,  56 
Pooley,  Carrie,  346 

Charles  A.,  344,  345 

Richard,  344 

William,  344 
Powell,  Adelaide,  204 

William  H.,  203,  204 
Pratt,  Ada  S.,  180 

Enfield  L.,  179 

Sereno  S.,  179 

Thomas  B.,  180 
Purcell,  Catharine  A.,  191 

William,  189 

William,  Jr.,  191 

Rich,  Burdett  A.,  33 

Charles  J.,  33 

Nellie,  34 
Rippey,  Harlan  W.,  31 

Harriet  C,  31 

Hugh,  31 

John,  31 

Joseph  N.,  31 
Robinson,  Charles  K.,  195 

Hannibal,  195 

Mary  A.,  195 
Rogers,  Greenberry,  321 

Mary  L.,  321 

Willard  H.,  Dr.,  320,  321 
Root,   Clara,  5 

Elihu,  3 

Oren,  3 
Ryan,  Jennie,  124 

John,  124 

Thomas,  123,  124 

Schussler.  Hugh  K.,  205 

L.  F.,  Dr.,  205 

Sibyl,  206 
Schuster,  Edward,  194 


388 


ENXYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mary  M..  194 
Shantz,  Alson,  379 

Edgar,  379 

Harold  E..  379 

Jacob.  i~- 

Jacob  v..  i'- 

Marshall  B..  379 

Moses  B.,  1--J,  378 

\'eronica,  379 
Shearman,  Elmira.  294 

Thomas  G..  292 
Shears.  Charles  H..  Dr..  236 

George  P.,  Dr.,  236 

Jessica,  2y/ 

Lambert  A.,  z^"/ 

Randolph  M.,  237 

Susan  H.,  237 
Sherman,  Carrie.  144 

James  S..  143 

Richard  U.,  Gen.,  143 
Sherwood.  Amos,  207 

Bradford,  207 

Bradford  W.,  Dr..  207.  208 

Cora  L.,  209 

Samuel  A.,  207 

Thomas,  207 
Shultz,  Charles,  255 

F.  Madeline,  255 

George  S.,  254.  255 

Mary  F..  255 
Slattery.  John,  269 

John  M.,  269 

Kathleen,  270 
Slocum.  Earll  H..  ^2 

George  E.,  52 

George  F.,  52.  53 

Leroy  M..  \'>^ 

Mabel,  II  ^ 
Smith.  Andrew  N..  37 

Benjamin.  37 

Daniel.  })'/ 

Edna,  38 

Eliphaz,  132 

Ezra,  37 

George  H..  138 

Gerrit.  36,  38 


Gertrude,  38 

Henry  \V.,   132.  135 

Jeffrey,  l~ 

John,  yj 

Katheryn,  138 

Leila.  38 

Peter,  132 

Peter  A.,  139 

Reynold  W.,  38 

Ryerson  H.,  139 

W'ilhelmus,  132 

A\'illiam,  37 

William  W'.,  133 
Snell.  Ella  ^L,  303 

Henry,  303 

Howard  B.,  Dr.,  102,  303 

Jacob,  302 

John  J.  H.,  303 
Snow,  Aaron,  186 

Ebenezer,  186 

Elbridge  G.,  186.  187,  189 

Elkanah,  187 

Frances  J.,  189 

Nicholas.  186 

Stephen,  186 
Speiden.  Annie  E.,  152 

Clement  C  Dr..  148 

Ernest  K..  147,  151 

Robert,  147 

William.  148 
Sponable,  Cleon  D.,  170 

David,  168 

George  W..  168.  169 

Jessie  ^L.  170 

Johannes,  168 

Philip.  168 
Stapleton,  John  A..  Dr..  154 
Stevens,  John  A..  139 

Margaret  A..  141 
Stilwell.  Giles  H..  43 

I.  Adelle.  43 

Lamont.  43 

Philip  T..  43 

Ralph  L.,  43 
Stone.  Alice  ^L,  43 

Horace  G.,  41 


389 


3- 


^ 


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V  YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
'ERENCE  DEPARTMENT 

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