Chicago: Its History and its Builders, Volume 5 E-Book

Josiah Seymour Currey

• Herausgeber: Jazzybee Verlag
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 1391

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Maybe there has never been a more comprehensive work on the history of Chicago than the five volumes written by Josiah S. Currey - and possibly there will never be. Without making this work a catalogue or a mere list of dates or distracting the reader and losing his attention, he builds a bridge for every historically interested reader. The history of Windy City is not only particularly interesting to her citizens, but also important for the understanding of the history of the West. This volume is number five out of five and contains more biographies of the most important Chicago citizens in the foundation times.

Leseprobe

Chicago

Its History and its Builders

Volume 5

Chicago: Its History and its Builders 5, J. Seymour Currey

Jazzybee Verlag Jürgen Beck

86450 Altenmünster, Loschberg 9

Deutschland

ISBN: 9783849648985

www.jazzybee-verlag.de

[email protected]

CONTENTS:

SAMUEL WATERS ALLERTON.1

FRANK WALDO SMITH.4

ANDREW HULL PARKER.6

HENRY DIBBLEE.8

GEORGE RANDOLPH DYER.9

WILLIAM JOSEPH WATSON.13

CALVIN S. SMITH.13

STEWART SPALDING.15

WALKER O. LEWIS.16

GEORGE B. CURRIER.18

OTTO J. DEWITZ, M. D.19

RUDOLPH MATZ.19

GUSTAF H. CARLSON.22

ELIJAH BERNIS SHERMAN, LL. D.23

GEORGE PECK MERRICK.28

THEODORE F. RICE.29

JOHN L. NEWMAN, M. D.30

JOHN EDWIN CHAPMAN.31

HARRY E. MOCK, M. D.32

SAMUEL GEHR.34

JOHN SANBORN METCALF.35

HARRIET C. B. ALEXANDER, M. D.37

WALTER W. ROSS.38

JAMES MESSER JENKS.40

HOMER E. TINSMAN.41

JOY MORTON.42

WILLIAM ARTHUR McGUIRE.43

WILLIAM NATHAN EISENDRATH.44

FREDERICK MORGAN STEELE.45

J. FLETCHER SKINNER.47

CLARENCE A. KNIGHT.48

JOSEPH OLIVER MORRIS.50

CHARLES ALBERT COMISKEY.51

MILO GIFFORD KELLOGG.54

JOHN R. CAVERLY.55

WILLIAM ATWATER WEED.56

SOLON C. BRONSON, D. D.57

JOHN WILLIAM ALLEN.59

HENRY M. KINGMAN.60

MANDLEBERT WENDELL BAKER.61

ALVIN HOWARD CULVER.62

CALVIN E. BROWN, M. D.64

WALTER KENDALL LINCOLN.65

CLYDE ALISON MANN.66

HAROLD DYRENFORTH.67

FERNANDO JONES.68

PETER A. NEWTON.72

DANIEL HUDSON BURNHAM.73

ROBERT J. BENNETT.75

AMELIA L. WHIPPLE TAYLOR, M. D.76

WILLIAM BRYCE MUNDIE.77

GEORGE W. SPOFFORD.78

DANIEL C. NICHOLES.80

GEORGE C. AMERSON, M. D.81

MARK SUMMERS.82

DIXON C. WILLIAMS.83

HENRY WHIPPLE.84

WALTER CLYDE JONES.86

C. H. JORDAN.87

SAMUEL GALE TAYLOR.89

ALVAN LESTER ROSE.90

MARK SKINNER.92

WILLIAM KELLY SULLIVAN.96

DANIEL FOLGER BIGELOW.98

THOMAS PIM GOODBODY.100

GEORGE J. BRINE.101

AUGUSTUS FREDERICK NIGHTINGALE.103

FRANCIS CORNWALL SHERMAN.104

ABRAM WINEGARDNER HARRIS, Sc. D., LL. D.108

FRANK HUGH MONTGOMERY, M. D.110

ROWLAND LONGMIRE.115

HENRY JUSTIN DIMICK STARRING.116

GEORGE P. HOOVER.118

GEORGE E. LONG.119

REV. PHILO JUDSON.119

THOMAS I. STACEY.122

ROBERT M. EASTMAN.123

ORRIN N. CARTER.124

FRANK M. BURROUGHS.125

JOHN LEE MAHIN.127

JAMES CLAFFEY STRAIN.129

JAMES C. STRAIN.. 130

SYLVESTER DANA FOSS.132

MARSHALL AYRES, Jr.135

HON. CARTER H. HARRISON.136

IRENUS KITTREDGE HAMILTON.141

ELISHA PAXTON WHITEHEAD.143

HARRY FRANK HARVEY.144

MATTHEW LAFLIN.145

CHARLES HALLETT THORNE.149

HERBERT FRANKLIN FISK.150

GILBERT BEEBE MANLOVE.151

JAY J. READ.152

GEORGE R. THORNE.153

ARTHUR S. HUEY.154

THOMAS H. KELLEY, M. D.156

CARL H. ANDERSEN, M. D.157

OTTO L. SCHMIDT, M. D.158

THOMAS TAYLOR, Jr.158

CARTER HENRY HARRISON, Jr.159

P. L. UNDERWOOD.161

EMMA J. WARREN, M. D.163

TURLINGTON WALKER HARVEY.164

CHARLES FREDERICK GUNTHER.184

ALVIN THOMAS WILLETT.188

ADAM JOHN WECKLER.191

MAJOR AUGUSTUS JACKMAN CHENEY.192

JOHN F. EBERHART, A. M., LL. D.196

JAMES ANDREW PUGH.202

ROBERT H. HARVEY.203

JOHN C. WILLIAMS.204

FREDERIC ADRIAN DELANO.205

GEORGE WILLIAM DIXON.207

CAREY CULBERTSON, M. D.208

WILLIAM B. OWEN.210

ISHAM RANDOLPH.212

WILLIAM JAMES HEATH.215

GEORGE HINMAN LAFLIN.216

HON. JESSE HOLDOM.217

BENNET B. BOTSFORD.219

ORRIN KENDALL.219

BENJAMIN ALLEN.221

WILLIAM R. HIBBARD.223

MALCOLM FAULKNER EWEN.224

JAMES M. G. CARTER, M. D.226

BENJAMIN E. BENSINGER.227

JOHN HUME KEDZIE.228

SQUIRE THOMAS HARVEY.230

ALLAN P. MILLAR.231

