LI E> RARY OF THE UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS 92.0.07731 B522. ILLINOIS BISTORICAL SVBTMT c>u]i)rapinau Nlxi^inii'^^ UUUlilJ JW.l'U Uj \i*UUH j (nnoqrapDU'mii) x\ jA^arbiifl OF m BIOGMPHICAL SKETCHES OP THB LEADIIG MES OF CHICAGO, )Vritten by the ^est Jalent of the North- CHICAGO : AVILSON &; HT. CLAIR, F»ubli8her( 1868.^ Katered accordlog to Act or Congress, in the year 1868, by WILSON & ST. CLAIR, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Northern District o{ Ulinoi* Bound by the WBSTKKN BOOK MANUFACTURING CO., Chicago, - Illinois. INTRODUCTION. "Art is long, but Life is short," is a proverb which, in its Latin form, '' Ars longa, vita brevis," has been handed down through the ages and passed from lip to lip by savang and students. But it was reserved to the men of the pi-esent century to exhibit a living faith in the apotliegm, by crowding into the experience of a decade the activities of a patriarchal term of existence. Man lived, and learned, and labored in former days, and improvements in his condition were eifected, but the processes were slow; human elevation was wrought out like the toilsome accretions of the coral reef, whose crest is reared up from the ocean valley only l)y the scarcely sensible additions of untold centuries, by myriads of laborers, whose work was but the construction of their own tomb. We of the present day can compare with them but by contrast. The progress of the past fifty years has been rather that of the force which upheaves an island in a day, or builds a palace in a night. Within that short period several peoples have been raised to the condition of freemen, the yoke of bondage has been stricken from the necks of a race, the mirror of science burnished up from a few bright spots on its surface, education has become popularized, a continent settled, and steam made useful; the iron horse, unfoaled at the commencement of that cycle, is now pawing his way tlirough every land, and neighing his triumph from the tops of the Rocky Mountains, while the electric spark has flashed intelligence into every hamlet, and wakened into life the slumbering activities of a world. Fifty years! Less than the life of one man, the last half century has been more heavily laden with human happiness than the whole of that preceding period of a hundred lunar cycles, at whose beginning was borne througii the air by angel voices the glad tidings — "Peace on earth; goodwill to men!" And yet we may lessen the duration of even that brief jubilee by a quarter. Thirty-seven years ago, the passage of the Reform Rill in Great Britain opened the path along which the masses of England are now marching towards liberty ; in the same year (1831) Cook County was organized and the first actual step made towards opening up the interior of the American continent to travel and discovery, though the passage of the Canal Bill three years previously was tlic order to hew out a path in the wilderness. Since then, freedom and progress have been the watchwords of civilization. Six years thereafter the negroes in Jamaica were freed, and Chicago was made a city. Both were but beginnings, but the results have been magnificent. Over both hemispheres, from the Texan plains to the 700743 IV INTRODUCTION. fastnesses of Siberia, the human form and the human mind have thrown off the manacles which bound them, and what was then little more than a narrow strip along the Atlantic shore has expanded, till now the United States and Territories spread their area over a third part of the solar journey, their mineral wealth enriching, their fertile fields feeding, their institutions teaching, and their power awing the world. Chicago is thus not only a wonderful city in herself, but Apostolic in her character — preaching the truth in the desert, and sowing the seed which has now blossomed forth into the fruits of a Garden of Eden. She it was who, first planted in the prairie like the staff of St. Patrick, has since grown forth even more wonderfully than his wand, becoming not a trefoil, but a banyan tree, whose shoots flourish from ocean to ocean. Chicago was the surveyors' station from which the land beyond was prospected, and the villages and cities subsequently laid out that now dot the West. Her example has stimulated to wondrous enterprise in city building elsewhere, and while in her proud position at the head of the great chain of Lakes, she is the central point to which all else converges, as the meridian lines towards the poles, she is still more distinguished as the originator of Western progress — the maker of Northwestern history. Thirty-one years since, Chicago was first called a city, and Mayor Ogden looked round on the new-born corporation, and with true prophetic eye noted its future magnitude. That is nearly one generation ago ; a few months more, and we shall have turned the first leaf in our civic history. The early workers-out of the great problem of Western commerce are even now passing away from among us, breaking through the death cloud, seen in the vision of Mirza, into the great ocean of eternity. It is a grateful task to turn the camera on the little throng who are now walking over the senior arches in the bridge of life, and photograph for preservation the prominent features in the lives of that little band who have made so much of our history. AVe essay the work in the following pages; they contain life sketches of over one hundred of the leading citizens of Chicago — the men to whose foresight, energy, enterprise, and influence, the proud municii)ality of to-day so largely owes its greatness. These are bright ensamples, but the list does not include all whom we should delight to honor. Some are absent in Europe, enjoying the fruits of their earlier toil, while even before we write the cloud has closed over many of the shining ones, and we are reminded of the old sun-dial motto — '■'■ Dum spectas fugio" — even while we gaze they pass away. Among the honored dead we may not soon forget the names of many whose labors were not less worthy, or lives more glorious, than those of the present living. Among the more prominent of these we may note the names of Thomas Dyer, former Mayor of our city ; Luther Haven, Collector of the Port of Chicago, and for a long time a member, and the President, of the Board of Education; Flavel Moseley, whose benefactions to the public schools will never be forgotten; Colonel R. J. Hamilton, of whom it has been said that he held simultaneously almost every office in Cook County ; Judge Douglas, the great statesman, whose bones now repose near the Soldier's Home ; George Manierre, the upright Judge ; R. S. Blackwell, the compiler of our Illinois Statutes ; Doctor Brainard, the founder of Rush Medical College; Doctor Egan, whose real estate transactions were carried into the practice of his profession so largely that he used to prescribe pills to be taken "on canal time;" Solomon Sturges, the banker and founder of the grain warehouse system; W. H. Brown, the scientific man and philanthropist, who died recently in Holland ; J. B. Beaubien, the original native ; J. L. Scripps, late Postmaster, and for INTRODUCTION. V years one of the editors of the "Press and Tribune," and 11. h. Wilson, wliose genius and enterprise did so much for the "Journal." These, and many more, will long live in memory as the salt of the earth — men whose deeds have not followed them to the grave, but exist in their fruits, and cause their names to be blessed. It may be claimed for our book that it will change the meaning of a word— a great influence to exert. After this, let no one use the word "adventurer" in the European sense — as a disparaging allusion. Very many of our best men were literal adventurers, coming here with nothing of worldly wealth, setting foot in Chicago as the gold hunter prospects among the mountains, looking out for thor best chance, and willing to make money in any (honest) way that might offer. All honor to them ! They have rescued a term from obloquy and re-made it honorable, while the usages of the Old World have debased this, as many other good old Saxon terms ; the American sovereign has ennobled his language while enriching himself. In the compilation of this work we have met with many difficulties, and some of them may have been so much of the insurmountable order that defects will be found in the book. AVe can only urge in apology for these shortcomings, that every care has been taken, no effort spared, to produce a work which should be a creditable, as well as a faithful, exponent of the histories and character of the leading men of Chicago. A few names have been omitted from the list in consequence of the absence or modesty of their bearers, as the compilers did not feel at liberty to publish a sketch without having obtained personal permission in each instance, while in the case of some, whose names will be found following, objection was made to this or that mode of treatment. Of course, where so many different tastes were to be consulted, and such a mass of information needed to be gathered and put into shape, it was next to impossible to obtain unvarying accuracy. We may be permitted to say, that the services of many of the leading writers of Chicag«> were secured to put the material into shape, and to prevent the monotony of expression which might otherwise have been met with. In making the selection of names, the publishers aimed to give to the public a view of the principal business interests of Chicago, and their growth from nothingness to their present magnitude, as represented in the histories of the leading men in each branch of enterprise. No consideration of a partisan character has been allowed to interfere with entire impartiality in the choosing, and though many of the parties mentioned are old citizens, the list is far from being confined to them. There are many branches of activity whose origin in this city are of comparatively recent date, and many of our best citizens, and those who have done as much as any other for Chicago, have reputations of but a junior growth. Especially is this true since the war for the preservation of the Union called out the best energies and tested the patriotism of our people, and hence the presence in the book of so many sketches of military men — those who have carved out the history of the nation, and inscribed their own names high on the scroll of fame, with the point of the sword or bayonet. THE GROWTH OF CHICAGO. We do not propose, under this head, to give a history of the rise and progress of the wonderful Garden City; that is supplied in the lives of its builders. We intend simply to draw a few contrastive outlines of the past and present, showing how the early landmarks have been swept outwards by the swift-advancing tide of settlement. VI INTRODUCTION. Forty years ago, there was no Chicago — except the river of that name, marked on the maps of the seventeenth centui-y as the "Chicaqua." Previous to 1827, it was simply a United States fort, the old block-house standing on what is now River street; it was demolished in 1856. One small frame building — a relic of the officers' quarters — is still standing on the west side of Michigan avenue, near Rush street bridge, the property of Henry Fuller. That was then on tlie shore of the Lake, and a long way from the mouth of the River, which there made a bend to the south, emptying into the Lake near the present foot of Madison street. A muddy, narrow peninsula separated them, having been formed by the deposition of earth and sand where the two currents had met for ages, and the difference between the earth and water levels was so small that a very slight rain was sufficient to make of the entire scene an open sea. The Kinzie trading liut and the Beaubien House, built in 1817, were about the only un-Indian structures outside the fort. It was the passage of the bill, in 1827, providing for the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, that warmed into germination the seed whose vitality had lain dormant for centuries. Two years more, and there were five families living outside the fort, and, in 1831, when Cook County was organized, embracing what are now Cook, Will, DuPage, Lake, Kane and Kendall counties, there were some sixty persons here, all living on the river banks. The next year there was a large accession to the fort, and one or two shanties were erected. In the course of 1833, the future city began to take to itself a real growth, about one hundred and fifty frame houses being built, giving the first departure from the model log, under the Canal pressure. The town of Chicago was now a large one — it contained a whole half section, being bounded by State, Halsted, Madison and Kinzie streets, M'hile the Government of the United States, for protection from future encroachments, had set apart to its own uses the Dearborn Reservation, lying east of State street, between Madison street and the main channel. Even this extended area was not great enough. In November of that year, the Indians having been paid off, money being plenty, and the Canal prospects brilliant, the town govern- ment took on an enlarged jurisdiction, asserting its authority over the one square mile lying east of Jefferson street, between Ohio and Jackson streets. Two months previous to this they had established a free ferry over the River at Dearborn street, to accom- modate the increasing travel between what are now the North and South Divisions, and twelve months thereafter passed a Sunday law, to keep the people in order. Two years from the establishment of the ferry, the town numbered over three thousand inhabitants, and it was decided to build a bridge at Randolph street, the River at that point being but forty feet wide. It was not much of a bridge, as may be judged from the fact that twenty-five dollars was paid for the plan, and the structure, when first put down, would compare unfavorably with the lumbering concern now floating at Twelfth street; but it was a great improvement, and the people were thankful. Chicago progressed with considerable rapidity thenceforward until 1837, when she took on herself the honors of a city corporation, with 4,170 inhabitants. But then came the period of her trial. The crisis of that year found her but badly prepared to meet it. Business became dull, money scarce ; the work on the Canal was continued for some time, but was finally suspended, and people began to leave the city. The migration was, however, compensated by the arrival of others, who came here out of the storm which raged elsewhere. The next seven years was a period of difficulty and doubt, during which the t)otiulation was doubled, and the value of real estate increased in about the INTRODUCTION. VI 1 same ratio, the business of pork-packin{i; being the only one that ma4,499 66,495,116 140,857,040 Total Valuation. $236,842 94,437 1,441,314 3,065,022 4,521,656 5,849,170 6,300,440 6,676,084 7,220,249 16,841,831 26,992,893 31,736,0,84 37,053,512 37,139,845 48,732,782 64,709,177 85,953,250 192,249,644 $5,905 4,722 8,648 11,078 15,826 18,159 22,052 30,045 25,271 135,662 206,209 396,652 373,315 564,038 974,656 1,294,184 1,719,064 2,489,245 THE CITY OF TO-DAY. The following is the distribution of rpal and personal values in the three divisions, with the enumerated populations in 1866 : DIVISION. Real Estate. Personal. Total. Population. Smith $73,100,720 44,14S,S2l) 23,607 ,.500 $38,748,0,80 5^392^247 $111,843,800 51,400,097 28,999,747 58,755 90,739 50,924 West North Totals $140,857,040 $51,392,604 $192,249,644 200,418 Allowing for undervaluations in real estate, and omissions of personal property, the wealth of the city may be estimated in round numbers at $200,000,000. The municipal taxation of 1867, independent of licenses, fines, and the large sums paid as special assessments for improvements, is $2,489,245 Taxation for State, County and Town '85'/ 631 Taxation for internal revenue, about 3 n53'459 Total taxation $7,298,335 Giving a taxation for all purposes of about three and three-quarters per cent, per annum on the selling cash value of the property in Chicago, or $30.00 to each of the 240,000 residents of the city. The amount of business transacted during 1867 may be roughly estimated at: Commercial $805,000,000 Manufacturing 75,000,000 Total transactions of the year $380,000,000 INTRODUCTION. IX The area of the city is about 23i miles, or 15,050 acres. The avernpje value of real estate within the limits, oh the Assessor's valuation, is $9,359 per acre. The distribution of population, if made equally, would give 10 persons to the acre, or three persons to every two residence lofts in the city. In looking round on the Chicago of to-day. with its myriad improvements and its substantial character, it is difi5cult to believe that so little time has elapsed since the old block house was "all and singular" of the scene above water; that but about thirty years ago Monroe street was out of town, and that much later the present Tremont House site was hunting ground. AVho, of all those living here at that early period, would have believed that this city could give thirty thousand men for the suppression of the rebellion ; that she would build a tunnel two miles under Lake Michigan : that she would spend $347,731 annually in maintaining twenty-six public schools, employing 316 teachers to instruct 16,393 children, besides furnishing a surplus population of 8,000 juveniles to the Catholic schools, and a ragged brigade, unnumbered, to cry out for more room? Few indeed would have believed the prediction, that Chicago to-day would contain six hundred miles of streets, with many acres of Nicholson pavement laid over the then level of their heads; that her citizens would require twelve millions of gallons of water daily, and be obliged to tunnel under the river to evade the continuous fleet of vessels which require constant opening of the bridges ; or that that river could become so filthy that the quarter of a million inhabitants would turn this great canal into a sewer, at a possible expense of three or four millions of dollars. Still less would they have anticipated that Cincinnati and St. Louis, then old established cities, would to-day be so far distanced in the race as to content themselves with grumbling at the superior enterprise which placed them hopelessly in the rear. The prediction that Chicago would now be the centre of a system of railroads, bringing into her warehouses the treasures of a settled country to the west of us, large as the Eastern States; that she would cut up and pack nearly a million hogs, and receive sixty millions of bushels of grain yearly, might have flattered their vanity, but would have been set down as "buncombe" equal to that of the man who was called insane because he believed that he would live to see Lake street property worth one thousand dollars a foot. Where is it now ? We forbear to speak of the future, preferring that the million of people who will ere long claim Chicago as their home, should tell of their own greatness. We will content ourselves with commending to them our volume, that they, as the readers of the present day, may learn to whom they are so largely indebted for the proud position held by Chicago among the cities of the western continent. The portraits for the work have been prepared by Mr. J. Carbutt, the well known photographic artist. No. 131 Lake street. We need not say more than tliat they are all in his usual excellent style, a credit alike to Chicago art, to the book, and to the parties whose facial lineaments are here presented. WILLIAM B. OGDEN. William B. Ogden is a native of Delaware County, N. Y. He was born in the town of Walton, on the 15th of June^ 1805, He is of the Eastern New Jersey Ogden family. His grandfather was in the Revolutionary War. His father, Abraham Ogden, when eighteen years old, left Morristown, N. J., soon after the close of that war, intending to settle in the new city of Washington, the future Capital of the United States. He had proceeded on his journey as far as Philadelphia, when he met a brother or relative of his friend, the late Governor Mahlon Dickerson, of Ncav Jersey, who gave him such a glowing account of the Upper Delaware country, and of the immense forests of pine timber upon the banks of the Delaware, promising great prospective wealth from its accessibility to the Philadelphia market, that he was induced to accompany Mr. Dickerson to that, then, wilderness country, where he finally settled, and passed a life of active usefulness, engaged in such employments as were best suited to develop and build up the home of his adoption. He was regarded as a man of sound judgment and good business tact. He was social and domestic, fond of reading, yet very hospitable in his disposition. His advice was sought and valued, especially by those younger than himself. His active usefulness was much impaired by a stroke of paralysis in 1820. He died in 1825. The mother of William B. Ogden was a daughter of an officer of the Revolutionary War, James Weed, of New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Mr. Weed seems to have been very patriotic, or somewhat military in his character, for we find him, at the early age of fourteen years, volunteering in the " French War." At the termination of the Revolutionary struggle, like most of his 12 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES brother officers, he was out of cash and out of business. Several of these officers, inchidino; ]Mr. Weed, determined to colonize and settle upon and around a " patent " of land which one of their number held upon the Delaware River. This land was a primitive forest, west of the Catskill ]Mountains, eiglity miles (those were not railroad days) beyond the Hudson, and sixty miles beyond the, then, AVestern frontier or any carriage road. It was a great undertaking; yet these brave men had the courage to seek an independent home with their families in the wilderness. In 1790-2, they took their families, upon pack-horses, to their forest homes ; established a settlement in that " Sequestered Section " of the State, as it was after- wards called by Governor Clinton, where, though remarkable for neither numbers nor wealth, jjatriotism found a home, amid dignified courtesy and genuine hospitality. The society formed and developed through the influence of these pioneers Avas distinguished through all the surrounding country no less for its general intelligence and intellectual cultivation, than for its moral and religious character. It w^as here that the parents of the subject of this sketch were married, and the earlier years of the latter were passed. Allusion has not been made to the ancestors of ]Mr. Ogden from any feeling that worthy parentage can confer honor without regard to the character of the offspring. The writer holds that sucli ancestry only add to the dishonor of him who is not true to liis inherited blood. But when worthy parentage is blessed and honored by corresponding qualities in the child, any biography of the latter is deficient, which does not acknowledge the indebtedness of its subject to its parent stock. Mr. Ogden, when a lad, was large for his years. When not more than ten or twelve years old, he was very fond of athletic exercise, and the sports of robust boyhood. It was his delight to hunt, to swim, to skate, to wrestle and to ride. These were the sports suited to his "Sequestered" home; and if they trespassed too much upon his time, it was from no indisposition to study, or want of fondness for books. He must have been very fond of these sports in his early youth, for he recol- lects that his father was obliged to limit his hunting; and fishino- excursions to two days in the week. As he grew older, the advice of his father awakened in him a consciousness of the necessity of greater application to books, and of the duty of preparing himself for the serious business of life. His father's counsels w^ere not unheeded. Permitted by his indulgent father to choose his future occupation, he determined to acquire a liberal education, and devote himself to the WILLIAM B. OGDEN. 13 practice of law. No sooner had lie made this determination, than, with the decision of character and earnestness which have marked all his subse- quent life, he set to work to fit himself for his chosen profession. He had but little more tlian commenced his academic course, when the sudden prostration of his father's health rc(|uired him, though only sixteen years of age, to return home, to take his father's place in the management of the latter's business, and the care of the family. It was with no little regret that the young Ogden bade adieu to the academic halls, yet he could not hesitate between inclination and duty. The management of his father's business exacted great activity and energy from its youthful conductor. It took him much over the country, and frequently to the large cities, and in it he acquired that taste and inclination for diversified business pursuits which have rendered his subsequent life one of untiring and diversified activity. Although his father's business required great attention, it did not absorb all his strength. He found oj^portunity to cultivate his mind by reading; and, being a ready observer, and his mind of a strong practical turn, he did not fail to j^rofit by every tour he made. Travel proved to him, as it always does to persons of thought and observation, an efficient educator. It enlarged his views, expanded his thoughts, and increased his powers. Yet, at this time, he had not seen very much of the world. He was only twenty-one years of age, when he was induced to engage as a partner in a mercantile firm, and enlarge his operations. These Ayere moderately successful, but did not satisfy his ambition. After spending a few years more in his native county, his unwearied exertions being rewarded by only moderate gains, he determined, in 1835, to turn his attention westward. He arrived at Chicago in June, 1835, having then recently united with friends in the purchase of real estate in this city. He and they foresaw that Chicago was to be a good town, and they purchased largely, including AVolcott's Addition, and nearly the half of Kinzic's xlddition, and the block of land upon which the freight-houses of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad now stand. Before leaving his native Stiite, at eighteen, the age at which military duty was at that time required of young men in the State of New York, Mr. Ogden entered upon that service. He was elected a commissioned officer, the first day of doing duty; and on the second was appointed Aid to his esteemed friend, Brigadier-General Frederic P. Foote, a gallant and polished gentleman, long since deceased. The late Hon. Selali 1\. llobbie, 14 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the distinguished Assistant Postmaster-General of the United States, for so many years, and from boyhood the intimate friend of Mr. Ogden, was a member of General Foote's Staff, at the same time, as Brigade Inspector, Avith the rank of Major. Mr. Ogden succeeded his friend, Major Hobble, in the office of Brigade Inspector, and did its duties for several years. In General Jackson's time, Mr. Ogden was made Postmaster of his village (Walton,) and so remained until after his removal to Chicago. The year before coming to Chicago (1834,) INIr. Ogden was elected to the Legislature of the State of New York, especially to advocate the construction of the New York and Erie Railroad, and to obtain the aid of the State for that great work, which then commanded his hearty exer- tions, and in which he has ever since felt a deep interest. He spent the winter of 1834-5 in the Assembly at Albany, but it was not until the following year that aid was granted by the State. Chicago was selected as his place of residence, because of its prominent position at the head of Lake Michigan, or rather, because of its being tlie Western terminus of Lake navigation. His attention had been more particularly drawn to it by his brother-in- law, Charles Butler, and his friend, Arthur Bronson, of New York, both of whom had visited Chicago, in 1833, and made purchases here. At first JNlr. Ogden's principal business in Chicago was the manage- ment of the real estate which he and his friends had purchased; but gradually, and almost accidentally in the beginning, he established a Land and Trust Afrencv in Chicag-o, which he carried on in his own name from 1836 to 1843, when it had so increased that he associated with himself the late William E. Jones. Since then the business has been carried on successively by Ogden, Jones & Co., and Ogden, Fleetwood & Co., in which last name it is still managed. The business has become so large that it may be called one of the institutions of Chicago. Mr. Ogden was very successful in his operations in 1835-6; but he became embarrassed in 1837-8, by assuming liabilities for friends, several of whom he endeavored to aid, with but partial success. He struggled on with these embarrassments for several years. Finally, in 1842—3, Mr. Ogden escaped from the last of them ; and, since then, his career of pecuniary success has been unclouded. They were gloomy days for Chicago when the old internal improvement system went by the board, and the Canal drew its slow length along, and operations upon it were WILLIAM B. OGDEN. 16 finally suspended, leaving the State comparatively nothing to show for the millions squandered in " internal improvements." His operations in real estate have been immense. He has sold real estate for himself and others, to an amount exceeding ten millions of dollars, requiring many thousand deeds and contracts which have been signed by him. The fact that the sales of his house have, for some years past, equalled nearly one million of dollars per annum, will give some idea of the extent of its business. He has literally made the rough places smooth, and the crooked ways straight, in Chicago. More than one hundred miles of streets, and hundreds of bridges at street corners, besides several other bridges, including two over the Chicago river, have been made by him, at the private expense of himself and clients, and at a cost of probably hundreds of thousands of dollars, Mr. Ogden's mind is of a very practical character. The first floating swing-bridge over the Chicago River w'as built by him, for the city, on Clark street, (before he ever saw one elsewhere), and answered well its designed purpose. He was early engaged in introducing into extensive use in the West, McCormick's reaping and mowing machines, and build- ing up the first large factory for their manufacture — that now owned by the MeCormieks. In this manufactory, during INIr. Ogden's connection M'ith it, and at his suggestion, was built the first reaper sent to England, and which, at the great Exhibition of 1851, in London, did so much for the credit of American manufactures there. He was a contractor upon the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and his efforts to prevent its suspension, and to resuscitate and complete it, were untiring. There is no brighter page in INIr. Ogden's history than that which records his devotion to the preservation of the public credit. The first time that we recollect to have heard him address a public meeting was in the autumn of 1837, while he held the office of Mayor. Some frightened debtors, assisted by a few demagogues, had called a meeting to take measures to have the courts suspended, or some way devised by which the compulsory fulfilment of their engagements might be deferred beyond that period, so tedious to creditors, known as the "law's delay." They sought by legislative action, or " relief laws," to virtually suspend, for a season, the collection of debts. An inflammatory and ad captandum speech had been made. The meeting, which was composed chiefly of debtors, seemed quite excited, and many were rendered almost desperate by the recital by 16 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. designing men, of their sufferings and pecuniary danger. During the excitement, the jNIayor was called for. He stepped forward, and exhorted his fellow citizens not to commit the folly of proclaiming their own dishonor. He besought those of them who were embarrassed, to bear up against adverse circumstances, with the courage of men, remembering that no misfortune was so great as one's own personal dishonor. That it were better for them to conceal their misfortunes, than to proclaim them; reminding them that many a fortress had saved itself by the courage of its inmates, and their determination to conceal its weakened condition, when, if its real state had been made known, its destruction would have been inevitable and immediate. "Above all things," said he, "do not tarnish the honor of our infant city." To the credit of Chicago, be it said, this firet attemjjt at "repudiating relief" met, from a majority of that meeting, and from our citizens, a rebuff no less pointed than deserved; and those who attempted it merited contempt. Since then has our State needed all the exertions of its truest and most faithful citizens to repel the insidious aj^proachcs of the demon of repudiation. When Mississippi repudiated, and Illinois could not pay, and with many sister States had failed to meet her interest, there were not wanting political Catalines to raise the standard of repudiation in Illinois. The State seemed almost hopelessly in debt; and the money for this immense indebtedness, except so mucli as had been expended upon the Canal, had been wasted, chiefly in the partial con- struction of disconnected pieces of railroads, which were of no value to the State or people. The State was bankrupt, and private insolvency was rather the rule than the exception. Many were discouraged by their misfortunes, some of the hopeless were leaving the State on account of its embarrassments, and immigration was repelled by fear of enormous taxation. Then it was that the wily demagogue sought to beguile the simple and unsuspecting, and to preach the doctrine of repudiation as a right, because "no value had been received" for the money which our public creditors had loaned us, and on account of the hopelessness and utter impossibility of our ever paying our indebtedness. INIr. Ogden then, though his party in its State Convention refused to adopt a resolution which was submitted, " i'ei)udiating repudia- tion," in common with the great mass of his Northern fellow citizens, did not hesitate to proclaim the inviolable nature of our public faith, and the WILLIAM B. Of4DEN. 17 necessity of doing our utmost to meet our obligations, and redeem the credit of our noble State. In politics, Mr. Ogden, tliough not much of a partisan, has always been a democrat of tlie Madisonian school. He has not hesitated to oppose the nominations of his party, Avlien, in his opinion, tlie public interest required it. He has often been in the City Council, and frecpiently solicited to be a candidate for official positions. He was nominated in 1840, by the Canal party, for the Legislature, and in 1852, by the Free Democracy for Congress. This nomination he declined. In the recent struggle, he Avas found with freedom's hosts, in support of the nominees of the Republican party, believing, in common with the great mass of the North, that the encroachments of slavery upon territory dedicated to freedom by the plighted faith of the nation, must be resisted; and that the "principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution, are essential to the preservation of our repul)lican institutions." Mr. Ogden is a man of great public spirit, and in enterprise unsur- passed. To recapitulate the public undertakings which have commanded his attention, and received his countenance and support, would be to catalogue most of those in this section of the Northwest. He has been a leading man — President or Director, or a large stockholder — in so many public bodies or corporations, that we shall not undertake to make a list of them. Among the prominent places he has occuj)ied, we recollect the following: In 1837, at tlie first election under the city charter, he was chosen Mayor. He was the first and only President of Rush Medical College. He was President of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company, from its resuscitation on its present basis, until its construction, in part, and earnings had raised its stock to a premium, when he resigned. He was President of the National Pacific Railroad Convention of 1850, held in Philadelphia; of the Illinois and AVisconsin Railroad Company; of the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad Company, in Indiana, until merged in the Michigan Central; of the Chicago Branch of the State Bank of Illinois, at Chicago; and is President of the Board of Sewerage Commis- sioners for the City of Chicago. It was Mr. Ogden wlio first started the resuscitation and building of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. He negotiated for the purchase of the charter and assets of the Company, of the proprietors in 18 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, New York, in 1847, and was the first President of the Company. He was indefiitigable in his exertions to commend the enterprise to public attention, and secure its commencement and energetic construction. But for his exertions, and those of J. Y. Scammon, it could not have started when it did. It was their exertions, in the country and in Chicago, that obtained the necessary subscriptions to justify the commencement of the undertaking. Without them, it would not have moved for years. In 1854-5, Mr. Ogden visited Europe, and was away from Chicago for about a year and a half. He was an accurate observer, while abroad, of men and things. The institutions and great public works of Europe did not escape his attention, and some of them were carefully examined by him. It was the canals of Holland, and especially the great ship canal at Amsterdam, that first suggested to him the practicability, as well as importance and necessity of a channel for the free flow of the waters of Lake Michigan, through the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, into the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, in aid of navigation in those rivers; and at the same time furnishing free, direct and unbroken steamboat navigation between the Mississippi River and all its tributaries and Chicago. His letters from Europe were published in the "Chicago Democratic Press" at the time, and have attracted attention to this great subject, which has already many strong friends. While in Europe, Mr. Ogden gave attention, also, to works of art, and purchased quite a number of pictures and articles of virtu, many of them tlie productions of American artists of merit abroad, and which not only adorn his mansion, but do credit to their authors, and are valuable contributions for the improvement and gratification of the public taste in this new world. Mr. Ogden is a man of commanding person, and most agreeable manners — of extensive general information, and cultivated taste. We have never known a more amiable or gentlemanly man in intercourse with others. His strong practical sense and great presence of mind make him at home almost everywhere. He is rarely at a loss. Although his education has not been sucli as to make him a belles lettres scholar, or an accomplished orator, he writes well, and is always listened to with attention when he addresses an audience; and few, if any men, exert more influence in a public body, upon any practical subject, than he does. As a traveling companion, we have never seen his equal. His prudence and foresight, and his love of doing the agreeable to others, relieve his compagnons de voyage of all care. It is natural for him to WFLTJAM B. OGDKN', " 19 love t(i aid others. It affords him great satisfaction to be of service to his friends. Amidst tlie pressure of his enormous business, he finds time to relieve the distressed and to aid the deserving-j and many a family in Chicago, who are now basking in prosperity, owe their success to his kind assistance; many a poor widow and orphan have been preserved from want by his care and foresight. Mr. Ogden is now immensely rich; yet he retains the same fondness for enterprise, the same love for building roads, and developing the country, which have characterized his previous life. He is now President of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, and of the AVisconsin and Superior Land Grant Railroad Company; and, under his auspices, Chicago will, ere long, in all probability, be brought into direct communication with Lake Superior; and should he live long enough, we should not be surprised to see him building the Northwestern Railroad to the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Ogden has never married. In 1837, he built a delightful residence, in the centre of a beautiful lot, thickly covered with fine native growth forest trees, and surrounded by four streets, in that part of the city called North Chicago; and there, when not absent from home, he indulges in that hospitality which is, at the same time, so cheering to his friends and so agreeable to himself. The preceding sketch of the life of our eminent townsman was written and published in 1857. In continuing it to the present date, we but recount the history of Chicago and the Northwest for the last ten years. Impelled by his love of public improvement, and desire to develop the great West, Mr. Ogden, during the year 1857, was pusliing forward with all his energy the construction of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad, two sections of which, from Chicago to Janesville, and twenty-eight miles from Fond du Lac south, were completed and in operation when the memorable financial crisis of that year swept over this country and the commercial world, upsetting many of the strongest commercial houses, and producing general embarrassment in all the business enterprises of the laud. The Fond du Lac Railroad was carrying a large floating debt, pending a sale of its mortgage bonds, and the negotiations abroad suddenly failing, in the crash tlie paper of the Company went to protest. Upon this paper Mr. Ogden was endorser to the extent of nearly a million and a half of dollars, and was consequently 20 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. called upon to provide for the payment of this large sum. With his usual energy he set about the herculean task. These -were days of trial, requiring fortitude and good judgment. Aided by the advice and confi- dence of such friends as AVilliam A. Booth, President of the American Exchange Bank, Caleb O. Halsted, President of the Manhattan Company, and his Counsellor, Samuel J. Tilden, of New York, he made an exhibit of his affairs, and was allowed by the creditors of the road to continue in its control, and arrange and liquidate its paper, according to his own judgment; and through the assets of the Company, and the free use of a large portion of his private estate, he succeeded ere long in retiring all the jiaper of the Company upon which he was endorser. It is due to our common humanity that we should here acknowledge several acts of confi- dence and good will, so noble as to deserve especial mention. The house of which Mr. Ogden was the head at Chicago, had for many years been the agents of Samuel Russell, of Middletown, Con- necticut, a Avealthy retired merchant, the founder of the well-known house of Russell & Co., of Canton, India. Immediately upon learning that his friend was embarrassed, Mr. Russell wrote to Mr. Ogden's partner at Chicago, to place his entire estate in their hands, amounting to near a half million of dollars, at Mr. Ogden's disposal. Robert Eaton, of Swansea, in Wales, an English gentleman of wealth and cultivation, at once sent to Mr. Ogden eighty thousand dollars to use in his discretion. Our well-known citizen, Matthew Laflin, wrote from Saratoga, where he was sojourning, and tendered, from himself and friends, a hundred thousand dollars; and Colonel E. D. Taylor, long an enterprising citizen of Chicago, repeatedly tendered like substantial aid. Although this princely liberality was not accepted, we can readily understand how gratifying it must have been to Mr. Ogden, and how such exhibitions of confidence and esteem at such a time cheered and encourao-ed him in his trying and difficult position. The resjionsibility which he had assumed for the road was not prompted, mainly, by the jjrospect of private gain. Others had a larger jiecuniarj^ interest in the road than he, and others in Chicago had as large an indirect interest as he in the extension of the road, and the development of the country, and of the city of his adoption. Undaunted by the reverse which had overtaken him, and con- fidently forecasting the future in a large mould, he did not hesitate, before he had retired all the paper of the road upon which he was endorser, to push on the project towards completion. In the summer of 1859, he MTLLIAM B. OGDEX. 21 undertook the construction of sixty miles of the road from Jancsville northward, to connect tlie two sections of the line already in operation, and this was accomplished in the, then, unprecedented time of fifty-eight working days. The failure of the road, in 1857, involved its sale and re-organization, after which it took the name of the Chicago and North- western Railway, and, under that title, Mr. Ogden and his friends continued to push on the line towards Lake Superior, competing for the trade of the Northwest. The old Galena road was seeking for the same trade, and each company was projecting competing lines through territory already supplied with facilities for transportation. Mr. Ogden thought this policy injurious to both interests, and that neither the trade and commerce of Chicago, nor the great region lying beyond the points then reached by the roads, were being developed and benefitted in a degree at all commensurate wdth the capital likely to be expended. He thought that by a concentration of interests, mutually beneficial to the stock- holders, it would be possible for Chicago, through these roads, and to tlieir profit, to speedily put herself in communication, by rail, with Lake Superior to the North, St. Paul and Minnesota to the Northwest, and the ISlissouri River, Avith the boundless region and resources to the West. Moved l)y these considerations, in the winter of 1864, Mr. Ogden pro- jected the purchase of the Galena Railroad ; and this being accomplished by himself and a few friends, the two rival interests were consolidated at the next annual election. The Directors of the Galena Company having, some years previously, abandoned to the Illinois Central their line from Freeport to Galena, the word " Galena" was dropped at the consolidation as a mL-nomer, and thenceforward that line took the name of its younger and more enterprising rival. The Vv'isdom of this movement has been more than vindicated by results already accomplished. At an early day Mr. Ogden was interested in securing railroad connec- tions for our city with the East — at first by the Michigan Central, and subsequently by the Michigan Southern road. On the organization of the Fort Wayne and Chicago Company, in 1853, he became a Director, and has, we believe, always continued his active interest in that enterprise. The line to Pittsburgh then embraced three distinct companies, all weak and all engaged, with limited means and credit, in the work of construc- tion. He regarded a grand trunk line, under one management, from Chicago to Pittsburgh, as essential to a valuable business (•(.nnection with the latter city, as well as with Philadelphia. The roads were subsequently 22 BIOGRAPIIIOAT. SKETCHED. united, but, wanting the strength of a completed line, the enterprise was forced to succumb to the pressure of the times, and in 1859 steps were taken for the ai)pointment of Receivers — and a Sequestrator was appointed in Pennsylvania, and a Receiver in Ohio. A want of harmony in the several States seemed likely to end in ruinous litigation, and in defeating the project, or at least suspending it indefinitely. This would have been a great misfortune to Chicago; would have involved large losses on the line, not to individuals only, but to counties which had subscribed largely to the stock, and the danger was so imminent that a general meeting of stock and bondholders, as well as creditors, was convened at Pittsburgh. We have been informed by gentlemen who were present on that occasion, that tlie sagacity and discretion of Mr. Ogdcn were never more strikingly illustrated than on this occasion. He had such a clear perception of what was certain to follow division and strife on the one hand, and of the favorable results sure to be attained by harmony and co-operation on the other, and he spoke with such earnestness and power that he succeeded, to the surprise of his friends, in reconciling the conflicting parties. The plan which he urged with so much force, provided for preserving existing ])references and priorities, sacrificed no interest, but created a new or re-organized company, composed of holders of bonds, stockholders and creditors, all sharing equally in the future control and management of the road. The adoption of it involveast career. His thirty years of literary labor have been well sjient, but it is in the latter half of that time that he has achieved the work in the West which has placed his name high among those of our prominent men and set a peculiarly "Western example, whoso influence has spread far and wide, and will be a bright and shining light to thousands, showing them what great results can be attained by earnest, patient, conscientioas, persevering effort. ^ THOMAS HOYNE. The subject of this sketch was born in New York City in 1817. He was the son of respectable Irish parents, who had been compelled to emigrate in 1815, in consequence of troubles in which his father had become involved with the English Government. Though never put on trial, he was suspected of treasonable designs, and in case of an outbreak would have been made tiie victiui of immediate prosecution, so that prudence dictated emigration as the only safety from prospective difficulty. Compelled to abandon his property, he arrived in New York destitute. He immediately sought and obtained employment as porter in a whole- sale house, at which he labored to support his children until his death in 1829. Thomas was the oldest of seven children. He was sent to a Catholic school attached to St. Peter's Church, on Barclay Street, New York, where he continued until the death of his father. The following year, his mother died, and he was left an orphan without any means for his support. In 1830, he was articled as an apprentice to a manufacturer of fancy goods, traveling cases and pocket-books. He remained for a period of four or five years, during which his love of literary pursuits, which had always been a passion, led him to join a club known as " The Literary Association," of which the late Judge Manierre was a prominent member. Among others who were members of this club, and afterwards distin- guished themselves, were Hon. Charles P. Daly, now Chief Justice of the Common Pleas of New York City, Hon. AVui. B. INIaclay, Hon. Horace Greeley, and Hon. Elijah Ward. In this club ]\Ir. Hoyne laid the foundation of his present eminence as an attorney, and of that friend- ship with Judge Manierre which lasted unbroken until the death of the latter, in 1863. Mr. Hoyne not alone attended the meetings of the club 48 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. but also two night schools, at one of which he studied Latin and Greek, and at the other English Grammar and Elocution. He was a diligent reader and a close student, and consequently he made rapid progress in his studies, although he could snatch but a small fraction of his time to devote to study. In 1835, Mr. Hoyne's apprenticeship expired, and he immediately obtained a situation in a law office, but his means were limited and he was compelled to look again for active business. He obtained a situation in a wholesale grocery house at $400 i>er year, which gave him the oppor- tunity of continuing his studies in the night schools. He was also about this time fortunate in making the acipiaintance of, and being received as a boarder with the family of Rev. Archibald Maclaj', D. D., the leading divine of the Baptist denomination in America for over fifty years. He was at once surrounded by an intellectual atmosphere congenial to his tastes, and he made ra])id progress in his education. In 183G, he entered the office of Hon. John lirinkcrhoff, an old resident lawyer of New York, as a law student, and by various little business schemes continued to add to the small fund which he was laying aside as tlie foundation of his education. In the fall of 1835, Judge Manierre removed to Chicago. An active correspondence was kept u]), and the glowing letters of young INIanierre soon induced Mr. Hoyne to emigrate westward. In August, 1837, after effecting a small loan among his literary friends, he started for Chicago, journeying ten days by canal to Buffalo, by steamer from Buffido to Detroit, and by schooner from Detroit to Chicago. The whole journey occupied four weeks, a period of time now more than enough to make the voyage to Europe and back. Arrived at Chicago, INIr. Hoyne found his friend Manierre at the Circuit Clerk's office, acting as Clerk of the Circuit Court, Deputy for the late Col. R. D. Hamilton. The Clerk's office was then located in the only public building in the city, except the old wooden jail standing near it. It was a one-story brick structure standing on the corner of the present Court House Square, fronting east on Clark Street, with the north side running along Randolph. Mr. Hoyne entered this building on the 11th day of September, 1837, where he at once found employment as an assistant at a salary of ten dollars per week. Rare opportunities were afforded him for becoming familiar with the course of practice under the laws of Illinois. He diligently continued his THOMAS HOYNK. 49 reading and study of law authors, while ho necessarily observed all the practiced forms of pleading. His methods of study ^^•cre so well system- atized that he kept a common-] )lac{! book, in which he noted all decisions made alfecting the construction of })articular statutes, as well as any modi- fications in practice of old common law rules, as applied to the new conditions of modern civilization. In the second volume of Scammon's Reports, ]). 199, will be found an affidavit made by Mr. Hoyne on a mandamus case against the late Judge Pearson on the Supreme Court of Illinois, which presents one of the court scenes of those days between the late Justice Butterfield and the Judge, during which Mr. Hoyne acted as the Clerk in entering a fine of twenty dollars against Butterfield for contempt of court. During the next two years he joined a literary club, organized by Judge Manierre, and comprising among its members such names as Stephen F. Gale, Esq., Hon. N. B. Judd, Henry L. Rucker, Esq., the late Dr. Kennicott, and others. He also renewed his study of Latin with a Prof. Kendall, then residing in Chicago, and with Geo. C. Collins, Esq., connected with the public schools. He also commenced the study of French with M. de St. Palais, the priest of St. Mary's, then the only Roman Catholic Church in Chicago. In the autumn of 1838, Mr. Hoyne, being found qualified, took charge of a public school in the West Division, which, however, he resigned after teaching four months, finding that it engrossed too much of his time. Among the leaders of the Chicago bar at this time were the Hons. J. Y. Scammon, Justin Butterfield, James H. Collins, B. S. Morris, the late Judge Spring, I. IS". Arnold and Grant Goodrich. Mr. Hoyne entered J. Y. Scammon's office as a student, and completed his studies in the year 1839, just before his admission to practice, which took i)lace during the same year. Although Mr. Hoyne and Mr. Scammon have scarcely ever agreed from that day to this on great public questions, with the exception of the vigorous prosecution of the late civil war, he has never failed to express his sincere obligations to Mr. Scammon for his counsel and instructions, and never fi)r a moment have their personal relations been disturbed. In 1840, the Democratic party, to which Mr. Hoyne had attached himself, carried the municipal election by choosing Alexander Lloyd Mayor, and a majority of the Aldermen. Immediately after their 50 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. installation, Mr. Hoyne was elected City Clerk, being the third Clerk appointed since the organization of the municipal government. The salary of the office was then $250 per annum, wivh some trifling fees for licenses, but the Avork was very light — occupying only three or four hours in a week — all the records of the city, including proceedings of the Board of Aldermen and tax rolls, with the public documents, being contained in a small office desk. It is a fact, perhaps, worthy of remem- brance in a city which now collects a general revenue tax of nearly two million dollars annually, that the whole amount of the tax list of Chicago in 1840 was only about seven thousand dollars. During this year an incident took place in the city which is worthy of note in the history of tlie State. It is generally known that the settle- ment of Illinois commenced in the southern part of the State, and that in 1838, when Judge Douglas made his first canvass for Congress, Chicago was in the Springfield district. The population was mostly composed of settlers from the Southern States, The Governor and public men paid little attention to the New England custom of Thanksgiving, but the people of Chicago, having come from the East, as the usual season approached began to think of Thanksgiving dinner, and as Gov. Carlin had made no appointment, they determined to make a thanksgiving for the State. Accordingly, at a meeting held November 18, 1840, Alderman Julius Wadsworth offered an appropriate resolution to that effect, and the first thanksgiving proclamation ever issued in the State was drawn up by Mr. Hoyne and issued at Chicago, appointing December 3, 1840, as a day of public thanksgiving. During the year 1841, while Congress was in session, an effort was made by the people and corporate authorities of the city to induce Con- gress to make more liberal appropriations for the improvement of the Chicago harbor. Mr. Hoyne was requested to collect the facts and draw up a memorial, — a work whicli he did faithfully, and with an elaborate yet concise statement of facts. It was Avhile Mr. Hoyne was acting as City Clerk, on September 17, 1840, that he married the daughter of Dr. John T. Temple, one of the first settlers of Chicago. Arriving here in 1833, he established, by authority of the celebrated Amos Kendall, the first line of coaches which carried the mail from Chicago to the Illinois River. At this time, the wife of Mr. Hoyne was but eight years of age. She is now the mother of seven children; the oldest, a boy, is engaged in the practice of medicine, the THOMAS IIOYNE. 51 second is a law partner in the law firm of his lather, and a tlurd is engaged iLS a clerk in a wholesale grocery house. In the autumn of 1842, j\Ir. Hoyne removed to Gralena, where he rcsitlcd two years. At the expiration of that time, he returned to Chicago. W liilc in Galena, one of the public questions agitated among the people of Illinois and AVisconsin was the claim which the latter laid to all the territory north of a line drawn east and west through the southern bend of Lake Michigan, which would include about twelve thousand square miles of territory, now lying within the borders of Illinois. Upon this question, Mr. Hoyne published a series of articles, over the signature of " Ulpian," in the " Galena Sentinel," bearing the title of " Disputed Territory." They attracted much attention at the time. Mr. Hoyne returned to the practice of the law in Chicago, in Decem- ber, 1844. In August, 1847, he was elected to the office of Probate Justice of the Peace, under the old Constitution, the office now known as County Judge. This office he held until the new Constitution went into effect and suspended the court, in the autumn of 1848. His practice increasing, he now began that active career of professional life in which he has since become eminent. In the year 1847, after he had been elected Probate Justice, he formed a law partnership with Hon. Mark Skinner, with whom he continued until the election of Mr. Skinner as a Judge of the Common Pleas Court, in 1851. He also became known in matters of general public interest. Being a strong adherent of the Democratic party, he began to take a leading part in its organization and movements. In 1847, during the Mexican war, at a public meeting held in the Court House Square, he reported resolutions calling for a vigoroas prosecution of the war. In 1848, after the passage in Congress of the famous Wilmot Proviso, a large meeting of the Democracy was called at Chicago for the purpose of indorsing the war. Mr. Hoyne, after this meeting, may be said to have really opened a regular political campaign in the State for the advocacy of Free Soil principles. On the 4th of April following, another immense Democratic meeting was held in favor of the Wilmot Proviso, over which Hon. James II. Woodworth, the Mayor, presided. A committee was appointed at this meeting to issue an address to the Democracy of the State, the membei*s of which were Thomas Hoyne, chairman, Dr. Daniel Brainard, Isaac N. Arnold, Mark Skinner, George Manierre, E. S. Kimberley, and Asa F. Bradley. The address was prepared and written by IMr. Hoyne, and 52 BIOGEAPIIICALJSKETCHES. circulated tlirouglioiit the State. It deprecated meddling with slavery where it existed, but was unalterably opposed to its further extension. It set forth that the Democracy of Cook County did not make war upon the South, or her institutions; tliat they did not intend to abolish slavery where it existed, but did intend to prevent the abolition of freedom in territory then free. This Avas the key note of the document, and it was sounded in no uncertain manner. It was a bold, manly, vigorous protest against the further extension of slavery, and is especially worthy of note as the first regular manifesto ever issued in the Free Soil campaign of 1848, in which Mr. Hoyne acted. Being called as a Democratic meeting, it was designed by Mr. Hoyne to affect the opinion of the Democratic masses of the State; and the address itself was intended to influence the creed which was to go into the platforms of the conventions aud elections of that year. That it had the effect designed, w^as afterwards proven by the movements of the people, which soon followed. In the Democratic Congressional Convention of the Chicago District, which ISIr. AVentworth re]>resented, lield at Ottawa, to which Cook county sent Mr. Hoyne at the head of fourteen delegates, the struggle arose u])on the Wilmot Proviso and the address. Mr. Wentworth was nominated by a clear majority, but the Committee on Eesolutions could not unite U]X)n a report, and llie session of the Convention was prolonged luitil after midnight, when Mr. Hoyne, finding that no agreement could be reached upon his Free Soil platform, proposed that the committee should report " that it was deemed inexpedient for tlie Convention to adopt a declaration of principles," This they did, and it was carried, but only after a most violent debate and bitter opposition of the anti-Wentworth wing of the Convention. That year, the Baltimore Democratic Convention nominated Hon. Lewis Cass for the Presidency, to the great disgust of the Free Soil wing of the Democratic party. On the 4th of July, a large mass meeting of Democrats was held at the Court House in Chicago, at which Mr. Hoyne made a powerful speech, vigorously opposing the nomination. Before this, however, the innnerous friends of Free Soil in New York, at the Utica Convention, liad named Martin Van Buren for the Presidency, and while they were in session a telegram was sent to them, signed by James H. Woodworth, Mayor, I. N. Arnold, and Thomas Hoyne, fully endorsing the candidate, and suggesting a National Mass Convention. In accordance with this suggestion, such a Convention was called to meet at TJIOMAS IIOYNE. 5:} Buffalo on the 22cl of August. This Convention noniinatcd Martin Van Buren for the Pirsidoncy, and Hon. Charles Francis Adams for the Viee- I'resideney. These nominations \vere ratified at a mass meeting in Chicago, August 28, in which Mr. Hoyne took an active part. The next Convention of the Free Soil Democracy was held at Ottawa, k5epti'ml)er 30, at which an electoral ticket wius put in nomination, as follows: Cook County, A\'m. B. Ogden, Thomas Hoyne; Kane, Levi F. Torrey; Madison, John W. Butl'um; Fulton, Henry B. Evans; Sangamon, Lewis J. Kealing; La Salle, A. Hoes; Knox, Jonathan Blanchard; Peoria, George B. Arnold. Mr. Hoyne made a very thorough canvass through the northern part of Illinois, and addressed several large meetings. The election resulted in the success of the Whig candidate and the defeat of Mr. Cass. The cause for which Mr. Hoyne had contended met with signal success in Chicago, Van Buren receiving 260 votes over Taylor, and 527 over Cass, on a total vote of 3,840. The last time in the progress of this movement, to which so large a portion of the Democratic party had committed itself, when Mr. Hoyne appears acting in apparent opposition, was at a public meeting held in the South IMarket Hall, in February, 1850, to protest against the new attempt making in Congress to secure, by compromise, some of the new territory acquired from Mexico for the exclusive settlement of tlie slaveholders. Of this meeting the "Chicago Tribune" said: "The meeting last night was "a great success. Tariffs, said Mr. Hoyne, can be made and unmade. " Banks can be chartered and their charters repealed ; l)ut the extension "of slavery, once granted, takes forever from the peoi)k' of the States the "constitutional power of revoking it. By all that wc; hold sacred! By "the very genius of Republican liberty! By the luunanitary tendencies "of the nineteenth century! By our love of the glory of our model " llcpu])lic, we must not let the present crisis pass without consecrating " forever to freedom the territory over wliich the Government has so " recently extended its laws and institutions. America nuist not appear "worse than Mexico in keeping for freedom the soil and territory she " ol)tained free." The compromise metusures of 1850 were afterwards passt'd, and Mr. Hoyne, in common with thousands of other Free Soil Democrats, accepted tliem; but he did not relin(piish his peculiar political tenets as to the extension of slavery in tlie Territories. On the contrary, in th(! autunni of 1850, when a successor came to be nominated a.s a Congressman to succeed 64 BIOGEAPIIICAL, SKETCHES. Mr. Went\vortl), Dr. R. S. Moloiiy was selected in the Joliet Convention, entirel}' through Mr. Hoyne's elibrts. But Mr. Hoyne did not contine liis attention altogether to political matters. In 1850, at the annual election of officers, he was chosen Presi- dent of the Young Men's Association. He Avas the only President of that institution who was elected for a second term. Under his administration, the organization received an impulse which carried it far towards its present prominent jiosition. Among the series of lectui-es delivered before the Association was one by Mr. Hoyne, on the subject of " Trial by Jury." In 1849, at the Festival of St. Patrick, he delivered a speech in response to the toast "■ The State of Illinois." On December 5, 1849, he organized a meeting for the relief of German refugees, and December 8, 1851, he delivered the welcoming speech at the reception of Dr. Kenkel, the c!ompati'iot of Kossuth. The election of Pierce, as President, reunited the Democracy, and, through tlic influence of Mr. AVcntworth, Mr. Hoyne received the appointment of United States District Attorney for tlie District of Illinois, which then embraced the whole State. This appointment made Mr. Hoyne the target for the most bitter and ferocious personal hostility. AYith this appointment, Mr. Hoyne's business rapidly increased, and his reputation spread with ('(pial pace. The State was then included in one judicial district, and the court sat at Springfield. Here he was brought into contact with the best legal talent of Illinois, and in his first cause — the prosecution of a mail robber — the late President Lincoln con- ducted the defense. ^Nlr. Hoyne gained the cause and fixed his reputation at the Springfield I)ar. During his administration, both as United States Attorney, and later as United States Marshal, not a single prosecution or an arrest imder the fugitive slave law occurred. In 1854, ]\Ir. Douglas introduced the Kansas and Nebraska bills, which kindled anew the fires of anti-slavery agitation, and, in Chicago, led to bitter partisan feelings, which manifested themselves in the shape of a mob at tlie famous North Market Hall meeting, upon the occasion of a speech by Mr. Douglas opposing himself to the almost universally popular sentiment, and, acting from his convictions of right, Mr. Hoyne sided with Mr. Douglas, and in the fall of that year accompanied him through the State, speaking in defense of his policy. In the Presidential canvass of 1856, Mr. Douglas again canvassed Illinois, and IMr. Hoyne, by order of THOMAS HOYNE. 55 the State Democratic Central Committee, canvassed the northern portion of the State. Mr. Buchanan Avas elected, and in the following March, Mr. Hoyne, feeling that unless he entered upon a personal straggle for his office some rival candidate would succeed, withdrew his claim to re-appoint- ment. In 1858, Mr. Buchanan recommended the admission of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution. Mr. Douglas opposed the President. Mr. Hoyne, finding that no reconciliation was possible, took the side of the President, and in Mr. Douglas' canvass for re-election he joined the ranks of the minority. The contest was very bitter, and, among others, Mr. Hoyne came in for his share of abuse. Ingratitude was charged against him for deserting Mr. Douglas, as it was supposed he owed his office to the latter, when in fact he was exclusively indebted to Mr. Wentworth for his attorneyship. In 1859, the United States Marshal, Charles A. Pine, ai:)pointed by Mr. Buchanan for the Northern District of Illinois, became a defaulter. After Judge Breese's declination of the appointment, it was tendered to Mr. Hoyne, who ^vas one of the sureties on Mr. Pine's bond. His co-sureties insisted upon his acceptance for their own protection, and Judge Drummond requested it, owing to the then confused condition of the Marshal's office. He finally accepted, and in April, 1859, entered upon the duties. In 1860, he superintended the United States Census for the Northern District, and was complimented by Hon. J. P. Kennedy, the National Superintendent of the Census Bureau, ^vho reported to the Secretary of the Interior that the Northern District of Illinois was the only one in which the returns were so complete that it Avas unnecessary to send them back for correction. This was the last political office held by ISIr. Hoyne, but his labors in the public behalf do not end here. In 1856, the Baptist denomination accepted Mr. Douglas' munificent offer of ten acres at Cottage Grove to be devoted to University purposes. Dr. Burroughs, in behalf of the denom- ination, entered upon what seemed to be a herculean task. According to the contract, a University must be built in a specified time, to cost not less than $100,000. Subscriptions were very generous. A Board of Trustees was organized, and Judge Douglas was elected first President. On the 4th of July, 1857, the corner-stone was laid, at which time Mr. Hoyne was one of the speakers. He was elected one of the first Board of Trustees, upon which he has continued to serve. Mr. Hoyne further showed liis practical interest in the University by endowing a professorship of law. 56 BIOGnAPlIICAL. SKF/n IIES. subscribing and paving five thousand dollars for that purpose. As the chairman of a committee for that object, Mr. Hoyne gave his active personal efforts towards the founding of the law school, now so ably con- ducted by Professor Booth. He Avas thoroughly successful. The school was formally opened September 21, 1859, and placed under the charge of a Board of Counselors, including such names as Judge Drummond, E. B. McCagg, Esq., Judge Scates, Hon. INIark Skinner and others, of which ^Ir. Jlovne was made chairman. The Board of Trustees, appreciating the services of Mr. Hoyne, properly acknowledged his endowment by estab- lishing a chair in the faculty known as "The Hoyne Professorship of Internati(?nal and Constitutional Law." At the annual commencement in 1802, the University further honored him by conferring upon him the honorary degree of LL. D. Mr. Hoyne rendered another memorable service to the University in securing the great Lalande prize telescope of Alvan Clark. Hon. J. Y. Scammon's munificent offer of the building stimulatetl subscriptions for the 01)servat(uy, Avhile the practical judgment and indefatigable efforts of Mr. Hoyne seeurer several years, and was after- wards a member of the Common Council from the Third Ward for two years. In the positions of trust and responsibility which he has filled, his conduct has always been guided by a scrupulous regard for his own honor and the public interests. Mr. Jones was the first to come to Chicago for the sole purpose of investing in real estate, and may, therefore, be regarded as one of the founders of this far-famed metropolis. He came nearly a thousand mik's through the woods and over the Lakes to purchase land at this village of fur traders, M'hom he startled and amused l)y telling them that this would, in twenty-five years, become a city of fifty thousand inhabitants. WILLIAM JOXiy;. 61 He not only invested his own money, but was the means of getting that of his friends invested in Chicago town h)ts. J lis invariable advice to his friends was, "Bny lots in Chicago and hold on to them." At a public dinner in Buffalo, Mr. Jones was twitted as a visionary, for leaving an established for a mythical town, when he replied that Chicago would, in twenty-five years, exceed Buffalo in population. He was greeted with derisive laughter. In 1834, he went into the hardware business, in partnership with Byram King, the name of the firm being Jones, King & Co. In the second canvass for Mayor, INIr. Joues was the Democratic candidate, but his firm and bold pt)sition in favor of temperance and against the unrestricted commerce in alcoholic liquors cost him the votes of the lower classes, and he was defeated. In this, as in every similar emergency, he was faithful to his convictions and immovable in his main- tenance of them. If he had been less candid he would have been more politic; but he preferred to go without official position rather than secure it through artifice and chicanery. Mr. Jones has always been first among the citizens of Chicago to discover, with sagacious forecast, what was necessary not only to the material, but as well to the intellectual and moral development of the city. To him the city is largely indebted for the warehouses and other buildings he has erected on its principal thoroughfiires. They are, like their projector, more substantial than showy. They contribute as much to the service of our commerce as to the ornamentation of our streets. He was one of the founders and most liberal original contributors to the Chicago Orphan Asylum, and for a number of )ears in succession was President of its Board of Trustees. He has always shown a lively interest in the public scliools of this city, and, in conjunction with the Hon. J. Young Seammon and the late William H. Brown, Esq., did much of the pioneer work of this inesti- mable branch of public enterprise. For eleven years he was Chairman of the Board of School Inspectors. He contributed one thousand dollars towards a fund for the furnishing of books, etc., for the public school which bears bis name. But the public enterprise in whi'-h he has taken the deejx'st interest, which has shared most largely in his numificence, and f'or his part in the founding of which he will be longest and most widely rememl)ered, is tiie University of Chicago. Mr. Jones was one of the first to appreciate tiie splendid opportunity presented by this great centre of population, wealth 62 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and influence for a university to be identified, in name and interest, with the city. He has been from the first a member of the Board of Trustees, and most of the time President of the Executive Board, and has shared largely in devising and executing the plans wliich, in the ten years of its history, have raised this University to recognition as one of the most attractive and influential among American seats of learning. In consid- eration of his munificence to the University, the Board of Trustees at their last annual meeting passed, the following resolutions : "Whebeas, William Jones, Esq., has recently made a subscription to the University of ten thousand dollars, which, together with amounts before given, makes an aggregate of thirty thousand dollars, a close approximation to the entire cost of the south wing of the University buildings ; and " Whereas, In the erection of that building, as in all the arduous work of carrying the Universily through its earlier struggles to its present prosperous condition, this Board gratefully recognizes its indebtedness to Mr. Jones in contributing to its funds as well as in tendering to it his financial credit, his time and business abilities; therefore, •'Resolved, That as an expression of the honor and gratitude in which the name of Mr. Jones should ever be held by the Universily of Chicago, the south wing of the University buildings shall forever be known as 'Jones Hall,' and that a tablet with a suitable inscription be placed in the vestibule." Mr. Jones is a man who lias seen affliction. Two of liis ten children died in infancy, and five othei-s pai^sed away under the blighting touch of consumption, just as they had reached maturity. His wife, one of the most faithful and affectionate of wives, died on the 15tli of February, 1854, lamented not only by him of whose career she had been the faithful and beloved partner through so many eventful years, but by a large circle who had known and loved her amiable and exemplary character. For the last five years he himself has suffered extreme prostration of health, and at the ripe age of seventy-eight, with a mind still unclouded and will unsubdued, he is looking expectantly and not despairingly towards sunset. From this imperfect sketch of his career, the reader will readily infer the leading characteristics of our subject. He is a man of irrepressible perseverance. His life has been one long battle with obstacles and di.sad- vantages, but, thanks to a vigorous understanding and sturdy Avill, of victories also. He is a man more given to deeds than Avords. He says little and does much. As the record of his benefactions shows, he is no more fond of accumulating wealth than he is of dispensing it. He prefers to be his own executor rather than to part with his property at the gate WILLIAM JONES. 63 of the grave, with the reflection that it will very likely hv (livi(leson, Shenstone and Burns were his favorite poets; in the world of fiction, John Bunyan charmed his boyish fancy; and the sermons of Barrows, Tillotson and Chalmers were almost memorized by repeated j)erusals. In the leisure of later life, he has formed an acquaintance with ancient and modern literature, especially the poets, with whose best passages his retentive memory is "78 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. richly stored. He accounts for this hy saying, half apologetically, that it is easier to remember poetry than to forget it. His conversation, enriched by the choicest gems of poetry, and anecdotes always apropos, and enlivened by brilliant flashes of wit and a constant flow of delicate humor, renders him a most entertaining and charming companion. Naturally a discriminating judge of art, and an intimate friend of Story, Rogers, Powers, Mozier and many other eminent artists, his taste has been cultivated to a degree rarely equaled in one practically unfamiliar with artistic details. He has a special fondness for the society of the young, and an affectionate interest in young men of worth and talent; and words of encouragement from his lips have cheered many a desponding heart. He loves to rejuvenate himself by constant youthful association, and thus keep alive the ardor and freshness of early years; and now, at nearly three score, his mind retains all the buoyancy and elasticity of youth, and he is fully en rapport with the radical spirit of the age. A generons but unostentatious hospitality adds another charm to his pleasant home, and increases the delight of those who throng its portals. But the most prominent trait of the Doctor's (diaractcr, and which renders him a universal favorite, is his brilliant wit, which, permeated and softened by the kindness of his great heart, sparkles ceaselessly, like the undulating sea in the calm sunshine of an autumn day. In repartee ho is unap- proachable, and few are found willing to engage in a second tournament of wit with so formidable an antagonist, although his courteous bon homic mitigates the pungency of his satire and renders wounded pride impos- sible. But he is an honest hater of shams and impostors, and never spares the lash when specious hypocrites cross his pathway. Woe to the luckless wight who invites upon his unfortunate head the vials of his wrath. When he opens his magazine of ridicule, sarcasm and invective, nothing but absolute stupidity or the epidermis of a rhinoceros can survive the onslaught. "Sworn foe to cant, he emote it down, With trenchant wit nnsparinor; And, mocking, rent with ruthless hand The 7-ohc pretense was wearing." An incident will illustrate his powers of repartee. AVhen at Teneriffe, in 1863, the resident Americans celebrated the Fourth of July. Among the guests were several British officers. While the Judge Avas responding to the toast, "The President of the United States," Captain Edwards, a (•iiAi;i,i:s voLNKY DVKi;. 79 British officer, constantly interrupted him l)y side rciniirks, such as '* Vioksburg isn't taken yet," etc. AVhen the same officer was respoiidint;- to tlie sentiment, "The Queen of Enghuid," he repeated the stale })hra.se, "the sun never sets on her dominions;" to which the JmV^o, sotto t^oce, replied, "That's because the Lord can't trust an Englishman in the dark." Soon after receiving his commission as Judge of the Mixed Court, a Kentucky friend met him, and said, " Why do you go to Africa at your time of life; can't you get nigger enough in America?" "I have been looking all my life," said the Judge, "for a negro without any Kentucky blood in him, but in vain. I am going to Africa to find one." It is a singular and beautiful circumstance that Judge Dyer, who was sent abroad by the friendship of Mr. Lincoln, before his return, had the melancholy pleasure of paying the most distinguished honors to his memory. On the six hundredth anniversary of Dante's birthday, cele- brated at Florence, IMay 14, 1865, he was invited to respond for America, and, in so doing, paid a beautiful and touching tribute of affiiction and respect to the apostle and martyr of liberty. When he pronounced the name of Abraham Lincoln, every Italian in that vast assembly of distinguished men rose reverently to his feet, and stood in profound silence. Each heart seemed thrilled with a pang of sorrow, and each countenance betrayed intense emotion. No language can portray the effiict of this spontaneous homage to the memory of the Liberator. When the news of the assassination reached Rome, the Americans, by common consent, came together to mingle their tears and sympathies. Judge Dyer was the only one present who had known Mr. Lincoln intimately. In a most simple and pathetic manner, he spoke of the great and good man. As he proceeded, half suppressed sobs were heard on every side, and as he closed, scarcely able to control his own trembling utterance, the dew of grief moistened every eye. Our allotted space is filled, and we have only been able to select here and there from the wealth of material at our command. It is rank injustice to compress such a biography into half a dozen pages. It is easy to say of a man that he has amassed a given amount of wealth, endowed institutions, founded charities, projected i)ublic enterprises, or filled offices of trust. But no man is richer in those peculiarities whicli, in the tout ensemble, constitute the individuality of a man — that which we love and respect; and to reproduce in space so scanty that rare combination of hard common sense and exuberant fancy, of sound judgment and most 80 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. exquisite humor, of solid worth and keenest wit, of sturdy fidelity to principle and simple kindliness of heart, of blunt Saxon speech and courtly refinement of manners, of exhaustless fund of pleasing anecdote and useful information, of all the wonderful variety of characteristics which, blended, form the Dr. Dyer whom his friends know and cherish, is simply impossible. Long may we continue to enjoy the society of our genial friend, the prince of humorists and bright luminary of the social circle, and to learn from his example the duty of a j)ure patriot. Though we defraud the Immortals thereby, we most fervently join in the apostrophe of the ancient poet to his loving friend — Sents in ccelum redeas. NATHAxN SMITH DAVIS. Dr. N. S. Davis was born January 9, 1817, in tlio town of Greene, Chenango county, New York. His father, Dow Davis, with other mem- bers of the family, still reside on the old homestead. For a farmer's son at that early day, when Central New York was " the A^^est," there were few opportunities for literary culture, and the problems of science were presented in the form of unbroken forests and unsubdued nature. The son, following in the pursuits of the father, grew up to manhood Avith simple tastes, an earnest purpose and inured to toil. His physique, fragile in appearance, acquired during those early years a symmetry of develop- ment and a firmness of texture which has rendered him capable of great endurance, and contributed in no small degree to the success that has marked his public professional life. The limited means of the father prevented him from giving to the son the advantages of a liberal course of study, but in the district schools of the neighborhood he applied himself to the rudimentary branches of an English education. At the age of sixteen, in his earnest longing lor a field of M-ider effort and more extended usefulness, lie formed the purpose of preparing himself for the profession in which he has since been so signally successful. Before commencing his medical studies, he spent six months in Cazenovia Seminary, devoting himself ardently to the study of mathe- matics, the natural sciences and Latin. A\' ith the meagre preparati.)n thus obtained, he entered the office of Dr. Daniel Clark, of Smithville Flats, as a medical student. The following winter he attcnided the lectures in the "College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York," located at Fairfield. At the close of the session he contimied his 82 BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCHES. reading in the office of Dr. Thomas Jackson, of Binghaniton, New York, where lie spent the two snccecding snnimers, returning to the college at Fairfield each winter. In January, 1837, at the close of his third course of lectures, he was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Although but twenty years of age, with very limited opportunities of preliminary study, and compelled to practice the most rigid economy, his attainments had been such as to attract the especial attention of the faculty of the college, and he was selected as one of four from the graduating class to read at the public Comraencemeiit his inaugural thesis. Upon the termination of his i)upilage, by the recommendation of the faculty, he was invited to enter upon the practice of his profession as the successor of Dr. Daniel Chatfield, of Vienna, Oneida County, New York. He remained there but a few months, declining what seemed to be advantaireous offers. The field was too narrow for a man of Dr. Davis' industry and ambition. In the July following he removed to Bing- hamton, where lie remained for the next ten years, gaining a strong hold u[)on the confidence of his professional brethren, and endearing himself by his fidelity and kindness to a large circle of friends. Soon after his removal to Binghaniton, in the spring of 1838, Dr. Davis was married to the daughter of the Hon. John Parker, of Vienna. It was during his residence here that his influence began to be felt beyond the immediate circle of those with Avhom he came in contact. His contributions to the medical journals of the day, and his interest in medical organizations, made him known to the profession as an earnest student and thinker. The New York State Medical Society, at its annual meeting in February, 1840, awarded him the prize offered for the best essay on Diseases of the Spinal Column. The following year he was awarded by the same Society the prize for the best essay on the "Discov- eries in the Physiology of the Nervous System since the Time of Charles Bell." Both of these essays were published in the transactions of the Society. In 1842, he represented the Medical Society of Broome County in the State Medical Society, and continued in active co-operation, con- tributing yearly to its transactions until his removal from the State. As early as 1844, Dr. Davis presented to the New York State INIedical Society a series of resolutions on the subject of medical teaching, urging the absolute necessity of a higher standard of education, both preliminary and professional. These resolutions, with others of a similar character. NATHAN SMITH DAVIS. 83 were referred to the standing Conunittee on Correspondence, of" which Dr. Davis was made Chairman. The discussions upon the report of this committee at the next meeting of the Society led to the introduction by Dr. Davis of a resolution earnestly recommending the calling of a convention for the purpose of discussing the question of medical education and other matters of interest to the profession. The resolution was adopted and a committee appointed, of which the mover of the resolution was made Chairman, to carry it into cifect. The correspondence of this committee resulted in the meeting of a convention in the city of New York in May, 1846, and the subsequent formation of the "American Medical Association." His connection with this national movement had enlarged his views, stimulated his ambition and introduced him to the profession of the metropolis. In the spring of 1847, he removed to New York city and commenced practice. During the following winter he acted as the assistant to the Demonstrator of Anatomy in the "College of Physicians and Surgeons," and at the close of the winter session he was appointed lecturer in the same institution, for the spring course, on IMedical Jurisprudence. In 1848, he commenced the publication of the "Annalist," a semi-monthly medical journal, of which he continued to be the editor and proprietor until his removal to the West. Naturally industrious, he sought and found in his new field of labor abundant work; his practice was slowly but surely increasing ; the contact with, and example of, older and more highly cultivated minds stimulated him to, if possible, more earnest efforts in the pursuits of literature and science, and there was every reason to predict for him in that great medical centre a successful and even brilliant future. But in July, 1849, the Faculty and Trustees of "Rush Medical College," of Chicago, tendered Dr. Davis the chair of Physiology and Pathology, which he accepted. He had long had his attention directed to the West. At the time of his location at Binghamton he was only prevented by })ecuniary disabilities from seeking a home l^eyond the Lakes. Notwithstanding, therefore, his success in New York, he yielded to the temptation. He reached Chicago with his family in September, and in the following month entered upon the discharge of his duties in the College. He had been re})resented to the friends of the institution as a young man of good natural abilities, great energy and excellent character, and in his contact witii the profession during his first course of lectures he fully sustained the reputation that 3k 84 BIOSEAPHICAL SKETCHES. had preceded him. The following year the Professor of Practical Medicine tendered his resignation, and Professor Davis was called upon to fill the vacancy. This position he occupied until his connection with the College ceased. His earnest, conscientious discharge of public duties Avon for him something more than the respect and confidence usually given to medical teachers. He was regarded as especially the friend of the student, he bound to them and they to him by personal sympathy, as well as by professional interest. At the close of the college session of 1852-3, the class testified tlieir appreciation of his services by presenting to him a valuable achro- matic microscope, and he has frequently since been the recipient of testimonials from those who have listened to his instructions. In 1849, Chicago, as in fact it has been ever since, was in a process of development. It had no general hospital, no system of sewerage, no adequate supply of good water, and no provision for the temporarily destitute. The influx of foreign population was rapid. In the most filthy condition, consequent upon their long journey, and bringing with them the germs of pestilence, successive ship loads were deposited in our midst. Dr. Davis at once entered earnestly ujion the work of organization. In the summer of 1850, he delivered a course of six lectures upon the sanitary condition of the city, discussing more particularly the water supply and the sewerage. At that time wells but a few feet in depth furnished the greater portion of the Avater used by our citizens. This water was contaminated by organic matter, percolating through the porous soil above, the presence of which in water used for drinking and culinary purposes was demonstrated by the lecturer, and its relation to the diseases then prevalent in the city fully considered. In the lectures devoted to the sewerage of the city, not only the necessity of thorough drainage, but, what had been doubted by many, the practicability of it, was fully demonstrated. These lectures were delivered in the old State Street jNIarket, and were listened to by many of our most prominent citizens. There can be no doubt but that they had much to do in arousing public sentiment on these subjects. The system of sewerage therein proposed was essentially the same as that subsequently adopted. From his first arrival in Chicago to the present time, Dr. Davis has continued to manifest an active interest in all matters of public hygiene, keeping a watchful eye upon the condition of our streets and alleys, and observing carefully the type and distribution of disease. The evidence NATHAN SMITH DAVIS. 85 of his untiring industiy and perseverance in this respect will be found almost monthly in the records of our local medical societies, and on the pages of our medical journals. In the development of the social and material interests of the city he has also been active. He early became associated with a number of our citizens, among whom we may mention the late Stephen Higginson, Charles A)'alker, Jonathan Burr and Tuthill King, in the formation and maintenance of an organization, of which he was the secretary, for the systematic relief of the poor of the city. This association was kept up for several years, accomplishing an immense amount of good. The work was finally transferred to the relief department of the "Young Men's Christian Association." His views upon the use of alcoholic beverages are positive, and by many deemed even fanatical. No man has labored more earnestly or more unremittingly than he in the cause of temperance. In his medical theory and practice, in his didactic lectures in the colleges, in his clinics at the hospital", and on all proper public occasions, as well as in his private relations, with a courage peculiarly his own and a hopeftilness with which few men are inspired, he has battled with this great social evil. He has not restricted his efforts to prevention alone, but, as a true physician, he has sought to cure confirmed drunkards. Following the example of older cities, he united with other gentlemen in the formation of the " Washing- tonian Home," for the reclamation and reformation of inebriates. His lectures in behalf of this institution and before its inmates have done much towards securing its usefulness and gaining for it the respect and confidence of the public. In 1849, Chicago was just passing through an epidemic of cholera. The attention of the public had been directed to the need of hospitals for the relief of the sick poor, but only those of a temporary character had thus far been organized. In the autumn of 1850, "The Illinois General Hospital of the Lakes," an institution previously chartered, but not put in operation, was opened in the old Lake House. Drs. Davis and J. V. Z. Blaney were the physicians, and the late Drs. Daniel Brainard and William B. Herrick were the surgeons. The twelve beds with which the wards of this hospital were furnished were procured from the proceeds of the lectures, to which allusion has been previously made, on the sanitary condition of the city. Professor Davis M'as the teacher of clinical medi- cines in the College, and he immediately entered upon his work in the 86 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. hospital. In the spring of 1851, the institution was transferred to the "Sisters of Merer," who have continued its management uninterruptedly until the jjresent time. Dr. Davis has had charge of the medical Avards almost continuously during the seventeen years that have thus elapsed, giving from two to four clinical lectures during at least eight months of each year. The success of this hospital and its present usefulness have been, to a great extent, due to the eftbrts of its chief medical officer. In the formation and support of our local and State medical societies, he has always taken an active part. The present "City Medical Society" was organized in the spring of 1851, as the "Cook County Medical Society," and afterwards changed in name to the "Chicago INIedical Society." Dr. Davis w\as one of its originators, and has continued with- out interru])tion an active participant in its work and deliberations, a fact that can be said of no one else of its founders. Indeed, he is now almost the only surviving original member. In the summer of 1850, the "Illinois State Medical Society " was organized, and we find his name among its earliest members. For the last nine years he has been its permanent Secretary. Previously he had served as Chairman of the Committee on Practical Medicine, and in 1855 he was elected to the office of President for the ensuing year. Almost every volume of their transactions contains contributions from his prolific pen, while his liberal hospitality has done much towards promoting good fellowship and kindly feeling among its members. As might be ex})ected from the active part he took in the formation of the "American Medical Association," he has always continued to labor earnestly for its support and usefulness. In 1864, at their meeting in New York city, he was elected to the Presidency, discharging the duties of this office, not only at that time but at a meet- ing of the Association at Boston, during the following year. His services in this connection were highly satisfactory, demonstrating his marked ability as an executive officer, and winning for him hosts of friends. At the last annual meeting, at Baltimore, he was among the most active and useful of its members, and, in addition to other important positions, he was made chairman of a committee, consisting, besides hijnself, of Drs. S. D. Gross, of Philadelphia, W. Hooker, of New Haven, G. C. Shattuck, of Boston, and M. B. Wright, of Cincinnati, appointed for the purpose of securing a convention of delegates from all the medical colleges of the United States, with a view to improvement in modes of teaching, etc. From the incipiency of the Association he has been an NATITAN SMITH DAVIH. 87 earnest advocate of medical progress, and \ve find him in this last act moved bv the same tlu)ll^•ht that stimulated his earlier struggles in the " New York State Medical Society." As a citizen, Dr. Davis has rei)eatedly held positions of trust and con- fidence. He served for one terra as a member of the "Board of Refjrm School Commissioners." He was also one of the earlier members of tJK; "Board of Trustees of the Northwestern University/' located at Evanston, assisting actively in putting it into operation. His connection with the "Rush INIedical College" continued for nearly ten years, and during almost the whole of that period he filled the chair of "Practical and Clinical Medicine," serving also as Secretary of the College. In the spring of 1859, the "Chicago Medical College" was organized upon a plan more in accordance with the views previously advocated by Dr. Davis, and he accepted an invitation to occu])y, in the new institution, a chair substantially the same as that which he had previously filled. Upon the organization of the College under the general incorporation law of the State, he was elected President of the Board of Trustees, and upon the resignation of Professor Johnson, in the spring of 1866, he Avas elected President of the Faculty. This institution is largely indebted to him for pecuniary assistance, to tlie amount of several thousand dollars, by which it has been entirely freed from ii/s indebtedness. He has also contributed largely to its valuable library. It lias been already stated that he commenced, while residing in New York, the publication of a medical journal. On coming to the West, he gave at once his hearty support to its medical literature, contributing frequently to the "Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal." In 1855, he became one of its editors, and subsequently assumed its entire control. Upon the organization of the "Chicago Medical College," he transferred his interest in this journal to the late Dr. Daniel Brainard, and commenced the publication of the "Chicago Medical Examiner," a monthly of sixty-four pages, of which he is now the sole editor and proprietor. Although not especially devoted to science, except so far as it relates to medicine, he has nevertheless heartily sympathized with and encouraged the formation and maintenance of scientific associations. He was one of the original members of the "Chicago Academy of Sciences," and still retains his membership, frequently participating in its discussions. He was, also, if not one of the original, certainly one of the earlier, resident members of the "Chicago Historical Society." 88 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. As a man, Dr. Davis is endowed by nature with an organization both physical and mental, capable of great endurance. His form is slight, but symmetrical and muscular. His health has been uniformly good for the last thirty years, and he has not been confined to the house at any one time more than three days in succession. His habits are regular, both as to eating and sleeping. He has never used alcoholic drinks in any form, or for any purpose whatever. His intellectual characteristics are well marked, and are such as especially fit him for the profession to which he has devoted his life. It is particularly in his powers of observation that he is pre-eminent. Nothing in the history of a patient escapes him. All the antecedents, such as occupations, climatic exposures, mental and emotional states, hereditary tendencies, tein])eraments and personal peculiarities, are thor- oughly and carefully investigated. This quality of his mind is especially manifested in liis clinical lectures. His reasoning powers are good, his logic usually convincing, always carrying with it the impression that he is thoroughly and conscientiously in earnest. His comparisons are quick, and his judgments reliable. His acquaintance witli the literature of his profes- sion is extensive and accurate, and especially so fiu^ as it relates to the history of medical education. As a teacher, he is enthusiastic; a skillful debater, and a prolific writer. Indeed, we should say that he both s[)eaks and writes too much. During some of the college sessions he has deliv- ered ten didactic and clinical lectures weekly, for several months in succession. The subject matter of his lectures is always interesting, and no teacher is listened to Avith more ]iatience, or followed Avith a greater degree of enthusiasm. He is genial in his nature, and both at the bed- side of his patients and in the social circle his ])leasant smile and kindly voice inspire confidence and beget friendship. The influence and example of Dr. Davis have always been on the side of virtue and good morals. Since his sixteenth year he has been a constant member of some branch of the Methodist Church, taking an active part generally in sustaining all moral and religious institutions. His public, and especially his private charities, have been large and continuous. With a practice larger and more lucrative, perhaps, than that of any other member of the profession in the West, he never refuses the call of the sick poor. There are thousands in our midst struggling Avith Avant, and heart-sick with hope deferred, to Avhora the remembrance of his generous kindness brings a thrill of grateful pleasure. It is NATHAN SMITH DAVIS. 