GEORGE E. HUCH.233

ALVIN CARR McCORD.234

BENJAMIN HENRY BREAKSTONE, B. S., M. D.235

HARRY CARL DUFINE.236

ROBERT PATTERSON LAMONT.238

JOHN LINCOLN BOLEN.238

JAMES J. BARBOUR.239

ALFRED J. CROSS.241

JOSEPH EDWARD OTIS.241

PHILIP F. W. PECK.242

HENRY EVERETT GREENEBAUM.245

GENERAL CHARLES WILSON DREW.246

JULIUS ROSENWALD.248

ANDREWS ALLEN.250

ARTHUR DIXON.251

A. MILLER BELFIELD.254

DAVID BRAINERD FISK.255

THOMAS EDMOND WELLS.256

JOSEPH PEACOCK.257

JOHN J. HANLON.258

ELIAS GREENEBAUM.260

JAMES HERBERT WILKERSON.261

WILLIAM SCHULZE.262

FREDERIC SINCLAIR JAMES.263

WILLIAM STANLEY NORTH.264

CHARLES HULL EWING.265

FRANK F. NORTON.266

NATHAN SMITH DAVIS, M. D., LL. D.266

LEWIS M. SMITH.270

NATHAN SMITH DAVIS, JR., M. D.271

GEORGE MCCLELLAND REYNOLDS.272

EDWARD L. RICHTER.274

LEMUEL COVELL PAINE FREER.275

CLINTON SWALLOW WOOLFOLK.277

EDMUND ANDREWS, A. M., M. D., LL. D.277

JAMES AUDUBON BURHANS.281

PAUL B. MAGNUSON, M. D.283

FREDERICK N. MATTHEWS.285

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AYER.286

ASHLEY C. SMITH.290

PAUL SCHULZE.291

MOSES F. RITTENHOUSE.297

JOHN VAUGHAN CLARKE.300

LEWIS EARNED COBURN.301

ARTHUR FARRAR.304

JAMES ELLIOTT DEFEBAUGH.309

ROLLIN H. SCHWARTZ, M. D.316

WILLIAM D. BOYCE.317

HENRY AUGUSTUS BLAIR.318

STILES BURTON.320

MICHAEL McGRAW.322

JOHN P. WILSON.323

PERKINS B. BASS.324

GEORGE FREDERICK STONE.325

JOHN F. HAHN.329

GRANVILLE SHERWOOD INGRAHAM.330

JAMES TOMLINSON BRAYTON.333

BION JOSEPH ARNOLD.334

REV. HUGH P. SMYTH.335

VINCENT C. PRICE, M. D.336

WILLIAM BURMEISTER.339

WILLARD F. MYRICK.340

ASHLEY M. HEWETT, D. D. S.342

ALONZO M. PARKER, M. D.343

BENEDICT F. SHANAHAN, M. D.344

WILLIAM H. BROWN.345

JOHN R. SCHOFIELD.348

WILLIAM RUTHERFORD.349

JOSEPH M. HUBER.350

JAMES M. TAYLOR.351

CALEB HOWARD MARSHALL.352

BENJAMIN HOWARD MARSHALL.354

CHAUNCEY BUCKLEY BLAIR.355

HENRY G. WEBER.359

DAVID W. AVERILL, M. D.359

CHARLES A. F. SPOEHR.361

CHARLES BOWEN CONGDON.363

GOTLIEB F. SCHWARZ.363

WILLIAM HARD.365

CHARLES R. ROTH, M. D.365

JOHN W. McCONNELL, M. D.366

ARTHUR JAMES THOMPSON.367

WILLIAM RICKCORDS FOLSOM.368

CHARLES HENRY HIGGS.369

CHARLES H. HALL.371

OSCAR MARTIN BRADY.371

LOUIS O'NEILL.373

EDWARD B. BUTLER.374

ORSEMUS MORRISON.375

SAMUEL HARKNESS McCREA.377

LEANDER STONE.379

MALEK ADHEL LORING.383

JULIUS FRANKEL.385

DANIEL GEORGE TRENCH.386

ANNA ALBERS, M. D.387

WILLIAM J. ONAHAN.388

WILLIAM ALLAN CAMERON.390

EVAN H. M. GRIFFITHS, Jr., M. D.390

JAMES MONROE WALKER.391

BENJAMIN C. ALLIN.395

SEYMOUR MORRIS.397

HON. JOHN BARTON PAYNE.397

NATHAN JAY SMEDLEY, M. D.399

GEORGE M. WILSON.401

ROLLIN ARTHUR KEYES.401

CHARLES A. PHELPS.402

EDWARD SAMUEL LACEY.404

JOHN P. GIBBS, M. D.406

JOHN A. LYNCH.407

WILFRED F. BEARDSLEY.408

BENJAMIN CARPENTER.409

GEORGE JOSEPH SPENCER, M. D.410

EDWIN FREDERICK MACK.411

HERBERT F. PRASCH, M. D.412

JAMES WILLIAM STEVENS.413

ANDREW SIMPSON.414

WILLIAM MELANCTHON HOYT.415

AUGUST SCHILLINGER.417

EDWIN F. BROWN.. 418

FREDERIC PERRY VOSE.422

EDWIN AUGUSTUS POTTER.423

ALBERT ARNOLD SPRAGUE.424

CLARENCE L. CROSS.426

SAMUEL INSULL.428

EDWARD LIVINGSTON STAHL.429

ELIPHALET WRICKS BLATCHFORD.430

N. L. HOYT.432

DON ALONZO MOULTON.433

EDWARD D. KIMBALL.433

A. C. BARTLETT.434

WATSON F. BLAIR.436

WILEY M. EGAN.437

DR. JOHN B. MURPHY.439

JOHN R. FRANCIS.441

NICHOLAS RIGHTOR GRAHAM.445

AUGUST C. GOODRICH.447

JOHN ROBINSON GUILLIAMS.449

HORATIO O. STONE.451

COLONEL JOHN H. KINZIE.452

ALFRED T. EIDE, M. D.456

ARTHUR BURRAGE FARWELL.457

LOUIS MOHR.459

WILLIAM HAMILTON MITCHELL.460

HON. D. W. MILLS.462

BELLA M. MacMULLEN, M. D.. 464

RICHARD TELLER CRANE.465

CHARLES RICHARD CRANE.467

GEORGE ALFRED SEAVERNS.468

FREDERIC WILLIAM UPHAM.470

WALTER MATTHEW HILL.470

JOHN M. ROACH.472

BURTON W. MACK, M. D.474

FRANK PURVIS JUDSON.475

FREDERICK A. HESS, M. D.476

JOHN M. WILLIAMS.478

DAVID EDWARD MEIER, M. D.479

MILTON B. TITUS, M. D.480

REV. WILLIAM ARTEMUS LLOYD.481

RUFUS E. DODGE, M. D.486

ALBERT J. EARLING.487

HENRY BAIRD FAVILL, M. D.488

JOSEPH HARRIS.490

EDWARD ANCEL KIMBALL.492

CYRUS HALL McCORMICK.493

CYRUS HALL McCORMICK, Jr.502

HAROLD FOWLER McCORMICK.503

SAMUEL WATERS ALLERTON.