89 believed that in a profession extending through more than thirty years, he has never declined to prescribe for or assist a patient simply because too poor to pay a fee. A more thorough literary and scientific education in early life would undoubtedly have added to his power of usefulness ; but with all his dis- advantages it is not perhaps too much to say of him, that he stands among the very first of his profession in this country. This prominence, however, has been reached by unremitting toil and unwearied effort. By defeat he has not been discoura-ged, by success not unduly elated. Upon thousands of young men who have listened to his teaching the lesson of his life, "Omnia labors," will not be without its power and influence. He is yet in vigorous health, and there is before him the promise of years of usefulness and honor. Among the published writings of Dr. Davis, which we have not already named, not including his contributions to the medical journals of the day, are the following : " A Text-Book on Agriculture, designed for Study in Schools," pub- lished by S. S. & W. Wood, 201 Pearl Street, New York, 1848. "History of Medical Education and Institutions in the United States, from the first settlement of the British Provinces to the year 1850; witii a chapter on the present condition and wants of the profession, and the means necessary for supplying those wants." S. C. Griggs & Co., publishers, Chicago, 1851. "An Experimental Inquiry concerning some points in the Functions of Assimilation, Nutrition, and Animal Heat ; also. Analysis of the Blood of the Renal Artery and Vein, and that of the Eliac Artery and Vein of the same animal ;" read to the American Medical Association, in May, 1851, and published in the "Northwestern Medical and Surgical Journal " for that year. "A Lecture on the Effects of Alcoholic Drinks on the Human System, and the duties of Medical Men in Relation Thereto," delivered in the Lecture Room of Rush Medical College, Dec. 25, 1854; with an appen- dix containing original experiments in relation to the effects of alcohol on respiration and animal heat. J. F. Ballantyne, printer, Chicago, 1855. " History of the American Medical Association, from its Organization to January, 1855;" to which is appended biographical notices, with portraits of the Presidents of the Association, and of the author. Phila- delphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Co. 1855. JOHN M. VAN OSDEL. In 'dwelling upon the peculiar experiences of our pioneers, Me are but tracing the early history of Chicago through new and more interesting channels than would be possible if the facts Avere divested of personal interest. In older cities, tomb-stones of the early settlers are overgrown with moss, but with us, who live in a city which is still the child of an hour, our remotest past is freighted with remembrances of the deeds of men still active among us. Prominent in this list of those who have Avitnessed the growth of Chicago and contributed largely towards its greatness, is the name of John M. Van Osdel, which Avill ever be closely linked with that of the Garden City. Coming here Avhen it was little more than "the village of Mudfog," he Avas the first to introduce a style of building Avorthy of the metropolis then in clirysalis; and the high order of architecture which characterizes this city is largely due to his influence. Mr. Van Osdel Avas born in Baltimore, July 31st, 1811. In his childhood there Avas nothing Avorthy of special note. His father, James H. Van Osdel, Avas a carpenter; not a mere "Snug, the joiner," but a master builder, and as he "Groined his arches and matched his beams," the sun early became his almost constant companion. From his after course, Ave can readily imagine that the boy Avas no listless looker on. To him, the AA'orkshop was a school-room, and the click of the hammer, the hum of the saw, and even the very sight and touch of tools, were text- books and tutors. It Avas, however, adverse yet favorable circumstances which gave young Van Osdel a start in life, and to which he is eminently indebted for the high position to which he has attained in his i»rolt'ssion. 92 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Ill the spring of 1825, when he was only in his fourteenth year, his father moved to New York city, leaving his family in Baltimore. At first, all went smoothly at home, the father's remittances being ample for the family needs, but soon there came a change. Meeting with a severe accident, he was so badly injured that he was entirely disabled for labor. The brave, true mother struggled against poverty, exhausting the resources of her fertile ingenuity in attempts to eke out a support for her family of eight children. For some time her lal:)ors and privations were not specially noticed ])y John, who was her eldest son, but, after a while the lad realized the situation, and at once set about relieving his overtasked mother. With the fertility of invention and skill in handicraft which, in after years, enabled him to make some of our public buildings and private residences models of architecture, he undertook the support of the family. His first move was to buy a pine board on credit. This board he made up into benches, or stools, which he peddled off among his neighbors. Trebling his money, he was able to buy two more boards, besides paying for the first one. From this small beginning he went on, making not only benches but clothes-horses and similar specimens of handi- craft, until he soon entirely relieved his mother from the burden of supporting the femily. This first lesson in self-dependence was, doubtless, of inestimable benefit to him. It may well be doubted if any course of mere mental training could have been of as much service to him as were those few months of his father's illness. The mechanical skill which he acquired was of no special value to him, but he learned self-reliance, which is one of the prime conditions of success in any department of effort. If as a lad, just entering his teens, and with no capital whatever, he could support the family of nine, as he did for more than four months, what had he to fear in the future? The prophet but gave the lesson of experience when he said, "it is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." Upon the recovery of the father, the family moved to New York. The son had shown himself so eminently useful while alone, that he began now to work regularly with his father at his trade. Nothing of special interest occurred until he Mas about sixteen years of age, when a new world was opened before him. Learning, by chance, of the existence and rules of "The Apprentice Library," he took the necessary steps to enjoy its benefits. For two years he spent all his spare moments in the JOHN M. VAN osdp:l. 93 company of books. Followiiii^ tlie bent of his genius, be confined himself abnost excbisively to works on architecture, becoming a thorough master of the art. Not content with the careful reading of these Morks, he i^atiently copied all their designs. In this way he came to l)e a profi- cient in the art of drawing, which he turned to account, not only in the practice of his daily labor as an architect, but at the age of nineteen he opened an evening school of instruction in drawing, which proved to be quite profitable. It is to that library that JMr. Van Osdel regards himself mainly indebted for his success in life. AVhen he reached the age of seventeen, his mother died and the family was broken up. At eighteen he became his own master, paying his father three dollars per week for his time. Besides doing this, he supported his sister. After the first year, his father released him from his obligations, giving him his time. He soon after returned to Baltimore, and engaged in business as an architect and builder. In 1832, he married Caroline Gailer, of Hudson, Xew York. During the following year he commenced tlie publication of a work on practical house carpentry and stair building, known as the " Carpenter's Own Book." Owing to the dishonesty of his principal agent, however, its publication was soon discontinued. In the autumn of 1836, Mr. Van Osdel, having returned to Xew York, formed the acquaintance of Hon. William B. Ogden, of tliis eitv, wliich resulted in his removal to Chicago. Mr. Og-den at first eniraired his services simply as a master builder, but soon found that he was evcrv way competent for the responsibilities of an architect, and engaged him to design, as well as construct, a residence for him in this city. The Jiouse which he built on Ontario street, the following season, Avas for several years the best in tlie city, and is still occupied by ]\Ir. Ogden. Mr. Van Osdel also turned his attention to ship joinery, and to liiin belongs the honor of having done the finishing of tlie first vessels that were l)uilt in Chicago, being the two steamboats "James Allen" and " George W. Dole." Our lake commerce Avas a mere trifle at that time, l)Ut it had begun to give promise of its gigantic future. In 1838, he constructed several large pumps on the Archimedean screw princijile, for the ])urpose of lifting water out of the excavations then in jn-ogress for the Illinois and Michigan Canal. During the following winter, Mr. Van Osdel invented a horizontal wind-wheel, which was extensively used in working these canal pumi)s. Although he had the best class of business which the Chicago of (liat 94 BIOGRAPHICAL. SKETCHES. day afforded in liis line, he decided, in the autumn of 1840, on account of the declining health of his wife, to return to New York. The publi- cation to which we have already alluded, (" The Carpenter's Own Book "), had given him an enviable reputation, which now turned to his account. The "American Mechanic" (now the "Scientific American") offered him an inviting field as associate editor. AVe notice, in examining the files of the "American Mechanic," that an editorial, published some time after his connection with that journal had ceased, says, in a historical sketch, that " IMr. Van Osdel performed with marked ability his part of the editorial labors." Confinement in the sanctum proving detrimental to his health, his star of fortune again took its way westward, never resting until it stood over the metropolis of the West, where it has ever since remained. The first important work in which he engaged on his return to Chicago, which was in the spring of 1841, was the erection of grain elevators. Here, too, he was the pioneer. In 1843, he entered into partnership with Elihn Granger, in the iron foundry and machine business. This partnership continued until Feb- ruary, 1845. His wife dying at that time, and his own health being imp;iired by overwork, he was advised by the leading builders to devote his time to architecture, they pledging him their support. He therefore opened an office on Clark street, over IMrs. Bostwick's millinery store, preciselv where is now the main entrance to the Sherman House. His receipts during the first year were only five hundred dollars, although he did all the business of the kind which there was to be done in the city. As the city grew, and his skill as an architect became more widely known, his business increased, until his net profits for the three years en«ling in 1859 were thirty-two thousand dollars. To enumerate all the public buildings, private residences, and exten- sive mercantile blocks, which were designed by JNIr. Van Osdel, and built under his superintendence, would be to give a long list, including many of the best edifices, not only of Chicago, but of Illinois. We will only mention, as specimens, the Cook County Court House, the Chicago City Hall, the Tremont House, all the five-story iron-front buildings in the city, being over eleven hundred lineal feet of such frontage; the residence of Peter Schuttler, corner of Adams and Aberdeen streets, Chicago; the residences of ex-Governors Matteson, of Springfield, and Wood, of Quincy — the three finest residences in the State. JOHN M. VAN OSDEL. 95 Mr. Van Osdel has accumulated an ample fortune; lie Las not suffered himself, however, to be placed upon the retired list, but is to-day one of the most active men in the city. He is at present architect for the com- pletion of the State Penitentiary. His re})ort on the i)roij;rcss of the Avork, Avith estimates of work done, and to be done, received the unanimous approval of the last General Assembly of Illinois, which pointed him out as the architect best deserving a place among the Trustees of the Illinois Industrial College, located at Champaign. He was elected by the Board as a member of the Finance and Executive Committees, also of the Committee on Buildings and Grounds, three of the most important committees of the Board. Mr. Van Osdel was mainly instru- mental in having a Polytechnic School estal)lished at Chicago, as a branch of the Industrial University, of which he is Treasurer. Politically, Mr. Van Osdel, true to his pioneer instincts, was a Gar- risonian Abolitionist. For many years his vote was called " scattering," but in 1860 he ranged himself with the Repul)lican party. He took a very active part in that campaign, preparing and publishing, at his own cost, ten thousand copies of a short but comprehensive address, combating with signal ability the issue presented by both wings of the Democracy. He also wrote several poems suitable to the times, which possessed much merit. He has never held any political office, although he has had several important nominations tendered him, all of which he refused. Mr. Van Osdel married for his second wife Martha, the daughter of James McClellan, Esq., of Kendall coimty, of this State, who is still the sharer of his prosperity. He has no children except by adoption. His present residence, at No. 107 South Morgan street, built at a cost of eighteen thousand dollars, is a model of neatness and convenience. As it is always of interest to climb a fimily tree, we will add tliat Mr. Van Osdel traces his ancestry back to 1653 in this country, and in Holland to the year 1211. The family derive their origin from Jan Van Arsdale, knight of Holland, who in 1211 erected the castle, now county house, Arsdale, from which he took his name. His armorial bearings now constitute the public arms of the l)ailiwick of Arsdale. From him descended Lyman Jansen Van Arsdalen, as his signature is, who emigrated to New Amsterdam in 1653, and located at Fhit Land, Long Island. This founder of all the American Van Arsdales and Van Osdels died in 1710, leaving two sons, Cornelius and John. From the latter the subject of this sketch is descended. ^ JOHN y. FARWELL. One of the most eminent of the merchant philanthropists of the Northwest is he whose liistory we now undertake to write. Nor are there many among the noted in any branch of commerce whose life is more interesting as to incident, or more fruitful in lessons of profit for ambitious beginners in a mercantile career. JoHX Y. Faewell is the son of Henry and Xancy Farwell, who, at the time of his birth, July 29, 1825, lived upon a flirm in Steuben County, New York. They were plain and plodding people, but none in the State were their superiors in honesty and industry. They were persons, also, of candor and intelligence, and were held in uninterrupted esteem by their neighbors and acquaintances. With fi.ve children drawing upon the family exchequer, and nothing but the meagre profits of a small farm with which to honor their drafts, perseverance was indispensable, and hard toil inevitable. According to a custom which prevails in agricultural communities, John Y., who was the third born of the four brothers, as soon as he was sufficiently grown, spent his summers in manual labor, and his winters in the district school. Thus, did he educate both body and mind, until the thirteenth year of his age; the one acquired power of endurance, the other information, and both secured a discipline which was of the highest consequence in after lite. The foundations of enduring health were laid, and the essentials of a good education acquired. The boy grew vigorous and intelligent. He gave evidence, even at this early age, of that capacity for achievement for which he has since become distinguished. He was the projector and the prime worker in the erection of the fii-st brick house in the county, and in similar enterprises he showed the grit which he possessed. 98 lUOGRAPHlCAl. SKETCHES. Thus thirteen years of his life ])asse(l away, and the mode of life followed in Steuben County, New York, was resumed in Ogle County, Illinois, whither the family removed in 18.'38. Here, however, hardships multiplied. The eounlry was new, the farm an unbroken prairie. Agri- culture was in its incipiency. It was ''frontier life" of the most toilsome and wearisome description; none may realize how much so but those who have experienced it. In 1841, at sixteen years of age, young Farwell entered the M(Mnit ^Morris Si'minary, and there finished his e([ui})ment in the way of educa- tion. If his wardrobe was not eipial in quality to that of some of his schoolmates, he had brains, which, both in licants for that important position. He entered upon the duties of the office in Marcli, 1861, and in the autumn of that year removed with his family to Chicago. Upon the commencement of his second Presidential term, in 1865, Mr. Lincoln re-appointed Mr. Jones, Marshal. JOPEPH RT'SSELL, JOXES. 123 Since his residence in Chicago, he has been intimately identiiied with numerous objects of great public importance, and tending much to the jiresent progress and future growth of Chicago. In 18G3, in connection Avith a few others, he purchased from the Chicago City Railway Company, the city railway lines in the West Division. He A-as elected President of the new company, and has ever since retained the position; and to his great executive ability and successful management the present condition of this enterprise is largely due. The company have now more than twenty miles of track on Lake, Randolph, Madison, Clinton, Jetferson and Halstead streets, and Milwaukee and Blue Island avenues. Two hundred and fifty men are employed, and fifty ears are used. Mr. Jones is also President of the Northwestern Horse Nail Company, which employs over thirty men, and disburses between five and six hundred dollars daily, in the manufacture of horse shoe nails by machinery. Their nails are used almost everywhere in the Northwest. Mr. Jones was one of the trusted friends of the late President Lincoln, who reposed in him the fullest confidence, and specially summoned him to Washington, for consultation on matters of great public importance, during the Avar. Having been for so many years a resident of Galena, he became intimately acquainted with General Grant, and his early and Avarm friend. This friendship, begun before the war, has ever since continued. The General has always made Mr. Jones' house his home on his visits to this city, and close personal and jDolitical association has always subsisted between them. Mr. Jones has always been identified with the Presbyterian form of worship, and is at present a member of the congregation of the Third Church, in this city — Rev. Arthur Swazey, pastor. Mr, Jones Avas married, in 1848, to Elizabeth Ann, daughter of the late Judge Andrew Scott, of Arkansas. He is the father of three sons and three daughters, five of whom are now living. In his family record there is much of historic interest. His father, Joel Jones, Avas born at Hebron, Connecticut, INfay 14, 1792, and Avas married, September 13, 1815, to Miss Maria Dart. Four children Avere born to them, one daughter and three sons, all of Avhom are now living, the subject of this sketch being the youngest. Joel Jones removed to Conneaut, Ohio, in 1819. He Avas the sixth son of Captain Samuel Jones, of Hebron, Connecticut, A\ho Avas an officer in the French and Indian 124 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. wars, and in the war of the Revolution. He held two commissions under George II. of England. Captain Samuel Jones returned from the war and settled in Hebron, Avhere he married Miss Lydia Tarbox, by whom he had six sons and four daughters. Nine of the ten lived to years of maturity. Samuel, the eldest son, Avas a lawyer, and practiced his pro- fession for many years at Stockbridge, Massacliusetts. He was a man of fine cultivation and a deep thinker. He published, in 1842, a treatise on the Right of Suffrage, which is, perhaps, the only work written on this subject by an American author. From another brother descended the late Hon. Joel Jones, the first President of Girard College, the late Samuel Jones, M. D., of Philadelphia, and Matthew Hale Jones, of Easton, Pennsylvania. From a third brother descended Hon. Anson Jones, second President of the Republic of Texas. The family is now in possession of a letter written by Captain Samuel Jones to his Avife, at Fort Edward, dated August 18, 1758. One hundred and ten years previous to the date of that letter, his ancestor. Colonel John Jones, sat at "Westminster as one of the Judges of King Charles I. Colonel John Jones married Henrietta (Catharine), the second sister of Oliver Cromwell, in 1623, and was put to death October 17, 1660, on the restoration of Charles II, His son — Hon. William Jones — survived him, and one year before his father's death was married to Miss Hannah Eaton, then of the Parish of St. Andrews, Holden, Epenton. He subsequently came over to "these American Colonies" with his father-in- law, tlie Hon. Theophilus Eaton, first Governor of the Colony of New Haven and Connecticut, where he occupied the office of Deputy Governor for some years, and died October 17, 1706. He and his wife are buried in New Haven, under the same stone with Governor Eaton. Thus, it will be seen, the subject of our sketch is of good Connecticut stock. The mother of Mr. Jones was born at Chatham, Connecticut, March 27, 1797. She was the daughter of Joseph Dart and Sarah Hurd, who were married at Middle Haddam, Connecticut, in 1792, and were the parents of five sons and nine daughters. Of this large family, eleven are still living, one of whom, Mrs William H. Ovington, is now a resident of Chicago. In 1854, the entire family, with one exception, met at the old homestead in Middle Haddam, to celebrate the sixty-second marriage anniversary of the parents. The exception was Judge Ashbel Dart, who died at Conneaut, Ohio, in 1844, at the age of fifty years. At this family reunion were a brother and sister of Mrs. Dart, aged respectively JOSEPH EUSSELL JONES. 125 ninety-two and a half and ninety-nine and a half years. The averao-e age of the four "old folks" was ninety years, and more than a thousand years of kindred life Avas represented at that family meeting. Joseph Eussell Jones is a man of great force and decision of character, and has achieved a position in life in the face of tlie most forbidding difficulties and disadvantages, and bears an influence in society only to be won through the active exercise of those qualities which belong to a large brain and kind heart. Endowed with those natural gifts whicli elevate the character, and finding leisure during a lite absorbed in extensive and complicated business pursuits for intellectual and social culture, observing closely and thinking well, he possesses a fine taste and a ripe and mature judgment. In business life, he has ever been distinguished for liberality and strict integrity, and, socially, for the largest hospitality and devotion to the interests of his friends, by whom he is esteemed and valued with a warmth which falls to the lot of very few. THOMAS CHUHCH. No brighter example of the success attendant on strict integrity of purpose, unswerving pertinacity, and untiring industry, unaided by the gifts of fortune or the advantages of early education, is afforded in the city of Chicago than that of Thomas Church, Esq., one of its oldest citizens and most reliable men. He began life poor, and, coming to this city while yet it was little better than a wilderness, has built up a fortune and an honorable name, by legitimate trading alone, avoiding the land speculations which formed the foundation of the wealth of so many of our now leading citizens. Thomas Church was born November 8, 1801, in the town and county of Onondaga, New York. He was the eldest of a family of seven children, and was early brought under the rule of a stepfather, Thomas Yates. In early infancy, Mr. Church moved, with the family, to Mar- cellus, in the same county, where his stepfather kept a small distillery, and followed teaming in the proper season. When Thomas was twelve years of age, they moved to Benton, Ontario County. Here, the careful liabits which have distinguished Mr. Church in his after-life began to show themselves. One of his first experiences in his new home was the earning of six and a quarter cents by a day's labor at picking stones. The coin was carefully laid by, and formed the nucleus of his future savings. Tl)e stepfather then took a farm, but sold out at the end of a year; did the same thing next year, and, when Thomas was fourteen, moved to the Holland Purchase, in Genesee County — then on the very outskirts of civilization. Here they entered a log house, situated upon a cleared field of four acres, and denuded of timber six acres of dense woods per annum, fur four consecutive years. During this time, Thomas went to 128 BIOGEAPHICAL, SKETCHES. school when lie could be spared in winter, but his opportunities were so limited that he made little progress in his book studies. In the year 1821, when three months short of nineteen, he left home. A little difficulty occurred with a younger brother, about that inevitable treasure of an Eastern youth — the jack-knife — and the stepfather deciding against Thomas, he threw down his axe and jumped the bars, leaving home forever, at a moment's warning, but not, however, without being prompted to do so by his father. He went to work for a man who kept a grist, an oil and a saw-mill, three miles from his old home. He was paid at the rate of one hundred and twenty dollars per year, as follows: Fifteen dollars in cash, fifteen dollars in an order on a dry goods store, and the balance, half in neat stock and half in grain, at barter price. In those days, a bushel of wheat was reckoned at fifty cents, or the value of a day's work, Avhereas, it was impossible to realize over thirty-seven and a lialf cents for it in cash. His duties were onerous, but he soon gained the confidence of his emjiloyer, and went to the adjacent village and did the trading, thus gaining his first ideas of mercantile business. He was not so rapid a Avorker as some, but lie had a wonderful iaculty of con- tinuity. In that first year he lost but five days, two of which were occupied in militia training, two in paying the road-tax, and one in getting his new clothes cut. These he made up, and fourteen days additional, by over-time. At the end of the year, he exchanged his barter for a small farm. Twelve months after that, he sold his land for cash, and at the end of two and a half years, he owned two hundred and twenty-seven dollars in money, a good suit of clothes and a loving wife. He married the object of his affections — Miss Rachel Warriner — in the autumn of 1823, and went to Chautauqua County, New York, where he took a thirty days' refusal of a small farm, built a log house on it for himself and wife to live in, and then started for Buffalo, walking thirty miles, to fetch the effects needed to make his new home comfortable. How little an event may change the tenor of a life ! Mr. Church was detained in Buffalo by a heavy snow-storm, and passed the waiting hours in the store of a friend. The question flashed across his mind — ''Why cannot I follow a business life, instead of being buried in the woods ? " He asked the opinion of his wife, and then her consent to the change. She was quite willing. The young couple moved to Buffalo in February, 1824, and Mr. Church worked in company with a brother for a short time. Buffalo was then a village of two thousand five hundred inhabitants. The THOMAS CHURCH. 129 brotliei-s chopped Avood in payment for Innibtr, and succeeded, ere long, in erecting a house on Commercial street, near the head of the present canal, which Avas occupied by the newly-married couple. The place M-as still unfinished, when it was found that the little capital had dwindled down to fifteen dollars in cash. Fourteen of this Avas invested in a stock of goods. Mr. Church's first trade was a failure; he sold three cents' worth of goods, and gave change for a bad one dollar bill. It was a humiliating experience, but a valuable one; he never took bad money again. The first year netted him two hundred dollars, and satisfied him that he was on the right track. He staid in that store ten years, in w hich time the value of the lot had increased from one hundred and fifty dollars to four thousand dollars, he having helped to enhance it, by digging with his own hands that portion of the New York and Erie Canal where the bridge now stands. He was now worth two thousand five hundred dollars, and, having heard glowing predictions of the greatness of Chicago, he decided to make it the scene of his future labors. He arrived here June 2, 1834, in a boat, having come without a pilot from Mackinac. Chicago then contained but four hundred inhabitants, inclu- ding the mixed bloods, besides two hundred soldiers in Fort Dearborn. His experience in the rise in value of property in Buffalo had induced him to determine to buy the land on Avhich he should locate. Not being able to find a lot for sale on South "Water street — then the only business street — he bought forty feet on what is noAV Lake street (Nos. Ill and 113), the street then not being laid out, except on paper. He erected a little dwelling, and moved in. During the autumn, he built a store, in size twenty by forty feet, and two and a half stories high — the first seen fronting on Lake street. He bought a raft of timber, and had it sawed , with the whip-saAv. He went to Buffalo in the spring, and bought one thousand dollars' Avorth of groceries and provisions. These he sold at good profits, and found jilenty of patrons. He rented the second story of his store to James Whitlock, Registrar, and E. D. Taylor, United States Receiver, Avho opened a land office, and in the first tAvo Aveeks sold over half a million dollars' Avorth of real estate. That building was about the busiest in the place. The increase of trade soon demanded an extension, and the store Avas made one hundred and eighty-one feet deep, and filled AA'ith goods. The young merchant had almost unlimited credit in New York, and, being able to keep a full stock, offered advantages not to be found evcrsAvhere else. He Avas, hoAvevcr, nearly broken up; he put his 130 EIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. name to a note for four thousand dollars for a Chicago house with which he did business, and was called upon to j)ay it. The blow staggered him, but he pulled through, and flourished in the midst of the financial storm which caused the ruin of so many. The year 1837 was one of his best. He had avoided land speculation, kept his means >\ell in hand, and contracted no debts which he could not pay. It was the time of the Michigan "wild-cat" excitement, and soon the people began to be afraid of the money; they were willing to j)art with it, and trade was brisk. That year his cash sales amounted to over forty-one thousand dollars. In 1839 occurred the first fire in Chicago; the old Tremont House, with the block of which it formed a part, was burned down. Mr. Church narrowly escaped the loss of his buildings, and determined to avoid such dangers in future. He moved away his wooden structure, and erected two fine fire-proof brick stores, four stories high. The same year, Mr. Church bought six lots on Lake and South Water streets and ]Michigan avenue, which, with his improvements, would amount to ten thousand dollars. They are now among the most valuable in the city. In 1840, he took Mr. M. L. Satterlee into partnership. Their stock consisted of groceries, paints, oils, glass, nails, iron, and domestic dry goods. The next three years prices declined, and the firm, being unwilling to sell at a loss, did comparatively little business. In April, 1843, the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Church closed up business, going into real estate, in which he was very successful. On closing up his mercantile business, he estimated the value of his property at thirty- seven thousand dollars. ]\Ir, Church, as a merchant, was careful and reliable. He always made it a rule not to obtain credit for more than half the amount of goods actually paid for in store, and thus had always two dollars with which to pay one. Even this limit was seldom reached. He was ever prompt in payment, and gained thus a reputation which was of as much value to him as double the amount of his capital. Mr. Church was persuaded, about this time, to run for Mayor, asking the suffrages of the Whig party. He was beaten, and has often said, since, that he was glad of it. He was soon afterwards appointed City Assessor for the South Division, and retained the office for fourteen years. He has also been often appointed on special committees to assess damages and benefits by street improvements. He has been appointed a THOMAS CHURCH. 131 Commissioner for partitioning estates, for establishing dock lines, etc., and served ten years in the volunteer fire department. In 1855, the Chicago Firemen's Insurance Company was founded, and Mr. Church was elected President, M'liich position he has ever since retained. In 1862, he was elected President of the Chicago Mutual Life Insurance Company, but declined in favor of H. H. Magie, and was made Vice-President. He retained the office until the company was dissolved. The last twenty-three years of his life have been spent in comparative retirement, attending only to the management of his property, and occasionally traveling. He has visited Washington — being there at the inauguration of President Lincoln — New Orleans, Minnesota, Montreal, and other places, ahvays in company with his wife. The crash of 1857, and the subsequent dull period, was felt by him, his property at one time depreciating one thousand dollars daily for one hundred days; but he was on too firm a basis to be injured by the financial storm. He never paid less than one hundred cents on the dollar, always paid his debts promptly, and never was party to a lawsuit which required an argument from his attorney. Since Mr. Church retired from mercantile pursuits, his principal hobby has been the erection of brick stores. At the present writing he is the owner of no less than seventeen, which is more, we believe, than is owned by any other man in Chicago. In the changes of grade that our city has undergone from time to time, he has been compelled to raise thirteen of his stores, by screw power, from four to six feet. Two have been rebuilt, and only two remain on the original grade. Mr. Church has been twice married. His first wife (married 1823) died in April, 1839. She had borne him five children, the three eldest of whom died at an early age, The two youngest — daughters — survived. He married, November 5, 1839, Mrs. Rebecca Pruyne, widow of Senator Pruyne, of this State, who had one daughter. The three have since married George A. Ingalls, C. D. Kimbark, and E. Ingals, M. D. Although Mr. Church has never troubled the Patent Office with an application for protection, yet his inventive genius has not been idle. With him, as with thousands of otliers, his own special wants demanding a certain end, his mind ruminated upon it until it was produced to his satisfaction. Being, as we have already stated, engaged for many years past in real estate transactions, and having much business to attend to day by day, he felt the want of a simple, and yet accurate, system of bookkeeping 132 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. This want lie has supplied perfectly, in the invention of a system which, whilst it is original with himself, yet is exceedingly simple and compre- hensive. It enables him at a glance to see the state of his account with any one through a complicated list of transactions, and the liability to mistakes is comparatively remov^ed. It is often the case that, by casting aside the scholastic routine of figuring out a sum, and coming down to a common sense way of doing it, the end is reached by a much simpler method. It is just so with this harmonious arrangement of Mr. Church's, and we doubt not he has saved many a hard headache by adopting it. Personally, Mr. Church is a very mild, unassuming man, exceedingly unobtrusive, and was quite bashful in his youth. He has been strictly temperate from an early age, and never made use of an oath. But, though quiet, he was always a doer, and a keen observer of men and things. When we take into account his small beginnings, and then remember that he is now in possession of a yearly income, from rents alone, of thirty-seven thousand dollars, Ave feel justified in pointing out to our young men a life so successful as this as worthy of all imitation. WILBUE F. STOREY. Journalism is a profession to which many are called, and from which few are chosen to enjoy a supreme success. It is a department of effort in which the fortunate are the inverse, in number, of those ensfaofed in it. The newspapers which live and are prosperous, the journalists who have achieved a substantial fortune, are to those that have met with disaster what the aggregate of tlie living of men are to the dead. A success which is so rare is not likely to be the result of mere chance or good fortune. It is something which must be schemed, labored and sought for. Eare and exceptional in its character, those who attain it are necessarily more or less of the same nature. The man who, by patient perseverance, arduous effort, and well-conceived and properly executed plans, succeeds in any department, will be found, upon analysis, to possess a character unlike that of the mass of ordinary men. The exigencies of success require peculiar instruments, as the rarer and more difficult resuhs in mechanism demand different tools from those used in ordinary operations. These essential and necessary variations in character, by whicli the individuality of men is shaped with reference to certain ends to be accom- plished, should be kept in view when one attempts to comprehend the life and actions of another. These rarer organizations do not necessarily differ from others in all respects. Men who possess them may be benevo- lent, kindly-natured, fond of social intercourse, and, in a thousand particulars, may not be unlike other men. Nevertheless, in such cases, there will be found certain traits and combinations, a rigidity, a something which bears little or no resemblance to the more usual composition of human nature. 134 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Wilbur F. Storey was born December 19, 1819, in Salisbury, Vermont. His family is a collateral of the Story family of which the well-known jurist was a member. The first ten years of Mr. Storey's life were passed on the farm of his parents. During this period he attended the district school, and probably spent his leisure hours as do most boys in the country. When ten years of age, the father of Mr. Storey moved into Middlebury, a village which possessed a newspaper, known as the "Middlebury Free Press." Into the office of this journal Mr. Storey went, about one year later, to learn the printing business. That he took the step advisedly is hardly probable; but he was, perhaps, induced to enter a printing office because to him, as with most boys fresh from the dairy and hay-mow, there was no vista so dazzling and inviting as that which opened and revealed the mysteries of a press and a printing office. He remained in the "Free Press" office until seventeen years of age, with the exception of a single winter, during which he absented himself from the "case" to attend a village school. This winter's term, and his attendance at the district school before going to Middlebury, comprehend all the school advantages which he ever enjoyed. Remaining in the printing office until he was seventeen, he then concluded to start in life for himself. He had saved some seventeen dollars; to this, ten dollars was added by his mother; and with this capital, and his parents' blessing, he commenced life for himself. Like Douglas, he found Vermont a good State to emigrate from early in life, which he proceeded to do by going to New York. Of the peculiarities of Mr. Storey as a boy — of what consisted that portion of the life which is supposed to be the parent of the man — nothing is known to the writer of this sketch. It is said that he was quiet, retiring, industrious. He rarely went into society, and seemed much the same grave, self-possessed, deliberate youth that is reproduced to-day in the man. He had the same reticence, the same apparent self- intercommunication, that distinguish him to-day. In his case, the idea that the child is father to the man has probably been in nowise refuted. Upon reaching New York, Mr. Storey secured a situation as a compositor on the "Journal of Commerce." He worked at the case a year and a half; and, in the spring of 1838, he determined to try fortune in the West. During his stay in New York, he was economical to an extent which enabled him to reach Laporte, in Indiana, with a cash wiLRri; r. storkv. 13") capitiil of two hundred and fifty dollars. His first stopjjing place was at South Bend; but, learning that the Democrats of Laporte were about to establish a newspaper, he went down to the latter place, and soon made an arrano-ement whereby he M'as to run the mechanical portion of the new paper, while the Avell-known Ned Hannegan — subsequently United States Senator, and somewhat notorious in connection with General Cass for his participation in the "54-40 or fight" excitement — was a volunteer editor. Mr. Storey Avas then between eighteen and nineteen, and he undoubtedly supposed that he had at length entered upon the highway to fortune. There were, however, many disappointments in store for the young adventurer; and the first was in finding that his partner, however successful as a politician and a bon vivant, was a failure as an editor. Matters reached a condition, finally, that rendered a separation necessary, and the entire control of the newspaper fell into the hands of Mr. Storey. The time was unfavorable, or else he did not possess that lien upon fortune which he now holds, for the enterprise failed, and in its ruins was buried the carefully economized capital which he had saved in New York. As an instance of the character of the country at that time, Mr, Storey sometimes relates that he once was obliged to come to Chicago for paper. Getting as far as Michigan City, he made the journey to Chicago, after innumerable delays, on an Indian pony, and returned the same way, there being no other conveyance. The future head of "The Times" establish- ment, jogging into town on his pony, scarcely foresaw either his own futui'c or that of the city with which he is identified. He was engaged with the newspaper a year, and then purchased a drug store, which venture, like his initiatory one, was a failure. The Democrats of Mishawaka, about this time, started the "Tocsin." Mr. Storey went over, edited the paper a year and a half, and then removed to Jackson, Michigan. At this point, with ikj very definite purpose, save discipline, in view, he applied himself ibr two years to reading law, and then started the "Jackson Patriot," which succeeded in displacing the Democratic newspaper already in existence. At the end of a year and a half, he was made Postmaster by Polk, and held the position until turned out by Taylor. He disposed of the "Patriot" upon becoming Postmaster; and when he left tlie office, in 1848, he entered again into a drug store, and added to it a stock of groceries, books and stationery. 136 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. During his residence in Jackson, lie mingled constantly in politics, and soon attained a reputation which extended throughout the State. In 1 850, he was elected to the Constitutional Convention, over Blair, by a heavy majority, despite a formidable coalition which was formed to defeat him. He obtained a powerful influence in the shaping of conventions; acted as Inspector of the State Prison; and was in a fair way to have secured any official position which he desired. Nevertheless, his editorial aspirations had not left him ; and when an opportunity offered to secure an interest in the "Detroit Free Press" by using his influence in a certain direction, he availed himself of it, and soon after found himself the owner of a one-sixth interest in that newspaper. He at once gave up his mer- cantile pursuits, and removed to Detroit. This was in 1853. The "Free Press," at that time, was devoid of circulation, influence, management or ability. It was a pecuniary loss to its owners, and no particular credit to the party which it rejDresented. It will best illustrate Mr. Storej'^s success to state concisely that, entering upon the "Free Press" as one-half owner, he soon became sole proprietor; that he rescued the journal from the helplessness into which it had fallen; made it respected and influential; and that, at the end of eight years, he had not only paid for the entire concern, but had accumu- lated from its earnings some thirty thousand dollars. This brilliant success was not the result of accident or good fortune, simply, but of superior calculation, and, above all, of downright, arduous labor. For six years he performed all the editorial labor of the paper without any assistance; for two years only did he allow himself a single assistant. During these six years, no slave ever gave himself more completely to his labor than did the ambitious editor. He was invariably the first man to reach the office in the morning, and he never left till the next morning, when the " forms " were all locked, ready for the press. It was not an uncommon occurrence for him to lie down upon his table at four o'Uock in the morning, and at eight o'clock — four hours later — to be ready to resume the labors of the day. Such exertion deserved success, and it Avon it. But with this labor was combined a not less essential feature, in the shape of an admirable distribution and organization of his forces. He labored to make each department of his paper a machine so perfect in its structure that, while its own motion was unbroken and direct in its operation, it also geared into, and operated harmoniously with, each of the other departments. In WIMU'R F. STOKKY. 137 this way, he succeeded in producin<^ a inaximiiin of'efi'eet with u miniiuuiu of force. While doing all his editorial writing, and scissoring, and correspon- dence, he was vigilant and untiring in his superintendence of every effort connected with his enterprise. He watched and knew every detail of the business management; he originated the mechanical eflfects produced l)v gradations of types and headings; he was present at the "making-uj)," and ordered the disposition of every handful of "matter" as it went into the "forms." Not a "rule," or "dash," or letter could be misplaced without an instant detection and remedy of the error. Of the intellectual and political value Avhich he gave to the "Free Press," it is unnecessary to speak, further than to say that he rescued it from nonentity and made it the most powerful Democratic newspaper of" the West. He not only made the " Free Press " what it was, but he elevated himself from comparative poverty to a position of comfortable independence. In 1861, he had improved his paper all that could be borne by the extent and capabilities of the country and population among Avhom it was published. Like the Macedonian, he sighed for a new world to conquer. He felt himself capable of managing a larger business, or controlling a greater department. After much balancing between Cincinnati and Chicago, with a sagacity that time has abundantly justified, he determined upon selecting the latter as his new and more extended field, — the other world sighed for by the journalistic Alexander. The position of the "Chicago Times," in 1861, is well known. From the once influential organ of Stephen A. Douglas, it had deteriorated until its influence was at zero, and its circulation less than two thousand. AVhen, in 1861, Mr. Storey bought it, it was a newspaper in nothing but the name. It is but a little over six years since he assumed the ownership of it; and to-day it is, in news, enterprise, vigor and influence, one of the foremost newspapers of the continent. This success was not, however, accomplished without enormous labor, prodigious sacrifices and infinite difficulty. The work of resurrecting the "Times" was scarcely less a miraculous labor than raising the Lazarus from the dead who had laid in the grave until he stank. Among the legends of treasure-seekers, it is said tiiat, to find a buried fortune, it was necessary to first bury some silver, as a propitiation to the genius that guarded the hidden jewels. The sums which Mr. Storey used lo8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. to propitiate the buried fortunes of the "Times" were frightful. Not less than forty thousand dollars was thus invested before the propitiation was completed and the whereabouts of the buried coffers revealed. Once found, they amply repaid the propitiatory investment. The first three or four years of Mr. Storey's connection with the " Times," his life was a close repetition of his labors in Detroit. He went to work to bring order out of chaos; to introduce organization where there was simple crudity, and discipline where all was laxity and irrespon- sibility. During this period, he performed the duties of the editorial proper with a single assistant; but, at the same time, he gave minute attention to the smallest details of every department. In time, the effect of these labors became visible. Well-drilled corps took the place of the mob that formerly controlled the establishment. Each department became more and more perfect, until now, when it is self-operating. Gradually he increased his editorial assistants, and in proportion lightened himself of the drudgery of composition. At the present moment, his establishment is self-acting. Every depart- ment operates independently, and in beautiful harmony with the whole. The editor-in-chief has gradually intrusted more and more, until there is little left for him to do, save to observe and maintain an active supervision. Everything in his office has the regularity of clock-work. Each subor- dinate has his duties; each department its known labors; and each has been disciplined into a thorough competency to perform its precise effort, and to execute it well. These independent parts, forming a harmonious whole, are the results of an executive ability of a high order. They are the combination of mechanical exactness with intellectual force. AVhat this combination accomplishes may be understood by those who observe its direct effect — the "Chicago Times." These observations upon that journal are not made to bring into especial notice its excellencies, or otherwise, but solely to give prominence to the qualities of the subject of this sketch. As a tree is known by its fruits, so is an editor known by his newspaper. Like himself, it Avill be puny or vigorous, enterprising or its opposite, slovenly or exact, alive or moribund. One can read the editor in his newspaper, as he can discover bis own reflection in a mirror. An analysis of Mr. Storey's character is an operation attended with no sDiall difficulty. He possesses what a certain class of thinkers term egoism, WILBUR F. STOREY. 139 in its higher meanings. It is a word which applies more especially to self-poised men; those who think and work from themselves outwardly, instead of being impressed or governed in the reverse direction. Such a character afiects, and is but little affected by, what surrounds it. It is generally found in men who have a governing ability. Its eflfect is to make its possessor self-reliant. Such a one depends much upon himself, and little or none upon others. He may ask advice, but he seldom or never acts upon it. Such characters have usually a seeming of intense selfishness, but Avhat is mistaken for this quality is really self-dependence, and the peculiar conformation of a disposition 'pervaded with this egoism. Its effects are visible always in Mr. Storey. He is reticent; he com- munes with himself; he reflects, but rarely communicates. The tendencies of his thoughts and actions are inward, and not outward. He is not voluble in conversation; he has a species of timidity which affects him somewhat in his intercourse with others, and he never speaks in public. He retires, as it were, from the world within himself This disposition to centre upon himself, so to speak, is shown in the fiict that, although one of the most noted, he is one of the least known men in Chicago. Thousands of people speak of him every day in this city, and probably not a hundred know that the tall, grey man, seen every day upon the streets, is Mr. Storey. This egoism distinguishes his personal appearance. His eyes or his face rarely look outward. His grave features seem a mask to hide, and not a medium to reveal thought. Moviug along the street, he appears isolated, impenetrable. Such a character may seem to have no social qualities, no sentiment, no elasticity. And yet Mr. Storey has all these; but they are the exceptional and not the ruling phases of his life. He can smile as genially as other men; he can engage as enjoyingly in social relaxation; he can be munificent in his charity — but all these developments must possess the quality of being opportune. The occasion for each or all of them must be presented at the proper time. At the right moment he will be lavishly charitable; at the wrong moment, not. If he scowls at your approach, it is not because he dislikes you, but because the exact moment for being glad to see you has not come. An hour or a week later, he will smile as blandly as he before frowned savagely at your presence. In personal appearance, Mr. Storey is marked. Tall, erect, he moves and acts with deliberation. His abundant hair, once black as jet, is now 140 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. grey, not Avith age, but with long years of labor, planning, anxiety and thought. Seen in a crowd of men, he invariably attracts attention. He always dresses with scrupulous neatness, and usually with reference more to his own taste than the prevailing fashion. His forehead is high rather than broad, and his eyes, of dark hazel, are clear, penetrating, full, and of a superb brilliance. His hands and feet are small and shapely, and his carriage erect, deliberate and easy. As a journalist, Mr. Storey is a paragraphist, and not an essayist. His style, while finished, is distinguished more for force than classical polish. His thoughts arrange themselves slowly, and are always expressed in the fewest possible words. He never wearies, either with a long article or a long sentence. He has a fashion in his composition like the fugue movement in music. The word representing the prominent idea of a sentence Avill be repeated again and again, in a style which, in other men, would be tautology, but Avhich, in his case, has the effect of the repeated blows of a pile-driver upon the same stick of timber. It is a sort of reiterative process, whereby a desired effect is constantly increased, intensified, doubled and redoubled. Men upon whom these iterative blows have fallen can best bear witness to their terrible effect. Mr. Storey's life and character will bear a much more detailed history and analysis than are presented in this paper. The limit assigned to these sketches prevents the elaboration of a subject than which few more curious or interesting, or worthy the labor, can be found among the noted men of this country and age. There are many lessons that might be drawn from his labors, but space forbids, likewise, any extended indul- gence in this direction. The most that will be said, in this place, with reference to this point, is to repeat the trite old maxim — Labor omnia vincU. WILLIAM W. EYERTS. The father of William W. Everts was Samuel Everts, who was a man of influence in his community, highly esteemed for his Christian manliness of character, and widely known for his zeal in the service of the church. The mother "remains unto this day," bowed under a great burthen of years, but radiant with the light of life, and crowned with the bene- dictions of the many she has turned to righteousness. Left by a sudden dispensation of Providence with a large family of children, and with nothing but a resolute will and a devout faith to rely upon for their support and hers, she fought out the battle with a heroism which, under such circumstances, we are not surprised to find was transmitted to, and repeated by, the subject of this narrative. Of such parents v/as William W. Everts born, in the town of Granville, Washington County, New York, on the 13th of March, 1814. He was twelve years of age at the time of his father's sudden death. On account of that event, the family returned to their old place of residence, at Clarkson, Monroe County, New York, and several of the boys Avent forth to their labor of life. William was one of them, and one of the youngest of them. He fed his brains with his hands, working hard all summer on the farm, and studying hard all winter at the district school, until his sixteenth year. By that time he had made a public profession of religion, become a member of the Baptist Cinu'ch at Sweden, and now ardently "desired the office of a Bishop." But his ambition wjis under the restraint of a consecrated conscience. He resolved that the world should know that he had been in it, after he liad k-ft it, but he would be in it for its good more than for his own. His voice should be heard, but heard in 142 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. the highest interests of his race; he would make himself a power, but a power for the cause of Christ and His church. He felt a "call to the ministry," but it was a call founded as much in natural reason as in supernatural impulse. The love of man impelled him, and the love of God enticed him. His fitness for the work guaranteed his success in it; his success in it proved his fitness for it. This M'as his " call," and this his claim to the "succession." William was a lithe, tough, wiry and high-nerved boy, of decided promise, when, by the advice of his pastor. Dr. Henry Davis, and with the approbation of his church, he set out for the Hamilton (New York) Literary and Theological Institution, with ten dollars in his pocket-book, but with much more than the ordinary amount of sense in his head. Arriving at his place of destination, he had three dollars left with which to meet the expenses of a "liberal education." A forbidding future was before him, but the boy was endowed for it, and ready for it. He was too young, perhaps, to fully realize the future, or to completely comprehend the present. But he plainly foresaw that he was not to be carried to his goal on "flowery beds of ease," and that his reaching it would depend upon his own "pluck" and endurance. And both of these he had. No boy in school had them in greater measure, or used them to better purpose. He could have been seen gathering ashes from the students' stoves during the small hours of the morning, and selling them during the day. On Saturdays he felled trees, carted them to the college and cut them into firewood, which he sold to the students. By such means he obtained money with which to meet his tuition bills. The brave behavior of the boy attracted the attention of a gentleman in the neighborhood, Avho gave him a home during his vacations, and in other ways manifested his friendship). Years rolled on, and "William began to preach. He lived off the Gospel by preaching it, while others lived off it by hearing it from his lips. He learned to preach by preaching. Before graduation he was ordained, and became pastor of the Earlville Baptist Church, in the Chenango Valley, New York, six miles from the college. He was graduated at the Hamilton Institution, now known as Madison University, in August, 1839, and on the 10th of October, of the same year, was married to a daughter of the late Rev. C. P. Wycoff. Two daughters of this excellent and efficient lady are now married and living in Chicago. One is the wife of Rev. G. L. Wrenn, and the other is the wife of F. P. Hawkins, Esq. Immediately after the marriage, he WIIJ.IAM AV. KVEKTS. 143 removed to New York city, where he liad been called to the pastoral charge of the Tabernacle Baptist Church, at that linic a new enterprise, of which he was the first pastor, and which was officered liy some of the oldest and foremost Baptist laymen of the metropolis, amono- M-honi Mas the late William Colgate, Esq., a man who died at a good old ago, as rich in faith and the works of faith as in i-eal estate and bank deposits. But this early forward and upward step was not taken by the young clergyman without hesitation and trepidation. He had been but a few months a pastor; he was just from college; he had no "old material;" he was without resources, save those he acquired from his text-books; but he was the same mettlesome and resolute spirit that worked his passage through college by chopping wood and trading in ashes; and Avhen the faculty, the church, and the leaders in Israel met his misgivings with persistent entreaties, he yielded, and went to the metrojiolis, where his public service may be said to have begun. And here that enthusiastic devotion to his Master's work which has ever since distinguished him soon made itself widely known and deeply felt. His jJi'eaching drew congre- gations respectable both in numbers and intelligence, while his zeal was of that alert and ardent sort that invariably wins its way among the workers in a common cause, and fascinates those whom it wins. During this pastorate, five hundred persons were added to the churcli. The young pastor was highly favored of Providence, and much esteemed, for his works' sake, as well as for his -own sake, by his fellow helpers in the Gospel. At the end of three years, the church extension spirit, of which he is a remarkable example, began to bear fruit in the planting of a new Baptist vine in the metropolitan vineyard. By his advice, a church edifice at St. John's Park was purchased of another denomination, and through his exertions the money was raised to pay for it. Thither he led a little band at their own solicitation, in 1842, and there he "set up a standard for the people" again, working with unremit- ting industry, unflagging zeal and undaunted bravery, for eight years, in the ministry of the Laight Street Baptist Church. The colony of seventy became a church of four hundred, and as to congregation, the little one became a thousand. But the spirit was too willing for the flesh. The latter gave way under the exactions of the former. In addition to the onerous duties and prodigious responsibilities inseparable from the pastoral office, Mr. Everts was, hand, and heart, and head, in various enterprises of a denominational 144 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. character, as well as in those where Christians of different denominations unite in the service of the one Holy Catholic Church to which they all belong. It was during this pastorate that he prepared and printed " The Pastor's Hand-Book," "The Scripture School Eeader," and "The Life and Thoughts of Foster/' with whose writings he early became enamored. In conjunction, also, with the Rev. Professor G. W. Anderson, the Rev. Dr. Hague, now of Boston, and the late Rev. Dr. J. W. Alexander, he published "Tracts for Cities," three of which were written by himself, to wit: "The Social Position and Influence of Cities," "The Temptatious of City Life," and "The Theatre." These tracts, together with those written by the other eminent divines above named, have had a large circidatiou, and have been the means of awakening the attention of many young men to the important matters of Avhich they treat Avitli so much admonitory pungency and wise counsel. They were afterwards published in a book, with the title of " Words in Earnest." Under this burthen of mental toil, even his remarkably vigorous physical constitution came down, and in the anxious estimation of devoted friends had tumbled into ruins. While all would applaud the zeal of the young pastor, some would reproach his deficiency in discretion. If, as a wise master-builder, he had laid the foundation for another to build upon, it was feared that he had broken up the foundation upon which he should have built a life of physical vigor and intellectual usefulness. Shattered and dispirited in the midst of his youth, he accepted the leave of absence tendoi'ed by his church, and spent the greater part of a year in Europe, in pursuit of the health he had thus early lost. The pursuit was tolerably successful. He returned in June, 1849, and, wisely declining to take up where he had left oif in the great city, he began anew, in the quiet country town of Wheatland, Western New York. But you cannot bind the unicorn in the furrow, nor restrain such a man as this with the impression that there is "nothing to do." The work is in the man, whether in his field or not. No sooner was he made overseei' of the village church than his heart expanded and took in all the villages and their churches, or, rather, their want of churches, for miles around. He saw their destitution, and mourned over it. He went among them, preaching and raising up Sunday schools to carry forward the good cause. His church -extension spirit was contagious. Good men caught it and rich men acted on it. By dint of much pertinacious battling with ignorance and apathy, he succeeded in AVILLIAM W. EVERTS. 145 the course of about two years, in erecting three beautiful village chapels, and dismissing a colony to each of them. Early in 1853, believing that his health would now warrant his return to a city parish and a larger sphere of service, he accepted the unanimous call of the Walnut Street Baptist Church, of Louisville, Kentuckv. Wheatland mourned. The whole comnuinity, containing persons of all denominations, among Avhom were several Episcopalians of influence and Mcalth, joined in expressions of condolence for themselves and confidence in the departing pastor. He had wrought a good work among them and upon them. They sorrowed that they should see his face no more. His year of travel, and two years in the country parish, had, to a great degree, repaired his disordered nerves, and gave him hopeful antici- pations for the future. His seven years in Louisville, as the reader will not now be surprised to learn, were years of toil the most fruitful, and of success the most satisfactory in the way of church extension, and of adding to the church such as should be saved. The imposing brick edifice which now stands on the corner of Walnut and Fourth streets was, at Dr. Everts' coming, in the process of erection, the congregation meeting in the lecture-room. Under his leadership, the enterprise Ava.s rapidly pushed forward to com- pletion; but when completed there was a debt upon it of twenty thousand dollars. A few months of public appeal and private persuasion from this man, who has been called, in jocose parlance, "the Prince of Beggars," and the sum was raised, as much to the amazement as the admiration of the church. Several church enterprises of Louisville and other towns in Kentucky, now in prosperous circumstances, were commenced at the suggestion and under the generalship of Dr. Everts; and during his pastorate in that State, he published four works — "The Bible Prayer Book," "Childhood: its Promise and Training," "Voyage of Life," and " The Sanctuary " — all works of conceded value and recognized ability. Li August, 1859, he accepted the call of the First Baptist Church of Chicago, the pastoral charge of which he still holds. His coming to Chicago began another epoch in his history, and in the history of the denomination in whose service he is so distinguished for efficiency in leadership. A relation in detail of his labors here would be highly gratifying to all who have an interest in the capacity of man for great achievements. We have space only for the merest outline of such a narrative. 146 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Dr. Everts was not on the ground long before comprehending the necessities and opportunities of the situation, and with all his enthusiasm he threw himself into the work before him. The First Baptist Church soon felt in all her departments of labor a new and unprecedented impulse. The Baptist denomination throughout the city and the Northwest gradually shared in this impulse. The forward march of the First Church was rapidly imitated in every direction. Baptist churches, far and near, caught the spirit of progress that animated those of Chicago. Under the generalship of Dr. Everts, the First Baptist Church removed to the more eligible location they now occupy on Wabash avenue, and erected a church entirely of Illinois marble, at a cost of about $200^000, capable of seating fifteen hundred persons — an edifice which, in imposing exterior and beauty of interior, is probably not surpassed in any Protestant denomination of this country. Nor should we neglect to mention that out of this movement grew the Second Baptist Church, which received the valuable and substantial materials of the old edifice gratis. These were removed to the West Side, and that chur(;h organization is now one of the most flourishing and efficient in the Northwesi. In the midst of his numerous church. Sabbath school and missionary enterprises, Dr. Everts found time, and solicited money, to spend in the interest of the University of Chicago. He used his marvelous faculty for "raising money" with great effijct, being foremost in a movement which added to the property of the University about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He has also taken a zealous interest and an efficient part in the founding of a Baptist Theological Seminary in this city, the first subscription to its endowment being obtained by him. Many striking anecdotes might be related, illustrative of his success in starting new churches and lifting old ones out of the slough of despond into which their debts have plunged them. A Baptist church would hardly be content, now, without sending for Dr. Everts to " get us out of debt." But Dr. Everts does not ask others to do what he is not willing to do himself. He puts his name upon the subscription paper before handing it to others. He practices the liberality which he enjoins ujx)n his church. During the late war, he was vigilant and valiant on the side of the National Government in its struggle with the rebellious slaveholders ; and, before the people seemed fully ripe for it, he was author of an argument for universal emancipation, in a petition which was sent to the President, WILLIAM Vr. EVERTS. 147 signed by a large number of Christians, and soon followed by the first proclamation. He believed in the policy of liberty, and offered no apology when he stood up in its defense. The wife of Dr. Everts died, after a brief illness, on the 11th of October, 1866, after having, by her labors in philanthropy and religion, attracted the attention of the community — drawn the admiration of the humane, and won the affection of the city's multitude that are ready to perish. AVords of tender sorrow were spoken over her coffin by clergy- men of several denominations, and the record of her sacrificial life has been given to the world. Chastened, and yet not crushed, cast down, and yet not destroyed by this great bereavement, Dr. Everts still holds on his course of unremitting fidelity to his church and race. His rare powers of persuasion, and his fertile imagination, render him an effective preacher; his large adminis- trative faculty gives him his success as a leader, while his pertinacious tenacity makes him irresistible in any sphere of enterprise or endeavor to which he may set his hand, and upon which he may set his heart. JAMES H. WOODWORTH. Somewhat over six feet in actual height, and yet so bowed as to partly lose the effect of his extra inches, with a well-built frame, a face strongly individualized and large-featured, square brow, eyes deeply set, straight but prominent nose, a sagacious, kindly mouth — so stands before us our ex-Mayor and Congressman, James H. Woodworth. He is a person you would turn to look at with interest, and towards whom you would warm with instinctive confidence. He has a quiet air of gentle breeding that irresistibly reminds one of the class now almost extinct — "gentlemen of the old school," whose education was so nicely compounded of matter and manner as to equally remove them from careless "brusquerie" or silly elegance. Eleazer "Woodworth and Catherine Rock were of English descent, and natives of Connecticut. Soon after marriage, they emigrated to Washington County, New York, where they resided for many years. Among the ten children born there to them, was the subject of our present sketch, on the 4th of December, 1804, in the town of Greenwich. His early memories are those of simple rural life. The first recollection is of the child of four, knee-deep in the meadow grass, watching the mowers, when suddenly the old dog, who always followed him, seized a large snake in dangerous proximity, and shook it with such force that the flying ends of the reptile repeatedly struck the face of the terrified child, and impressed the moment as the first in memory. He remembers well the time, though but six years of age, when, on returning home from pasture, he missed his little brother from the bridge, and barely succeeded in drawing him out of the water. Afterwards, recollections come thicker — of meeting'-house and school-house; going 150 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. over to the mill; working in the field; the country frolics, and the wholesome toil that nourished natural vigor to hardness, and stored his mind with many sweet and simple memories. His father dying Avhile James was but a very young child, the care of farm and family devolved upon the mother and an older brother. He served this brother until twenty-one years of age, acquiring, meanwhile, the limited education of the district school, which, however, ceased at the age of fourteen, which was all the schooling obtained, except some ten weeks spent at an academy in later years. During this time, the boy was busily shaping his character for life-work. The aged mother often spoke of James as a dutiful boy. Among the family his honesty was a proverb, and he was never known to tell a lie. Strictly conscientious in the discharge of his duties, he rendered his brother faithful and unquestionable service, AMiilc quite young, he gained a reputation for sagacity and sound judgment, and was often consulted by liis mother and the elder members of the family. But while he gained their admiration by these sterling qualities, his unselfishness won their love. Always careful not to infringe upon the- rights of others, and without ostentation, he seemed to live by the higher law of justice. James left Washington County when nineteen years of age, as his brother at tiiat time exchanged the homestead farm for cue in Onondaga County, in what was called the "Indian Reservation," and there the young man spent the last two years of his minority in clearing a heavily timbered tract, and erecting the necessary buildings for family and farm use. But having reached his twenty-first year, he gave up farming as an occupation, and engaged as teacher in the district school for the winter term. At the close of this engagement he entered the office of his brother Robert, then a practicing jihysician in Fabius, with the intention of fitting himself for the practice of medicine. One year passed in study, during one-half of which he again had charge of the village school. At the expiration of this time he gave up both professions, and with a brother commenced mercantile life on a small scale. At this time he was first sought for public service, and made Inspector of Common Schools, to the general satisfaction of the community. In the spring of 1827, the brothers shipped their goods to Erie County, Pennsylvania, and for six years carried on business in the little town of Springfield. During four years of this time James held the office of Justice of the Peace, which in his hands became a pacific business, as he used his official as well as social JAMES IT. WODDM'OnTII. 151 influence in advising and promoting the private settlement of difficulties, jind warning from recourse to law. Meanwhile, the Western fever raged high, and infected the young blood of the populous States. The stories told around the winter hearth, and to the gaping circle at their summer nooning, opened up to them visions of future possibilities as glittering as did ever genii's lamp in the diamond cave, and thrilled these stalwart fellows with a sense of their power. In the summer of 1833, Mr. Woodworth came to Illinois and selected Chicago as his home, then containing but five hundred inhabitants, includ- ing whites, Indians and half-breeds. In connection with one Hugh Gibson, and afterwards with a brother, he carried on the dry goods business until 1840. In the autumn of 1839, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the State Senate, from the Chicago district, then comprising some five or six counties. During this session Mr. Woodworth drew up and offered the extended provision of the canal bill, which authorized the issue of '' canal scrip." In the latter part of 1840, Mr. Wood worth left Chicago for a while, to superintend his interest in flouring and saw-mills in La Salle County. After some six months of successful operation, however, they were destroyed by fire, involving Mr. Woodworth in a loss of $25,000, the payment of a partial insurance being evaded by the insurance company, on account of a technical flaw in the policy. In 1842, Mr. Woodworth was again called into public service, to represent La Salle, Grundy and Kendall Counties in the State Legislature. During the session succeeding this election the bill was passed which pro- vided for the completion of the canal. Mr. Woodworth shared the deep interest which all the ])eople in the northern part of the State felt in the passage of this bill, and spared no personal effort or sacrifice to make it a success. He measured liis duty by the strictest fidelity to the interests of his constituents, compatible Avith honor and right. Therefore, when a petition was presented in the House, signed by twenty-seven women of Bureau County, praying for a modification or repeal of the Black Laws, Mr. Woodworth, knowing the hostility of by fir the greater part of the House against anything of an abolition character, and rightly judging that tlie mere expression of personal feeling without any practical result was, in his position, to be subordinated to the conciliation of those whose votes were necessary to carry through the canal bill then pending, cast his vote with the large majority who favored an indefinite postponement of the 152 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. consideration of this petition. Some twelve years later, the fact of this vote was urged by opponents to stir up doubts as to his political integrity, but such insinuations and assertions were proven to be both Imseless and flimsy. In 1842, Mr. Wood worth married Miss Boothe, of Onondaga County, New York, Avhose graceful courtesies and tender charities made her at once conspicuous in the new community to which her husband brought her, and whose name is now associated with all that is noble in philanthropy and Christian enterprise. Having purchased the hydraulic flouring mill, to which were attached the pumps and reservoirs of the Chicago Hydraulic Company, Mr. Woodworth was engaged for ten years in supplying Chicago with bread and water, in a literal sense, proving himself a main support of the com- munity. But his ability in public affairs was too well known to suffer him to remain unemployed for the public good, and he was elected member of the Common Council, in which he served the city for three years. At the end of that time, in response to a call from the most influ- ential citizens, he became a candidate for the Mayoralty, and, after a spirited contest, was elected by a large majority. At the expiration of his first term of office, he was re-elected without any organized opposition. In his letter accepting his second nomination, he stipulated for a salary of $1,000, as some compensation for services now becoming onerous in the rapidly growing city, although, until that time, the honorable office had been considered its own exceeding great reward, there being no provision in the City Charter for such salary. In the five years of his connection with the city government, very important measures were adopted, bearing upon the future growth and ])rosperity of the city, and, to secure such enactments, Mr. Woodworth gave time and influence without stint. Prominent among the causes he advocated and Avorked for, was the vacation of certain parts of ^^'^ater street and the establishment of wharfina; lots for the transfer and storage of the large amounts of grain seeking the Chicago market. Although now the advantage is obvious at a glance, yet the consideration of this question occupied over a hundred sessions of the Common Council, and necessitated numberless interviews with individual property owners, and much eloquent persuasion, to win their consent. In 1853, Mr. Woodworth was appointed member of the Board of Water Commissioners, and for two years gave much time, in connection with his colleagues, toward the perfection of the system of water supply. JA:\rES II. AVOODWORTII. i:)'.] In the autumn of 1854, a People's Convention of delegates iVoiti all the counties in tlie Chicago Congressional District mot at Aurora, and placed James H. "Woodwortli in nomination as a Republican candidate for Congress. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and the repeal of the Compromise act had disturbed old party lines, and wrought up to intense excitement the people of the United States. As a consequence of these party sub-divisions, Mr. Woodworth's nomination was simultaneous with that of three other , candidates for this district — competitors for the same votes. There was an attempt to unite upon one man, but it was found to be impracticable, and the campaign commenced in good earnest. The necessary canvassing of the district Mr. Woodwortli took up with extreme reluctance. Bred a farmer, and all of his life immersed in active business, without literary acquirements, and unaccustomed to public speaking, it was Avith many doubts of success that he took the stump. But the maiden eifort at Aurora was received with such approbation that he continued the canvass with more ease, and within the month spoke some twenty-five times, in as many different localities. Everywhere the friends of "free speech, free soil and free men/' met him with enthusiasm, and he was triumphantly elected by a large majority of votes over all the oj)posing candidates. In December, 1855, he took his seat in Congress, and bore a part in the contest for Speaker of the House, which lasted nine weeks, resulting in the election of JST. P. Banks. It was a long session, during a great part of which much excitement and bitter feeling prevailed, growing out of the question of slavery, which culminated in the barbarous attack of Brooks upon Sumner, and the consequent agitation. At this time Mr. Woodwortli procured an additional appropriation of $65,000 towards the fund for the erection of the Custom House and Post Office building, making, with a previous appropriation, $155,000. This he knew to be inadequate to the Avants of such a city as Chicago, but accepted it as the greatest sum he could gain at that time. After consultation with Senator Douglas, they concluded to use their influence in delaying the work until another session of Congress would enable them to bring up the matter again. After Congress had assembled, the next winter, a movement was made to obtain the desired appropriation. jNIossrs. Woodw\'as sent immediately to the district school, and kept there, " from year's end to year's end," until he was fourteen years of age. The seven years thus spent in the district school were of incalculable value to him. It was during these years at the plain pine desk, in the village school-room, tiiat there grew with his growth, and strengthened with liis strength, that faculty of pertinacity in industry which has since secured him a place among the "leading men of Chicago." He made the most of himself and of his time. He was an industrious and patient pupil, faithful to liis books, and indefatigable in the use of them. He early evinced a deter- mination to make liiinself respectable in literary pursuits. As in the case of many another boy who is "father to the man" of eminence in 186 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. usefulness, he was left to drift into his life-time occupation under a vague sense of preference for it, instead of being enticed into it by promises of immediate reward, or persuaded into it by assurances of friendly co-operation. There are men of mark in the professions who were once boys, half in a dream and half devoted to the service of a grocer or a druggist. To one of the latter, young Shuman hired himself out at fourteen years of age, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. But this was merely drifting. The experiment failed. Clerking Avas not to his liking, nor Avas the apothecary trade to his taste. He probably could have excelled in either, but he was satisfied with neither. He was dissatisfied with both. His fingers itched for the pen; his eyes caught fire at the sight of a printing press. He dreamed of journalism. He Avould rather Avork harder and go higher. A clerkship is a slow ship. She carries none to fame. Trade may bring wealth, but not culture; social, but not intellectual distinction. The printing press is at once a synonym and a symbol of power. As a lever for men to use, and to lift a race of men Avith, it has passed into a proverb. Some of the foremost among our statesmen and literati have risen from, as Avell as by means of, the printing jjress. Some of those Avho at this moment are eminent for settiu"- the distracted nation to rig-hts Avere once just as skillful in setting type. There are printers in the Senate, on the bench, and at the bar. Of the influential journalists, there are few Avho cannot "set up" their own "matter," and put it in print Avith as mueli skill as they put it upon paper. Upon quitting the apothecary shop, he entered the office of the "Union and Sentinel," in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There he Avorked faithfully as an apprentice until, in 1846, he Avent to Auburn, New York, Avith his employer, Avho took the ownership and editorship of the " Daily AdA'er- tiser," then the home organ of the Hon. William H. Seward, Avho Avas at that time rapidly rising to the illustrious eminence Avhich he soon afterAA^ards attained. While endoAved by nature Avith a rare pertinacity of purpose, he Avas no less gifted with penetration of mind. He had the faculty of acquisition. He learned rapidly and thoroughly Avhatever he set himself to acquire. He AA^as not long in making himself master of the art of printing, and soon took an innocent satisfaction in competing Avitli the most rapid type- setters, and comparing himself with the most expert of them. At eighteen years of age, Avhile yet in the office of the " Advertiser," ANDREW SHUMAN. 187 he undertook the conduct of a small weekly paper which he called "The Auburnian." This he edited, "set up/' "made up," and circulated, Mhile performing his share of the toil in the publication of the " Advertiser." This Avas too much for him, and before the "Auburnian" had lived a year it died. At nineteen, Andrew became a partner of Mr. Thurlow A\". IJrowii, in the publication of the " Cayuga Chief," at Auburn. But he Avas not content. He had a "little learning." He Avanted more. He had taken but a tantalizing sip at the fountain of knowledge; he thirsted for a satisfying draught. He resolved to go back to his books. To do this, young Shuman laid aside the pen of the associate editor, and, in 1850, entered upon a course of preparation for college in the "Institute," at Clinton, Xew York, and entered the freshman class of Hamilton College in 1851. Here he found that whoever might be his " chum," poverty was to be his most intimate companic^i. He had no money with which to pay his tuition fees l)ut that which he earned, and earn it he did, during the college vacations, in the printing-office. He battled poverty with one hand and wooed knowledge with the other. He studied hard and had his reward. Twice he secured the first prize for English composition, once when he was a freshman, and once when he Avas a sophomore. The subject of the former essay AA^as " The Relations of Elocution to Oratory ;" that of the latter AA'as, " The Comparative AdA'antages of the Pulpit and the Bar as a Field for Effective Oratory." These essays gave unmistakable evidence of a mind fertile in the resources necessary to useful Avriting, and of a vocabulary that insures an enter- taining style. The readiness Avith Avhich he Avrote Avas no less noticeable. He AATote Avith facility as well as Avith felicity, and had the satisfaction of knoAviug that he had now acquired tAVO of the most important elements of editorial poAver. He Avas, in other respects, a student of respectable standing in his class, and became especially proficient in the classics and the natural sciences. He had reached his junior year Avhen he AA'as urged by the political friends of GoA'^ernor Seward to take the editorial management of the "Syracuse (JST. Y.) Daily Journal." The call Avas gratifying to his ambi- tion, as AA'ell as complimentary to his calibre. He had a strong desire to complete his college course, but here Avas a door opened out of harassing poverty into a comfortable livelihood and honorable position. He was doubtful of maintaining himself in college to finish the ibur years' course 188 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. against such great financial odds, and was therefore more tempted than com})elled to accept the position tendered him. For three years and a half he edited, with skill and zeal, the " Syracuse Journal," when, in 1856, he was called to the post of assistant editor of the "Chicago Evening Journal." In 1861, Charles L. Wilson, Esq., the editor and proprietor, having been appointed Secretary of Legation to London, Mr. Shuman became managing editor of the " Journal," a position which he still holds, under Mr. Wilson, the responsible editor and j^ro- prietor, for which, as the reader is now prepared to acknoAvlcdge, he is admirably suited by nature, abundantly qualified by experience, and thoroughly well furnished by education. He has an equilibrium of tem])cr which the interminable number and inquisitive disposition of his visitors cannot discompose. He greets, wdth kindly forbearance of manner, presuming ignorance and insipid affectation. Nothing but downright imposition ruffles his marvelously placid temperament. He has a heart quickly touched by a story of calamity or of injustice, and nothing gives him so much pain as to find that in the complicacy and multiplicity of his duties he has injured one of his fellow beings. And he is as swift to repair an injury as he is slow to inflict one. He never declines the hand of reconciliation, and is always the first to extend it wdien he finds himself in the wrong. He is a rare worker as well as a skillful workman. He has no vote for idleness, and no patience with the thriftless and shiftless. A narrative in detail of the work lie has done would amaze those who sec him now for the first time, as vigorous and elastic in body as he was when in his teens. As there is nothing about a newspaper oififice which he cannot do, so there is nothing about it which he has not done since he came to Chicago. He has been reporter, local editor, news editor, writing editor, and managing editor, by turns, on the same day and night. Few editorial writers have written more, or more meritoriously, than Mr. Shuman. Besides the writing required of him by his position, he has at various times contributed to other periodicals, and has wautten several dramas which have drawn full houses, without actor or audience having a suspicion of their authorship. During the great Northwestern Sanitary Fair, in 1865, he conducted its daily organ, "The Voice of the Fair," and received a vote of thanks for the tasteful and spirited manner with which he edited this valuable little sheet. He accompanied Abraham Lincoln in his famous joint debate with the ANDREW 8HUMAN. 189 late Senator Douglas, iii this State, in 1858, writing up tlic arguments and incidents of that memorable contest for the "Journal," and became an inti- mate personal, as well as an efficient political, iViciid (»!' the late President. Mr. Shuman handles a pen of as much versatility as vigor. He can touch the keys of humor, pathos, satire and sentiment, with equal eifectiveness. He can write on politics, literature, commerce, or social themes equally well. So that his qualities its a writer, combined with his qualifications for the manoeuvrement of men and the management of business, render him one of the most efficient of managing editors. Those under his direction, as well as those associated with him in control, are always ready to bear tribute to his honesty and urbanity. He is careful to do unto others as he would have others do unto him. It is not surprising, therefore, that his friends are many and his enemies few — if indeed there are any who would own to being his personal foes. In public speaking, he has done but little, a fact to be attributed as nmch to diffidence as to any other cause. With his " large language," as the phrenologists call it, and quick wit, he could undoubtedly have reached excellence ou the stump or the rostrum. In 1863, he made a public address before the "Union Club" of Chicago, in advocacy of Mr. Lincoln's re-nomination and re-election to the Presidency, which was published by request of the meeting. He delivered a lecture before one of the Chicago Commercial Colleges, in 1858, on "Newspaper Life," and an address before a ladies' seminary, at Evanston, on "After-College Life," which comprise about all he has s[)oken in public. In 1863, Mr. Shuman's friends in the South District of Chicago brought forward his name as a candidate for the State Legislature, but the " country towns " made good their claim to the candidate, and Mr. Shuman was defeated, which he did not regret, as he had no desire for a post which has been not more satirically than sensibly described as one admirably adapted to setting off the obscurity of its occupant. In 1864, he was appointed, by the Governor of Illinois, one of the Commissioners of the State Penitentiary, a suitable recognition t)f his reputation for ripe judgment, good sense, and executive capacity. The committee appointed by the late Legislature for the investigation of the Penitentiary affairs reported that they never were more satisfactorily managed. At Mr. Shuman's suggestion, and under his direction, a bill was passed by the Legislature, called the " Warden's IJiil," designed Ibr the improvement of the discipline and government of the prison. This 190 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. bill ^yas, however, superseded by a more general law, passed at the extra session of the Legislature in June, 1867, when the Penitentiary was placed under State management, and ]Mr. Shuman was re-appointed Commissioner under the new ^lan, to hold his office until 1869. In 1855, he was married to Lucy B. Dunlap, daughter of Joseph Dunlap, Esq., of Ovid, New York — a lady whose equable good nature, sweet patience, simple tastes^ and tasteful simplicity have made her a wife and mother Avhose price is above rubies, a.s mcU as a woman of choice value in society and the church. His residence is at Evanston, where, .with his wife and daughter Anna, aged eleven years, he enjoys all the pleasures of domestic retirement and a peaceful, sunny home. And here w^e leave — for in no other place upon earth would he prefer to be left — the subject of this biographical sketch, heartily hoping and devoutly- praying that Providence may temper the storms of the sky to the beautiful home which is at once a monument and a reward of patient continuance in Avell-doing, hard toiling, and sober living. ELLIS SYLYESTEll CHESBllOUGH. While the world is filled with admiration over the tunnel undii- Lake Michigan, we set ourself to the task of giving some account of the man who originated and completed this renowned achievement. We are not surprised to learn that there is some Plymouth Eoek in his composition, nor are we slow to see that that illustrious portion of the earth's surface was never put to better use than when it was infused into the blood of this distinguished engineer, since he makes us believe by what he does rather than by what he says. Deeds, not creeds, have been the fruit of his life. His ancestors on his father's side landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1630. The two maternal streams of pedigree rose in Germany and Wales, and came together in Pennsylvania. The father's name was Isaac M. Chesbrough, a native of North Adams, JNIassachusetts ; the mother's, before her marriage, Phrania Jones, who, as well as her son, Sylvester, by which name his parents called him, was born in the county of Baltimore, State of Maryland. Both of the grandfathers and the father of our subject were men of steadfast religious conviction. His father was a farmer, and his progenitors were farmers for several generations. E. S. Chrsbrgugh was born on the 6th of July, 1813, not long after which event the father abandoned the favorite occupation of his ancestors and tried his hand at trade. For thirty years he tried other branches of business, at first with indifferent success. It was one of these failures in business which seriously affected, by abruptly arresting, the schooling of Sylvester, when he was only nine years of age. The father had planned broadly and devised liberally for 192 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the son's education, of Avhich he knew the worth and appreciated the consequence. But his plans were thwarted and his resolution broken by the loss of the means with which he expected to carry them out. And the boy was turned from books to toil, thus early in life. He was a boy of quick understanding and always well up in his class. But Avhat he learned was sifted in among laborious duties. Bread was put in the balance against books, duties against studies, and, finally, the school-room was exchanged for the counting-room. "What the boy learned afterward, he acquired without a regular teacher. But learn he did, con- stantly and increasingly. Fi-om nine to fifteen years of age his duties were for the most part arduous and confining. During this time he wont to school but about one year. His parents needed his earnings as nnich as he needed his schooling. He spent some time in the service of two mercantile houses in the city of Baltimore. He was now fifteen, and his feet touched the path that was to lead him up to lame. "Nothing walks with aimless feet." The father became one of a company of engineers employed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, and through his influence the son was admitted to a similar comjiany, who we 2 making surveys in and about the city of Baltimore, in May, 1828, under the command of Lieutenant Joshua Barney. Most of the engineers employed by this railroad company were officers of the United States Army, and graduates of West P(Mnt, Here lie Avent to school ugain, and a grand school it was for him. The trained enguicers of the company saw in the youth an appetite for knowledge which they were pleased to gratify, and a disposition to master their science, to which they willingly gave every facility and advantage necessary for success. The boy saw his opportunity and greeted it as the dawn of a new day to him. And so it was. It ojDcned up a great and inviting field for him. It lifted his vision. It gave an aim to his life. Every opportunity for the study and practice of his now beloved profession was afforded him. He kept his eyes and ears open, and his mind on the alert. Such was his application to both the theory and practice of his vocation, that his progress was noticeable and his pro- ficiency a topic of commendatory remark. In 1830, he left the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company and entered that of the State of Pennsylvania, in the survey for the then projected Allegheny Portage Railroad, under his former chief, ELLIS SYLVESTER CHESBROIGH. 193 Colonel S. H. Long, to whom he was much indebted for instruction and promotion. In 1831, he joined the engineer corps of Captain, afterwards General, AVilliani Gibbs McNeill, at Paterson, New Jersey. In it he remained for eleven years, during which time he was employed in the duties of his avocation on the Paterson and Hudson Ri\er, the Boston and Providence, the Taunton Branch, and the Louisville, Charleston and Cincinnati Railroads. During the early portion of these eleven years he was imme- diately under the direction of Lieutenant George W. AVhistler, one of the most accomplished and able engineers in the United States, who afterwards entered the service of the Emperor of Russia as consulting engineer, and died at St. Petersburg, Mr. Chesbrough was married in 1837 to INIiss Elizabeth A. Freycr, of Baltimore, Maryland. For two yeai*s, ending in 1842, he superintended the construction of the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad, until it was completed to Columbia, South Carolina; after which he went to Providence, Rhode Ishuid, where his father then resided. Here he spent the autumn and winter in the workshops of the Stonington Railroad Company, learning the use of tools. Public improvements Avere still suifering the stagnation produced by the great financial crash of 1837. Workshops had gradually relapsed from the liveliest commotion into intermittent activity or utter silence. Thousands of artisans had been thrown out of employment. Skillful engineers had been forced to turn their steps away from their favorite pursuit, in search of other means of subsistence. Among these was Mr. Chesbrough, who purchased a fixrm adjoining that of his father, in Niagara County, New York, and became a tiller of the soil. But in this he failed. Notwithstanding the industry and economy which were now a second nature, the end of the year made a discouraging exhibit for the engineer-farmer — showing that Avhile a good engineer may be made out of a farmer, it is not so easy to make a good farmer out of an engineer. Thanks to this fact. What was loss to agriculture was gain to engineer- ing, for, in 1844, Mr. Chesbrough cheerfully laid aside the hoe and plough, and as clieerfully resumed tlie level and transit. The industrial interests of the country were now entering a new era of prosperity, and j)ublic improvements received a new impetus. For the next two years Mr. Chesbrough labored in the path of his 194 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. profession, mostly in Massachusetts, when, at the invitation of the Water Commissioners of Boston, he became their engineer and superintended the location and construction, and planned the structures along the line of the Cochituate aqueduct. Upon its completion he Mas elected Water Commissioner, and then City Engineer, by the City Council of Boston, being the first occupant of the latter office. In August, 1855, he received the appointment of Chief Engineer of the Board of Sewerage Commissioners of Chicago, which appointment was approved by the Common Council, during the administration of the Hon. L. D. Boone. In October, Mr Chesbrough, having closed up his duties in Boston, ^et about devising a system of sewerage for this city. The task was an exceedingly difficult one, but in December he presented a jjlan which was adopted by the Commissioners and recommended to the City Council. After much discussion, and considerable opposition, the action of tlie Commissioners was approved by the City Council, and the carrying out of the plan vigorously commenced in 1856. In December of this year, i\Ir. Chesbrough was sent by the Commissioners to Europe to obtain information relative to the drainage of cities. The results of his examina- tions were published by the Board, and have been considered a text-book on the subject ever since, throughout our country. In 1861, the Board of Public Works, just then established, chose Mr. Chesbrough their Chief Engineer. Two years later his title was changed to City Engineer. We come now to the great achievement of his life, the putting into the houses of this city the delicious water that bubbles up from the springs at the bottom of the Lake. The history and the consequences of this masterpiece of engineering the reader knows by heart, and if he be a citizen of Chicago he will rejoice at the stomach as Avell as at the heart, upon the recollection of this stupendous stride of sanitary enterprise. When Mr. Chesbrough reported the feasibility of the tunnel, the Board of Public Works, as well as public sentiment, were full of doubts and misgivings. The conservatives of science were incredulous ; the conserva- tives of finance raised a sullen growl, and railed about the taxes in the satiric squibs of Sidney Smith, while even the public-spirited and progressive were jocose at the expense of the "unprecedented bore." But the City Engineer had too firm a hold on public confidence, and too secure a place in the confidence of scientific circles, to be shaken from ELLIS SYLVESTER CIIESBROUGII. 105 his position by a tax-payer's growl or a nows[)apor jest. He silenced both by the success of his undertaking. That success has made him famous. Mr. Chcsbrough is as agreeable in private as he is useful in public life. Ho remembered his Creator in the days of his youth, and has ever since honored the profession he made of the religion that he embraced, and is now a valuable and esteemed member of the New England Congregational Cluirch of this city. He carries his honors modestly, and deports himself as all persons of good breeding and good sense do. His years are not yet so numerous as to preclude the hope of his getting still higher on the ladder of distinction, while the vigor of his body and the ingenuity of his mind warrant us in anticipating an increase of the laurels which are no more his than his country's. \ WALTER WEBB ALLrORT. Walter Webb Allport, son of John and Eve Allport, was l)orn in the town of Ijorain, Jefferson Connty, New York, June 10, 1824, His father was of English descent, and his mother's family were from Holland. When Walter was about ten years old, his father, who was a small farmer, removed with his family to Scriba, Oswego County, New York, where the son worked on the farm in summer, and hauled wood to Oswego in winter, a distance of four miles. At the age of fourteen, in consequence of his father losing what little property he had, he was thrown upon his own resources. With his mother's blessing, two silver half dollars in his pocket, and a small allowance of clothing, he departed from home, and traveled on foot forty miles to the town of Rodman, where he found employment with a farmer named Loomis. After a few months he left til is situation, and went to Watertown to learn a trade, at which he worked two years for his board and clothing. At tiic expiration of this time he engaged as a journeyman, alternately working and attending school. He had acquired, in early childhood, the rudiments of an education, being taught both at home and in the district school. But on leaving the parental roof, he was compelled to become, to a great extent, his own teacher. These untoward circumstances, however, only stimulated his desire for improvement; and his whole subsequent career in lilc justly entitles him to a place among that large and influential class, more luuner- ous, perhai)s, in our country than any other, who, rising by their own exertions, have won the distinctions of self-taught and self-made men. In 1844, he entered the office of Professor Amasa Trowbridge, as a student of medicine, where he remained about two years. In 184G, 198 BIOGRAPJIICAL SKETCHES. he commenced the study of dentistry with Drs. Dnnning and Robinson; but the firm being shortly afterwards dissolved, he entered into business Avitli the senior jiartner. On the 24th of December, 1847, he was united in marriage with Miss Sarali Maria Haddock, daughter of Samuel Haddock, Esq., of Watertown, New York. The next year he removed to Rome, New York, and engaged in the practice of dentistry with Dr. D. W. Perkins, under the firm name of Perkins & Allj)ort. After this he removed to Pulaski, New York, Avhere he remained four years, practicing his profession. In the winter of 1853, he attended a course of lectures, and graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery, at tlie New York Dental College. Having frequently been told by prominent members of the dental profession that his superior business talent and professional qualifications would render his success almost certain in a large city, he visited Chicago in the spring of 1854, with a view of making it his future home. Becom- ing fully satisfied with the prospects, after a few days' inspection, he returned home, settled up his business, and made all necessary arrange- ments for a removal. On the 24th of September, 1854, he registered his name at the Tremont House, and has resided in this city ever since. Bringing with him but two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and having a Avife and two children to supi)ort, he felt tliat lie liad neither time nor money to lose. He accordingly availed himself of the offer of an estab- lished dentist in the city, to go into his office for a few weeks, while the latter went East on his wed- He found a good, kind master, and a competent instructor, who was willing to acknowledge merit and reward it. The first year's salary was fixed at seventy-five dollars and board, but at the end of that time, his master was so well pleased that he made him a present of twenty-five dollars. The next year's salary of one hundred dollars was similarly augmented to one hundred and fifty dollars, and the two folloAving years he received one hundred and fifty and two hundred dollars as salary, with a present of fifty dollars at the end of each. The youth Avas careful. The first year he laid by fifty dollars, and at the end of the four years, his savings had amounted to four hundred dollars. At this time another drug store in the same village was offered for sale, and, after conferring Avith his employer on the subject, he formed a partnership with another young man, and with him took the store, which they conducted for three years with good success. At the end of this time, Mr. Fuller's health failed, and he was obliged to relinquish business, remaining idle for about a year. During this period he received a tempting offer to go to California, but the advice of his father was adverse to the step, and he gave up the idea. About this time the East was ringing with reports of the future greatness of Chicago, and Mr. Fuller decided to try his fortune in this city. OLIVER F. FILLER. 213 He arrived liere in February, 1852, the year in which was developed the niagiilHcent railroad system which now connects Chicago with every j)art of the civilized world. He rented a store at No. 195 Lake street; there laying the foundations of the ])rcseiit business of Fuller, Finch & Fuller, now of Nos. 22, 24, 26 and 28 jSIarket street — a house whose con- nections are as extensive as those of the vast railroad network which has grown up with them. On the opening of navigation he shipped hither his first venture of goods, and commenced with a retail and small jobbing drug business. His success was assured from the outset. The books showed, at the end of the first year, a total of sales of more than forty thousand dollars, and the subsequent increase was such that a removal to the present location was many years ago rendered a necessity. The sales of the house in 1866 amounted to about two million dollars. The business success of Mr. Fuller could not have been achieved had there not been a fertile field in which to operate; but that field was culti- vated only by energy, perseverance, untiring industry and economy. The apprentice who saved four hundred dollars during his term of servitude was but the blade of corn which three or four years afterwards developed into the ear in Chicago, and is now ripened into "the full corn in the ear;" and the attention to business which induced the good doctor to reward him beyond the contract price of his services has been continued to this day. During the first seven or eight years of his residence in Chicago, he spent fifteen to eighteen hours of the twenty-four in his office, and to this day exercises entire supervision over the vast extent of the business in this city. His partners are each actively engaged, but it is as purchasers abroad — Mr. E. B. Finch residing in London and Paris, whence he is constantly making shipments of goods, and ^Iv. II. Vt\ Fuller being similarly located in New York, Avhere he attends to American purchases. The entire management of the purchases and sales in Chicago is under the direction of the senior partner — O. F. Fuller. He forms no exception to the rule which has so many shining illustrations in this book, that genuine success is not the gift of genius or fortune, but of ])roperly directed industry — the guiding reins being conscientiousness and conmion sense. The calibre of Mr. Fuller's mind may be accurately inferred from the way in which his business is conducted. The vast establishment, occupying four lots, five stories in height, Avith basements extending far under the street, is crammed full of goods, brought from every (piarter 214 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. of the liabitable globe, a full list being kept of every article known in the trade; yet the place is the soul of order. Everything is there arranged, and done, with clock-work regularity and precision, and Avith lightning dispatch, while the different operations are made to check each other in such a way that it is simply impossible for a mistake to be made in any department without being almost instantly detected. Old Procras- tination never sets his foot inside those portals. The scores of orders which come in each morning must all be jlilled, and the goods sent off, before the day's work is done; while the articles are all of the purest and best. Herein lies the secret of the immense success of the house; its head is the soul of method, conscientious in his dealings, and indefatigable in seeing that his plans of action are adhered to by his army of workers. The trade early found that they could place absolute reliance there, on being able to obtain, without fail, Avhat, how much, and when, goods were wanted, and hence the almost universal patronage which scarcely limits the area of their distributions by the bounds of a continent. Mr. Fuller was married, at Peekskill, New York, November 9, 1857, to Miss Phoebe Ann, a daughter of INlorris and Susan Shipley, Quakers, of that place. He has two children, botli boys, born respectively in 1861 and 1863. His only sister married a Presbyterian clergyman, named Giddings, now resident at Housatonic, Massachusetts. Theologically, he follows the faith of his fathers, being a Presbyterian, in regular attendance on divine worship, though not a church member. K WILLIAM W. BOYOGTON. The architect is one of tlie most influential men in the community, and is largely instrumental in determining the general appearance of a city, giving outside character to the people. The outworkings of his. brain arc the shapes and moulds which strike the eye of the traveler -with pleasure or distaste, and make tlie location attractive or otherwise to him and to those who, through him, obtain an idea of its claims to their patronage, or desirability as a residence. Tlie industries of the people make a city, bringing into subjection the forces of nature, and changing her common treasures into stores of indi- vidual wealth; but it is the architect who shapes and directs their labors, and arranges for their most convenient performance. It is his province to take the situation as he finds it, to study its peculiarities of climate, soil, position and material, to group with tlicsc the industrial activities and social habits of the people, giving to each and all tlicir due importance in the discussion of the question, how best to plan the structures in which the people live, do business, worship, are educated, or merely amused, so as to develop the greatest amount of architectural beauty conjoined with absolute fitness to the position and to the end sought in the building. The best architect is the one who most thoroughly effects this combination of idea and aim, and the degree of ])erfection exhibited in this respect determines the relative desirability of a structure or city. Chicago has reason to be proud of her architects. They arc a superior class of men, having grappled successfully with difiiculties of no ordinary magnitude. Our lack of natural drainage, the inequalities of our streets, and the early dearness of durable building material, all presented great obstacles, while the treacherous character of the soil in the most 216 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. aristocratic i3ortions of the city seemed for a time to lay an embargo on the erection of massive buildings. In spite of all this, we have now a city which will compare favorably in point of architectural fitness with any on the continent. We may not have progressed so far yet into the realms of gorgeous adornment as some others, because with us the genuine utilitarian ])rinciple is prevalent. But for solidity and adaptability to the end sought, we need yield to none, and though the useful takes precedence of the merely beautiful, we have scarcely an unsymmetrical building, or one whose proportions and details are not in accordance with good taste, out of the thousands of structures which have been designed by our city archi- tects, while there are very many in which it would be difficult to suggest an improvement, either in external appearance or internal arrangement. Prominent among the arcliitects of the city of Chicago, stands the subject of this sketch — William W. Boyington — a true represen- tative man of his class, and an acknowledged leader in that great architectural reform which, during the fourteen years of his residence here, has been in progress in Chicago, appropriating her waste places to occupancy by the busy multitude, and changing her shanty dwellings to palaces vrherein operate and dwell the real kings of the great West — her business men. He has been a power in shaping the destiny of Chicago in its external aspect. From him has gone forth the fiat which has set at work and kept busy thousands of intelligent workmen, whose every movement was in harmony with the one great idea of the author, and ever tending to its completion. Dozens of draughtsmen and clerks have detailed his conceptions on paper, and thousands have given them more enduring form in wood, brick, cement, or marble. A vast number of our largest, most stately, and most useful edifices are the realizations of his "thoughts on arcliitecture." Nearly as many marble fronts have been erected from his designs as from those of all the other architects combined. Mr. Boyington's professional greatness is of the genuine stamp — the result of study, hard work, a constant attention to the requirements of the occasion. His was no royal road to eminence. He commenced life with but the ordinary advantages of education, neither birth nor fortune aiding with their seven-league boots in the race to the temple of fame; and if he outstripped the great crowd in the universal " onward press," it was simply that his steps were judiciously taken, that the path was carefully scanned as he moved along, and the most direct route chosen toward tlie desired goal. He is one of nature's noblemen, claiming only that patent, wjr.LrA>r \v. boyincjtox. 217 the seal of which is borne by so many of our Western men, and has become the imprint of Western institutions — the sign of A\'estern i)rogress. W. AV. Boyington was born July 22, 1818, in the town of Southwick, County of Hampden, State of Massachusetts. His father, Juba, and his mother, Aurelia, daughter of Captain Thomas Campbell, were both children of the earliest settlers in Southwick. The family lived there until the subject of this sketch was about sixteen years old, where he enjoyed the advantages of the common and academic schools. In 1834, the whole family removed to Springfield, in the same county. About this time he joined the Baptist Church, and commenced to learn the trade of a carpenter and joiner, under his father. He made such good progress that at the age of eighteen he was able to do a journeyman's work and command full M-ages. This was the result of intense application. His evenings were devoted to the study of architectural science, while his working hours were occupied in mastering the details of his trade. His ambition was to become thoroughly competent, as he had no sympathy with that too numerous class of workmen who are always in trouble through ignorance of their business. His efforts were crowned with such success that at the early age of twenty he was employed as foreman by Charles Stearns, Esq., who was heavily engaged in building, and carried on a lumber yard, both of which branches of business were intrusted to the supervision of Mr. Boyington. He here had an excellent opj)ortunity of exercising his architectural skill, and becoming acquainted with the different kinds and gradations of the various materials used in luiilding. At the age of twenty-three, he commenced business for himself, as a builder, executing several heavy contracts, and, being known as a reliable architect, he was not unfrequently called upon to furnish designs for build- ings to he executed by others. He continued in business very successfully for about three years, at the end of which time his shop was burned to the ground, his tools and materials being entirely consumed. This was a terrible blow, but the case was not desperate. A new shop was quickly in running order, in a new locality, and within another year his business had so much increased that he removed to another location, where a steam- engine, planing mill, and door and sash-making machines were added to his previous force of hand-workers. This establishment was placed on a more solid pecuniary basis by a partnership arrangement, and imder the firm name of Decreetc, Boyington & Co., business rapidly increased to a very large extent, 218 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Boyington attending to the architectural department. For five years tlie company was highly prosperous, at the end of Avhich time it was nearly ruined by a fire that entirely destroyed their buildings and machinery, and swept out of existence one of the largest lumber stocks in that section. The shops were, however, rebuilt, but INIr. Boyington soon thereafter sold out his interest, and thenceforward devoted himself exclu- sively to architectural labors. During the next two years many extensive buildings were erected from his designs, and many imjjortant contracts made and executed. About this time he Avas elected a member of the tState Legislature, and assigned the position of Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings. In the spring of 1853, JSlr. Boyington came out to Chicago, to see the chances offered in this city, which was then just beginning to be talked about in the East. He returned home, and after some month's delay Avound uj) his business in Massachusetts, and in November removed hither. His first work here was to make out a plan for Charles Walker, Esq., of the ground on which the gi'cat Central Union Depot now stands, showing the character of the buildings which could lie placed upon it, the railroad company being then about negotiating for the site for the depot grounds. He has been ever since that period most prominently identified with the history of our civic growth, as the city Avas just ready for archi- tectural style, and finding ample scope for the exercise of his talents, and generally meeting with the recognition Avhich his ability deserved, especially after the first feAV months, by Avhich time he Avas generally con- ceded to be a man of extraordinary talent in his profession. His success during the subsequent thirteen years is scarcely equaled in the history of any architect in the whole of the United States. Up to the year 1853, Avhen Mr. Boyington came to Chicago, the city could boast but very fcAv buildings Avorthy of note in an architectural point of AdcAV. Here and there a structure A\'as visible possessing some claims to notice, but, Avith a limited range of exceptions, the buildings in the city Avere little better in appearance or comfort than the old log house, and not one-half so substantial. How Avonderfully the scene has changed! The revulsions of commercial panics, the uniA^ersal suspension of banks, the almost entire stagnations of trade, the terrible excitements of AA'ar; none of these haA'C stayed the successive piling of bricks, the aggregation of slabs of marble, and the rearing of the massiA'^e timbers, to form our city into one great system of architectural beauty. Wir-I.IAM \V. l!()VIX(iT()N. 219 A glance at some of the more important stijuctures erected under the supervision of Mr. Boyington will show, to some extent, how large a share of credit is due to him as a contributor (o this grand result. The following, erected froni his designs, and under his immediate oversight, embrace a majority of our most prominent bnildings, though in this list we omit all mention of many hundreds of buildings of various kinds, the construction of which he has superintended, and M'hich alone would, in the career of most architects, make a very creditable display, both in number and individual importance. He has been the architect of the following churches: St. Paul's, Universalist, corner of Van Buren street and Wabash avenue; First Prasbyterian Church, on Wabash avenue, near Congress street; A\''abasli Avenue INIethodist Episcopal Church, on the corner of Harrison street; First Baptist Church, on AVabash avenue, near Hubbard Court; North Presbyterian Church, corner of Cass and Illinois streets; Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, on West Monroe street, near Morgan. The above named six church societies are the- most prominent and influential, in their various denominations, in the NorthAvest, and the buildings will compare favorably with the same number of churches in any of the Eastern cities, if, indeed, they may not take rank as superior in architectural perfection and internal arrangemeiit to any in the East. Church edifices, but little inferior to those above mentioned, have been erected from the designs of Mr, Boyington in the States of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, and in various cities in this State, outside of Chicago, for several different denominations. Among the hotels ])lanned and erected by Mr. Boyington, are the magnificent Sherman House, standing on the corner of Clark and Randolph streets, the Massasoit House, on the corner of Lake street and Central avenue, in this city; the Newhall House, Milwaukee, AVis- consin, and the Brewster House, at Freeport, Illinois. Among the public buildings for educational, railroad, reformatory and other ])urposes, we note the University of Chicago, at Cottage Grove, together with the Observatory building, which now contains the largest telescope in the world; Female Seminary at Hyde Park; Female Seminary and Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, on AV^abash avenue, near Madison street; an extensive High School at Des Moines, Iowa; the Illinois State Penitentiary, at Joliet, a fire-i)roof building throughout, was constructed principally under his charge; the buildings and tower of the 220 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Chicago Water Works; Insane Asylum and County House, at Knoxville, Illinois ; State Arsenal at Des Moines, Iowa ; fire-proof County Jail in Pike County, Illinois; fire-proof building occupied by the Land Department of the Illinois Central Railroad, located on Michigan avenue; the union depot and office building of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, and Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Companies, fronting on Van Burcn, Sherman, Harrison and GrisAvold streets — unequaled in regard to extent and architectural effectiveness by any railroad building yet erected in the United States ; Crosby's Opera House and Art Building, fronting on Washington and State streets. It is the finest structure of the kind in the country, and is superior, in several respects, to any structure now existing as an opera house or theatre, in any of the countries of Europe; Young Men's Christian Association building and public hall, on Madison street and Broadway place — finished in 1867. The hall is the largest in the West, and capable of seating three thousand persons; INIasonic Hall and Oriental building, on La Salle street, between Washing- ton and Madison. Of extensive business blocks, we may mention the following: Bowen Brothers' and McKay Brothers' marble front block, fronting on Wabash avenue and Randolph street; McCorinick and Farwell's marble block, on Lake street, near Wabash avenue ; McCormick and Powell's marble block, on the corner of Michigan avenue and Lake street; Wadsworth and Keep's marble block, on the corner of AVabash avenue and Lake street; Mills, Follansbee & Co.'s marble block, on the corner of Lake street and A\^abash avenue. The above named comprise a street frontage of over twelve hundred lineal feet, or very nearly a quarter of a mile, and embrace a large majority of all the wholesale marl:>le-fronted stores in the city. About the same number of equally extensive wholesale stores have been erected in the same neighborhood, and on South Water and River streets, from the designs of Mr. Boyington, all of which are the heaviest class stores, Avith brick fronts. iMr. Boyington has also designed and superintended the erection of smaller blocks, both marble and brick, for retail stores and offices, on the various streets in the city, too numerous to recapitulate, but can be enumerated by the mile. He has been equally sought for as the architect for private dwellings. Some idea of his popu- larity in this particular may be gathered from a statement of the fact that the three-quarters of a mile next north of Twelfth street, on INIichigan WII-LFAM \\\ I5()YIN(iT(>X. 221 avenue, contains thirty of the very best dwellings in the city, nearly all marble fronts, including the magnificent marble-fronted terrace on Van Buren street; all of which have been designed and superintended by Mr. Boyington. Of these buildings we might enumerate many Avhich are of the most expensive order, and not inferior to anything to be found on Fifth avenue, in New York. He has been the architect, also, of buildings in nearly the same numerical proportion to the whole, on the other avenues of the South Division, and in the North and AV^est Divisions. He has been engaged in preparing designs and plans for a palatial residence, the most extensive of anything west of the Hudson River, which is being erected for B. F. Allen, Esq., Dcs INIoines, Iowa. In this age of practicality, when everything is measured, at least in theory, by dollars and cents, there are doubtless many who, on reading the above, will feel inclined to ask, "What does it all amount to?" We will answer the question in advance. "Nearly twenty millions of dollars." This is a round statement of the amount which has been intrusted to Mr. Boyington's hands for building purposes in this city and the Northwest during the past thirteen years. In order to a full appre- ciation of the value to society of the conversion of this vast amount of money, it must be remembered that the results are permanent, ministering daily to our social wants or business necessities, paying good interest, and not suffering material deterioration in the using. It must be remembered, also, that nearly the whole of this money has been expended as wages, paying workmen in our own section. The clay in the bank, the stone in the quarry, and the tree in the forest, are of very little value. It is when lal)or has been expended in cutting, shaping, carrying and piling, that they become valuable, and in exact proportion to the amount of useful labor expended upon them. The competent architect who wields these forces, sets in motion and directs these energies, is a real benefactor to his race, not only to the pecuniary extent of so many dollars, but morally and socially. Mr. Boyington married, at the age of twenty-one, while Ibreman for Mr. Stearns, Eunice B., daughter of Jacob Miller, of Springfield, Massachusetts, on the 20th of December, 1839. On that day in 1864, the pair celebrated their silver wedding in C-hieago, in com])any with their nine children — five sons and four dauy-hters. He has lost but one child — his first-born son — who died at an early age. 222 BIOGRAPHICATi SKETCHES. Personally, Mr. Boyington is a man in whom one will naturally feel interested on a casual acquaintance. In the office he is the soul of method, having a time and a place for everything. He is at home to everybody at proper hours, and from the dictate of the millionaire to the complaint of the humblest worker, he listens to all with a respectful civility and answers with a frankness which in its turn commands respect and frankness from all. He is a model in the despatch of business, seldom needing to make a reference, or, if needing it, knowing exactly where to lay his hands on it. He is at home on every subject and detail connected with his business, bears in mind the progress of every piece of work which he may have in hand, and directs now here, now there, without hesitation, confusion or danger of mistake. His success lies not so much in de2)t]i of acquh-cment as in eminent practicality, and this latter trait is noticeable at a glance. Outside, his eye is of the eagle sort. He takes in at one sweep a view of the situation, and an error or omission must bo well covered up if it escape him. He is well known, too, as thoroughly conscientious, never seeking to take undue advantage, but insisting on a faithful fulfillment of the terms of a contract by both parties thereto. JOHN McARTHUR. War, like all other evils, has its coni])ensations. To those who deplore its ravages, terrible beyond all api)rehcnsion, it is a consolation to know that not one drop of blood has ever been lost, but that, as "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," so every stc)) in the pro- gress of the world toward a higher civilization has been moistened by tears arid blood. Wherever the demon of destruction has gone, he has been followed by the angel of the resurrection and the life. And tlie triumph of evil has often proved oidy the prelude to a still greater triumph of good. In glancing at the compensations of war, we find that among its minor but not insignificant benefits is the development of character. The camj) and the battle-field are the best of schools. Some scholars break down in character as well as in health under this severe discipline, but those who can endure the ordeal gain a strength and grandeur which could not be attained in any of the other schools of practical life. Then, too, men of sterling worth are often made illustrious by the fortunes oi" war who would otherwise have been unknown and of but little use in the world. General Grant, transformed from a poor tanner's clerk to the foremost man in all America, if not in all the world, and that, too, not only iu honor but in usefuluess, is the chief rejm'Sentative of a noble army of bi-ave and true men in our midst who migiit have lived and di(lc to allbrd him any ])cciniiary aid, he pursued the course which has been adopted in early Hfe l)y so many of the 230 BIOGRAPHICAI. SKETCHES. most eminent men of our country, namely, teaching scliool a part of eacli year, so as to procure means for attending tlie academy or college the remaining part. He pursued his academical studies in Romeo, Michigan, from the spring of 1844 to the autumn of 1846, engaging in farm Avork during the vacations, and some of the time in teaching. In the latter part of the year 1846, he entered the sophomore class of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and for two years sustained himself in the same manner as at the academy in Romeo. In the sum- mer of 1848, symptoms of pulmonary disease became so prominent that his physician advised him to leave the college until a favorable change should take place. Accompanied by his sister, he visited Chicago and St. Louis, and liiuilly di'termined to spend the succeeding winter in Vandalia, the former capital of Illinois. Here he again engaged in teaching, and also gave a course of lectures on geology and kindred topics before a literary society. It was this winter, also, that he com- menced regularly the study of medicine as a pupil of the late Dr. J. B. Herrick, then a practitioner in Vandalia. A\'ith health much improved, he returned in the spring of 1849 to the University of JNlichigan, passed the required examinations with much credit, and at the following College Commencement, received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The succeed- ing year he spent in Flint, Michigan, actively engaged in teaching school, and in continuing the study of medicine. In the latter he received kindly aid from Professor l)e Laskie JNIiller, now a resident of Chicago. The earnings of this year enabled him to discharge all the pecuniary obligations he had incurred during his ])revious collegiate course, and he determined to enjoy greater facilities for prosecuting his professional studies. Accord- ingly, in October, 1850, he came to Chicago for the purpose of attending the lectures in Rush Medical College. On his arrival he found himself without money enough to pay his board-bill for a single week. To supply this defect, however, he secured a situation as assistant teacher in a select school, and at the same time commenced his regular attendance upon the lectures in the Medical College. He had not been there long- before coming in contact with the late Professor William B. Herrick, then Professor of Anatomy, and brother of Dr. J. B. Herrick, of Vandalia, in whose office young Johnson had first registered his name as a student of medicine. A cordial and enduring friendship soon sprung up between them, and the student became an active and efficient assistant to the Professor, more especially in that part of his course relating to histology HOSMER ALLEN JOHNSON. '231 and mic-roscopu' anatomy. In the spi-iii^- of 1851, lu' became the lir^t Interne or Resident Physician in (he iNliTcy Hospital, which had been oro-ani/eil and opened lor clinical instruction during the preceding autumn, under the title of Illinois (leneral Ilosjiital of the Lakes. On the coin[)letion of his second course of instruction in tiie Rush Medical College, in February, 1852, he received the degree of Doctor of ^ledicinc, and was acknowledged as first in the class of graduates for that year. During the following summer, he also received the degree of Master of Arts fnjni the University of jNIiehigan. Soon after receiving his diploma from the Medical College, he became associated with Professor Herrick, both in the practice of medicine and in the editorial management of the " North w^estern Medical and Surgical Journal," and rose rapidly in the confidence and esteem of the profession and of the community. During the succeeding winter, his health again became seriously impaired, and he was obliged to seek temporarily a milder climate. He visited Louisiana and Mississijipi, and was tendered a professorship in the Jefferson College of Mississij)i)i, but declined its acceptance, and returned to Chicago, with improved health, in the spring of 1853, and resumed his duties as practitioner and editor. In the autumn of the same year, he was appointed Lecturer on Physiology in the Rush Medical College. In 1855, he was appointed Professor of Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Medical Jurisprudence; and in the summer of 1857, he was transferred to the chair of Physiology and General Pathology in the same institution. The duties imposed upon him in these several relations to the Rush Medical Cn of his ap])renticeship, in 1852, Mr. Miller commenced business on his own account, in Newark, in partnership with his brother nex.t in age to himself. They fitted up a small store in plain style, adding a department for the manufacture of jewelry, and, after paying for their outfit, found themselves possessed of a capital of precisely one hundred dollars; but by industry and strict attention to business they prospered satisfactorily, and in 1856 admitted a third brother into the concern. Stories of the marvelous growth of Chicago having reached their ears, they came here at once, and opened an establishment under the ^Marine Bank building, at the corner of Lake and La Salle streets, under the name of A. H. Miller c^-^ Bros., still maintaining their house at Newark. Although commencing here with a very limited capital, their skill, good taste and careful attention to business supplied the place of abundant means. In less than a year, finding that their business demanded I A, IIALSEY MII-Li:W, 237 enlarged acfoniiiKKlatious, tlioy rciiiDVcd to tlie citnicr ol' Lake mul ( 'lark streets, Mliere tlio linn coiitiimcd to add llii|» expired i)y limitation and the senior partner e(»ntinned the business in his own name and on his sole account. In 1862, he eomplotely remodi'led his store, giving it a new and more attractive front, and making many advantageous alterations in its interior. The reputation of the house soon enabled Mr. Miller to gratify his long-cherished desire of erecting a building of his own, which, in its exterior, should be creditable to his taste and an architectural ornament to the city, and the interior of which should be constructed with especial adaptation to his business. In 1864, he secured the property at the corner of Clark and Randolph streets, then covered with a large, unsightly wooden structure, whereon he reared the elegant marble build- ing with \\hich his name is now associated. This was one of the first business houses in the city to which the beautiful INIansard roof was applied, now so frequently seen in Chicago. Its rich interior fittings throughout are of Chicago workmanship, from Mr. Miller's own devices, executed in rich native woods. The show-cases and counters are marvels of beauty and convenience. The counter-cases are the largest ever made here, and have won the admiration of even Mr. Miller's rivals in trade. They are constructed of single sheets of glass mounted in rich silver plate. The ui)right cases, in carved wood, relieved with superb bronzes, the elaborate and costly safes, and the rich gas-fixtures, were all made expressly from designs furnished by Mr. Miller as parts and adjuncts of a harmonious whole. Not the minutest detail of the structiu-e or its appointments escaped his supervising eye; and not until the whole Avas c'omplete did he rest from the task that embodies the study of years and the actual labor of months. This store was occupied in May, I860, and is known everywhere as one of the finest and most complete jewelry establishments in tin; entire country. Up to this time, Mr. Miller had probably ibnnd no leisure, among the multitudinoiLS details of trade, to cultivate the tender |)assion ; l)iit, being tiius fully and |)rospcrously establisheil in his own domicile, and with an increasing business, he lacked but the sympathy and companionship of a loving heart to complete and conlirm his happiness. In July, 1865, he was united in mai'i'iage to Miss Mary Morgan, of Chicago, when he 238 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. prnceoded to Europe upon a bridal tour, duriui^- the course of which, ever mindful of the requirements of business, he established connections in Geneva, Paris, and elsewhere, through Avliich he secured facilities for the importation of choice and beautiful goods. His wares are manufactured by the most experienced and tasteful workmen of Switzerland, Italy and France, expressly for his cases, and bearing his name. Nor has Mr. Miller let slip from his present business the advantage of his prestige and experience as a manufacturer of jewelry. The upper floor of his elegant building is fitted up as a complete manufacturing establishment, with the best appliances and the most skillful workmen. Some of the most elegant and costly jewelry and presentation goods known in this market for several years past have been the product of this portion of his premises. His establishment, by thus furnishing only the finest goods, made lor himself or under his own eye, has ac(piired a reputation throughout the country which is a guarantee at once of past upriglitness and future prosperity. Mr. Miller has not reached his present distinction by the caprice of fortune, or what men call "good luck," but by his thorough knowledge of business, by persevering energy, and unwavering integrity. His profession deiuands an artistic and cultivated taste, which he possesses in an eminent degree; but he owes his fortune mainly to his close and persistent attention to legitimate business. Never dazzled by the prospects of lucky speculation, he has toiled on energetically, devoting frequently eighteen hours out of twenty-four to laying the foundations of the splendid trade he now enjoys. In this respect, as well as others, he furnishes an admiral)le example and model to young men just starting out in life, demonstrating that unswerving honesty, close and uuM'caried attention to business, added to an invincible energy, cannot fail to be rewarded with rich success. GRANT GOODRICH. Gkant Goodrich was born Aiisrnst 7, 1812, in the town of IMilton, Saratoga County, New York. Jlis lather's name was Gideon, and his mother's Eunice, nee Eunice Warren, who emigrated when young from Weathersficld, Connecticut, to Saratoga. His iiither was a tanner and farmer, and followed tliese occupations in Saratoga until he removed, in 1816, to Ripley, Chautauqua County, New York, Avhere he purchased considerable tracts of land, on which six of Iiis sons were settled, two of whom only survived. The subject of this sketch is the youngest of twelve children. His father was a man of great energy and public spirit, and was especially active in the i)romotion of educaticju. He always enjoyed the respect and confidence of his neighbors, and represented the county of Saratoga in the Legislature of New York. When the iamily removed to Chautauqua County, it was a new country, and no district schools were establislied. His father had a school taught in his own house two winters, which was attended by his own and a few of t]\e neighbors' children. At the age of ton, his health being delicate, Grant was sent to live with a sister at Westfield, Aviiere he attended school and studied Latin with a lawyer by the name of Centre. In his youth he had a i)a.ssion for the sea. When he was fifteen, liis father removed to Portland Harbor — now Barcelona — on Lake Erie, and built a warehouse and |)ier, to establish his brother in business. The family was predis|)Osed to con- sumption, and two of the brothel's had died of that disease. lie was attacked with all the s;v'mptoms. Having lut faith in ])hysicians, he made a trip on his brothei"'s vessel, and, receiving immediate relief, he continued on the Lakes, thereby securing vigorous health. The romance 240 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. of a sailor's life having worn away, he determined to devote himself to the legal profession, and after attending the academy at Westfield for two years and a half, he entered the office of Messrs. Dixon & Smith as a student-at-law, where he remained until April, 1834, when he started for Chicago, where he arrived in May. In company with another young man, he made the claim to the laud where Warrenville, Du Page County, now stands, but sold it, and spent some time in traveling through the State. On his return to Chicago, he opened an office, and shortly after formed a copartnership with A. N. Fullerton. The firm bought and sold property, and made consid- erable money. In the summer of 1835, he dissolved his business relations with Mr. Fullerton, and in November formed a copartnership with the late Judge Spring, which continued until shortly preceding his election to the judgeship. Most of the people here then were young men, and in 1835 a great rush of immigrants and capitalists took place to Chicago. All who owned or could buy land, made money and wore esteemed rich. There was great fraternity of feeling among all classes, and confidence in the responsi- bility and integrity of each other, and when the crash of 1837 came, Mr. Goodrich was unfortunately on a very large amount of paper for others. At that time he owned a large amount of property, but it was entirely swept away by judgments for security debts, and wlien all was gone, there still remained a large amount unpaid. He was urged to take the benefit of the bankrupt law, but determined to pay his obligations, and labored for eighteen of the best years of his life to liquidate these debts, both principal and interest. From 1851 to 1857, his practice was very large and profitable, but from excessive labor his health failed, and he went abroad in 1858 to seek its recovery and was successful. With his valuable services as Judge of the Superior Court, the readers of this sketch are familiar. Politically he was a Whig until 1848, when he voted for Van Buren, the Free-soil candidate. Until 1860 he was very prominent and active in the political affiiirs of the country, took an active part in the canvass of 1840, and was a member of the Bloomington Con- vention when the Republican ])arty was formed. In his political principles he was always positive, radical, unflinching, and an ardent lover of freedom. In July, 1836, Mr. Goodrich married the daughter of Amos Atwater, of Westfield, New York, by whom he has had five children — four boys and one sirl. He has been a member of the Methodist Church since 1831. CHARLES G. SMITH. Chicaoo is a p^reat city, but her 2;reatness consists not nearly so much in the area inclosed by her municipal boundaries, or the numerical aggre- gate of her population, as in the fact that she is the focus of the Northwest, the receiving and distributing point where centralize the energies and wants of the millions of people who live beyond. The men who have so successfully labored through a long course of years to bring about this result are the true benefactors of Chicago. To bring hither the products of the whole world outside of the Northwest, to show to the people that they could be served here with as good material, as varied selections, as new styles, and at as moderate prices, as at the East, saving the cost and the risk of carriage, and the time and expense of journeys thither, was to do a great part of the work of building up our city. The trade in drugs is immense. AVithin a few years it has risen from nothing to the prominence it now 0('cuj)i<'s. The wholesale drug mer- chants of Chicago now sup})ly the 2)hysic and perfumery of the great AVest, and subserve a large portion of many other wants. This fact is largely due to the exertions of one man, who is noted as having done more than most others to extend the business of the city, by showing to the people of the surrounding country that they could rely on the integrity of C'hicago merchants to serve them with whatever they require, and on their enterprise for offering better facilities than could be found elsewhere. Ciiari.es G. Smith was born in Nelson, Madison County, New York, July 23, 1831. His father, George Smith, was a native of Orange County, New York, his grandfather having emigrated from Scotland to that county in early manhood, and there married into a highly respectable family. His mother was a daughter of Judge Lyon, of Nelson, one of 242 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the earliest settlers in the township. The American ancestors of Mr. Smith were all farmers^ and both of his grandfathers served with honor in the Revolutionary AYar. They were among the most highly respected members of the community, of the strictest integrity, and always acted from a high sense of justice. When ]\Ir. Smith was five years old his father died, leaving him, the youngest of seven children, to struggle through the world without the advantage of paternal aid or counsel. The widow's task was no ordinary one, but she undertook it bravely. She sold the farm, and removed to Cazenovia that she might secure to her children a better education than was possible at their birth-place. After a stay of rather more than a year there, she, by the advice of friends, removed to the western part of the State of New York. The greater portion of Mr. Smith's early life was spent in the town of Ruthford, Alleghany County. Those early years were spent to good purpose. His only educational advantages were those offered in the village schools of that early day, but the existing lack was more than supplied by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a determination to acquire everything that lay within his mental reach. Every spare moment was devoted to reading and writing, his object being, especially, to perfect himself in business qualifications. Multitudinous scraps of paper, covered Avitli business forms and penman- ship studies, attested his devotion. His whole boyish ambition was centered on this one goal, and while other boys played or slept he was engaged in preparing himself to step out into tlie busy world, and take his place as one able to compete for the prize of business success. His oldest brother had removed to Chicago, and, in the summer of 1849, procured for him a clerkship in the drug store of Mr. L. M. Boyce. Before the removal could be effected, Mr. Boyce died of cholera, and the establishment was bought by the firm of Sears & Bay. Mr. Smith com- menced his apprenticeship to the drug business under them, his advent in Chicago being made in October, 1849. At this time the entire jobbing drug trade of the city did not amount to more than one hundred thousand dollars per year, but as the population of the country increased, and the means of communication with the great West beyond were extended, this branch of business grew with corresponding rapidity. Six years thereafter, in 1855, it had increased ten fold, amounting to at least one million of dollars. ]Mr. Smith very soon acquired a knowledge of the business, and gained CHARLES G. SMITH. 243 tlie confidence of his employers by his strict attention to business, and his unremitting regard iur their interests. On tlie retirement of INIr, Bay from the firm, in the year 1852, he was advanced to the position of liead clerk. During this time he attended Bell's Commercial College. On the first of January, 1854, he became a partner in tlie firm, assuming the l)lace vacated by Mr. Bay. The business was henceforth conducted under the firm name of Sears & Smith, they occupying the same store as previously, No. 113 Lake street. During the first year of the partnership, the business doubled, and the opportunity for trade extension appearing to be good, they, in February, 1855, took into the firm Mr. Edwin Burnham, now the senior partner in the firm of Burnham & Van Schaack. This partnership, under the name of Sears, Smith & Co., continued for two years, when Mr. Sears retired, and the business was contmued by the remaining partners, under the firm name of Burnham & Smith, a removal being efl'ected to No. 23 Lake street. This place was held for three years, when the growing demands of the business imperatively called fitr more room. A removal was made to No. IG Lake street, which place was held until March, 18G4, when the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Smith established liim>^elf alone at No. 259 South Water street, pending the erection of the spacious edifice he now occupies, for the building of which he had contracted with Hon, J, Y. Scammon. January 1, 1866, Messrs. C. Henry Cutler and Henry T. West became his })artners. The business, now conducted under the firm name of Smith, Cutler & Co., has attained to mammoth proportions. As a continuation of one of the oldest wholesale houses in the city, and a pioneer in its branch of trade, the firm occupies a really commanding position among its fellows, transacting the lion's share of the exclusively Avholesale drug trade of our city, which, for the year 1866, amounted to between five and six millions of dollars, and now extends over twelve different States and Territories. Mr. Smith's business motto has always been, "deal honorably with all." He has always endeavored to prevent the introduction into the trade of inferior (jualities of goods, and has uniformly exercised the utmost care to secure the purity of drugs purchased by him. He has aimed all through his business life to merit the confidence of his patrons, and to so deal with them that they shall at least be satisfied that they cannot do better else- where in the future. Among all those whose strict business integrity has won so honorable a name lor the merchants of Chicago, none has dooe 244 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. more than Mr. Smith. Tliis conscientious business trait is but the legiti- mate sequel to the youthful manifestations of his character in the family. He was always thoughtful and amiable, kind and considerate, in the family of his mother as in that which has been raised around him in his maturer years. Mr. Smith was married January 7, 1855, to Annie E. Cooper, of Peoria. She died January 17, 1861, leaving Im^o daughters, aged respec- tively eight and ten years. August 16, 1866, he married Eliza L. White, of Cincinnati, his present wife. Shortly after his arrival in Chicago, his attention was directed to the subject of his religious duties. His mother being a Baptist, he joined the First Baptist Church of this city, and for two years the greater part of his time not devoted to his business was occupied in the study of theology. He, however, became dissatisfied with the Baptist faith, being persuaded that it was too indefinite for him. His partner, Mr. John Sears, was a member of the New Jerusalem Church, and conversation Mith him and the reading of " New Church " books enabled him to solve many doubts that he had previously entertained on doctrinal points. A thorough inves- tigation of the teachings of the New Church resulted in convincing him of their truth, and, in the year 1853, he became a member of the Church of the New Jerusalem, worshiping in the Temple on Adams street, near the Lake, with which he is still in communion. The writings of Swedenborg, in particular, made a profound impression on his mind, and M'ere very influential in moulding his character. Mr. Smith is one of our most highly respected citizens. He has never tried to make a "noise in the world," being simple and unobtrusive in his manner, but he has wielded an influence which has been very widely felt in the past, and is now as potent as ever. His business abilities are universally recognized as of the highest order, and his judgment, although he is yet a young man, is regarded as almost infallible in all matters to which he has directed his attention. He is a man of strong will, but mild in expression, and never forgets a friend. PETER SCHUTTIER. Intelligent exertion is the elevating force of society. Brain and muscle, the two great elements of capital, are the true accumulators of wealth, but, like their progeny — pecuniary capital — they are valuable only when employed. Money locked in the coffer, muscle unused, brain inactive, are not productive ; they fail to execute their mission. The grand law of nature, and the order of the sidewalk — " keep moving " — must be obeyed if we would be great or happy. The abilities of two men being equal, he who Avorks most achieves most, and the true Hercules of modern advancement is not onlv the embodiment of streno-th, but of con- tinual activity, finding relaxation in change of employment. The living exponents of this principle are all hard workers. The great West is especially fruitful in examples of this, the genius of the nineteenth century. Her i)rairies have been tilled, her ■wide expanse banded by the iron road and the thought-throbbing Mire, her mines explored, her forces utilized, and treasures appropriated, by hard work, directed by intelligent brains. It is this persistent, ceaseless activity, rapid in its transformations as the fiiiry's touch, which in a few years has made the wilderness to blossom as the garden of Paradise, and in one generation raised a city site from the slough, and extended the fame of Chicago industry and enterprise to every spot covered by the migrations of two score centuries. The name of Peter Schu'itler stands out prominently :uii twin sister of Mrs. Jerome Beecher, of this city, and the daughter of the late Daniel Warren, P^scp, of Warrenville, Du Page County, Illinois. The result of tliis union, which has proved a most hapi)y one, was six children — one son, Walter Warren Cobb, the first-born, aud five daughters, named, in the order of their birth, ]\Iary Jane, Marie Louisa, Nora, Letta, and Bertha jNI. Of these, ]\Iary Jane died in May, 1852, at seven years of age, and Letta in September, 1856, in the first year of her age. The rest of the children, with tlicir mother, are now the fortunate and happy occupants of jNIr. Cobb's comfortable home on Michigan Avenue, where he enjoys the affections of as devoted and contented a family as dwells within the limits of Chica. HOONE. 281 ilisposition and numncrs aiirartini;- to liiiu, naturally, the society and IVienclship of the young, and giving him iufiuence over them. At the i)resent time, at the age of fifty-nine years, blest with the soeiety of his estimable wife and six children, his homo the centre, as it luts always been, of a refined and generous hospitality, and of many friendships, with health and natural cheerfulness little impaired, Dr. Boone is passing gracefully to that period of life when the shadows lengthen and the lights grow dim, but hopeful in the prospects of the "Better Land." i EMANUEL IIONSINGER. Foremost among those of ino-onioiis brain and cunning fingers in the great city whose men of mark this vohmie is to designate, is the man whose name we have put at the head of tliis page. To foHow such a character, througli all the stages of its development, is to give our atten- tion to an entertaining narrative of mental progress and useful success. Dr. Honsinger's parents were James and Margaret Honsinger; his birth-place Henrysburgh, Canada East, and his birth-day the 12th of September, 1823. But it was not long after his birth tliat the family removed to a farm at Champlain, Clinton County, New York, where the boy toiled, and thought, and built air-castles, and sought out many inventions. He had no taste for agriculture. His admiration for it was poetical. He read of it and thought of it w^itli the customary sentimentality, but he had aversion rather than affection for its monotonous round of manual labor. He felt something else moving in liim liesides a sentimental taste for "driving the team afield" in "jocund" mood, and was of too high a mental quality to be content Avith the drudgery of a tiller of the soil. One day, when he Avas about seventeen years of age, he asked his father for the jwrtion of goods that fell to him, that he might find an occupation better suited to his taste, and a more congenial manner of life. The father consented, and the boy turned his face in the direction of his aspirations, and his feet into the path which should carry him to his destiny. But the portion of goods that fell to him was not "visible to the naked eye," though manifest enough to the observing. And this portion, so far from lacing wasted in riotous living, grew to be a career respectable, both as to brilliancy and usefulness. The boy's genius was his portion, his skillful fingci-s were his capital. 284 BIOGEAPHICAI. SKETCHES. He ''worked liis passage" through several years of schooling, by hiring himself out mornings and evenings. He had the gift of per- severance as well as a genius for invention, and allowed no hours to go to waste. He had been taught by his father to improve the time. Industry was an inheritance. He made a profitable investment of it. Without being settled respecting the particular vocation to which he should devote his life, he made up his mind that he Mould make the most of his opportunities, follow his bent, and wait upon circumstances. With unremitting application to whatever his hands or his head found to do, he went steadily and vigorously forward. He was alternately pupil and teacher. He earned the means for obtaining knowledge by imparting it to others, and his schooling was all the more thorough and comprehen- sive from this fact. Young Honsinger learned more in the teacher's chair than on the pupil's bench. He secured to himself the funda- mentals of education, and was respectably well furnished for life's campaign. While young in years, his faculty for mechanism made a sensation among his circle of acquaintances. When he was twenty-one years of age, he had constructed a drum, a flute, a dulcimer and a violin, without the assistance of an instructor, and Avithout those gradual and studied steps which most men take in acquiring mechanical skill. It all seemed like an inspiration. At fourteen, he said to his father, in a bantering way, that if the boots he had been a good while waiting for were not done within a week, he VAOuld make a pair with his own hands ; and when the week was up, the boy was as good as his word, although he had never seeij a pair made. Lasts, cutting, fitting, sewing, and all, were the work of his own hands, and for several years he was his own boot maker. The biographer may not pass such an achievement without pausing long enough to render it his meed of admiration. Such genius is too rare to be held in slight esteem, and too remarkable to be refused emphatic record. The mind so endowed is calculated to gratify us with a contemplation of its power, as well as with an assurance of its value to mankiiKl. The science of music was another of young Honsinger's acquirements. He learned it and taught it. While thus employed one winter, he sj^ent his leisure hours in manufacturing a sleigh, which, when complete, was conceded to be as good an article as had ever originated in the shop where the boy had done his work. EMANUEL HONSINGEE. 285 Years of tl)i.s sort canio and went — years of teacliinply his en(|uiring and ae(juirin<;' mind to the science of dentistry, and accordingly he went as a s-tndent into the office of Dr. 11. J. Paine, of Troy, New York. As Ave might expect to learn, after following Mr. Honsinger up to this period of his life, he made rapid progress in his new employment, and soon excelled his employer in all those branches Avhich required mechanical ingenuity and a dexterous hand. While an apprentice, he constructed a reacting drill, which does its work with great rapidity, and case to the patient. It was suggested by one in the possession of Dr. Paine, the only contrivance of the sort he had ever seen. In the autumn of 1847, he opened an office in the city of Troy, and in the course of a fcAV years obtained a respectable patronage. Nor was it long before his inventive faculty made a contribution to the instru- ment box of his profession, as humane in its effects as it was ingenious in construction. It is a Rotating Gum Lance, so contrived as to make the entire circuit of the isolated tooth, and effect its object without cutting the gum, a merciful improvement upon all other lances, Dr, Honsinger donated it to his profession; a cut of it appeared in the "Dental Recorder" in 1854, and it was not long in attracting the attention and receiving the commendation of the most eminent dentists, and won a premium medal for its inventor at the Renssellaer County Fair, Thus the Doctor took such pains with his inventions as to save the pains of his patients. While in Troy, Dr, Honsinger invented also an apparatus which is well known in dental circles as "Honsinger's Combined BloMj)ii)c and Lathe," a health as well as labor-saving contrivance of conceded excellence. But this was all slow business, comparatively, and the rising dentist could hardly be content with a tame old Eastern town, Avhile every ncAvs- paper and every letter from aforetime companions were speaking of the Northwest and its splendid "openings" for genius, skill, enterprise and energy in every profession and occupation. To take the "Western fever" when he took it, Avas equivalent to being carried away by it. He came to reconnoitre Chicago in April, 1853. Once here, he resolved to stay. He was captivated. Prices were higher, rents were lower, 286 BIOGEAPHICAX, SKETCHES. trade was brisker, everything moved with more animation, than at the East. He felt an exhilaration that he never felt before, as he went to his place in this grand and teeming workshop. He put out his sign at No. 77 Lake Street, and there it hung until last March — nearly thirteen years, a forcible illustration of steadfastness in the midst of change. Others failed; he succeeded. Many lost heart, and quit their hold ; he held on, and earned the crown that perseverance earns for those Avho wear it as a cross. When, in March last. Dr. Honsinger took down his flag and put it up in another part of the city, he had a right to congratulate himself on a great victory. He had fought long and hard. His thirteen years of industry and ingenuity have been rewarded by a competence as to the comforts of life, and a place in his profession filled by fcAv and excelled by none in the Northwest. The Doctor delights in progress, and is always on the alert for new ideas, whether they start in his own brain, or in that of another. He is no "fogy," but up to the times always. He believes in the future more than in the past. He keeps step with the vanguard in science, and abreast with the picket guard of discovery. He is always "read up" in scientific controversy. In his opinion — in the opinion of all men of his breadth and acumen — there are more things yet to be discovei*ed than have been dreamed of in the philosophy of the present or the past. He loves to be pushing on after grander achievements, reaching up for higher skill, and prying after more useful and curious contrivances. In 1853, Dr. Honsinger invented and constructed an automatic sign, which the reader has doubtless stopped on the street to examine and admire. By this invention, a set of teeth are made to perform a mastica- tory motion for twenty-fom* days without the touch of a hand. In 1861, he made an improvement in the dentists' spittoon, tliat many of ns have had to look into mure than once, with anything but agreeable sensations, and which, under the ingenious manipulations of the Doctor, has been entirely rid of everything offensive in the way of odor and appearance. The contrivance by which this is accom^ilished is at once both simple and ingenious. A beautiful rotating arm is so adjusted that its revolutions can be increased or diminished at pleasure, constantly throwing out water to every part of the basin. In this way perfect cleanliness is obtained, and no offensive matter meets the eye of the patient. Another of his recent and important inventions is an "Adjustable File Carrier." The candor of the Doctor is as conspicuoas, and, we may add, of EMANUEL HONSINGER. 287 coui-se, as useful, to the scientific Avorld as his ingenuity. He has as little hesitation in narrating the tiiilures as the successes of liis contrivances. He talks like a man devoted to science. Hence his frankness, liis sim- plicity of mcUives, and of behavior in the presence of the learned and inquiring-. He is too eager to learn the remedy for his blunders to conceal them. At the annual meeting of the Western Dental Society, held in Chicago in 185G, he (h-ew special commendation from some of the foremost scientific dentists by the honesty of his remarks, one eminent dentist declaring that the Doctor's candid manner of speech -was of lus much importance as Mhat he said, and called upon the scientific men present to imitate his example in this respect. In 1863, Dr. Honsinger Avas honored with the title of D. D. S. by the Cincinnati Dental (.'oUege, and never was a title more worthily bestowed or thoroughly deserved. Mere theorizing is not his disposition. His invention must be practicable, or he discards it. He is not absorbed in visionary projects ; he reduces the visions of the brain to machinery for the hands. Enamored as he is of science, and ardently as he has espoused it, he does not rest with a love for or worship of it. He works for it, gets bread from it, and bread for other [jcople by it. He is not miserly of his inventions, or gingerly in their distribution. He has given several of them to his profession, refusing to ask a patent for them. The Doctor is an active and valuable mendxT of the Illinois State Dental Society, and was its first Vice-President, and one of its delegates to the last meeting of the American Dental Association, at Boston, in 186G, of which organization he was at that time made a mendier. Though reticent and retiring, he is often consulted respecting the branches in which he is so proficient; and there are few men, in his department of scientific attainment, whose opinions are treated with more deference, or acted upon with greater confidence. The Doctor's private life is well worthy the imitation of those of the rising generation who would reach a position of coiiscciuciicc and useful- ness. He has always obeyed the Apostle's injunction, "Owe no man anything," and preserved himself from many extravagances and end)ar- rassments in consequence. He always had a great aversion to " running accounts," and found great gain in «loinL; withnn( cxcrylhing for which lie had not the means to j)ay. He never attempted to " keej) up a|)])earances," nor made any pretension to a style whirji his income would not warrant. He is too proud of his honesty to be vain of a parade that comes of 288 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. dishonesty. Economy is a duty with him^ frugality an obligation, tem- perance a habit, integrity a religion. He resorts to no sensational devices for the entrapping and fleecing of the credulous. He did not rise at the expense of a fellow-craftsman, or get rich by violating his conscience and sense of honor. His large business has grown of the soil of public confidence. His work is the best that his skill is capable of, whether it is done for a wealthy merchant or the humble mechanic, the gorgeous madame or the homely-dressed sewing-girl. Repudiating the mercenary notion that the chief end, and the only mission of man is to make money, the Doctor tinds enjoyment in the wealth he has gained. He makes his pecuniary means a source of happiness. He is fond of Ixis home, his dogs and his gun, and revels in the joy which he finds in the companionship of the animate and inanimate creation. Nor does he admit for a moment the slavish idea that business is to ride a man to affluence though the next step beyond be to the broken health M'hicli prevents its enjoyment, or into the grave, which gives the enjoyment to another. He believes tliat man does not live by business alone, but by that health of the body which is indispensable to the health and development of the mind. In this respect, the Doctor is a pattern for thousands who are wearing away their lives at a sacrifice of present enjoyment, if not of conscience. In conclusion, we will add that as a citizen the Doctor stands high in the esteem of all who know him. As a politician, he is unobtrusive, voting quietly for the best men, and never taking part in the broils and strife of active politicians. As a man who is pursuing the even tenor of his way, discharging his duties towards his fellow men as they present themselves from day to day, we think he stands forth as a model ; and althoucrh in a sketch as brief as this we may fail to portray with clearness the various traits of character which go to make up the man, yet we must admit that some of those traits are possessed by very few. THOMAS M. EDDY. Dr. Eddy, Editor-in-Chief of the "Northwestern Christian Advo- cate," is justly considered a representative of the activities of Methodism in the Northwest. He is worthy of that rank, whether considered as minister or editor. Although Illinois and Indiana have been the fields of his maturer labors, Ohio is his native State, he having been born in Hamilton County, September 7tli, 1823. His lather is the Rev. Augustus Eddy, a well known, useful and popular minister in the Methodist Epis- copal Church, who exercised his earlier ministry in Ohio, labored many years in Indiana, and now, crowned with three-score and ten, yet remains in active service, preaching several times each ^^•eek. Thus were the earliest associations of Dr. Eddy connected with the itinerant ministry and then were laid the foundations of his unbigoted love for that ecclesiastical system which he now so ably defends and worthily represents. As a boy, he was physically frail, and his delicacy of health interfered greatly Avitli the gratification of his early taste for study. Notwithstand- ing his earnest desire to avail himself of all literary advantages, he was permitted to spend but few uninterrupted months at school. In 1836, the family sought a home on an Indiana farm, and fi)r years the son devoted himself alternately to hard work for the sake of his body, to school for the cultivation of his mind, and to teaching, in which last he formulated his knowledge, while he, at the same time, recruited liis finances and indulged a creditable desire to benefit others. Taxing his strength and resources to the utmost, he attended a good academy Avhere he commenced that classical culture which he has acquired by further prosecution in private study. The fiither, sympa- thizing fully in the tastes of his son, provided for him a judicious selection 290 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. from English literature, embracing history, poetry, philosojjhy and fiction. The welcome books were eagerly read, and carefully re-read again and again. Pi'osecuting this industrious coui'se, he not only increased his knowledge of mere facts, but cultivated his powers of thought and laid the foundations of that forcible, generally laconic, and often elliptical style of expression so characteristic of him. In 1842, he entered the ministry, and was appointed to a circuit on the Ohio River. It was a hilly, rough, and, in some respects, uninviting field, and well calculated to test the pluck and enthusiasm with which he entered upon his chosen profession. Nothing daunted, he pushed forward, keeping all his appointments and preaching over three hundred times during that first year, besides a conscientious attendance upon all the social meetings peculiar to his denomination. Xor was the tongue loosely disciplined at the expense of his pen; for the young minister had a natural bent towards authorship, and early became a newspaper corres- pondent and a writer for several magazines and reviews. Thus laboring professionally, and improving intellectually, he soon took a leading posi- tion among his brethren, and was appointed to some of the very best churches within the limits of the Conference to which he belonged. Quite early in his ministry he was complimented with the honorary degree of M. A. In 1856, Dr. Eddy was called to the editorship of the '' Northwestern Christian Advocate," Chicago, made vacant by the death of Rev. James V. AVatson. The facts that Dr. Watson ^Yas a vigorous, brilliant writer, and that the paper was in its infancy, were, to the new editor, both trying and stimulating. But, nothing daunted, he gave himself to the unwonted work. Appreciating the promise and width of his field, desiring the advancement of the church, knowing the power of the press, alive to all public issues in Church and State, ever regarding the amenities of the profession, earnest for the right, Avith an eye quick to perceive the critical, essential point of a crisis, a natural tactician, with a dash of love for the radical and unusual, yet preserving his equilibrium in propriety and saga- city, he soon made his mark upon the paper, and in the regions where it was circulated or quoted, his influence was felt. As a material test, the subscription lists ran up from eleven thousand to about thirty thousand. Friends multiplied, and the influence of the "Northwestern" soon justified the belief that, while a powerful political daily sways its communities of fi-iendly politicians, the well conducted and THOMAS M. EDDY. 201 trusted religious weekly lulls not behind in moulding the convictions of the people. The well-known slavery controversy in the Methodist Church fore- shadowed the mighty contest which later shook the nation. In both the controversy and the contest the " Northwestern " was decided and extremely, but wisely, radiciil. In this it was fully sustained, for the Methodists of the Northwest went up to the General Conference of 1860 as a unit for the radical ecclesiastical legislation concerning slavery there accomplished. The first editorial by Dr. Eddy on national affairs which attracted general attention was an elaborate review of the Dred Scott decision. This won the hearty approval of leading statesmen and jurists, both by its patriotic spirit and careful research. Subsequently, when Southern persecutions of loyal Methodist ministers made the very men- tion of free speech at the South a farce, when sectional feeling ran high, when political schemes were a sad entanglement of passion and strife, when several States balanced doubtfully in the scale, and when the people waited for confident guidance, Dr. Eddy, tln-ough the " North western's " columns, addressed a stinging letter to James Buchanan, then in the Presidential chair. The letter was everywhere read with intense interest, and so well did it recite issues, recount indignities, and point the contrast between American wrongs and freemen's vested rights, that it was widely copied by scores of newspapers, and reprinted as a campaign document. The influence of that letter was very great in several States, but especially in Illinois, during the campaign, when the names of Lincoln, Douglas and Breckenridge were before the people. The ^Methodist Church, although not a political organization, yet contained hundreds of thousands who held that religion did not interfere with the exercise of a citizen's prerogatives, but rather rendered it all the more binding. During the canvass of 1860, many thousands of these reorganized their views on public questions, and Dr. Eddy's instrumentality in this field of patriotic reform was distinctly marked. During the war the " Northwestern Christian Advocate," in its influ- ential, but, as compared witii metropolitan dailies, unobtrusive sphere, was thoroughly radical. When armed conflict became inevitable, the paper advocated tlie truly merciful policy of a vigorous prosecution of the war. It ever seconded the call for troops; was among the first to condemn the policy of protecting rebel property; to call for military emancipation; to (kinand the enrollment of slaves, iind to persistently maintain that the war 292 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. was one of ideas, and that half measures were recreantly treasonable toward God and man. Thus is explained the fact that the paper advanced to a leading position among Western journals. Xever behind, but always in advance of public sentiment, it won a place in the warm hearts of the people, and was ever welcome to the soldier's tent. In addition to his labors as editor, Dr. Eddy's services during the war in promoting the interests of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions were not inconsidera- ble, though he declined to enter exclusively into their service as lecturer or agent. He lectured repeatedly during the war upon the vital issues of the conflict, and so highly appreciated were his inspiring words, that when he tendered his services in the field to Governor Yates, he was urged to retain the post Avhere he was best doing a patriot's work. Dr. Eddy has done our returned and martyred volunteers an important service, in the publication of two volumes of war history, entitled " The Patriotism of Illinois;" a work which cost much labor, and has already been largely distributed to soldiers' homes and more public libraries. The war now over, the Doctor has addressed himself anew to his work as an editor and minister. The " Northwestern" is known as a religious newspaper devoted to living issues; and, in the language of the editor, it is "a rostrum, and not a sepulchre" of dead issues. High above all claims, lie holds those of Christ and His fold. Though he has Avritten so much, and has dedicated more churches, and "raised" more money than any man in America, he yet preaches the word in season and out of season. As a pulpit orator, he is ready, clear, evangelical and effective; he is at once instructive, convincing and persuasive. Although popular as a lecturer, he yet, from choice, gives his voice and strength to the minister's more sacred callino-. Nor have more dazzling overtures been successful to render him foro-etful of God's call. Twice has the Doctor received the o tender of a congressional nomination, at times when that was equivalent to an election. In these, as in other instances, he has preferred to remain among, and labor with and for the people, as a minister of Christ. (X, WILSON K. NIXON. OuE intention being to make mention of one or more leading men in A'arious prominent professions or branches of business, we have selected the subject of this sketch as a representative of those who are, in their daily avocations, to a certain extent, connected with music, although his standing in our community, as one of our most public-spirited and energetic citizens, is not dependent upon the especial business that he at present pursues. To be prominent and remarked for energy and enter- prise in such a population as that of Chicago, and to have become so during a residence of but a few years, argues personal qualities that but few possess. WiLSOX K. Nixon was born in tlie pleasant village of Geneva, New York, ,Vpril 9, 1826, and removed, with his parents and only sister, to Cincinnati, in the spring of 1830. Owing to a peculiar delicacy of constitution, he was able to attend school only during occasional very brief intervals, and received, therefore, until he reached the age of thirteen years, almost exclusively, a lioine education. Music was one of the means relied on by his parents for keeping him from too close application to his books, of which he was excessively fond, and the knowledge of the piano thus acquirotl, was, doubtless, one of the influences that afterwards led him to engage in his present business. In the spring of 1839, his father's health being also quite delicate, it was determined to visit Europe, both in the liope of improving the health of the father and son, and in the pursuit of pleasure. Tliis journey occupied nearly a year and a half, and, in the autumn of 1840, the family returned from their wanderings on the continent of Europe and throughout the British Islands, to their old home in Cincinnati. 294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. As an expedition in qnest of health, this journey was as successful as could have been desired, and the young boy, who had acquired in his travels much information of a miscellaneous character, but felt that his regular education had been greatly retarded, Avas, soon after liis return, entered at the "Woodward College, in Cincinnati. He applied himself so closely to his studies that in two years he accomplished the ordinary work of nearly twice that period; but his application was too intense, and, when sixteen, he was attacked by severe illness, and for months his life was almost despaired of. On leaving his sick bed, in the spring of 1843, his physicians ordered him to seek society; to enter some active business, and not to open a book again for years. Having a friend some few years older than liimself, Avho had a good knowledge of the grocery business, the two boys, at the mature ages of twenty and sixteen, formed a partnership under the name of Smith & Nixon, and entered "the honorable guild of grocers." Three or four years later, they established the first successful tea trade in the West. Disposing again of this business, they opened a large piano house, which is still continued by the former senior partner in Cincinnati. In the summer of 1854, the subject of our little history married a daughter of Miles Greenwood, proprietor of the Eagle Iron Works, and widely known as one of the most enterprising, energetic and public- spirited citizens of Cincinnati. Some three years later, Mr. Greenwood, who employed several hundred workmen, and carried on a variety of iron manufactures, some of them not elsewhere known in the United States, induced his son-in- law to join him in business, upon which he gave up the sale of pianos, and, adapting himself to the atmosphere of foundries and machine- shops, became a manufacturer of iron. Previous to this the firm of Smith & Nixon had built many fine edifices, both for their own use and for rent, including in the number, at different times, three of the finest concert rooms in the country, and several of the buildings put up by them still stand on Fourth street, amongst the chief ornaments of Cincinnati's handsomest street. During the war for the Union the immense resources of the Eagle Iron Works were at once put at the service of the Government, and proved eminently useful. Arms were difficult to procure — the Greenwood Works put up machinery for rifling the old smooth-bore muskets, commenced experimenting in the manufacture of bronze guns, etc., and in a short time WILSON K. NIXON. 295 turned out over fifty tbousaiul rifled muskets, two hundred cannon, tens of thousands of implements of all kinds, and finally built one of the finest of the sea-going Monitor ships of Avar that has yet come from the work- shops and ship-yards of our country. Before this vessel was finished, however, Mr. Nixon had again been compelled to change his business, and this time his place of residence also. His A\ife's health having been for some years, quite delicate, entire change of climate was prescribed, and a departure from the valley of the Ohio, and a permanent residence either on the sea shore, or in the neighborhood of the great Lakes, was recommended. Having, a short time before, visited Chicago, the physician's advice at once suggested that as the most desirable location for both business and health, and after six years of experience as an iron master, he, on December 1, 1863, removed Avith his family to the Garden City. Of too active a temperament to do without some business employment, and yet not knowing hoAV long he might remain in his new location, he decided to recommence his former business — the sale of pianos — as one that could be more easily taken up and left, if necessary, than many others, Avhile success in it depended less upon old business connections, and more upon every-day effort, than most others. The principal manufacturers of our country — SteiuAvay & Sons, of New York — having long experience of his business qualities, at once placed in his hands their general agency for the NorthAvestern States, and he was again a piano dealer. As, hoAvever, Ave said in the commencement of this article, while he calls this his business, and gives it such a share of his time, attention and executiA'c ability as insures it abundant success, it engrosses but a part of his time, and is in no degree the measure of his ability, or to any great extent connected with the reputation he has gained as one of those citizens to Avhoni Ave point as giving our city her proud position as a chief seat of enterprise and progress. Pie had, indeed, no sooner taken up his residence here than he observed that Avhile land speculators and others had made an immense business of the s:de of out-lots, Avater-fronts, etc., and Avliilc elevators and Avarehouses Avere numbered by hundreds, and miles of dwellings Avere stretched out in every direction upon the prairie, yet the best central property Avas com- paratively undeveloped, and the prices demanded for such locations as Avould soon be needed for offices and banks were much below their real proportionate value. Shortly after his arrival, therefore, he secured 296 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. possession of ground on the corner of Washington and Clark streets, and put up a building of one hundred and eighty by one hundred and seven feet, chiefly devoted to offices, but in the centre of which was placed a beautiful concert-room, accommodating some sixteen hundred persons. For two years "Smith & Nixon's Hall" was our finest concert and lecture-room, but at the end of that time, the increase of his own business compelled him to occupy it himself, and deprived our city of one of its most agreeable places of amusement. The new Cham])er of Commerce being fixed on the corner of Wash- ington and LaSalle streets, one hundred and twenty feet west of his first large building, he at once secured the vacant ground between, and commenced the erection of another large block of stores and offices of about the same size as the first one. Enforced absence for a time threatened to interfere with his business, but in no way interrupted it. The health of his family again demanding a change of climate, he took tiiem, in the midst of his active building operations, to Europe, but left them temporarily, and for a year and a half so divided his time between his family in Europe and his business and building enterprises here as to attend to both. How few have passed so often, and in so short a time, from the active scenes of the most stirring city of our country to the varied scenes of the Old World ! — June spent in our new and busy city, and July amongst the wild and fantastic scenery of the Hartz Mountains — August to October piling up new buildings in Chicago, and the following Avinter passed amongst tiie orange groves of Sorrento and the ruined temples of Pompeii and Rome — the early spring in the gardens of Paris — June and July again in Chicago — Math another passage through France — and home again, to winter by the shores of Lake Michigan. How strange such contrasts must appear! When we consider that in building he is accustomed to actively superintend every part of the construction himself, it is a marked proof of his energy that during less than three years' residence, at least one of which he was absent, he added to Chicago first-class buildings fronting over seven hundred feet on our principal streets, established a business second to none of its kind in the country, and attended to all his duties and engagements with singular fidelity and promptitude. Pie is now living here in one of the most beautiful homes in the Xorth Division, a permanent resident of our city. Being still in the vigor and prime of life, it is but reasonable to suppose that what he has alreadv done is but ^ WILSON K. NIXOX. 297 u commencement of what he yet h()i)es and designs to do in the way of beautifying and improving the Garden City, Cliicago is not like other cities, nor her ways like their ways. Time passes more rapidly — more work is done each day. A few years effect here what would require a lifetime in most places, and a man who came here in 1SG3 is an "old resident" to nearly one-half the population of 18G7. \\'hen we see, therefore, a man like this — prepared to join in all schemes for the public good, ready to resi)ond to all charities and calls of benevolence, exemplary in all the relations of life — enterprising, energetic and successful, even though he be a resident with us for but the past three or four years, have we not a right to claim him as one of our "Leading Men?' SAMUEL C. GRIGGS. Among business men, the successful book merchant deserves special mention. No other brancli of trade tests more tlioroughly Inisiness capacity and skill; nor is there any, when jjrosecuted upon right principles, that influences society and individual character to greater advantage. A pub- lishing and book-selling house, managed in its aifairs by conscientious, intelligent men, should be valued in any community as the schools of learning are valued; and often it is entitled to rank, as respects the breadtli, power, and effect of its influence, Avitli the highest and best of such schools. For, while students and scholars are comparatively few in number, and must necessarily be so, readers are counted by thousands and millions; and proportionately with the number of good books that a man becomes the means of distributing, will be the number of teachers set to work. By these instruments he forms not alone taste, but character; supplies not alone entertainment, but instruction, and puts in operation causes and tendencies which shape destiny itself. In the particulars here alluded to, the gentleman whose name stands above has been fortunate beyond most, even in his own sphere of business life. The fact is, in his case, of the more significance, as it is with him ji(»t a ha})py contingency, or a subordinate incident of his career, but the successful working out of a purpose, early formed and held to throughout life, witii singular tenacity and consistency. Samuel C. Griggs is a native of Tolland County, Connecticut. His (father was the most extensive farmer in the c(Kinty where he resided; a man of strict integrity, and so highly esteemed in that regard that his word was always deemed equivalent to the most stringent legal attestation. He was also a man of generous spirit, and ultimately lost his entire I 300 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. fortune by indorsing the paper of friends, and otherwise lielping them in difliculty. To his mother, especially, as is so often the case, Mr. Griggs acknowledges a large indebtedness. She \vas a ^voman of great refinement of feeling, nervous and energetic in temperament, and with aims always - high and pure. Upon her side, the family traces its descent from some of the highest branches of English nobility, and in the line are reckoned not a few who were as eminent for their moral worth as their honored lineage. It Avas the chief aim of this good mother, in the training of her son, to instil thoroughly the i)rinciples of true manhood, as well as of a true Christianity. Almost daily, during the period, especially, from his fifth to his tenth year, she took him with her alone to her room, and there, in her own beautiful language, the tender eyes often filling with tears, would picture to him the different courses of life which the bad and the good pursue. Illustrating with anecdotes and examples, more particularly of those who had become eminent in the world for true greatness, she sought thus to instil into his young mind a thorough aversion to anything low, ignoble, or unworthy, and to excite the laudable ambitions of virtue and the desire for excellence. The impression thus received, even before the tenth year of life had been reached, proved lasting, and, as ]\Ir. Griggs believes, has been a more abiding and more beneficent influence than all that has been felt in the years succeeding. A good mother, faithful to her trust, seldom fails to make of her son a good man. The plastic character of the child yields to her forming hand, and, when manhood has come, the outline she gave it, filled out and rounded, and hardened into firmness, is still there. The parents had intended that their son should be thoroughly educated, and he himself, as he advanced in life, had fixed upon a literary career as his choice. Until the age of fourteen, his advantages were such as the New England boy usually enjoys, in the district and Sunday schools; in his own case, enlarged through the instructions of his mother at home. From fourteen to nineteen, he A\as most of the time at school in various academies and seminaries, and at the time of finally abandoning his course of study, in consequence of a failure of health, was prepared for the third year in college. In his school relations he showed that same ambition and resolute purpose which has characterized his later career. A prize offered to his class, whether for superiority in the classics, or in any of the more public school exercises, was a temptation which he could never SAMUEL C. GRIGGS. 301 resist, lie was always a conipi'titor, and always siicccssi'ul. Tlio iiilenso application induced by this constant and (•(>n.-nniin<;- desire fur excellence in scholarship, and by his interest in study ibr its own sake, at length so atFected his health that it was found impossible for him to proceed. Mid- way in his course he was checked and turned aside. A new plan of life had to be lormeil, a new choice made. It is characteristic of Mr. Griggs that, in selecting a business calling, instead of the literary one he at first had in view, he kept still in mind his original purpose, and, though compelled to lind a different road, never lost sight of the end. The change itself was at the cost of many a bitter regret. It was a consolation to feel that there were parallel courses to that which he had been compelled to abandon, and that into the new pursuit he could carry the purpose with which his early teachings had inspired him, and which had strengthened with the lapse of years — that whatever his calling, it must at least be one which, while realizing ])ersonal aims, should be a sphere of usefulness, and enable him to influence for good, both morally and intellectually, all whom he could reach. Actuated by these views, and guided by a good Providence, he, in the twentieth year of his age, began in the book trade at Hamilton, New York, the seat of what is now Madison University. The small country book store in which his first venture was made, he purchased upon credit, lie had never been for a single day in any mercantile house, as clerk or otherwise, and had no experience in business, Avhatever. It seems, as one looks back upon it, like a somewhat hazardous scheme for a youth not yet twenty years old. But it was a man in his right place; admirable faculty finding suitable sphere and scope. It was a small beginning, but a good and sound one, and had in it the augury of success from the start. At Hamilton, Mr. Griggs remained some six years. In that time he had established a business character highly appreciated, not only there, but in the commercial centres of the land. A leading Xew York pub- lisher, Mr. Mark H. Newman, had especially noticed him. Perceiving in him talent and enterprise that must soon demand a wider sphere, ]\lr. Newman projiosed to him a partnersliip. He first offered to associate h:.n with himself in New York, upon e(pial terms, Mr. Griggs to giv(> his notes for his share of the common capital. Mr. Griggs, however, declining to involve himself in this way, he then offered to furnish the entire capital, and proposed a business which, with its centre at New York, should have a branch at New Orleans. He offered to bind hiuisclf in 302 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. writing, that his partner should receive four thousand doUars a year, Avhether his share of the profits amounted to this or not, and that he should be expected to remain in New Orleans only nine montlis in each year. Those were the days of slavery, and Mr. Griggs found it impossible to reconcile himself to the idea of such a close personal contact with that bad institution, and the social system born of il, as a residence in a city like New Orleans must involve. This ofiPer, therefore, was also declined. Mr. Newman then wrote that Mr. Griggs could not, of course, expect to remain in Hamilton. It was a field much too narrow. To seek a wider sphere was a manifest duty, and in his judgment the change should be made without delay. As New Orleans had been declined, Mr. Newman proposed Chicago, saying of it, with singular forecast, considering that his words ^vere written more than twenty years ago, that it was a place destined one day to be second only to New York. To this proposal Mr. Griggs agreed, and accordingly, in 1848, came to Chicago and opened business as a partner of Mr. Newman. It is a highly pleasing indication of the character which ISIr. Griggs had established in Hamilton, both as a business man and a cultivated Christian gentleman, that not only the citizens of that place, but the faculty of the University, used every means to retain him there. The Professors held a special meeting upon the subject, prompted by a con- viction of the very great importance to a literary institution of a well-managed book-trade in its vicinity, and appointed one of their number to express to him their strong desire that he should remain, pledging themselves that all books issued by them should be given to him for publication, if desired. This incident shows what pleasant relations had already come to exist between Mr. Griggs, the citizens of Hamilton, the students and faculty of the University. Neither was the place without its attractions, social and literary. But the young merchant had wider views. That spirit was moving in him which has pushed abroad into the newer portions of this great country the men who have there built up mighty communities and flourishing cities. It was in his heart and in his destiny to share in that work. The purpose of his life demanded the broad field it found, and in that field has never neglected to seize and use the opportunities it sought. In the year 1848, then, Mr. Griggs became a citizen of Chicago, commencing here that business career which has since so steadily pro- gressed. We cannot undertake to sketch its history in these pages. SAMUEL C. GRIGGS. 303 Much niiiy be intbrreil iVoiu the I'uct tliut while in the llrst year his sules amounted to only $23,000, at present the amount of his yearly trade is not far from a million. Much will he suggested also to those who may have had occasion, fii'tecn or twenty years ago, to visit his small store at 111 Lake street, and who might now go to see him at the magnificent establishment at 39 and 41 of the same street, the most extensive, with two or three exceptions, in the United States, and worthy to rank with aiiv upon either continent. Other suggestions will be gained by even a cursory survey of the present stock in trade. Even a stranger, both to him and his history, would infer from what the shelves and counters must disclose, that the controlling spirit there is not one of money -getting alone, or chiefly; but that the proper aim of the book merchant has been clearly seen and energetically adopted. The book is there evidently looked upon not merely as an article of barter, nor does one discover signs that those books are held of chief account which will sell most quickly and with the largest profit. One perceives that there is a purpose, not to feed a depraved public taste and grow rich faster by the moans, but to cultivate a pure and correct taste, by offering the kind of literature which readers ought to prefer and to seek. The literature of the age is, indeed, repre- sented in all its branches, while that of the older ages survives in works which are the choice legacy of centuries past to our own; but just because it is so complete, the collection there found becomes in itself a means to suggest and educate right ideas of literature and of books. It is unusual to find in a general book store so many rare and expen- sive w'orks as are found in that of which we speak. In a recent visit to Europe, Mr. Griggs enriched his stock greatly by purchases of this kind, especially in London, Edinburgh and Brussels. Art and literature alike, and in their choicest specimens, are represented in these masterpieces of the older authors and artists, as well as the later ones, furnished in forms the most attractive. Many of these works must of necessity be compara- tively slow of sale; many of them arc very costly. They, like much else which one finds here, were not meant as a speculation, but to render more complete the outfit of an establishment the whole aim of which is to combine the personal ends of business with the higher entls of a public service. It is proper to add that, in the particulars to which wc hero allude, Mr. Griggs has in his partners, Messrs. E. L. Jansen, D. B. Cooke, A. C McClurg, and F. B. Smith, gentlemen like-minded with himself. Mr. Jansen has been a member of the firm for more than eleven vears. 