Eighty-three years of age, and Samuel Waters Allerton is still a vigorous, active man, although retired from the control of extensive business operations which formerly engaged his attention. In matters of public concern as well as in the conduct of private enterprises, he has played a leading role on the stage of action in Chicago and yet it is not to cities with their commercial, industrial and professional activities that he would direct the attention of young men starting in life, but to the farm — "the almost certain source of revenue." George Washington declared agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man, and in this occupation and its kindred interests — stock raising — Mr. Allerton laid the basis of his success. His history through several generations has been distinctly American in both direct and collateral lines. The progenitor of the family in this country was Isaac Allerton, who was born in England between the-years 1583 and 1585, the exact date being unknown. He resided in London for some time prior to his removal to Holland in 1609 and came to the new world as one of the Mayflower passengers in 1620. It is generally admitted that he was the wealthiest of all of the Pilgrims and was one of the few among them to whom Bradford, and contemporaneous writers always gave the prefix "Mr.," which at that time was used as an index of superior family or respectability. He was also one of the three upon whom the privilege of citizenship was conferred by the city of Leyden, his associates in this honor being William Bradford, afterward governor of the Plymouth colony, and Degory Priest, his brother4n-law. He was married in Leyden, September 4, 1611, to Mary Norris, of Newbury, England, and they had four children when they embarked on the Mayflower. His wife died February 25, 1621, and in 1626 he married Fear Brewster, daughter of Elder William Brewster. Her death occurred in 1631, while Isaac Allerton died in 1659.

Samuel W. Allerton of the ninth generation of the family in America was born in Amenia, New York, May 26, 1828, a son of Samuel W. Allerton, whose birth occurred at Amenia, December 5, 1775. He was married March 26, 1808, to Hannah Hurd, who was born in South Dover, Dutchess county. New York, the eldest daughter of Ebenezer and Rebecca (Phillips) Hurd, the former an extensive farmer and stockraiser of Amenia. Samuel W. Allerton, Sr., studied for the medical profession but abandoning his plan for the practice of medicine, learned the tailor's trade and became a merchant tailor, at the same time conducting a general store. In 1828 he joined with others in building and operating a woolen mill but the litigation of the sheriff in 1833 caused the loss of nearly all his fortune. In 1837 he removed westward to Iowa with the hope of retrieving his lost possessions but becoming ill, returned to the east. In 1848 he rented a farm in Yates county, New York, and six years later purchased land in Wayne county, upon which he spent his remaining days. His religious faith was that of the Universalist church and he was one of the respected men of his community, although he did not seek to figure in public life. He lived to the venerable age of ninety-nine years and eight months.

The youngest of the nine children in his father's family, Samuel W. Allerton of this review was but seven years of age when his father failed in business and was a lad of twelve when he began providing for his own support. He remained in Amenia until fourteen years of age and in 1842 went to Yates county with his parents, giving them the benefit of his services until they were able to buy the Wayne county farm. He then joined his brother Henry in renting a farm on which they made fifteen hundred dollars, which they gave in partial payment for the farm in Wayne county, assuming an indebtedness of three thousand dollars. In the cultivation of a rented farm Mr. Allerton saved thirty-two hundred dollars and then went to Newark, where he worked with his brothers on their farm and also traded in livestock to some extent. On his return from Albany, New York, where he had sold cattle, it was found that he and his brother were the possessors of three thousand dollars in cash and a farm clear of all indebtedness. They divided their interests, Mr. Allerton taking the cash and starting out for himself, his brother advising him: "Make a name and character for yourself and you are sure to win." This advice he has ever followed and it has been the substance of his admonition to young men since that time. At the end of his first independent venture — the sale of cattle in New York — his sales amounted to seven hundred dollars. With characteristic energy and determination, however, he continued in business and later when he made a shipment of livestock to New York there was such a shortage of cattle on the market there that his sales netted him three thousand dollars.

It was about that time that Mr. Allerton heard and heeded the call of the west and for a year thereafter engaged in raising and feeding cattle in Fulton county, Illinois, but like hundreds of others, he was the victim of the financial panic which swept over the country at that time. This and ill health occasioned his return to the east and with his brother he engaged in merchandising for a short time in Newark, New York, but felt that the limits and possibilities in such an undertaking were too narrow. Disposing of his interest in the store and borrowing five thousand dollars he returned to Fulton county, and in March, 1860, removed to Chicago, from which point he has since conducted his operations. At the same time he made further preparations for having a home in the city by his marriage at Peoria, to Miss Paduella M. Thompson, a daughter of Astor C. Thompson, of Fulton county. They became the parents of a daughter and son: Kate Bennett, who was born June 10, 1863, and on the 14th of October, 1885, became the wife of Dr. Francis Sidney Tapin. Following his death she married Hugo R. Johnson. The son, Robert Henry, born March 20, 1873, is supervising extensive property interests. Following the death of his first wife Mr. Allerton wedded her sister, Agnes C. Thompson, on the 15th of March, 1882, and their home on Prairie avenue has ever been the center of a cultured society circle.

Mr. Allerton has always pinned his faith to farming and live-stock dealing as the surest source of success although he has operated extensively in other fields. He bought his first cattle shipment in the old Merrick yards on Cottage Grove avenue and as the city had no bank he had to depend upon express shipments of money from New York. It is well remembered by old time traders that in May, 1860, upon sharp decline in prices he cornered the market by buying every hog in Chicago. He was at that time alone in the city and it was difficult for him to obtain money. Three telegrams, one from his own bank and two from New York, however, were regarded as sufficient security on the part of Aiken & Morgan, bankers, to secure him a loan at one per cent interest and the profits which accrued from that deal constituted the foundation of his fortune. Moreover, the experience brought to him a recognition of the need and value of union stock yards and better banking facilities in Chicago and he set to work to accomplish both. In the '60s there were three stock yards in Chicago. In 1865 he joined with John B. Sherman in the agitation of a proposition to combine the interests and that their labors were resultant is indicated in the fact that the Union Stock Yards were organized in 1866. The wisdom of his judgment being attested in this enterprise and success resulting therefrom, he also became interested in the stock yards at Pittsburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Jersey City (New York yards), St. Joseph and Omaha. For many years he was president of the Allerton Packing Company. His early experience with the banks led to his efforts for the establishment of the first Chicago bank under the national banking law and he became one of the original directors of the First National Bank, in which he still holds large interests. There are two things which he says he never offers for sale — stock in this bank and his Illinois farm lands. His experience bears out the statement of one who has long given close study to the economic conditions of the natural resources of the country and declares that "Illinois farm lands are the safest investment in all America." The holdings of Mr. Allerton comprise eleven thousand acres in the Mississippi valley, including farm property in this state, Ohio, Iowa. Nebraska and Wyoming. He formerly owned nine thousand acres near Monticello, Illinois, known as "The Farms," which is one of the model live-stock farms of the world, now the property of his son. The home thereon is modeled after the typical residence of the English country gentleman and although every acre is tilled to perfection, fine horses. cattle and hogs are the chief sources of revenue. Another Allerton property which is ever a source of delight to the owner is his summer home at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, standing in the center of two beautiful farms of eighty acres each. In California he maintains his winter residence, an old Spanish mission building having been converted into a quaint yet elegant home. The business relations of Mr. Allerton in Chicago have been of vast benefit to the city. After watching the workings of the cable street car company in San Francisco in 1880 he used his influence as a stockholder in the South Side Traction System, inducing Superintendent Holmes to investigate the cable with the result that it was adopted by the street railway companies of the city. He is still a director of the Chicago City Railway Company. In addition to acting as a director of the First National Bank through all these years since its inception in 1863, he is a director in the First Trust & Savings Bank, National Safe Deposit Company, the Weaver Coal & Coke Company and the North Waukegan Harbor & Dock Company, and vice president of the Art Marble Company. He has at times made generous division of his wealth for the benefit of mankind, one of his chief benevolences being the establishment in conjunction with the late Henry E. Weaver of the St. Charles Home for Boys. He was at one time nominated by his friends for the mayoralty on the republican ticket but the entire ticket suffered defeat in that year. He is a strong protectionist and an advocate of all which advances the condition of American labor. He gave efficient aid to the World's Columbian Exposition as one of its directors, and has been a cooperant factor in much that has worked for the upbuilding and benefit of the city along various progressive lines. His name is on the membership rolls of the Calumet, Union League, Washington Park, Chicago Golf and Marquette Clubs, and he is, moreover, a member of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Society of Mayflower Descendants. He is of unemotional nature, yet of well-balanced character who early learned to correctly judge of life and its contacts, of his own capacities and powers and of those things which make up life's contacts and experiences. He has ever held to the principle which he has again and again enunciated in this fashion "no boy can succeed unless he build up a character." He has never theorized much concerning life but has been a central actor on the stage. Never an extremist, he belongs to that class who maintain an even balance, never carried away by the chimerical illusions of the optimist nor moved from a stable center by the dark and depressing views of the pessimist. He recognizes the advancement of the world and the obligation of the individual to put forth intelligent effort if he would keep pace with universal progress. Among his strongly marked characteristics is a democratic manner, a manner that always commands respect, preserves dignity and yet never forces onto one the knowledge of his success or prominence. Notwithstanding his prosperity he is a most approachable gentleman and nothing in his manner or speech would ever suggest his wealth. He is today the only Chicago business man who was contemporaneous with the founders of Chicago's great industries, the Armours, Morris', Pullmans, Swifts, Palmers and Fields, with all of whom he had close personal acquaintance. No living citizen of Illinois today has done more toward the advancement of her agricultural, financial, industrial and general business interests than Samuel Waters Allerton. Inheriting a naturally robust constitution, observing the laws of nature throughout a most busy, active life, his reward, in addition to magnificent success, is a remarkable preservation of the physical man and mental faculties whose keenness is unimpaired.