304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. His admirable business talents have contributed largely toward the developnieut of this wide and prosperous trade. The others named have become partners more recently. Mr. Griggs has a right to feel, in reviewing his business career in the past, and in contemplating the advantages of his position in the present, that the noble ambition of his youth has by no means been disappointed. Turned aside from pursuing it in one direction, he has found another, and is permitted to know that in this, also, literary distinction and the rich rewards of wide and lasting usefulness are gained. In his personal relations, Mr. Griggs is a liberal citizen, a Christian who believes that God is served in business no less thau in the church, a steadfast, generous friend, a gentleman made welcome in every circle. He has a wide acquaintance with the literature which he offers to the public, and of the merit of good books can speak from personal knowledge. In business, he is remarkable for sagacity, readiness and decision. He can venture largely, but seldom ventures unwisely. He looks at business in its broadest relations, and is able to both plan and work successfully upon a great scale. His own literary taste is exceedingly delicate and accurate, and his talent for original composition such as would have justified him in expecting success in a literary career, had his early purpose to that effect not been defeated. Some of his friends have been allowed access to a series of letters written home by him during a tour of four or five months in Europe, in the year 1866. They evince a rare power of both seeing and describing, and should the importunity of his friends prevail upon him to publish, there would be another added tb the very siiiall number of books of travel that are worth reading. Dui'ing the visit to Europe of which mention has just been made, Mr. Griggs formed many valuable acquaintances among leading publishers in Great Britain and on the Continent. From Mr. Henry G. Bohn, of London, he received numerous polite attentions, as also from the veteran publisher, Mr. John Murray, Trubner & Co., Longman & Green, and Routledge, Bell & Daldy, of the same city, and from Messrs. Blackwood & Sons, of Edinburgh. In this connection we may be permitted to copy a passage from the "American Literary Gazette and Publishers' Circular," recognized as the leading publication of its class in this country: "Mr. Griggs, the senior member of this great Northwestern book house, is one of those gentlemen of whom the whole trade is proud. His intelligence, enterprise, integrity, and many estimable personal qualities, have acquired for him a jjopularity SAMUEL C. GRIGGS. 305 ni)t derivc'il rroiu any lactilious circu instances, but a jtci-niaiiciit and spon- taiuH)iH trihiite to his merit. In his recent visit to the East, the liearty and respectful welcome which he every where received should teach the younger members of the trade that the best road to prosperity and honor is in the path of fair dealing, energy and uprightness." Mr. Griggs has always been a hard-working businass man, and that in spite of a frailness of constitution that has partly resulted from the injudicious application to study, in youth, of which we have spoken. He is slender in form, and impresses the observer as a man by no means robust; yet his resolute purpose, and his power of dispatch, carry him through a vast amount of work. He is now in the meridian of his life, and his friends cherish for him the hope of yet many more yeai's, to be crowued, as the past have been, with prosperity and usefulness. ^A^ti^*"^^^^ JAMES H. HOES. An even life, unmarked by the flashes of genius, or the excitement of political struggles, may be uninviting to the ambitious youth; it may lack brilliant and sharply defined outline, yet in the sum of all its parts it is more harmonious, and better adapted as a pattern for those entering upon life's duties and responsibilities. To this class belongs the subject of this sketch, James H. IIoes, Esq., an eminent citizen, a successful merchant, and a true man. Mr. Hoes' ancestors upon the paternal side Asere from Holland. His grandfather was an ardent and inflexible Revolutionary patriot, serving in the ranks, and sacrificing his estate to the interests of American liberty. His father was a farmer of comfortable means, but not wealthy, tilling a small farm on the banks of the Hudson, in the little village of Stuyvesant Landing. His mother sprang from an old and wealthy Connecticut family. They were honest, hard-working. God-fearing people, and made it the prime object of their lives to bring up their family of four children in a comfortable and respectable manner. They gave them the benefits of the best common school education, and impressed upon their youthful minds the importance of religion, conscientiously training them for the after-strugo-le of life. The subject of this sketcn was born at Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York, June 30, 1821. At the age of fourteen, he decided that he could be of more advantage to himself and his parents by ceasing to be a burden upon them and earning his own living. He accordingly lefl school and hired himself out to a neighboring farmer, and by his industry, conscientious application and aptness, he soon performed his labor with all the success of older and more experienced men. At this period of his life, he was often solicited by his friends to go to New York and study 308 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. for the ministry, but his strong home attachments and his desire to be of assistance to his parents induced him to decline these solicitations. In 1837, his father sold the little farm to Martin Van Buren, who married a cousin of the former, and moved further Avest, to Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where he bought a larger farm, mainly to give his children better opj)ortunities. James was not so strong a boy as his younger brother, but what he lacked in physical, he made up in mental ability. His accurate knowledge of the details of farm labor, and quick perceptions as to the readiest and best methods of j)erforming it, not only made theirs the model farm in that region, but brought his services into requisition among the neighbors. The incessant and arduous labor of the farm, however, soon began to tell upon a constitution naturally not robust, and one day, in the hay- field, he threw down his rake and determined to seek some occupation less laborious. He consulted with his parents. They Mere at first reluctant to lose him, but finally consented. Packing his scanty wardrobe in a handkerchief, as so many others have done, he trudged off on foot to Towanda, and on the route settled in his mind that he would launch his bark in the jewelry business. He went to the best watch establish- ment in tlie place, and offered his services. They were refused. Nothing daunted by the refasal, he laid his case before the proprietor in a few simple, honest words. He was anxious to learn a trade. He had chosen the jewelry business. He would make himself useful, and he did not m ant any pay until his employers were satisfied he had earned it. Impressed with the earnest, straight-forAvard manner of the boy, Mr. Langford, the proprietor, employed him. It was not long before jSlr. Langford recog- nized his sterling qualities of industry, and his interest in him advanced correspondingly. The youth rapidly mastered the details of the business. His employer made him presents of money and clothes, and as older men went out, advanced him to higher positions. In one year from the time he had commenced, he offered him an interest in the business, which he declined, preferring to wait until he was thoroughly competent to take charge of the work. In the summer of 1840, Mr. Langford sold out and removed to Xew York, where he proposed establishing himself in business, with Mr. Hoes as a partner. This time, a long illness prevented the consummation of this arrangement, and before his thorough recover}^, Mr. Langford had removed to Xew Jersey, and ]\lr. Hoes resumed his trade with a watch JAMES H. HOES. 309 maker named Wilson, at Oweoo, Tioga County, New York. lie ^^■as a very superior workman, and, appreeiatinjj; the young man's abilities, made him his superintendent. Alter remaining in this establishment two years, Mr. Hoes removed to Binghamton, Xew York, and commenced business on his own account, and with good success. Shortly after, Mr. Wilson ottered his shop and stock for sale. Mr. Hoes bought them, removed again to Owego, and was now in possession of the finest establishment in that section of the country. His close attention to business, and systematic method of labor, coupled with his inflexible honesty, resulted in complete success. His purchase was speedily paid for out of the profits of the business, and life opened before him a bright prospect, which was still more brightly illumined by a happy marriage contracted at this period — a marriage which has resulted in mutual happiness from that day to this. From Owego, the family removed to Dansville, Livingston County, New York, where Mr. Hoes pursued his business for eight years, with the same degree of success which had always attended his efforts. About this time the Western fever was raging in New York and New England. The young men in the overcrowded cities were leaving by hundreds for the new cities and villages of the great West, ^\here, by honest and indefatigable toil, and by growing with the growth of the country, fortunes and reputation could be achieved more easily than in the old cities of the East. Mr. Hoes caught the Western fever, and with his fiimily removed to ^lilwaukee, where he aided by his practical knowledge and business ability to build up one of the largest jewelry establishments in that city. Mr. Hoes felt, however, that his sphere of usefulness Avas too confined in Milwaukee, and believing that he could do better, both for himself and his family, in a larger place, came to Chicago and purchased the stock of Hoard & Avery, 117 Lake Street. He was without a partner for a time, but subsequently, and for four years, he was in connection with Hon. Samuel Hoard, our well-known citizen and recent Postmaster. At the period of the outbreak of the rebellion, he was again alone. At this time, the universal impulse Mliich was given to business throughout the North was felt in Chicago, and extended even to those branches of business which had no direct influence upon the progress of the war. Mr. Hoes' trade ra])idly increased u])on his hands, and at last compelled him to ta.ke a partner. Mr. Matson, his old partner in Mil- waukee, assumed a share of the business, the partnership expiring in ;;j 310 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. January, 1867. Mr. Hoes had now been engaged in the jewehy business, without intermission, for thirty years, in various parts of the country, and had acquired reputation both as a workman and a merchant which had resulted in the accumulation of a handsome fortune. He had arrived at that age when the majority of men desire to cast off some of the cares and responsibilities of life, and sjDcnd the remainder of their days in compara- tive ease. He made a proposition to sell out his interest in the business to his partner, Mr. Matson, which proposition was accepted. But the old habits and associations of thirty years' formation were not so easily to be broken. Mr. Hoes' fixed principles of industry, and his active habits, rendered it impossible for him to step out of the channels of business. "When, therefore, the Northwestern Silverware Company offered him the management and superintendence of their establishment, he accepted the situation. The company will find his practical knowledge of the business, and his efficient managerial abilities of inestimable value. We have thus rapidly sketched the principal points of interest in the commercial life of Mr. Hoes, a life crowned with remarkable success, especially considering that he has had to contend throughout his whole business career, against the impedimenta of a constitution by no means robust. The two prominent elements which have aided him to achieve this success were unflagging industry and the application of a strict, impar- tial code of morality to all his dealings. The jewelry business presents unusual opportunities for large profits and the deception of customers, as few but connoisseurs and experts are judges of the quality of the articles on sale. Mr. Hoes never resorted to these dishonest practices. His Avord was always his bond. Apart from his business life, Mr. Hoes is eminent in all that con- tributes to make up the good parent and citizen. His private life is unspotted. He has always been prominent in every good word and work, charitable to the poor, and entering with hearty sympathy into every philanthropic movement. At the ' time of the first Sanitary Fair held in Chicago, towards which Mr. Hoes was a liberal contributor, he offered to give, through the managers, a gold watch to the person making the most valuable donation to the Fair. It happened that the Emancipation Pro- clamation, presented by President Lincoln, realized $3,000, and A\'as decided to be the most valuable donation. Mr. Hoes, therefore, selected an elegant watch and forwarded it to the President, through Hon. I. N. Arnold, then member of Congress from this District, for which Mr, JAMES II. TIOKS. 311 Liiu'olii rL'tunied his tluuiks in a flianK'teristic! letter to him, whidi is now a precious memento of the martyred President. JJut it Wius not alone the Sanitary Fairs that shared in Mr. Hoes' well directed liberality. Diirin:^ the entire war, he contributed largely in aid of the loyal ciiuse, both by his advice and from his purse. Although Mr. Hoes has been a resident of Chicago for many years, and has been often solicited to take official positions of honor in the political world, he has invariably refused; while in connection with charitable and religious associations, he has filled, and now occupies important offices. He Avas one of the incorporators — organizing and placing upon a sure foundation the St. Luke's Free Hospital, and he is now Treasurer of the institution. He was a member of the Diocesan Conventions of New York and Wisconsin, and Warden of St. James' Church, Milwaukee. Since his residence in Chicago, he has been a member of the Vestry of St. James' Church, and at the last meeting of the Diocesan Convention was made a member of the Missionary Board for Illinois. In all the elements -which make a useful man and a good citizen, Mr. Hoes may stand as a model to the rising generation. He can look back upon an unstained life, conscious of having accomplished much good in the world. Although his life has moved quietly along in the pursuits of business, unmarked by striking incidents or stirring events, such as happen in the lives of public men, he has accomplished what few can boast, and that is — the faithful, manly discharge of all his obligations, moral and social. He has never stooped to consider questions of expe- diency, but has invariably arrayed himself upon the side of liberty, truth and justice, whether that side was in the ascendency or otherwise, and, bringing this fine moral sense to bear upon all questions, whether political, social or commercial, he has made his life consistent and harmonious, and we trust may long be spared to the community of which he is so useful a member. SAMUEL H. KEEFOOT. Of the many substantial interests of a growing city like Chicago, all will concede that real estate, its landed wealth, constitutes, if not the most important, at least one of the jnost prominent. In all cities this department of their weal and development commands, as it should, the attention of capitalists and operators generally. The growth in value of the real or landed property of any city or country is not attributable to chance or mere accident. Wisdom is shown on the part of those who, having the faculty of discerning the natural advantages of a particular locality, manifest a willingness to expend their means in developing them. It is not a mere boast, Avhen -sve say that Chicago has, by her unprece- dented ra])idity of growth, furnished a rare chance for money-making in this particular. Such being the case, a representative man in this department will be looked for in our work; and, in making the selection, we know of none more fitting than the one whose name we have already given. Samuel H. Kerfoot has been in Chicago since the autumn of 1848 — now nearly twenty years. He came here designing to select it as a place of residence, feeling an abiding confidence in the fact that a city located at the head of inland navigation, possessed of the best liarbor on the Lakes, the outlet of the Illinois and Michigan Canal — the great point of concentration of the whole Northwest, coupling with the richness and varied ])roductiveness of an immense territory, the advantages that must spring from the railroad system then taking possession of the country — could not fail to increase largely her population and wealth. Mr. Kerfoot was born of Irish parents, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 314 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. December 18, 1823, and educated at St. Paul's College, near New York city, a justly celebrated school, founded by the Rev. Dr. ]\Iuhlenberg. After leaving there, he was engaged under his brother, now the Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh, in founding and building up St. James' College, Maryland. He combined with the advantages of a literary and classical education, derived from study, and teaching many years, a rare turn for active and systematic business. This talent, brought to the AVest, with his intellectual culture, gave to the subject of our sketch special advantages, which have shown themselves in his career. On coming to Chicago, Mr. Kerfoot, for the first two or three years, engaged in other practical pursuits, but soon turned his attention to the development of real estate; and perhaps no one in Chicago has made more subdivisions, graded more streets, or supervised and managed more real estate, than the gentleman whose portrait ])recedes this article. When he embarked in the business, he, with great providence, foresaw that in order to the successful prosecution of such a vocation, a good, intelligent and systematic foundation must be laid. The long lines of books, the number, variety and perfectness of the maps, the complete machinery and system of his office arrangements, but above all the elegant and elaborate Atlas of Ciiicago, in two large volumes, of which he was the first })rojector and compiler, bear testimony to the skill with which he has carried out his plans in this regard. Mr. Kerfoot has, for many years, managed, here, the extensive landed interests of the estate of D. Lee, of New York, and by his lay co-operation with the legal talent employed, brought the famous suit of Chickering et al. versus Fade, executor, etc., to a successful issue for the estate. The same thing is true touching his connection with Ridgeley's Addition to Chicago, which Mr. Kerfoot has had charge of for twelve years past. The title having been attacked, he, in his lay capacity, was largely instrumental in its complete vindication. He has also managed the extensive and valuable property of Messrs. Macalester and Gilpin, who, purchasing at the Canal Sales at an early day, have, under ISIr. Kerfoot's wise management, reaped a satisfactory harvest. From this estate he procured the donation to the city, and the planting and improving, of "Vernon Park," on the West Side. Mr. Kerfoot has not been a mere land agent. His culture fitted him for a semi-legal calling, and hence during his long and intimate connection SAMUEL H. KERFOOT. 315 with real estate, its sale and inaiiai;enient, lie has become conversant Avitli our real estate laws, and j)efl"(rtly iiuuijiar with that traditionary information rei>;arding the various tracts, additions and subdivisions comprised MJthin and adjacent to the limits of the city, which only can be acquired by a j)ractical and intelligent intercourse of long standing. In a city like Chicago, where real estate brokerage constitutes so im[)ortant a branch of business, an organization naturally was made among those who were so engaged. In 1853, a Board of Real Estate Brokers was organized; Mr. Kerfoot was then the efficient Secretary and Manager of it. From 1857 onwards, business being dull, the number of real estate brokers faded away, and few besides Mr. Kerfoot maintained their ground. He has been uninterruptedly engaged thus for nearly sixteen years past. In 1855, with the revival of speculation in this line of business, came the consequent increase in the number of brokers, and a desire for a revival of the organization. It was accomplished, and Mr. Kerfoot was at once chosen, and is now, the President of the Board of Real Estate Brokers of Chicago. ^Vith real estate is naturally connected a love of horticulture, arboriculture and landscape gardening. In this particular Mr. Kerfoot has indulged extensively, and has shown great taste and skill. His elegant grounds, just north of the city, on the Lake shore, bear testimony to the fact. His extensive carriage drive, shaded by magnificent ever- greens of his own planting, and crossing ponds and bridges of his own devising; the arbors and steps constructed in rustic work of rare beauty, all tend to make a visit to his grounds, at Lake View, a rare treat. Such grounds are probably not to be seen west of the Hudson. Mr. Kerfoot has })rocured from the Legislature the law authorizing the location in the town of Lake View of a ])ark, which may cover six luindred and forty acres. If the plan proposed l)y him and his co-Commissioners under thp law is carried out, the projected park will be second to none in this country, except the Central Park, of New York. In this way Mr. Kerfoot has been engaged in everything connected witli real estate and its development so incessantly and extensively that his name has become synonymous with the term "Cliicago real estate." Mr. Kerfoot's pen has not been idle. He has contributed, at various times, some of the finest articles on the commercial, manufacturing and financial growth of our city that we remembei- to liavc I'cad. His views are sound and philosophical, and his conclusions toucliing the general 316 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. interests of Chicago have uniformly been clear. His pamphlet, "Chicago the Commercial and Financial Centre of the Northwest," commanded very "vvarm encomiums and was largely quoted. In church matters, also, Mr. Kerfoot has been actively engaged. He is an Episcopalian, and was an intimate friend of Bishop Clarkson before the ordination of the latter. A vacancy occurring in the rectorship of St. James' Church, in this city, soon after Mr. Kerfoot's arrival here, he procured the call of Mr. Clarkson (now Bishop of Nebraska) to the parish. His pen has been used to some purpose in this line also. His pamphlet, "Bishop AVhitehouse and the Diocese of Illinois," showing great familiarity with the ecclesiastical matters of the Diocese, is a most able production, Mr. Kerfoot is a married man, with an interesting family, whom he has surrounded Avith every refining influence. He has one of the finest private libraries and some of the best pictures in Chicago. His home is the resort of many of our best amateur musicians, who are always made welcome by himself and his accomplished wife, whom, in early life, he married in Maryland and brought here with him. Possessed of a cheerful dis})Osition, he is respected by all who know him. Liberal to the poor, Avith a heart that is warm to every benevolent enterprise, we doubt not he will continue to grow^ in the affections of those who are acquainted with him. He is of an active temperament, of excellent judgment, always speaks to the point, and no man in the city appears to be more busily engaged at all times than he. Of a healthy constitution, he will apparently live long to enjoy the fruit of his labors. WILLIAM HEATH BYFORD. \ The profession of medicine is not behind that of the law or of literature in men who have risen from obscurity to honorable distinction, and achieved success in spite of adverse circumstances. Xor are they less worthy of "honorable mention." As there is no profession more benefi- cent, so there is none more entitled to commendation for excellence, or applause for success. The subject of this sketch is one of those who are set down by biographers as illustrative of the adaptation of our institutions to the necessities of impoverished genius, William Heath Byford is the son of Heniy T. and Hannah Byford, and was born on the 20th of March, 1817, in the village of Eaton, State of Ohio. During his infancy his parents removed to the Falls of the Ohio River, the spot where afterwards ^s•as planted, and now stands, the town of New Albany. Four years later, in 1821, the family removed to Hindostan, a village in Martin County, State of Indiana. Here, w hen AVilliam, the eldest of five children, had reached the ninth year of his age, his father died, leaving to his family nothing save the recollection of a heroic struggle with poverty which he was not able to overcome — unless indeed, we except those qualities, both of body and of brain, which, although lackiug in polish, were the very essence of durability and strength. These were transmitted by the fiither. Mho had a naturally vigorous, though not a trained or a cultivated intellect. What he lackeatiun in such jmsillanimous l)ehavior. lie Mould be alone rather than be so base. He would compel the respect instead of angling i'ur the patronage of the sons of the "ruling class." lie would compel them to honor his brains as much as his companioirs honored their superior dress. While they might grow up to a life of inefficiency, occasioned by luxury, he would show them a career of prosperity and usefulness cradled in destitu- tion. They might be superior to him in wardrobe, but he would excel them in knowledge. Doubtless tbistrait in the boy had much to do with the making of the man. It is so universally. Self-respect has elevating power, and where it is accompanied with a strong will and vigor of intellect it is a certain means of its possessor's advai:cement. With it, ordinary endowments may be made very effective. Without it, extraordinary ones mav igno- miniously fail. It is an inspiriting spur in the flank of ambition. It created motive power in the boy Byford to reflect how much superior an intellectual is to a social distinction, for he could not but see how the latter may be the result of circumstances over Avhich we have no control, while the former must be the consequence of circumstances wdiich are exclusively under our control, nay, which we ourselves create. Xeccssity is the mother of industry as Avell as of invention. ^Xevcr was boy more industrious than young Byford, and never was industry more suitably or satisfactorily rewarded. It was during his apprenticeship that he acquired an education Mhich many a college graduate has found impossible to accomj)lish. A\'ith Kirkham's English Grammar and a dictionary, he mastered the structure of his native tongue. He acquired a respectable knowledge of Latin ; learned to read the Greek Testament, and became sufficiently versed in the French language to speak as well as read it. He studied history, geogra- phy, natural philosophy, chemistry, and physiology with special care and pains, besides reading other branches to such an extent as his time and opportunities allowed. His mind was quick, acute and wakeful — acquired with facility, devoured with avidity and digested with the utmost ease. The "pursuit of knowledge under difficulties" is not often more impressively or pathetically illustrated than in the case of this pertina- cious physician in embryo, who would work all day for his employer, and nearly all night for himself. Long after the conventional "bed time," he would make little articles of apparel, or do a job of repairing, that he 320 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. might earn the wherewithal to purchase the books that were necessary for the prosecution of his studies. The book he studied by intense snatches Avas spread open between his crossed legs on the tailor's bench, where not only the garment he was sewing, but the industry with which he sewed it, concealed the clandestine designs of the apprentice from the jealous eye of the master. He did his share of labor, while actually spending as many hours of the twenty-four in the study of sciences and the languages as are required of college students. Nor are we surprised to learn that our subject thinks he accumulated more knowledge under these seemingly adverse circumstances than he would have done in the same length of time, engrossed exclusively with study. Some men, like some plants, grow with a vigor proportionate to their obstructions. The young acanthus, like the young man of ambitious projects, is stoutened by rejiression. '* Strong grows the oak in the sweeping storm." Our times and country are abundant in men of noble renown, who, but for the obstacles which in early life they were compelled to surmount, would have languished in mediocrity or sunk into oblivion. Genius is irrepressible, and the combinations, whether by circumstances or society, to repress it, may be the sole cause of its exaltation. Opposition develops strength which would otherwise have remained dormant, and reveals to oneself a mettlesome intrepidity of which avc had been hitherto uncon- scious. Self-reliance is promoted by its battle with ill-fortune. The most favorable circumstances in the common acceptation of the phrase may be the most unfavorable for the development of that self-dependence without which eminence is unattainable, and a high degree of success utterly out of the cpiestion. It is easier to believe and easier to demonstrate that poverty did not hinder, than that affluence would have helped young Byford in his efforts to acquire an education and to excel in a profession. He is indebted for his success to his irrepressible pluck. Nor must the fact be overlooked that while there was a prodigious expenditure of vitality on needle and book, there was no waste of substance on riotous living. If "the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty," the abstemious and frugal shall inherit liappiness and fame. If idleness begets vice, industry is a safeguard against vicious courses. Young Byford had neither the inclination nor the time for self-indulgence. "While the trophies of Miltiades would not let him sleep," the exertion WILLIAM HEATH BYFORD. 321 required to secure tluMu would uot suffer him to look upon tlu' cup wliirh "at the last biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." Whih; many another youth, superior to him in advantages, was tarrying at the dram cup till "he was out of the way with strong drink," h(>,by a life of self-ilenial and self-respect, was prei)aring himself for usefulness and eminence. About eighteen months before the expiration of his term of appren- ticeship, he resolved to follow the bent of his ambitiou and devote himself to medicine. He Avas enamored of "the science of life and death," and gave his mind to it Avith zest and zeal. No books had such fascination for him as the medical books, and no profession so attracted and inspired him as that of a physician. He had a mental love for his favorite science, and a humane design in its pursuit. He searched for physiological secrets as for hidden treasure, and plunged into the study of the Materia Medica with an enthusiasm that comes of a benevolent heart as well as an inquisitive head. He was not more devoted to man as a scientific enigma than as the suffering victim of a hundred ills. He was not more fascinated by the "fearfully and wonderfully made" machine than prompted by benevolence to keep it in "running order." The love of science is a noble enthusiasm, but the "enthusiasm of humanity" is nobler and more sublime by far. The physician who follows his profession with merely the avidity of a scholar may excite the admiration of the learned faculty, but the physician who combines a passion for his profession with a hearty symj)athy with the sick, has his reward in the gratitude of his fellows and the benediction of his Maker. If an "undevout astronomer is mad," an inhumane physician is the last of men to consult in the hour of distress. And while it bodes no good to the race when the flippant and frivolous "study medicine," it is a circumstance to be noted with hopeful satisfaction when the conscientious youth devotes his life to this beneficent profession. There was too much gravity in young Byford's life to allow any levity in his mind. He was in earnest from the first and will be in earnest to the last. He is earnest by nature, made more so by experience, and he went about the j)reparation for his ])rofession with that sobriety of soul which, when, as in this instance, it is accompanied by a vigorous mind, resolute })urpose and studious habits, makes the assurance of success doubly sure. 322 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. Amid all the disadvantages and discouragements we have recited, the young tailor commenced, and for eighteen months prosecuted, his reading of medicine. At niglit, when he required rest, he pored over his books. During the day his head did the work of a student while his hands did the Avork of an apprentice. But, if this was the jDursuit of medical knowledge under difficulties, its effect was to store away the knowledge deeper in the understanding than it. could otherwise have reached. What we acquire by the favor of circumstances is not so likely to endure as what we acquire in spite of them. If "stolen waters are sweet," stolen knowledge is sweeter. If the wickedly covetous prize their gains the higher for being gained at great hazards, the honorably ambitious hold on with no less tenacity to what they acquire through perils and privations. Young Byford laid good foundations and laid them well, whether sitting on the tailor's bench, or at his table in liis chamber. So that, when his apprenticeship closed, which it did when lie was twenty years of age, he was as ripe as lie was eager for that exclusive application to his new and higher apprenticeshijj, which he secured under the guidance and guardianship of Dr. Joseph Maddox, of Vincennes, Indiana. "Witli this gentleman's instructions added to his own industry, our medical student went forward in tlie patli of acquisition with rapid strides, and when another eighteen months of reading liad elapsed, he passed an examination which convinced the three eminent physicians who examined him of his fitness for his profession and of his resolve to excel in it. He began his practice in Owensville, Gibson County, Indiana, on the 8th of August, 1838. But he was even then more the student than the practitioner of medicine. The rigid habits of study which he acquired in his apprenticeship were of incalculable service to him now that he was launched in a profession. His book was his companion still. He read it over again. He made himself familiar with books that were new to him, and more thorough in studies that were old to him. He read on horseback, while going his professional rounds among the farm-houses. He read by daylight and candlelight, as had been his custom when plying his irksome trade. On the 3d of October, 1840, he was married to Miss Mary Ann Holland, daughter of Dr. Hezekiah Holland, and removed to Mt. Vernon, Indiana — events which contributed at once to his encouragement and incitement on the path he had chosen. His wife died on the 3d of March, WILLIAM HEATH BYFORD. 323 ■f 1804, after having lor luarly :i quarter of a ecntury been a Avii'e and mother of most amiable disposition, exeel lent judgment and self-sacrificing conduct. The part borne by the wife in the struggles of the aspiring husband is sekloni descanted upon, and is rarely given the place it deserves in the history of sucessfnl ambition. But they of the eminent are not few in mimber, who, like Dr. Byford, attribute a large share of their success to the hands and hearts at home, that "without wrath or doubting" stayed up theirs. And so the young physician worked on with unremitting perseverance for about seven years, when, in 1845, he applied for and obtained a regular graduation and an accredited diploma from the Ohio Medical College. Then back to his Avork he went again, with that industry and persistency wliicli had now become his second nature. His practice increased as his fame extended. To hear of him Avas to send for him, and to know him was to make him "the family physician." He now began to reaj) the fruits of his long and laborious season of sowing and planting. The seed time had passed, the harvest time had come. In 1847, Dr. Byford })erforraed and published an account of that great surgical operation denominated the Csesarean section. This was followed by contributions to the medical journals, A\hich attracted the attention of the medical community, and gave their author a respectable re])utation f"or literary acquirements, intellectual penetration, medical knowledge and scientific accuracy. In October, 1850, lie was elected to tlie chair of Anatomy in the Evansville, Indiana, Medical College, which he tilled with ability and fidelity for two years, when he was transferred to the chair of Theory and Practice in the same institution. This he occupied until 1854, when the luljege came to an end. During his professorship at Evansville, he was elected by his colleagues one of the editors of a medicid journal, which was obliged to die when the faculty was obliged to dissolve, and ibr the -iiiiie reason, deficiency in financial support. In May, 1857, Dr. liyford was chosen Vice-President «»f the American Medical Association, then assembled at Nashville, Tennessee. In the autumn of the same year, he was called to the chair of Obstetrics and 1 )iseases of Women and Children in Rush Medical College, at Chiciigo, \acated by Dr. John ICvans, one of the ablest j)hysicians as well as one "I" the oldest settlers of the city, now United Slates Senator-elect irom 324 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Colorado. Dr. Byford occupied tliis position for two years, A\lieii, in conjunction with several other medical gentlemen, he aided in founding the Chicago Medical College; himself taking the same position he had previously held in Rush Medical College — Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children — which position he still continues to fill. For several years he was associated with Professor X. S. Davis in the editorial management of the "Chicago Medical Journal." In 1864, he pul)lislied a work entitled "Chronic Inflammation and Displacements of the Unimpreguated Uterus," which, besides being received with marked and universal approbation, is distinguished as the first medical work that ever emanated from a Chicago author. In 1865, another and more elaborate volume came from his pen. It is entitled " The Practice of Medicine and Surgery applied to the Diseases and Accidents incident to Women," and has given its author a fame that will endure. It is used as a text-book in some of the first medical colleges of this country, and regarded as good authority by all. There is no one in the Nortliwest whose judgment is regarded as superior to that of Dr. Byford in the department embraced by liis chair, and few (if any) in the land have a more thorough and profound acquaintance with it. His acquisition of distinction, like his struggle for it, gives him work. His fame brings him o})erations to perform of the most difficult and delicate character. He has twice performed the Ca^sarean section. He is as skillful in the use of laniiuase in the lecture room as in the use of the knife in the dissecting room. His lectures arc delivered in that high order of language which combines perspicuity with elegance. The thought is readily detected and easily secured. There is no parade of words, no stilted diction. Dr. Byford's writings and teachings are conspicuously practical. He is a utilitarian, and makes everything — teaching, writing, all — bend to the one grand and simple object in hand — the training of mind and the imparting of knowledge. He is as highly esteemed for his qualities of heart as he is admired for his talents and attainments, and is held in equal estimation by student and colleague. He can work with the latter without friction, and associate with the former without endangering his dignity. He has no affectation of superiority to alienate the one, or haughtiness of behavior to repel the other. WILLIAM HEATH BYFORD. 325 " Virtue is its own reward." Sobrietv of life neutralized the effects of an over exacting ambition, and a sanouine temperament supported a faith that without it might have fainted by the way. So that, with the burthen of fifty years upon him. Dr. Byford is still stalwart in strength, erect in person, and apparently as vigorous as ever in wisdom and understanding. There is no decay in vitality, or decline in mentality. The brain holds its own because the body does. The physical and intellectual machinery keeps smoothly at its work. Such is the benign consequence of a circumspect life. The teacher is still a student. It would be paying him no higher compliment than he deserves, to say that he is no more faithful as a teacher than conscientious as a student. He is, and always will be the same plodding searcher after truth, counting "the merchandise of it better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." He has more ambition to acquire knowledge than to accumulate wealth, his favorite maxim being "sapientia est melior quan divitas." Dr. Byford is a conscientious physician, and sturdily adheres to the patli of rectitude in the practice of his profession. He cannot be bribed into any compromise of principle in the administration of his remedies, or any trifling with physical laws in the attempt to carry his ends. He looks upon all the "short cuts" of quackery as an impious tampering with human life, and puts them aside with scornful detestation. Many instances could be furnished of his inflexible loyalty to his sense of duty, and his resistance of temptation in perplexing exigencies. No considerations of policy, professional or mercenary, affright him from the exercise of a righteous judgment, or deter him from the expression of a conscientious opinion. In the sick room he is as candid as skillful. Such a course must have its reward, not only in the consciousness of those who pursue it, but in the applause of those who behold it. It is nobly grand and grandly brave. And such conduct has its mission. It does its work. It shames the mountebank, strengthens the young physi- cian in the hour of temptation, and crowns the profession of medicine with that honorable reputation without which it is merely an arena for empyrics, and a source of gain to those who subsist upon human cridullty. With all his honors, with all his fame, and with all the credit that is due him. Dr. Byford prefers privacy to publicity, retirement to parade, and the simple pleasures of his home to the panegyrics of his fellows. He has served liis generation so well that its jjrayers would continue his term of service for manv vears to come. GURDON P. RANDALL. The great and skillful architect, whose works speak for him in a most imposing language, is as sure an exponent of the refined and progressive spirit and tendency of the community which sustains him, and in the midst of which the evidences of his ingenious handiwork are displayed, as are its school-houses, its churches, and its business activity. One of the most prominent men of this class in our city is the subject of this sketch. GuEDON P. Randall was born in Braintree, Orange County, Vermont, February 18, 1821. His parents belonged to the old style of honest, staid, and industrious New England "Yankees." There lived not in the State of Vermont a man of greater moral rectitude than old 'Squire Randall, and the son's early training in this respect has not been lost. The only educiitional advantages he enjoyed when a boy were those of a tirst-class public school in his native town, the limited pecuniary resources of his father not being sufficient to enable him to send him to college, as he desired. In his youth, he assisted his fatlicr in the lumbering and building trade, thus taking his first lessons in a laborious school, prepara- tory to entering upon the profession in which he has since gained sueli honorable distinction. On reaching manhood, he was married to Louisa Caroline Drew, of Strafford, Vermont, who still presides over his liouse- hold. On the 31st day of January, 1867, they celebrated with j(iy their "silver wedding" — the twenty-fifth anniversary of a happy and pros- perous marriage. At the age of twenty-two, Mr. Randall moved to the city of Boston, to enter upon the study of practical architecture in its higher dej)artiM('nts. Until the age of thirty, he confined himself exclusively to the designing and construction of churches and railroad buildings, making a specialty of the latter. Nearly all the buildings of the Vermont Central and the 328 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. Rutland and Burlington Railroads, together with many of those on the New York Central, and the Syracuse and Biughampton Railroads, are of his designing, and were supervised by him in their construction. Subsequently, he extended his business, and gradually made the art of architecture, in all its various branches, his regular profession, having jjrepared himself for it by hard study and much practical experience. In 1850 he removed to Syracuse, New York, meeting with eminent success in his profession until 1856, when, like many others, he became desirous of emigrating to the West. Chicago, then, as now, oifering superior advantages, was selected for his future home. On arriving, he found formidable competitors already located here, such men, for example, as Van Osdel, Carter, Burling, Boyington, and Wheelock, who, together with a number of others, were doing a thriving business. For a new comer to successfully cope with such an array of talent was not an easy matter. But one of Mr. Randall's chief characteristics is that peculiar element which will never concede that there is sucli a M'ord as fail, so long as health and strength are vouchsafed to him. Being possessed of genius and talent, coupled with the propelling qualifications of perseverance, industry, and a strong will, he readily overcomes obstacles that to other men Avould appear insurmountable. Mr. Randall began his career in Chicago by seeking to build up a business outside of the city. Chicago being the centre of Northwestern commerce, trade and politics, he saAv no reason why a first-class architect could not also make it the centre of his business. A persevering eifort made in that direction resulted in success beyond his expectations. While other architects have surpassed him in obtaining Chicago patronage, he has outstripped them all in the country. He has designed and supervised the construction of more jjublic buildings in the Northwest than any other architect. During the past year he lias employed at his office, in Portland Block, from five to a dozen draftsmen at a time, making plans and designs for buildings. On looking into his rooms one is reminded of a drav.ing school, full of students, with a grey-headed teacher at their head. All are busy ; some making drawings of massive fronts of 'magnificent palaces, tracing the dimensions of dwelling houses, or making outlines of great churches, colleges, and court-houses, whilst others are writing out specifications and details for all these various structures. To-day, these draAvings are sent forth, hundreds of miles away, to some thriving town or city, and to-morrow finds Mr. Randall on the spot, giving all needful instructions to the owner and builder of the GURDON P. RANDALL. 329 proposed edifice. In a few days the excavations are finislied and the walls rise ; and in a few weeks the architect's plans are embodied in stone, brick or wood. It is like a dream become a reality — an ideal embodied. While Mr. Randall makes plans and drawings for all kinds of build- ings, yet he gives special attention to those for public use, such as court- houses, churches, and school-houses. He is almost exclusively engaged on this class of work. As monuments of his skill in this direction, we may point to Plymouth Church, a tine stone structure on AVaba.sh avenue; the Eighth Presbyterian Church, recently built on the corner of Robey and Washington streets; the Newberry, Skinner and Haven public school buildings, and several branch buildings of other schools. Indeed, all the large Dublic school edifices erected in Chicago subsequent to the Newberry School, were modeled after his design, as there embodied. He also drew the plans for the Theological Seminary of the Northwest, at Hyde Park; the University of St. Mary's of the Lake — one wing of which is building; the Northwestern University, at Evanston, now in process of erection; all three of which are to cost not less than $100,000 each when completed. He has also designed numerous dwelling-houses in Chicago, among which are some of the finest on the fashional )le avenues. But we must look outside of Chicago, to the various towns and cities of the West, if we would find the most conspicuous triumphs of his architectural skill. Here we find court-houses, jails, school-houses, college buildings, and residences, in abundance, which stand forth as monuments of his taste and genius. Among a legion of others, we will select a few of the most prominent, to wit: The State Normal University, at Bloom- ington, (now called Normal), 111.; the Court House at Jacksonville, 111.; Metropolis College, Metropolis, 111.; the Minnesota State Normal School, AVinona; Wisconsin Normal Schools, at Whitewater and elsewhere. The most of these buildings will range in cost from $85,000 to $150,000. Some of the finest public school buildings in the country are from his designs, as, for instance, the High School at Aurora, 111.; one at Gales- burg; one at Jacksonville; others at Litchfield, Olney, Du Quoin, Macomb, Pekin, Sycamore; one at Laporte, Ind.; at Winona, Minn.; at Red Wing, Minn.; Berlin, Wis., etc., and ranging in cost from $25,000 to $80,000, besides scores of them in every variety of style and ca|)acity, and ranging in cost from $1,000 to $25,000. He has just designed a building for an academical school, called the "Jefferson Liberal Institute," (Univ^ersalist,) at Jefferson, AV'is.; another, an Academy and Convent, 330 BIOGEAPHICAI. SKETCHES. (Catholic,) called "St. Mary's Academy," to be built at Leavenworth, Kansas; and another, the "Convent of the Sacred Heart," to be built at St. Louis, Mo. His designs for buildings for educational purposes are received with so much favor that he is now filling numerous orders for such in various parts of the Southern and some of the Eastern States. Of churches, he has at the present time one building in Pennsylvania, several in this and adjoining States, and two in Nebraska. But to give a full list of all the various buildings that Mr. Randall has designed since his arrival in Chicago, eleven years ago, would fill a volume. We could fill pages in simply noting the prominent edifices that he has planned, and which now stand as noble specimens of architecture. So much for the great works of one of our principal architects — monuments that will stand for generations after he has disappeared from the active scenes of earth, but which will perpetuate his memory and excite human admiration of his skill through all time. In concluding this imperfect sketch, we feel it due to Mr. Randall to add that as a citizen he is highly esteemed, taking a lively interest in all that concerns the city's welfare and the country's good. He is not a politician in any sense of the word, never having filled any office but that of Justice of the Peace in his native town. In voting, it is for men whom he deems the most capable for the offices to be filled. He is a temperance man in theory and practice — a man of remarkably correct habits of life. He prides himself on never liaving fallen into any of the demoralizing, tobacco-using, whisky-drinking practices of the age, or into any of those vices Avhicli undermine the health or the morals of mankind. He is a rare exception to the Western rule in this respect. Physically speaking, ]\Ir. Randall is as noble a specimen as New England, the mother of natural noblemen, has ever produced. Of stal- wart frame — being over six feet high, and " well-proportioned " — with a face that is the very picture of philosophic good-nature, and an eye that speaks in smiles and manly earnestness, he would be pointed out in a multitude as being more than an ordinary man. Looking in his face, a stranger would trust him, and, trying him, would find him a "friend in need." He has always enjoyed robust health, having been disabled from work but once in his life, and then for only a fortnight. This measure of health he attributes to habits of temperance, regularity in all things, and a quiet conscience. J. K. BOTSFORD. I J. K. BoTSFORD, one of the solid business men of Chicago, was born June 12, 1812, in Newtown, Fairfield County, Connecticut. He emigrated to Chicago in 1833, at which time the present great metropolis of the Northwest was quite an insignificant trading post. Previous to coming here, Mr. Botsford spent a couple of years in New York city, where he Avas engaged as a clerk in a wholesale dry goods house. His habits in early years, as well as his natural temperament, were such as to create a positive necessity for activity in business, and for such surround- ings as would afford the largest scope for his strong mental and physical faculties. Hence, though favorably circumstanced, in many respects, in New York, he instinctively turned his thoughts towards the great and growing West. He saw that here would be a field of enterprise far superior to any found in the over-crowded cities and States of the East, and he resolved to make his way to Illinois. Upon arriving here, lie at once concluded that Chicago wovdd eventually become a great commercial point, and consequently resolved to locate here. On his way to the West, he stopped at Florence, Ohio, for a few Aveeks, where he had relatives living. To them he explained his plans and purposes, so far a.s they were matured, and expressed his unwavering faith in the future greatness of the Northwest. From Ohio he visited Detroit, Michigan, where he met with I\Ir. Otis Hub])ard, formerly a merchant in Rochester, New York. An intimate ac(piaintance was soon formed between the parties, and togetlier they started for Chicago — Mr. Botsford with the view of commencing business here at as early a day as possible. The JDurucy iVom Detroit to Chicago was performed in a one-horse wagon, and occupied fifteen days; but, after 332 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. having reached this point in safety, Mr. Botsford felt that his labor had not been in vain, for now he was precisely where enterprise would be sure to meet with its due reward. Having fairly set down his stakes at this point for life, he commenced business operations with that untiring energy Avhich has always been such a prominent element in his character. He erected the first store ever built on Lake street, which Avas located on the northeast corner of that street and Dearborn, and Avhich is now known as numbers 92 and 94 Lake street. He commenced the tin and stove business during the same year. The lot on Avhich the store was erected was owned by the State for canal j)ur])oses. It was purchased at the sale that was held in the year 1836, at a cost of $22,400, and was eighty by one hundred and fifty-six feet in size. During the next year, it was forfeited to the State. A law was afterwards passed, however, reducing the price of all lots one-third, and also agreeing to receive canal certificates in payment therefor. This proved a great relief to settlers, and removed a heavy burden of debt from their shoulders. In 1835, Mr. Botsford was married to the daughter of John Kimball, Esq., of jS^aperville. He now has two sons and one daughter. In 1836, he took into partnership with him Mr. Cyreuius Beers, and the firm was thereafter known as Botsford & Beers. This partnership continued until 1846, when if was dissolved, and the business was carried on exclusively by Mr. Botsford until the spring of 1852, when he took into partnership >\[r. Mark Kimball. From this time they branched out into the whole- sale liardware business, under the firm-name of J. K. Botsford & Co. This partnership continued until 1860, when the oldest son of Mr. Botsford was admitted a partner, and the name of the firm was changed to Botsford, Kimball ct Co. In 1865, Mr. Kimball retired, and the firm 'is now composed of J. K., John R. and Bennet B, Botsford, under the name of J. K. Botsford & Sons. The store in which they are now doing business, number 109 Lake street, was built in 1838, and has been occupied by Mr. Botsford since the year 1840, but was rebuilt on the present grade in 1858. When jNIr. Botsford first commenced business in this city, his capital was limited to $1,800. Though by no means avaricious, he is fond of making money, not to hoard u]), but to use in all proper and legitimate ways. His business talents and enterprise, combined with unswerving integrity and genial social qualities, have been handsomely rewarded in a J. K. BOTSFORD. 333 pecuniary point of view, wliile his reputation in the community is that of an upright, honorable, useful citizen. In the spring of 1859, he was elected as Alderman, in -which capacity he faithfully performed his duty as a public officer. In 1861, he was re-elected to the same position, and has tilled it, altogether, four years. During the administration of Mayor Dyer, he was appointed on the Board of Guardians of the Reform School, in which position he displayed his I'haracteristic energy, sagacity, and regard for the best interests of those whom he served. In religion, Mr. Botsford is a Methodist. He was converted in the year 1839, under the preaching of Rev. Peter R. Bordin, in the old Clark Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of which organization he became an active, useful member, and a Trustee. Although not what would be termed "an educated man," Mr. Botsford is amply qualified to discharge the relationships of business and occupy a prominent position as a member of society — which he now is, and I)robably will be to the end of life. While a youth, he enjoyed the benefits of a common school education, such as was offered to every Connecticut boy; and he improved his opportunities, not only from an inherent love of knowledge, but because of a firm determination to fit himself for the responsibilities of after-life. His father being a fiirracr, the services of his son were needed to a great extent on the farm, especially during the summer months; but in the winter he spent most of his time in intellectual culture. His education is of a practical rather than a theoretical character. He acquires knowledge for the sake of its uses, and not simply that lie may be thought book-wise. At one period of his youth, his fiither was desirous of having him become a tailor, and more to gratify his parent than from any liking for the business, he worked at the trade for about two years, at the expiration of which time his father died. Being at that time eighteen years of age, he immediately relinquished the needle and shears, and entered a dry goods store. As an illustration of his zeal in the cause of education, we will mention the fact that Mr. Botsford was one of tiie original j)rojectors of the Xorthwestern University, at Evanston, and has always, up to tliis day, been one of its Trustees and a member of the Executive Committee. His infiucnce, sagacity and pecuniary aid have done much towards bringing that institution into existence and placing it on its present firm foundation. 334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. We will also add that Mr. Botsford is a firm, consistent temperance man, and his influence has ever been found on the side of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors. In the early history of Chicago, excessive liquor drinking was the rule with business men, as well as others; but an exception was found in the case of Mr. Botsford. No amount of temptation could induce him to swerve from his temperance principles. Another of his prominent characteristics is his regard for economy. In this respect he evinces the same sound, practical sagacity that manifests itself in all his business qualifications. He is one among the compara- tively few business men who are economical without being parsimonious — who know how to be both frugal and liberal. AVe state it as a remarkable fact, also, that he has never been out of business for a single day since he first commenced trade in Chicago. Mr. Botsford was a witness to the consummation of one or two important treaties made in 1833, between our Government and the Indians, who at that time inhabited this and many other portions of tlic Northwest. The Indian Agent at this post was Colonel Owen, who held a council with the Indians and perfected the treaties on the bank of the river at the foot of Dearborn street. The lot on which Mr. Botsford's store now stands Avas originally purchased by him for the sum of $2,000. At the present time its market value is upwards of $1,000 per foot. His lot on Wabash avenue, between E,andol])h and AYashington streets, he bought at Government sale, on the 1st of November, 1839, f>r ten dollars per foot. It is now held at $1,000 per foot, and could be sold at that price very readily. These facts are mentioned as additional evidence of the wonderful progress of Chicago, as well as a proof of the good judgment and great foresight of Mr. Botsford in selecting this city as his abiding place at such an early day. The consequence is, that he is now one of our oldest and most successful citizens, and highly esteemed by all who know him. LEONAPiD AY. YOLK, In a young city, as in a new country, the fine arts receive attention or encouragement only after other arts have been successful in making the community rich or prosperous. This is but a practical illustration of the fact that men, when sitting down to dinner, do not indulge in the luxurious viands of the dessert until after they have appeased the cravings of the appetite with the substantial of the feast. "Business before pleasure," is the stern rule in all commercial communities, and especially in a young town or city that looks to trade for its vitality and to the utilitarian arts for its growth, its prosperity, and its material advancement. Hence it is that artists have to struggle with poverty, and in the face of threatening starvation, in young cities, where all other classes of men are jjrosperous. It requires wealth to afford, and leisure and study to appreciate, the works of the ingenious and skillful painter or sculptor, and therefore artists seldom succeed in new communities until those communities have become permanently prosperous — for not until then do people give their thoughts to the beautiful and the ornamental, as well as to the material and useful. Chicago has as yet developed but few great artists. Mr. Healy, the painter, and Mr. Yolk, the sculptor, take the lead, and our city is justly proud of them. Leox.uid Wells Volk first established himself here as a sculptor in 1855 — twelve years ago — and his career has been an almost constant struggle against discouragements. Tlic city was young. Business, commerce, money-making — the excitements of trade and speculation — monopolized the attention of the people, and Art has had to fight its way in the meantime. Gradually, however, has the community come to appreciate the genius and to encourage the skill of the true artist, and, 336 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. after years of patient labor and heroic effort, Mr. Volk is at last beginning to realize the dreams of his ambition and reap the rewards of his patience and perseverance. His works now rank among the best that the sculptor's chisel has ever Avronght in this country, and his superior genius and skill are recognized by the judges and patrons of art all over the world. Like nearly all men who have become great in their vocations or professions, Mr. Volk started out in life a poor boy. His parents, once in comfortable worldly circumstances, became reduced in that respect by a sudden reverse of fortune, when he was quite young, and, having a large family of children to care for, they never entirely recovered from the lowly condition to which their misfortune had brought them. Young Leonard, Avhen only seven years of age, left home to assume the responsi- bilities of life on his own account, and has been struggling, with varied fortune, ever since. He Avas born in Wellstown, Montgomery (now Hamilton) County, New York, November 7, 1828. He is a descendant from the earliest settlers of New York, his mother, whose name was Gesner, being of the historical family of Anneke Jantz Bogardus. His father. Garret Volk, was a marble-cutter, a trade in which he perfected himself whilst employed in working on the City Hall of New York. city. Here he continued to reside for several years, both before and after his marriage, laboring at his trade. He afterwards tried his hand at farm-life, in New Jersey and Northern New York, M'ithout much success, however, and finally removed to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he resumed his old trade. Leonard was one of a family of four sisters and eight brothers. Most of his early youth Avas spent on a farm, among the rocks and hills of Berkshire, in the old Bay State. He worked like a young slave, and suffered many hard- ships, doing the usual drudgery of farm-life, and attending school a part of the year. He never received more than two or three years' schooling, jiartly owing to the frequent migrations of the family, and partly on account of his being compelled to earn his own living at farm-work while a boy. His last attendance at school was at Lanesboro, INIassachusetts, where he "graduated" from the district school-house in 1844. When sixteen years of age, after having spent the better part of eight years on a farm, he entered the marble manufactory of his father and elder brother, in Pittsfield, INIassachusetts, to learn the trade of marble- .cutting. After becoming sufficiently skilled as an apprentice, he went to LEONARD W. VOLK. 337 Springfield, in that State, working- tliere, and .-subsequently at Pittsfield, as a journoynian. At the request of another elder brother, also an artificer in marble, as were all of the brothers but two, he afterwards went to Bethany, Xew York, where he first became acquainted with the beautiful young lady — !Miss Emily C. Barlow — who, seven years later, became his wife. He worked at that place as a j(nirn(yman for some months, and subsequently in Batavia, Rochester, Albion and Buffalo, being for a while engaged in partnership with his brother at Batavia. In the meantime, the parents of Miss Barlow removed to St. Louis, IMissouri, taking their daughter with them. About that time — in 1848 — he received an offer of fifty dollars a month from a marble establishment in that city, which he Avas not slow to accei)t. Having an object of love to Avork for, and being stimulated by a noble ambition to prove himself worthy of that object, he labored with great industry, and succeeded, by over-work, in saving nearly five hundred dollars extra earnings during the first year of his service there. He then rented a little "studio" of his own, and, aspiring to something higher than ornamental carving and lettering of marble, in which he greatly excelled, commenced modeling in clay and making drawings. One of his first efforts was a bust of Dr. J. K. Barlow, from a daguerreotype, hoping that Miss Barlow, the object of his affections, would come and see it, and admire and applaud his skill. Could the genius and ambition of youth have a more inspiriting incentive to effort? He persevered in his study and experiments in this line of art for about a year, with encouraging progress, and in the meantime made a life-size copy of Hart's bust of Henry Clay, the first sculptured bust in marble ever executed west of the Mississippi River, and which he afterwards sold in Louisville, Kentucky. He was then commissioned by Archbishop Kenrick to make two alto-relievo medallions, from an ivory miniature, of Major Biddle and his wife, for their mausoleum. But not meeting with sufficient encouragement in his new undertaking to make it profitable, or even to pay ex})enses, he was obliged to relinquish it, and to return to his trade as a marble-carver and letterer, which he did with much zeal, hoping to earn and save money enough in a short time to enable him to go to Italy, there to pursue his studies and perfect himself as a sculptor, he and his friends having by this time become well convinced that he had a peculiar genius in that direction. He was one of the first, if not the first, to undertake the practice of that difficult art west of Cincinnati, and could not bear the thousrht of failure. 338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. At about this period— in 1852— he was married to Miss Barlow, at Dubuque, Iowa. Having now left St. Louis, to seek a better and more remunerative field for his labors, he worked for some time at Galena, and afterwards at Rock Island. At the former place he one day received a visit from Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, who was at that time in the acme of his personal and political popularity. Mrs. Volk's mother and Judge Douglas' fiither were brother and sister, and it was, therefore, quite natural for the Judge, with his generous nature, to feel an interest in the young couple, who were struggling to succeed in life. He strongly urged Mr. Yolk to go to Chicago, wdiich, being a growing place and destined to be a great city, was, undoubtedly, the place for a young man like him. Mr. Yolk, however, returned to St. Louis, to give that city another trial. Proving unsuccessful, he again went to Rock Island, where, two years and a half after the former interview, he again met Judge Douglas, who then proposed to furnish him funds with Avhich to go to Italy, to pursue his studies there in the best schools of art. The generous and voluntary offer Avas gladly accepted, and, coming to Chicago in 1855, he at that time adopted it as his home. Leaving his wife and an only child in charge of his brother, in Pittsfield, ^Massachusetts, and receiving his passport from Judge Douglas, then in the Senate at Washington, he set sail for Europe in September, 1855, on the ship "Columbia," from New York. After a long and tedious voyage, he reached Liverpool; thence went to London, remaining there a few days, but long enough to see the Elgin marbles, bv Phidias, in the British Museum, and the most prominent sculptures of that city; thence to Paris, where the first great French World's Exposition was in progress, remaining there one week ; thence going to Rome, via the railroad to Marseilles, by steamer across the Gulf of Genoa to Civita Yecchia, and by diUgenae to the " Eternal City." He spent most of his time, during his stay of a year and a half in Italy, in studying the noble and sublime works of art in the great galleries, churches and studios, and drawing from the antique casts in the French Academy. The artists in Rome — such men as Crawford, Ran- dolph, Rogers, Bartholomew, Ives and Mozier— received him cordially, treated him kindly, and gave him the free use of their studios. While occupying Mr. Ives' studio, during that artist's absence in this country, Mr. Yolk modeled his first statue— that of the "Boy Washington cutting the cherry tree," which was highly commended by his brother artists in Rome. While in that city, he received a letter from home, announcing LEONARD W. VOLK. 339 the death of liin little boy — an event which east a eloud over the briiiht scenes in the midst of which the artist was then reveling. He left Konie in January, 1857, for Florence, sojourning in that old city of art for a few months, and then, sailiiii;- from Leghorn and stopping at Gibraltar, weather-bound, for a coui)le of weeks, reached New York after a perilous passage of seventy-four days. He arrived in Chicago in June of that year, with only five dollars in his pocket — the sum and substance of all his earthly possessions — and an untried (in Chicago) profession to make his living from. Judge Douglas, who, not only because of the relationship existing between them, but also because he was convinced that the young artist had much of talent and genius in him, again came to his assistance, and enabled him to open a small studio, in which he went diligently to work, modeling busts, one of the first of which was that of his friend and patron — the Judge. But 1857, as all %vell remember, was a year of "hard times," and it was impossible to interest people in sculpture under such circumstances; consequently our artist, ambitious of success, found nothing but discouragements for a year to come; but he cut cameo-likenesses of his i'riends, at thirty dollars each, to pay expenses, and in the meantime made a ])ortrait, life-size, statue of a boy in marble, for two hundred and fifty dollars. The next year, the memorable campaign for the United States Senatorshij), between Messrs. Douglas and Lincoln, opened, and Mr. Volk received a commission for a life-size statue of Judge Douglas, which paid him about as that of the boy above mentioned. This statue, however, Avas the nucleus and starting point of .the first Fine Art Exposition of the Northwest, which he organized in [1859. It was held in Burch's building, on the corner of Lake street and nVabash avenue. He and a warm personal friend of his, the Rev. William Barry, Secretary of the Chicago Historical Society, were the prime movers in that creditable exposition, ISIr. Volk being appointed Super- intendent of it by the Board of Directors chosen by citizens. It was a success, and had a wonderful influence towards devclo]>ing a taste for the fine arts in this city. He spent the winter of 1860 in Washington, "publishing" a statuette of Douglas, (who, as he then believed, would be a candidate for the l*residcncy,) made from sittings in Chicago, spending much time and some money thereon, but even this did not prove profitable; and in that same year, before the Presidential candidates had been nominated, Mr. Lincoln, who was soon afterwards nominated and elected to the Presidency, while visiting Chicago on legal business, 340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. redeemed a promise he had made to Mr. Volk, two years previously, to sit for his bust. The sittiugs were had in the sculptor's studio in Portland Block, and ]\Ir. Volk produced an admirable bust, which he afterwards cut in marble, disposing of it, in the summer of 1866, to the "Crosby Art Association," with the understanding that it should be sent for exhibition to the Great Exposition of 1867, in Paris, It has since proved to be one of the chief objects of interest sent there from this country, being pronounced a perfect likeness, and exquisitely executed. During the exciting Presidential campaign of 1860, Mr. Volk circulated his busts of Lincoln and Douglas all over the country, with indifferent success as regards pecuniary results. Two months after Mr. Lincoln's election, Mr. Volk, while at Springfield, asked him for the appointment of Consul at Leghorn, but in the midst of the great national excitement which followed his inauguration at Washington, he probably forcj;ot his promise; at all events another man was appointed. In 1861, Mr. Volk spent most of the Avinter in the first "Chicago Art Union," which was gotten uj) for the benefit of the local artists. The l^reaking out of the war seriously interfered with this enterprise, and the proceeds realized by the artists did not amount to mucli. When the first call was made for seventy-five thousand volunteers, after the rebel assault on Fort Sumpter, Mr. Volk enlisted in a company of Chicago volunteers, which was one of a proposed regiment; but other regiments filled up and were accepted before the ranks of his were full, and when it was announced that the quota was complete, he and his patriotic comrades were " left out in the cold," and disbanded. He after- Avards, during the military and naval excitements and movements at and from St. Louis and Cairo, in company with another artist, undertook the work of painting a "panorama of the -war," from sketches made in those places, and from other sources; but before it was finished he disposed of his interest in the enterprise to his partner. His next undertaking w^as the organization of the "Douglas Monu- ment Association," to erect a monument over the remains of his great friend and patron, who had but recently died. Aided by Rev. William Barry, D. A. Gage and others, he pushed this work forward with energy and success. He was made the Secretary of the Association, in which capacity he has acted ever since, devoting much time to the interests of the society. The Association accepted his plan for the proposed monu- ment, the laying of the corner-stone of which was so imposingly celebrated i LEONARD W. VOLK. 311 in th(> autumn of 1S6G, and tlie first section of which is now in jji-occss of c(m!?truction under liis superintendence. By tlie request of tlie widow of Judge Douglas, Mr. Yolk took charge of the Douglas grounds in the southern part of the city, and has lived most of the time since in a cottage which he now owns, once occupied by Douglas, at Cottage Grove. In the meantime, ]\Ir, Yolk by no means neglected his profession, oi- the general interests of art in the city. He has ever been active, in con- junction with George P. A. Healy, the great portrait painter, in behalf of art, and in assisting such of his fellow artists as were struggling for success. He succeeded in getting subscribers to purchase Mr. Hcaly's vahiable private gallery of paintings, which have been placed in tlie keeping of Hon. J. Y. Scammon, to be held in trust for the subscribers. A chartered association has recently been formed, which will in due time open a public Art Gallery, with this collection as a nucleus. With the generous assistance of Hon. John B. Turner and David A. Gage, Esq., he, in company with another artist, leased the old Walker mansion, on the corner of State and Washington streets, and opened it as an "Art Building," with studios, and here Mr. Yolk, who subsequently bought out the interest of his associate, had his headquarters until recently, and now permanently occupies his own elegant marble-front building, arranged by himself for business and art purposes, situate on Washington, between Wells and Franklin streets, Avhich he has erected at considerable exjiense, aided in the enterprise by his friend. Dr. Ednnnid C. Rogers, brother of the sculptor before named. At the old place above named, he made his cele- bratetl marble bust of Lincoln, and duplicated the same, on a commission from a gentleman in Yermont; also a marble bust of Douglas, and many other minor works, for citizens of Chicago and elsewhere. He has paid much attention to designs for monuments for parks and cemeteries, doing considerable sculptured work on them, as, for example, that of the Firemen's Monument at Rosehill, and several military monuments, one of which was ordered by Dan Rice, the noted showman, at a cost of five thousand dollars, which he had erected, at his jiersonal expense, at Girard, Pennsylvania, in honor of the soldiers of Erie County. He had previously executed a marl)le bust of Mr. Rice. He lias also, M-ithin a few years past, made many medallions for his nioiiuinciital designs, and several symbolic and ideal figures, all of which were executed in tlic linist style of art. Mr. Yolk was the chief organizer and manager of the Art Galleries 342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. which forined so attractive a feature of the two great Chicago Sanitary Fairs — one in 1863, and the other in 1865 — for the aid of the sick and wounded soldiers of the war. Our citizens will not soon forget those tastefully arranged and successful Art Galleries. Nobody knows to this day, except Mr. Volk himself, how much time, care, labor and anxiety those exhibitions, to which he gave Meeks of gratuitous attention, cost him; but he felt himself more than rewarded by their complete success. lie Morked in the cause of art, doubly stimulated by the patriotic object for which these fairs Avere held, and hence he found a satisfaction in it tliat \yords cannot express. While his attention was almost entirely given, for weeks, to the Art Gallery of the last of the two Sanitary Fairs above referred to, a great demand suddenly sprung up all over the country for plaster copies of his bust of Lincoln, who had just been assassinated. He trusted the business of supplying this demand to employees, and consequently he failed to realize as much out of it as he should have done. Parties in New York, and elsewhere, also infringed his patent by duplicating the bust — the same thing that was attempted in Chicago by itinerant Italian figure- venders, in 1861, when Mr. Volk, "taking the law into his own hands," entered their shops, and broke to pieces all their, moulds and casts, for Avhich they prosecuted liim for *' trespass," and finally for "riot," but, failing to get satisfaction, have since then carefully avoided an infringement upon his rights or property. AVitli the imperfect sketch already given we must draw to a close, with the remark that, although, his career has been one of hardships, failures and discouragements, such as nearly all the devotees of art experience until they have firmly established themselves, yet the present is full of brightness for him, and the future promises not only temporal success and good fortune, but an immortality which none can more gloriously achieve tlian they who, by the force of genius, chisel it into the enduring; marble of the earth. 4 PERRY li. SMITH. It is, A\c trust, very much too early in the life of the subject of tliis sketch to give more than the merest outline of the principal events of his history. Still less than forty years of age, in the full possession of matui-ed powers, in a position of large influence and usefulness, we may well hope that much the largest part of his biography is yet to be made, as well as to be written. Perry H. Smith was born on the 28th of March, 1828, at Augusta, Oneida County, New York, the son of Timothy Smith, Esq.. still an influential business man of Watertown, New York. He entered Hamilton College when thirteen years of age, retired one year on account of his extreme youth, and graduated the second in his class, at the ago of eighteen. He immediately commenced the study of the la^v in the office of N. S. Benton, Esq., Little Falls, New York, and continued wuth him until his admission to the bar in 1849 — on the very day he attained his majority. The certificate of admission to the court of last resort in the State of New York, at that time, was evidence that its holder wjus thoroughly educated in the elementary principles of his profession. The esprit dii corps of the bar was high. The Spencers, Jenkins, Reynolds, Benton, Denio, and other great names in the profession, were then in the full tide of tlieir great })ractice. Perry was encouraged by their j)ersonal kindness to him, and stimulated by examples of success so brilliant — of honors so easily and so worthily worn. The "star of empire" pointed as distinctly to the West in 1850, when Wisconsin was nearly its extreme boundary, as now, in 1868, wlien it rests on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. Most young men who aspired to empire of any kind, followed its direction. Perry landed at 344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Kenosha, AVisconsin, October, 1849. He had his twenty-one years, a good education, strong purpose, indomitable energy, and the almost boundless West for a theatre. Northern "Wisconsin had just been opened to settlement by a treaty with the Indians, and the national Government had made a large appro- priation of lands to make Fox and "Wisconsin Rivers navigable from the Lakes to the Mississippi River. A "town" had been "laid out," on lands just purchased from the Government, at one of the large rapids of the Fox River. A large sum of money had already been donated by Lawrence of Boston, to establish a university. It had been named Appleton, after him of Boston, who was also a donor to the school, and it was big M'ith the promise of future development. It only needed an energetic, prudent and skillful worker and manager. It found this in the young Smith. In reaching the "town," from jNlilwaukoe, he walked the last twenty miles through the forest, with no guide but an old Indian trail so blind that he wandered hours, utterly lost in the woods, before reaching a habitation. The result is manifest to any one wlio will com- pare the beautiful village, with its university crowded with students, its churches, its schools, its manufactories, its houses, its railroad of to-day, with tlie unbroken Avildcrness of twenty years ago. A county was organized; Mr. Smith was elected its first Judge, presiding, at twenty-three, in a court of general law and equity juris- diction. He was then elected to the lower house of the State Legislature, then to the upper, continuing for five years to represent his county and his district. He at once took a leading position in his party, and in the grand councils of the State. He was cliairman of the celebi'ated com- mittee in the Legislature of 1855, which was cliarged with the investigation of the many allegations of corruption and fraud made against the chief executive of the State — his political friend. He wrote and sul)mitted the report of the committee. It had been prepared with great care and ability, and no state paper relating to its domestic aifairs has ever produced the effect upon the public mind of that State that did this report. It was absolutely decisive of the questions involved, and sealed the political fate of the persons chiefly implicated. The munificent land grants made by the national Government to the State of Wisconsin to aid in the construction of railroads, came l^efore the Legislature of 1856, convened in special session, for final diipposition. Mr. Smith was a member of the Senate, and was placed upon the special PERRY H. SMITH. 345 committee of that body to wliuin the subject was eominittcd. It may he cited as testimony showing' the iiigh })osition he had already attained in the estimation of his fellow-citizens of all opinions, that, though party feeling ran very high, his appointment on that committee was applauded by all men, and by the newspai)er party organs of the entire section of the State he represented, a territory now comprising nearly the entire Fifth Congressional District. The land-grant for the Northeastern portion of the State was kept entirely distinct from the great scandal growing out of the Xorthwestern grant, and, in accordance with the wishes of Mr. Smith, was granted to a new company organized by the Legislature, with authority to build a railroad from the city of Fond du Lac to the Michigan State line. This company soon became consolidated with the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac- Railroad Company, then painfully struggling to build a road from Chiciigo to Fond du Lac, AVisconsin, with the hope of ultimately reaching Lake Superior with one arm, and the Mississippi River with the other. In 1857, Mr. Smith, then twenty-nine years old, became the Vice-President of this company; when it was, soon after, re-organized with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, he took the same position in that. He removed to Chicago in 1860, in possession of an ample fortune, the result of fortunate enterprises in western Wisconsin, and here he has continued to reside. He has been the grand manager of that railroad to the present time, under the presidency of William B. Ogden, Esq., of Chicago. AVhen first connected with it, it had fifty miles of railroad in operation from Chicago north, and thirty miles from Fond du Lac south. Its first year's gross earnings were a little over one hundred thousand dollars. He has seen it grow from that day of humble beginnings, until it now owns and operates over twelve hundred and fifty miles of railroad. Its gross annual earnings have reached the sum of twelve million dollars. It earns now more in three days, than then in a whole year. He has always been one of its leading spirits. He has, more than any one else, shaped the legislation that has fostered and protected it. He has been equally potential with others in everything that has affected its general policy, and the relations with its clients and the business world. He has never been stronger than now, with either its stockholders or the public interested in it. He has not limited hi& investments to railways. He has largely aided in the develonment of the lead and iron interests of the West, and with 346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. large pecuniary results. He has kept true to the instincts of his nature, cultivated by the education and associations of youth. He has a very large and very finely selected library, occupying a room in his house in Chicago, of very rare beauty. He has given a large sum of money to the construction of a hall for the library of Hamilton College, at Clinton, New York, his alma mater, now in the course of construction, and which will bear his name. He is a munificent patron of the fine arts, and is orna- menting his home with paintings and statues of great excellence. j\Ir. Smith is in Europe while these sheets are passing through the press, on his first tour, and we shall here close this imperfect sketch, leaving to some future biographer the duty of completing a history which now promises to be both brilliant and useful ARTHUR CHARLES DUCAT. Amoxg the crowds of ardent, enthusiastic young men of tlie West, who rushed to the defence of the flag when it was first assailed at Fort Suniptcr, the military career of few was more brilliant than that of Arthur C. Ducat. Although not a native of the Republic, her own children did not defend her with more zeal and gallantry than he. A brief sketch of his life cannot fail to be intercstiufr. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 24tli of February, 1830, and was the youngest son of the late M. M. Ducat, Esq., of Newlawn, county of Dublin. After receiving a very thorough scientific education in his native city, he emigrated to the United States, to follow the profession of a civil engineer. He made this his business until he was tendered the position of Secretary and Chief Surveyor of the Board of Underwriters of Chicago. In this place he remained until the attack of the rebels on Fort Sumpter. But while engaged in peaceful pursuits. Ducat was led, by natural taste, to study, with ardor and perseverance, military science and the art of war. He read and mastered most of the leading works studied in the military schools, so that, Avhen the war began, there were few young men in the West better prepared than he, by study, for the duties of a soldier. Immediately after the attack on Fort Sumpter, he raised and offered, first to the State of Illinois, and then to the national authorities, a corps of engineers, sappers and miners, of three Inuulred men. Many of these were professional engineers, engineer soldiers, and sappers and miners, who had seen service and understood the details of lield and permanent fortifications and works connected therewith, the rapid construction of bridges, roads, etc., etc. Strange as it may now appear, the tender of this corps, then so much needed, was r(Jected. 348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. But Ducat was resolved to enter the service, and, having no ofiicial or personal influence through mIucIi to obtain a commission, he determined to, and did, enlist as a private, resolved to do his whole duty and depend upon his commanders and his merits for promotion. He did this, leaving a lucrative position, and a lamdj dependent upon him for support. The regiment in which he enlisted was organized at Springfield, Illinois, April, 1861, and mustered into service as the Twelfth Illinois Infantry, and was among the first thai seized the important strategic point of Cairo, and occupied Bird's Point. The first service the regiment rendered, was in supporting the heroic General Lyon in taking possession of the Arsenal at St. Louis, by occupying the Illinois shore of the river. It was not long before Ducat's military acquirements and capacity were appreciated, and, in May, lie was (commissioned as Second Lieutenant and appointed Adjutant of the regiment. On the re-enlistment of the regiment for three years, he was appointed Captain of Company "A." Ihis regiment was one of the brigade that first occupied Kentucky, taking possession of Paducah in August, 1861, where he was appointed Major of his regiment. He was with his regiment in the rear of Columbus, at the time of Grant's first battle at Belmont. Next, his regiment was engaged in the reconnoissance of Fort Henry, and in the two brilliant captures of Forts Henry and Donelson he was actively engaged. He was mentioned in general orders for gallant conduct at Fort Donelson. In April, 1862, he was appointed Lieutenant- Colonel of his regiment. He and his regiment were never idle; they were at Clarksville and Nashville, at the great battle of Pittsburgh Landing, and the advance upon Corinth. Ducat had now been raised from the position of a private up to that of the second officer of his regiment. He was early distinguished for his thorough knowledge of military details, for his great organizing powers, and for his executive ability, but especially for a sleepless vigilance and activity, that mastered every detail of topography and movement of hostile armies. These qualities led to his appointment, in August, 1862, to the command of the grand guards, pickets and outposts for the army at Corinth. The army was then in the face of the enemy, and the impor- tance of this position will be appreciated by all. At this period he was attached as senior officer on tlie staff of General Ord, and he served in this capacity at the battle of Iiika. When Major-General Eosecrans assumed command. Ducat was ordered to his staff, in command of grand AETHUR CHARLES DUCAT. 349 Innards and outposts. At the o-reat l)attlo ol" ( 'nriiitli, and in pursuit of the enemy, he served as senior Aid, and so conducted as to receive the warmest conjiratulations of his comrades and superior officers, not only for bravery, but lor eliieiency. Prior to this battle, he had received from General Grant the very flattering apj)ointment of Inspector-General of the Second Division of the District of West Tennessee, but he was not willinti: to leave his post, as the battle was then pending, and he remained, voluntarily exposed to its dangers, and sharing its triunn)hs. Subse- (juently, he was directed by the General in command to conduct a flag of truce to the enemy at Holly Springs, Mississip[)i, a distance of over sixty miles, and through a country infested with a superior force of guerillas. He succeeded, and displayed as much tact and discretion in negotiation as in his duties in the field. About this time General Rosecrans was ordered to take command of the forces known as the Army of the Ohio, then under command of Major-General Don Carlos Buell, and Colonel Ducat was ordered by the General-in-Chief to accompany General Rosecrans, and was named as Chief of Staff; Ducat was warmly attached to the Army of the Tennessee, with which he had seen so much service, and the first knowledge that he had of any intention to transfer him was the receipt of the order. In this important and responsible position, he rendered most efficient service in re-organizing the army, and in its forward movements from Bowling Green and Glasgow Junction to Nashville and Silver Sj>rings, Tennessee; raising the seige of Nashville, and opening the railway from that city to Louisville. His reputation and usefulness as a staff" officer were now established. On the ajipointraent of the brave and lamented Colonel Garrashe as Ciuef of Stafl^j Colonel Ducat was appointed by the War Department Inspector-General of the army of General Rosecrans, then known as the Fourteenth Army Corps, and after the battle of Stone River, and the organization of the Army and Department of the Cund)crland, Colonel Ducat was appointed Inspector-General of that army and department, in addition to which he liad charge of grand guards, pickets and outposts. When it is recollected that Ducat was a self-educated soldier, this selection, from among the many able and exi)eri('nce(l j)rofcssional men, is a distinc- tion indicating a degree of merit rarely cfiualcd. He organized the Bureau of Inspector-General on a system, in most of its features, novel and new, but so well adapted to secure efficiency and discipline in the 350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. armv as to command the approval of all. At Urst, his sti-ictness, rigid discipline, and exactness, made him unpopular; but as soon as the results became manifest in the great ejEficiency of the troops, he became personally, among officers and men, one of the most popular men in the army. Colonel Ducat served in all the actions and campaigns of this army, including the battles of Tullahoma and the Chicamauga, until General Rosecrans Avas relieved, and ]\Iajor-General George H. Thomas took com- mand, and then he was ordered to the staif of the latter as Inspector- General, in which capacity he served until 1864. It was during this service under Rosecrans that he made a most daring, successful and gallant reconnoissance of Tullahoma. AVith two companies of cavalry he pene- trated seven miles in advance of the army, and, having obtained all tlie needed information, returned in safety to his chief. He received special mention in the report of the General commanding, for brave, prompt and energetic conduct at the battle of the Chicamauga. Colonel Ducat was attacked w4th camp dysentery at Cairo, in 1861, from the effects of which he was always a sufferer while in the service. Nothing but a physical organization of wonderful endurance enabled him to keep the field so long as he did. In February, 1864, having long struggled against disease, and being admonished by the surgeons that his longer continuance would result in the speedy loss of his life, and being incapacitated, from disease and debility, from performing his duty, he reluctantly left the field. No officer ever left the service more respected and beloved by all, than he. He bore with him the strongest testimonials to his military merits and efficient services, from Generals Rosecrans, Thomas, and many others. A letter of General Grant, now lies before the writer, from which is copied the following paragraph: "Nashville, February 19, 1864. » » * * * "Lieutenant-Colonel Ducat leaves the service in consequence of ill-health alone. His services have been valuable and fully appreciated by all those under whom he has served, as is shown by the fact that he rose from the position of Lieutenant and Adjutant of his regiment to Lieutenant-Colonel of it, and finally Inspector-General of the Army of the Cumberland." His merits, as a soldier, were thorough knowledge of the practical military art, unwearied industry and hard work, constant attention to discipline and details, great organizing power, sleepless vigilance, quick and rapid execution, personal bravery. As has already been stated, his I ARTHUR CHARLES DUCAT. 351 ]>l]ysical ciKluraiicc was WDiidcrrul. As an illustration, it may l)c stated that at and after the battle of Corinth, he was in the saddle f »r sixty con- secutive hours, with the exception of short halts when employed in writing dispatches and in changing horses. When the army advanced to a new j)osition. Ducat Avould, by personal insi)ection, rapidly master the to])o- grapliy for miles around. He was a boh I and hard rider, and even a leader of the adventurous element of the staff. He was ever ready for a new expedition of adventure, and if Ducat wius to lead, it was ever hailed Mith joy by the cavalry escort and officers. Such is the very brief and imperfect record of Ducat as a soldier. Few, if any, officers of his i-ank contributed so much to the brilliant record of the Western armies. He has been breveted Brigadier-General for gallant and meritorious services in the field, and none among all those gallant soldiers who survive is more beloved and respected by those who know him mcII. Colonel Ducat's executive ability was not long permitted to be idle. As soon as his health was sufficiently restored, he was appointed bv the Home Insurance Company, of New York, to supervise the business of the company in the States of Ohio and Indiana, and afterwards as their agent in Chicago. He is now the agent of the Home, Manhattan, Howard, and Citizens' Insurance Companies, of New York, among the oldest, strongest, and most honorable companies in the Union, and his courtesy and universal popularity have given him a rapid success rarclv equaled. He is also the supervising agent of the Home Insurance C^:)mpany, of New York, for Indiana, Wisconsin and IMinnesota. In these responsible duties. Colonel Ducat is daily illastrating the fact that service in the army, instead, of demoralizing, has added to his executive ability and usefulness. He has constantly declined any official j>ublic position, and refused to be a candidate for any office, preferring the manlv independence of a private position. Colonel Ducat is the author of the book known as " Ducat's Practice of Fire Underwriting," the best standard work on the subject of which it treats, in America, and adopted as the instruction book for agents by most of the large insurance comoanies. l^ HORACE WHITE. Horace White was boni ia Colebrock, Coos County, New Hamj)- shire, August 10, 1834. His father wiLs a physician of higli repute in his profession, and possessed unusual force of character. In the winter of 1836-7, Dr. White undertook a journey from northern New Hampshire to the Territory of Wisctjnsin, to select a sile for a company or colony of New England settlers, who proposed, will, himself, to find new homei? in the distant West. Dr. White, with his norse and sleigh, accomplished this journey of some three thousand miles, going and returning, in the winter, and selected the site of the present city of Beloit as tlie future home of hiuLself and associates. In the followino: summer, lie l)rouuht his family to Beloit, and took up his abode in the only house in the place, a log structure which might have been taken for a fort, and which was, perhaps, constructetl with a view to possible defensive operations against the Indians. Dr. White died in the year 1843, at the early age of thirty-three, leaving a widow and four infant children, of 'vhoni Horace was the eldest. In 184G, Mrs. White was again niarrie I, her second husband l)t'ing Deacon Samuel lliiiman, of Prairicville (now AWuikcslia), \\'i>coii>iii. He was a man of most interesting and exemplary character, whose alfee- tionate care and judicious guardianship ct" the orphan chiltlrcn thus committed to his charge are remembered bv them with iilial gratitude. The family removed to Mr. Hinman's farm, near l*i-airii'villc, shoi'tly aficr the marriage, where they remained three years. In IHV,^, .Mr. Ilinman removed to Beloit for the purpo.se of edu-ating his childrm, and Mr. White entered Beloit College the .same year, from which he graduated in 1853. In January, 1854, being then but liueteen years of age, he came 354 BIOGEAPHICAL, SKETCHES. to Chicago, and was employed first as " local," and afterwards as assistant editor, of the "Evening Journal." The daily newsjjapers of Chicago at that time were: The "Tribune," conducted by Thomas A. Stewart; the " Democrat," by John Went worth ; the " Democratic Press," by John L. Scripps and William Bross; and the "Journal," by R. L. & C. L. Wilson. Receiving the appointment of Agent of the Associated Press, he left the "Journal" in 1855. In the following year, he was chosen Assistant Secretary of the National Kansas Committee, whose headquarters had been fixed at Chicago ; and, upon the disbandment of that organization, in 1857, he entered the office of the Chicago " Tribune," then published by the firm of Ray, Medill & Co., as an editorial Avriter. Since that date, he has been constantly connected with the " Tribune," although three years (from 1861 to 1864) were principally passed in Washington city, he acting as correspondent of the paper at the National Capital. In 1864, Mr. AVhite purchased an interest in the " Tribune," and in 1865 became its editor-in-chief, which position he now holds. He is known as a tireless worker, a ready thinker, a terse, powerful writer, a man of universal information and extraordinary endurance. ED3IUro A?