FRANK WALDO SMITH.

There is perhaps no man in all Chicago who has done more to keep alive civic pride than Frank Waldo Smith, in business circles occupying the position of cashier of the Com Exchange National Bank since 1885 and enjoying throughout all the intervening years the high regard of his colleagues. He is more widely known in the city at large because of the active part which he has taken in preserving records relative to Chicago's history and in disseminating among the younger generation a knowledge of past glories and events which have constituted the foundation upon which Chicago's present greatness and permanent prosperity rests.

Although Mr. Smith has not yet passed the prime of life, he is one of Chicago's pioneers and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He was born in this city, May 19, 1849, only twelve years after its incorporation. In fact, it was at that time only a town — a growing town to be sure — upon a western prairie and had comparatively little commercial or industrial importance. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Waldo Wait Smith, who at the time of his birth resided at the northeast corner of Franklin and Madison streets. His mother in her maidenhood was Jane Elizabeth Fogg, a daughter of Ebenezer Fogg and was born at Cambridgeport, Massachusetts and came to Chicago in 1847. Mr. Waldo W. Smith came to Chicago from Pawlett, Vermont in 1836, settling here at the time when the city probably boasted of two brick buildings. The father's eldest brother, who had arrived in 1835, established the Union Ridge Hotel at the corner of Higgins street and Sixty-fourth avenue, and in all the years which have since been added to the cycle of the centuries the members of this family, have taken active and helpful part in the work of general progress and municipal improvement.

In the acquirement of his education Frank Waldo Smith attended successively the Mosely school, in 1857, the Haven school in 1862, and the old Chicago high school. Monroe and Halsted streets in 1863. Four years later he entered the employ of his father, who was a wholesale grocer at 43 South Water street as a partner of the firm of Smith Brothers, successors of Smith, Pollard & Company. In the great fire of October, 1871, their business was destroyed with a total loss, and Mr. Smith, therefore, turned his attention to other lines. Paralyzed for a brief moment by the awful calamity with which it had been visited, the city began its rebuilding with renewed activity, accepting its losses as an impetus for increased development and progress. Mr. Smith, on the 11th of April, 1872, secured a position as clearing house clerk in the employ of the Third National Bank, where he remained until the failure of that institution in 1875. For ten years thereafter he was chief clerk with the Merchants Loan& Trust Company and on October, 31, 1885, was elected to the position of cashier of the Corn Exchange National Bank, with which he has thus been connected to the present time, covering a period of a quarter of a century. He is one of the oldest bank cashiers in years of continued service in Chicago and his long incumbency in the position stands in incontrovertible evidence of his ability and the high place which he occupies in the regard of his colleagues in banking circles.

On the 9th of April, 1873, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Dora A. Hadden and unto them have been born three children: Fannie B., Osborn F. and Ethel H., who reside with their parents at No. 5539 Cornell avenue with the exception of Osborn F. Smith, who is now married and has established a home of his own. Mr. Smith is a prominent and popular member of the Press Club and for two years was its treasurer. Those who know him have been better for his friendship. Loyalty is one of his marked characteristics and it is manifest in all of his relations with his fellowmen.

During the past ten years Mr. Smith has given much time to research concerning the early history of Chicago and has lectured to and entertained many audiences with his illustrated scenes and stories of the early days. His devotion to local interests has been like the loyalty of a dutiful son to a father. He stands today among the honored band of pioneer settlers, but, unlike many of them, he has not only been associated with the city during its formative period but has continued an active factor in its later day progress and improvement. While an honored representative of the past, he is doing for the present generation that which keeps fresh and causes to be cherished the memory of the old Chicago which was built upon a strong and broad foundation of lofty purpose. No citizen possesses more valuable records concerning the early' days nor has a mind more greatly enriched by reminiscences of men and events of an earlier generation. His lectures have at times constituted the force that has called to life the memories of the earlier settlers, while the younger Chicago has listened spellbound to his stories of the early days. His efforts in this direction have been put forth all because of his devotion to the city which he loves so well, and both the older and younger generation owe to him a debt of gratitude that can never be paid for what he has accomplished in perpetuating not only for the present but for all future time the history of the Queen city by the lake.

ANDREW HULL PARKER.