(DREWS. A BOOK giving account of the " Leading Men of Chicago," without sketching tlie lives and services of those among us who have been distin- guished as scientific men, woukl be imperfect. Prominent among this class stands Dr. Edmund Andrews. Since the death of the lamented Dr. Daniel Brainard, whose superior knowledge and skill, especially as a surgeon, were recognized by all his cotemporaries, Edmund Andrews has been acknowledged as the head of the surgical department of the Western medical profession. He was born in Putney, AVindham County, Vermont, on the 22d day of April, 1824. His father was a clergyman, and had charge of the parish at Putney for twenty years. One characteristic of the Doctor is a passionate fondness for natural scenery, and a love of that high and true art which faithfully represents it upon canvas. This can, no doubt, be traced to early impressions made upon his mind by the beautiful scenery of his childhood's mountain home. A love of nature, and natural objects, gave zest to his pursuit of the natural sciences. While Edmund Andrews was yet a boy, his fiither removed to Cen- tral New York, having purchased a farm in that attractive region of country, and there, owing to the failure of his voice, he devoted himself to agriculture. The time of the son was divided between labor and study, much attention being given to botany and geology. When seventeen years of age, the young man removed to the interior of Michigan, where he spent three years in backwoods life, and improved the opportunity thus aiVorded him in ])reparing himself for college. He entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and during his course, maintained a good standing as a student. He waa, in some 356 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. respects, a leader in his class, and was elected President of the College Literary Society, to which he belonged. In the languages and meta- physics, his standing was merely fair, but in mathematics and the sciences he was always at the head of his class. During one of the vacations, in company with a class-mate, he took a voyage in a boat down the Grand River for a distance of two hundred and fifty miles, for the purpose of studying the peculiar geological formation of the banks of that stream. They discovered two seams of coal, besides seeing much fine scenery, and securing many curious specimens of ossifications and petrifactions. They returned to college much better geologists, and in more robust health than when they started. In 1849, he received the degree of A. B., after completing his collegiate studies. He shortly afterwards entered the office of Professor Z. Pitclier, at Detroit, at tluit time the most eminent physician and surgeon in the State. He could not have commenced his studies under more favorable auspices. His instructor not only gave him the benefit of his jiersonal attention and professional training, but also exerted the best possible moral influence over him. The young student acted as the surgical assistant of the veteran Professor, both in his private practice and in a hospital of which lie had charge. While thus engaged in preparing himself for his profession, he did not neglect literary or intellcetual i)ursuits outside of his text-books. He also became actively identified with the Young INIen's Society of Detroit, and participated in its debates, which, in those days, Mere largely attended by fashionable audiences, and conducted by the best orators of the city. On one of these occasions, our young disciple of Esculapius won consider- able credit by a victorious discussion with the Hon. Z. Chandler, now a representative of Michigan in the United States Senate. In 1850, he commenced attending lectures in the Medical Dejiartment of the University of Michigan. At the end of his first year, he so far established himself in the esteem and confidence of the authorities in charge there, that, although he had not yet graduated in medicine, he was appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy, and given entire control of the instructions of the dissecting room. In the year following, he finished his medical course, and received the degree of M. D. He continued to hold the office named, and added to its usual duties lectures to the students on Comparative Anatomy. The public prejudice against dissections was at that time so strong that the supply of subjects for the dissecting-room was a very difficult I KDMUXD ANDREWS. 357 and dangerous task. The general direction and responsibility of this business rested upon him. Pie overcame these dilliculties — first, by sternly prohibiting the })r()('uring of" subjects by tlie irresponsible " man- agement" of students, and by establishing an inflexible rule among the men employed in "resurrecting" to the eflect that they were to bring the bodies of none but paupers, or of such persons as had no friends to care for them. He found no difficulty in enforcing this rule, the men readily appreciating the fact that it was the only safe plan. He entirely quieted the uneasiness of the inhabitants of the town in which the Uni- versity is located, by prohibiting the "resurrection" of bodies from the local cemeteries — even those of friendless paupers. In this way, the Doctor, in two or three years, completely allayed public apprehension, and reduced the supply of the dissecting-room to a regular and well- organized system. Three years after graduating as A. B., he received the degree of A. M., and, in the year 1854, received the appointment of Professor of Comparative Anatomy in the University, the duties of which position he performed in addition to those of Demonstrator. In the year 1853, Dr. Andrews was married to Miss Eliza Taylor, of Detroit, daughter of a merchant in that city. In the same year, he founded the INlichigan State Medical Society, and in connection with it commenced the publication of a new medical periodical, entitled the " Peninsular Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences." He maintained the vigor, both of the Society and "Journal," until he left the State, when he transmitted the care of them to others. Both subsequently expired. In the year 1855, Dr. Andrews was appointed to the office of Demon- strator of Anatomy in Rush Medical College, Cliicago. This position he accepted. After one year's service, he tendered his resignation and devoted himself exclusively to practice, giving his attention especially to surgery. For this branch of his profession he was specially adapted, owing to his mechanical and scientific turn of mind. His long practice in dissections was also favorable to his success. Not many months after his arrival in Chicago, and while niiK-h of his time was unoccupied by his professional duties, in consequence of being a new-comer, he joined his efforts with tliose of that devoted and successful young naturalist, Ilobert Kennicott, in founding the Chicago Academy of Sciences. Mr. Kennicott was soon afterwards called away 358 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. to his first Arctic expedition, and Dr. Andrews, by his personal iufiuence and exertions, kept the institution alive, acting as curator and general manager, and devoting his leisure hours to the care and interests of the museum. After Mr. Kennicott's return, he exerted himself to inspire scientific enthusiasm, and, with others, succeeded in raising a fund of over $60,000 to place the Academy of Sciences on a permanent basis. It was then fully re-organized, and Dr. Andrews was unanimously elected its first President under the new regime. Most of his time and attention, however, were given to the practice of his profession. Being frequently called upon for charity services, he united with Dr. AYardner in establishing a Charity Dispensary, which soon became a great public blessing. They^so established a private dissecting-room, in which Dr. Andrews gave lectures to a class of phy- sicians and artists, the latter wishing to study anatomy in order to perfect their knowledge of the human form for artistic purposes. In 1859, Dr. Andrews joined with a number of the more eminent medical men of this city in founding the Chicago Medical College, and received in it the appointment of Professor of Surgery, which he has held ever since. This institution was soon a success, and has gone on flourishing, until now it is one of the best colleges of the country. It has a good building, library, museum, and laboratory, and is on a solid financial basis. At about the same time he also received the appointment of Surgeon of Mercy Hospital, where he performed vast numbers of surgical operations, and gave from one to three clinical lectures per week on surgery. Dr. Andrews has made several important improvements in surgical practice. He introduced a new operation, and practiced it successfully, for correcting certain cases of strabismus (squint-eyes), heretofore con- sidered incurable. He devised and established a new" plastic operation for the restoration of lost noses, lips, and eyelids, which, in proper cases, excelled any previous method. He also invented a new modification of a splint for hip disease, and was, we believe, the first in this city, though not the first in the United States, to practice the excision of bones of the hip-joint in certain cases where the life of the patient could not be other- wise saved. He took the lead here in the cure of deformities, and published numerous articles to arouse the attention of medical men to this neglected branch of surgery. He invented and applied various kinds of apparatus for the correction of curvatures of the spine, as well I EDMUND ANDREWS. 359 as others for the straightening of crooked and stiffened joints. He also invented a new splint for diseased knee-joints. When the Sonthern rebellion broke out, he entered the military service. He was first put on duty as Post Surgeon at Camp Douglas, in this city, where he had charge of the hospitals for a garrison of eight thousand troops. He was subsequently ordered to the field to serve as Surgeon of the 1st Regiment of Illinois Light Artillery, and joined the army under Generals Grant and Sherman. Having already had a very full hospital experience, he requested of General Grant's Chief-of-Staif that he might not be oi-d^ed to any post or hospital, but be allowed to remain witii the^army, as he wis^hed to perfect himself in field and battle surgery, which request was granted. He introduced into Gen. Sherman's command the practice of saving many wounded arms by excising bones in shattered elbows and shoulders, instead of amputating the limb. The operation of excision was not new to surgery, but being considered diffi- cult, Gen. Sherman's surgeons had not ventured to perform it until Dr. Andrews showed them how to do it. After this the operation was gener- ally adopted, and many arms were saved which would otherwise have been amputated. The Government system of recording the surgery of the army was at that time wretchedly inefficient, so that the vast experience of the largest battles was lost, no perfect record being kept of the wounds, oper- ations, or results. Observing this, Dr. Andrews determined to make an effort to obtain a more complete registry in the future. By agreement with other surgeons, he carried out his project, and at the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, he thus obtained a complete record of all wounds, operations, and the condition of every patient for two or three weeks subsequently, while the Government merely got a list of the wounded and killed. He published this register, and for it received the thanks of the Surgeon General, who afterwards derived from it the only valuable record which he could obtain of the surgery of that action. It is worthy of remark that the system of Government records was soon afterwards greatly improved. Gen. Sherman repeatedly requested Dr. Andrews to accept a promotion as Brigade Surgeon, M'ith the view u'i taking position on some Geni-ral's staff, but he steadily refused, being aware that such apjxtiiit incuts tend to withdraw one from direct surgical duties to general niaiiagenicnt and office work. 360 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. At the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Gen. M. L. Smith had a bullet lodged in the interior of the bones of his hips, in close proximity to one of the largest arteries of the body, and ^yhere it could not be reached in the ordinary manner. The surgeons of the command were appalled by the difficulties and danger of the case, but at the General's request Dr. Andrews undertook its removal. He gave him chloroform, and cut in along the track of the ball until he reached the point where it had passed through the broad bone of the hip (ilium) into the interior of the body, close to the large artery. He at once cut the hole in the bone to a lai'ger size, so that he could pass in his finger and an instrument by the side of it. He then discovered the bullet within, firmly wedged into another bone. Placing his finger between the bullet and the artery, so as to protect the latter, he introduced a steel instrument, and prying the ball loose from its bed, easily removed it, and the patient's lite was saved. This is but one of many instances of the Doctor's superior surgical skill. After being in the army about a year, the Professors of the Chicago Medical College began to feel the necessity of his return to his lectures in that institution, and petitioned the Government to allow him to resign. He accordingly presented his resignation, obtained its acceptance, and returned to his college duties and private practice, which has rapidly increased ever since. The summer of 1867 he spent in the large hospitals of Paris and London. In concluding this brief sketch, we M'ould remark that Dr. Andrews not only stands high in his profession, but as a citizen is universally admired for his generous impulses, honorable traits of character, and | manliness of disposition. Xo one has a more genuine claim to respect for \ what he has done and is still doing for the prosperity of our city, j especially in science and the healmg art. J v^ WILLIAM HENRY RYDER. PROMrsTENT amoDg the clergymen of Chicago is William Henry Ryder, D. D., pa.stor of St. Paul's Church, on Wabash avenue. Dr. Ryder was born in Provincetown, Massachusetts, July 13, 1822. He received his education iu his native town, in Pembroke, New Hampshire, and in Clinton, New York, where he studied Greek and Hebrew with the celebrated Dr. Clowes. He became early imbued with the great central truth of the denomination of which he is an able exponent — that not a soul of the vast universe can ever pass beyond the reach of God's encom- passing and pardoning love. Believing this with the whole strength of his nature, there was for him no alternative but to preach it. Closing his ears to the seductive voice of literary life, and turning his back on mercantile and political pursuits, he commenced, at nineteen years of age, the proclamation of Universalism. The fervor, earnestness and unction of his early ministry are yet remembered in Southern New Hampsliire, where the first few years of his clerical life were spent, and where he is most affectionately spoken of. At the age of twenty-one, he became pastor of the First Universalist Church, in Concord, New Hampshire, and, during the same year, was united in marriage with Miss Caroline F. Adams, of Boston — the beloved and devoted wife, who has supplemented him in all his labors, and of whose efficient assistance he is proud to make grateful mention. He was after- wards pastor of the Universalist Church in Nashua, New Ham]>sliiro. In both these cities eminent success attended liis labors, and his youlhTul enthusiasm, earnestness and devotedness won him a favorable hearing, even among those who had no sympathy with his theology. But he soon realized the disadvantages of his too hasty preparation 362 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. for his profession. It had not been sufficiently thorough or extensive, and his busy pastoral life left him no leisure to remedy these defects. As he was in spirit wholly consecrated to his life-work, he resolved to acquire a more extensive scholarship — to place himself in more robust mental training. He resigned his pastorate, and went to Europe, where he spent nearly two years in study and travel. He applied himself closely to the German language, studying for eight months in Berlin, and attending the lectures of the great Neander and others. His tour was continued through Greece, Syria and the Holy Land, where he made profitable visits to Athens, Damascus, Cairo and Jerusalem. It was well-spent time, and the young clergyman, intent only on the high aims of the sacred office to which he had wedded himself in solemn covenant, returned to his work enlarged, developed, and well furnished for his duties. On his return, several inviting fields of labor were opened to him, from among Avhich he selected the pastorate of the Universalist Society in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where his predecessor for sixteen years had been one of the most eminent men of" New England — Rev. H. Ballon, 2d, late President of Tuft's College. Here he remained for ten years, laboring assiduously in his parish, which repaid his toil with thoughtful affection and abundant growth. The various moral enterprises that sprang up around him claimed his attention, and the cause of education, temperance, anti-slavery, and the charities of the day, all received his prompt and unstinted aid. It was not an easy thing for him to sunder the ties that had been growing between him and the people of Roxbury for ten years. But the First Universalist Society of Chicago fixed covetous eyes on him, and would not be refused. It had need of his matured powers, his executive talent, his large experience, his practical piety, his earnest spirit, and it would listen to no denial. In January, 1860, Dr. Ryder took charge of his present })arish in this city. From the moment that he became pastor of St. Paul's Church, it began to thrive. He found it heavily encumbered with debt, and despondent; this incubus was soon lifted. There was inefficient organ- ization, and serious divisions; these were healed, and the scattered forces were drawn into compactness and set to work. There was thorough re-organization in every department. The new pastor was not given to spasmodic effort, but day by day, and year by year, he worked on, repairing a weak place here, adding a new element of strength there, remedying past defects, and grafting on new excellencies, until to-day WILLIAM HENRY RYDER. 363 St. Paul's Church stands one of the strongest, wealthiest and best religious organizations of the Northwest. The work has been done so quietly that the community has not been aware of its magnitude. During the seven years of Dr. Ryder's pastorate, the parish has contributed about $90,000 to the work of the denomination. This is exclusive of the large and uncounted sums which it has given to the cliaritable, relbrmatory and patriotic work of the city and country. It includes among its members some of the wealthiest and most public spirited citizens of Chicago, who have helped towards the development of the marvelous city, and are deeply concerned in its future growth. Nor have Dr. Ryder's labors been confined to his own parish and denomination. He is identified \vith the cause of popular education, being a member of tlie Chicago Board of Education, which has tlie interests of the public schools in charge. He holds official relations with nearly every onei of the city charities, and makes them no sinecure, for he carries into them the active, earnest and helpful spirit which is a part of the man. He cannot be an idle looker-on in any organization with which he is connected. Whatever work comes up to be done for the amelioration of the condition of the poor, the suffering, the ignorant, the degraded, may count on more than sympathy from Dr. Ryder. His riglit hand is immediately given in fellowsliip, and his shoulder put to the wheel for work. During the war of the rebellion. Dr. Ryder stood firmly for the Union, and with his ready pen and eloquent voice did good service to the oft-times sorely-tried cause. Twice he went to the front to render sei-\'ice to oiu- "brave boys in blue," and he was sent to Richmond immediately after the evacuation, in furtherance of the plans of the Chicago Sanitary Fair. It was then that he discovered the famous letter used by the Government in the assassination trial. Dr. Ryder's labors have not been confined to the city. His influence has radiated throughout the Northwest, in every phase of effort put forth by liis denomination. During 1865-6, he largely assisted in raising an endowment fund of $100,000 for Lombard University, a flourishing denominational college, located at Galesburg, Illinois. Oi' this sum, his own parish contributed $25,000. His judicious lal)ors have contributed towards the erection of many churches and the estai)lishment of several societies. His life has been one of such incessant activity as to leave him little leisure for authorship. He has been a frequent contributor to the columns of the "Universalist Quarterly," a scholarly, theological review 364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. of the denommatlon ; and he has published several pamphlets, and con- tributed otherwise largely to the literature of his church. Had he done less, he would have A^Titten more. He has an excellent and well-used library of two thousand volumes, many of which are rare books. Harvard University has honored him with the degree of Master of Arts, and, in 1863, Lombard University conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In person, Dr. Ryder is of medium height, but slight in figure, and, physically, frail-looking. He has a most expressive face, with dark eyes, abundant dark hair and beard, which time has hardly yet begun to thread with silver. Thoughtful and even serious in repose, in conversation his face lights up with interest and animation, and when a smile ripples over it, or it takes on its peculiar look of kindliness, it is one of great attrac- tiveness. His manner is urbane, but dignified, and never, in any society, nor in the most unguarded moment, docs he sink his clerical character. He would never be mistaken for otiier than a minister. His ])erceptions are quick, his knowledge of human nature intuitive, and in the first moment or two of intercourse, he has taken the measure of the man with whom he is dealing or talking, and rarely has tt) correct his first estimate. His truthfulness is of the most absolute kind. He abhors trickery, and will have nothing to do with shams. His word is accepted, and implicitly relied on by all Avho know him. His appearance invites trust, and he is never known to betray confidence. Friends gather about him from all classes and circles, and are thenceforward fastened to him as with hooks of steel. The character of Dr. Ryder's mind is strictly logical and analytical. His appeals are first to the intellect — afterwards, to the heart. His rhetoric is chaste and courtly — his oratorical manner is intensely fervid, earnest and serious. The attention of his audiences is compelled from first to last. One feels, while listening to him, that he is a minister from the necessity of his nature — that his devotion to truth, as he understands it, was so supreme as to leave him no other election than to give his liie to its service. While clinging tenaciously to his own convictions, lie is full of tolerance towards those who diifer with him, and never vilifies Christians of another name than his own. He possesses that quality of executive ability which constitutes him a leader, and which gives him the l)()wer to plan so wisely, and adapt means to ends so judiciously, as to ai-i'i)inplish any work he has in hand. Possessing the rare gift of seeing WILLIAM HENRY RYDEU. 365 what points are to be altaiiicd in the aclii('V('nu'nt ol' any work, li<> knows how to push forward to these, and cannot he (h-awn into side issues, how- ever plausible or enticini;. This recognized exeentive talent, and his eminent spirit of helpfulness, are continually t('ni})tint;; him to over-work, so that a yearly pilgrimage to the mountains and sea-side are absolute necessities of recuperation to him. Having as yet attained only the meridian of life, there is before him a bright and ivseful future, if he but husband his strength prudently, and learn the practical meaning of the maxim, "make haste, slowly" — a wise direction, which is too much ignored in every department of Western life. FRANCIS A. HOFFMANN. Not a small proportion of the population of Chicago is of German nativity or descent, and not a few among our citizens of culture, energy and influence are representatives of the Teutonic nationalitv. AVe find tlicm in all the professions and in every department of trade and activity. Our most polished scholars are Germans, as are some of our leading merchants, bankers and politicians. Among the most prominent and highly respected of this class is he ^vhose name is already mentioned. Feaxcis a. Hoffmann was born at Herford, in the Kingdom of Prussia, in the year 1822. His father was a bookseller, and the son was educated at the Frederick "William Gymnasium, in his native town. He left Prussia for America in 1839, being then but seventeen years of age. He reached Xew York penniless, but having borrowed eight dollars of a friend in that city, he started for Chicago, which was then beginning to be a considerable village. After a long and tedious journey in freight-boats on the Hudson River and Erie Canal, and a small schooner on the Lakes, he arrived here in September of that year. Moneyless, friendless, and unable to speak the English language, he found a poor prospect for "getting a start in the world." Seeking in vain to find better employ- ment, he finally determined, rather than do nothing, to accept the position of bootblack at the Lake House, which at that time was the first-class hotel of Ciiicago. A month subsequently he accepted an ofier to teach a small German school at what was then called Dunkley's Grove, now the town of Addison, Du Page County, at the extraordinary salary of forty dollars a year, with the privilege of "boarding round" among the parents of his pupils. His next step was into the pulpit, being ordained as a minister by the Lutheran Synod of Michigan; and he labored faithfully 368 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHED. and ^vith eifect in that capacity for a term of ten years, the district of his services embracing Chicago and other parts of Cook County, as "svell as the counties of Du Page and Will, in this State, and the county of Lake, in Indiana. In 1844, he Avas married to Miss Cynthia Gilbert, an American lady, who has proved to be a most efficient "helpmeet" — a noble wife and a devoted and exemplary mother. From a family of seven children four remain — all boys — the oldest beiug twenty-one years of age, and the youngest five. While engaged in his work as a minister, he took quite an active interest in all public affairs, and was elected to represent Du Page County in the famous River and Harbor Convention which was held in Chicago in 1847. On account of failing health, he resigned his ministerial charge and removed to Chicago in 1852, entering the law office of Calvin DeWolf, Esq., as a legal student, and soon became active and influential in the local politics of the city. In 1853, he was elected Alderman for what was then the Eighth Ward. After having become sufficiently versed in the law, by arduous study, to answer a purpose he had in view, he established himself in the real estate business, in which he was very successful. This he continued until 1854, when he opened a banking house, in which he was quite prosperous until 1861, when the firm of Hoffmann & Gelpcke — of Avhich he was a member — like many other banking institutions of this city, was forced to make an assignment in consequence of the financial panic Avhich resulted from the breaking out of the rebellion and downfall of what was known as the "stumptail" State currency. This was a serious blow, but it crippled him only temporarily. A spirit like his, imbued with a philosophy that can endure misfortune, and that degree of energy Avhich overcomes obstacles, may be depressed by unfortunate events, but cannot be hopelessly crushed. Devoting his time to public affairs and in endeavoring to redeem his financial losses, and satisfy his creditors, his next few years were years of great activit}^ and effort; and at the present time we find him engaged in the business of fire insurance and foreign exchange, in which, judging from his ever-smiling countenance and cheerful temper, he is evidently successful. Thus much as to the business career of Mr. Hoffmann. As a public man, he has ranked with the most prominent and popular in the State. He was among the first of the leading Germans of the Northwest to FRANCIS A. HOFFMANN. 369 espouse and advocate the aiiti-slaveiy eause. ^\'llile engaged in preaching, lie wrote editorials for the first German paper (a ^\•eekly) that was published in Chicago, and frequently wrote for the "Chicago Democrat," elueflv, however, translations from the German. As a writer and speaker, ho is remarkably successful in the use of our language for one wlio, twenty years ago, could scarcely speak or write an English sentence. But, a man of education, combining in himself a strong will, a clear mind and the requisite power of persistence, can accoraplisli wonderful tasks, and ]Mr. Hoffmann is now almost as ready an English as a German scholar. During the exciting tri-angular Presidential contest of 1848, Mr. Hoffmann was an earnest and active member of the Free-Soil party, and supported Martin Van Buren for the Presidency. Subsequently, during the stii-ring Nebraska-Kansas excitement, he took a vigorous part in oppo- sition to the attempt to fasten slavery upon those Territories, and probably did more than any other man in the country to ai'ousc and make practi- cally available, as an element in our politics, the strong freedom-loving nature of the German citizens of the West, a large majority of whom have proved themselves so true to the cause of liberty. Republicanism and the Union, throughout the eventful struggle of the past ten years, at the ballot-box and in the field. In 1856, the Anti-Slavery Convention of Cook County unanimously recommended the name of jNIr. Hoifmann to the consideration of the State as the candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. The State Convention, meeting at Bloomington, nominated the lamented Bissell for Governor, and ]Mr. Hotfmann for Lieutenant-Governor, by acclamation. This was done notwithstanding ^Ir. Hoffmann's, expressed request to the contrary. It was subsequently ascertained, however, that he was disqualified, not having been fourteen years a citizen, as required by the Constitution, and he therefore insisted that his name be taken off' the ticket, which was finally done. During that Presidential and Guberna- torial campaign. General Fremont being then the candidate for President, Mr. Hoffmann canvassed all parts of the State, adilressing meetings in the German and Englisii languages almost daily. Four years afterwards, the Republican State Convention, at Decatur, again nominated him for Lieutenant-Governor, by acclamation, on the ticket with Hon. Richard Yates for Governor. Owing to his disinclina- tion for the office and his ill-health, he at first refused to accept the nomination, but finally, at the urgent request of his friends in all parts of 370 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. the State, concluded to accept the candidacy, and, together with the entire Presidential ticket, headed by Abraham Lincoln, and the State ticket, was triumj)hantly elected. He filled the office of Lieutenant-Governor during four of the most stirring and eventful years — from 1861 to 1865 — that this State or the nation has ever witnessed. He was a most earnest and efficient co-worker with Governor Yates, in the military preparations and other public services of those momentous years of war and peril. As President of the Senate, he acquitted himself with great credit and distinc- tion, and on_ the closing day of the session of 1865 the following resolution was offered by Senator Greene, of Alexander county, a political opponent : "Resolved, That the unanimous thanks of the Senate are justly due, and are hereby tendered to Lieutenant-Governor Hoffmann, for the dignified, able and impartial manner in which he has uniformly presided over the deliberations of this assembly during his term of oflSce." The rules were suspended, and several of the leading Senators made strong, earnest, and eloquent speeches, supporting the sentiment of the resolution, complimenting Mr. Hoffmann's sense of justice and knowledge of parliamentary law, as uniformly exhibited in liis rulings and decisions in the chair. The resolution was passed unanimously, and it was richly deserved. We venture the assertion that a more just, dignified, magnani- mous, or intelligent gentleman than Lieutenant-Governor Hoffmann never presided over the Senate of the State of Illinois. AVhen Mr. Lincoln was nominated for re-election to the Presidency, in 1865, Governor Hoffmann was unanimously nominated by the Republican Convention as candidate for Presidential Elector of the State at Large, and he devoted himself with great earnestness and energy to the work of the campaign. The Republican State Central Committee intrusted to him the chief management of the campaign, as far as the Germans were concerned, and he probably traveled more miles, and made more speeches than all the other candidates for Electors combined. In 1866, his Republican friends in the Senatorial District comprising the counties of Du Page, Kane and De Kalb, desired to nominate him for Senator, but he withdrew his name while the balloting was in progress in the Convention. To Lieutenant-Governor Hoffmann Chicago is largely indebted for the good opinion entertained of the city, and of Illinois, on the other side of FRANCIS A. HOFFMANN. 371 the Atlantic. While he was engaged in the banking business, he annually publislu'd, at his own expense, a review of the trade, coninieree and finances of the city, and scattered some five tiiousand copies of it over different parts of Europe. Large sums of money were invested by him, for foreign account, to assist property-holders here in the erection of build- ings. During that period he was also appointed Consul for the United St;ites in Chicngo for several German States, a position he still holds. Several yeiirs ago he Nvas also Commissioner of the Foreign Land Depart- ment of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, in which capacity, acting for four yeai-s, he was instrumental in inducing many thousands of German families to settle in the central part of the State, by which that section was rapidly populated, and its agricultural resources developed. Although doing business in Chicago, and being, in fact, a Chicago man, yet Mr. Hoffmann resides in a quiet and secluded retreat near Cottage Hill, in Du Page County, on one of the finest farms, and loveliest paradise homes in the State. There he enjoys himself, when away from business, as only a man of good sense and lover of the beautiful in nature and art can. Possessed of such comforts, and a host of firm and life-long friends, he is spending his life with profit, not only to himself, but others, and full of the enjoyment which belongs to one who has the knowledge of having labored faithfully for the amelioration and elevation of his fi'llow men. Politically and religiously, Mr. Hoffmann lias so conducted himself as to set an example worthy of the imitation of those who follow him, and we leel a just pride in the fact that Chicago possesses an adopted citizen of such great worth. ORRIN L. MANN. General Orrix L. Mann, among the many whom the war brought to tlie surface of atl'airs, is one of the few whom talents, adaptation and especially a genius for earnest, hard work kept and still keep there. The war did not end too soon to relieve any who early entered it from undero-oino; this crucial test. Those who oroanized and conducted it found themselves, in the long run, subjected to the same conditions and laws upon which depend failure or success in ordinary pursuits. A factitious talent sometimes flourished for a time; and a capricious impulse or a s])as- modic energy of action — exhibited under circumstances exceptionally favorable — was sometimes, when the demands for its exercise were not multiplied, mistaken for masterful genius and skill. But the requirements of the long struggle were too varied and too vast not to subsidize, either for counsel, administration, or leadership, whatever ability lay dormant or remained obscure in the nation. It is even yet too early to fully estimate the sublime aggregate of fresh, earnest and practical talent for statesman- sliip, culture, invention and reform — for all the arts of peace and progress — which that regenerating crisis enlisted and monopolized. Every iicUl of beneficent effort already bears grateful witness to its quickening impulse and supporting strength, and is destined to illustrate them yet more eminently. It set the hearts of our Young America beating fast with a supreme, all-combining inspiration; it set them "beating pure, as well as fast." No task became too formidable, no sacrifice too trying, no labor too exacting to the heroic millions who, called to the duty of preserving the nation, were destined to re-create it in the image of " more ])erfect union and freedom." Principally, the war itself furnislied the uK'aiis for solving the greater problem of peace. It was the army of a greater than 374 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Cromwell and his Puritan Commonwealth, dissolving and sinking back into the people from whom it sprung, of whom it Avas — a million of citizens, and millions taught by these, who knew that peace was to have her struggles and her victories not less renowned than war. To the multitudes of the personal friends of the subject of this sketch these general observations will be sufficiently suggestive, and the writer need be at no pains to apply them to one in whose behalf these pages are not a professional task but a personal tribute, prompted by long and intimate acquaintance. No success, either in generalship or adminis- tration, has been more pronounced and genuine than Mann's, whose war record was for five years eminently a useful one, as we are certain that it was his supreme ambition that it should be. A worker from earliest years. General Mann was drawn into the war because there was something for all unselfish and earnest men to do. Self-educated, in the sense that he had laboriously commanded the best means of self-cailture, he entered the army low in rank, but a man of resources, to whom all ranks held flattering invitation. Chiefly solicitous to do something in the hour of his country's sorest need, he was content to do anything. It was his maxim, that he who gives quickly gives twice. Few soldiers enjoyed Avhat men term a more "fortunate" career than he. For the "help" (commonly termed "luck") that the gods are said to vouchsafe to those who help themselves, Mann never waited long. A career of ever- enlarging usefulness and reputation, in which each better work done, each larger end achieved, was a "reward of merit" that could scarcely have been more befitting had it been bestowed wittingly. General Mann "came honestly" by his patriotism, and has excellent "antecedents" for his patriotic record — both his grandfathers having been soldiers in the Revolutionary War. He was born in Shardon, Geauga County, Ohio, November 25, 1833. Soon after this date, his father, a mechanic, moved to Michigan, where he died in 1843. The age of twenty still found young Mann on the farm, with its limited advantages for education other than that aflbrded by unlimited opportunity for hard work. At that age a paternal instinct, perhaps, led him to try his hand at a trade (blacksmithing), which a severe injury forced him to abandon after a year's apprenticeship. His residence in a University town, distin- guished also for the excellence of its public schools (Ann Arbor), naturally led him to turn his attention to study. To resolve was to execute, in spite of poverty and the added responsibility of a mother ORIUN I.. MANN. 375 dei)endent on him. His |)iv|>:\ratoi-v study was done at Albion, iiiidcr tilt' inspiration (tf one of tlic most Icrtilc and jnafi;netic souls (C. T. Ilinniau, D. D.) that Providence has ever given to education in the West. ^loro than ever straitened in resources, Mann, after heroically struggling for two years, was eompelleil to leave school, and, in 1853, first found his way to young Chicago, Avhere he lound congenial occu[tation in a private school, with some leisure for study. In 185G, he entered college at Ann Arbor, w'liere science, rather than literature, chiefly won his attention. Compelled by ill-health to abandon study iu his junior year, he again came to Chicago. This was in 1861, and he had not found time to engage in business when Sumter was iireil on. That "meant business," indeed, and JNIann was among the promptest to respond to the ominous summons. He enlisted as a private, "for three years or the war." But, not content with enlisting himself, he sought 0])portunity to enlist others, and soon had a company raised for the Thirty-ninth Illinois Ilegiment, the historic "Yates Phalanx." Bearing letters to Governor Yates, Mann sought his influence in behalf of a regiment which was destined (once exhausting its ranks and renewing them from the sons of Illinois) to carry the name of that distinguished statesman — name proudly eminent among the peerless War Governors of the North — on its battle-flag through more than four years of wandering and war. At the suggestion of Governor Yates, Mann had an interview with Generals Lyon and Blair, tendering the regiment for service in Missouri. But the effort was futile. Failure, however, only more deeply impressed INIann ^\ ith the sense of the nation's needs, and furnished motive for renewed effort. Ere long he was in the presence of President Lincoln and his Secretaries of War and State, introduced by Senator Browning, at the instance of Governor Yates. Mr. Lincoln received the offer gratefully, most fully and heartily concurring in the belief, now general among the people, that more troops were indispensable; but said that it had been determined to accept none until Congress should perfect a military bill. On the President's advice, Mann remained in Washington, encouraged by his assurance — "The boys from Illinois will, beyond a doubt, soon have a chancf to light." Congress convened July 4th, 18()1; but it was not until the 23(1, the day after the I>ull llun disaster, that the CJovernment rcs[)(Midcd to the popular sense, long unanimous and now exacting. On that day Mann was summoned to the War Department, and directed to (ill up the regiment at 376 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. once. Having accomplished this with remarkable vigor and promptitude, he was elected and commissioned Major thereof. The career of the Thirty-ninth is historical, and the barest outline of its record is vividly suggestive. From Illinois to Missouri; thence to Maryland; soon after to Virginia, on the upper Potomac — these rapid movements bring it fairly into the field of action. Major Mann was stationed with a small detachment of his command at Burkley Springs, to guard the approach to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. January 2, 1862, with less than a company of infantry and a few horse, he met, near Bath, the advance brigade of " Stonewall " Jackson's entire army. Falling back, after a brisk fight in which thirteen men were lost, to Burkley, he tenaciously held that strong and vital position all the next day with his three companies. Late in the evening, after being nearly surrounded, he skillfully retreated to Sir John's Run, where he forded the Potomac, the water four feet deep and anchor ice fringing both shores. This stubborn resistance, which retarded the advance of the enemy and enabled other troops to cross the river, secured Major Mann's elevation to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, together M^th a commenda- tory notice from General Kelly, commanding. He Avas subsequently made a member of General A. S. AVilliams' staif, but was permitted, at his urgent request, to accompany his regiment to Western Virginia, returning whence he participated in the first battle of Winchester, the scene of "Stonewall" Jackson's first and only thorough defeat. In May, the Thirty-ninth was sent, under Colonel INIann's command, into the Suray Valley to seize two important bridges, which he accomplished after a severe engagement. Daring the latter part of the year, while the regiment was stationed at Suffolk, Colouel INIann served as President of a General Court Martial. In January, 1863, he accompanied it to Newbern, North Carolina, and thence to Hilton Head, South Carolina. The first to land on Folly Island, the Yates Phalanx bore an energetic hand in constructing the works by which Morris Island was subsequently reduced. In the siege of Forts Wagner and Gregg, Colonel JNIann bore a prominent part, leading the brigade which entered that stronghold. He informed General Gilmore by telegraph that the rebels Avere prepar- ing to desert the fort, and requested permission to move upon their works. The request was granted, and the result — about sixty prisoners being taken, with slight loss — was announced to General Gilmore in the following l?(,conic telegram (address and dates omitted), which went the ORRIN L. MANN. 377 rounds of the papers, and wliicli niiiilit have served both statesmen and Generals since as a model of eeononiic as well as graphic conciseness: "The FieUl OfTiccr of the Trenches semis his compliments and congratulations from the bomb-proof of fallen Fort Wagner, to the General Commanding, and wishes to assure him that his confidence in God and General Gilmore is unshaken." Colonel Mann passed the most of the following winter in the recruiting service, with headquarters at Chicago. His patriotic and efi'ective speeches in Northern Illinois will l)e vividly recalled by thousands who, under their inspiration, sent sons and brothers and friends to iill anew the exhausted ranks of the Yates Phalanx. In the lexicon of his faith there was no such word as fail; and while empliatically sustaining the past policy of the Government as the best that could have been looked for, he urged a more vigorous prosecution of the Avar, wdiich it was now plain could be successfully and lionorably closed only on war ])rinciples. On the expiration of its term of service, the Thirty-ninth came home, February, 1864; but the w^ar was not yet over. The sons of Illinois were never more urgently needed than now, and never were men who had passed through the hardshijis and perils of three years' incessant service more willing to pledge and devote their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause in Avhich they had fought and their comrades had fallen. So the entire command re-enlisted, after a month's furlough, and returned to the field as "veterans." They were assigned to duty on the James, under General B. F. Butler. On the 14th of ]\Iay the Colonel of the regiment, now Major-General T. O. Osborne, was seriously wounded at the head of his brigade, and on the following day the Major and a large numl)er of line officers were either killed or wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Mann Avas the only field officer remaining, and he had serious work on hand at once. Six days afterwards. General Longstrcet, having advanced along the line of Bermuda Hundred, began intrenching his position. The situation Avas critical. The Union ibrces had been driven back from a vital ])()sition, Avhich must beat once regained. The Thirty-ninth Avas ordered to assume the ad\aiiee, and canu' l>ack' Avith a large number of prisoners, among them a Brigatlier-Cieneral. l-'or his gallantry in this decisi\'e action, dis|)layed at the expense of a gunshot Avound in his left leg, below the knee, both bones being shattered, Colonel Mann Avas brevetted Brigadier-General. His AVOund, Avhieh was very serious, kept him in hospital until autumn. But his nature craved ax^tivity, 378 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. impatient to be at work when there was so much to be done; and so he served, as soon as convalescent, on a Court Martial at Fortress Monroe. January 1, 1865, being still incapacitated for the field. General Mann was assigned to staif duty under JNIajor-General Ord, and served as Provost Marshal of the District of Eastern Virginia, with headquarters at Norfolk. The position, though occupied by a soldier disabled for service in the field, was no sinecure. It required intense application and continuous activity, in every sense save that of locomotion. The Provost INIarshal was Mayor and Common Council in one, administering, at a most critical period, the affairs of a city of mixed population numbering 20,000 ; Superintendent of an extensive public school system established by the wisdom of General Butler; General Superintendent of a large military prison; and Superintendent of the City Gas Company. These were the specific, definable duties; and they were scarcely a moiety compared with the indefinite range, touching every phase of social or municipal life, which were none the less exacting in that they were informal and in a great measure voluntary. To discharge duties so varied, complicated and delicate (the prototype of those now incident to the military district plan), required both conmianding executive ability and an endowment and habit of tact, decision, and readiness which if few men possess, fewer still can acquire. Such, however, was the union in General Mann's whole administration of official authority and personal influence, respectively strengthening and mitigating each other, — snaviter in moclo, Jortiter in re, — that he received the hearty approbation both of his superior officers and of the citizens of his district, almost without distinction. Richmond having fallen, the Confederacy having yielded to superior force and wisdom in field and council, it was supposed that local military rule could be greatly modified if not Avholly foregone; and General Mann, now promoted to a full Colonelcy, was ordered to join his command at Richmond. The Norfolk Marshalship was abolished, and the city turned over to the civil authorities. But it soon became apparent that the political elements were too profoundly disturbed to be controlled by any rule less absolute than that which had conquered a nominal peace. Norfolk was filled with freedmen, while the municipality was practically in the hands of conquered but not converted rebels. Between the police especially and the negroes, frequent collisions occurred, and society Avas rapidly degenerating to the anarchy which precedes and sometimes ORRIN L. MANN. 379 justifies "despotism." At tlic icinust (.1" MMJoMu-neral Tcrrv, ilieii commanding the Department, General M:iiiii was r('-assi<>;ne (|nalities of a strong, manly nature. His energy and industry have accompanied him to this period of his life. In the management of the Post Offi(;e of Chicago, he assumed the brunt of labor, and toiled at his duties with untiring assiduity and perseverance. He has always been iiicd with ambition to discharge witli thoroughness and fidelity the office he lield, and to excel in every calling he followed. Yet his modesty, integrity and honor placed him above the use of any unwarrantable means of advance- ment. At a convention to nominate members for the Legislature from the counties of Lake and Cook, Mr. Hoard presided. AVilliam B. Ogden, Ebenezer Peck and others were candidates. After ballotino; without result, ISIr. Ogden's friends changed their votes to Mr. Hoard, and produced a tie between him and Mr. Peck, whereupon the former gave the casting vote for his opponent, greatly to the annoyance of his friends, but in perfect keeping with his unassuming and honorable character. His word has ever been as good as his bond. He has been eminent for public spirit, and enthusiastic in his l)elief in the future of his adopted city. His interest in the cause of education was such that he early became a member of the Board of Education, and was for years its President, and only resigned to engage in business with his brother in Watertown. He was one of the original corporators of the University of Chicago, and has served on its Board of Trustees and Executive Committee from its establishment. According to his ability, he has contributed as liberally as any man connected with it. He has always been sanguine of its ultimate success as an educator of the men whose influence will be felt in the destinies of tliis great Kepublic. He is a lover of his race, and considers their welfare the chief object of his life. No man is more careful of the feelings and reputation of others. He is unsuspicious, guileless and forgiving to a fault. Abundant wrongs and betrayals of confidence suffered by him, from persons towards whom he has acted as a l)enefac'tor, have not soured him, nor dampened his ardor to do good to his fellow- men. He is, in harmony with his simplicity of character, a great friend of the young. Having no children of his own, he has donated himself to the good of others' oflspring. He was fifteen years in chai-gc of the infant class in the First Baptist Church, and there exerted a happy 404 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. influence over hundreds who are now growing up to usefulness and honor. He has aided young men in commencing business, given them valuable counsel, which has often saved them from vice and ruin, and watched over their prosperity with a father's solicitude. He now conducts a large class in the Sabbath school, and a prayer meeting for boys in the Second Baptist Church, of wliicli he is senior deacon, and the walls of whose lecture-room testify to his liberality in three beautiful Scriptural paintings that adorn them. Many will rise up and call him blessed as the friend of the young, for whose welfare, both present and eternal, he has ceaselessly labored. His religious life began in early manhood. When young and hand- some, courted and petted by all, he was moral and church-going. A sickness that almost brought him down to the grave, made him feel the importance of religion, and he rose from his bed to live for God. He has ever been a devoted member of the Baptist Church, without bigotry or fanaticism, and consecrated himself to its prosperity. In an early day, when money was needed, he mortgaged his property to aid in building a house of worship in this city. Plis pastors have found in him a consci- entious, earnest supporter in every thing which his honest judgment approved, and a faithful friend under all circumstances. His voice is always heard Avith pleasure in the social meetings, whether he engages in prayer, reads the Scriptures (in which he excels,) or offers exhortations. To the maturity of his life religion adds a mellowness and sweetness that make him beloved and cherished in the church. He has been a foremost laborer iu the Second Baptist Church since its re-organization, and sets an example for those whose years would seem to furnish exemption from personal effort. But labor is his life, and he desires only to find a fitting sphere, and there he devotes himself with unsparing earnestness for the great Captain of our salvation. This sketch may serve to set before young men a model not too difficult, and yet beautiful and satisfactory to the ambition of most. A busy life, full of vicissitude, yet governed by principle, and gradually lifting itself higher into sunshine and nearer to Heaven, while the young play and the sorrowful rest under its shade, and the poor eat of its fruit, and society is enriched by its products, is an object of unfailing interest and admiration. We may express the hope that no storm may uproot it suddenly, nor mar its branching beauty — that the autumn may be long in deepening to winter upon its foliage and fruit. We know that they that I SAJrUEL HOARD. 405 arc planted in the house of the Lord shall Ihiurish in ilic (-((urts of our God, and the good seed of his life already germinates and fruetifies, I'or a good man lives often a nobler life in the persons whom he has imi)regnated Avith his pure and excellent spirit. When Samuel Hoard dies, Ciiicafio will lose a benefactor, the church a pillar, and the country a patriotic citizen. ISAAC N. ARNOLD. No NAME is more conspicuous in the annals of Chicago than that of Hon. Isaac N. Arnold, a leaijiing member of the Bar, an able speaker and Avriter, -who has represented the city in the State Legislature and in the National Congress, who Avas the warm personal friend of President Lincoln, the chief supporter in Congress of his Administration, the most active and enthusiastic of the public men of that time who advocated the nomination and re-election of that good and great man for a second Presi- dential term, an uncompromising foe to slavery, and who has recently achieved new laurels as the author of a valuable and ably Avrittcn histoiy of the Administration of Mr. Lincoln and the downfall of slavery, Mr. Arnold has been a resident of Chicago for thirty-one years, and has been more or less active in its affairs ever since his arrival here in 1836. He was born in Hartwick, Otsego County, New York, November 30, 1815, and is therefore now fifty-two years of age. His parents, Dr. George W. and Sophia M. Arnold, were natives of Rhode Island, whence they emigrated to New York in about the year 1800. In his earlier years, he had such advantages for education as the district and select schools of the county and the academy of the village affonlcd, advant:ii:(s which, though imperfect, as compared with the schools of the present day, he improved to such an extent as to give him a very fair education for the duties of practical life. Tiirown upon his own personal resources at the age of fifteen, lie never knew much about the usual pleasures of boyhood, but found him- self face to face with tlie stern realities of life. Tlie very struggles v. hich in early life his self-dependent ciicumstances obliged him to inidergo, served to develop those intellectual and moral characteristics which in after life made him a man of influence and mark anion"; his fellow-men. 408 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. From the seventeeutli year of his age until he was about twenty, he divided his time between academical studies, teaching, and reading law. He earned money enough by teaching a part of the year to enable him to pursue his studies the remainder of the year. The first law-office he entered as a student was that of Richard Cooper, in Cooperstown, N. Y., a nephew of the celebrated author, James Fenimore Cooper. He subse- quently became a student of Judge E. B. Morehouse. Applying himself very assiduously, he soon acquired sufficient knowledge of the law business to make his services in the office availal)le towards paying his personal expenses, by trying causes before the Justice's Court, and by otherwise earning an occasional fee. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of the State of New York in 1835, being then but twenty years of age. He immediately entered into copartnership with Judge Morehouse, his old friend and law teacher, with whom he remained until he left for the West. The first important trial in which Mr. Arnold was engaged was that of a negro named Dacit, in Otsego County, who was on trial on a charge of having murdered liis brotlicr in a fit of jealousy, the t^\o having l)een rivals for the affections of the same woman. Mr. Arnold, being satisfied of his innocence, volunteered to defend the prisoner, and procured his acquittal. It is worthy of remark that this was the beginning of an extensive criminal practice, during which no man charged with a capital offense who was defended by him was ever convicted. When Mr. Arnold first arrived in Chicago, in 1836, having only a few himdred dollars in his pocket, which comprised all he had, except a few law books, he at once opened a law office. Chicago was a mere village at that time. A few months afterwards, he entered into })artnership with Mahlon D. Ogden, Esq., and when, the succeeding year, Chicago had been incorporated as a city, and William B. Ogden was elected its first Mayor, Mr. Arnold was elected City Clerk. Cliicago tlien had about 3,000 inhabitants. His professional business rapidly increasing, he resigned his City Clerkship before the end of the year, and confined himself to the practice of the law. The State of Illinois was as yet but thinly settled and little improved, even in this now teeming and prosperous section of it, ]\Ir. Arnold loves to relate to his friends the incidents of his early experiences, his long and perilous journeys, a-foot and on horseback, over the wild and almost boundless prairies, his escapes from wolves and Indians, and his getting lost in storms when out on the prairie sea. Those were times that tried even lawyers' souls. ISAAC N. ARN'OLD. 409 Not until 1842 did ^Nlr. Arnold t..ko a very- active or prominent part in the general politics ol' the State. In that year tlie (piestion of fStatc finances was the exciting one. The iState waa deeply in debt, in conse- quence of having entered rather extensively upon a system of public Avork?^, chief among which was the construction of the Illinois and ]\Iichigan Canal, which was only partly finished, and as yet unproductive of 2)ublic revenue. A disposition Mas manifested in some quarters to repudiate the State indebtedness. In common with others who deprecated so questionable a step, and who were at the same time anxious for the speedy completion of the i)ublic works, Mr. Arnold took a bold jiosition against repudiation. As a delegate in the Democratic State Convention, in 1842, he sought to commit that party to his views. In the autumn of that year, he delivered an address in Chicago, which was published at the time, on "the legal and moral obligations of the State to pay its debts, the resources of Illinois, and the means by which the credit of the State may be restored." As the recognized champion of anti-repudiation, he Avas elected to the Legislature, and in the session of 1842-3, made the "canal bill" a specialt}^, embodying in it the scheme advocated in his Chicago address. As Chairman of the Committee on Finance, he made an elaborate report, setting forth the then financial condition and resources of the State. He strongly advocated taxation and the payment of the indebtedness. Mr. Arnold's scheme, which was originally devised in a conference with Arthur Bronson, W. B. Ogdcn and others, was adopted, which proposed to pledge the canal and its lands to the holders of the State canal bonds in order to raise the necessary funds, and under it the present Illinois and Michigan Canal was finally completed. At the session of the Legislature of 1842-3, Mr. Arnold vigorously opposed the enactment of laws providing that no property should be sold upon execution or judicial process, until it had been appraised, nor unless it should sell for two-thirds of its ap[>raised value. So mcII satisfied was he of their unconstitutionality that, after being passed by the Legislature, he carried the question to the Supreme Court of the United States, sub- mitting elaborate arguments in the cases of Arthur Bronson vs. John IT. Kinzie, and McCracken vs. Ilayward — whereupon the Court declared them unconstitutional and void. As has already been intimated, Mr. Arnold, at this period of his history, was a Democrat. He was in fiivor of the nomination of Van Bureu for President in 1844, and, although he was nominated as one o' 410 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the Electors by the State Convention, he supported the nominees, Polk and Dallas, for President and Vice President, with great reluctance. In 1848, he entered with great earnestness into the ''Buffalo Platform" Free Soil movement, being a delegate to the Buffido Convention, and helping to organize that new party. He, and such men as W. B. Ogden, Thomas Iloyne, Daniel Brainard, and George Manierre, called a Free Soil State Convention at Ottawa, nominated a Van Buren and Adams electoral ticket, and opened the first formidable anti-slavery campaign in Illinois. :Mr. Arnold took the stump with great ardor, and Cook county was carried for this ticket, the vote standing: for Van Buren, 2,120; for Cass, 1,622; for Taylor, 1,708. This was the starting point of that grand moral revolution in American politics Avhich made Lincoln President in 1860, and finally abolished slavery forever on the American continent. From 1848 to 1858, ISIr. Arnold, although taking an active part on the anti-slavery side of politics in every campaign, State or national, devoted himself closely to his profession, being engaged on many impor- tant criminal and civil cases, and rapidly achieving a leading place among the great and most successful lawyers of the West. Among the most note-worthy causes in Avhich he appeared as counsel, was that of Tavlor Driscoll, charged with the murder of John Campbell, the leader of a band of "Regulators" in Ogle County. This was in 1839; the trial was an exciting one; and Mr. Arnold secured the prisoner's acquittal. Another was that of Henry Bridenbecker, charged with the murder of Selma Keyser, in McHenry County. He procured a change of venue to Cook County, and, on the plea of insaniry, secure power that he felt himself constitutionally possessed of to destroy slavery. 412 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. When the more intense radicals became dissatisfied with Mr. Lincohi because of his apparent unwillingness to adopt extreme measures against slavery during the first year of the war, Mr. Arnold and his colleague, the late Owen Lovejoy, did much to neutralize this opposition, by expressing and exhibiting their confidence in Mr. Lincoln as an anti-slavery man. The new Congress, of which Mr. Arnold was a member, convened in special session on the 4th of July, 1861. He voted for Frank P. Blair, Jr., then a leading Republican, for Speaker of the House. Hon. Stephen A. Douglas had died in the preceding month of June, after so gloriously rallying his political friends in the North and West to the support of the Government. Mr. Arnold was selected by the Illinois delegation in Congress to express the concurrence of those who liad formerly differed with him politically, in the honors paid to the illustrious statesman's memory. His obituary address, made in compliance with the request of his colleagues, was Mr. Arnold's first speech in Congress. At the regular session of Congress, in the following December, Mr. Arnold was appointed chairman of the select committee on the defenses of the great rivers and lakes; and in February, 1862, he made an able and elaborate report, showing the rapid growth and vast commercial and military importance of the Western lakes and rivers. The report discussed the best means for their protection, and strongly recommended, among other tilings, the conversion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal into a channel for the navigation of ships and steamboats. Mr. Arnold prepared and introduced a bill to this effect, and earnestly urged its passage. In June, 1862, he made a very effective speech in support of the measure. The bill, however, did not reach a vote until the following session, when it was lost by a small majority. He did not despair, however, but in January, 1863, again made a speech in its advocacy. He was re-elected a member of the next Congress, and Speaker Colfax appointed him chair- man of the Committee on Roads and Canals. He reported a bill frmn that committee, and zealously advocated its passage, providing for an appropriation by Congress of $6,000,000, for the purpose of aiding the State of Illinois to enlarge the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This bill finally came to a vote in the House on the 2d of February, 1865, and was passed. But, unfortunately, it was rejected by the Senate. Retiring from Congressional life at the end of his term, this great "hobby" of his, as his opponents called it, has been permitted to rest, although he does not despair of yet seeing it carried into effect. ISAAC N. ARNOLD. 413 Mr. Arnold's career in Congress was entirely satisfactory to his con- stituency. As a member of the Committee on the Pacific Railroad, he was instrumental in securino; the inoorj)oration of an amendment into the bill for the construction of the Pacific lluilroad, now being built^ providing for the Northern Branch. He also introduced and urged through Congress the act making all foreign-born soldiers who, after service in the Union army, should be honorably discharged naturalized citizens of the United States. And, Avhat will stand to his credit forever in the record of that eventful epocli in American history is the fiict that he was the first to offer a resolution in Congress for tlie emancipation of all the slaves of rebels, and the abolition of slavery entirely in all parts of the country. INIr. Arnold was among the first and foremost in supporting all the military measures of the Government during the war. He never faltered, never desponded, not even for a moment. His first speech in Congress of a political character, made May 22, 1862, was in advocacy of the confis- cation of the propert}'^ and the liberation of the slaves of rebels. He advocated the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia. He introduced and carried through a bill prohibiting slavery in the Terri- tories. In January, 1864, he introduced a l)ill confirming the President's Emancipation Proclamation, and spoke at length upon " the power and necessity of destroying slavery in the Southern States," declaring tliat " slavery must die by the laws of war," and that " there could be no peace while slavery lived." On his return to Chicago, after the adjournment of Congress in July, 1864, Mr. Arnold had an enthusiastic public recej)tion at the hands and hearts of his fellow-citizens. He was escorted to Metropolitan Hall, M'herc he was formally welcomed and thanked in the name of the people of Chicago by Col. C. G. Hammond, the chairman of the meeting. Mr. Arnold responded in an eloquent address, explanatory of his course in Congress, and in giving his views upon the state of the country. His speech was frequently applauded, and a resolution of thanks unanimously passed for Jiis able and faithful services in Congress. His confidence in President Lincoln never wavered, and wlicn a move- ment was made in opposition to his re-nomination and re-election in 1864, he ardently dcfi-ndod him. In IVfarch of that year, he made a strong s|)ccch in the House on "Reconstruction — Liberty the corner-stone, and Lincoln the architect," in which he ably and effectively vindicated the Administration. This speech was published ;iud widely circulated as a 414 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. campaign doeiinient. tie adhered to the "^Martyr President" to the last, and events proved that his confidence was well placed. In June, 1863, Gen. Burnside, then commanding this military depart- ment, issued an order for the suppression of the "Chicago Times," on account of its disloyal utterances. Mr. Arnold was then in Chicago. The order caused intense excitement among the political friends of the " Times," and violence was threatened and an outbreak imminent. A number of citizens of both parties united in a reqiiest to President Lincoln, by tele- graph, that the order be revoked, so that the peace of the eomnumity could be restored. At their request, Mr. Arnold, in conjunction witli Senator Trumbull, sent a dispatch to the President, asking that he would give his serious and prompt consideration to their message. The President revoked the order, and, although there are those Avho censured ]Mr. Arnold for his course in this matter, he and the President never regretted their action. The following letter from Mr. Lincoln to ]\Ir. Arnold explains itself: "ExECTTTivE Mansion, Washington, May 27, 18G4. " Hon. Isaac N. Arnold: "J/y Dear Sir : I hear you are assailed for your action in regard to Gen. Burnside's order suppressing the Chicago 'Times.' All you did was to send me two dispatches. In the first you, jointly with Senator Trumbull, very properly asked my serious and prompt consideration for a petition of some of your constituents, praying for a revocation of the order. In the second, you said you did not in the first dispatch intend to express an opinion that the order should be abrogated. This is absolutely all that ever came to me from you on the subject. I am far from certain to-day that the revocation was not right, and I am very sure the small part you took in it is no proper ground to disparage your judgment, much less to impugn your motives. "Your devotion to the Union and the Administration cannot be questioned by any sincere man. Yours truly, Abkaham Lincoln." Mr. Arnold declined a re-v.omination to Congress in 1864, and after ]Mr. Lincoln's re-nomination at Baltimore, he devoted himself during that Presidential campaign to public speaking, in support of the President and his war policy. He addressed meetings in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan^ Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. He performed good service, and when Mr. Lincoln's re-election was secured, no man in the Avorld felt happier or more gratified than did Mr. Arnold. With Mr. Lincoln's approval, Mr. Arnold, during the last year of the President's life, was engaged in preparing a history of that great man'? career, and of the overthrow of slavery. To facilitate his labors for this purpose, which had to be performed at Washington, Mr. Lincoln tendered ISAAC N. ARNOLD. 415 him the position of United States District Attorney for the District of Columbia, and also that of Auditor of the Treasury lor the Post Office Department; but before the appointment was made, the President was assassinated, and his successor appointed him to tiie Auditorship, He performed the duties of this office in connection with his literary labors, until Mr. Johnson's political apostacy, when, in a letter giving his views plainly on the political (piestions of the day, informing the President that he was not following the footsteps of his "illustrious predecessor," he resigned the office, and returned to Chicago. A few weeks after his return, he completed his historical Mork, Avhich has since been published in one large volume, and is by far the most complete and faithful record of Mr. Lincoln's career and of the history of the overthrow of slavery that has yet been given to the public. He is now engaged in gatliering and compiling the speeches and state papers of ^Ir. Lincoln, some of which have never yet appeared in print. Mr. Arnold has resumed his profession in Chicago, but appears to avoid public life. He is greatly respected by his fellow citizens, who have long since learned to admire liiiu for his manly qualities, and who would in time to come be as ready as they have been in time past to demonstrate their confidence in his ability for positions of honor and public trust. In the enjoyment of vigorous health, blessed with worldly fortune and domestic contentment, Mr. Arnold doubtless has still many years of private and public usefulness before him, in Avhieh to cntwn the personal distinction Avhich he has already achieved as an able lawyer, an upright politician, a patriotic statesman, and faithful historian. CHARLES TOBEY. The quiet perseverance of honest industry has more exponents than chroniclers. Where the short sharp struggle, or the masterly movement challenge admiration and demand a record, the not less heroic and more truly noble conflict with the world, in which one man, at a great personal disadvantage, finds the hand of every one raised against him, and by dint of unwearied attention to the one great object gradually threads his way through and between opposing obstacles, rather than beafe them down, too seldom iinds a place in our permanent annals. Yet these are the men who have done most for the real benefit of themselves and their race. They have not with leaping pole bridged the chasm which isolates the mountain crag, but with slow and toilsome steps they have ascended the steep, and gained the fertile plateau Avhose plenty makes glad tlie hearts of a community. Their success is not based on the injury of otliers, nor achieved by subterfuge or knavery, but, as the legitimate fruit of unwearying application, is so much added to the world's wealth, and so much of an augmentation to its concrete happiness. It is tlie presence of these men, so largely numerous among us, tliat has given to Chicago its proud prominence among the cities of tlie West, stamping her as the mistress of the Mississippi Valley in all that pertains to commercial enter- prise and legitimate business growth. It is the presence of this clement which enables her to reach out and beyond her fc^rmcr rivals into that which once was regarded as their exclusive domain, and, likr tlic sun among the planets, forcing not only them, but their satellites, to revolve in obedience to the influence of its own sui)erior attraction. One of these conquerors of adverse circumstances is Mr. CHARLES ToBEY, the well-known furniture manufacturer antl dealer, whose skill 418 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and enterprise have done so much to beautify and render comfortable our Western homes and places of business, and whose integrity has been so largely instrumental in redeeming the character of Western work from the low estimation in which it was at one time held. Commencing at the lowest starting point, he worked his way up, slowly but surely, to his present position, which is not only one of j)rofit, but of reflex honor to the community. The products of his manufactory have achieved for him an enviable reputation, which, though but carved in wood, is " as durable as if graved in marble. Charles Tobey was born in 1831, in Dennis, Barnstable County, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and is the son of Jonathan H. Tobey, who owned and worked a farm which had been occupied by his family through a line of six generations, covering a period of about two hundred years. His ancestry is traced back directly to Wales, Great Britain, through a genealogical record of eight generations. The early years of Charles were spent on the parental farm, which, when old enough, he helped to till, working nine months in the year, and devoting the other three to obtaining an education in the common district schools of that day. His opportunities were very limited, and even those poor privileges were far from seeming to be fully improved. He was not regarded as a very promising scholar, being, as his Either recently remarked, "more devoted to trading jack-knives than to conju- gating verbs." At the age of sixteen, he made several attempts to follow the sea, his great ambition being to go out in, and own, a boat, but he finally came to the conclusion that it was what the sailors call a "dog's life," as well as unprofitable. The last consideration decided him, for he had early become impressed with the importance of prospering in the Avorld, and determined to spare no jjains to earn a competency. He was never afraid of work, but willing to j)ut his hand to anything that turned up, and remarkably dexterous in his adaptability to everything but dry, book studies. By the time he had attained the age of twenty years, he gave promise of being an excellent farmer, but the occu]3ation did not suit him. He wanted something with more "dash," more opportunity for getting along, and mingling with the great social throng, than was possible in handling the plow, and he determined to learn a mercantile business. With carpet-bag in hand, he took passage for Boston in a packet, and there sought a situation. The search was a long though diligent one, for situations were far from being plenty. He was well-nigh disheartened, CHARLES TOBEY. 419 wlien a friend stepped in and procured him a ])lace as porter in a liirniture .store. He labored there faithfully for four months, receivinj^ five dollars per Aveck as comi)ensation for his services. During this time he found it very difticult to live on his income, but manfully refused proffered assistance from his friends, determining to be inde- pendent, and looking forward hopefully to the time 'when he -would be promoted to a better position. The end of four months brought an increase, and several steps upward were made in the course of the next two yeai's. Then he succeeded in obtaining a position as salesman in a large new furniture house. He thus passed about two. years, gaining golden opinions from every one, and being generally looked on as a young man who would make a broad mark in the world. His prospects in Boston were good, even in the face of the strong competition which obtained there, but he could not stay. He had heard the glowing accounts which reached that staid city of the wonderful place called Chicago, then on the very circumference of the civilized wheel of which Boston has been called ** the hub." He fought for awhile, but having caught the genuine fever, he was obliged to break out — West. Without a single friend or acquaintance between Boston and the regions of the setting sun, or even a letter to any one, he started, in the autumn of 1855, and came to Chicago. His first impressions of the place were favorable; it was then a scene of intense activity, and he was eager to plunge and mingle with the busy throng. He found it difficult, as so many others have done, to push his way into the bustling crowd, but at last succeeded in obtaining a situation as clerk in a furniture store, where he remained about six months. Mr. Tobey was soon satisfied that he could do much better than working for a salarj'. He saw in this busy metropolis a fine field fi)r enterprise, and determined to cultivate it. He accepted the offer of a loan of five hundred dollars from the Hon. Francis Bassett, a distinguished lawyer and capitalist of Boston, who was a distant relative and had always shown himself a warm friend. With this little capital, the young man commenced business in the sjjring of 185G, at Xo. 29G .State street, and succeeded beyond his most sanguine expectations. A subsequent loan of like amount, voluntarily made by the same gentleman, after satisfying himself relative to the business capacity of our young merchant, gave a new impetus to the trade already establishcil. Although Mr. Tobey offered to cancel this indebtedness at various times, yet Mr. Bassett refused 420 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. to accept it, allowing it to remain in his hands foi* a number of years, when Mr. Tobey insisted upon paying it, as it was the only note held against him. It would be proper to remark here, that Mr. Tobey holds in great respect this gentleman, and looks upon him as a benefactor to Avhom he is indebted for all that he now possesses. How often is it the case tliat a friendly hand, extended at the proper time to one who is struggling for success in life, will inspire him M'ith zeal and make an impression on the mind which lasts until death. The lesson thus learned by Mr. Tobey in the instance referred to has not been forgotten, as the many opportunities for assisting others which he has improved will abundantly testify. Thousands of dollars have thus been invested, as we might say, in deeds of charity, seeing that much of it can never be repaid, except in hearts filled with thankfulness. In 1858, he took his brother, Francis B. Tobey, into partnership, and the next year moved to the corner of State and Randolph streets. The firm remained thero two years, and then moved to No. 82 Lake street. The ensuing four years was a season of extraordinary success. The firm did a large and profitable business, and M'as able to command the erection of the large and commodious buildings Nos. 87 and 89 State street, in which the business is at present conducted. They advanced ten thousand dollars — half the cost of the building — on the five years' lease. An incident in this connection is worthy of mention. Meeting daily with many of the most prominent business men of our city, he found that all who expressed themselves Avere unanimous in their opinion tliat he had made a fatal mistake in transferring his business location to State street, some of them predicting ruin at no distant day. As a proof that Mr. Tobey 's far-reaching vision was not defective, Me may add that the first year's business in his new location exceeded by one liundred thousand dollars that of any previous year. Having such ample accommodations for years to come, at about one-third the rental which could be obtained for the establishment to-day, it does not require much discernment to enable any one to see that he has an advantage in the sale of his goods which must enable him to defy competition. Having given the location a fair test, we are not surprised to know that he has taken a lease of twenty feet more, immediately adjoining his present store. The building to be erected upon it will be occupied chiefly by himself, his increasing business demanding it. Located next to one of the most magnificent blocks on the continent, now being erected by Potter Palmer, Esq., M^e may CHARLES TOBEY. 421 reasonably expect tliat the large and fashionable trade which Mr. Tubey lias commanded for years past will speedily be increased to more than double its present amount. In reference to the peculiarities of character possessed by Mr. Tobey, we think every one personally acquainted with him will bear us out in the followinp; delineation. He is a man of business promptness, dliciency, positiveness, and enterprise. Indomitable perseverance is his predominant quality, and unusually developed. His history thus far demonstrates the fact that he is peculiarly well adapted t(j do a successful business, haviii;:^ a certain versatility of talent which will succeed in almost anything in which he might engage. He systematizes everything he touches, thus enabling him to do a large business comparatively easy. He seems to be more annoyed by disarrangement than by anything else. He has the very highest sense of business honor and honesty, and would, on no account, compromise his reputation or break faith. We believe he would rather not live than live in disgrace. He is exceedingly particular about his promises, and will not bear any imputations on his honor. He evidently is possessed of that thrift, harmony, industry, sense, talent, efficiency and manner, as well as interest, which will build up slowly and surely. He is well known as a very modest, unassuming man, and his success in life is not due to obtrusiveness. It has been the necessary result of faithful attention to his business. Mr. Tobcy's versatility of talent, to which we have already alluded, ha-< enabled him to engage in many different branches at the same time. This accounts, in some measure, for the uniform success which has attended his investments outside of his legitimate business. There is, no doubt, a great ditierence in men in this respect. Whilst some men lose in nearly everything they touch, aside from the beaten track which they have been accustomed to for years, others are successful. Among the latter class Mr. Tobey must be placed. We shall not, out of deference to his known modesty, go into details on this point. It is suHicient to say that he is one of the largest stockholders of the Fourth National Bank, of which he is a Director, and that he is classed among those public- spirited and enterprising Chicag(jans who accumulate wealth, *'not," as Burns says, "for to hide it in a hedge, nor for a train attendant," but to so invest it as to increase the })ublic as well as his own personal pros- perity. To those unacquainted with his private interests, it might appear that his accumulation of good fortune affords evidence of exorbitant 422 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. profits from his business, but, whilst he realizes, no doubt, a fair remu- neration upon the capital thus invested, yet he is indebted for his vrealtli as much, or more, to the success which has attended the investments alluded to, as to his legitimate business. In the dull times preceding the war, the Tobey Brothers had always enough to do, and were able to command living prices. Mr. Tobey, who is again alone in the business, has a large capital employed in it, as must be evident to any one on seeing the immense and costly array of goods on exhibition at his salesrooms. The prosjjerity which has attended him thus far, we have reason to believe, will continue, inasmuch as he is young and full of the fire of energy. A more striking example for the imitation of those who are about to push out into the sea of life we could not present, seeing that his success has been rapidly attained and is solely due to personal qualities. Mr. Tobey has, until quite recently, been what a quaint old writer calls "an I-by-myself-I." But on the 17th of February, 1868, this bachelor became a benedick. The lady whom he led to the altar was Miss Fannie Van Arman, daughter of Colonel Van Arman, of this city. To speak of the bride in befitting terms is no easy task; for what a stranger might think fulsome flattery would, in the judgment of those who know her, fall far short of the truth. We will only say that she is not only a most radiant and accomplished member of the elite of Chicago, but a person of such strength and beauty of character that none who know her can name her but to praise her. JOHN M. WILSON. Hon. Johx M. "Wilson, Chief Justice of tlie Superior Court of Chicago, was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, on the 12th of November, 1802. His fatlier was a business man of rare energy, being a farmer and a merchant, and one of the wealthiest men in the State. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. His mother, a sister of General John McNeil, who served with honor during the war of 1812, was, ancestrally, a Highland Scot. Judge Wilson enjoyed in early life the advantages common to New England boys of his day, until he was fourteen years of age ; his time was divided between working on the farm and attending district school. He was then sent to an academy, preparatory to a collegiate education. In 1819, he entered Dartmouth College, but before the close of the first year he was obliged to leave on account of a severe, and, as it proved, chronic attack of dyspepsia. Recovering somewhat his health, he entered, at the earnest solicitation of his friend, Franklin Pierce, the sophomore class of Bowdoin College, of which the latter was a member. He was, however, soon again obliged to leave his books. He then gave up his cherished plan of acquiring a classical education, and, leaving college a confirmed dyspeptic, he returned to Amherst, N. H., where his mother, then a widow, resided. He concluded to become a business man, and soon went into trade. Mercantile life proving distasteful, he abandoned it after a few years, and determined to recover, if possible, his shattered health. Following the advice of his ])hysician, he walked to Boston, thence as far south as Georgia, then through Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio to Lake Erie, where he took a boat for home, by way of New York. This long pedestrian journey, consuming several months, was of great advan- tage to him, although it wrought no permanent cure. 424 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Finding himself able to resume study, our tourist entered the law office of Edward Parker, Esq., of Amherst, where he remained a little over one year, when he entered the law department of Yale College, remaining during two terms. While in New Haven, his fellow-students gave him, in compliment to his matchless reasoning powers, the cognomen of ''Judge," by which he was known through the college. But his fellow- students were not the first to recognize his great talent, for he was from childhood looked upon as a prodigy of logic, called by a special, albeit a natural, providence to be a lawyer. Having completed his course at Yale, our young barrister returned to Amherst and finished his legal studies. At that time Lowell, Mas- sachusetts, was just beginning to become an important manufacturing town. In 1831, having been admitted to the bar, young Wilson opened a law office there. The year following, he formed a partnership with Hon. John A. Knowles, of that city. This partnership continued until 1835, when the junior piember of the firm had the good sense to go AVest. Recognizing the superior advantages, especially for a young man, of a new over an old country, lie resolved to cast in his lot with the pioneers, although he had no very definite idea of the locality in which he should finally settle. At Buffiilo, he formed the acquaintance of the late Justice Butterfield, then on his way back to Illinois from an Eastern visit. Owing to Judge Butterfield's representations, he decided to land at Chicago. Starting from this point, he made an extended tour on horseback through Northern and Central Illinois. Becoming satisfied that Chicago had a great destiny before it, he wisely made land invest- ments in this city and its immediate vicinity. He finally settled in Joliet. Mr. Wilson, had no intention at that time of resuming the practice of his profession. His old disease was troubling him greatly, and his purpose was to enter some active business. But as law-suits were numerous and lawyers were few, he was soon drawn into practice. Having always had a fondness for the profession, he was the easier persuaded to re-enter it. In a short time he formed a partnership with John C. Newkirk. This was soon dissolved, when he became the partner of Judge Hugh Henderson. He continued with liim for several years, gaining the reputation of being the best lawyer at the Will County bar, if not in Northern Illinois. Finally, ill health again compelled him to abandon his sedentary habits. In 1847, he removed to Chicago, but with no expectation of practicing JOHN M. WIIJSON. 425 his profession. This climate, and cessation from office labor, proved so beneficial to him, that in the year following he had so far recovered his health that he resumed the jiractice of his profession. He entered into a partnership with L. C. Paine Freer, with whom he remained only a few months, when he became a partner of the Hon. Norman B. Judd, a connection that continued for several years. This firm at once took rank as one of the best in Chicago. Both were lawyers of the highest order of talent and perfectly trustworthy, and their business was consequently extensive and remunerative. During the last few years of their practice, they gave almost all their time to railroad business, being the Attorneys of the Michigan Southern, Rock Island, and Chicago & Northwestern Railways. This partnership was dissolved in consequence of the election of Judge "Wilson to the bench of the Cook County Court of Common Pleas. He remained in that position until the name of the court was changed, in 1859, to the Superior Court of Chicago. He was the sole Judge of the former court, but the business being altogether too extensive for one man to transact, he was given, by the law changing the name and some of the functions of his court, two Associate Judges, his own position being that of Chief Justice, which position he still continues to occupy. Judge Wilson has often been solicited to be a candidate for the Supreme bench, but he has uniformly declined. When Judge Caton wns a candidate for re-election, the nomination was formally tendered to him, but he published a letter in the "Tribune," declining it. In his domestic relations, Judge Wilson has been signally blessed and most profoundly afflicted. In 1838, he married Miss Martha A. Appleton, of Lowell, Massachusetts, who is still the sharer of his joys and sorrows, but three of their five children sleep under the sod. We Avill not, how- ever, cross the sacred threshold of his home, further than to add in regard to his surviving children that one is a son, the other a daughter. Judge Wilson generally attends the services of the Episcopal Church, but he is very liberal in his views on Christian doctrine and ecclesiastical polity. We may also add that his health is at present, and has been for the last ten years, much better than formerly. This brief sketch would be imperfect without some reference to the elements of Judge Wilson's judicial character; and the writer can only regret that he has not more space for the full analysis of so admirable a subject. Never, perhaps, was the character of a Judge more strongly 426 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. marked by qualities of eminence, and those, too, which are commonly regarded as incompatible. Thus, on the bench, the moTcments of his mind are quick, yet the result of the mental process bears all the indica- tions of the most elaborate and patient thought. His legal sagacity acts like a power of spontaneous intuition, piercing, at once and on bare presentation, the very heart of the question at issue, and yet the enuncia- tion of his ultimate decision assumes the form of a chain of careful and compact ratiocination in which every separate link is seen to be the expres- sion of a syllogistic thought, the necessary consequent of the thought that went before, and the logical antecedent of the thought that must follow. Indeed, the crowning characteristic of his intellect as a Judge is its severity and continuity of logic. All the evolutions of his mind appear to run in regular and systematic sequences, so that it would not be a difficult task to take any one of his published or manuscript opinions and throw it into a series of formal syllogisms by merely supplying the suppressed premises. The form of his habitual thought seems cast in the Scotch rather than the Englisli mould, since it is nearly always, and pre-eminently, deductive. It is, however, this peculiarity which qualifies him for the exalted position he holds as a Judge, because the inductive logic can find no place in the actual administration of jurisprudence, and the solution of all legal problems, offered to the consideration of courts, must of necessity be effected by pure deduction. All la^vyers who have had the pleasure of practicing before Judge Wilson must have remarked that he hardly ever fails to draw his conclu- sions from general principles, rather than from the authority of particular cases. But it should not be inferred, from this observation, that he neglects the citations of adjudicated cases. On the contrary, he is most industrious and painstaking in that respect. He, however, adduces and compares the cases, not for the sake of the special adjudications therein announcerl, but almost exclusively with a view to the principles which serve as the premises of the judicial reasoning. In other words, he seeks out and compares the rationes decidendi of the cases, and employs these as the fundamental postulates of his own decisions. Another peculiarity of Judge Wilson's legal genius is his extreme and, perhaps one might say, passionate love for great cases, and especially for constitutional questions. The ironical adage of maximus in minimis has no application to him. He is rather like the Hercules of Euripides, "rough and unbred, but great on great occasions." In the mass of 1 1 JOHX M. WIIJSON. 