Dr. Andrew Hull Parker, of Chicago, designer, inventor, manufacturer and for many years past a leading specialist of the United States in the treatment of hernia, comes of one of the early Revolutionary families of New England and New York state. He was born at Springfield, Ohio, May 3, 1834, a son of Emory and Delopha (Bailey) Parker. The father was born in Grafton county. New Hampshire, but the family subsequently located near Binghampton, New York, and he removed to Ohio about 1830, taking up his residence at Springfield. He served most of his time in public office while in that city but in 1848 located on a farm near Geneseo, Illinois, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was twice married, his first wife dying in New York state. By that union there was one son, Albert B., who is now deceased. At Springfield Mr. Parker was married to Miss Delopha Bailey and to this union seven children were born, four boys and three girls, the subject of this review being the eldest. Those surviving are: David K., of Long Beach, California; James Douglas, of Colby, Kansas; and Orpheus B. of Oregon.

Mr. Parker of this review received his preliminary education in the public schools and in an academy at Geneseo. He continued upon his father's farm until he was nineteen years of age and then, possessing the laudable desire to become independent, he secured employment in the grading of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway. While at work he figured out the cost of grading and excavating and attracted the attention of his employer who induced him to take a contract on his own account. He was thus engaged until fall and then entered school for the winter at Geneseo, working in a dry-goods store for his board. He again engaged in railroad contracting during the next summer and fall and spent the winter of 1854-55 teaching in a country school near Geneseo. In the spring of 1855 he associated with Captain John Baxter, of Geneseo, in the dry-goods business, but one year later disposed of his interest to his partner and entered the academy at Geneseo. In the spring of 1857 he took another contract on the Rock Island Railway to grade nine miles of track beginning the work one station east of Washington, Iowa. The panic in the autumn of 1857, however, put a stop to the work and he went to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, where he taught school for three years. After the battle of Bull Run the rebel governor of the state took possession of the school funds, thus temporarily closing most of the schools in the state. Mr. Parker was offered an appointment as quartermaster for a Union regiment, a part of which was being organized at Ste. Genevieve and he visited his old home in Illinois with the expectation of accepting this appointment. His wife and parents induced him to remain in private life and he took up his residence at Oquawka, Illinois, where he made a thorough study of trusses and appliances, beginning late in 1861 as a traveling specialist, selling trusses and appliances which were manufactured by eastern firms. In the fall of 1866, at the solicitation of Bartlett & Butman, of Boston, he established a house at No. 133 Clark street, Chicago, where business was carried on until after the fire, when he removed to 58 State street, remaining there for thirty years. Although the name of the firm was Bartlett, Butman & Parker, he was sole proprietor but conducted the business under that name until June, 1882, when he incorporated as the Common Sense Truss Company. In the beginning he carried principally a line of trusses made by Bartlett & Butman, which he named the Common Sense Truss, taking out a trade-mark under that title. In 1882 he established a department for the manufacture of trusses with numerous improvements which he had invented from time to time, also manufacturing a large variety of other articles, principally of his own invention. Probably the most noteworthy of these is the Parker Retentive Truss, recognized the world over as the greatest invention in this line.

In 1888 Dr. Parker was sued in the United States court by an eastern firm for alleged infringement of patent in the manufacture of elastic stockings. He excited much comment by acting as his own attorney and defeating some of the best legal talent of the country employed by his opponent. Since 1865 he has made a study of hernia and in 1883 was given a state certificate as a physician and has since made a specialty of the treatment of that disease. For over forty years he has been known as the leading expert in America in the treatment of rupture and has received the highest recognition as an authority in his specialty. In 1872, by an act of congress, the United States government through a medical board appointed for that purpose adopted Dr. Parker's truss as excelling all others in use and since that time has furnished these trusses free to its pensioners. His Common Sense Truss was awarded a medal and diploma at the International Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, and he received from the Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in 1893, a medal of "Award for the great extent and, variety of trusses and bandages, ingenuity of design and great adaptability," and a diploma of honorable mention "For his skill as a designer and inventor." In addition to his business as a manufacturer he has invested successfully in real estate and lands and is the owner of a valuable ranch of over one thousand acres under irrigation, which is located four miles from Torrington, the county seat of Goshen county, Wyoming.

On the 5th of May, 1858, Dr. Parker was married at Oquawka, Illinois, to Miss Mary Mickey, of that place, and six children have been born to this union, Emory H., Charles W., Maud D., Louis Frederick, Lily M. and Andrew H., Jr.

Dr. Parker has taken the interest of a public-spirited citizen in politics and at various times has been prominent in securing the election of competent men to local and state officers. His office is at Nos. 300-306 Madison street, Chicago, and he resides at the Parker apartments, corner of Hinman avenue and Church street, Evanston. These apartments he erected in 1910 and they are pronounced the finest and most complete in the state outside of Chicago. He has made it a principle of his life to do to the very best of his ability whatever he undertakes, and it is to the observance of this principle that he largely owes his success. He has the satisfaction of looking back upon a long and useful career, in the course of which he has contributed his share toward the alleviation of the ills of humanity, and the respect in which he is held by his friends and by those who have benefited by his services is evidence that he has not lived in vain. By virtue of his ancestry he holds membership in the Sons of the American Revolution.

 

HENRY DIBBLEE.

Henry Dibblee to the time of his death was numbered among those resourceful men whose activity has constituted the substantial and enduring qualities that have given Chicago her commercial greatness. He figured prominently in real estate circles for many years as the senior partner of the firm of Dibblee & Manierre and also had voice in the management and control of important corporate interests of the city. Here he resided from 1872 until his demise on the 19th of December, 1907. He was born in New York city, August 20, 1840, a son of E. R. and Frances M. (Hayes) Dibblee. His father was recognized as one of the leading importers of dry goods in the metropolis until his later years, when he retired from business.

Henry Dibblee was a pupil in private and boarding schools of the eastern metropolis until eighteen years of age, when he entered his father's establishment as a clerk and bent his energy toward the mastery of the various phases of the business until his knowledge, experience and ability had qualified him to take up the responsibilities of a partnership and he was admitted to the firm, so continuing until 1872. Thinking that the growing western city of Chicago offered still broader opportunities, Mr. Dibblee came to Illinois and in January, 1873, joined William R. and John S. Gould in the foundry and iron business, which was conducted under the firm style of Gould & Dibblee until 1878. After the dissolution of the partnership Mr. Dibblee continued in the field as a dealer in ornamental iron work and afterward extended the scope of his trade by handling mantels and tiles, becoming an importer of many of the finest English encaustic tiles and also western agent for the leading American manufacturers. For eight years he conducted an extensive and growing business in those lines and then retired from the commercial field in 1886 to enter real-estate circles as a partner of George Manierre, operating under the firm style of Dibblee & Manierre up to the time of his demise. They soon became recognized as one of the leading real-estate firms in the city, negotiating many important transfers and managing deals which have left their impress upon the real-estate history of the city. Embracing favorable opportunity for the extension of his interests in other lines, Mr. Dibblee became president of the Chicago Auditorium Association and an influential director of the Calumet and Chicago Canal & Dock Company. The leading business men of the city regarded his judgment as sound, his enterprise unfaltering and his business Integrity unassailable.

On the 26th of November, 1873, Mr. Dibblee was married to Miss Laura Field, a daughter of John Field, of Conway, Massachusetts, a sister of Marshall Field and a representative of a family whose ancestral connection with the old Bay state dates back to 1650. Mr. and Mrs. Dibblee became the parents of two daughters. Bertha and Frances F. The former is the wife of John O. King and the latter is the wife of A. A. Sprague, 2d. The children of this marriage are A. A. Sprague, 3d, and Laura Sprague.

The death of Mr. Dibblee occurred December 19, 1907, and took from Chicago one of her prominent men and citizens. He attended the Episcopal church and gave his political support to the democracy, He held membership in the Saddle and Cycle and Mid-Day Clubs and was honored with the presidency of the latter. He greatly enjoyed social life and outdoor sports, anything in the line of athletics making strong appeal to him. He was also a lover of art, music and travel but more than all his interest centered in his home, where his friends found him a social, genial host whose cordiality was unfeigned, while his family knew him as a devoted, considerate and loving husband and father. It is these personal traits of character, even more than business success, that serve to keep alive the memory of a man among his fellowmen, and such were Mr. Dibblee's excellencies of character that many years will pass ere his memory will cease to be a cherished possession to those -who knew him.

GEORGE RANDOLPH DYER.

If one could turn back the hour-glass until seventy-six years had been marked off the calendar and could visit Chicago as it was more than three-quarters of a century ago, a little village would be found bordering the river near its mouth and within its boundaries there would be found few thoroughfares. However, the little town was peopled by an enterprising, progressive population — men who had realized the opportunities of the west and had come hither to take part in the upbuilding of the wonderful inland empire which was springing up in the Mississippi valley. Among the number of Chicago's residents at that day was George Randolph Dyer, prominent as a citizen and as a man of business ability. In later years his efforts became a factor in the development of other sections of the state and in whatever community he lived, his service was of worth as a factor in progress and improvement. He was born in Clarendon, Rutland county, Vermont, June 3, 1813. His ancestry can be traced back directly to Roger Williams, who was banished from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, and authentic history establishes the fact that a maternal ancestor was Mary Dyer, the Quaker, who was hanged on Boston Commons by order of the general court of Massachusetts at that period of unexplainable illusion, which cost the lives of so many of the colony's worthy citizens. The Dyers came from England early in the seventeenth century, settling in Vermont, where some members of the family still reside. His father, Daniel Dyer, had a state reputation as a sheep raiser and substantial farmer, and was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. After the establishment of American independence he was commissioned major in the Massachusetts State Militia and his commission bearing the signature of Governor Hancock came into the possession of his son George R. His mother was a Miss Susanah Olin, of the popular Vermont family of that name. A brother of George R. Dyer was the venerable and well-known Dr. Charles V. Dyer, long a distinguished citizen of Chicago.

Captain George R. Dyer acquired an academic education in the West Rutland Academy and at the age of twenty-one years started for the west, driving across the country alone from Clarendon, Vermont, to Chicago. He remained a resident of Chicago and of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until 1841, and during that period aided in the organization of the territory of Wisconsin in 1838. He also assisted in making the survey of the Fox river with a view to using that stream as a feeder for the Illinois canal. In 1841 he removed to Will county where he engaged in farming and stock-raising, conducting a large and profitable business along that line. He was noted far and wide for his remarkable energy, which intelligently directed, brought him substantial success in life. In 1856 he was called to public office in his election to the position of sheriff of the county and after his term of office expired he returned to his farm where he remained until the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861. When the first gun was fired, prompted by the same patriotic spirit which permeated his ancestors, he and his two sons joined the army for the union. The elder son was commissioned captain when but seventeen years of age and participated in many a hotly contested battle. He died November 13, 1863, from disease contracted in a southern swamp. The history of the younger son is given below. A biography of Captain Dyer, written while he was still living, gave the following:

"During the last thirty years Will county has known Captain Dyer as a citizen of note, not a little eccentric, witty, jolly as a companion and satirical in the reproving of that which had not sense to recommend it. As a defender of the rights of man he has always been distinguished, and he considered it no disgrace to be called an abolitionist. He joined hands with them in bringing this country to be what it is today. In bold activity and uncompromising devotion Captain Dyer was the undisputed pioneer in Will county of that enthusiastic movement, as it was called by his friends, and fanatical movement, as it was called by his enemies, which ultimately struck the shackles from the American slaves. His home was one of the stations on the line of the underground railway whereby, many runaway slaves were ushered mysteriously into a locality and as mysteriously and quietly made their way out of it toward freedom in the north. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln and Owen Lovejoy and it was to be expected that he would espouse the cause of the Union when war became the order of the day. He was serving as quartermaster at Pilot Knob while the battle raged there. On the 8th of January, 1841, he married Miss Elizabeth Howe Kimball, of Elgin, a lady of fine natural endowments and graceful manner, whose excellent sense, fine culture and domestic accomplishments eminently fitted her to become a helpmate for a young man of ambition and energy but without financial resources."

Daniel Burns Dyer, the younger son of George Randolph Dyer, was educated in the public schools and the Illinois State Normal school. A contemporary biographer has written of him as follows:

"In 1862, leaving his father's farm on which he was reared, he joined his father and only brother, who were then in the Union army, and though but thirteen years of age at the time, he served until the close of the war in southeastern Missouri and Arkansas. He was captured during the war by General Sterling Price's army and held a prisoner for two weeks before making his escape.

"Following the close of hostilities between the north and the south Colonel Dyer started for Kansas and the Indian territory, where he engaged in general merchandising, banking and trading with the Indians. He was also United States Indian agent in the southwest. In all of his business affairs he has displayed keen discernment, with a quick recognition of opportunity. He has always formed his plans readily, is determined in their execution and has ever recognized the fact, which too few people seem to understand, that when one avenue of effort seems closed there are others which are open and which may lead to the desired result. Mr. Dyer continued in the southwest until 1885, when he removed to Kansas City and here became a prominent factor in real-estate dealing. With remarkable prescience he recognized what the future had in store for this growing western city, made judicious investments in real estate and so handled his property interests in purchase and sale as to win a most gratifying financial return. For a considerable period he figured as one of the most prominent real-estate dealers of Kansas City.

"While Colonel Dyer is well-known because of his successful and extensive business operations, his efforts have been by no means confined to commercial and financial undertakings, for in many other lines he has labored wherein the public has been a direct beneficiary. For a period of fifteen years he was occupied in civilizing the Indians and teaching them self-support. He had charge of the famous Lava Bed Modoc tribe, as well as eight other tribes at the. same time, and later was given charge of the Cheyennes and Arapahos. When Oklahoma was opened Colonel Dyer was chosen the first mayor of Guthrie and took an active part in shaping the policy of the city during its formative period. During his connection with Indian affairs and with matters in Oklahoma, he had many most interesting and thrilling experiences.