427 ordinary and prosaic cases which constitute the staple of litigation, he is merely an ordinary Judge, neither rising above nor sinking below the average of the State judiciary. But let a great occasion occur, let a grand question be presented, one involving some original principle of general jurisprudence, or touching the limits or landmarks of constitutional law, and the whole nature of the man seems to undergo a metamorphosis so strange as to be at times startling. The habitual flush on his face deepens to the red of crimson; the nervous, twitching motion of his hands betokens the passion of a powerful mental excitement, and his eye literally burns into intellectual beauty, yet never loses that fixed look as of introverted thought, a look which has made his countenance familiar to all the better citizens of Chicago — a look which was noted by the ancients in Socrates, and wliich has been characteristic of all profound thinkers among the moderns. On such occasions, the whole frame of Judge Wilson seems overcharged with electric fluid, and yet his speech is calm, collected, con- centrated, as that of a sage soliloquizing in his closet. Indeed, it ofttiraes sounds like one talking to himself, rather than like the utter- ance of a Judge pronouncing an opinion within the hearing of a crowded audience intently listening as if every word were the revelation of an oracle. It is this greatness of Judge Wilson, on great occasions, which has induced the bar, as by common consent, to select him as the judicial arbiter of all the most difficult and important causes. It was this which induced the Supreme Court of Illinois to pay him the unpar- alleled compliment of adopting three of his published opinions as their own. It is this which, by the universal accord of the profession and of the people, has rendered his name famous, and has placed him in public estimation as first and foremost among the judiciary of the State. It would be idle to deny that Judge Wilson sometimes commits errors of opinion, even on great occasions, because this is the inevitable fate of the wisest among mortals. But in error itself, he occupies so lofty a vantage ground in logic that few lawyers or Judges can find the competence to cope, by solid argument, with the force of the very fallacies that lead him into error. In such cases, it is easy to say that he is wrong, though hard to sec how or why he is wrong, while to prove him in the wrong is a task of such extreme difficulty as to baffle the powers of most legal logicians. Courts of higher resort occasionally overrule him, but scarcely ever attempt to answer him. A view of the judicial character of Judge Wilson in its moral aspect 428 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. should not be omitted. His abhorrence of every species of wrong, and his enduring love of that equality of rights which constitutes the very essence of justice, manifest themselves in many ways on the bench, but more especially in the vast increase of his mental power when struggling to maintain the equitable right against some gigantic fraud which has intrenched itself in the technical strongholds of the law, or which comes before the courts in the odious and aggressive form of wealth or official influence assailing the poor, the feeble, or the friendless. It is then that he is seen to be truly great in all the roundness of a perfect character, combining with the strength of his irresistible logic the caustic irony of an eloquence that burns to the bone, and the keenness of a wit sparkling as the diamond, while it pierces and stings like a poisoned arrow. The fact should also be noted, as something curious and peculiar, that in his social intercourse Judge Wilson is affable and easy of access, free to converse on all subjects and with all classes, to discuss questions of philosophy or politics, or even to talk gossip; yet the moment he ascends the bench all this is changed, as if the entire nature of his personality had undergone an instantaneous and miraculous transformation. He assumes a cold, stern, statuesque dignity. He has become a man of marble. A mere glance at his countenance represses, or rather annihilates, the bold impudence of the pettifogger, and almost inspires fear in the most experienced and worthy members of the profession. Every one feels instinctively that he stands in presence of a Judge who is deaf alike to the appeals of passionate vehemence and the siren tones of persuasion uttered by insinuating flattery. This severe, and yet serene, dignity of demeanor is usually preserved throughout the longest trial or hearing, save in rare instances, when some ludicrous event or argument causes the face of the Judge to ripple with an irrepressible smile. Finally, on all occasions, whenever he sustains or overrules a motion, or pronounces an elaborate decision in a celebrated cause, the unanimous acclamation of the brotherhood of the bar is, rem acu tetigisti. HUGH T. DICKEY. Judge Dickey is a native of New York city, where lie was born May 30, 1812. His father, Mr. Robert Dickey, ii merchant of the "Empire City," and his mother, a daughter of Dr. George Brown, who was an eminent Baltimore physician, were both of Irish descent. Their ancestors lived in the county of Antrim, in the north part of the island, and belonged to the protestant gentry. Dr. Brown, already mentioned, was an alumnus of Dublin College; also of the University of Edinburgh, where he received his medical education. He immigrated with his family to Baltimore in the latter part of the last century, his daughter Anne, afterwards Mrs. Dickey, being at that time a chiKl. Judge Dickey's father received his education in England, whence he sailed for America at the age of eighteen, settling at Baltimore. He at once entered the counting-room of the late firm of Oliver & Thompson, a leading; mercantile house of Baltimore, where he remained until he became thoroughly competent to do business on his own responsibility. He was indebted for his position to his uncle, Hugh Thompson, the junior member of the firm, and after whom he named his son. Philadelphia was then the foremost city of the continent, and Balti- more, now the tiiird city in the Union, was then next to it in wealth and population, as it still is, if we count New York and its suburbs one city. The genius of DeWitt Clinton had not then made the Empire City the heart of western commerce — the great metropolis of America. It was, however, a half century ago the centre of a vast trade, and thither Mr. Dickey directed his stei)s, aiiy him. His children were nearest to him, and they received the most profound and the most enduring impressions from him. It was a result of Dr. Humphrey's comprehensive idea of education that this son of his, while quite a lad, spent several summers on a farm, and there acquired a physical stiimina of inestimable service in intellectual pursuits. The harvest-field is better for the boy than the counting-room, as much better as a broNvn face and a broad chest are better than pallid cheeks and crippled lungs; as much bettor as the night of refreshing slumber is better than a night of dissipation. Nor should we fail to say that the mother of our subject was a woman of mark. She had strength and tenderness combined, and performed the mother's part in the training of the children with rare skill and eminent efficiency. After a thorough preparatory course of study, Zephaniah entered Amherst College, in 1839, and went at the books set before him with such assiduity and enthusiasm as only a student by nature may show. Foi students, as well as poets, are born, not made. If the mind has not a predisposition to studionsness, it Avill apply itself in vain to mathematical problems or metaphysical lore. Young Humphrey was a favorite with his fellow-students, and held in high esteem by his instructors. To the former he was comi)anionable, to the latter deferential. He maintained an excellent standing in scholarship, as well as in deportment, and reached a good degree of proficiency in all branches of the curriculum. He excelled in the iioblo art of English comjmsition, and so became a formidaldo comj)otitor in the contest for the honors. By care and application, he learned to write in the perspicuous and cH'octive style which now flows from his pen in his study, and from his tongue on public occasions. He graduated at Andierst in 1843, and immodiatoly wont and traded with his attainments by teaching, and gained, besides them, several attainments more, through this practical application of those he had. Part of this teaching (and learning) was done in Virginia, near what is now famous as the battle-field of Manassas. Here, among other things, 448 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. he learned the difference between tlie two civilizations that since came too-ether in a combat which soaked with blood the "sacred soil" upon which he then stood. And here he acquired an aversion for the " peculiar institution/' which he has since taken no pains to conceal in pul)lic or in private. It was during his employment as a teacher that he made up his mind to study for the ministry. As is mostly the case with young men of promise and of a proper ambition, who afterwards distinguish themselves in the pulpit, he went through college with a strong inclination for the legal profession. But wlien he had taught school for about three years, an impression, which had long been A\liispering in his ear, ripened into a conviction that loudly pronounced his work to be that of a preacher of the gospel. In ol^edience to this call, he began his preparation for the ministry in the Union Theological Seminary of New York city, and finished it in the Theological Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1849. Few men have left this or any other "school of the prophets" better endowed, or better equipped for their high profession. To a foundation laid with scrupulous care, Mr. Humphrey had now added a superstructure of equally well assorted and well arranged materials. He was educated both in the useful and the ornamental branches, and versed in studies calculated to adorn, as well as in those suitable for serving him as he went about his Master's business among all classes of society, from the most refined to the most debased, and among all conditions of those who oppose religion, from the most highly educated to the most deeply plunged in ignorance or superstition. Immediately upon his graduation at Andover, Mr. Humphrey was invited to supply the pulpit of the Plymouth Congregational Church at Milwaukee, AVisconsin, during the temporary absence of the regular pastor. At the close of this engagement, in the s})ring of 1850, he removed to Racine, AVisconsin, and in the autumn of that year was installed pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that .city. Here he labored hard, preached successfully, and grew rapidly. His studious habits told upon his sermons. They increased steadily and noticeable in richness, freshness, breadth and power. But his culture was without pedantry, his scholarly attainments without affectation, and so, while the cultivated were captivated, the common people understood him. For he was a home-bred as well as a college-bred man, and therefore knew by education how to use his r ZEPHANIAII y[. HUMPHREY. 449 education. Pretension comes of ill-tiaiiiiii^' at the Iicartlistoiie, «tr <»f' an ill-grained nature mIucIi no amount of training can d('j)rive of its disposition for parade. Vanity may he the weakness of great, hut never of Avell-hred, minds. Mr. Humphrey used as not ahusing his culture, j)reaehed Avith his heart as well as his head, and so reached the hearts as well as the heads of his hearers. The hardened were softened, the afflicted were comforted, the sinful were alarmed, the lost sheep were persuaded back, and the hungry at soul were fed with the bread which cometli down from heaven. At the end of six years from his settlement in Racine, he accepted the unanimous call of the church in Milwaukee which he had served first on coming West, and which was now without a pastor, and which in its destitution thought first of the young man whose brief term of service was indelibly impressed upon its memory. On the 20th of April, 1853, he was married to Miss H. L. Sykes, at Westfield, New York. In 1859, Dr. Humphrey became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, and at that high post he remains to this day, having celebrated the eighth anniversary of his pastorate in this city on the seventh of last June. These eight years in Chicago have been years of great things in leadership and generalship. During tliat time, the cluuch has subscribed to all purposes two hundred and ten thousand dollars, and has added to itself scores yearly of such as should be saved. Fifty-three thousand dollars were subscribed for benevolent objects, church improvements, and the erection of a new mission chapel, during the year ending with last June. Dr. Humphrey received his honorary title of Biciiutntis Doctor from the University of Chicago, in 1864, and from his Alma Mater, Amherst College, in the following year, a double recognition of scholai-ship and services that has contributed greatly to the honorable name for eloquence and efficiency which has been earned by the pulpit of Chicago. He is now in the midst of his days— if, fortunately for us all, his days shall be of the number allotted in the scriptures— a man with the narrow face of the scholar, but witli the broad, warm heart (.f one who has been with Jesus, and has learned of Him to be kindly allcctloned toward all mankind, not willing that any should perish, but that all shouhl come and live. He has the manners of a modest gentleman, and, although not lacking in firmness, exhibits in all his intercourse with men, whether 450 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. his peers or his inferiors, a disposition to esteem others better than himself, and to hear with deference all they have to say in criticism or counsel . Like old Dr. Beecher and the Apostles of old, the serious business of his life is fishing for men, while he occasionally finds recreation in fishing for trout. He spends his vacations at the secluded brookside, in prefer- ence to the wearisomely fashionable seaside. As he sets out upon one of these seasons of respite and recreation, we close this outline of his character and history, praying that his health may be always equal to the responsi- bilities of the sacred office which the church has given him, where the city would keep him, and wherein he has been greatly blessed. GEOKGE P. UPTON. If it be true that poets arc born, not nuule, it is equally true of journalists. Education may tlo nnicii for tiicin in widening the area of their efficiency, or sharpening the point of the weapon wielded; but the true newspaper man is a production of Nature in thc.. JhuUiKT, a cilizeii ot Chicago, who lias since made hini.-^elt' notorions as a General in the relxd service. The "Citizen" was published by W. \V. Daneidiower, one of the pioneer booksellers of Chicago, whose store was then in the old Saloon buildings on the site of the present telegraj)!! office. The paper was issued from Ernst Prussing's real estate buildings, then standing on the spot now occupied by the Sherman House. The principal editors of the "Citizen" were Washington Wright, recently deceased in California, and William H. Merriam, late of the "Xew York Herald." The paper had but a weakly existence, its leading editors were erratic, and during the absence of the publisher John Phcenix-ised it by changing its tone from Know-Xothing to Whig. From Whig it changed to Democratic, and then returned to Know-Xothingism. It struy-gled along; for some time in mortal combat Avith the dread disease, impecuniosity, and at last yielded up the ghost. Mr. Upton was connected with it but a little while, and quitted it before the final crash; he was not, therefore, injured by the collapse. The year 1855 was yet unexpired, though flickering in its socket, when he accepted the position of c(Kuniercial reporter for the "Chicago Evening Journal," and in that capacity attended the daily sessions of the Board of Trade, in a small room on Dearborn street, between Lake and South Water. He soon after added to these duties those of local reporter, and formed the first distinctive local column in the city, covering the same general ground in the two departments as is now occupied on a morning paper by ten men. . Mr. Upton was soon known as a valuable writer-up of local Lncidcnts, his narrations being full as to facts, and the lanvyer in the State. In 1848, he was nominated and elected one of the Justices of the State Supreme Court, and, in 1852, was re-elected for nine years. As a Judge on the bench, he distinguished himself by great acuteness of discrimination, accuracy of judgment, and familiarity with organic and statute laws. He resigned his place on the bench in 1853, and in the succeeding year was elected to represent the Belleville District, then embracing a wide extent of territory, in Congress; but before taking his seat in the House, the Legislature elected him to the Senate of the United States for the full term of six years from March 4, 1855. Cases of such rapid progress in promotion are rare in the history of men, except on the battle-field, where, sometimes, the bravest of the martial heroes are suddenly promoted from privates or subalterns to the chiefest places in the army. When, in civil or political life, a man is thus rapidlv exalted by his fellow-men from one high position of trust and responsibility to one still higher, the fact is self-evident that he must be possessed of superior parts, as Mr. Trumbull unquestiouably was and is. LYMAN TRUMBULL. 459 During the great political contests which attended the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law and the organization of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska — those contests which agitated not only Congress, but the whole nation — Mr. Trumbull, both at home and in the halls of Congress, took a bold and emphatic stand against the policy and doctrines of the old Demo- cratic party, with which he had been actively identified in years past, and espoused the cause of freedom, of which he became one of the strongest champions. He opposed his colleague, Mr. Douglas, in all questions having reference to slavery, and especially in his celebrated "popular sovereignty " plan of settling that question in the Territories and future States. With such distinguished ability did he contest this question with !Mr. Douglas and his friends, that he at once gained a national reputation as a liberty-loving statesman. In 1860, his name was mentioned in con- nection with the Republican candidacy for President; but neither he nor his friends hoped for or even encouraged this. When his fellow-citizen and friend, INIr. Lincoln, was nominated, Mr. Trumbull advocated and labored for his election Avitli great earnestness. During the early part of the next year, just previous to Mr. Lincoln's inauguration, and when the war of the rebellion had already virtually commenced, Mr. Trumbull was one of the great leaders of the Union party in the Senate, and favored the promptest and most decided measures for the maintenance of the Union, the Government and the Constitution. Without much serious opposition, the Legislature of Illinois, then in session, (1861) re-elected Mr. Trumbull for a second term of six years. That and the succeeding four years were stormy ones for the nation, which was convulsed by the Southern rebellion and the vigorous measures of the Government to suppress it. Mr. Trumbull was one of the first to propose the amendment of the Con- stitution abolishing slavery in the United States, which proposition passed Congress, and was ratified by the requisite votes of two-thirds of the States. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate, a position he has held uninterruptedly ever since 1861, he framed and advocated some of the most important acts and resolutions which were passed by Congress during and since the war. Among the more recent of these are the acts enlarging the powers of the Freedmen's Bureau, and the Civil Rights' act. No name is more conspicuously or inseparably connected with the proceedings of Congress during the last seven years of national strife and excitement than his, either lus the author of important bills or in debate. . 460 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The Legislature of 1867 re-elected Mr. Trumbull for a third terra, upon which he entered on the 4th of ^Nlarcli of the same year, still remaining at the head of the Judiciary Committee. Already twelve years in the Senate, he will, at the expiration of his present term, have served eighteen years in that body. Acknowledged to be one of the ablest leaders of that assembly of grave, learned and distinguished statesmen and legislators, his State, which he represents with honor and fidelity, is justly proud of him, and Cliicago, the city of his home, justly regards him as one of its brightest ornaments and most honorable, worthy and useful citizens. Although, as we have already indicated, Senator Trumbull has never graduated from a college or university, yet he is one of our most accom- plished scholars and profound reasoners, the result of his studious and thoughtful habits of life, his great experience as a laborious public man, and his almost constant contact Avith other public men of the nation for over a quarter of a century. As a deserved recognition of his ability, so often demonstrated, in making, interpreting, and analyzing laws, in incor- porating and applying practically the great principles of justice and equity, and in the discussing of the spirit and letter of the Constitution, he has twice been complimented by a conference upon him of the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, once by McKendree College, Illinois, and once by "old Yale." Senator Trumbull continued his residence at Belleville until 1863, when he removed to Chicago, where he now resides, and where, during the Congressional vacancies, he mingles quietly and unassumingly among his fellow-citizens, who, without exception, esteem him personally, however much some of them differ from him politically. Though not an impulsive man, yet in spirit he is generous. Plain and simple in his manners and appearance, mild-tempered, unostentatious, and of genial disposition, the common people respect him. He appears younger by a dozen years than he is, there not being a grey hair as yet visible on his head. Politically a Republican, yet he is not of the extreme radical sort, nor is he a " conserv- ative" in the present usage of that term. He may be said to occupy an intermediate position between what are known as "radical" and "con- servative" Republicans. Judicial minds are rarely "radical," and constitutional lawyers generally lean to the conservative side of politics, and to these minds, and to this class of lawyers. Senator Trumbull belongs. He is progressive, but not violent ; aggressive, but not offensive ; earnest. LYMAN TRUMBITLT.. 461 but not precipitous; boKl, but not ntsh. Duriii}^ the remaining; live years and upwards of his present term, if lie is spared, he will doubtless have ample opportunity to demonstrate his statesmanship. The politicid ordeid through which the nation is about to p:iss will be grave and severe enough, it is probable, to try and to prove the raet;d that each and all our great men in public life are made of. Senator Trumbull's signal success in the past can reasonably be accepted as a guarantee of his future. . JAMES C. FARGO. There are few names more familiar to the American reader than that of Fargo. It has been so long and so ]n*ominently connected with one of the great institutions of the age — the express business — that if it has not become a part and parcel thereof, it is at least a synonym for trust, security and swift-winged conveyance. It is almost impossible to com- prehend the mighty changes that have been wrought by the express companies in the carrying trade of the country. They have revolutionized not only that trade, but even the old-time system of the mercantile world. They have made and unmade more fortunes than any other known agency in commercial circles. Xot content with harnessing the iron draught- horse to their chariot wheels, and dragging their precious trusts at the fifteen-miles-an-hour speed of the freight train, they must needs attach their chariot to the thoroughbred, fire-eating racer of the express train, which bounds and leaps over the trembling earth at thirty and forty miles an hour. And it was then that the express companies developed their wonderful power for good or for evil in tiie commercial W(»rld. The fogy merchant of two decades ago, dressed in the inevitable black satin vest, adhered to the slow-going freight train for the delivery of his goolace in the express business itself during the past (piarter of a century. Twenty years ago the companies, in order to pay expenses, were compelled to deal 464 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. in oysters, fish, butter, cheese, etc., buying these articles as best they could, and peddling them out to the greatest advantage. Now, the express companies are wealthy and powerful. Their business extends all over the world, and there is scarcely a town or hamlet that is not a link in the great chain. He whose name heads this brief sketch, though comparatively young in years, is a veteran in the express business. James C. Fargo was born in Watervale, Onondaga County, New York, May 5, 1829. He was the seventh child of William C. Fargo and his wife, whose union was blessed with eleven children. His father was of Irish descent, his grandfather immio-ratino; from Ireland at an earlv day and sfttling in New England. His mother was a native of jMassacluisetts, and subsequently resided in Norwich, Connecticut, where she was married to William C. Fargo. Shortly after their marriage, they removed to Western New York, at that time the "Great West" of the country. This worthy couple were not burdened with riches, and were unable to give their children such educational advantages as are only attainable by people of means; and consequently their son James graduated at the old red school-house in Watervale. Studious, ambitious to learn, and a most industrious reader, he emerged from that common school a better and more practical scholar than are the majority of those who regularly graduate, and whose sole evidence thereof is contained in their diplomas. At the age of fifteen, Mr. Fargo went to Buffalo and entered the office of his brother, William G. Fargo, who, with others, was running an express line between Buffalo and Albany, under the name of Livingston, Wells & Pomeroy, and another between Buffalo and Detroit, known as Wells & Co.'s. After discharging for a short time the duties of sweeping the office and running errands, the young man ^vas promoted to the delivery of money packages about the city. At that time the express business amounted to a single carpet-bag and a dozen articles a day between Buffalo and Albany, and the same quantity once or twice a week between Buffalo and Detroit. The railroad had but just been conipleted to Buffalo, then, and west of that city there was no railway link. In the spring of 1847, Mr. Fargo accompanied his brother to Detroit, where he took up his quarters in the company's office in that city. Early the following year, his brother returned to the Buffalo office, leaving ]\Ir. Fargo in partial charge of the office in Detroit, and soon after giving him entire control of the business in that city, first as local agent, and subse- JAMES C. FARGO. 465 quently, as the two great trunk lines ol' railroad tlii-oiiuh Miclii-i^au wiTt- completed, as Superintendent of the company '.s business in that IStatf. This responsible position was filled with signal ability and fidelity until January, 1855, when he came to C'iiicago, having been appointed agent in charge of the Chicago office of the ^Vnui-lcaii lOxpress Company. The old pioneer companies, it should be stated here, had been merged, in 1850, into what is now known its the great and powerful American Express Company. Mr. Fargo, shortly after assuming charge of the company't? affiiirs in Chicago, was promoted to the General Superintendency of the Northwestern Division of the company's lines, the duties of which were performed in a manner that rendered him immensely popular with business men, idolized by his employes, and commandiug the respect and admira- tion of the company. Indeed, his talents and genius so eminently fitted him to rise to the summit of his profession, that, in January, 1867, he was invited to the city of New York to assume the position of General Manager of the American Express Company, and a Director in the great Banking, Express and Stage Company of the Pacific States, the business of which powerful organization extends to all parts of the Morld. Mr. Fargo was married to Miss Fannie P. Stuart, daughter of Colonel John Stuart, of Battle Creek, Michigan, on the 15th of December, 1853. Two boys and a girl are the fruit of that union, which there is abundant reason to believe has been a singularly happy one. His ambition seems to lean in the direction of social position, and in this particular he has attained the summit of hope, lor no man can be more respected or sought after in society than he is. Singularly quiet and unostentatious in habit and manner, his intercourse Mith his friends is marked by a dignity bespeaking the inbred gentleman, a dignity that has nothing forbidding iu its composition, for the angles are all softened into beautiful curves by a countenance lighted up with smiles, and radiant with good feeling. Some men look hideously ugly when they smile. The subject of this sketch is not one of those. He possesses a liglit, graceful figure of medium size and height, a line looking face, clear complexion, and a remarkably beautiful eye. His countenance, when illumined by a smile peculiarly his own, is positively handsome. With such cliaracteristics it is not at all strange that his social qualities and position might well be envied. In the winter of 1857, Mr. Fargo connected himself with Trinity (Protestant Episcopal) Church, thcu located on >radison street, near 466 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. Clark. In the following spring, he was elected a Vestryman of that i church, a position which, together with that of Junior Warden, he retained until his removal to New York, in January, 1867. Although located at present in New York, j\Ir. Fargo has no idea of relinquishing the mauy loved associations of his Chicago home, for his home he still claims in the Garden City. GEORGE L. DUNLAP. Ox the eastern shore of Maine, and but a few miles from the coast, stands the beautiful little village of Brunswick, bordered by the somewhat famous Androscroggin River, a lovely and loveable stream, that went into history in years of the long ago. Those who made it historic have passed away, and the bones of succeeding generations have returned to dust since then, but not without transmitting a rich legacy of virtue, enterprise and courage to their inheritors. It is a traditional, if not a historical fact, as yet undisputed, that tiie first orthodox sermon ever delivered in that portion of what was then the Province of Massachusetts, fell from the eloquent lips of that sturdy Scotch pioneer, Samuel Dunlap, from whom has descended, in a direct line, George L. Duxlap, the subject of this sketch. In a collection of biographical sketches of Chicago's representative men, no name will better grace the page than that of this eminently self-made man, who has carved his way from an early orphanage to a situation of the highest resjicctability and responsibility. Mr. Dunlap was born in Brunswick, Maine, October 25, 1828, and is consequently thirty-nine years of age. His father died when he was but two years old, and the death of his mother, seven years later, left him an orphan at the age of nine years. Though an orphan, he was not friendless. He was adopted into the family of Mr. Belknaji, of Portland, the great railroad contractor and constructor, and it was under his tutelage that the boy George early evinced a remarkable aptitude and taste for railroading, and here his mind received tlie germ of that thorough knowledge, of his chosen profession which he was destined to ornament and command. 468 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. With liirn the study of civil engineering amounted to a passion, and he was never so happy as when, receiving permission to volunteer his services to surveying parties in the field, he was enabled to reduce theory to practice. The practical turn of his mind, united with an industrious perseverance, Avhich his natural tastes converted into a pastime, attracted a considerable degree of attention from leading railroad spirits. Among these was the veteran Charles Minot, General Superintendent of the Boston and Maine Railroad, into whose office, in Boston, Mr. Dunlap was inducted as confidential clerk, at the age of twenty. Here he remained four years, performing his duties so satisfactorily that when, in 1852, Mr. Minot was appointed General Superintendent of the Erie Railway, Mr. Dunlap was tendered the responsible position of General Ticket Agent of the same road, a position that was accepted and honorably filled. He who is destined to attain the summit of the mountain, will not long remain midway between valley and peak ; and so, in the natural order of progression, Mr. Dunlap, at the end of four years' service as General Ticket Agent of the Erie, resigned his portfolio to accept promotion in the great West. We find him, in January, 1856, installed as Assistant Engineer and Superintendent of the Chicago and North- western Railway, with his lieadquarters in Chicago, the future great railroad centre of the continent. From that day to this, the biography of George L. Dunlap and the history of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway are identified so closely with each other as to defy sejjaration. The Chicago and Northwestern Railway of that time, 1856, and the railway bearing that name to-day, stand in the same relation to each other that the child does to the man, and that man a giant among men. A total of eighty miles, indifferently built and poorly equipped, was all of which this germ of a great corporation was the master. In October, 1858, he received the appointment of General Superin-' tendent, a position that he still holds. At that time the road had been completed to Janesville, ninety miles from Chicago, and also from Minne- sota Junction to Oshkosh, making a total of one hundred and thirty-six miles of road, but leaving a gap of fifty-seven miles between Janesville and Minnesota Junction. In the summer of 1859, the gap was filled, the broken link of fifty-seven miles being supplied in ninety days, greatl}^ to the disgust of the Milwaukee railroad interests, which saw, with dismay, a great railway artery leading direct from the heart of the richest agricultural portion of Wisconsin to Chicago. GEORGE L. DUNLAP. 469 From that time to the present, the tlie then novel doctrines of honuoopathy. He read a littk', and w;i.s interested s<> deeply that he determined to give the subject a thorough investigation, and to that end bought all the books he could find in the English language cxpoundinii" the principles and practiee of the Hahnemann theory. He brought them back with him to the West, moving then to Joliet, and in his leisure hours made them the subjects of exhaustive stndy, though continuing to practice strictly in accordance with the j)rlnciples of the allopathic school. Soon after this, however, his first-born child was taken sick, and, the case not responding to allopathic treatment, this led to a successful resort to homoeopathic prescriptions, from which dates Dr. Smith's growing confidence in the new practice. In 1842, he returned to Chic.ago, and here coutinued the old school practice for some months longer, becoming more and more dissatisfied with it, though meeting with an average success in his treatment. In the spring of 1843, he went East on business, and while there, procured more ^vorks on homcEopathy. On his return to Chicago, he fully adopted the system in his practice, bc.'ing the first to introduce it west of the Lakes; it rapidly grew in the public lavor, and soon Dr. Smith had more calls for his services than he cnld attend to. Then other honujeopathic practitioners came, and, ere long, the new school advocates in Chicago, though in the minority, were sufficiently numerous to command attention to, and respect for, its system of treatment. Dr. Smith continued in active practice till 1856, passing through the cholera seasons wdth marked success. During the visitation in 1849, he was kept so busy, that he frequently prescribed without taking the names of patients. In 1852, he was on a trip East when he heard that the cholera had again broken out in Chicago; he hurried back, and worked at his post night and day, till he fell sick with it himself. He recovered and again went to work. During all these periods, he never turned away a case on account of poverty, or no pay. He cheerfully gave his services wherever required. As an instance of how his heart was in his work, it may be mentioned that once he was called upon at the same time by two parties to make a visit, both eases being urgent. Seeing him hesitate, one said, "my representative is worth half a million, an.l will pay yon any- thing vou charge if you will only come now." At this the other fell back with the remark : " Then I may as well go, for I am not worth a dollar." The doctor replied: "Then I go with yon," and made the vi^it to the 508 BIOGRAPHICAI. SKETCHES. hovel in preference to that demanded by the semi-millionaire. Thus he worked, and was rewarded, if not always ^^•ith money, at least with the approving reflection that what was done Avas Avell done. In the winter of 1854-5, Dr. Smith attended the Illinois Legislative session in Springfield, and a charter was procured incorporating the Hahne- mann Medical College of Chicago, since located on South State street. There was not a vast amount of opposition to the passage of the bill, as the opinion was freely expressed that the Institution would never amount to anything. How largely that prediction has been falsified, we need not say. Dr. Smith was elected President of the Board of Trustees from the commencement, and his best energies have ever since then been given to helping forward the cause he loved so well. In recognition of his eminent services and acquirements, an honorary degree was conferred on him, February 23, 1856, by the Homoeopathic jNIedical College of Cleveland. In 1857, he was elected General Secretary of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, an association national in its membership, character and influence. In June, 1858, he was chosen President, and in 1865, Treasurer of the same institution. In 1856, Dr. Smith's health began to fiiil, under the arduous pressure of his duties, and he removed to Waukegan, where he remained three vears, for the benefit of his health, being chosen, while there. President of the Bank of Northern Illinois. He then returned to Chicago and resumed practice, enjoying a large patronage, and attending to his duties Avithout intermission until the spring of 1866, Avhen his health again failed, and he decided to visit Europe, as a relaxation and for change of scene. While there he visited many points of interest, going through the hospitals and colleges, and enjoying the acquaintance of the learned men there. He returned with his health very much improved, and was received, on his arrival in May, 1867, with a heartiness of welcome that showed how extensive and deep-felt was the respect entertained for him by his former friends. Dr. Smith was married in January, 1837, a few mouths after his first arrival in Chicago, to Miss Rebecca Ann Dennis, daughter of Jose])h and Mary J. Dennis, of Salem, New Jersey. He met her first at the residence of her uncle. Major E. H. Mulford, now of Oakland, Cook County. The marriasre has been blessed with four children. Of these, one daughter married Dr. Slocum, and subsequently died in Southwestern Texas, and a son died at Fort Earned. The other two, daughters, are still living, one DAVID SHEPPARD SMITH. 509 of wliom became the wife of Majm- .lohii Christopher, United States Army, well known in this city (Inriu!;- tht' early part of the rebellion iis mustering-in otlicer, and afterwards chosen nn:uiimously as Colonel of the Railroad (Eighty-ninth) Regiment — a high compliment, seeing that it was entirely uiisoughi for, and ((jualcd only by a similar compliment from tiic Government, which refnseil to permit the transi'er, as his services were too valuable in that de])artment to be dispensed with. Dr. Smith occupies a residence. No. 341 ^^'abash avenue, standing on a lot which lie remembers once to ha\-e ,-eeii .-iicli an impracticable slough, in the early history of Chicago, that a livery-man cautioned liim not to attempt to cross it, as the horse would ''get stuck.'' The lot has since become a most desirable piece of j)roperty, and the bulk of the population of South Chicago live even south of this. Tlie Doctor is a regular attendant on the E])iseopal service, in Grace Church — llev. Clinton Locke, D. D., Hector — but is not a member of the society. He is a man of strong religious convictions, decided in his views, iuflexiblc in determination, of uudeviating integrity, and is generous to a fault. WILLIAM A. GILES. It is a fact, which the personal histories of our most successful and eminent men in all departments of life will amply show, that those who start out in life under adverse circustances, but possessed of honor, virtue, and energy of character, are the men who generally distinguish themselves in their respective spheres of labor and usefulness. In no com- munity is this fact more strikingly illustrated than in Chicago, where the majority of those who are now leading men in business and public life commenced the struggle for wealth and position, poor in worldly possessions, but rich in the endowments of a manly courage, honorable principles, and a worthy ambition. Those who have a mere business acquaintance with the subject of this sketch, William A. Giles, the senior member of the well known Lake street jewelry firm of Giles Brothers & Co., would little suspect that he started out in life a penniless orphan boy, or that he spent the yeare of his boyhood on a farm. But such is the fact. Mr. Giles Avas born in New Salem, Massachusetts, October 6, 1836. He was the third of a family of seven children. His father was in com- fortable circumstances until 1837, the year of the memorable financial crisis, at which time his property Avas all wrested fn»m him, leaving the family impoverished. In 1844, when William was but eight years of age, the children — five sons and two daughters — were left almost penniless, and nearly friendless. The elder brother, Frederick, was apprenticed to a trade; William was taken to the home of his aged grandfather, who occupied a large, rocky, wood-covered and unproductive farm, for which he was heavily in debt, and from which he producc charge, and abandoned teaching. Having accumulated a few iinndrcd dollars, and obtaining some credit, Mr. Giles came ^yest in 1857, and spent a liw nu)nths pros- pecting, and visiting friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin. lie finally located in Prairie du Chien, Wis., and opened a jewelry stcjri-. Being convinced that it would be a paying i^ivestraent, he established a branch store in McGregor, Iowa, on the opposite side of the Mississippi Kiver, and took his younger brother, Charles, into partnership. Tiieir success far surpassed his most sanguine expectations. Tiic business proving renm- nerative, he soon became desirous of extending his sphere of operations. To effect this, in 1862, he removed to Chicago, and, in partnership ^\ilh his brother Charles and a silent partner, stocked and opened the store tliey still occupy, at 142 Lake street. Messrs. Giles Brothers & Co. acted upon the belief that, with suitable Eastern connections and a liberal treatment of the trade, Cliicago could just as well supply all the Northwestern demand in this department of mercantile commerce as New York or any other Eastern city. They sold goods for what they were, and consequently soon secured the patronage of merchants and othei-s who had been accus- tomed to trading at the East. Thus was inaugurated a first-class trade for Chicago in that department — a trade which now amounts to millions of dollars yearly, and in the rajiid progress of which they have ever been the leaders. It is needless to say that they have been well rewarded for their enterprise, and are now among our most successful young merchants, counting their friends in almost every town, village and city in the Northwest. AVithin a few years post, a private art gallery has been establishid in connection with their elegant store, which has proved to be a pojinlar resort of art-lovers. Some of the most valuable gems from tlu- easi-ls of native and foreign artists are there displayed. These jiaintings wi-re selected by Mr. Giles, and exhibit his taste in matters aesthetic an«l exquisite. Some months ago, Mr. Giles, with a vitw of concentrating in Cliicago 514 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. a business that was monopolized in the East, conceived the idea of organ- izing a Western manufactory. After an examination of facts and figures, he fully satisfied himself that good clocks, which are articles that enter largely into the trade of Western jewelers, could be made at Chicago as well as in New England. He presented the facts to several friends, and it was finally determined to form a joint-stock company, under the name and title of " The United States Clock and Brass Company," with a capital of $200,000, and erect works for the same. The capital stock was readily subscribed by citizens, and preparations were made for the erection of the manufactory. H. W. Austin, Esq., a public spirited merchant, donated to the comi^any forty acres of land, four miles west of the city, on the line of the Galena Division of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, on condition that they would locate their works at that point. The proposition was accepted, and energetic measures Avere at once taken, under the active management and direction of Mr. Giles, to proceed with the enterprise. In four montlis, three large buildings for the use of the com- jjany were completed, as well as a village of tenement houses for the employes. In the autumn of 1866, the first brass was rolled, and the first clocks turned out. About two hundred persons are now employed in the manufactory, of which Mr. Giles still remains the chief practical manager, and C. N. Holden, Esq., President of the company. This is, in fact, the first extensive and exclusively Western manufacturing enterprise that has been undertaken on so grand a scale, and its success has demonstrated conclusively that Chicago can be made a manu- facturing city. Stimulated by this flattering example, others are already moving for the establishment here of extensive manufacturing enterprises. A more striking instance of the practical value of one judiciously energetic and intelligently progressive man in a community has rarely been given than is that of Mr. Giles, as the j)ioneer in the jewelry and silver trade and manufacturing enterprise of Chicago and New York. In this connection, it will be proper to add that the oldest brother of Mr. Giles, Frederick, (of the firm of Giles, Wales & Co., New York,) is President of the largest watch manufacturing company in this country, known as "The United States Watch Company," of Marion, New Jersey, and a younger brother superintends the manufacture of goods at Geneva, Switzerland, for their trade in America. The five brothers, with their business connections in Europe, at the East, and in the West, probably W 11,1.1AM A. GILE". 515 exert as groat an inHnciice in their line of trade as any otljer house in this country. Mr. Giles, in 1858, married Miss E. Harper, daup;ht JOHN UANDOLril HIBBAUD. John Randolph Hibbard, the present pastor of tlie Chicago Society of the New Jerusalem, and Superintendent of the Illinois Association of the New Church, is the most prominent and efficient Swedenborgian or New Church minister in the "West. A preacher by hereditary descent (his father and grandfather, besides two paternal and one maternal uncles having been clergymen), of strong convictions, full of hope and zeal, he is a model of a New Church missionary. No man in the church in this country has performed more missionary labor, or produced greater perma- nent results than he. Born and educated in the Presbyterian Church, while yet a minor he became a minister of the United Brethren Church, and traveled their circuits, preaching often from twenty to thirty sermons in a month. It was while traveling as a minister of the United Brethren Church that he fii-st met with the writings of the New Church, and having received the doctrines taught therein, in 1839, at the age of twenty-four years, he became a nK'nil)er of the New Church, and, in "June of that year, was ordained a minister, at the Western Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then his whole life has been devoted to teaching. At first, he taught a schodl in Rutland, Meigs County, Ohio, preaching, in the mean- time, as o|)portUMity presented. In 1841, he removed to Northern Ohio, and tlie next year, on the 30th of May, was ordained as a pastor and missionary, at the Western Convention in Cincinnati. Attracted by one of liis sermons, published in the "Precursor," a New Church periodieal then published at Cincinnati, the members of the New Church in Illinois, who, though but a handful in numbei*s, had formed 518 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. an association, invited him to visit this State, with a view of remaining permanently with them as their minister, if, upon acqnaintance, it should seem agreeable to both parties, and likely to be useful to the church. He accepted the invitation, made a missionary visit in 1843, and tlie next year came to Illinois to reside, making his home principally in Canton and Peoria, but preaching in various other places in the State. The results of his labor soon manifested themselves in the formation of the Peoria society, and a more general reception of the doctrines of the church where he preached. In June, 1847, at the General Convention in New York, he was, at the request of the Illinois Association, made an ordaining minister. In 1849, he came to Chicago to reside permanently, and became the pastor of that society which, under his ministry, has become one of the most prosperous societies of the New Church in the world. Mr. Hibbard came to Illinois as the minister for the whole New Church in this State, and has always been recognized as the general or superintending minister of the New Church within the Illinois Association. His superintending duties have, on invitation, been extended, more or less, to INIissouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, iNIinnesota, Michigan and Indiana; for, though he claims no authoritv bcvond tlic bounds of the Illinois Association, he has deemed it his duty to help the brethren in neighboring States, when invited, as far as they desired and his ability would permit. There are now active societies of the New Church in Canton, Peoria, Cliicago and Henry, and smaller ones in several other places, which are greatly indebted to the services rendered by this efficient worker in the New Jerusalem field. ]Mr. Hibbard has been Vice-President of the General Convention, and lias always taken an active and efficient part in its proceedings. The liturgy has been much improved through his effi)rts, and to the exertions of no one is the establishment of the New Church newspaper, the "New Jerusalem ]Messenger," and the New Church })ublishing house, in New York, more indebted than to him. He is now in his fifty-second year. He has dark hair and eyes, is of medium size, and of nervous-bilious- sanguineous temperament. He enters with all his heart into the performance of his duties, is faithful and painstaking as a pastor, and, as a missionary, he seems to continually hear the command, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." The Gospel, to him, is found in the doctrines of the New Church. Thev come down into his mind as a JOHN RANDOLPH HIBBARD. 519 revelation from Heaven, explained tluoui;ii the rational mind of Emanuel S-xvodenborg. He regards Swedenhorg as authority, and has no patience witii tiiose who would amend tlu- hitter's writings. Wiiile teaehiny: that nothing can do a man any good except what he receives freely and understands rationally, yet he insists, at all times, that the Word of Ciod and the writings of Swedenhorg, are the only sources of authority in religion, in the New Church. Over the portals of his spiritual door are engraved the words: "Behold, I make all things new," and he seems to find in the inscription on the cross: "Jesus, King of the Jews," in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, an intimation that the trutlis revealeil for the New C'hureli ari' crystalized in these dead languages, which are matle alive by the revelation of the spiritual sense of the ^Vord, tiirough the doctrine of correspondences contained in Swedenborg's writings. The Old Testament, as is known, was written in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek, and Swedenborg's Morks in Latin. The Chicago Society of the New Jerusalem has a beautiful, though not large, stone temple. On the facade, near the main entrance, is an inscription in these tiiree languages. Above the representation of the open and illuminated Word, are the words: ^' Verbuiii Domini riianet in aiernum" — '* The Word of tlie Lord abides forever." There are two other places of New Church worship in Chicago — a small German Church in the northwest part of the city, presided over by the Rev. J. H. Ragatz, and a free, or missionary. Church in the south part of the city, near the University of Chicago, where services are held Sunday forenoons in German, and in the afternoon in the English language. During the winter, or the lecturing season, Mr. Hibbard preaches twice a day, morning and evening, when at home, in the Temple, and in the afternoon at the Free Church. He is an indefatigable worker. He has, at times, a student with him, who t)eeiipies the pidpit when necessary, wiiiie he goes upon missionary trips to the country. He may be justly regarded as one of the most laborious and useful ministers in the New Church. KEUBEN LUDLAM. Tin-: cnniu'iit physician whose iiaine stands at the head of this page was born in Camden, New Jersey, October 7, 1831. His father, the hite Dr. Jacob W. Ludlam, was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and rose to eminence in his profession, which he practiced for more than thirty years. He ever sustained an enviable reputation as a man of honor and integrity, as well as for rare skill and success as a medical practitioner. The last few years of his long and useful life were spent in the lovely suburban town of Evanston, where he died in 1858. His still survi\-ing widow, the mother of Dr. Reuben Ludlam, is a native of Pliiladelphia, and of Quaker parentage. Six other members of this numerous family live in Chicago and vicinity — three sons and three daughters — one of whom, E. M. P. Ludlam, is also a physician, enjoying au extensive practice. The earliest recollections of Dr. Ludlam pertain to his chosen pro- fession, and he cannot remember the time when he did not expect to adopt it. Herodotus, the Bayard Taylor of ancient Greece, or, the "Father of History," as he is sometimes called, telLs us, in the account of what he saw and heard in the land of the Pyramids, that every 'Egyptian followed the calling, wiiatever it might be, of his father. In his opinion, this practice was one secret of the marvelous proficiency which that people attained in the various arts known t<» them. However that may be, it is certain that wiien, as in tiiis case, the following in the iiitiier's footsteps comes from choice, it has decided advantages. Dr. Ludlam has attained a more complete mastery of the various departments of his profession, and especially of its practice, than he could have done had he kjiown nothing about it prior to devoting himself exclusively to 522 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. its study. He was the companion of his father in his daily rounds of practice, and by observation and conversation with his lather, who took great delight and pride in this ''young Hipix)crates," he became familiar with diseases and their remedies from very childhood. These opportu- nities would have been thrown away on some, but, coupled as they were with an innate genius for the calling, they proved of inestimable benefit. While yet a mere youth, midway in his teens, lie commenced the systematic study of his profession. After six years of tireless application, with rare advantages for obtaining a knowledge of both the theory and the practice of medicine, under the eye, for the most part, of his parental preceptor, and at the close of his third course of medical lectures, young Ludlam received the degree of M. D., in INIarch, 1852, from the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, from which his lather had also graduated, and which is the oldest and most renowned medical college in America. While a student, his ready scholarship and single devotion to his pro- fession gave promise of a brilliant future. Dr. Ludlam removed, soon after graduation, to this city, and entered upon the practice of his profession. He was at that time an allopathist, and "of the strictest sect a Pharisee;" but, after most thorough exami- nation into the merits of the system develo])eil by Hahnemann, he became from irresistible conviction a homoeopathist, to which school of medical belief he has ever since been allied, and to the development of which he has labored most eifectively. The practice of Dr. Ludlam soon became extensive and lucrative. But he was not long allowed to pursue it undisturbed. When the liiculty of Hahnemann Medical College was organized, he was tendered the Chair of Physiology, Pathology, and Clinical Medicine. He remained in this Professorship four years, to the entire satisiaction of all concerned. At the close of the fourth year, he was transferred to the Chair of Obstetrics and the Diseases of Women and Children in the same institution, a position of eminent honor and usefulness, which he still continues to occupy. As a lecturer, he is noted for being practical, modern, thorough, suggestive, and lucid. Every subject is so illustrated as to rivet the attention, and fasten the point made in the inemoi-y. Many of his lectures have been published, with general acceptance and prolit to the profession. At the opening of each course t»f instruction, he delivers an introductory lecture. We give the titles of some of them because the range of his thoughts, and his aims a.s a teacher, may be inferred therefrom: ''The REUBEN I>UDLAM. o2o Kelations of ^Morbid Anatomy to Practical Medicine j "A I'lta ior Pliv- .siology;" "The Methodical Physician;" "The Superiorities of the Hoinfeopathic Treatment;" "The Ups and Downs oi' a Doctor's Life;" and "The Nurse: Her Natural IIi-(ory, Duties and Responsibilities as an Aid to the Physician." Jn 18G0, Dr. Ludlam, whose rcjjutatiou as a medical writer had thus early been established, became an Associate Edit(»r of the "North American Journal of lT(>m(i'oj)athy," a (quarterly now in its sixteenth volume, pub- lished in the city of Xew York. Amou^- the nuiny contributions which it has since eontained from his })en, we may mention a series of lectures on "Clinical Medicine;" on "Pseudo-Membranes," a Translation from Laboulbeue, with notes ; " Physiological Dietetics," the distinction between Food and Medicines; "Pathology a I'ractical Science." The "American Homoeopathic Review," and other professional jour- nals, nave also I'rom time to time been enriched by the productions of his fertile brain. In the "Medical Investigator," we find exhaustive essays on "Tiie Pulse;" "Capillary Bronchitis;" Uriemia a Concomitant of Cholera Infantum;" "The Diagnosis of Hysterical Affections;" "The General Physiology and Pathology of Infancy;" a Clinical Lecture on "]\Ienor- rhagia;" an elaborate "Es.say on Cholera Ini'antum;" "Clinical Notes and Suggestions on some of the Diseases Peculiar to Women;" "The Uterine and Pulmonary Sympathies." In the "United States Medical and Surgical Journal:" "On the Abuse of Local Treatment in Ulceration of the Os-uteri;" two lectures on "Ovaritis;" a lecture on "Criminal Abortion;" on "Postural Treatment and the Forceps in Shoulder Pie- sentation" — a new expedient, first devised and employed by tlu' author. The contributions of Dr. Ludlam have not been confined to ])eriodical literature. In March, 1863, Mr. C. S. Halsey, of this city, published a volume of his works entitled "A Course of Clinical Jjcctui'cs (»n 1 )iph- theria, delivered before the Class of Hahnemann Medical College." We only speak the verdict of In's brethren of the same school of physic, wiien we say that this work is more thorough than any of its predecessors in the differential diagnosis of diphtheria from scarlatina, croup and other similar affections. It is equally j)raisewortliy and icliabli- in its prognosis, .sequehe aufl treatment. The ideas originally advanced by its author concerning the significance of the peculiar odor of tlu' breath, the presence of chlorides in the sputa, the histology of the pseudo-mcml)raue, and the pro2)er employment of the mercurius jodatus and the biclii'itmatc dl' pota-> 524 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. in its various forms, have been generally accepted by the homoeopathic profession as very important and entirely correct. Dr. Ludlam has also in an advanced stage of preparation, and will publish shortly, a complete work upon the diseases of women. In his branch of the medical profession, Dr. Ludlam is truly a repre- sentative man. He is the honored President of the Western Institute of Homoeopathy, an organization of physicians whose membership extends through all the "Western States. He also holds the same office in the Cook County Homoeopathic Medical Society, and is in editorial charge of the obstetrical department of the "United States Medical and Surgical Journal," a flourishing quarterly published in this city. As a practitioner and teacher, his reputation is a credit to his school and to our city. As a writer, his ])en is as loth to write, as his tongue is to speak an unkind word of those who differ from him in professional opinion. For lack of time and inclination he has never written anything upon medical polemics. As a sample of his liberality of sentiment, as well as of tlie perspicuity and originality of his style, the following extracts are taken from his Introductory Lecture on jSIedical Toleration, delivered in the Hahnemann Medical College, October 16, 1867: "But it is of sectarian animosities in medicine that 1 design to speak more particularly. When, having a written revelation, men are still disposed to wrangle and disagree concerning their religious belief and behavior, it is no marvel that, having no such dispensation in medical matters, they are not the less inharmonious and inconsistent. If they quarrel heavenward, why may they not quarrel healthward? If they cannot amicably interpret and put into exercise a true and universal system of morals, how is it possible for them to chime upon the requirements of Hygiene, and the ways and means designed for the restoration of health ? "Denominational differences are necessary and salutary. It would not be desirable suddenly to divorce the world from its old forms of belief. It is not in the nature of the human mind that all should see or think alike. In medical and in moral politics there must always be two or more different parties. This necessitates the machinery of organi- zation, opposition, codes of orthodoxy, heresy hunters, and all the paraphernalia of progressive, aggressive and defensive warfare. 'You cannot make an Esquimaux forswear train-oil and take to tea and toast like ourselves, still less to boiled rice like a Hindoo.' "The mental lens through which we look into questions that require thought and study, real brain-work, for their solution, varies in its configuration and power of refraction. The mind's eye is accordingly near or far-sighted, amauratic, or positively blind. What is clear and distinct to one is nebulous to another. We do not all discern or discriminate alike, any more than it is possible for all to distinguish the different shades of color. "A code of belief is a species of nucleus about which men are certain to crystalize. REUREX EUDLAM. 525 Tlic shape, as well as the size of the crystal will depend upon a variety of circumstances. The organizing force is represented by the grand idea that brings them together. As crystals are of various patterns, and can by no possibility be alike in every particular, 80, in the organization of men into bodies and schools of belief, the product must vary with the nature and peculiarities of the elements of which it is composed, and of the force that attracts and binds them. * * * * » » "Most men arc not more responsible for their peculiar notions on political, and even medical subjects, tlian they are for tlieir nativity. Their ideas are either inherited, accidental, or possibly acquired. There is a great deal of worthless property, and much of real value also, that comes down from father to son independently of such instruments as a will, and of such institutions as the Probate Court. It is as easy to secure the fruits of thought as it is to gain other varieties of wealth by pro.xy. Hereditary peculiarities and possessions are not all of a physical nature. Deeds for dogmas are as transmissible as deeds for houses and lands, and it is remarkable that those who inherit the one are as tenacious of their property as those who come into possession of the other. "The sudden acquisition of wealth or of fame, as if by accident, is a severe test of character. Tlie same is true of the gain of ideas that is not the fruit of toil and application. The force of circumstances makes men imminent rather than eminent. Perhaps they are in imminent danger of becoming eminent! There is suf&cient latitude in the words and works of accidental men, but it does not lean toward charity and large-heartedness. They are almost certain to be uncharitable. They are earnest, but erratic; conspicuous always, but seldom consistent. * * * * * * "Literature represents the genesis and genius of science. Medical literature resem- bles geology. The history of this department of human effort may be found in the strata of thought, theory and practice that run through all our libraries. As geological deposits and details reveal the most curious and interesting particulars concerning the history of the earth, so the different 'periods' of medical development and decline are equally pro- nounced and suggestive. Geology demonstrates that the creation of the material world has been progressive. Step by step the rudimentary has given place to the more perfect forms of existence and organization. The same is true of the growtli of medical ideas. * » # * * * "It would be futile to deny that these remains are valuable simply because they are musty with age and neglect. Recorded mutations in the world of thought are no less important than those which indicate to the geologist and physicist tiie most varied terres- trial changes. It is possible tliat the crust nf the earth conceals more beauties than are to be seen above it. Submerged from sight, buried by the waves, and hidden away under the ponderous mountain, are secreted such achievements in architecture, such wonderful evidence of animal and vegetable existence in near and remote periods, and such a wealth of precious metals as excites our astonishment and admiration. Nature has economized, embalmed and laid away these stores for the benefit of her children. "So, in our libraries, we may read the records of the grand, majestic, almost illimitable Past. From the sage of Cos to the sage of Coethen, from Hippocrates to Hahnemann, the accumulations of centuries of observation, thought, and experience are crystalized and condensed, preserved and perpetuated for us. We have only to dig up and develop, to unswathe and interpret them. 526 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. * * * * * * "It is one thing to profess an attachment to a particular theory and mode of practice; to put it into exercise in a quiet, unostentatious manner; to possess our souls in patience for the coveted results and rewards thereof, and quite another thing to be obtrusive, impertinent, not to say disgusting to sensible people who may or may not sympathize with us. To have a creed is a common necessity with mankind. Who holds a loose rein will drive a lean horse. The doctor without a guiding principle is like a mariner adrift without a compass. But the laws of nature were set in operation before the institutes of medicine were written. They are the work of the great Father, who is not fallible like ourselves. They are fixed and immutable, while the codes that we create may change like the fashion of our garments, or the tints of the foliage between spring and autumn. * * * * * * "No cause is more likely to arouse an unfortunate antagonism among doctors of different creeds than the assumption by either party of an exclusive right to medical knowledge. Positive refusal to counsel together, direct and emphatic denials of ability and experience, an open infraction of the ninth commandment, the display of ungentlemanly and unchristian conduct, are some of the fruits of this feeling. Both the instigators and the victims of this temper of mind are apt to talk harshly, and to put too much vinegar into their ink when they write for the medical press. * * * * * * "Long since homoeopatliy was promulgated by Hahnemann, the foundations of this great city were laid in the frontier experiences and hardships of its first settlers. The city and the system have had their defamers and detractors, not a few of whom survive to witness the marvelous rapidity of their growth and development. As the citizen lias left behind the paltry issues of primitive history, so tlie representative of this method of cure will outgrow the small-clothes of prejudice, and outlive the most violent opposition. Hahnemann struck the key-note. We must make out the melody. Let us not drown its sweetness in jangling and discord. * o * * * * "Because Hahnemann, whose name our college is proud to bear, was opposed, maligned, abused, and persecuted from city to city, we are not to take up the cudgels against all those who adopt the faith of his enemies, and who continue to wage a war of extermination against us as heretics. Because he was fallible, we need not be ferocious. Because he was compelled to vindicate his claims to a hearing, we need not, therefore, be vindictive against those who refuse to recognize him as a great benefactor. Our circum- stances and those which surrounded him are reversed. He stood alone against the sentiment, tradition, and interest of the whole profession, and the ignorance and credulity of the people. We have thousands of the best practitioners and a large share of an intelligent patronage upon our side. He must feel and fight his way into notice, while we are privileged to spend our energies in elaborating his discovery, and adapting it to the physical necessities of mankind. "Harsh words have no healing properties. There is no need to revive the old bitterness. The incontrovertible logic of facts is the best lever at our command. As physical injury and dissipation trace their characters in the lineaments of the dissolute and the abandoned, so the mental fisticuffs in which doctors are prone to indulge leave tlieir impress on the mind of the physician. They subtract from his self-respect and REUBEN I.UDLAM. 527 from the respectful consideration ami confidence that community reposes in him ana his calling. «• « » • « . « "We should therefore cultivate a taste lor liarmony among the fraternity, and keep an eye to its results. War is more likely to be a source of poverty than of wealth. It is more pleasant, as well as more profitable, to liibor for llie building up than for the breaking down of professional interests: as it is better to be philanlliropists tlian pugilists. "On all therapeutical questions it is most politic and advisable in every respect to advocate and exercise the greatest liberty of thought. We must have a creed, but, in the present imperfect state of medical science, that creed sliould be elastic and susceptible of amendment. For who shall demonstrate that like facilities with those which "sur- rounded the old worthies whom I have named, and which they failed to improve and appreciate, are not at this moment awaiting development at our hands .' * * « * * * "If I had a theory of professional re-organization and unity, this would be neither the proper place nor the occasion in which to present it. When Good Friday comes on Sunday, and reconstruction is less difficult than revolution, the Utopian scheme of entire accord among the doctors may well be entertained. In the present state of society and of human knowledge, we must not expect too much of human nature. It is no part of my purpose to weaken, but rather to strengthen your confidence in our method of cure, and whatever concerns it — to counsel you to such a course of study and conduct as will make you most successful and respectable, most learned and useful. 'Not C:vsar less, but Rome more:' not Homoeopathy less, but Humanity more, should be your motto. As it is better to be producers than mere partisans: so, lest they be overthrown, you should lay the foundations of your education broad and deep. The denominational tmdf-v/inds should help, and not hinder your progress. * * * * * * ''1 know very well the incentives that will tend to develop your sectarian feeling:? and prejudices. There is no fear but reasons will suggest themselves why you should be emphatic in your preferences. You are properly so already, and clinical experience will doubtless confirm and establish your faith. But there is need to caution you against carrying your denominational preferences and prejudices so far as to merge them into a species of vindictive pleasure. "It is for this reason that I recommend the cultivation and exercise of a spirit of toleration towards those who differ from you in theory and practice. For this reason you should make yourselves thoroughly conversant with all the branches of a liberal medical education. You should read and ponder both the ancient and the modern authors: listen to the teachings of your predecessors and preceptors; glean from the experience of tliose by whom you are surrounded ; and, gatliering available information from any and every possible source, submit it to the alembic of your own minds. Culture of this kind will make you charitable. Professional ability will make you amiable and liberal. For it is the lack of knowledge, and not the excess of it, that makes men intolerant. " Apart from the satisfaction that springs from the amelioration of suffering, and from having relieved the physical infirmities of mankind, there is a peculiar pleasure in the study and contemplation of whatever pertains to the science and art of healing. If 528 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. you acquire the habit of dwelling upon these topics, of feeding the mind upon this palatable food, you will be weaned from tasting the dry, polemical husks, upon which so many have starved. If you would reap abundantly, you should sow the seeds of future influence in this congenial soil. This is the investment of time and means and effort that will yield you the largest returns." Dr. Liidlam lias been twice married. His first wife was Miss Anna M. Porter, of Greenwich, New Jersey, to whom he was married in October, 1856. This most estimable lady died of consumjjtion, in Chicago, in the month of December, 1858. On the 25th of September, 1861, he married his present wdfe. Miss H. G. Parvin, of New York city. He has but one child, a son, who bears his father's name. HENRY M. SMITH. For fifteen years Mr. Smith has been connected witli the jjress of Chicago, having entered npon liis profession here. Henry Martyn Smith, the second son of a New England Congre- gational clergyman, Rev. S. S. Smith, the latter now a resident of our city, was born in New Bedford, :Massacluisetts, May 5, 1830. At the age of seventeen he entered Amherst College, graduating in tlie class of 1851. JAke many young New England graduates, especially clergymen's sons, there lell to him an intermediate period of school teaching, having a bearing up(»n the subject of college debts. He came AVest in 1851, entering the flimily of the then steamboat king. Captain E. B. Ward, of Detroit, as private tutor in charge of his two sons. In 1852, Mr. Smith commenced the study of tlie law, in the office of George E. Hand, Esq., United States District Attorney at Detroit; but after a few months, finding his health impaired by office conlinement, he came to Chicago, and in the autumn of the same year became local editor of the "Chicago Evening Journal." The office of the "Journal" was on Lake street, and Richard L. Wilson was its senior editor. Journalism in Ciiicago was not then what it now is, but the "Journal" was, even at that time, an old and favorite paper. Mr. Smith was a zealous and in.K- iiitigablc reporter, with a geniality of temper and pleasantry <>1" humor which stood him in good stead in the collection and prei)aration of city news. He hits often warndy exi)rcsscd his sense (»f the value «»f Kicliard L. Wilson's influence as a i)rofc*sion;il preceptor; and one single piece of advice given by the veteran editor to iiis young assistant is worthy of a blazon in gold letters in every editorial room: "Never give to the printer a line of copy you would not be willing your mother or your sister should 530 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. read in your inaiuiseript." How would this rule, \v'isely followed, redeem our public journals from the salacious and dubious allusions and double entendrcs that too often disgrace them. After three years' service in the city department of the "Journal/' JNIr. Smith became city editor of the "Democratic Press," and a few years later, on the consolidation of that sheet with the "Chicago Tribune," the city editor of "the consolidated." With the successive stages of the advance of journalism in Chicago, Mr. Smith has had a most creditable share. He was largely identitied with the growth of the system of special dispatches and the free use of telegraphic news, whereby the once vaunted position of "New York papers," as news mediums, was destroyed, w-est of the Lakes. JNIr. Smith and his present associates in the "Chicago Republican," Mr. James F. Ballantyne and Mr. George D. AVilliston, w^ere ibr several years rising members of the "Tribune" corps, and among its stockholders, parting with their interest in July, 1866, to enter upon their new enterprise. In 1854, INIr. Smith married Harriet A., eldest daughter of Hon. Charles Hudson, of Massachusetts, four children — three sons and a daughter, being the fruit of the union. Mr. Smith has been fortunate in real estate investments, and is a thorough believer in the future of Chicago, to the prosperity and advance- ment of which no agency has been, and must continue to be, more powerful than that exerted by her journalists. HOOPEPt CREAVS. This man is a fit representative of those hardy pioneers to whom Western civilization owes so nmch. Men of" sturdy frame and fiery spirit, of strong purpose, of unfaltering determination; men Avho could mingle easily in any society, coml^ining the dignity of the sacred office with the abandon of the backwoodsman; men who had the courage to go in advance of "calls," and on frontier lines, and in cabins and tents, to act as avant couriers of Christianity, education and culture. Hooper Ckews was born under Pruett's Knob, Bowen County, Kentucky, April 17, 1807. When only six years of age, his father died suddenly, leaving an estate so encumbered by debt that little remained f )r the widow and children. The widow was a woman of heroic will and rare executive ability. She kept her children together, cared for their wants, and taught them the elements of a good character. Mr. Crews says: "For every good quality I may possess, I am, under God, more indebted to my mother than to any other instrumentality." Schools were few — academies were unheard of, in the, then, existing development of Kentucky. The struggle for food and clothing left little opportunity fi)r education after the ordinary way; but what the mother could, she did. She taught her children to abhor strong driidv; she taught them that slavery was wrong, and would, some time, make sad mischief in the country. In August, 182G, Mr. Crews made a profession of religion, and unitej)ointi'd Presiding Elder of Danville District. ]t is interesting to read the boundaries of that district: "From Iroquois County, on the north, to White County, on the south, embracing all the timber on the east side of the Grand Prairie." In 1840, the Rock River Conference was set off Irom i\\v llliiKjis, and Mr. Crews was assigned within it and stationed in Chicago. He says: " I started from Danville, and, after four days' travel through alm(«t incessant rain and horrible roads, with my family I reached Chicago, October 17th. I drove to the Tremont House, on the corner of liake and Dearborn streets. It was in the night; I was a stranger. That Tremont was not the Tremont House of to-day, it being a frame, not large — two stories high. I went out after supper, and found Reverend John T. Mitchell, Presiding Elder, conducting a prayer meeting, at which twenty-three persons were in attendance." He gives this picture of the Methodist Episcopal Church at that time. How unlike to-day! " The next morning I attended the quarterly love-feast. The church edifice was an unpainted wooden structure, twenty-two by sixty, fronting on AA^ashingtou street. The exterior was uninviting, and the interior much dilapidated. The roll of members was one hundred and fifty, but at the comnuniion I only found sixty-eight. Financially, the city was crushed. INIany had ]>urchased property on time, had i'ailed to meet some of the payments, and had forfeited all. Everything was in confu- sion. Two lots belonging to our Church had thus been lost, and we owned no real estate in the city. By special act, the State permitted each denomination to select a lot of the Canal Lands, and a deed was given, limiting the i)roperty to church uses, and thus we secured the lot on the corner of ( "lark and Washington streets. Our parsonage was removed from Adams street, and placed on the south line of our lot, fronting on Clark street." The worshijKTS in the First Church, Wabash avenue. Centenary, Grace and Trinity Churches will find it dilHcult lo realize the accuracy of this picture of a quarter of a century ago. During the year, the church Mas enlarged and refitted, and the task was more formidable than the erection of one of the stately churches of matter. lie found the "city" staked ofi' according to the most approved method, but the city had no existence, except on paper. He was thoroughly disgusted, being convinced by his judgment that the sjK'Culative mania, so far as the city of New London %as concerned, was a bubble of the most explosive character. Right here Mr. Dake gave evidence of the possession of those remarkable financial abilities wliich were destined to transform the char- coal jieddler into the greatest baker in the United States, if not in the world, and counting his wealth by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Instead of selling out at a sacrifice, as most men, similarly situated, would have done, he went to the Land Office -and purchased more lots in the paper city, and returned to Waukegan, Avlifirg he was besieged by scores who knew that he had been to New London td^see things for himself. He drove them crazy by exhibiting his papers covei'ing the new sales, and sold back to the individual from whom he had purchased the five hundred dollar tract, one-half of it for the sum which he paid for the whole. He also disposed of his ne\v purchases^^it advanced figures. His subsequent experience in Chicago was .varied and interesting. Working for some time at a salary of twelve ctollai-s jter Meek, he next essayed dealing in provisions in a small way. Making nothing in that line, he became a partner in Kendall's bakery. He found, at the expira- tion of a year, that heliad lotit everything ex^pt one hundred dollars, and that sum he subscribed and paid at a war meeti^ in Metropolitan Hall. From that moment, however, the tide had turned. The war of the rebellion created a heavy demand for bread. The vast armies, called suddenly into the field, must be fed, and the bakeries of all the j)rincipal cities were taxed to their utmost. Bread flowed out, only to return in a stream of gold. Paraphrased, the inspired promise would literally read: "Cast thy bread upon the Government, and gold shall be seen for it ere many days." In three years the establishment, of which Mr. Dake owned a one-third interest, netted a profit of one hrindred thousand dollars. At this juncture Mr. Dakc^rctired from the concern and built for himself, immediately in the rear of MoVickor's Theatre, the largest and most completely equipped bakery in the United States. 556 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Always on the watch for something new, Mr. Dake has purchased patents for the manufacture of aerated bread and crackers, at a cost of more than fifty thousand dollars. He owns the exclusive right to manu- facture jerated bread in the city of Chicago, and owns the patent covering jerated crackers in all of the Northwestern States, commencing with Michio-an. For three years a rival firm contested Mr. Dake's exclusive privilege to manufacture rerated bread, and this tedious litigation has resulted in a decree enjoining the former and awarding damages to the latter. Having the field clear to himself, Mr. Dake is making the most of it, by driving his immense bakery to the extent of its capacity, night and day. His sales during the year 1867, just closed, amounted to nearly a million of dollars. The average daily consumption of his establishment is one hundred and fifty barrels of flour — three times the quantity manu- fictured in any other bakery in the country. His trade extends east^vard to Philadelphia, south to New Orleans, north to the extremest Govern- ment post, and Avest as flir as communications are known. If he has not already reached the summit of his ambition, wliich is to become the greatest baker in the world, he certainly is not far from the goal. If he is equaled or surpassed in the magnitude of his operations, it is only by some establishment under the auspices of European governments. And even this possibility must vanish, in view of the fact that Mr. Dake has nearly completed a bakery in Louisville, Kentucky, of equal capacity with his Chicago establishment. He has upwards of three hundred thousand dollars invested in his business, all of which he has made Mithiu the last five years. INIr. Dake was married in January, 1843, to Mary Elizabeth Page, daughter of John Page, Esq., of Greenfield, Saratoga County, Xew York. The fruit of that union was two daughters, one of whom is still living. In religious matters, J\Ir. Dake is liberal in his views and belief He is an active and esteemed member of St. Paul's (Universal ist) Church in Chicago, and takes just pride in having been one of the originators and promoters of the Chicago Christian Union, a high-toned and benevolent religious institution. Socially, the subject of this sketch occupies an enviable position. In the sacred precincts of the home circle are centered his happiness and his affections, while around it cluster many of the brightest and warmest friendships that ever contributed to human ha})piness. An evidence of this was furnished a few days ago, when his " Silver JOSEPH M. DAKE. 557 Wedding" Avtus celebrated, on the IStli of Jaiiuarv, 1868, at lils beautiful residence on Michigan avenue, in a style of elegance and general com- pleteness rarely equaletl. On that occasion presents were made cxceeiling in valne ten thousand dollars, as follows: From G. Kilmer, Esq., Saratoga, New York, a large salver; set of soup ladles; small salver; teakettle; coffeepot; teapot; sugar bowl; milk pitcher; soup bowl; assorted tea set — three pieces; two salts and spoons. Mrs. C. Kilmer, a water pitcher. Mr. John A. Dake, Louisville, Kentucky, soup tureen ; butter dish, with knives ; ice bout, with tongs ; call bell. Mrs. John A. Dake, fruit disli, with spoons. Miss Mattie Dake, jelly dish, with spoons. Miss Florence K. Dake, porcupine toothpick holder. Mr. and Mrs. Emigh, Chicago, vase. Mr. Dake's father and mother, portmonnaie and two goblet?. Mr. and Mrs. David Richards, Chicago, set tea spoons. Mrs. 0. D. Howard, Chicago, pair vases. Miss Sarah E. Dake, Chicago, elegant canl case. Charles Tobey, Esq., half dozen large spoons. " A Friend," Chicago, one dozen nut-pickers and case individual salts and butters. James Gilbert, Chicago, two dessert spoons. Mrs. ^l. W. Dake, Chicago, pie knife. Employes of Mr. Dake's bakery, a large ice pitcher, goblets and salver ; castor, case containing twelve knives and forks, two dozen large spoons. Dr. and Mrs. AVoodbury, Chicago, fruit spoon. Mr. and Mrs. Boone, egg boiler, an elegant and unique affair. Mr. and Mrs. James H. Reese, Chicago, pair of napkin rings. Mr. Van Wick, pair vases. C. L. Woodman, Esq., syrup cup and dish. Alderman Cox, silver imitation of a loaf of "aerated" bread, of which Mr. Dake is the patentee. Mr. High wood, Chicago, bakers' silver "peel," with golden crackers. Clerks at Woodman's bakery, fish knife and fork. The presents given by Mr. Kilmer cost $2,500; those by Mr. John A. Dake, $1,500, and those by the employes of Mr. Dake, $1,000. Such, in brief, is our biographical sketch of Joseph M. Dake, simply and truthfully expressed. We can but regard him as being one of the best and truest types of the self-made men of America. His courage in the darkest hour of adversity, his unconquerable determination to succeed in the fiice of repeated reverses sufficient to dishearten the boldest spirit, and, above all, his sublime confidence and hope in him.self and the future, are characteristics that fall to the lot of few mortals. 11. AV. rATTERSOX. Ix 1842, tlie Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago was oroanized. It consisted, originally, of" twenty-six nieniber.s. One year before, Robert AVilson Patterson, then a student in I^ane (Cincinnati) Tlieological Seminary, had preached for a few months in the First Presbyterian Church of this city, and he was remembered so favorably that the new organization gave him a call to become its pastor. The invitation was accepted, to take effect upon graduation. The pastorate then commenced, still continues. From that small beginning, the church has gone on until it now numbers more than four hundred souls, although no less than five "colonies" have, at different times, detached themselves from it and become distinct churches. Until quite recently it could boast of having contributed more to the various objects of Christian charity, than all the other churches of its denomination in Northern Illinois. There can cer- tainly be but few men more worthy of a place in this volume than the first and only pastor of such a church, who is, in point of residence, the oldest ofliciating clergyman in Chicago by nearly fifteen years. Robert AVilsox Patteesox was born January 21, 1814, near Marysville, East Tennessee. His father, Alexander Patterson, and his mother, Sarah E. Stevenson, were both natives of South Carolina. His ancestors, on both sides, were a long line of Scotch Presbyterians, who held their faith through a century of jjersecution, and finally took refuge in this country, that they might enjoy the freedom of thought and liberty of conscience that it offered them. The father, fearing the influence of slavery upon his children, emigrated to Illinois in 1824, six years after the State had been admitted into the Union, with a coustitutiou forever prohibiting slavery. Soon after the 560 BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCHES. removal his father died, leaving a large family dependent upon the care of the mother, a woman of great energy and remarkable acquirements. Eobert remained ui)on his mother's farm until eighteen years of age, when he entered Illinois College, for which he had been prepared principally by his mother. Dr. Edward Beecher was President of the institution at that time. His object from early boyhood' had been to become a minister of the gospel, and he never for a moment swerved from his high purpose. Having completed his collegiate course, Ire entered Lane Theological Seminary. He pursued his theological studies under such men as Pro- fessor Stowc and Dr. Lyman Beechoi-, then at the meridian of his strength. During these days of student life he developed a taste or talent for music, for which he had inherited from his mother a remarkable passion. He spent one whole vacation of two months with his friend, Charles Beecher, playing upon the violin, exhausting the entire stock of nuisic within their reach. But with all his love of music, young Patterson was an indefa- tigable student, and such, indeed, he is to this day. During all his long and laborious pastorate, he has maintained an intimate acquaintance, not only with current literature and events, but with the ever progressive sciences and the classics. He is one of the most varied and accurate scholars in the West. After he had been in Chicago about twelve years. Dr. Patterson was called to the chair of didactic theology, in Lane Seminary, as the successor of Lyman Beecher. This he decided, without the ilourisli of ecclesiastical consultation, to decline. Nine years later, 1859, he was chosen Moderator of the General Asseml)ly of the New School Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the recent Conference, composed of delegates from the two great branches, or "Schools," of the Presbyterian Church, which met in New York for the purpose of devising a plan of union. The articles of agreement, unanimously adopted, Avere drawn up by Dr. Patterson. These were ratified by the succeeding General . Assembly of the New School Church, but not by that of the other branch. When, if ever, the two get together, it will doubtless be upon, essentially, the Patterson platform. As a preacher, Dr. Patterson is doctrinal, but not controversial. He holds the tenets of the Presbyterian Confession of Faith in their strictly "orthodox" interpretation, and enforces them with the eloquence of sound logic and earnest piety. As a pastor he is very" attentive to all the K. W. PATTERSON. 561 members of his congregation, but more espec-ially to the side and the distressed. Altlioiigii a man of letters, and burdened with the pastoral care of a great church, he takes a lively interest In all matters that concern the general welfare of the public. I HENRY B. BRYANT. H. B. Bryant, the man wlioso genius conceived and perfected the grand scheme of a chain of international Commercial Colleges, was born in England, near the city of Gloucester, April 5, 1824. His father was a tarmer, whose experience realized the prayer of Agnr, tlie son of Jakeli — "Give mo neither poverty nor riches." The family consisted, besides the parents, of six children, three sons and three daughters, Professor Brvant being the youngest son, and the wife of the late H. D. Stratton, witli wliom his own name is inseparably linked, being the youngest daughter. His mother Mas not only a model wife and mother, but a woman of extraordinary business cai)acity. Sprung from a race of merchants, or shop-keepers, she was instinct with that strong and almost intuitive sense which is the secret of honest wealth. In 1828, the Bryant family, attracted by the glowing accounts given of this I-'.} Dorado, immigrated to America. Leaving old England in the bleak month of November, they landed, after a rough voyage of six weeks, at New York. From there they went at once to Pliiladelphia, where they remained during the winter. With the opening of sj)ring, they removed to what was then "way out West, in Ohio,'' settling in Amherst, Lorain County. The family continued to reside there until all the children came to liave homes of their own. The childhood of Mr. Bryant did not differ materially in its sm-round- ings and outworkings from that of the class to whicii he belonged. During tlie season of labor, he workeil nn the farm industriously, yet not very enthusiastically, and in the winter attended the district scliool. It was in the school-room, more than anywiiere else, that he seemed in his native element. A faithful worker and a merry playfellow, lie found his 564 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. chief delight in books. His love for study and reading amounted to a passion, and every opportunity to gain knowledge was eagerly improved. Having early mastered the studies taught in the common school, he entered the flourisliing seminary at Norwalk, Ohio, then under the Presidency of Rev. Edward Thompson, assisted by a full corps of excellent instructors. When hardly more than a mere lad, Mr. Bryant began his career as a teacher. For several years, he taught winters, using his earnings to pay his way in the seminary. He became famous in that region for his rare ability to manage the most difficult schools, and his services were in great demand. He had the happy faculty of being complete " master of the situation" without resort to severe measures. In 1840, he gave up teaching for a short time, and entered a store as clerk. He remained there until he became thoroughly familiar with all parts of the business. Exposed, though he was, to great temptations, such as usually beset the path of youth, surrounded by immoral companions, he always j)i'eserved his purity of heart, integrity of purpose, fidelity and independence. The soul of honor, he was true, not only to his friends, but to all his con- victions of duty. Leaving the store, we next find Mr. Bryant a student in Cleveland University, of which Rev. Asa Mahan, D. D., formerly President of Oberlin College, and now of Adrian University, was President. He remained tliere several terms, taking high rank among his fellows. From the University he passed to the Business College, in the same city, in which he took a complete commercial course, under the direction of E. P. Goodnough. He had now finished his student days, and was prepared to enter the manly list as a contestant for the honors and sub- stantial rewards of wisely directed labor. His lather would gladly have made a farmer of him, for he had been taught to believe, and really supposed, that husbandry was the only field for honest toil. The son had a no less exalted opinion of honesty as a virtue to be practiced, but his more extended acquaintance with the world had taught him that integrity and honor are not peculiar to any business or profession, but are dependent rather upon character than employment. And, having inherited more of his mother's business talents than his father's partiality for the soil, he entered a commission and forwarding house. Here his duties were to keep the books of the concern. On the retirement of Mr. Goodnough from the management of the Cleveland Business College, Mr. Bryant was chosen to fill his place, a HENRY B. BRYANT. 565 position of great responsibility, and la wliifh all his iaciilties found free scope, and all his knowledge, whetiier derived from books or in the school of experience, was brought into active requisition. Under his control, the college was eminently successful. Mr. E. G. Folsoni, the proprietor, spent an hour or two each day at the rooms, but being at that time engaged in the public schools of the city, the main burden of responsibility rested upon Mr. Bryant. It was during this period that Mr. Stratton entered the commercial school as a student, a gentleman who was afterwards to be doubly his brother-iii-law, and partner in the grand enterprise which gave to them both an enviable national reputation. Mr. Stratton had been engaged in the insurance business, but left it to take a commercial course. In the year 1855, they devised and inaugurated their magnificent enterprise. Conceiving the idea of a Commercial College upon a larger and more efficient scale than any that then existed, they, in conjunction with Mr. James W. Lusk, became proprietors of the insti- tution, fitted up a larger suite of rooms, and in a style far more attractive and appropriate than could be found in any other similar institution in the country. The faculty was composed of tiic best teachers to be found anywhere. P. K. Spencer, the author of the celebrated Spencerian system of chirography, was engaged to take charge of the writing department. His daughter, ]Miss Sarah Spencer, a most accomplished lady and ai)t teacher, was placed at the head of the ladies' classes. Mr. Lusk was also a very superior penman. The three partners happily combined the quali- fications necessary to insure prosperity to the enterprise. The institution proved a great success in all respects. Its reputation extended far and near, embraeing many States. So admirably did tliis triumvirate snpply an important and much- neglected educational demand, that a})plications were made to them to establish similar institutions in other cities, and tliose applications being in harmony with their far-reaching plans, Ix'canie the occasion of that wondrous chain of Business Colleges which, extending through many States, and even into Canada, numbers in it-^ links more than forty insti- tutions of commercial learning. Soon after the firm of Bryant, Stratton & Lusk was formed, a closer and more hallowed union wa.s perfected. On the 29th of May, 1855, President Charles G. Finney, of Oberlin College, united in the bonds of wedlock Mr. Henry B. Bryant and Miss Lucy A. Stratton; also, at the same time and the same jilacc (Amherst, Ohio), Mr. IT. D. Stratton 566 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. and Miss Pamela C. Bryant, only two flimilies being represented in that double wedding. Early in 1856, Mr. Bryant left Cleveland to take charge of the Com- mercial College at Buffalo. This he soon brought from a very low ebb to a condition of prosperity no less eminent than that occupied by the Cleveland institution. He remained there only t\vo years, ^vhen he removed to New York, there to take charge of the founding of an insti- tution for business instruction in Cooper Institute, and also to publish a mao-azine entitled ''The American Merchant." The magazine proved a marked success until the rebellion came, when its discontinuance became necessary. About the same time, the publication, under his charge, of a series of text-books specially adapted to the wants of a business college was commenced. The institution which he formed numbered among its lecturers such eminent men as Hon. Horace Mann and Elihu Burritt. Mr. Peter Cooper also rendered much assistance in the work of estab- lishing the New York college, and in the publication of the magazine, the editor of which was S. S. Packard. The two — the magazine and the college — were so mutually helpful that tlie establishment of a Commercial College and of a newspaper became parts of the same enterprise, so that in due course of time the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College Chain included forty-eight institutions for business education, and as many newspapers devoted to the same cause, and published as the oi'gans of their respective colleges. To give an idea of this journalistic and educational combination, and, incidentally, of the marvelous growth of the Bryant & Stratton system, we give the following extract from an editorial in "The Keystone," a journal representing the Pennsylvania College of Trade and Finance, and dated Harrisburg, 1866: "Thirteen years ago, a half dozen young men graduated from a small Commercial College in Cleveland. To-day, thirty thousand men, both old and young, are bearing the diplomas of the International Chain. Thirteen years ago, a small advertisement in a local paper informed the public that a Commercial College had just been started in the city of Cleveland. To-day, forty-eight monthly papers, with a combined circulation of over a million copies per year, are distributed gratuitously by the International Chain. Thirteen years ago, a half dozen manuscripts and two teachers were considered suflBcient. To-day, two hundred and tifty teachers and the most complete text-book on book-keeping extant — a treatise on commercial law, commercial arithmetic and railroading, with interest tables, etc., are a few of the labors accomplished by the proprietors of this Chain." These brief words give us a fair idea of the grand scheme for giving HENRY B. BRYANT. 567 young men, and young women, too, a practical education, and for which our country is more indehted to Mr. 11. B. liryant than to any or all others. Modest almost to a fault, always preferring to stand in the back- ground, and be "the power behind the throne" rather than the royal puppet upon it, he devised the plans which others helped to execute, and in Mr. Stratton, whose partnership with him was only dissolved by death, he had a most effective co-laborer. \\'hen it became certain that the protracted illness of the latter was a sickness unto death, Mr. Bryant found it necessary — at least exi)edient — to change somewhat his mode of operation. Instead of being a partner in the various Commercial Colleges which he had organized, he sold, as he had opportunity, the interest of himself and Mr. Stratton to the local partner ami manager. In that way he ha.s of late greatly reduced the amount of his labor and responsibility. This step became necessary, not only on account of the death of Mr. Stratton, which occurred February 20, 1867, but because his pergonal responsibilities required much of his attention. Mr. Bryant is, pre-eminently, the friend of young men. Having been obliged to depend wholly upon his own resources Avhen a youth, he knows how to sympathize with their struggles and aspirations. Many are the men, now in the lieydey of prosperity, who are indebted to his munificence and wise counsels for their start in life. He is not only a great teacher and sagacious business man, but a noble philanthropist, helping those who most need assistance and will make the best use of it. i i i ALEXANDER C. McCLUllG. » Among the young men of Chicago whom the war elevated into public notice, not one reached that prominence with more sterling qualities, physically and intellectually, or with less covetousness of it, than Alexander C. McClurg. On his father's side he is of Irish descent, and ancestrally may trace back his martial inclinations, his grandfather having sought America as an asylum from political punishment incurred in the rebellion of 1798, and his father, Alexander McClurg, having originally built the Fort Pitt Foundry, at Pittsburgh, Avhich furnished iron arguments on every battle-field of the late war, and on every deck of the Union navy, Alexander C, the subject of this sketch, was born in Philadeli)hin, but his boyhood was mainly spent in Pittsburgh, whither his parents had returned. He graduated at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, near Cincinnati, and, returning to Pittsburgh, commenced the study of the law in the office of Hon. AValter H. Lowrie, Chief Justice of Penn- sylvania. His constitution was not sufficiently robust to allow of the very close application which an ambitious student deems the condition of eminence at the bar. The gradual impairing of his health compelled him to relinquish his studies. In the autumn of 1859, he came to Chicago, to seek his fortunes in the more active sphere of mercantile life, and, immediately upon his arrival, identified himself with the book-house of S. C. Griggs & Co., then, as now, the leading establish- ment in that branch of business in the West. All his antecedents and his predilections peculiarly fitted him for tiie book business, and he brought to it not only fine natural tastes and acquirements, but determined energy and close application to the details of his calling. 