"In 1889 Colonel Dyer removed to Augusta, Georgia, and placed on foot a movement which has resulted in the transformation of that city's appearance. He there constructed the first trolley line in the south operated by water power and, extending his efforts into various fields of activity; in addition to being president of the Augusta Railway & Electric Company, he was president of the Georgia Railroad Land & Colonization Company, the Dyer Investment Company, the Gas Light Company, of Augusta, and the Augusta Chronicle, the south's oldest newspaper, established in 1785. With superior business ability he possesses great public spirit and a love of the beautiful, and to these qualities of his nature Augusta is indebted for Lake View Park and Monte Sano Park. Colonel Dyer still maintains a winter home in the vicinity of Augusta, in which connection a local paper said: 'Chateau Le Vert, Colonel Dyer's private residence in Summerville, is one of the show places of the country. There he entertains with princely hospitality and with always a hearty welcome to all his friends.' This home was formerly the residence of Madame Octavia Walton Le Vert, granddaughter of George Walton, the first governor of Georgia and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Everything connected with this brilliant woman is carefully and highly prized by Colonel Dyer, who in her honor named his famous home Chateau Le Vert. This house of twenty-seven rooms is furnished entirely with antique furniture — one of the best known collections in the United States. Interested also in military affairs. Colonel Dyer has for many years been an officer in the Georgia State Militia.

"His membership relations also extend to the Society of Colonial Wars and Sons of the American Revolution, the Grand Army of the Republic and the Loyal Legion, and anything which pertains to the welfare of the soldier or bears upon our military history is of interest to him. In fraternal lines he is connected with the Odd Fellows and with the Masons. He has attained the Knight Templar degree in the commandery and is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine.

"At a recent date Colonel Dyer has returned to Kansas City, for which he has always had an especial fondness. In various ways he has manifested his interest in the city, one of the most tangible being his gift of fifteen thousand objects to the city for a museum. For more than thirty years he has been a collector of Indian curios, which were exhibited and awarded medals and diplomas at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago and also at Atlanta and Augusta. This is by far the finest collection of Indian relics in the country and while it is almost impossible to place a money value on these, it is estimated that the collection is worth not less than two hundred thousand dollars. It also contains curios from Africa, the Philippine Islands, Mexico and other countries. An article of rare value is an Indian garment which is strung with fifteen hundred elk teeth, which are quoted on the market at from two to five dollars each. Since his return to Kansas City Colonel Dyer has here erected one of the most palatial residences of the entire Mississippi valley. Its woodwork and decorative features have come almost entirely from the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, and the interior from the Victoria House, which was all made in England at the suggestion of Queen Victoria and made part of the building at Chicago by the royal commission for Great Britain, while other parts of his home came from the Alaska building, the Indian Territory building and the Louisiana State building of the St. Louis Exposition. It stands on a tract of forty acres of land on Independence Road, north of Beaumont station and occupies a sightly bluff commanding a view for many miles. The Corinthian columns, supporting the portico, which is two stories high, extend across the entire front and both sides of the building. The ground plan of the house measures one hundred and twelve by sixty-nine feet and it is three full stories in height. The woodwork in the first story is nearly all from the Victoria House. The feature of the music room is a handsomely carved organ case taken from the New York State building at the St. Louis fair. The modeled plaster ceiling in the parlor and hall are copied from ceilings in Plas Mawr at Conway, North Wales, built about 1550 by the Wynns of Gwydir and known in England as Queen Elizabeth's Palace. The staircase from the Victoria House is of English walnut, the carving wrought by hand, and the ceiling, the stairway and main landing are copied from one still existing at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. In the living room is a fireplace taken from Victoria House and built of terra cotta. Above the fireplace is a deep frieze and upon it is carved in old English lettering the following inscription:

'Babble not o'ermuch, my friend,

If thou wouldst be called wyse.

To speak or prate or use much talk

Engenders many lyes.'

"The house contains many beautiful works of art as displayed in its bric-a-brac, fancy chandeliers, heavy bronze lamps designed by Tiffany for the veranda, urns and statuary for the terraces and lawn. In any analyzation of the life of Colonel Dyer it would seem almost difficult to designate his predominant characteristic. When one sees him, considering a business proposition, he seems an alert man whose entire thought and purposes are concentrated upon business problems; to converse with him, concerning the curios and the antique furniture that he has collected, one would imagine that his entire life had been devoted to that task; if one discuss with him the Indian question, it would seem that his time had been given exclusively to the study of this governmental problem; meeting him socially one finds him a most genial, hospitable host, whose one aim seems to be the comfort of his guests. Summing up all these things, one comes to know Colonel Dyer as a most broad-minded man of wide interest, who is never too busy to be cordial nor never too cordial to be busy."

When the Kansas City Museum was established Colonel Dyer made valuable contributions thereto of his famous collection accumulated during a residence of fifteen years with the Indians, and since then in all parts of the world, for in making his collection Mr. Dyer did not confine his researches to the limits of Indian reservations. Hence there are found in his collection many most curious objects of great interest from the isolated islands of the sea and from Mexico; South America; the wilds of Africa; from Alaska, China, Japan and Turkey. Colonel Dyer is now residing in Augusta, Georgia, but is well-known in Chicago and in other parts of the country where his interests and labors have taken him and where at all times his personal worth and public spirit have made him a valued citizen.

WILLIAM JOSEPH WATSON.

William Joseph Watson, now living retired, was born in Philadelphia, March 26, 1843, a son of James V. and Elizabeth M. Watson. He was graduated from the Central high school of his native city and, in 1863, went to Battle Creek, Michigan, where he remained in business for seven years. In 1870 he went to St. Louis, Missouri, as representative of the Middleton Car Spring Company, of Philadelphia, and on the 1st of May, 1873, arrived in Chicago as representative of the same company, with which he was promoted until he became president in 1890. He has organized several well-known companies in the railway supply business, among, the most prominent being the Buda Foundry & Manufacturing Company, established in 1884. He was also the promoter of the Hewitt Manufacturing Company, which he organized in 1886, and the Fort Madison Iron Works Company, which he founded in 1887. He served as president of all, and at one time was vice president and a director of the Metropolitan National Bank. He was likewise vice president of the Calumet & Chicago Canal Dock Company and of the Willard Sons & Bell Company, manufacturers of car axles.

In 1865 Mr. Watson was united in marriage to Miss Amelia E. Gould, of Newark, New Jersey, and they have a son, James V., born in November, 1866. The family reside at No. 2640 Prairie avenue.

CALVIN S. SMITH.

When a man possessed of good judgment, clear insight and unusual business acumen assumes duties for which he has natural ability he seldom fails to make a success of his undertaking. Thus it was with Calvin S. Smith, for many years general agent in Chicago for the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. Thrown upon his own resources at the early age of thirteen, his life record furnished a splendid exemplification of courage and self-confidence crowned with well-earned success.

A product of the Nutmeg state, which has contributed so many able insurance men, Calvin S. Smith was born December 21, 1851, at Thompsonville. He was a son of Martin M. and Anne (Stevens) Smith, the former of whom was born in Connecticut and the latter in Glasgow, Scotland. The father of Mrs. Smith, James Stevens, came to America in the latter part of the '30s with his family and established his home in Connecticut. He was a successful merchant, financier and wholesale coal dealer. Martin M. Smith, the father of our subject, was a skilled mechanic. He also possessed unusual inventive ability and was the inventor of the coil spring now universally used in railroad coaches. He died in 1867, his wife passing away ten years later. Calvin Smith, the grandfather, came west early in the '40s. He traveled on the Erie canal, which was then the principal route across New York state, and drove an ox team from Detroit, locating in Armada, Michigan. He engaged in farming and died early in the '50s, on the farm upon which he established his home. His faithful wife survived until 1872. The Smith family participated prominently, in early wars of the country. David Smith was a valiant soldier at the time of the Revolution and Calvin Smith wore the uniform of the United States government in the war of 1812. The men of the family have been noted for their bravery in times of danger and their unswerving fidelity to any cause which they espoused. Martin M. Smith was one of the first men to enlist in the Union army at the time of the Civil war, serving in the Forty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteers.

Until the age of eleven years Calvin S. Smith attended the public schools in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and about one year later entered the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, where he remained one term. Unfortunate circumstances then threw him upon his own resources and made him the architect of his own fortune. After leaving school he started in as an errand boy and was thus engaged in a store in Chicopee for some time. Following this he obtained a position in his uncle's store in Thompsonville, Connecticut, where at the end of one year, by industry and economy, he had accumulated sufficient money to pay his expenses for another term at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Massachusetts. After completing his term he went to Hartford, Connecticut, where he obtained a position as clerk in a wholesale fruit house, where he was engaged two and one-half years. Leaving this position, he went west, locating in Fort Wayne, Indiana, about 1869, and there took the position of clerk in the office of the United States Express Company. Later he ran as express messenger for about four years for this company between Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Cadillac, Michigan, and subsequently, after a year spent in northern Michigan and Chicago, where he was engaged in the lumber business, he went into the men's furnishing business, which he carried on for four years. Satisfied that better returns could be secured by taking on a larger subject, he entered the life insurance field in 1880, connecting himself with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He made a success of the business from the beginning. He found the insurance business a congenial occupation. His mind was unusually quick of apprehension and he advanced rapidly, taking a foremost position as a producer of business. In 1883 he was made general agent for Chicago and Cook county of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia, one of its most important general agencies. In this capacity he not only made a big success but employed methods that dignified the business and took rank among the ablest men in the country in his position and developed the business until the agency became one of the leading ones in the city. In 1902 he admitted C. J. McCary and M. E. Randolph into the business, the firm becoming Smith, McCary & Company, in which Mr. Smith continued as the head during the remainder of his active life.

Soon after taking up the insurance business in 1880 Mr. Smith established one of the pioneer real-estate businesses on the south side, founding the firm of L. M. Smith & Brother. At that time he carried on the business during his spare hours and evenings. He soon found that he had assumed too much and that he had more work than he could attend to properly, so he turned the business over to his brother L. M. Smith, the present head of the firm.

Politically Mr. Smith gave his support to the republican party and in religious belief he was reared as an anti-fiddler Scotch Presbyterian but after his marriage adhered to the Reformed Episcopal church. He was a prominent club man and his presence at club gatherings was always welcome as he possessed a sunny disposition and the rare faculty of creating a feeling of geniality wherever he appeared. He was a valued member of the Union League, Washington Park and Midlothian Clubs, and held life memberships in the South Shore Country Club and the Chicago Athletic Association, also being connected with the Big Lake Shooting Club and the Pekin and Spring Lake Gun and Fishing Club. He took great delight in outdoor sports and was a lover of golf and the automobile.

Pleasing in manner, witty and universally esteemed, Mr. Smith drew friends through the force of an agreeable personality. He was a lover of his home but his business required contact with the world and few men were so active in affairs, traveled more extensively or could claim a larger circle of acquaintances in all parts of the United States. He personally met most of the prominent men of America and some of his warmest friends were men high in business, social and political circles. He never yielded to excesses as his character was remarkably well balanced and the longer he was known — the greater the confidence and respect in which he was held.

Such is a brief outline of the life and work of one of the brightest and most popular insurance men Chicago has known. He was manly, honorable and upright and had the esteem and regard of all who knew him. His death, which occurred on the 26th of December, 1909, was deeply felt. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Ida A. Smith, who previous to her marriage, on November 24, 1875, at Kalamazoo, Michigan, was Miss Ida A. Allen, a daughter of John Baker and Katherine (Murray) Allen. For a number of years her father was prominently identified with the woolen manufacturing business at Syracuse, New York, later taking up his residence at Kalamazoo. Mrs. Smith still resides in the home at 3982 Lake avenue which her husband built and lived in for more than twenty years previous to his death. He was buried in Oakwoods cemetery, where his widow has erected a magnificent mausoleum. His memory is held in profoundest regard by those with whom he associated and his man, generous and friendly acts like a beautiful benediction continue to wield their influence although he is no longer to be seen in the home circle or in the social gatherings of which he was the acknowledged leader.

STEWART SPALDING.

Preeminently a business man, Stewart Spalding has never sought to figure before the public in any other light and, in fact, has always manifested a spirit of modesty in regard to his personality. He was born in Middlebury, Vermont, a son of Joel and Harriet C. (Allen) Spalding, and in early life removed to Watertown, New York, where he acquired his education and training in the public schools of that city, graduating from the Jefferson County (N. Y.) Institute. His school days over, he sought the opportunities of the west and his dynamic force and keen discernment have been vital forces in the management of important business interests in Chicago. For twelve years he was secretary and treasurer of the Calumet & Chicago Canal & Dock Company, the company that founded the town of South Chicago and that made it possible for the Illinois Steel Works to build their immense plant at that place.

Chicago owes it to Mr. Spalding for its only exposition building as it was his conception and his enterprise that gave the city the Coliseum building. As secretary and managing director of the Coliseum Company he has capably met the demands required, in the successful control of an enterprise of such magnitude. In the Coliseum have been held some of the world's greatest exhibitions. It has been the convention hall for some of the most prominent gatherings in the United States. To control the Coliseum's interests, to make its rentals a paying investment is the duty which devolves upon Mr. Spalding, and his business associates speak of his labors in this connection in terms of praise and commendation.

Mr. Spalding's wife was Carrie S. Chapin of Chicago; they reside at No. 1349 North State street. Mr. Spalding is a republican in his political sentiments, but has never sought activity or prominence in political circles, preferring to concentrate his energies upon the complex and important business problems which are continually arising for solution in connection with the management of the Coliseum. He is, however, interested in Chicago's upbuilding, and his opinions have on many occasions proved influencing factors in questions of vital municipal importance bearing upon the material upbuilding and the adornment and improvement of the city.

WALKER O. LEWIS.

Walker O. Lewis is occupying a position of responsibility as assistant treasurer of Sears, Roebuck & Company. Mr. Lewis was born in Petersburg, Illinois, June 24. 1871. His paternal grandfather was the Rev. W. H. Lewis, for many years a well-known minister of the Methodist church, connected always with the Missouri conference. He passed away in 1909, at the age of ninety-five years, being at that time the oldest minister in Missouri. His influence was a potent force in behalf of Christianity and his labors did much to spread the truth of the gospel in the state which he made his home.