570 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. He was already assuming a prominent position in the house when the war broke out. All his interests and his inclination impelled him to remain, but duty was paramount. His slight frame and rather delicate appearance offered a natural objection to the exposures and privations of the field, and the constant tenor of the advice of friends and relatives added to its force; but the calls of duty were more forcible even than these. Uro-ed by the purest of personal motives, he enlisted as a private in Company "D," Sixtieth Regiment Illinois State Militia, commanded by Captain Bradley, now General Bradley, of the regular service, and one of the most accomplished soldiers Chicago sent to the war. The regiment Avas intended for the three months' service, but it was not needed, and, after two or three months' drill, the organization was disbanded, and Mr. McClurg continued for a time in business. The second urgent call of the President for troops found him willing to go if needed. On the 15th of August, 1862, the Crosby Guards, which he had partially raised, and which were named for U. H. Crosby, Esq., who had taken a direct interest in the enlistment of the company, were mustered into the service, and on the same day he was elected Captain of the company, which was subsequently attached to the Second Board of Trade Regiment. Under the command of Colonel Frank Sherman, the regiment left for Louisville on the 4th of September, and Captain McClurg was now in active service. The details of that service we must briefly narrate. The regiment first moved to the defense of Cincinnati against the threatened attack of Kirby Smith, and returned to Louisville in time to participate in the battle of Perryville, only one month from the time they left Chicago. After their arrival at Nashville, Captain McClurg was detailed as Judge Advocate of an important General Court Martial, of which General Woodruff, of Kentucky, was President. He fulfilled the duties of this position with ability so marked as to attract the attention of Major-General McCook, who, in May, 1863, immediately after Captain McClurg's recovery from a violent attack of fever, placed him upon his staff as Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. In this capacity he served through the active campaigns of Rosecrans against Tullahoma and Chat- tanooga, participating in the battles of Liberty Gap and Chickamauga. On the re-organization of the army after this latter battle. General McCook was relieved from command, and the Captain expected to be allowed to return to his regiment. He was, however, at once ALEXANDER C. MrCI,FRG. 571 foinplimented by oftbr.s ol" jjositions on the stalH* of Generals Tliumas, Slieridan and Baird. As General Baird offered him the Adjutant- Geueralship of his Division, he preferred and accepted that. The following letter, written .sonic time after, is an evidence of tlie estimate which General Sheridan at that time set npon him: "WiNCHESTEB, Va., Novcmbcr 16, 1864. "My Dear C.\rTAiN: * * * * * "I am pleased to tender you my thanks for the valuable services you rendered while with the Twentieth Corps. I was anxious, immediately after you were relieved from duly with General McCook, to secure your services with me, but the only position on my staif then vacant — that of Mustering Officer — not being calculated to exercise your military ability, you declined it. Still, I should again have applied for you, had not my early transfer to the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac temporarily prevented. * * * * j ^-iH^ at the earliest practicable moment, if agreeable to you, be pleased to obtain the services of one so thoroughly competent ******* "I am yours, very truly, "P. H. Sheridan, " Maj. Gen'l U. S. Vol. "Capt. A. C. McCluro, A. A. G., U. S. Vols." When this letter M'as received, Captain jNIcClurg was too im])ortantly connected with the AVestern command to allow even of his acce])ting the offer of the already brilliant hero of the Shenandoah. He continued as the Adjutant-General of Baird's Division, doing valuable service, while our army was beleaguered in Chattanooga by Bragg's forces, and at the battle of Mission Hidge. In the latter brilliant action his horse was twice shot under him, and he received special and distinguished mention for personal gallantry and important service. On the 12th of April, 1864, he was assigned to the position of Adjutant-General of the Fourteenth Army Corps, under General John M. Palmer, of Illinois, Shortly aflerwards, the corps moved on the campaign against Atlanta, with its five months of ince.s.sant battles and skirmishes. Three weeks previous to the capture of Atlanta, General Palmer was relieved, and Major-General Jeff. C. Davis was a.ssigned to the command. Ho immediately requested Captain McCliu'g to retain his po.sition at the head of the staff, and applied to the President for Ids assignment as Adjutant-General, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The appointment was at once made by the War Department, whonnpon 572 BIOGRAPHICAIi SKETCHES. Colonel McClurg was declared, in general orders, Chief of Staff. The application for promotion General Davis based upon his gallant conduct in the battle of Jonesboro'. Then followed the tedious chase of Hood, and Sherman's memorable march to the sea, the details of Avhich have been written and rewritten in the newspaper press and in contemporaneous histories, and sung by poets all over the land, until they are as familiar as household words. In all the privations and exposures, in all the battles and victories, in all the reconnoissances and skirmishes, and in all the glories and triumphs of that great march, General McClurg bore an active and honorable part. When the corps finally made its triumphant entrance into Washington, and participated in the review of the Grand Army, he was at his post. Shortly after this, General Stoneman, then assigned to the Department of the Tennessee, telegraphed to him, although they had never met, to accept the Adjutant-Generalship of that depart- ment; but he declined the offer. The war was now over, and duty no longer demanded that he should remain in the service. As soon as the Avork of disbanding his old corps — the Fourteenth — was completed, he was honorably mustered out of the service. He enlisted for the war as a private. He returned with a "star" upon his epaulets, and the names of the following engagements inscribed upon the sword presented to him at his departure: Perryville, Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca, Adairsville, Big Shanty, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie River, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro', Savannah, Averasboro', Bentonville. At the close of the war, he received very complimentary letters from Generals Baird, Mitchell, Davis and others, testifying to his bravery as an officer, and to the eminently satisfactory manner in which he had performed his staff duties. General Davis was especially anxious that he should go into the regular army, and voluntarily gave him a letter to Mr. Stanton, recommending him for a high position, which letter, hoAv- ever, has never been used. From letters written by Generals Sherman and George H. Thomas, we make the following extracts : General Sherman writes: * * * * "It is both proper and right that I should personally acknowledge my sense of personal obligation to the many young gentlemen who came into the volunteer army from civil life, lo serve our common country at a time of her greatest peril, and who filled their positions with so much credit to themselves and the service. Among these I recognize yourself, especially during the time you were the ALEXANDER C. MrCLrRO. 573 Adjutant-General of the Fourteenth Corps, under the command of Ocneral Jet!". ('. Davis, during the siege of Atlanta, the march to Savannah, and the subsequent campaign which closed the civil war. Accept my best wishes for your success in civil life." General Thomas says : "It affords me pleasure to remember that you came personally under my notice early in the war, and continued so until September, 1804, when the Fourteenth Corps, of which you were Chief of Staff, was removed from my command. The fact that you enlisted as private and gradually rose to the grade of Brevet Brigadier-General, is evidence that you were earnest and devoted in your duties, and gave satisfaction to your superior officers; and it is but just to add, that I always recognized in you a very active and able officer, as well as a courteous gentleman." It Ma-s tlie unanimous and freely expressed desire of all his superior officers with whom he had had staff relations, that he siiould go into tlio regular army, antl perhaps his own inclinations lay in the same direction; but with the close of the war his duties were closed, and his original intention, together with the preferences of relatives and friend.s, led him to resume the business of civil life. AVhen he Inid aside his sword, he re-entered the firm of S. C. Griggs & Co., and refilled the jilace which had been kept for him, where he still remains. As one of the junior members of the firm, he has contributed largely to its prosperity, aud to the potent influence it wields in moulding the educational, literary and artistic character of the West. It is due to General McClurg that we should speak of him both as a gentleman and a soldier. He is a gentleman in the best sense of that much abused word, and may base his title to the term not only in external polish of manner, but in innate dignity of character and inflexibility of moral purpo-se. His address is such as commands respect from all. The.se elements of the man, joined with a strong will, determined })hysical courage and conscientious application to duty, won for him his military success. The union of these qualities was signally marked at the battle of Jonosboro', in an incident narrated to us by an eye-witness. An appa- rently impregnable position of the enemy, guarded by a battery })ouring forth a most galling fire of grape, was to be charged. Inevitable annihilation seemed to threaten the troops that should make the attempt. Naturally the regiments hesitated and wavered. It was the crisis of the battle — defeat here was defeat everywiiere, and instantly, without waiting even to draw his sword, General McClurg leaped over the worl. WILKIE. F. B. ^^'ILKIE, at ])rost'nt principal writer on the "Cliicago Times," \va.s born July 2, 1832, in West Charlton, Saratoga County, New York. His father was a carpenter, but subsequently removed to a i'arm in Galway, in the same county. Until he was thirteen years of age, Mr. Wilkie remained at home, or, during the last two or three years of this period, worked for neighboring farmers. He attended the district school during the winters, and became proficient mainly in reading, for which he acquired an absorbing taste, and in whose gratification he was limited to the Spelling Book, Bible, English Reader, an old copy of Buffbn, and some hard-tack productions of the stvle of Baxter's Saints' Rest. All these he devoured again and again, until their contents became as familiar as household words. When about thirteen, to escape a promised thrashing from his employer, a farmer, he ran away — footed it to Amsterdam — drove on the Erie Canal till the close of navigation — was cheated out of his wages — and then, much tattered and forlorn, he secured a passage down the Pludson to New York. Here his life was a mixed one; he peddled matches, ran errands, held horses, sold newspapers, and bravely and honestly fought his way in the great city for two years, when he returned home, l-'rom his fifteenth to his eighteenth year, he Morkcd ibr farmers in summer, and attended the district school in winter. When eighteen, he went to Central New York, and served a year ami a half at black- smithing, making a superior workman; but, disliking the business, he gave it up and returned to his native town. During all these years he had been a constant and voracious reader, and had accumulated a stock of information on almost all possible points. He reatl everything that 578 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. fell in his way, and went through a book with marvelous rapidity. After his essay at the forge and anvil, he determined to pursue a regular course of study. His first attempt was at English Grammar. During four months that he worked for a farmer, he had forty minutes at mid-day, and at the end of the four months he liad thoroughly mastered Kirkham a,nd Goold Brown. His stru2:gle from this period, until he entered Union College, in 1855, was entirely unaided. He taught school in the winter, and, possessing fine mechanical abilities, he worked at carpentry during portions of the summer. He gave every odd moment to his books, and, with such assistance as was available in an occasional recitation to a neighboring cleroyman, he was able, when he presented himself for examination, to enter Union College in the third term of the sophomore class. His preparatory studies included a large number of languages, for whose study he developed an unusual proficiency. At this period he had given a good deal of attention to, and was tolerably familiar with, French, German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. It may be mentioned that his board for the first six months was paid in advance, by his building a barn for the gentleman with whom he boarded. Like some other young men's, Mr. Wilkie's first eifusions were sentimental. He achieved some considerable local reputation by the pub- lication of sundry poems, chiefly araatoiy, the first of which, by the way, that was ever printed in a newspaper, was given to the public by Pro- fessor Amasa McCoy, then the editor of a paper in Ballston Spa. Some anonymous poems, sent to the ''Daily Star," of Schenectady, attracted attention, and, in consequence, Mr. Wilkie was overwhelmed with joy by an offer from the publisher to take editorial charge of the " Star," at a salary of four dollars a week. He eagerly embraced the gorgeous proposal, and mounted the tripod, from which he has never yet descended. He graduated in due season, with full credentials. That he was industrious and possessed endurance, is shown in the fact that, for a space of a year or more, he kept up his studies, did all the editorial and scissoring for the "Star;" started a literary and musical weekly, the composition of whose music he. taught himself to perform; wrote a serial novel, which ran through the "Star' and his weekly ; learned to set type — and all those various operations at the same time. The least portion of these labors was his lessons. FRANC B. WILKIE. 579 Possessed of an extraordinary memory, lie eould almost invariably master the hardest task, l»y merely readint; it throuuh. His novel — a philosophic-sentimental afTair — never saw tlie light in mannseript. He composed it and set it in type, Avithont its beinji; written. ' In 1856, an old college classmate, named Harrington, who had removed to Davenport, Iowa, prevailed on j\Ir. W'ilkie to go to that city and join him in starting a daily Democratic ncws])aper. Both had little or no practical experience, and hence, in 1857-8, when the financial storm swept over the country, the "Daily News" was sold; and with it went some very roseate anticipations. During his residence in Davenport, INIr, AVilkie was married to Miss Ellen, daughter of John Morse, Esq., of Elgin, Illinois. After having sold the "Ncms," he devoted three months to getting up a book, "Davenport, Past and Present," an interesting and valuable production, but which, from a variety of causes, was not, to the author, a financial success. In the summer of 1858, he published a campaign paper in the interests of Douglas, in Elgin, Illinois. In the autumn of the same year, he became connected with the "Dubuque (Iowa) Herald," with which he remained until 1861. During his connection with the " Herald," he established a reputation as a humorist and a writer of more than ordinary force and brilliance. In 1861, at the breaking out of the war, he accompanied the First Iowa Regiment. A paper which he issued at Macon City, Missouri, from a deserted rebel office, attracted a good deal of notice, and secured him an engagement on the "New York Times." As an army correspondent, he rose at once to the head of the ])rofessi()n in the 'Wv^t. His account of the battle of Wilson's Creek, originally published in the "Dubuque Herald," was copied extensively, and was accounted a most jnasterly production. His relation of the siege of Lexington was copied from the "Xew York Times" by "Frank Leslie," and was by that journal pro- nounced "e(pial to the very best of Russell's productions." His connection with this Lexington light is worthy of notice. He was in St. Louis at the time Price marched against Mulligan. Hearing that the latter was surrounded, Mr. Wilkie crossed Missouri, and entered Price's camp alone, boldly announeed himself and his ])roression, and added that he had come to write nj) the battle, and relied upon (!enei-al Price for ])roj)er treatment. Pleased at tlu; iinpudenee of the operation, 580 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. General Price treated the correspondent like a gentleman, and when Mulligan surrendered, Mr. \Vilkie returned unmolested to St. Louis. This secured him a promotion to the position of chief correspondent of the Department of the West, on the "New York Times," and likewise the compliment of a long editorial in that journal, in which his personal services were very flatteringly alluded to, and his performance, in giving himself up to an enemy to get a battle account, was pronounced to be "wholly without a parallel for its daring in the history of journalism." As the "Gal way" correspondent of the "New York Times," his letters will be remembered by every person who read that paper during the war. He was with Lyon, and then Fremont. He was with General Grant during all his career, from the taking of Fort Henry to the surrender of Vicksburg. During all this time, he witnessed and described every battle of importance in the West and Southwest. His accounts were charac- terized by a freshness, a vividness, a fidelity, a descriptive elegance and finish that were universally recognized, and wliich induced the admiring editor of a Chicago newspaper to pronounce through liis journal that "Wilkie was the best army correspondent in the world." At the conclusion of the Vicksburg campaign, Mr. Wilkie visited New Orleans, to satisfy himself by personal inspection that the river was open to the Gulf; after which he resigned his position on the "New York Times," with the purpose of putting his experience in l)Ook form. He made an extensive contract with a heavy pul)lishing house in Cincinnati for a series of works with reference to the history of the Avar in the West, Avhich it would have taken about three years to accomplish. The delay of a letter in transmission broke up the engagement, and then he took the position of an editorial writer on the "Chicago Times." Since October, 1863, Mr. Wilkie has been connected with that journal. He appears every day in its editorial columns, and has been mainly instrumental in building up a certain department, which the readers of tliat paper find easy to recognize. As a writer, Mr. Wilkie is distinguished for great versatility. He writes with almost incredible ease and rajDidity. While his preference is for sentiment as against dry logic, he hesitates at no subject — handling politics, finance, science, morality, a dog fight or a biblical criticism, with equal facility. He has large imagination, and a lucid appreciation of the humorous, FRANC B. WILKIK. 581 lis is evinced in tlu- general style of his editorial writing, hnt mainly in liis sketehes, rumbles abont town, ete., wliiili eoustitute a well-known I'eature in the "Sunday Times." His happiest efforts are iu the direction of" descriptive writing, in his artistic and minute elaboration of details, and in a free and easy ability to sketch the jMrsonnd of those with whom he is thrown in contact. He possesses a fund of sarcasm, whose chief fault is its being occasionally too sardonic to be agreeable, and its indiscriminate use in the treatment of subjects, without due reference to their character. Beneath his apparent contempt for a great many things, he possesses a genuine regard for what is really good and true in life; and this admi- ration not unfrequently burets through his cynicism and makes itself felt with emphasis. Considering his late start in life, Mr, Wilkie has yet a long time in which his value as a writer may be improved, and his faults toned down. It is safe to predict for him a most promising and brilliant future. He is yet a hard student, and possesses to-day precisely as strong an and)ition to progress, as he did when he commenced the study of grammar at the farm-house. Entirely self-made thus far, he can continue the labor to almost any extent. JOHN C. BURROUGHS. President Bueroughs, one of our foremost educators, is of English Puritan descent. One of his ancestors was the Kevcrend Jeremiah Burroughs, an independent clergyman of the seventeentli century, and a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, who earned an endur- ing reputation as an author and scholar. The family name appears upon the earliest pages of our colonial history, and has been made honorable by several men of parts in professional and mercantile life. The Reverend Dr. Joseph Burroughs was one of the founders of Dartmouth College. Immediately after the war of the American Revolution, the paternal grandflither removed from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Dutchess County, New York, and subsequently to Delaware County, of the same State, where he died, leaving the homestead to the father of the subject of this sketch, the late Deacon Curtis Burroughs, who was a man greatly esteemed for purity of life and zeal in the Church of Christ, throughout all the region in which he was known. He established the first Sunday school west of Rochester, and was always on the alert for opportunities to do good and build up the cause he cherished. He died in 1863. The mother came of a North of Ireland stock, and inherited any amount of capacity for exertion and endurance. She died in 1850. John C. was born in Stamford, Delaware County, New York, on the 7th of December, 1818, and was two years old when his father commenced his toilsome experience as a pioneer settler in the western i)art of the State. During this experience the boy grew up. Few who have attained respectability in educational circles had a more disheartening recei)tion at the threshold of life. Much of the surrounding country, which now "laughs with abundance," wa.s then abiding under its ''thistly curse," and 584 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. covered Avitli a " boundless contiguity of shade." Trees had to be felled so that corn could be planted. The new settler's work is slow and hard. They are the picket guard of civilization, and have an enemy to light whose persistency and resistancy none can pro])erly comprehend but those who encounter him. Neighbors are scarce and remote, the whistle of the locomotive is far out of hearing, and no stage horn even cheers the solitudes with its promissory notes. The farmer breaks his own roads, and changes their "channel" to suit the whims of the elements. He works with his own hands, building his own house and reaping his own fields. He lives "from hand to mouth." Weariness pursues him day and night, and after long years of self-sacrificing toil, he "dies without the sight" of the promised land. Others reap where he has sown. Those who come after him will be preferred before him. The honey and milk are far in the future. Such are the thoughts which arise in the mind, and the scenes that pass before the imagination, as we contemplate the embryo President of our noble University plodding tlirough his boyhood. He went to school in the log school-house that stood on the roadside, sheltered by the venerable oaks which bent over it in a fatherly way and stretched their arms around it as protection from the angry winds. Here the country schoolmaster dispensed sucli instruction as he Avas in possession of, or such as he found time to impart after eking out his livelihood with axe or scythe. However, there was some good teaching done in that district school. At intervals there was a teacher who was master of what he taught, much to the account of young Burroughs, who made the most of such opportu- nities. He was as anxious as he was apt to learn. Closely he applied himself, and rapidly he improved, considering his advantages and disad- vantages. And so this schooling, plain and rude though it was, was a very valuable assistance in the shaping of the boy's early turn of mind. He learned lessons of the pioneer school teacher in the wilderness never to be forgotten in after life. And the home was a school in which the parents were the teachers. They appreciated the importance of early intellectual training, and devoted themselves with pious industiy to the instruction of the boy in the rudiments of an English education. An older sister, too, was as assiduous as she was conscientious in this employment. She was a woman of rare Morth, filling the house with the radiance of her charms. Her JOHN C. BURROUGHS. 585 kindly words and gentle manners gave to her instruction a weight which made them irresi?Jtil)le. Xor did the brother try to resist them. He sat at his sister's feet M'ith a loving heart and a willing mind, spelling out the lesson of the day by the light of the log fire, in the early morning. He remembers, with a deep feeling of gratitude and affection, that sister's fidelity, and will ever regard her labors of love as among the most effective of the beneficent influences that were brought to bear upon his childhood. And the little church in the wilderness he will always recollect with a strong and sacred sense of obligation. It met in no "steeple house." It bowed to the sway of no majestic organ. It sat in no cushioned pews. It could not afford to hire its praising done by a fancy choir, nor its preaching done by a learned graduate. Its place of assembly was the school-house or the log home, which resounded with stirring and sturdy songs of Zion rising from honest-hearted worshipers, who felt what they sang, and sang what they felt. The preaching was by a plain man, on plain themes, put in a plain way. The boy's mind was set a-thinking by the thinking of the pioneer l)reacher, which reminds us of that significant observation of the late Thomas Buckle, that the church is the only link which some have to connect them with the intellectual world. It is so, and a volume might be filled with the fruits of the fact. Statesmen have had their first impulse in the prayer meeting, and orators have had the beginning of their training there. The mind of young Burroughs was ploughed by the rugged sugges- tiveness that he found in the sermons of the farmer-preacher. lie was an hungered intellectually, as well as spiritually, by the preaching that fell upon his childhood's ears. Many years before he saw a meeting-house he saw "the King in His beauty," and became His zealous subject. His heart was mellowed, and his brain quickened. He grew in divine and human knowledge. Nor are we to skip, in our special mention here, the battle with obstacles which gathered upon the boy's path resulting from life in a new country. The poverty of his parents, the jiaucity of his books, the necessity for his assistance in field and forest, the miasma that periodi- cally swept the country, to say nothing of the scarcely less dreaded tax-gatherer of the "Holland Purchase," who made his annual tour among the toil-worn settlers, combined to obstruct the feet of ambition 586 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and to tie the hands of high endeavor. And this boy was ambitious, and was animated by high resolves. As he sat in his father's little Sunday school, devouring the juvenile literature of the Sunday School Union, or sat at the feet of sister, or preacher, or teacher, he was excited with thoughts of going to college and rising to respectability in some intellec- tual pursuit. When he was about twelve years of age, the district was fortunate in securing the services of a teacher in the log school-house who was possessed of more than ordinary attainments, and who pronounced young Burroughs ready for an advance in studies — advising him to apply himself to the study of natural philosophy. But works on that subject had not found their way to that wilderness, and the money necessary to bring them Avas not forthcoming. A Natural Philosophy, however, he would have. So he shouldered an axe, went to the woods, and it Avas not long before he had cut and carted to tlie distant market enough wood, at twenty-five cents per cord, to put him in possession of Blake's Natural Philosophy. Other valuable books, such as Webster's School Dictionary, Blaire's Rhetoric, etc., were procured by similar means. At sixteen years of age, the Inspector of Public Schools pronounced him qualified for a teacher, and he made an engagement for four months at twelve dollars per month. He continued in this employment for four seasons, working upon the farm during the intervening summers. These were years of hard work, but of decided progress. He was soon enabled, by means of his earnings, to remove a vexatious and burden- some debt from his faithful father's shoulders. And by thus improving his father's circumstances he improved his own. His services were no longer indispensable on the farm, and his time was thereafter largely at his own disposal. He could do with it as he chose, and he determined to devote it, hour by hour, to mental improvement. He resolved to press on and up, and he did so. He preferred the legal profession. From early childhood that Avas his choice. At nineteen years of age, he entered the law office of an eminerit attorney in Medina, Orleans County, Ncav York, where he applied himself passionately and patiently to the books that Avere set before him, making up AA^hat Avas lacking in his means of subsistence by occasional service as clerk in a book store. He thought himself uoav upon the path of destiny. He had talents admirably adapted to the profession he had chosen, as Avell as a thorough liking for it. But he Avas no sooner JOHN C. BURROUCxlIS. 587 inimersed in the pages of Bltickstonc and IloiVnian's Legal Conrse, than lie realized his deficiency in that general eonrse of stndy Avhieh is necessary to the mastery of the science of law. He saw that with his present attainments it would be impossible to get beyond mediocrity in that profession. Immediately, therefore, a new i)lan was formed and a new resolution made. He Avould acquire a thorough classical education, and Avith this determination he entered the Brockport Collegiate Institute. The next three years were spent there and in the Middlebury, now Wyoming, Academy, New York, where, in the face of grievous pecuniaiy embarrassments, he perfected his preparation for Yale College, whose sophomore class he entered in the autumn of 1839. He was graduated at Yale in 1842, with a class of one hundred and three, and had the reward of his irksome pursuit of a scholar's honors by receiving them at the hands of this venerable and renowned seat of learnine:. During his college course, his mind was harrassed with skepticism, and the religion he had learned in the home of his childhood became enfeebled by a partial "eclipse of faith." His feet "stumbled on the dark mountains," but the two immortal Avorks of Paley, Evidences of Christianity and Natural Philosophy, Avhich formed a part of the college curriculum, led him to the Rock of Refuge, and there he has ever since abided, secure and in peace. He Avas all the stronger for the struggle. The sun AA'as all the brighter for the distressing darkness which had preceded its breaking from the clouds. The young man's faith A\'as reconstructed and re-established. jNIany have to go through this })ainful process of reconstruction. A\'ith the breaking of the clouds came a ncAV indication of Providence and a ncAV revelation as to the future. The old Avay of thinking passed aAvay. Ambition Avent under in the struggle Avith duty. The Avords of the great commission came murmuring to the youth on every zephvr, and thundering in his ears Avith every storm. With alacrity the command was obeyed, and after filling the position of Princii)al of the Hamilton Academy, New York, for a year and a half, Mr. Burroughs entered the Madison Theological Seminary in that place, from Avhich he graduated in 1846. In 1843, he Ava.s married to Miss Elvira S. Fields, Principal of the Ladies' Seminary at Hamilton, who has ever since nobly borne her share of the burthen and heat of the day Avhich fell to the lot of her husband. He preached a.s a "supply" one year for the Baptist Clinnh in 588 BIOGEAPHICAL, SKETCHES. Waterford, New York, and was for about five years pastor of the Baptist Church in West Troy, New York. He had acquired in college an excellent command of language, and soon earned the name of a good preacher of the Gospel, and a faithful overseer in the vineyard of his Lord. In 1852, he became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Chicago. He had preached but one Sabbath in the meeting-house of his new parish when it was destroyed by fire. This calamity was a depressing blow to both pastor and people, but with that elasticity and energy for which the Baptists are distinguished, they soon rallied from the shock, and under the leadership of the new pastor the funds necessary for building purposes were solicited, and a new edifice was erected in 1854, at an expense of $30,000. During this pastorate, Dr. Burroughs established the "Christian Times," as an organ of his denomination for the Northwest, and that journal was conducted by him for several mouths. Once at work in this teeming and stirring city, he exhibited a zealous interest in tlie educational affairs of the AVest. The value of his aid in this direction was recognized by a call to the Presidency of ShurtleH' College, at Alton, Illinois, in 1855, which he declined. In the same year, he was the first mover in securing of the late Senator Douglas the donation of the site for a seat of learning in this city. Upon that magnificent site the University of Chicago now stands. Dr. Burroughs was elected its President in 1856. He saw the magnitude of the opening, and went to work with all his soul to take advantage of it. At the sacrifice of his personal comfort and pecuniary affairs, he harnessed himself to the project of building the edifice and organizing the school. To this he has given ten years of his prime, and now has the satisfiction of seeing the work of his hands thoroughly established. The story of these ten years is a narrative of unrequited toil, of multifarious labors, and of brave grappling with cumulative obstacles, such as is rarely put into print. The commanding position which the University has reached in the educational world, and the pride it has excited throughout the West, may juvStly be attributed as much to the guardianship and management of its President as to any other cause, perhaps to all other causes combined. We may not dwell upon this capstone work of his life. Should he live a hundred years he will not do a greater. He has built his own JOHN C. HFRRorOHS. 589 monument. Few men, livinj;- or (lend, li:ive one cijiial tn il in m.'i'iiiiliidc, in inHuenee and in durahility. In 18o(j, he received the tith' (A' J)irinlf(iti,'< Jhdor iVoiii (he ITnivei-.-iity of" Koeht'ster. As a teacher of metaphysics, tlie hrancli wliich is covered by his chair, President Burroughs has tlie faculty of nMiderino- tliis abstruse science pleasing and attractive to the i)upil. The teacher's enthusiasm is imparled to the student. " The chair" is ardently eidisted un the side oi" which the late Sir AVilliam Hamilton was the recognized head, and no j)ains are spared to support the i)ositions of tin's school with persuasive reasoning and careful logic. Although not yet quite fifty years of age. Dr. Jiurroughs w(>ars the marks of an older man. jMucIi serving has left its traces, and as vou look upon his countenance you do not need to be told that he has heen troubled about many tilings for many years. Wisliing him back the flesh and strength he has lost in the service of his fellows, and i)raying that he may live without vexation the remainder of his days, we take our leave of him and of this scanty sketch of his laborious and useful life. CHAUNCEY T. BOWEN. The Chicago of twenty years ago was hardly more than a thrifty village. So late as 1850 its population was less than thirty thousand, and it had only forty miles of railway. The business transacted here then was almost wholly confined to the retail trade, except in the item of grain, which was even then handled in immense quantities. Galena, now a town of no commercial importance whatever, claimed to be the future metropolis of the Northwest, and boasted that the railway projected by the genius and enterprise of Chicago, and destined to pass through that place on its way to the Mississippi, would prove more beneficial to itself than to this city. Peoria and Milwaukee were at that time uo mean rivals, at least in pretensions, and even Racine and Kenosha thought to compete with Chicago. Each had certain advantages which were put forward as good and sufficient reasons why it should outstrip, as a commercial ])oint, all competitors. ^Is for St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Louisville, they would, no longer than twenty years ago, have deemed it sheer madness to have predicted that before two decades this city would excel them all in everything constituting metropolitan greatness. Yet such has proved to be the case. The causes which conspired to make Chicago flourish beyond all precedent are many. Nature evidently designed it for the Capital of the Interior, and in every department its citizens developed unecjualed enter- prise and forethought. Many evidences of the business sagacity of that early period might be given, but we content ourselves by referring to one, a man whose name stands prominent among those pioneers who did so much towards breaking down the old fogy system of doing business which prev^ailed at that time. This honored name our early settlers will 592 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. well remember, in connection with the establishment of "The People's Cheap Store" in our city. Mr. N. H. Wood, wo believe, was the first to introduce into Chicago the system of trading on strictly cash principles. Hitherto, the universal practice had been to buy and sell on credit. Months would intervene between the purchase of goods and the payment for them. Indeed, it Avas no uncommon thing for a customer to Avait a full year before jjaying, and not unfrequently the account would go unsettled much longer. The credit system prevailed the country over, but for some reason the West was proverbially slow. The inevitable result of this long-time system was, that enormous profits were charged, sufficient to cover the length of time and risk run by the soller. The casli plan, adopted and rigidly adhered to by Mr. Wood, enabled him to offer his goods at greatly reduced prices; consequently, the fame of "The People's Cheap Cash Store" soon extended throughout the country, and every man who had the ready money was sure to go there for his goods. The new system thus inaugurated gained in favor among mercantile men and their customers, until what was twenty years ago peculiar to one store has become common to the whole city. In July, 1849, when only a lad of seventeen summers, Chauncey T. BowEX, a member of the house of Bowen Brothers, entered the employ of Mr. Wood. Although so young, he in a few months became the real head of the establishment — the youth thus giving promise of the man. And from a penniless clerk, a stranger, from what was then a far country, he soon advanced to the front rank amouir the business men of Chicao;o, and for years has been accounted one of the leading men, not only of this city, but of the West. Mr. Bowen was born in the town of Manheim, Herkimer County, New York, August 15, 1832. His parents, Stephen and Lucinda Bowen, were highly res])ectable members of a society almost wholly composed of farmers. The family consisted of two daughters, Elmina and Mary, and six sons, James H., Truman H., Asa C, George S., Chauncey T., and Allison R., all of whom still survive, except the youngest, who died at the age of sixteen, a youth of extraordinary promise. The one grand aim and ambition of the parents Avas not, as is too often the case, to add acre to acre, and leave a goodly inheritance to their heirs, but rather to give each son a good business education. Habits of industry, probity, prudence and forethought were cultivated in them, and, we may CHAUNCEY T. HOWEN. 593 add, none disappointed their hopes, while more than one went far beyond tlieir most sanguine expectations. At tlie age of twelve, which is the beginning of the perilous transition from boyiiood to youth, young Cluiuncey left his parental home to attend school in Fairfield, an adjoining town, where he remained one term. This completed his school days. Returning home, he spent a few months at the homestead, the last of his out-door life, and then entered the store of his brother James H., in Antwerp, Jeti'erson County, New York. He remained there one year and a half We next find him a clerk in a store at Little Falls, a village in his native county, remaining one year. From there, our future merchant came to Chicago, and now it was that the foundation of his life-work was laid. He came here to enter the service of Mr. ^yood, whom we have already mentioned. Ills j)arents were naturally very reluctant to have the youiigest of their surviving sons, the "Benjamin" of their old age, go so far from home, and, while yet on the threshhold of youth, enter the vortex of what was then a frontier city, and, like all other towns, full of the pitfalls and gins which prove the ruin of so many young men of promise ; but, after mature consideration, they gave their consent. Never was an employe better suited for his position, and the duties which devolved upon him were admirably adapted to fit him for the part he was afterwards to sustain in the commercial develop- ment of this city and the Northwest. Before he had been in Mr. Wood's employ three months, he was placed at the head of the establishment. The proprietor was absent the greater part of the time, and the whole responsibility rested upon the shoulders of young Bowen. He gave his personal attention to every department of the business. He was at once cashier, bookkeeper and head salesman ; the first man at the store in the morning, and the last to leave it at night. But his labors were not confined to the counter and the desk. Not content with seeing that customers were well served and books accurately kept, he added largely to the custom of the establishment by pursuing a system of advertising and "drumming" peculiarly adapted to these pioneer days. At that time it was the custom of the farmers from the country round to come to Chicago with their produce, and camp out for the night in what was then the Houthern suburbs of the town, in the vicinity of Eighteenth street, and it was jNIr. Bowen's practice, mornings, before it was time for trade, to go the rounds of the camp and distribute advertising circulars among the campers, setting forth the superior inducements of " The People's 594 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. Cheap Store." Not content with merely scattering these, he "would, by a few words fitly spoken, win upon their personal favor. In that way he became widely and always favorably known to a large circle of customers, whose trade added materially to the profits of his employers. The personal popularity of young Boweu was very great. The farmers liked to trade with him better than with a kid-glove counter-jumper, who fancies the condition of mercantile success is good clothes and fastidious drawing-room manners. And we may add that the same good sense which characterized Mr. Bowen then, has ever since. Not only so, but he has been careful to surround himself with associates and assistance similar in character. At this day there is no one connected with his establishment, from the senior member of the firm to the porters, who does not by his works show his faith in tlie dignity of labor, of whatever kind. Mr. Bowen's theory in regard to advertising was then, and always has been, that no promises in regard to quality of goods or their price should be made that he could not fulfil. Enterprise may reap an ephemeral reward, even when dishonest; but great, lasting success is conditioned on probity. Mr. Wood was not slow to testify his appreciation of these services. The salary for the first year had been fixed at two hundred dollars, but at the end of the year Mr. Bowen found six hundred dollars credited to his account, without anything having been said by eitlier party ujjon the subject. At the same time his salary was, without solicitation, raised to one thousand dollars. Tliis was nobly generous of Mr. Wood. Yet he could richly afford to do it, for the young man's services, even tlien, were remarkalily cheap, considering the amount and kind of service rendered. In 1853, Mr. Wood retired from business. He was succeeded by Mills, Bowen & Dillingbeck. The members of the firm were D. H. Mills, George S. Bowen, Chauncey T. Bowen and Stephen Dillingbeck. The business continued to be conducted on the same plan as before, only on a much larger scale, and even more profitably. This firni was, in 1856, succeeded by the famous house of Bowen Brothers, of which George S. and Chauncey T. were the co-partners. In July, 1857, their oldest brother, James H. Bowen, came on from Albany, New York, and joined them. The business of this house during the last ten years has been immense. There is not a merchant in the West who has not heard of Bowen CHAUNCEY T. BOWEN. 595 Brotliers, and the majority of thoso wlio have been in trade any length of time have doubtle.ss had more or less dealings witii them. The enviable rej)ntation of Chicago as a eentre for wholesale snpplies is largely due to the enterprise and scrupulous honesty of this house. Its sales lor the last three years amounted to more than fifteen million dollars, Neither Sr. Louis nor Cini-innati^ cities whicii once looked down in disdain upon Chicago, has a house that can make any such showing into several millions. About a year ago the lirm of Bowen Bros, retired from business, and erected one of the finest mercantile blocks in the city, Jt contains five stores, and is admitted to be superior to any business block yet built in Chicago, ]Mr. Chauncey T. Bowen was married at Watertown, in 18G1, to Miss Theresa S. Dewey, daughter of the late Dr, Dewey, of Antwer]), New York. Their only child, Frederick C, Bowen, a lovely little fellow of unusual promise, was killed by a fall when in the sixth year of his age. Mr. Bowen is a member of Graee (Episcopal) Church, Although ardently devoted to his communion, he is liberal in his views, beautifully exemplifying the matchless sentiment of the lamented Lincoln — ''Malice toward none, charity toward all," It may be said of riches as Shakspeare says of greatness, " some men are born to it, some achieve it, others have it thrust upon them," Mr, Bowen belongs to the second class, his success being the reward of industr}', integrity and enterprise. MARK SKINNER. Hox. Mark Skixner, avIio has been identified Avitli the interests of Chica<>:o since a very early day in its liistory, and has contributed in no inconsiderable degree to its material prosperity and present advancement, was born at Manchester, Vermont, September 13, 1813. His family connections date back to the very earliest days of New England liistory, and, upon the maternal side, througli the Pierpoints, he is connected with one of the oldest and most lanious of the great historic families of England. His mother was the daughter of Robert Pierpoint, and a double cousin of John Pierpoint, the poet, recently deceased. His father, Richard Skinner, was a man of eminence, distinguished alike for his legal and political abilities, whose name is prominent in the history of Vermont, having held the various offices of State's Attorney for the county of Bennington, Judge of Probate for the northern district of the same county, ]Member of the Legislature, Governor of the State, ^Member of Congress, and for many years Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State. Such was the respect M'ith which he was regarded by the people of Vermont, that the tenure of these various offices was literally at his own option, and limited, almost invariably, by personal declination, after successive terms in each. The son fitted himself for college, principally under the tuition of the eminent Professor Dewey, at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, then, as now, celebrated for its educational advantages. He entered the University of Vermont, at Middlebury, in 1830, and graduated in 1833, having matriculated in advance of his cla.ss. Inheriting from his Hither a predilection for the law, immediately upon his graduation he marked out for himself the same professional course which his father had pursued with 598 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. such marked success, and from 1833 to 1836, studied Ids profession, at Saratoga Springs, with Judge Ezek Cowen, the eminent jurist and author, and Nicholas Hill, one of the most accomplished lawyers in the annals of the New York bar. One year of the three was spent at the New Haven Law School, attached to Yale College, under the instruction of Judges Dagget and Hitchcock. At the expiration of his term of study, he ^\•as contemplating a co-partnership with INIr. Hill, but tempting pecuniary affairs, with other circumstances, combined to change these plans, and his attention was drawn westward to the young city of Chicago, which was just beginning to be the centre of attraction, and was offering unusual inducements to young men of energy and enterprise, and the resolution was speedily formed to identify himself with the new place and grow with its growth. He came to Chicago in July, 1836, cotemporary with a large circle of young men, who have given their best energies to the advancement of the city, and are now among its most prominent and honored citizens. Pie was admitted to the bar of Illinois immediately upon his arrival, and entered upon the active practice of the law in the autumn of that year, associated with George A. O. Beaumont, Esq., as partner. In 1839-'40, during the mayoralty of Alexander Loyd, Esq., he was elected City Attorney, and transacted the law business of the city with eminent success. His fixed purposes of character, strong moral resolution, and his native energy — although he was always compelled in a greater or less degree to contend against physical infirmity — not only combined to insure hini success in his profession, but gave him a leading position as a straight- forward, reliable member of the Democratic party — for ]Mr. Skinner can hardly be said to have ever been a professional politician. Whatever political preferments he obtained rather came to him directly from the people than he to it, for politics, as a profession, were distasteful to him. He was Master in Chancery for Cook County for many years, but his first purely political appointment was that of United States District Attorney, by President Tyler, to succeed Hon. Justin Buttcrfield, the district then embracing the entire State. Having held the office and familiarized himself with its routine of duties, it was only natural that he should desire to retain it, and when Mr. Polk's Administration came in, he sought a second term, his claim being contested by Hon. I. N. Arnold. The contest between the two applicants was a very protracted and animated one — so animated, indeed, that a compromise was effected by conferring MARK SKINNER. 599 the office u[)Oii a third ])ai(y — hut the striiizi^h' liad -iivcii Mr. Skiinicr a sitisfactorv view (A' the (Icscciit.s a man iniist make to ohlaiii the Fi'dcnil patronage, and lie resolved that this struggle for Federal offiee should he his last. It was just prior to his appointment to the office of District Attorney, that he assisted Mr. JJutterlield in the prosecution of Charles Chapman, u[)()n the charge of perjury, in an application for bankru[)tcy. The case is u particularly noticeable one, and belongs to the causes celcbres of this country, as being the only conviction in the ITnited States under the old Bankrupt Law. Mr. Skinner was elected a mendjcr of the Legislature in LSKJ, the session being held from the first Monday in December, 1846, until March 1, 1847. He was made Chairman of the Committee on Finance, at that time the most important committee in the House. During the time that he occujiied this position, he drew up and procured the passage through the House of a bill re-funding the State debt — a bill which was far- reaching in its influence upon the finances of the State. It reduced all the multiplied forms of State indebtedness — there being six or eight difierent styles of State bonds — into the present convenient and manageable shape, ascertained the limit of the debt, and effectually cut off the possibility of frauds in emitting new and unauthorized issues of bonds. In fact, the bill evoked method and system out of financial chaos, brought the debt of the State into an intelligible condition, and, correspondingly, placed its credit upon a healthy basis. This session was also memorable as the one calling the State Convention which formed the present State Constitution. Upon the question of apportionment of delegates to this Convention, Northern and Southern Illinois were arrayed against each other. The southern members claimed that the apportionment should be made upon tiie basis of the census of 1840, which would have given their section — that is, the counties south of Springfield — the majority in the Convention; and, vice versa, the northern members claimed that it should be made upon the basis of the census of 1845, which, in turn. Mould have given the northern counties the majority. As the construction of the phraseology of the old Constitution could be made favorable to either si(l(>, the contest was naturally a very excited and bitter one. The champiimship ^A' the northern side of the question in the House, by tacit consent, devolved Tq)on Mr. Skinner, and, after a long struggle, his energy and excellent management carried the day. At this session, also, Mr. Skinner's influence was felt in the i)assage of the measure to recommence a partial 600 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. payment of the interest on the State indebtedness, which up to that time had been in default for many years, and a disposition to repudiate, wliich had long been manifest in some quarters, thereby giving the State credit a very unfavorable reputation at the great financial centres of the couniry. It was this same question of the State debt which gave interest to the sectional contest on the apportionment of delegates to the State Con- vention, and entailed upon this apportionment the most important financial results; for, hoAvever the southern counties might stand upon the question of payment of the debt — and there were grave fears as to their attitude — it was very well known that the northern counties were unanimously in favor of paying the interest in full, and. of liquidating the principal at maturity, or as soon thereafter as the condition of the State finances would admit. In 1851, Mr. Skinner was elected Judge of the Cook County Court of Common Pleas, now the Superior Court of the City of Chicago, over Hon. John J\I. Wilson, the opposition candidate, and declined a re-election in 1853, on account of ill-health. Tlie labors of the bench at that time were almost insupportable, especially in a case of physical infirmity. Mr. Skinner was the sole Judge of the Court, and practically did the business appertaining to the higher courts of the county at that time, the Circuit Court holding but two short terms annually, and tlie Recorder's Court not yet being in existence. All the criminal and nine-tenths of the civil business of the county was transacted in this Court, and imposed a burden of care and responsibility which was almost intolerable. The Recorder's Court was established in 1853, thereby relieving the Common Pleas of the larger part of the criminal docket, and the subsequent modification of the Court, and the change in the terms of the Circuit Court, made the position not only much more endurable as regards actual labor, but infinitely more desirable in the matter of compensation. The same cause which led Judge Skinner to decline re-election to the bench operated to prevent him from resuming the general practice of iiis profession, and induced him to turn his attention to the management of large financial operations, which have mainly occupied his time from tliut day to the present. His comprehensive knowledge of the law, as it applies to real estate, and his accurate and clear financial ability^ peculiarly fitted him for the successful management of such a business. Probably no person in the State has invested for non-resident capitalists anything like the aggregate of money that has passed through the hands of Judge MARK SKINNER. 601 Skinner; and, in individual instanocs, sinudo stuns, i-ani;-int^ all the way from five thousand to four hnndrcd tlionsand dollars, have been Inuncd. Thus, primarily, much of the pro<;ress of Chicago has been insured, and very many of the most elegant blocks and residences now ornamentin;^ the city and in process of erection, have been made possible by his financial connections. We come now to another phase of Judge Skinner's life, impersonal in its results, but one of the most important in his career as a public citizen. We need not dwell upon the organization of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission, the wide scope of its labors, or the triumphant success that crowned all its operations, for the relief of the soldiers in field, camp and hospital. The story is as familiar and as dear to the public as a household word. We shall, therefore, only allude to it, as far as the purposes of this biography demand. On the ninth of January, 1861, the Secretary of AVar issued an order, appointing certain gentlemen "a Commission of Inquiry and Advice in respect of the Sanitary Interests of the United States Forces." Four prominent citizens of Chicago were named by this Commission to be associate members, but it soon appeared that they were unable, on account of professional engagements, to bestow the recpiisite time and attention upon sanitary duties. At this juncture, Dr. J. S. Newbury, "Associate Secretary for the West," arrived in Chicago and endeavored to organize the associate members into a Branch Commission, but this project also failed, for similar reasons. Subsecpiently, at a meeting of citizens called l)y E. W. Blatchford, Esq., the associate members appointed by the United States Sanitary Commission publicly resigned their positions, and all present united in choosing "a Committee of Seven, to constitute the Sanitary Commission of Chicago." The committee was composed of the following gentlemen : Hon. Mark Skinner, Rev. W. W. Patton, I). D., Rev. O. H. Tiffany, D. D., E. W. Blatchford, Esq., Ralph N. Isham, :M. D., Col. J. D. Foster, and James Ward, Esq. On the same evening, the Committee went into session and effected an organization, by electing lion. Mark Skinner, President; Rev. O. H. Tillluiy, D. D., Vice President; and E. W. Blatchford, Esq., Corresponding Secretary. Thus the " Chicago Sanitary Commission," afterwards, when it had grown from a local to a general organization, styled the "Northwestern Sanitary Commission," had its origin. ]Mr. Skinner held this responsible position until lh<' early part of 1864, performing all the arduous and exacting duties of his 602 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. position without any pecuniary compensation, direct or indirect, when he was obliged to resign on account of a dangerous and protracted attack of typhoid fever. During this time, although aided by a most competent and efficient board, he gave his attention and labor to the devising of i)lans, organization of movements, concentration and forwarding of supplies, without stint, and a success, far beyond the wildest expectation, crowned the effi^rts of the Commission. It was Mr. Skinner's good fortune, also, to find and call to the great work those remarkable women, Mrs. Hoge and INIrs. Livermore, whose efficiency in carrying out the plans which had been adopted, in suggesting and prosecuting to success wise methods of work, and in appealing successfully to the people, have made their names fluniliar in every household throughout the entire Northwest. In 1862, Judo'c Skinner was also elected a member of the United States Sanitary Commission, and remained in connection with it during its existence. Indefatigable and useful as Judge Skinner has been in various departments of public service, no field of labor has redoundeil more to his credit, or Avas better adapted to his energy and ability, than that of the Sanitary Commission ; and as one of the earliest projectors and counselors of this great auxiliary to the Government in the prosecution of the war, without which military operations would scarcely have been possible, his name will always hold a deserved prominence. But it was not al(_)ne l)y his labor and means that Judge Skinner contributed to the prosecution of the war. He gave to the cause of his country his son, Richard Skinner, a young man in the very flower of youth, of great literary promise, and of admirable personal qualities. Immediately after his graduation from Yale College, in 1862, Richard accepted a Second Lieutenancy in the regular army, and became attached to the Tenth Infantry, fie served with distinguished success at Port Royal, was thence successively transferred to Davenport, under Brigadier-General Roberts; to Milwaukee, under General Pope; and again, under General Roberts, to New Orleans, Matagorda Bay, and Pass Caballo. Under the general order of the War Department, he rejoined his regiment, in 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia, and fell, mortally wounded, on the field of duty, June 22d, without fear and without reproach. In college, at home, and in service, he was a universal favorite. He was a young man of remarkable literary accom- ]>lishments, of spotless character, and his death was that of a Christian soldier. Tliere are other incidents in the life of Juda;e Skinner which we must i MA UK SKIXNKI!. 00.'] necessarily pass over in ([iiiek review, Jle has always hecii a warm and jiulieious friend of ediiciition, and served as a nu'nil»er of tlu- Jinanl of School Inspectoifs for many years, accoini>lishin<; much towards tlu; present excellence of our school system by his saj^acious advice and practical appreciation of the cause. In view of his services in this direction, the Skinner School, one of the most flourisliinj; in tlu' city, was named for him. He has, also, furthered the c;iuse of many private enterprises, and delivered many addresses before public and [)rivat« bodies, which are worthy of more attention than the space of this volume allows. Prominent among these addresses is one delivered in 1848, before the New England Society, of which he was one of the founders, and which wils pui^lished at the request of a large number of citizens. The address was devoted to a vindication of the character of the Pilgrim Fathers, and in close historical study of the subject, in clear, convincing argument, and eloquence of diction, was one of the most remarkable addresses ever delivered in Chicago. In the organization and direction of charitable institutions, also. Judge Skinner has always been prominent. He was one of the founders of the Chiciisfo Reform School, and was made first President of the Bc^ard of Directors, a position for which he was eminently qualified, and wliich he held for many yeare. To the organization of this excellent institution he devoted his time and personal attention without stint. He visited and inspected all the prominent reformatory institutions of the Eastern and Middle States, and carefully studied the documentary records of similar schools in Ensland, France and Germanv. The result was a clear con- victlon that the family system of reforming juvenile offenders was infinitely preferable to the congregated system in practice in this counti-y. He labored zealously to effect this change, and finally succeeded in grafting the system upon our own institution. The ill-directed efforts of an incompetent Superintendent had brought the Reform School at one time to a very low ebb of usefulness, if not to the verge of iailnre. The pros- pects of the School were very dark, but Judge Skinner, aided by the other guardians, worked on, and secured the present efficient Superinti'udent, George W. Perkins, Esq., who has proved himself admiral)ly (pialilied to carry - been and are now, among the foremost of the money kings of the nation's financial centre. The "Wall street of fifty years ago was only a distant approximation to the Wall street of to-day; but even when Mr. Georo-e P. Shipman was one of its "heavy" men, its operations were vast, and its ramifications extended the nation over, and wherever, in fact, American commerce penetrated. There was no "gold room" nor stock boards; neither was a banker called a "bear" if he tried to depress the market and a "bull" if he took the opposite tack; but the banking business required as much talent and attention then as now, as conditions of success. Dr. Shipman's mother, Eliza Payson Shipman, M-as a rare woman, every way worthy her husband. She wa.s a sister of Rev. Dr. Edward Payson, the eminent divine, Avhose eloquence and ])iety shed such lustre upon the New England pulpit in the early part of the present century. 606 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Strong in mind, pure in spirit, and wholly devoted to her family, Mrs. Shipman made her home at once delightful and ennobling. Wealth has its dangers, but it has its advantages too, if only its possessors know how to improve them. In this case, both flither and mother appreciated their obligations, and strove with unflagging fidelity to discharge them, and the son of their love and their pride more than realized their aspirations. In early childhood. Dr. Shipman was not considered an unusually promising boy. At that time it was customary to begin a child's educa- tion younger than at the present day. It was supposed that at least as soon as three years of age, it should commence; but Mr. Shipman and his solicitous wife were greatly pained to find their son had no aptitude whatever for learning. Nothing could induce him to turn aside from play and give himself to study, and the disheartened parents gave it up, resolved to let the boy go on at " his own sweet will," hoping that he would eventually think better of his primer. Their hopes were destined to fruition as soon as a child ought to commence study. When six years of age, he conceived an interest in his "horn book," and in the almost incredibly short time of one day mastered the entire alphabet. From that time on he proved, to the great astonishment of his delighted parents, to be a remarkably good scholar. By his lack of precocity he unconsciously but significantly protested against the now exploded fallacy that a child should pass at once from the nursery to the school-room. A brief " phiy- spell" gives strength and vigor to both body and mind. At the early age of thirteen, young Shipman was prepared for cuHege. He had made himself familiar with the various branches of a good English education, and with the rudiments of Latin, Greek and mathe- matics. The natural sciences, now so thoroughly developed, Averc then but dimly apprehended by the learned, and rarely taught to the ordinary scholar. The dead languages, which form, to a very great extent, the basis of our vernacular tongue, and mathematics, which in their higher departments seem to the uninitiated wholly impracticable, but a knowledge of which is in reality indispensable to scientific research not only, but to many departments of our work-day civilization, constituted, at that time, a liberal education. Into these mysteries of figures and angles, of conju- gations and declensions, our student continued to delve almost exclusively until, in his fifteenth year, he entered Middlebury College. There, among the towering peaks of old Vermont, he remained only a year and a half, when he returned to his native city to complete his studies. Middlebury GEORGE E. SHIPMAN. G07 was at tliat time in a very lioun.sliing eoiulitioii, but its advantages were fewer and inferior to those of the University of the City of New York, which our boy-student entered as a sophomore. Tliree years al'ttr (18:}'Jj he gracUiated with higli honors. His course in college had shown him to be comptteiit to adin-u aiiv profession. After due deliberation, he came to the intelligent and lirm conviction that the theory and })ractice of medicine were more to his taste than the responsibilities, great to awfulncss, of the ministry, or the contests of the court-room. He accordingly entered the office of Dr. A. C. Post, a distinguished surgeon of New York, soon after graduation, with whom he studied four years, graduating at the New York College of IMiysicians and Surgeons, in 1843, thoroughly prepared to enter upon the j)ractice of his chosen profession. Now, for the first time, the youth felt the burdens ol' manhood. Hitherto he had lived in the world of books, and all his wants had been supplied by parental love. "Things provided," as Mrs. JJrowning said of Cowper, "came without the sweet sense of providing." But now, our young doctor resolved to enjoy "the glorious privilege of being inde- pendent." Where to do this was a question of grave importance and difficult of solution. Had he chosen to have remained in New York, a large practice would, without doubt, have soon been his; but for him, as for so many other enterprising young men, the West, with its marvelous energies and undeveloped resources, had prevailing attractions. After casting about and balancing the advantages of different localities, he decided to make Peoria, in this State, his home. During his student days, Dr. Shipman gave to each of the various medical schools, especially the allopathic and homoeopathic, an exhaustive examination. After learning their peculiarities, theoretic and practical, he heartily endorsed the system of medical practice taught by llahncinanii. There were but a very few families in Peoria at that time who prcliiTcd homoeopathy, and even those looked with suspicion upon the cxtn-nK* youth of the new doctor from the Empire City; but he met witii such good success in his practice that he was in a fair way to overcome all unfavorable prejudice and secure a large practice, when his hcaltli tailed. With the imprudence of zealous youth, he had overtasked himself, and he was now obliged to abandon, for a time, the practice of his profession. He removed to Andover, Henry County, Illinois, where he i)nrchascd a farm. Having always been a citizen — in the original meaning of that term — 608 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. country life was entirely new to him. The freshman year of his college course had indeed been spent in a rural village, but absorbed in the pursuit of knowledge, the low of cattle and the hum of trade were alike unknown to him. Books and the shadowy past were his surrounding. But now our son of Galen and disciple of Hahnemann tested the virtues of country living, and that, too, in what was then a pioneer settlement on the illimitable prairie. If Yoltaire, and after him Buckle and Draper, are rio-ht in their theory that the human mind and heart are greatly influenced, if not absolutely controlled, by their natural surroundings, then Dr. Shipman's ideas and sympathies must have been greatly enlarged by his new experience. Instead of the narrow, crowded streets with which he had always been familiar, he now found himself almost alone on a track- less, if not boundless sea of land. But even there, in his prairie retreat, he did not entirely forego the practice of his profession, but divided his time between the care of his farm and his patients, gradually regaining his health until finally he became more robust than ever, and was prepared to resume the uninterrupted practice of medicine. It was now, 1846, that his real life work commenced. Finding him- self able to endure the vicissitude of a medical practice, and aware of the immense advantages of Chicago over any other western city, he removed here, a stranger, but not in a strange land. The Chicago of twenty years ago was an indescribable, yet unmistakable, blending of the characteristics of the great metropolis where his youth had l)een spent, and of the prairie from which he at that time parted. He soon found himself quite at home among the people, and entered upon a large and lucrative practice. He was not, however, destined to confine all his time to the healing of diseases. There was then felt by all the physicians of the homoeopathic school to be a pressing demand for a medical journal devoted to the defense and pro- mulgation of the principles of Hahnemann, and the ripe scholarship and marked ability of Dr. Shipman pointed him out as pre-eminently fitted to edit it. Accordingly, he started, in 1848, the " Northwestern Journal of Homoeopathy." This he continued to conduct for four years, making it a decided success. In the year 1857, the Chicago Hospital was founded. The allopathists claimed that it should be under their exclusive medical control, but the City Council decided to give a part of it into the hands of the Homoeo- pathists. This occasioned, in some circles, no little censure. Dr. Shipman defended the action of the Council in a very able pamphlet, entitled GEORGE E. SHIPMAN. G09 "Homoeopathy, Allopathy, and tliu City Council," which had the dosiml effect of puttmg a quietus upon tiic opposition. Again, in 18G5, In; published a pamphlet somewhat similar in character. It was called "An Appeal to Ca?sar." In this he discussed, with consummate ability, the question whether Homoeopath ists can rightfully claim the title of physicians. Dr. Shipman had now established so high and enviable a reputation as a medical Avriter that the AVesteru Institute of Ilonucopathic Physicians, at its meeting in May, 1865, appointed him editor of a new quarterly, to be established at Chicago under the name of " The United States Medical and Surgical Journal," which position he still occupies. This quarterly has a high rank among the strictly professional pcn-iodicals of the country, and reflects credit alike upon its editor and medical science in general. But he has not, as a writer, confined liimself to pamphlets and periodicals. In 1866, he published a work on domestic medicine, giving the use of twenty-five principal remedies. This book, "The Ilonueopathic Guide," met a want quite generally felt, more especially by intelligent families favorable to homoeoj^athic practice, and the sale was very extensive. It is generally, among the profession, regarded as the best hand-book of the kind in print. On the 2oth of April, 1845, Dr. Shipman was married, in New Haven, to Miss Fanny E., daughter of Rev. William J. Boardman, of Northford, Connecticut. They have eight children, six girls and two boys. Into this large family circle the messenger of death has never entered. Dr. Shipman was educated in the Presbyterian faith, to which he still adheres, but is very far removed from sectarian bigotry, and has no sympathy with the absurd notion that salvation is only to be found in one particular denomination. Rightly apprehending the great end and aim of life, and the opportunities afforded by his profession, he has made it his highest and constant ambition to contribute to the diffusion of medical truth and the dispersion of the clouds of error and bigotry which have been alike the curse of the medical profession, and, through it, of the general public. POTTER PALMER. Potter Palmek, the first merchant j)riiice of Chicago, is a native of Albany County, New York. His grandparents moved thither at an early day from New Bedford, Massachusetts. They Avere Quakers, as were most of the old families of that once important seaport town. During the Revolutionary AV^ar it was sacked by the British, the ancestors of Mr. Palmer beinody either transcends its legitimate powers, or enacts a measure that, in his judgment, does not comport with the best interests of the tax-payers, or the city. Although he has large private interests that require pei'sonal attention, yet, he gives nearly all his time to the duties of his office, and takes an honest pride in the city's good government and continued progress. As a man, he is one of Nature's own noblemen, being generous of heart and courteous of bearing; as a citizen, he is public-spirited, and takes a deep interest in every movement that promises to better tiie condition of the people, or to add to the good name or the welfare of the city; and, as a public officer, he is everything that Chicago's best friends could desire. This is high praise, but it is, injustice, due him. JOHN G. GIiNDELE. The homely adage that "genius will work its way through" has received many exemplifications in the history of Chicago, hut none more ibrcible than that presented in the case of JoHX G. Gindele, the Presi- dent of our Board of Public AVorks. His life has furnished two examples, one in his native land, the other in the Garden City. In both instances, he commenced at the lowest round of the ladder, and by the force of inherent genius and indomitable perseverance, he worked his way to a high position on the ladder of fame. We, of Chicago, owe much to his talent; how much, may be left to another generation to tell. John G. Gindele was born January 30, 1814, in the city of Ravensburg, Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany. He Avas named after his father ; his mother's maiden name was Johanna Haag. His father was a manu- facturer of paper; he was drafted to serve in the war of liberation against the French; entered France with the allies, and died tiiere, in 1815, of wounds received in action. His mother married again to J. A. jSIuller, a commission and forwarding merchant; he also had been a soldier, having served under Napoleon in Spain, Italy, Germany and Russia, from 1801 to the end of 1813; he participated in the disastrous retreat from Moscow. The fruit of the second marriage was four girls and a boy, the family thus consisting of six children. Mr. Muller wils not in very good circumstances, but was kind to his step-son. John entered the public school at the age of six, where he was always at the head of his class; at eight, he was removed to the Latin S<'hooI, and at the age of ten he was admitted to the higher classes. Here, also, he soon took the lead, though the youngest in the di|)artiii(iit. His pro- o-ress in these studies led his parents to designate him for tin" church. 620 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. This was, however, overruled by the force of his natural leanings. He had early taken a great flincy to drawing, and the stone-cutter's trade, and often spent his leisure hours in designing ornaments, and then working them out in a neighboring stone-yard. He also spent a great deal of time in constructing water-wheels, and building dams and miniature canals on a little tributary to the main creek on which his native city is situated. That creek, in a distance of three miles, contained twenty-six waterfalls, with factories built on them, the situation affording an unusual stimulus for the exercise of his inventive genius. The idea of studying theology was abandoned, when hi>5 father became fully aware of the bent of his faculties. He was placed in a stone-cutting establishment at Lindau, on the Lake of Constance, under a skillful master, where he worked hard during six days, and took lessons on Sundays in drawing and making models. He studied hard to acquire both a theo- retical and practical knowledge of the builder's art. He had served three years of his apprenticeship when his step-father died, leaving a large family in poor circumstances. His master generously gave him his certifi- cate as journeyman, that he might go home and support the family. Mr, Gindele then worked to this end as journeynum, and devoted his nights often till two or three o'clock in the morning, to perfecting liimself in drawing, and in making plans and models, many of which came before the notice of the city authorities, who were so well pleased with them that they offered him a stipendium for each semester of the Engineers and Architects' School at Munich, that he might attend for the purpose of per- fecting himself in his studies. He embraced the offer and went to Municli, where, during the summer, he worked on some of the most important buildings, and saved money enough to pay tiie expenses of the winter sessions. He there attracted the attention of the Bavarian Government, and was sent by them, at the age of twenty-one and a half, to Kissengen to take charge of public works there, in the erection of a large hall with colonnades, and an elegant stone arched bridge. He then, for some time, superintended the work on the canal connecting the river Main with the Danube. In December, 1838, he took the position of City Engineer of Schweinefurth, a manufacturing place on the river Main, in Northern Bavaria. His appointment was for life. He staid there twelve years. This city owned an immense water-power, and mills and factories with sixteen water-wheels. The whole system of canals, wheels and mills, was erected in 1558, in very rude and primitive style. Mr. Gindele added JOHN G. GINDELE. 621 about five hundred horsc-powcr to the wdrkino; force of the water, niakin*'- all the plans, and superintending the wholt* work of remodeling the canals, dams, etc., and supplying new macliinerv. IL^ also built then; a large hospital, and bridges and many private buildings. During the Revolution of 1848-9, Mr. Gindele stood iirmly on the side of the Democratic party, for the unity of the German people in one great German Empire. When tlw? Parliament at Frankf )rt was dissolved, and the so-called "Rump Parliament," assembled in Stuttgardt, appealed to the people for aid, Mr. Gindele was very active in sending forward five hundred men, well armed, from Schweinefurth. The revolution was a failure, and he was forced to emigrate with his family of five children to .the United States. He settled in Wisconsin, where he lost everything, and removed to Chicago in July, 1852, leaving his family in ^Milwaukee with some friends. Unable to speak the English language, he was here at a great disad- vantage. He sought employment as stone-cutter, and found it at A. S. Sherman's marble and stone-yard, on Lake Street, at a dollar and a half per day. His first job was the carving on the first marble front erected in this city, now Adsit's bank building. Soon after this he cut all the carving work for the four triple windows of the south side reservoir, on Adams street, little dreaming then that he would be so prominently connected with the water-works in future years. As he became familiar with the English language, he was employed as draughtsman, and then l)ecanie Superintendent of the Illinois Stone Dressing Company, having charge of the cut-stone work for the more important buildings erected in the city up to 1859, and conducting the business witli great acceptability. When the company reduced its business, in the last-named year, Mr. Gindele com- menced a stone-yard for himself, and contracted for several l)uildings, the most important of which was the south wing and tower of the Chicago University. In 1861, the Board of Public Works being created by Act of Legislature, lie was elected as (-ommissioner from the South Division, for the term of six years, during four years of which he was President of the Board. At the expiration of the term, he was re-elected, and retained the position of President, which he held until the date of his resignation in December, 1867. As member of the Board of Public Works, lie w;ls also one of the Commissioners of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Many great improvements have been carried (»nt since Mr. Gindele was chosen to the office which \u> lilh'd so ablv. The Lake Tnum-l — the 622 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. eighth wonder of the world — was begun and finished, while the mag- nificent buildings in connection with it are near completion. The responsibility of this great and dangerous undertaking rested wholly with the Board, and was carried through amid much opposition and difficulty, and on a very economical scale. He designed the plan for the tunnel under the river at Washington street, which was adopted with slight alterations, and is now being constructed. This work he did during evenings, that he might not neglect the duties of the office — the work being then unauthorized by the Board or Council. Before it was decided to cleanse the Chicago River by deepening the Illinois and Michigan Canal, his plan for a canal to Calumet, with pumping works, having the same object in view, was considered by the citizens' committee, and by them adopted as the only possible remedy for the evils complained of by the citizens. In 1866, the city government of S(;h\veinefiirth — -his old home — requested Mr. Gindele to send a plan for an important change on the river Main, having for its object the improvement of navigation and the extension of manufacturing facilities. He did as requested, and his plan was adopted, and the city authorities were so well })leased with it that they sent him, as a token of their esteem, a magnificent album, bound in the old German colors, ornamented with a silver double-headed eagle, and containing views of the principal [)oints in the city and vicinity. The gift was accompanied by an exceedingly complimentary letter, which we subjoin : "SwEiNEFURTH, March 19, 18G7. "My Dear Friend: In the absence of our Burgomaster, Carl Von Schultes, who is at the Diet at Munich, I am commissioned to transmit to you, in his name and that of our city authorities, the accompanying souvenir of our dear city. I trust it will reach safely the distant shore and the hands of you and yours, and that on turning its pages you will not only be pleasantly reminded of the town you used to love, and of the changes time has eifected in it, but also of your old friends, and especially that you will see in it a just recognition on the part of Sweiuefurth of the great services you have rendered her. "Doubtless every one of our citizens has reflected with gratification on the fact that in your distant home you have not refused to be useful to us, and that, though burdened with work, you have found time to send us such correct and elaborate productions, which cannot be adequately paid for. We only wish to send you a friendly and grateful recog- nition. As I know you, I feel sure our Burgomaster is right. Doubtless the album will give pleasure to your wife and children, and your fellow-citizens and friends may see from it that our hearts were and still are inclined to you. "With friendly greeting, yours, "Ferdinand Fisher." JOHN G. GINDELE. (323 ^ Mr. Gindele was married, in 1837, to .Afiss Louise Ilir.scl.Ueiin, of Kisseugen. His family of one daughter and il.ur sons were all boru in Germany. Three of the f..ur served with h.nior in the Union army during the late war. FRANCIS C. SHEIIMAN. The Hon. Francis C. Sherman is another of the comparatively few persons who were participants in laying the foundations of the city, and yet take an active part in its business and growing greatness. He was born in Newtown, Connecticut, in the year 1805, and came to Chicago Avith his family in April, 1834. Shortly after he reached here, he built, Avith the aid of a fellow-workman, a frame dwelling on Randolph street, between LaSalle and Wells street. This building, which is still standing, was originaliy twelve feet high, and eighteen by thirty-four in width and depth. Here he opened a boarding-house, and every nook in the building was occupied. The next year he had purchased a wagon and pair of horses, and, in the absence of stage coach facilities, carried passengers from Chicago to Joliet, Ottawa, Galena, Peoria, or other places, generally getting a return load to Chicago. In 1835, he moved "out on the prairie," being on Adams street, near Market, and comiiicnced I trick-making, using the clay and erecting his kilns on that part of the city lying between jNIarket street, Adams street, the river, and the present site of the Madison street bridge. In 1835-6 he built for himself the first four-story brick building erected on Lake street, being near Clark street, and on the lot now used by Matson & Hoes' jewelry store. Mr. Sherman continued in the business of brick-making and building for over fourteen years, during that time acquiring and improving much valuable property, and building many houses and blocks for others. In 1850, lie retired from that business, but in the management of a large estate and in the improvement of it he has passed, and continues yet to pass, a life of more than ordinary activity. Mr. Sherman, in 1836-7, erected, on the corner of Randolph and Clark streets, a three-story brick building, which was known as the "City 626 BIOGRAPHICAIi SKETCHES. Hotel." This be afterwards remodeled, making it a five-story buildino-, eighty by one hundred feet, which was called the Sherman House, and this, in 1860, he pulled down, in order to build the present Sherman House, which is unsurpassed by any hotel edifice in the country. It measures one hundred and eighty-two by one hundred and sixty-one feet. Mr. Sherman, from almost his first arrival in Chicago, has taken an active part in public affairs, and has enjoyed public confidence to the fullest extent. He was selected as one of the first Board of Trustees of the town of Chicago, and served until Chicago was incorporated as a city. He served in the first Board of Aldermen under the city government, and repeatedly thereafter. He served also a.s a member of the County Com- missioners' Court, and in various county trusts and offices. He was also one of the Board of Appraisers of the Canal Lands. He took an active part in preserving the Court House Square for public purposes. He was a Supervisor from one of the city wards, and enjoyed the full confidence of the country members. He was made President of the Board at the time when the sale of the Public Square was ordered ; the policy being to use the proceeds to build public offices on less expensive sites. Mr. Sherman's personal influence probably defeated this scheme. His efibrts induced the city to contribute largely to the erection of the present Court House building, thus securing the Square for all time for public purposes. Mr. Sherman has always been a man of practical ideas. His opponents have charged him with a want of polish and a deficiency of education, but the people of the city have disregarded all this, because of their confidence in his strong practical sense and personal integrity. His wealth has been the result, not of speculation, but of honest, hard-working and persevering industry. He was elected a member of the State Legislature as early as 1843, and subsequently. He was also elected and served as a member of the State Convention, which, in 1847, framed the present Constitution of the State. During his life, except for one year, he has been an active member of the Democratic party. In 1856, he was nominated by the opposition as a candidate for Mayor, and was defeated. In 1858, he was a Democratic candidate for the Legislature, and was defeated by a few votes. In 1862, he was the Democratic candidate for Mayor of Chicago, and was elected over C. IS". Holden, Esq. In 1863, he was re-elected for two years, over T. B. Bryan, Esq., after the fiercest local contest ever known in this city. In 1862, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress, and in 1865 and 1867 the Democratic candidate for IVIayor. GEORGE P. A. HEALY. Although onr city lias been more or less absorbed, during the years tliat are past, in the great work of buihling up a lasting foundation for her present and future greatness, thus compelling her to give almost exclusive attention to commercial enterprises, yet we are glad to chronicle the fact that, of late years, her attention has been turned, in a great degree, to the culture of the fine arts. To-day she boasts of a corps of artists whose Inisy fingers are constantly engaged in satisfying the increasing demands of her citizens for works of this description. Fore- most in this list is he whose sketch Ave are about to write. George P. A. Healy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, July 1"^, 1813, being the eldest son of Captain "William and !Maiv Healy. His father led an active life in his profession, as a captain in the merchant service. In the war of 1812, his vessel and cargo, in wliidi his entire fortune was embarked, were captured by a British privateer, and he himself detained as a prisoner of war six months on the island of Antigua, after which time he was exchanged. On his return, lie married ^liss Mary Hicks, who was oidy fourteen years of age. From liis mother ]Mr. Healy, no donbt, inherited his talent for [)ainting, of which, however, he gave no indication until the age of sixteen, when it was develoj)ed by drawing maps for his school companions. Two years later, Thomas Sully visited Boston, commissioned by the Athena?um of that city to paint a wliole-length portrait of its benefactor, the late Colonel Thomas H. Perkins. A friend of Mr. Ilealy — Miss Jane Stuart, daughter of the late Gilbert Stnart — jirc.-i'Mird liim lo this great artist, who re(|ueste(l him to make a study from nature and coj)y a head by Stuart. When (•••mpletod and shown t() Mr. Sully, he, Mith liis 628 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. characteristic kindness, said: "By all means, Mr. Healy, make painting your profession." Mr. Sully was commissioned by the St. George's Society, seven years later, to go to London and paint Queen Victoria, and, at that time, looking at a portrait of Audubon, be ])owed and said: " Mr. Healy, you have no reason to regret having taken my advice." The encouragement given to INIr. Healy in the autumn of 1831, emboldened the young man to take a painting room on Federal street, in a house belonging to the late Richard Tucker, to whom our young artist went at the end of the first quarter, saying he had not earned enough to pay the rent. The reply was: "Then Charles and John must sit to 3"ou." The former was his only son, and the latter his son-in-law, John Henry Gray. These, the first portraits INIr. Healy exhibited, were seen at the Athenaeum in 1832, The following spring, he was painting Lieutenant Van Brunt, of the Navy, to whom he said he wished he knew some beautiful woman whose picture he might place in the coming exhibition, to open in a few weeks. He had, early that morning, been permitted to see them hanging the pictures at the Athenaeum, where he noticed an exquisite likeness of Mrs. Sully, painted by her husband, our greatest painter of women. This it was that inspired the wish. Said Lieutenant Van Brunt: "Mr. Healy, stop this sitting, and go at once to Mrs. Harrison Gray Otis; say to her that you are painting my picture, and tell her what you said to me." The young artist called, and sent Avoi-d to the lady that a gentleman wished to see her on business. He was received with great kindness, and, after listening to the simple facts, Mrs. Otis laughed, and said: "Pray, whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" She then received the artist's card, and promised to call very soon and see the portraits of her friends. Lieutenant Van Brunt and John Henry Gray. The following day, she called with a friend, and, on taking leave of Mr. Healy, said : " I am pleased with what I have seen ; call at my house when you have time." He alloMcd one day to pass, and then presented himself, but his timidity deprived him of speech. The generous lady, seeing his confusion, relieved him by saying: "AVhen shall I sit?" Still seeing him unable to utter a word, she smilingly added: "Shall it be to-morrow?" Mr. Healy exclaimed, with gratitude: "I must prepare for you, madam; let it be the following day, if you ])lcase." The result of the first sitting was, from his nervousness, beyond doubt, the poorest effort our artist ever made ; but he was encouraged to persevere, and, at the second sitting, he placed the mirror in such a GEORGE P. A. IIEALY. 629 j)osition that his clianiiinii' sitter couhl .soc tlie protrres.s of the work, wliich aiuuseil her, and tliiirf he caught lier huighing oxi)rcssioii. This work cnabk'd Mr. Hcaly to k^ave a iKuulsome sum of" money with his mother, and to go to Europe, uith a thousand dolkirs in his pocket, in the spring of 1834. He studied two years in Paris, (hiring which time he drew from the lil'e, and copied a number of pictures in the Louvre. AVhile thus occupied, he was very much gratified by the remarks of an English gentleman and lady, u])oii his copy of Corrcggio's "Mysterious Marriage of St. Catherine." Late that autumn, he started for Italy, by the way of Mount C'cnis. While on the jiiazza of the hotel at the first town on the plains of Italy where the diligence stopped, a lady came towards him, extending her hand and saying: "I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hcaly; I am Lady Faulkner; Sir Arthur and I met y()U in the Louvre, and have since passed two months in the society of your friend, ^Irs. Olis, now at Geneva, from whom we have heard all about you; we insist on your dining with us, and accepting a seat in our carriage for the balance of your journey thntugh Italy." Thus commenced one of the most delightful friendships of our artist's lile. The first galleiy visited was at Turin; the two works he most vividly remembered were the ])ictures of Van Dyke's "Children of Charles I.," and a cabinet-sized portrait of a burgomaster, by Kembrandt. Mr. Hcaly reveled in the palaces and pictures at Genoa, from which city the party followed the coast, en route for Florence, by way of Sienna. The journey was rendered extremely interesting by Sir Arthur's translating Horace's description of the very scenes through which thev were passing — scenes so little changed by the lapse of centuries. During five weeks passed in Florence, Mr. Hcaly copied Titian's Venus and one or two other important works. The Faulkners had letters from Royaltv to the best people in Florence, and their young profcr/c was presented as if he were one of their family — an advantage fully appreciated by Mr. Hcaly, and which was extended to him at Uome and Xajdes, where he took an aflectionate leave of his friends. On his way back to Paris, he stojiped two months at Geneva, where he painted Mrs. Otis and family, besides many English people. In July, he returned t<> Paris and made several copies in the Louvre, i)ainting, evenings, from the life. In the spring of 1836, he visited London for th ■ first time, and haw the last exhibition ever held in Somerset House; he also painted 630 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. a portrait of the friend of Beiitham and Burdett — tlie well-known Francis Place. In the autumn of that year, Joseph Hume wrote a note saying he would be glad to sit if he could obtain so good a likeness, to accomplish which he returned in the early part of January. The note reached Mr. Healy while on a sketching tour, (some of the studies of which are now in his studio,) during which expedition he made a journey of three hun- dred leagues on foot, in company with two French artists. During Mr. Hume's sittings, Mr. Healy spoke of his visit to Italy, in connection with the kindness of Sir Arthur Brook Faulkner ; lie replied : " He was one of the stewards of the great reform dinner given to myself and colleague last night, and now rcj^ides in St. John's AVood." Mr. Healy was warmly received by his friends, and Sir Arthur gave him a commission to paint his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex and himself. With this handsome opening, lie painted with great success until the summer of 1838, when the American Minister, Andrew Stevenson, gave him a commission to paint a portrait of Marshal Soult, saying : " Mr. Healy, you must arrange with General Cass, our ]\Iinister in Paris, in regard to the sittings." The artist wrote to that gentleman, saying that Mr. Stevenson wished this portrait as a commemoration of the Marshal Avho had so nobly represented France at the recent coronation of Queen Victoria. The reply of General Cass reached Mr. Healy while making studies in Belgium, saying: "Come to Paris, and I will do Avhat I can to induce the Marshal to sit for yon; in the meantime, I wish you to paint myself and family, for, although young in years, your fame has reached me." The Marshal was unable to sit at that time. During the sittings of General Cass, that gentleman said: "How wonld you like to ])aint a portrait of Louis Philippe?" at which our artist laughed, as if that were impossible. The General asked the King to sit, but His Majesty declined on the score of want of time. When, however, he saw the portrait of General Cass in the Louvre, he decided otherwise, and when he next saw the General at Court, said: "Inform your young friend tliat, when he visits Paris again, it will be a pleasure for me to sit to him." This the General communicated to Mr. Healy in London. On completing his commissions as rapidly as possible, he returned to Paris, and was accompanied by General Cass near His Majesty for the first sitting. When permission was asked to take the measure of his face, the reply was : " Do as you are accustomed, Mr. Healy, so as not to lose time." With this GEORGE P. A. HEALY. 631 permission, the rapid ascent of two or three steps took him to whci'c tlic King sat. Tiie new dividers in the iiand of the artist jrk'amed like a poiij^nard, and one of tlie aids ruslied forward to seize the arm, when Lonis Philippe observed: "Monsienr k' General, ]Mr. Ilealy is a repnl)- lican from the United States, and there is no dano;er." This was said in consequence of two or three attempts which had, not long before, been made on the life of the King. During this year, Mr. Healy painted the portrait of Mrs. Cass, which, in the exhibition at the Louvre, in the spring of 1840, obtained for him his first gold medal. During this year he returned to London, formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Louisa Phipp, of that city, and returned to Paris, where he resumed the sittings of Louis Philippe. During one of these, in 1842, His Majesty observed: " I was seen in good company last night, at the grand ball given by General Cass to commemorate the birthday of General Washington, hanging, as I did, betweeti the portraits of that great man and M. Guizot." The King's portrait, although unfinished, General Cass had placed between the two, as above mentioned. The King said : " Mr. Healy, where did you get the likeness of General Washington?" The reply was : " From an engraving in the life written by Sparks." " I thought so, as I know of no portrait of AVashingtou in France." His Majesty here said, with a kindness of manner never to be forgotten : " Mr. Healy, I want a whole-length portrait of General Washington for my historical gallery at Versailles, and I Avish it (bowing) from your pencil." This was said at the end of the sitting, and the artist worked no more that day. Here the King showed an intimate knowledge of the different portraits of the General. Our artist suggested that he should make a copy of the whole-length likeness in Faneuil Hall, Boston ; the King said : " I wish, rather, for a copy of that which j\Irs. Bingham ordered Stuart to paint, and M'hich I saw in its progress in the artist's studio, for that is in his black velvet, as President, and not as Goaieral. That picture is now in London. M. le Comte St. Auler, our Ambas- sador, shall be instructed to obtain permission for you to copy it, and I will send for you in a week." The King was true to his word, and on meeting, the first thing lie said was : "Mr. Healy, we an- dished; the portrait in question has gone to St. Petersburg, where I may not send you; I now leave this matter in your hands. Proceed to the United States, and do as well as you can from the one in the Presidential Mansion, which Avas saved by Mrs. Madison when the British took Washington." 632 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Healy returned to Boston after an absence of eight years, lost no time in executing the work confided to him, and \vas received most kindly by Washington Allston, to whom he delivered a message from the Duke of Sutherland, in regard to the picture ordered for him by his brother- in-law, Lord Morpeth. The painter's reply was: "I informed his Lordship that I could not complete that work until my great picture, on Avhich I have been occupied for twenty-five years, is finished." Mr. Healy showed his copy to a friend in London, who remarked : " That is from one of AVest's." Upon being corrected, he said : '' I thought it was, as I saw one like it among the effects of the late John D. Lewis." Mr. Healy expressed regret that that picture was then in St. Petersburg. "No," said his friend, "it is in this neighborhood, stored in Silbury's warehouse." This was joyful news, and he obtained from the executors permission to finish the copy from the original, which copy now hangs at Versailles. The Marquis of Lansdowne, having quarreled Avith his heirs, sold the library and pictures; the portrait was purchased by Moon, Boys & Graves, the great printsellers of that day, who tried to dispose of it to the English Government. The Duke of Wellington and other members of the Cabinet went to see it, but, although admiring the work and the character of the original, decided tliat they could not hang the portrait of a traitor to England in the National Gallery. The firm then disposed of it by lottery, and thus it came into the hands of the late John D. Lewis. On Mr. Healy's return to Paris, oNIonsieur Guizot, after a Cabinet meeting, was invited to see this picture, with the remark: "I wisli you to see what my American painter has done for me." Apropos to M. Guizot, the year before, the Americans in Paris, as a compliment to the Prime Minister for his pamphlet on Washington, and his other writings, ordered Mr. Healy to paint his whole-length portrait, to be placed in Washington, wherever President Tyler should think mo.>t appropriate to hang it. That gentleman expressed to the artist his fear that, wherever it was placed, he would be found fault with ; but in that he was mistaken, for all approved of its being hung in the National Institute — it how occupies a place in the Smithsonian. In 1844, the King commissioned Mr. Healy to make copies of the portraits of the royal personages, from Elizabeth down to William lY., together with those of the most eminent statesmen. While still executing these orders, he was instructed to proceed in all haste to j^aint the portrait GEORGE P. A. HEALY. 633 of General Jackson, and several of the Presidents and statesmen of our country. These being done, he obtained permission I'rom his Majesty to return to the United States, to make the studies for his great pi<,'ture of "Webster Replying to Hayne," the studies for, and llic execution of which work, occupied liiiu seven years. It was purchased by the city of Boston, and is now in Fanueil Hall. Before it was completed, Louis Philippe was dethroned, and when Mr ITealy deplored this fact to his friend, George Ticknor, that gentleman replied: "The best patron an artist can have is the public." On his return to Europe, Mr. Ilealy paid his respects to iiis patron and family at Glaremount, where he was most cordially received. Our artist's next important work represents Franklin, Lee and Dean, negotia- ting a treaty of alliance between France and the struggling Colonies. This work, now in Chicago, obtained for him his second gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, in 1855, in which year Mr. Healy first came to Chicago, where his family followed him the year after. The family returned to Paris in 1866, where Mr. Healy joined them during the past summer. AVc need not add a word as to the great success which has uniformly attended Mr. Healy 's efforts to please his patrons in Chicago, as it has become proverbial that to engage a sitting with him is to secure a finished likeness. A more perfect gentleman, genial companion and affectionate parent need not bo looked for, than he of whom we have written. A friend to the poor, always ready to lend a helping hand to those who are struggling for success, especially in the art circles of which he is the acknowledged head, he has won a jilace in the affections of hundreds of our citizens, which time cannot efl'ace. SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. Hon. S. S. Hayes is a native of Tennessee, having been born at Nashville, on the 25th of December, 1820. Before narrating the events of his life, we will take a bird's-eye view of his ancestral record, which possesses much more than ordinary interest. His father, Dr. R. P. Hayes, was a native of South Hadley, Massa- chusetts, and a son of Rev. Joel Hayes, who was, at the time of his death — 1825 — and had been for more than fifty years, pastor of the Congrega- tional Church at that place. Dr. Hayes studied his profession under Dr. Warren, of Boston. He first settled in Rome, New York. During the last war with Great Britain, he was Surgeon of a New York regiment. In 1816, he married Miss Mary C. Suowdcn, the mother of the subject of this sketch. She was a daughter of Rev. Samuel F. Snowden, of Sackett's Harbor, New York, a Presbyterian minister of influence in his denomi- nation, who was a native of New Jersey, and whose father was one of the founders of Princeton College, having donated to that institution the land now occupied by it. Both the Hayes and Snowden families came to this country at a very early day from England, the former being originally from Scotland, and the latter from Wales. S. S. Hayes' grandmother, on his father's side, was a Bliss, a lineal descendant of Thomas Bliss, who came from England early in the seventeenth century; also of Jirewer, one of the original "Pilgrim Fathers." His grandmother, on his mother's side, was a Breese, aunt of Commodore Breese, of the Navy, and of Sidney Breese, his brother, formerly United States Senator from this State, and for many years past Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the electric telegraph, was also her nephew. The Breeses 636 • BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. came originally from France, and settled at an early day in Oneida County, New York. We now return to Dr. Hayes, the father of Hon. S. S. Hayes. Soon after he left the service of his country, he settled in Nashville. Ten years later — 1828 — he lost his wife. In 1831, the family removed to Cincinnati, where Dr. Hayes died in 1837, he having been poisoned by arsenic administered to the Avhole fiimily, from motives of cupidity, by a colored servant girl, who had been treated with special kindness. Thus early thrown upon himself, and obliged to rely upon his own judgment, the sequel of ]\Ir. Hayes' life has shown that the burden was one that he was well able to sustain. He had obtained an elementary education under Moses Stei)hcns, at Nashville, and a classical and mathe- matical one at Cincinnati, under that prince of teachers, Alexander Keinnont. The advantages enjoyed were well improved. At the death of his father, he entered a drug store in Louisville, Kentucky, as a store- boy. The next season he was made prescription clerk, and was soon after solicited l)y Dr. Field, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, to take the whole charge of his drug store as a partner. This he decided, after due delibe- ration, to decline. In August, 1838, before he was yet eighteen years of age, Mr. Hayes bought a stock of drugs, and, like one of old, took his journey into what was then a far country, settling at Shawneetown, Illinois. After carrying on the business for over two years, he sold out, with a view to entering the legal profession. He entered the office of Henry Eddy, Esq., having Hon. S. S. Marshall, Member of Congress from this State, as a room-mate and fellow-student. He was admitted to the bar in 1842, and at once settled at Mount Vernon, Illinois. After a brief residence there, he removed to Carmi, White County, where he remained in the practice Oi his profession until the winter of 1850 — 51, when he removed to Chicago. This was soon after his marriao-e to Lizzie J., eldest dauo;hter of Colonel E. D. Taylor — then of Michigan City, now of Chicago — one of the earliest settlers and most prominent men of this State. Mr. Hayes' experience as a country lawyer was not marked by any occurrences specially out of the ordinary line, although he was retained during that decade in a good many important cases, which he managed to the satis- faction of his clients. Mr. Hayes became enlisted in politics while a citizen of Carmi, having formed his political opinions after studying the writings of tliat great SAMUEL SNOWDEX HAYES. 637 publicist, Jean Baptistc Say, and the words and deeds of Jetlerson and Jackson. In 1843, he took the stuni[) in sui)i)ort of the Democratic ticket. In the Presidential oanipaii^n of 1844, whieh resnlted in the election of Polk and Dalhis, he thoroughly canvassed the Southern Congressional District for tlie Democracy, contributing not a little to its success. In 1845, Mr. Hayes Avas a delegate to the Memphis Convention, called for tlie purpose of promoting Western and Soutliern commercial interests and internal improvements. Early in the session he introduced a resolution, to the effect that in its proceedings the Convention would approve no measures except those in the support of which both ])olitieal parties were agreed, urging the same in a powerful speech. The resolution was adopted unanimously. In his speech, Mr. Hayes analyzed and condemned certain expressions used in his opening speech by John C. Calhoun, the celebrated Senator of South Carolina, who was President of the Convention, and who was then in the chair. jNIr. Hayes' remarks excited great attention. When he had concluded, other members, with some warmth, controverted his position and defended the expressions referred to; but j\Ir. Calhoun arose soon after, and stated, in substance, that Mr. Hayes was right in liis position, and the expressions wliich he had commented upon had been carelessly used, and that it was not his design to favor the conclusions which they would seem to justify, and which had been drawn from them by members of the Convention. This great triumph of INIr. Hayes made a profound sensation in the Convention, and was regarded as reflecting no little honor upon the Democracy of Illinois. Calhoun himself took no offense at the straight- forward and eloquent i)rotest against the views he had expressed on being inducted into the chair. He afterwards sent his son. Captain Calhoun, to him, requesting an interview, which took plaf;", and was both interesting and profitable to Mr. Hayes. At the close of the Convention, they took passage for New Orleans by the same steamer, and, during a trip of a week, Mr. Calhoun treated Mr. Hayes with marked attention and kindness. In the summer of 1846, Mr. Hayes was nominated for the State Legislature, and was elected by a handsome majority, although the Wliigs ,had previously controlled the county. This was a merited compliment to his personal worth and reputation among those who knew iiii.i well. In the General Assembly ho was honored wiih the cliaii-inan^hil) of 638 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the Committee on Education. This committee, always an important one, inaugurated, under Mr. Hayes' management, several measures, the influence of which is still felt in the State. Besides the ordinary business referred to the committee, the State institutions for the blind and for the deaf and dumb were established, and important changes made in the school laws. The same General Assembly provided for the funding of the State debt, and adopted such legislation as resulted in the suppression of the Massac riots, and in both Mr. Hayes took a prominent part, having originated and procured the passage of the act defining and punishing a new class of offenders arising out of the usurpation of judicial power by mobs. In the spring of 1847, Mr. Hayes raised a company for the Mexican war he being the first to volunteer. Owing to the distance from the seat of Government, the muster-rolls were not received there until the quota of the State had been filled. Official duties afterwards prevented the renewal of the offer of his services to the Government. The same season, an election was held for delegates to a Convention for the Revision of the Constitution. Both parties united in choosing S. S. Hayes, he receiving several hundred more votes than his colleague, an old and highly esteemed citizen of White County. When the Con- vention met, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Law Reform. He reported a proposition to simplify and systematize the laws of the State, statutory and common, by the framing of a Code. After a severe struggle, the proposition was defeated; but its defeat is so plainly seen and generally admitted to have been a grave mistake, that the next Constitutional Convention will, without doubt, make provision for the codification of our laws. Mr. Hayes also took a leading part in the debates of the Convention, and introduced several of the clauses whicli were incorporated into the Constitution then framed, and still existing unchanged. In the autumn of 1848, Mr. Hayes was constantly on the stump in Southern Illinois, canvassing for Cass and Butler. He was a successful candidate for Presidential Elector; also for re-election to the State Legislature. As a token of his appreciation of the distinguished political services rendered by ISIr. Hayes, Governor French gave him the honorary appointment of Aid-de-Camp, with the rank of Colonel of cavalry. He w^as ag-ain made Chairman of the Committee on Education. The General Assembly of 1848-9 was long remembered, and is still, for having granted SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 639 an "oninihiis" load of" special i-hartors, in ojK'n dofianco of'tho Constitution iirst adopttnl. Tlie journal of the House shows that Mr, Hayes steadily voted against the majority, and exerted himself to the utmost to stem the tide, but to little purpose, exei'pt as plaeiug himself right on the record. Ketiring from the political arena, Mr. Hayes, having in the meanwhile removed to Chicago, devoted himself exclusively to his profession. Soon after his arrival here, he was employed by the city authorities as Counselor and City Solicitor. He was undisturbed in his seclusion until Senator Douglas re-opened the agitation of the slavery question, by i)roposing the repeal of the Missouri CompromLse. Mr. Hayes had been a warm fi-iend of Mr. Douglas, had aided in his election to the Senate, and in his famous controversy, at Chicago, over the compromise measures of 1850, had sustained him against great opposition, connK)sing the resolutions which were oflfered by Mr. Douglas in his meeting, and closing the argument in a public speech in reply to the opponents of Mr. Dougla.s, who had attempted to answer him. But the repeal of the Missouri Compronuse was, in the opinion of ]Mr. Hayes, a most dangerous measure, portentous of evil to the country, and he felt it to be his duty to oppose it with all the energy in his power. Accordingly, during the pendency of the bill, February 8th, 1854, he spoke in op[)osition to it at a mass meeting of citizens, held at the South Market Hall, then the most spacious hall in Chicago. The following extracts will give an idea of the argument and rhetoric of this speech : "It is said that the Compromise of 1820 is superseded by that of 1850, because the acts of 1850 establish a principle, which principle supersedes the settlement by a geographical line made in 1820. •'Now, a settlement by a geographical line, so far from being ridiculous or unsatis- factory, is the most natural and proper mode of settling a dispute about territory or jurisdiction. "Compromises in general, and that of 1850 in particular, establish no principle whatever. An independent act of legislation may settle a principle for the time being, but a law which is accepted as a part of a compromise does not settle a principle or become a precedent, for it is adopted by the votes or consent of those who would vote against it standing alone. "Parties compromise because they cannot agree upon principles, or titles, or claims. Each believes that the compromise is wrong upon principle. lie does not adojit it us a development of principles, but as a change of relation, an agreement of peace, uuil he is bound by it in no other sense and for no other purpose. "It is of the essence of a compromise that what one parly has yieMod in tbut com- promise shall not be construed into an admission either that he had no right to that, or that he should yield other things of the same nature. 640 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. " Hence it is unfair and absurd to argue tliat the Missouri Compromise was super- seded by any principle inconsistent witli it, supposed to liave been developed by tlie acts of 1850 — or either of them. "But these arguments are all pieces of special pleading, tissues of sophistry, unworthy of the United States Senate, and unworthy of the American people to whom they are addressed. "The Missouri Compromise has its power, not iu the letter of the law, but in the hearts and consciences of the people, North and South. It was in the power of the very next Congress to repeal the restriction contained in the eighth section of that act. Yet the other half of the compact, the admission of Missouri, could not be repealed, and the friends of restriction were left with no guaranty but the plighted faith of its enemies in Congress. "This agreement in Congress became the agreement of the whole country, for the people accepted and sanctioned it, and have acted upon it ever since. "Therefore it is of no importance to sift the acts of 1850 for a hidden meaning, or a technical construction. It is only important to know whether Congress at the time, or the people afterwards, took them as a repeal of the Missouri Compromise. No man can be so shameless as to say that they did. "The Missouri Compromise, then, is in full force to-day, binding as strongly the honor and conscience of the country as it did in 1820. "Can the South, or men who sympathize with the South, vote for its repeal? I trust not. Their past course in abiding by all our compromises has been so honest and sincere, so illustrative of that high sense of personal honor which adorns the Southern character, that I am justified in saying they cannot do it. Now I wi.sh to say that Judge Douglas is not authorized to speak for the good people of Illinois, nor to commit them upon this subject, for he has never deigned to inquire their wishes upon it. The only assurance which our Southern friends have that Illinois will ratify liis promises, is found in the plausibility, talent, and tyrannical spirit of the Senator. But I will inform them that we are a hard-necked people, not easily dragooned into submission. "Mr. President, we may individually be nothing — we may be poor and feeble, body, mind and purse, but when we all get together and utter the majestic voice of public opinion, we make our recreant rulers tremble. "We are not Russian serfs, to throw up our hats for whatever our public men choose to concoct. We are not their servants, they are ours — bound to act out our senti- ments, and vote for the measures that we want. Who of our people have demanded this repudiation of a solemn contract? Who has advised it? Who have been consulted about it? Where are the petitions for it, the proceedings of public meetings in its favor? And are the people of this sovereign State so mean and insignificant that they are unworthy to be consulted by their own agents before they offer a measure which will change the entire relations of the country, and be felt through all coming time? * * * * ■ * * «« Fellow-citizens, the whole country had settled down harmoniously upon the Com- promise of 1820, and the further Compromise of 13-50, as sacred, final and irrevocable adjustments of a difficult and dangerous dispute, when our Senator gives the signal for strife, and plunges the nation again into all the horrors of dissension which, perhaps, will lead to a dissolution of the Union. For that he is responsible before this nation and the world. SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 641 *««♦*» "To save the country from these dangers tlius thrust anew upon it by our Senator, 1 am lor giving this bill its eternal quietus; and 1 hope that these resolutions, requesting the General Assembly to instruct against it, will receive a unanimous vote." In October, 1855, Mr. Douglas rctunied to Chicago and addressed a public meeting in defense of his course. In that speech he attacked \\ ith severity ]Mr. Hayes and the other Anti-Xebraska Democrats. Two days later, Mr. Hayes replied at South ]Market Hall, where a vast audience assembled to listen to his words. Although laboring under severe indis- position, he spoke for nearly three hours, in an eloquent and logical manner, and Mas rapturously applauded. His speech M'as reported in full, and after\vards published in pamphlet form and widely circulated. The following passages are specially worthy of note : "But is it no evil to extend the area of slavery — to bring a new population under its blighting influence? Is it no evil to degrade labor, and compel the free white man to work, if he works at all, by the side of slaves? "My fellow-citizens, give me free men to work, and not slaves. I speak to you to-night for the dignity of labor. When God formed man, when He framed the wondrous mechanism of his body, and crowned him with thought and immortality, and placed him, the paragon of creation, on the virgin soil of the new-made earth. He said: 'By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy bread.' I bow to that law of the Almighty, and hail it as the great boon to the human race. Labor sustains the world. It makes your railroads, builds your cities, fills your storehouses, and whitens the seas with your commerce. More than that, it gives you soldiers for your wars, statesmen for your councils, and covers your laud with a manly and virtuous people. I fear not, there- fore, to appeal to you in behalf of labor, and to ask you to condemn every efl'ort to degrade it by the extension of slavery over territory which by right and compact should be free. ****** "The facts I have alluded to are bad enough, but there are others which are worse. "Our friends, the playmates of our childhood, our brothers, have taken their wives and their little ones, and their household gods, and have gone to the distant West. Tliere they have made their inclosures, and erected their cabins, and prepared to found a new State in the far wilderness. What has befallen them ? "Some of them have been tarred and feathered. Some have been beaten, some have been driven from their homes. Every species of insult and outrage has been heaped upon them. Their places of election have been surrounded by armed hordes of rnftians; the ballot-box has been torn from their hands ; a spurious Legislature has been imposed on them by people of another State; their local officers have been elected for six years by that spurious Legislature, and a cruel and infamous code of laws has been enacted, and is sought to be fastened on their necks. The men who have opened the door for all these wrongs talk to us in dulcet tones, in praise of liberty and self-government. They are murdering liberty. Liberty lies bleeding on the green sod of Kansas. Dout g42 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. you hear her imploring voice? Every west wind bears it to our ears. 'Help, help me^ sons of Washington, or I am forever slain.' What says Senator Douglas? He says it is 'none of your business. You have enough to attend to in Illinois.' ****** "Let us see whether the condition of Kansas is a part of your business. Kansas belongs to the United States. Her inhabitants are feeble, and have neither troops nor money with which to resist an invading army. If they are not outcasts, they have a right to protection. That protection must come from the United States, from Congress or°the President. Congress and the President are your agents, accountable to you, and it is 'your business' to see that they do their duty. ****** "No one can believe that a poor man would take his wife and children, and his goods, and make a journey of fifteen hundred miles into a new territory for any other purpose than to get a home. After he has gone there, and become a settler, he has all a settler's rights, and it matters not how he got them; whether he went as a Government official, with a fat salary of the people's money, or as au humble laborer, too poor to make his way without assistance. That I call the democratic doctrine, and I doubt not it will be indorsed by the people of this State, and that they will demand of their agents to recognize the rights of those settlers, and to protect them to the fullest extent. * x- * * * * "Much has been said in some parts of the country of the importance of purchasing Cuba, and of its value as a bulwark to the South. Now, while our Southern friends press this matter on the public attention, it would not be amiss for us to look in another direction. The Northwestern States are soon to be the centre of power and population. In view of that fact, and iu view of the fact that they are situated on the head waters of the St. Lawrence River, which is soon to be the great highway of commerce between the ports of Europe and the heart of this continent; in view of the fact that the mouth of that river belongs to a foreign power, and that the same necessity exists which impelled Mr. Jefferson to the purchase of Louisiana, I for one am in favor of the annex- ation of the British Provinces on our northern frontier, with the consent of the people of those Provinces, and I shall ask your approval of a resolution to that effect." Had Mr. Hayes been swayed by selfish motives, a brilliant career was oifered him in the Repnblican party, which sprang up immediately after- wards, and owed its rise to the measure he opposed. But he did not favor the abandonment of the distinctive principle of the Democratic party which he regarded as essential to the welfare of the country. He also deprecated the formation of sectional parties, which he predicted would result in civil war. Accordingly, in 1856, he was found supporting Mr. Buchanan, who had uot been connected with the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, being out of the country at the time. In 1858, when Mr. Buchanan disregarded the pledges of the Convention wliich nominated him, and used his patronage to bring Kansas into the Union as a slave State, against the wishes of her people, he took sides with Mr. Douglas, who remained true to the pledges of his party, and ever after, until the SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 643 date of his uutiiuely death, ^viU5 one oi' t!ie lirnicst tnend« of that clLstiii- guished statesman, luul lew persons enjoyed liis eonfidence to a greater degree. In 1860, he attended the Democratic Conventions at Cliarleston and Baltimore, to promote the nomination of Mr. Doughus. After Yancey and other conspirators had saccceded in drawing olf most of the Southern delegates and a few Northern sympathizers from the Convention, and making a separate nomination, the chances of the election of Mr. Douglas, who Avas the nominee of the majority of the Convention, became almost hopeless, but Mr. Hayes went into the canvass for him with zeal and intrepidity. After the election of Mr. Lincoln, it became evident to those who doubted it before, that the country was on the verge of a civil war, which had been planned and prepared for by the secessionists. After " firing the Southern heart," they had arranged to "precipitate the people into revo- lution." At this critical time the counsels of Mr. Hayes were in favor of great concessions to preserve peace and avert the horrors of civil war, but, those efforts failing, to resist armed treason with arms and defend the Constitution with the last man and the last dollar; and those counsels doubtless had their inttut'ui'o on the course of Mr. Douglas. In a letter to ^Nlr. Douglas, dated December 18, 1860, he says: "There has beea some talk ia this State about a Northwestera republic, perhaps with the idea of frightening the New England States. I think it dangerous ground to tread on, as it tends to weaken the attachment of the people to existing institutions, and may yield, hereafter, a harvest of evil. I trust our friends at Washington will not countenance such a project in the least. We want both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, in the event of a division. Every politician who advocates the abandonment of the New England harbors, or of any State near the mouth of the St. Lawrence, will sink like lead. The ultimate destiny of the Northwest is to be part of a grand confederacy extending to both oceans and embracing all the British Possessions. I hope we will retain also the Mississippi and the Gulf coast, and have the West Indies. "I hope you will not for a moment lend your vast influence to the idea that the bond of the Union has been weakened, or that the Northern States will not stand together. Do not hesitate to take bold ground in favor of concession, if in your judgment it will keep the Southern States in the Union. I think tiie people will sustain you. They want a settlement. They regard the territorial question as a fair subject for compromise." That Mr. Hayas had formed a just conception of the military resources of the South, ai)pears from a speech made in Chicago in January, 1861, in which he said: "Subjugation is talked of. Do we understand what it means? A few days alone, in this age of telegraph and railroads, would suffice the Southern States to gather an army of live hundred thousand 644 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. men with which to repel invasion and to protect their homes. An army of a million could not march into the heart of the South in a year." * * "Let us do everything to avoid these terrible scenes." However, when the news came that the rebels had fired upon the flag of their country and captured Fort Sumter, Mr. Hayes showed no hesitation. He advocated the suppression of the rebellion by force, at whatever cost, and addressed several public meetings on the same night, encouraging, animating and arousing the people to the defense of the Constitution and the Union, at every sacrifice. Before the next general election, in 1862, martial law had been declared in the Northern States, and the celebrated Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. These measures Mr. Hayes believed to be unconstitu- tional and injurious to the cause of the Union, and in consequence he favored an active political opposition to the party in power. In the Democratic Congressional Convention held in Chicago, October 14, 1862, Mr. Hayes offered the resolutions adopted by the Convention, in which the conduct of the Administration was severely criticised and condemned for — " 1. The refusal to agree to some measures of adjustment before the war broke out; "2. The private understandings, treaties and compromises with traitors after acts of treason committed; "3. The unnecessary surrender of Norfolk, with three thousand cannon, and of Harper's Ferry, with immense stores of arms; "4. The two great defeats at Bull Run and Manassas, and the expensive and exhausting operations on the Peninsula, and their abandonment at a time when success would have been achieved by proper reinforcements, all resulting from political intrigues and a vacillating, feeble policy; "5. The leniency of the Administration towards traitors in arms, and its cruelty and injustice to loyal men both in the rebel States and loyal States; "6. Its general mismanagement of the finances, squandering of the public money, andinjudicious resort to unequal and excessive taxation; "7. The wanton disregard of the constitutional rights of the people of the loyal States by suspending the operation of their judicial tribunals, and subjecting them to be arrested and transported to distant prisons, upon mere suspicion, or the pretense of suspicion, without affidavit, process or trial; "8. Proclamations of doubtful constitutionality, and calculated to strengthen the arms of the rebels, and do injustice to loyal citizens; and, "9. The resort to ill-advised schemes for the colonization of Africans, and especially their removal from the black labor States to the white labor States." The attitude of the party towards the rebellion, and the principles claimed for it, are defined in the following terms : SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. G45 "That the attempted secession of a number of our States, and the civil war which a part of their people have inaugurated, were, and remain subversive of the United States Constitution, without justitication or excuse. The leaders and willing participants in the rebellion became guilty of high treason, not against Abraham Lincoln, but against the United States. Their crime is not changed by any subsequent act of our public servants prejudicial to their rights, or the rights of the States in rebellion, or in opposition to the United States Constitution, but they remain still amenable for their crimes, as the present public servants are amenable for their crimes, if any, to the punishment in such case provided by the Constitution and laws of the land. The indi- viduals administering our government are liable to impeachment and judicial proceedings for unconstitutional and lawless acts, and the persons in rebellion remain still subject to the penalties of high treason when arrested, and to all the incidents of public war while they remain in arms against their Government. "Resolved, That until the rebels lay down their arms and return to their allegiance, or until it is clearly demonstrated to be beyond the power of the United States to compel them to do so, the war should be prosecuted with all the skill, courage and resources of the country, and the Democracy will support it unconditionally, and will demand of all other parties and persons that they shall do the same. "Resolved, That a failure of the present Administration to suppress the rebellion will not demonstrate that it is beyond the power of the United States to suppress it, but will only demonstrate a fact, long apparent, that the leaders of the party in power are not able to govern this country successfully. Their faculties being crazed by fanaticism, they are deficient in that foresight and broad common sense, which alike constitute statesmanship, business capacity and military genius. " Resolved, That it is our duty to point out the errors and blunders of the Adminis- tration, both in its war policy and in its domestic policy, except when the safety of our armies may require that the expression of opinion be temporarily withheld. "Resolved, That the Democratic watchword has always been, and should ever be, 'The honor of our flag, the constitutional Union of the States, and the freedom of the people.' "Resolved, That obedience to the laws is the duty of every citizen, and obedience to the orders of his commanding oflBcer is the duty of every soldier, whether those laws or those orders be agreeable to him or not. We therefore urge our gallant friends in the army to continue their heroic efforts to subdue our rebel foes whenever and wherever they may be ordered; and, if the political conduct of our rulers displeases them, to fight, if possible, with greater vigor, in order that the war may be brought to an earlier con- clusion, and further aggressions upon the liberties of the people prevented. "Resolved, 'That the people are engaged in supporting the Constitution and laws of the United States, and in suppressing rebellion against their authority ; that we are not engaged in a war of rapine, revenge, or subjugation; that this is not a contest against populations, but against armed forces and political organizations; that it is a struggle carried on within the United States, and should be conducted by us upon the highest principles known to Christian civilization.' "Resolved, That as oar soldiers cannot strike for higher wages. Congress should increase their pay, to keep pace with the depreciated currency, and the enhancement of the necessaries of life. "Resolved, That the thanks of the present and of future generations will bo duo to g46 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. our soldiers and their commanders, for their glorious exploits upon battle-fields which will ever be renowned in history; and the names of McClellan, and Buell, and Burnside, and Thomas, and Rosecrans, and Sigel, and Meagher, with many of their brother officers, will always be illustrious for generalship, self-denial, and devotion to the Constitution of their country. "Resolved, That the remedy for misgovernment is open discussion, and a fair appeal to the ballot-box; that secret political societies, in a free country, are dangerous to liberty. Their tendency and their design is to oppress the people, and to cheat them out of their birthright. "Resolved, That the enlargement of the Illinois and Michigan Canal is a measure of national importance, the passage of which we ask of Congress. "Resolved, That the organization of the Democratic party is not dependent in any way on the question of negro slavery; and whether that institution should continue to exist in some of our States, as it did in all but one at ihe time of our Revolutionary War, or whether it shall cease in all the States, as may 'be the course of events, this time- honored party of the people will continue its struggles for constitutional freedom." Had this platform been adopted by the Democratic National Con- vention of 1864, the result of the Presidential election of that year might have been different. The following are the views of Mr. Hayes in regard to the present condition and politics of the country, as expressed in a letter, January 19, 1867, to the Hon. Charles Mason, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee at Washington : "I have had by me some time your letter asking my opinion about certain political matters. * * * * I am compelled to write hastily, and give you only my conclusions, imperfect as they are. "1. Whatever may be the cause, the rciult (of the Republican successes of 1866) clearly is, that all power over these questions has been committed by the people to the Republican Congress, subject only to the restraining influence of the Supreme Court. Until Congress have refused to act, or have fully acted upon these subjects, it seems to me the interposition of the Democratic party would be premature and hurtful. Let Congress and the Southern people come together without the interference or advice of the Democracy; perhaps it will be best for all parties. "2. In my opinion, the Democratic party cannot, as a party, adopt the dogma of negro equality. The attempt to engraft it upon its creed is the dissolution of the party. "3. The Democracy, while respecting the patriotism and purity of the Adminis- tration, cannot coalesce with it, or become responsible for its policies. It must remain free to declare its own policy, dictated by wise forecast and statesmanship. It seems to me that policy will contain three features not recognized by the Administration. First, The relative value of the property in the national funds shall be maintained fairly and justly, without sacrificing all other interests to those of its owners; to accomplish which, the non-interest bearing legal tender currency must be increased to a proper extent. Second, The return to specie payments must be by the redemption of the SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 647 currency at its market value immediately preceding the act, or by a new coinage of corresponding value, thus avoiding a financial collapse. Third, All special modes of taxation to be abandoned, and a system resorted to universal and just in its operation, which can only be by direct taxation upon property according to its value. " I do not see that any good will result from a National Democratic Convention, until Congress have either acted finally, or failed to act on the subject of reconstruction. If they shall act wisely and successfully, all will be content. If they fail to act, or their action prove abortive, the way will be open for the Democracy. A great problem in history is being worked out, and the course of events cannot be hastened by the restless- ness or impatience of politicians. I hope that for the present our friends will leave the responsibility where it has been placed by the verdict of the people." From time to time the subject of our sketch has been honored by marked evidence of the confidence of both political parties. The instances have been too numerous to be embraced in this memoir. He has been several times elected to a seat in tlic National Conventions, and once as President of a State Convention of his party; has been twice appointed a member of the Board of Education of Chicago, and has had much to do with developing our admirable school system. The estimation in which he is held by tliat body, a large majority of whom do not agree with him in politics, appears from the following proceedings of the Board at a regular meeting, held September 3, 1867: "Resolved, That the school building which is being erected on Leavitt street, between Walnut and Fulton streets, be named and designated the 'Hayes School,' in honor of the Hon. S. S. Hayes, formerly a member of this Board, and in acknowledg- ment of his services rendered to the cause of popular education as such member, also as City Comptroller and ex-officio School Agent, in which latter position he devoted his excellent financial capacities to the best interests of the public schools. "Resolved, That the Committee on Buildings and Grounds be and the same are hereby authorized and instructed to cause a stone with the proper inscription to bo cut and inserted in the front of said building." He is at present one of the Trustees of the State Industrial Univcrity, having been appointed to that position by his Excellency, Governor Oglesby. Among the various trusts wliich ]\Ir. Hayes lias held, in many respects the most important, in affording an opportunity, not only to prove his abilities, but also to render valuable services to the public, have been the office of City Comptroller of Chicago, which he held three years, and the appointment as a member of tlie Commission created by Cougro^ss to inquire into the sources of national revenue and revise and recommend 648 BIOGEAPHICAL, SKETCHES. improvements in the tax system of the United States. About the first of June, 1862, he entered on the office of City Comptroller by appoint- ment of the Mayor and Common Council. His administration was, from the outset to the close, attended with remarkable success. Economy, order and punctuality were introduced in the finances of the city; all payments Avere regularly made ; a large floating debt was paid off; many valuable amendments were procured to the city charter; the city credit was greatly improved and made equal to that of the Eastern cities ; the market value of the city seven per cent, bonds was raised from five per cent, discount to seventeen per cent, premium ; a large sura was paid out for bounties and the support of soldiers' families without resorting to loans ; and when he retired from office in May, 1865, he received from the Common Council a unanimous vote of commendation. It was well understood that unjust claims upon the treasury had no possible chance of success while he was in office; and that no distinction was made among claimants on account of personal or party relations. Among his acts giving evidence of financial skill and wisdom, two are worthy of particular notice. One was procuring from the General Assembly and the Common Council legislation by which the owners of city bonds could be protected against casualties, by the indorsement of the Comptroller limiting the transferable character of the bonds. In this way he secured the school fund against all danger from theft or official dishonesty. The other was the creation of a sinking fund for the liquidation of the bonded debt of the city, by procuring an act of the Legislature requiring an annual tax of one mill on all the taxable l)roperty of the city for that purpose. That tax is already yielding about two hundred thousand dollars jDcr annum, and it will enable the city to pay all its bonds long before they become due. Shortly after he withdrew from the office of Comptroller, Mr, Hayes was appointed one of the three members of the United States Revenue Commission, This appointment was tendered to him without his solicitation. The Commission was regarded at VYashino-ton as the most important ever created under our Government, as its conclusions would powerfully affect not only the public revenues, amounting to hundreds of millions per annum, and the national debt of several thousand millions, but also the credit and ability of the Government itself, and the prosperity and welfare of the whole American people. They were empowered and directed by the act of Congress, " to inquire and report SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. G49 at the earliest practicable inoineiit, upon the subject of raising; by taxation such revenue as may be necessary in order to supply the wants of the Government, having; reji^ard to, and includin.2:, the sources from whidi such revenue should be drawn, and the best and most (.'flicient mode of raisini; the same, and to report the form of a bill;" and "to incpiirc into the manner and efficiency of the present and past methods of collectinir the internal revenue, and to take testimony," etc. Following the practice of Congress in the appointment of committees, the Secretary of the Treasury gave both of the political parties of the country a representation on the Commission, two of its members — Messrs. AVells and Colwell — being taken from the Republican imrty, and the third from the Democratic party. For this place several names were proposed, but the choice was finally made between the Hon. George H. Pendleton, Democratic nominee lor Vice-President at the last Presi- dential election, Avho was strongly urged by the Ohio delegation, and Mr. Hayes. It was with great hesitation and diffidence that Mr. Hayes accepted the appointment, seeing, as he did, the vast responsibility attached to it; but, having done so, he devoted his whole time and all his energies to the performance of its duties. The rejiorts of the Revenue Commission will be a lasting monument to tlie industry, capacity and learning of its members, and for generations to come will be studied by the statesmen both of this and other countries. Taking his full part in all the labors of the Commission, Mr. Hayes particularly distinguished himself by his report upon "The property in the funds and the income derived therefrom as a source of national revenue, the financial system of the United States, the creation of a sinking fund, and taxation in general." Tlie originality and comprehen- siveness of this re^jort, its powerful argument, its bold and striking enunciation of principles, and the masterly manner in which a sclieme is projected and sustained for tiie payment of the national debt, and the reduction of all forms of taxation to a simple and just plan, liave attracted great attention, l)oth in tliis country and in iMiropo. Its propositions have already l)een accepted, to a great extent, by most of the conventions held by his party in the diifercnt States, as well as by large numbers of the leading and thoughtful men of the other party. It is not improbable that they may yet furnish the basis of the permanent policy of the country. 650 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. The leading propositions are tliree: 1. That the return to specie payments, when made, should be on the basis of the gold value of the currency at the time. 2. Property in the public funds, being exempt from local taxation and subject to national taxation, should be subjected to an increased tax for the purpose of equalization, and the proceeds held as a sinking fund to pay the principal of the debt. 3. All modes of indirect taxation should by degrees be abandoned in favor of direct taxation upon all property according to its value. This report extends over more than fifty pages, and it is so compact that only an imperfect idea of its scope and character can be obtained without reading the whole. No reader of this sketch will require any apology for presenting the extracts below: "In order to settle this question, we must be acquainted with the pecuniary condition of the country, the prospect of any change in it, and if any, what? and especially the manner in which it is alfected by existing taxation. And first, it must be borne in mind that business is now, and for some years past has been, carried on and debts contracted under the operation of acts of Congress making the unconvertible notes of the Govern- ment a legal tender for all debts except the interest on a part, and the interest and principal of another part, of the bonds of the United States. These notes are receivable for all public dues except customs, and, with bank-notes of (he same value, compose the currency of the country. What is to become of this currency? Will a fixed standard of value be again established? If it will, when? Upon what principle? How will its value compare with the value of the present currency ? What will become of the debts now payable in lawful money ? These are questions of the utmost importance. * * * ■» * * "These principles are too true, and too clear to be disputed. The essential obliga- tion of the Government is to make no change in precedent contracts. To leave both creditor and debtor in the same position as before in regard to the value of the amount to be paid by the latter to the former, under his contract. A Government has no more right to double the amount of gold or silver in a coin, than to reduce it one-half, without a provision for commuting precedent debts. "Now apply these conclusions to the present condition of things, and to the propo- sitions under consideration. There is existing in the United States, as I have estimated above, $5,500,000,000 of indebtedness, payable in currency, and nearly all contracted when that currency was of quite as little value as at present. Of the small amount of that indebtedness which was created before the abandonment of the old specie standard, the largest portion probably has changed hands and been bought by its present owners with currency of the reduced value. If practicable, a special provision might be made for those old debts, as a special provision should certainly be made for the payment of the gold-bearing bonds of the Government, with their interest, with the same amount of the precious metals promised on their face. This $5,500,000,000 of indebtedness consists in honor and conscience of obligations to pay currency or legal tender notes of the United States, both parties taking the chances of the legislation of Congress and the SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 651 decisions of the courts; but both having the right to expect that ihat legislation and those decisions will accord with common sense and natural justice. The dollar, the legal standard of exchange, is (o-day, as I have stated, of the value of sixty-eight cents. Aside from the fluctuating and uncertain value of this standard, it is ^precisely the same to-day, for the purposes of this inquiry, as if it were of silver or gold debased from one dollar to sixty-eight cents in value. And the questions are two-fold; first, whether the holder of that sixty-eight cents' worth of paper money or debased coin should receive thirty-two cents more for it than it is worth; and secondly, whether every person who has incurred a debt measured by that sixty-eight-cent measure, at so many dollars, shall be compelled to give in payment the same number of dollars, but each having an additional value of thirty-two cents. " These two questions are not necessarily connected, for the Government might, if it chose, give the holders of its notes forty-six and three-quarters per cent, additional to their actual value, without forcing other debtors to pay the same additional forty-six and three-quarters per cent. As the Government cannot find the persons who have lost the difference between the par value of the legal tender notes and their present value, as those notes have been the daily and hourly medium of exchange, and the depreciation has fallen on the community at large by infinitessimal degrees, and not on the present holders to any appreciable extent, I can see no reason why the same community should again be taxed to present to the present accidental holders, without any just claim on their part, tlie amount of that difference. * * * * # « "I think it necessarily follows, from the principles laid down by McCulloch, which are the essential principles of justice and right, that our Government cannot, in good conscience, return to the specie standard, without fixing that standard as near as may be to equal the value, at the time of the change, of the standard for which it is made the substitute; or, commuting the liabilities existing under the present standard, so that the actual payment shall be the value of the amount promised, when the promise was made, or, as the nearest approximation to that, and only fair substitute for it, its value imme- diately before the provision is made for the redemption or change of the currency. "How the new coinage should be regulated, if a new coinage would answer the purpose best, and the practical means of introducing it, are purely matters of detail. "I suppose the Government paper dollar might be left as now, a legal tender for debts, and be made convertible into new coin at the Treasury, upon presentation, and the whole work will have been done, without injustice, without injury to individuals, without lessening the revenues, without retarding for one moment the grand development of the material interests of the American people. "Should the other alternative be resorted to, and continued, that of adding arbitra- rily, either at once or by successive steps, to existing indebtedness, we have reason to fear the most disastrous effects upon trade, commerce, and the general welfare. Such effects were experienced by Great Britain under a similar policy, which was protested against, at the time, by many of her most upright and able men, and occasioned a loss to the community greater, perhaps, than the expenses of the preceding war. The slower process produces less immediate injury. It enables business men to close up their affairs, but it impoverishes a country as much in the long run. Hope is (he great incentive to human action, and with the prospect of future gain or profit withdrawn, production is always greatly diminished. 652 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. "The resources of the country should not be overlooked. Extending from ocean to ocean, and from the extreme north to the torrid zone ; embracing every variety of climate and of productions ; on one side open to the commerce of Europe, on the other to the commerce of Asia ; connected with the seaboard by chains of great lakes, and by rivers, navigable for thousands of miles, with numerous branches, also navigable ; the settled region larger than France, and webbed over with railroads ; an internal trade equal to all the foreign trade of all civilized nations combined; with over a million square miles of rich, virgin soil untilled and unoccupied; with wide-spread and inexhaustible beds and veins of coal, iron, lead, copper, silver, and other minerals ; with forests of vast extent; with a manly, vigorous, and inventive population of over thirty millions, increasing thirty-five per cent, every decade; with a government which has withstood every trial, and was made and is conducted by the people who are subject to it; — this country, it may be truly said, has abundant resources. ****** " All the elements for the solution of the question before us have now been brought together. Group them in any way, they can lead the thoughtful mind to but one conclu- sion. They establish beyond all controversy the following propositions: "1. Our debt is not excessively large compared with our means of payment. The interest paid is unreasonable and extravagant. "2. For want of further taxes upon the property in the public securities, the most glaring and tremendous inequality and injustice exist, to the advantage of a special class, who hold, free of public burdens, one-sixtli of the whole of the property in tlie United States, and to the injury and irritation of nearly all the tax-payers and voters in the country, who have the power to obtain justice through the ballot-box, and will have the opportunity of using that power in less than three years. A tax of about one per cent, on the property in those securities would equalize, to a satisfactory extent, the entire present amount of taxation on the accumulations, the real and personal estate of all property owners. "3. There is no contract, moral obligation, or law, which forbids the imposition of that tax. "4. It is required by other considerations of public policy of the most weighty character, •'Justice, in every sense, is the highest duty of all Governments. They are ordained by the Almighty to administer justice, and to claim as His representatives the obedience of their subjects. Like Him, they should administer that justice in mercy, and render to every man his due. No reasons however specious, no necessities however urgent, can excuse a delay or refusal to fulfil this requirement. ****** "It follows that the essential question for every government, which, as has been said, is but the aggregate of individuals, is the same as for the individuals themselves, whether an act is right or wrong in itself, and whether it will promote the welfare of the community, and the general happiness of mankind. Acting upon these principles, there can be no foreign war but a war of defence, and no internal tumult but from the rejoicings of a free and prosperous people. Having no wish to rob or wrong any, or to withhold from them their dues until the accomplishment of a special purpose, whether to favor a clique or fund a loan, if its affairs be discreetly managed, all will trust it without fear, and it will have a real and invulnerable credit. SAMUEL SNOWDEX HAYES. 653 * « * * * • "The fact of this exemption, with no cquivnlont taxation, is known, and is causing irritation all over the land. It is felt as a liard and unjust discrimination against those who have tied themselves to the country by becoming owners of tlie soil, and wlio are using their means in adding to the wealth of the nation by fair and honest industry. Explain to them that it was right to secure the national funds and credit from the danger of destructive taxation by the States, reserving to the United Stales the sole power to tax; and exercise that power, so that the burden may be borne by all alike, and they will be satisfied. Refuse to exercise that power, and men may be elected to office who will exercise it, and that to destroy. * « « « « * " There can be no time for such action so favorable as the present, when the voice of party is still, and before the distresses of the country have become great. It may happen soon, and will happen if the pressure and contraction policy be adopted and carried far, that commercial bankruptcy and general suffering will co-exist with political excitement and the agitation of a presidential election. All taxes at that time will be paid with difficulty and reluctance. There is danger that then the owners of the fifteen thousand millions of property subject to local taxation, uniting with the classes who own no property, but who are heavily taxed in their consumption and industry on account of the national debt, all of whom aid in, and who, together, can control beyond question the election of members of Congress, will, under the impulse of resentment and suflFering, go past the ground of equalization of taxes, and upon some plausible pretext demand and procure legislation of the most radical and dangerous character. ****** '* But this is not all. The local taxes are apportioned upon the just principle of assessment upon property. The owner of one hundred tliousand dollars' worth pays one hundred times the amount paid by the owner of one thousand dollars' worth, because he is presumed to have one hundred limes the ability to pay, and one hundred times the amount of property to be protected. For the protection of other rights, the man of small property pays more than his proportion by his personal services on juries, on the posse comitatus, and in the army. ****** "Now, it must be stated that indirect taxes are not apportioned either according to the ability of the tax-payer, or to the value of the property protected, but upon the opposite principle; they are apportioned so as to increase as his means of payment diminish, and they operate in .in inverse ratio and with compound force in proportion to his poverty. The eifect is, that the weight of taxation falls but lightly on the very wealthy or the privileged classes. The capitalist whose direct tax upon a million, at the rate of two per cent., would be twenty thousand dollars, pays, under the indirect system, but three thousand, if his consumption be twelve thousand dollars and the amount of taxation be equivalent to one-fourth. The person of middle means, whose direct tax upon a thousand dollars' worth of property, at the rate of two per cent., would be twenty dollars, pays, under the indirect system, two hundred dollars, if his consumption be eight hundred. The poor man, whose direct tax upon a hundred dollars' worth of property, at the rate of two per cent., would be two dollars, pays, under the indirect system, one hundred dollars, if his consumption be four hundred dollars. If the middle and poor classes find their income insufficient to pay tliese indirect taxes and afford them tlie com- forts of life, they must get along with the necessaries; if their income will not pay the 654 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. indirect faxes and afford them the necessaries, they must go to the poor-house or die of starvation. * * * * * * "The indirect system of taxation and the special exemptions and privileges which have been attached to classes of persons possessing large property, or holding high positions, have caused this pauperism: and the same causes will produce the same effects in this country, unless the people of middle and small means here, do what they would do in England if they had the right of suffrage — abolish forever all special exemptions and privileges, and levy and raise the necessary revenues of the country by an equal apportionment upon all estates, real and personal, according to value. "It is not the opinion of the writer of this report, that such a measure, requiring time and consideration to perfect its details, should be preceded by a total abandonment of the present revenue system; because the means of supporting the Government and providing for the national obligations, must continue to be obtained. But it is his opinion that the present system should be modified and ameliorated to the greatest possible extent, until one more just and perfect has been secured, by the adoption of the requisite Con- stitutional amendment. It is for that reason that, while he has most cheerfully agreed with his associates in reductions of taxation, recommended 6y the general report, and in modifications proposed, which cannot fail to be productive of good results, he has also agreed to the report as a whole, notwithstanding his preference for what he conceives to be a much better system. "He takes this occasion to say, however, that, so far as any of the particular modifi- cations or amendments recommended by the Commission would operate to increase the tax upon tea, coffee, sugar, cotton, or anj' other article of universal use, or of agricultural production which must find its market abroad, and, so far as the same recommends pro- liibitory requirements, to drive out of business any class of small manufacturers, in order that the revenues may be more certainly collected from a few large manufacturers, he is compelled to differ from his colleagues. " He goes with them as far as they go. He agrees with them, that the excise sliould be taken off of all manufactured articles as soon as possible ; but he also holds that it is equally or more important that the tax should be removed from agriculture, mining, tiausportation, commerce, and exchanges, and that, in the shortest time consistent with the general interests of the country, the whole system should be abandoned for a better. ****** " The writer has no hesitation in saying that such an amendment of the Constitution ought to be made, and should be followed by universal direct taxation, for national pur- poses, of all the property in the United States. The sherififs of the different counties might be made the Government collectors, and, when collecting the State taxes, might also, for a small commission and at a trifling expense, collect the revenues of the United States. The effect of the system would be to put an end to extravagance in public expenditures, to prevent any further increase of the public debt, to prevent any unneces- sai-y foreign wars, and to secure a wise, frugal, and economical administration of public affairs; because the tax-payers would feel, as they ought to do, the exact efl'ect of every public burden, and, being advised in time of every ailment affecting or threatening the health and welfare of the body politic, would be sure to apply the proper remedy, and at the right time. Should a moderate excise, confined to one or two articles, the use of SAMUEL SXOWDEN HAYES. 655 which is injurious, and a moderate tariff, purely for revenue, be continued for a short term of years, yielding $150,000,000 per annum, a direct tax of one per cent, will raise at once, with the special duties referred to, $320,000,000, which will pay all public expenses and the interest on the public debt, and add 550,000,000 a year to the sinking fund. By the end of a short term of years, the duties referred to, after having been reduced from time to time to keep pace with the increase of property, could be entirely removed, and from the natural increase the same rate of taxation would yield all the moneys required by the general Government for all purposes whatever. "A general system of indirect taxation, on as large a scale as ours, will either be abandoned for a better, or it will reduce the masses to pauperism and dependence, and build up a moneyed aristocracy, who will obtain and keep control of the politics and government of the country. The ultimate result will be revolution, or the loss by the people of the right of suffrage and the overthrow of republican institutions. The manner in which this system impoverishes the middle and poorer classes, and adds to the advan- tages of the wealthy, has already been shown. But other active and powerful causes will hasten the. catastrophe, and develop the machinery by which it will be wrought out. "Monopolies of every kind are universal. Monopolies of land, monopolies of trans- portation, monopolies of mauufacturing — corporations, with almost sovereign powers, exist in every State. Millions of acres of farming lands are owned by some of these corporations. They already have their armies of tenants, employes and debtors. Such of these corporations as have a common business may by degreos become consolidated and have such power as to prevent competition, and compel persons doing bu.'^iness wit«h them to submit to their exactions. Even within these corporations, the process of impover- ishing the weak and enriching the strong and skillful will be carried on by combinations of large stockholders, to alternately raise and lower the price of stocks. At length the parties and classes who control these various corporations will practically constitute a number of distinct oligarchies, with their paid attorneys in the legislature of every State, and in Congress, and with their representatives and agents in the lobby. These oligarchies will soon acquire the habit of uniting to enable each to accomplish its designs. If, during this condition of things, national questions, stirring the hearts and enlisting the feelings of the people, shall arise, the representatives of these oligarchies can unite with able and unscrupulous men who may have obtained position, as the leaders and exponents of the feelings of the people upon these exciting questions. When the influence or power of one part of the league fails, that of the other may make up the deficiency. It may also happen that, in consequence of a peculiar feature in our constitution, the nrcessity for which has passed away, a number of States small in population, but strong in being the centre of the organizations and monopolies referred to, will have almost a controlling interest in one branch of Congress. It may then happen, that, under the pretext of a desire to accomplish the wishes of the people upon the subjects in which their feelings are enlisted, and through the instrumentality in part of the constitutional provision which makes each House the judge of the elections, qualifications, and returns of its members, honest and earnest representatives will be made use of to deprive a portion of the States of their representation in Congress, and at last (o reduce to the con- dition of territories and deprive of the right of suffrage all of the States, the population of which may be free from the control of this combination of interests. It will then be an easy matter to change the constitutions of States retaining the rights of suffrage and 656 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. representation, so as to limit tLe power of voting by property qualifications, or otherwise, to a smaller number of persons. It will then also be easy to enact laws of primogeniture, create orders of nobility, elect a President for life, remove all restrictions upon standing armies, and the abuse of the public moneys, and we will have in full operation a mon- archical system more despotic and oppressive than any which exists in Europe. It is not the interest even of the capitalists of this country, that such events and changes should take place; as by the fifth generation the great mass of their descendants will have been reduced to the common level of the poor, and be exposed to the evils and sufferings inci- dent to oppression. A preventive and remedy for these evils will be found, in part, in adhering to universal suft'rage, in restricting the ownership of land and the misuse of corporate powers, and in abandoning the indirect system, with all its special taxes on agriculture, mining, transportation, manufactures, commerce, and industry of every kind, and resorting to direct and equal taxation upon all the property in the country, in proportion to its value." The following extract from the reply of Mr. Hayes to an editorial of the "London Times/' attacking his financial report, is worthy of being preserved in this connection: "It is true that the wisest legislation can only be an approximation, often a slow and distant approximation, to what is absolutely right. Complex relations, important and diverse, are to be studied, understood and treated. New exigencies are to be met. And often, amidst present difficulties, reforms of great value must be left incomplete for another generation ; yet none the less should the statesman seek continually to know and to reach the highest and best standard. " In the management of the public finances, I believe the following conclusions should be accepted as true, and applied in practice : »'l. The normal condition of every well governed State is freedom from debt, a condition which should not be left but under the most urgent necessity, and should be returned to as speedily as possible. "2. A government is neither a trader nor a speculator, but an administrator, and is bound, when it has incurred debts, to exhibit fairly its condition, and use honestly and firmly its assets, of which the power and resources of taxation are the chief It is bound to compel contributions from its subjects upon principles of equality, to the extent necessary to pay those debts, without dishonest additions or abatement. "3. It has no right, while exacting such contributions, to diminish the relitive value of property, or destroy productive industry, by withdrawing or arbitrarily contracting the currency. "4. Its financial as well as its political system should be domestic, and independent of foreign governments and capitalists. Self-respect and safety equally forbid it to solicit moneys from abroad, or to make its securities payable outside of its boundaries. "As far as the liabilities of the United States are concerned, they seem to me quite within our means of payment, without impoverishing our people, and without wronging our creditors." SAMUEL SNOWDEN HAYES. 657 To complete this sketch, it may bo j>tatccl tiiat ^Ir. Hayes is ti hiiu:c land-owner in and around Chicago. He has expended several hnndreil thousand dollars in valuable buildings, and every year contributes largely to the growth and development of the city. NOMAN B. JUDD. Hon. Normax B. Judd, the subject of this sketch, was born at Rome, Onoida County, X. Y., January 10, 1815. His father, Norman Judd, a potter by trade, was born in Goshen, Littlefield County, Conn., and his mother, of the Vanderhuyden family, at Troy, N. Y. She was descended from the old Dutch stock, to which that part <>f the State adjacent to the Hudson River owes so much of its thrift and eneruy. Young Judd received the usual rudiments of education at the common schools, and finished his school days at Grovenor's High School at Rome, having among his schoolmates Chief Justice Caton, J Ion. Anson Miller, and many other rosidcjits of Illinois, who, since those days, have risen to eminence. Uj)on his graduation from the school, he was sufHeienlly qualified to enter college, but he had formed the resolution not to be a burden ui^on his parents, but to go to work and earn a living lor himself. The resolution was firmly formed, but, like most young men, who have just completed their school days, and are about to enter ujjon the j)raetieal duties of the world, he had settled u])on no occupation which was to all'ord him permanent employment, and thus, for some time, drifted from one pursuit to another, in the endeavor to find that which .should be most congenial to his tastes and best adapted to his talents. For six weeks, he was employed in a store, but the mercantile profession wa.ssoon an av( rsiim to him. He then took "stick" in hand and for two weeks stood at a case in the office of the " Utica Observer," but the fourth estate was evidently uncongenial to him, for shortly afterwards we find him in a ])hysician's office, studying medicine, with the late distinguished Dr. Daniel Brainard fi>r a fellow-student. From medicine, he gravitated to the law. He had at last fonnd the ])rofession for which h(> was six'cially 660 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. qualified^ and in whieli he was subsequently to achieve eminence. He at first entered the office of Wheeler Barnes, at Rome, as a student, and afterwards pursued his studies in the offices of Stryker & Gay, and Foster & Stryker, in the same town ; and, in the spring of 1836, having just attained his majority, was admitted to the bar. In the meantime. Judge Caton, his old schoolmate and friend at Grovenor's, had, in common with many other young men, removed to the A\''est and settled in Chicago, where he laid the foundation of a lucrative practice! He wrote to Mr. Judd, requesting him to come to the new city, ■which was then in the day of small beginnings, but had already com- menced to attract attention. The letter from his friend, and the advantages Avhich the West then held out to young men, induced him to accede to the request, and he arrived in Chicago in November, 1836, and at once entered into a partnership with the afterwards Chief Justice. His abilities as a lawyer immediately gave him a prominent position at the bar, and secured for him an election as the first City Attorney, durnig the mayoralty of Hon. William B. Ogden, in the year 1837, a position which he filled successfully for two years. In 1838, Judge Caton removed to Plainfield, 111., and the partnership between him and Mr. Judd was dissolved. Immediately thereafter, he entered into partnership with Hon. J. Y. Scammon, and they remained together in the successful practice of the law for nine years, from 1838 to 1847. Such was the mutual confidence of the men in each other and the perfect iiarmony of the firm, that no article of partnership or writings of any description ever passed between them, except the ordinary accounts of an office. During the same year, he was appointed a Notary Public, and in 1842 was elected Alderman of the First Ward of the city, but did not com- mence his active political life until 1844, when he was elected to the State Senate, on the Democratic ticket, from the district of Cook and Lake Counties, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Hon. Samuel Hoard. He was re-elected to the same position in 1846, and (the jSTew- Constitution cutting off half his term) again in 1848. His career in the Senate was so satisfactory in the advancement of the best interests of Chicago, that he was sent back to the Senate in 1852 and in 1856. During the sixteen years that he was State Senator, he gave his best energies and abilities to secure the material growth and prosperity of Chicago. He was actively engaged, and bore a prominent part in organizing and NORMAN B. JUDD. 661 perfecting that gigantic railroad system mIhcIi, more tlian anything else, has raised Chicago to her present commercial importance. lie also did mncli to place the impaired credit of the State on a healthy basis, and, aided by his close knowledge of the law and his jiosition as an attorney, he helped largely to mould, by legislation, the character and status of the courts of Chicago and Cook and Lake Counties. We come now to an important era in Mr. Judd's political life, the events of which brought him more prominently than ever before the people of the whole State. The repeal of the Missouri Compi:omise was agitating the entire country at the election in the autumn of 1853, and was the entering wedge that was to divide parties. The Legislature of Illinois, elected that year, was made up of three parties: Democrats, Whigs, and Anti-Nebniska Democrats. The Genei*al Assembly, in joint session, was composed of one hundred members. Of these the Whigs and Anti-Nebraska Democrats numbered fifty-one, and the Democrats forty-nine. jMr. Judd lielonged to the Anti-Nebraska Democrats, and was a zealous and unflinching advocate of their doctrines, although the party was seemingly in a hopeless minority. On the assembling of the General Assembly, the full strength of the party Avas eight, three Senators and five Representatives. Before the election for Senator came on, that small minority was still further reduced by the loss of three of its members, Hon. James Shields, who had voted to repeal the Missouri Compromise, was a candidate for re-election. Mr. Lincoln Avas the candi- date of the Whigs, Avho had forty-six votes. Judge Trumbull Avas the candidate of the Anti-Nebraska Democrats, A\'ho could muster five votes. After several ballots, the Democrats dropped General Shields, and cast their votes for Governor Joel A. Matteson. On the nineteenth ballot, the friends of ]Mr. Lincoln, at his retjuest, dropped his name, and joining the Anti-Nebraska Democrats, elected Judge Trumbull as Senator. The action" of the small minority in this election caused an intense excitement among the Whig politicians throughout the State; and after- wards, in 18G0, Avhcn Mr. Judd Avas a candidate for nomination by the Republican party to the offiee of Governor, his o]i))onents charged him AA'ith treachery and bad faith towards Mr. iiincoin. These charges Averc so persistently pressed that Messrs. George W. Dole, Gurdon S. Hubbard and John IT. Ivinzie, AVhigs, and old friends of Mr. Lincoln, addressed a note to him, infjuiring into their truth. The following letter, taken from the Chicago papers, is Mr. Lincoln's reply: 662 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. "Springfield, December 14, 1859. "Messes. Dole, Hubbard and Brown: " Gentlemen: Your favor of the 12th is at hand, and it gives me pleasure to be able to answer it. It is not my intention to take part in any of the rivalries for the guber- natorial nomination; but the fear of being misunderstood upon that subject ought not to deter me from doing justice to Mr. Judd, and preventing a wrong being done to him by the use of my name in connection with alleged wrongs to me. "In answer to your first question, as to whether Mr. Judd was guilty of any unfair- ness to me, at the time of Senator Trumbull's election, I answer unhesitatingly in the negative. Mr. Judd owed no political allegiance to any party whose candidate I was. He was in tlie Senate, holding over, having been elected by a Democratic constituency. He never was in any caucus of the friends who sought to make me United States Senator never gave me any pledges or promises to support me — and subsequent events have greatly tended to prove the wisdom, politically, of Mr. Judd's course. The election of Judge Trumbull strongly tended to sustain and preserve the position of that portion of the Democrats who condemned the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and left them in a position of joining with us in forming the Republican party, as was done at the Bloomington Convention, in 1856. "During the canvass of 1858, for the Senatorship, my belief was, and still is, that I had no more sincere and faithful friend than Mr. Judd — certainly none whom I trusted more. His position as Chairman of the State Central Committee led to my greater intercourse with him, and to my giving him a larger share of my confidence than with or to almost any other friend; and I have never suspected that that confidence was to any degree misplaced. "My relations with Mr. Judd since the organization of the Republican party in our State, in 185G, and especially since the organization of the Legislature in February, 1357, have been so very intimate, that I deem it an impossibility that he could have been dealing treacherously with me. He has also, at all times, appeared equally true and faithful to the party. In his position as Chairman of the Committee, I believe he did all that any man could have done. The best of us are liable to common errors, which become apparent by subsequent development, but I do not now know of a single error committed by Mr. Judd, since he and I have acted together politically. "I had occasionally heard these insinuations against Mr. Judd, before the receipt of your letter, and in no instance have I hesitated to pronounce them wholly unjust to the full extent of my knowledge and belief. I have been, and still am, very anxious to ta.ke no part between the many friends, all good and true, who are mentioned as candi- dates for a Republican gubernatorial nomination, but I cannot feel that my own honor is quite clear, if I remain silent when I Lear any one of them assailed about matters of which I believe I know more than his assailants. "I take pleasure in adding, that of all the avowed friends I had in the canvass of last year, I do not suspect any of having acted treacherously to me or to our cause; and that there is not one of them in whose honesty, honor and integrity I to-day have greater confidence than I have in those of Mr. Judd. "I dislike to appear before the public in this matter, but you are at liberty to make such use of this letter as you may think justice requires. "Yours, very truly, "A. Lincoln.' ■,1 i NORMAN 13. JUDD. 663 In 1856, ^Ir, Jiuld was a incinher of the famous Bloomington Con- vention, that organized the llepublican party. He was one of the prime movers of that Convention, and brought to bear upon it that exeeutive ability which has always marked his career in the organization (»f con- ventions, the managem<-ut of canvasses, and the direction of great political movements. His prominence in the Convention, both as a counselor and projector, placed liim on the Committee on Resolutions, and secured for him the ai^pointment of Chairman of the State Central Committee — a position which he held during the canvass of 1856, the Lincoln and Douglas Senatorial campaign of 1858, the canvass of 1860, which resulted in the election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, and until his departure for Europe, in 1861. During that period, his practical experience and cool judgment did much to place the party in the majority; and he managed all its canvasses Avith remarkable success. Kis forte was not so much on the stump, although he was always a clear, able and forcible speaker, as in planning the battle, choosing the ground, distributing the forces, and governing their movements. In this direction he brought a rare generalship to bear upon campaigns. The next important event in Mr. Judd's political life, was the Philadelphia Convention, that nominated John C. Fremont for the Presi- dency, to which Mr. Judd was a delegate from Illinois, and chairman of the delegation. He Avas selected by the delegation as a member of the National Republican Committee, and continued in that position until he left for Europe. By his efforts in that Committee, he secured Chicago as the locality for the Republican Convention of 1860. In 1858, after a consultation with Mr. Judd, Mr. Lincoln concluded to ask for a joint discussion Avith Judge Douglas, on the great issues of the day, and delegated Mr. Judd to hand the Judge the following note in the form of a challenge: "Hon. S. a. Douglas: "My Dear Sir: Will it be agreeable to you to make an arrangement for you and myself to divide time and address the same audiences the present canvass? Mr. .ludd, who will hand you this, is authorized to receive your answer, and, if agreeable to you, to enter into the terms of such an arrangement. "Your obedient servant, "A. Lincoln." This note was the preliminary move which led to the memorable debate, the executive part of which was managed by Mr. Ju«ld for 664 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Lincoln. Both the eminent disputants are dead — the one by the hand of the assassin, the other after lingering illness — but the debate in which they were the participants will always live as one of the most memorable events in the political history of the country. The next political movement in which Mr. Judd M^as prominently engaged, was the Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency, held in Chicago in 1860, in which he ^vas chairman of the Illinois delegation. The contest in the Convention was virtually between the friends of Mr. Seward, under the leadership of the New York dele- gation, and the friends of Mr. Lincoln, under the leadership of the Illinois delegation. Mr. Seward was placed in nomination, in behalf of the New York delegation, by Hon. William M. Evarts, and Mr. Lincoln, in behalf of the Illinois delegation, by Mr. Judd. The contest througliout was one of the most animated ever known in the history of political conventions. Mr. Seward's interests were in tlie hands of some of the most astute and influential politicians of the East, and some of the promi- nent party leaders of the West. At the outset, Mr. Seward's chances seemed the most favorable; but the ground had been carefully reviewed, and the preliminaries had been as carefully planned by Mr. Judd and his friends ; and, althouo-h the struo-o-le was a lono; and severe one, INIr. Judd's generalship was again successful, and, on the tliird l^allot, Mr. Lincoln received the unanimous nomination of the Convention, to be the standard- bearer of the Republican party. Mr. Lincoln was elected, and Mr. Judd Avas one of the party tliat accompanied him from Springfield to Washington to assume the duties of President. A conspiracy was discovered to assassinate Mr. Lincoln on his passage through Baltimore, and Mr. Judd's connection witli the counter plans to preserve Mr. Lincoln's life forms one of the most interesting passages in his liistory. The following letter, addi-essed to Mr. Allan Pinkerton, the well-known detective officer, and published by the newspaper press, explains fully the means adopted, and jNIr. Judd's relations thereto : "Chicago, 111., November 3, 1867. "Mk. Allan Pinkerton: "Sir: Yours of the 81st ultimo, inclosing a letter of Mr. Kennedy to Mr. Lossing relating to the conspiracy to assassinate Mr. Lincoln on his passage through Baltimore, in February, 1861, and printed in the second volume of Mr. Lossing's 'History of the AVar,' I found on my table last evening, on my return from the country. Notwith- >:tanding the various publications in the papers purporting to give accounts of that NORMAN B. JTJDD. 665 matter, some of which were grossly inaccurate, I have refrained from publishing any- thing in relation thereto. But the historian is making a permanent record, and I cannot, injustice to you, refuse to make a statement of the facts within my personal knowledge. "As you suggest, I was one of the party which accompanied Mr. Lincoln from Springfield to Washington. When the party reached Cincinnati, I received a letter from you dated at Baltimore, stating that there was a plot on foot to assassinate Mr. Lincoln on his passage through that city, and that you would communicate further as the party progressed eastward. Knowing that you were at that point with your detective force for the purpose of protecting the Philadelphia and Baltimore Railroad against the attempts by the traitors to destroy the same, the information thus sent made a deep impression upon me, but to avoid causing anxiety on the part of Mr. Lincoln, or any of the party, I kept this information to myself. At Buffalo I received a second brief note from you, saying that the evidence was accumulating. No further communication, on that subject, was received until we arrived in the city of New York. In the evening of the day of our arrival at the Astor House, a servant came to my room and informed me that there was a lady in No. — , who wished to see me. General Pope was in my room at the time. I followed the servant to one of the upper rooms of the hotel, where, upon entering, I found a lady seated at a table, with some papers before her. She arose as I entered, and said: 'Mr. Judd, I presume,' and I responded: 'Yes, Madam,' and she handed me a letter from you, introducing her as Mrs. Warn, superintendent of the female detective department of your police force. She stated that you did not like to trust the mail in so important a matter, and that she had been sent to arrange for a personal interview between yourself and me, at which all the proofs relating to the conspiracy could be submitted to me. It was accordingly arranged that immediately on the arrival of the party in Philadelphia you should notify me at what place I should meet you. I informed her that I shauld be in the carriage with Mr. Lincoln from the depot to the Continental Hotel. During this interview with Mrs. Warn, Colonel E. S. Sanford, Presi- dent of the .Vmerican Telegraph Company, called, and Mrs. Warn introduced him to me. He showed me the letter from you to him relating to this affair, and tendered me the use of his lines for any communication I might have to make, and also his personal services, if needed. "At Philadelphia, while riding from the depot to the hotel in the carriage with Mr. Lincoln, a file of policemen being on each side of the carriage, I saw a young man walking on the outside of the line of policemen, who was evidently trying to attract my attention. At about the corner of Broad and Chestnut streets, the young man crowded through the line of policemen, nearly upsetting two of them, came to the side of the carriage and handed me a piece of paper, on which was written 'St. Louis Hotel; ask for T. H. Hutchinson.' I afterwards ascertained that the messenger was Mr. Burns, one of Colonel Sanford's telegraphic force. Immediately after the arrival of the carriage at the Continental, I went to the St. Louis Hotel, and being shown up to Hutchinson's room, I found you and Mr. S. M. Felton, President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Balti- more Railroad Company, together awaiting my arrival. An hour or more was spent in examining and analyzing the proofs upon which you based your belief in the plot, and the result was a perfect conviction on the part of Mr. Felton and myself that the plot was a reality, and that Mr. Lincoln's safety required him to proceed to Washington that evening, in the eleven o'clock train. I expressed the opinion that Mr. Lincoln would not 666 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. go on that night, but I proposed that you should immediately accompany me to the Conti- nental Hotel and lay the proofs before Mr. Lincoln, as he was an old acquaintance and friend of yours, and to my knowledge had occasion, before this time, to test your reliability and prudence. On proceeding to the hotel, we found the people assembled in Buch masses that our only means of entrance was through the rear by the serTants' door. We went to my room, which was on the same floor with the ladies' parlor, and sent for Mr. Lincoln. He was then in one of the large parlors, surrounded by ladies and gentle- men. I think Mr. Nicolay, his private secretary, took the message to him. Mr. Lincoln came to my room, forcing his way through the crowd, and all the proofs and facts were laid before him in detail, he canvassing them and subjecting you to a thorough cross- examination. After this had been done, I stated to him the conclusion to which Mr. Felton, yourself and myself had arrived. But I added: 'The proofs that have now been laid before you cannot be published, as it would involve the lives of several of Mr. Pinkerton's force, and especially that of poor Tim. Webster,' who was then serving in a rebel cavalry company under drill at Merryman's, in Maryland. I further remarked to Mr. Lincoln: 'If you follow the course suggested, of proceeding to Washington to-night, you will necessarily be subjected to the scoffs and sneers of your enemies, and the disapproval of your friends, who cannot be made to believe in the existence of so desperate a plot.' Mr. Lincoln replied that he 'appreciated these suggestions,' but that he 'could stand anything that was necessary.' Then, rising from his seat, he said: 'I cannot go to-night. I have promised to raise the flag over Independence Hall to-morrow morning, and to visit the Legislature at Harrisburg; beyond that I have no engagements. Any plan that may be adopted that will enable me to fulfill these two promises, I will carry out, and you can tell me what is concluded upon to-morrow.' Mr. Lincoln then left the room, without any apparent agitation. During this interview, Colonel Ward H. Lamon entered the room, but left immediately. A few minutes after, Mr. Henry Sanford, as tho representative of Colonel E. S. Sanford, President of the American Telegraph Company, came into the room. You then left for the purpose of finding Thomas A. Scott, Esq., Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, and also to notify Mr. Felton, who was waiting, at the Lapeer House, your report of the interview with Mr. Lincoln. "About twelve o'clock you returned, bringing with you Mr. Q. C. Franciscus, General Manager of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, saying that you were not able to find Mr. Scott, who was out of town. A full discussion of the entire matter was had between us, the party consisting of Mr. Franciscus, Mr. Sanford, yourself and myself. After all the contingencies that could be imagined had been discussed, the following programme was adopted: That after the reception at Harrisburg, a special train should leave the latter place at six p. m., consisting of a baggage car and one passenger car, to convey Mr. Lincoln and one companion back to Philadelphia ; that that train was to be under the control of Mr. Franciscus and Mr. Enoch Lewis, General Superintendent; that the track was to be cleared of everything between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, from half-past five until after the passage of the special train ; that Mr. Felton should detain the eleven o'clock, p. m., Baltimore train, until the arrival of the special train from Harrisburg; that Mrs. Warn should engage berths in the sleeping-car bound for Balti- more; that you should meet Mr. Lincoln with a carriage at West Philadelphia on the arrival of the special train, and carry him to the Baltimore train ; that Mr. Sanford was to make it perfectly certain that no telegraphic message should pass over the wires from NORMAN B. JUDD. 667 six o'clock the next evening until Mr. Lincoln's arrival in Washington should be known; that Ward H. Lamon should accompany ^Ir. Lincoln. "Every supposed possible contingency was discussed and re-discussed, and that party separated at half-past lour that morning, to carry out (he programme agreed upon. At six that morning, Mr. Lincoln fulfilled his promise by raising the flag over Inde- pendence Hall; and I have always believed that the tinge of sadness whicli pervaded his remarks on that occasion, and the reference to sacrificing himself for his country, were induced by the incidents of the night preceding. "Later in the morning, and I think about eight o'clock, Mr. Lincoln sent for me to come to his room. I went, and found Mr. Frederick AV. Seward with Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln said to me that Mr. Seward had been sent from Washington by his father to warn him of danger in passing through Baltimore, and to urge him to come directly to Washington. I do not think that Mr. Seward stated to me the facts upon which his father's convictions were founded; but the knowledge that from an entirely independent line of testimony to that which you had furnished the preceding night, had led Governor Seward to the same conclusion, that there was danger, strengthened my own con- victions of the propriety of the course marked out. I told Mr. Seward that he could say to his father that all had been arranged, and that so far as human foresight could predict, Mr. Lincoln vrould be in Washington at six o'clock the next morning; that he understood the absolute necessity of secresy in the matter. I do not think that I gave him any of the details, but I am not positive on that point. After the train left Phila- delphia for Harrisburg, and as soon as I could get a word with Mr. Lincoln alone, I told him the proposed plan of operations ; I told him that I felt exceedingly the responsibility, as no member of the party had been informed of anything connected with the matter, and that it was iliif to the gentlemen of the party that they should be advised with and consulted in so important a step. It is proper to add, that Colonel Lamon, Mr. Nicolay and Colonel Ellsworth knew that something was on foot, but very judiciously refrained from asking questions. To the above suggestions Mr. Lincoln assented, adding: 'I reckon they will laugh at us Jadd, but you had better get them together.' It was arranged that after the reception at the State House, and before dinner, the matter should be fully laid before the following gentlemen of the party: Judge David Davis, Colonel Sumner, Major David Hunter, Captain John Pope, Ward H. Lamon and John G. Nicolay. "The meeting thus arranged took place in the parlor of the hotel, Mr. Lincoln being present. The facts were laid before them by me, together with the details of the proposed plan of action. There was a diversity of opinion, and some warm discussion, and I was subjected to a very rigid cross-examination. Judge Davis, who had expressed no opinion, but contented himself with asking rather pointed questions, turned to Mr. Lincoln, who had been listening to the whole discussion, and said: 'Well, Mr. Lincoln, what is your own judgment upon this matter?' Mr. Lincoln replied: 'I have thought over this matter considerably, since I went over the ground with Pinkerton last night. The appearance of Mr. Frederick Seward, with warning from another source, confirms Mr. Pinkerton's belief. Unless there are some other reasons beside fear of ridicule, I am disposed to carry out Judd's plan.' Judge Davis then said: 'That settles the matter, gentlemen.' Colonel Sumner said: 'So be it, gentlemen ; it is against my judgment, but I have undertaken to go to Washington with Mr. Lincoln, and I shall do it.' I tried to convince him that any additional person added to the risk; but the spirit of the gallant old soldier was up, and debate was useless. 568 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES. "The party separated about four p. m., the others to go to the dinner table, and myself to go to the railroad station and the telegraph office. At a quarter to six I was back at the hotel, and Mr. Lincoln was still at the table. In a few moments the carriage drove up to the side door of the hotel. Either Mr. Nicolay or Mr. Lamon called Mr. Lincoln from the table. He went to his room, changed his dinner dress for a traveling Buit, and came down with a soft hat sticking in his pocket and his shawl on his arm. As the party passed through the hall I said, in a low tone, 'Lamon, go ahead; as soon as Mr. Lincoln is in the carriage, drive off. The crowd must not be allowed to identify him.' Mr. Lamon went first to the carriage; Colonel Sumner was following close after Mr. Lincoln, I put my hand gently on his shoulder, he turned to see what was wanted, and, before I could explain, the carriage was off. The situation was a little awkward, to use no stronger terms, for a few moments, until I said to the Colonel: 'When we get to Washington, Mr. Lincoln shall determine what apology is due to you.' "Mr. Franciscus and Mr. Lewis, in charge of that special train, took Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Lamou safely to West Philadelphia, and at that station you met them with a carriage and took them to the Baltimore train, and Mr. Lincoln immediately retired to his berth in the sleeping-car. No one but the persons herein named — not even his family knew where Mr. Lincoln was until the next morning's telegraph announced that he was in Washington. To get away from questioning, I went to my room about nine o'clock, and staid there until about one, when a dispatch reached me from Philadelphia, saying that to that point all was right. "Mr. Kennedy can test the accuracy of these facts, as to whom the credit is due for arranging for the safety of Mr. Lincoln, by reference to the gentlemen named herein, and I have purposely given them in detail, so that any doubting person can verify or contradict them. On our journey to Washington, I had seen how utterly helpless the party were, even amongst friends, and with a loyal police force, as General Hunter had his shoulder broken in Buffalo, in the crowd and jam. The same spirit that slaughtered the Massachusetts soldiers at Baltimore — that laid low by the hand of the assassin that great and good man at the commencement of his second term, had prepared to do that deed to prevent his first inauguration; and I know that the first warning of danger that Mr. Lincoln received came from you; and that his passage in safety through Baltimore was accomplished in the manner above described, "Respectfully, yours, "N. B. JUDD." On the 4th of March, 1861, Mr. Lincoln nominated his Cabinet, and the first nomination, after its coufirmati(m, Avas that of Hon. Norman B. Judd, as Minister to Berlin, the most polished court of Europe. It is equally significant that Mr. Johnson, when he inaugurated the era of the political guillotine, and seceded from the party that elected him Vice- President, commenced his removals with Mr. Judd. His was the first appointment by Mr. Lincoln, and the first removal by Mr. Johnson, and the removal was ordered by Mr. Johnson before his predecessor was buried. }>h\ Judd came home from Berlin, where he had represented the NORMAN B. JTJDD. 669 country with signal ability, in October, 18(35. He left Chicago four years and a half before, Avith a population of one hundred and nine thonsand, and returned to find the same increased to over two hundred thousand, and a corresponding growth in all the elements that make a great metro- politan city. Mr. Johnson had manifested his opposition to Congress in a special manner by his removals from office, and the people, in return, determined to send Mr. Judd to Congress. Hon. John Wentworth was his opponent before the Convention. The two men had been opponents, both in the Democratic and Republican parties, for twenty years, and were now, for the first time, each seeking the same office. Both were men of great executive ability and party influence. Mr. Judd had been absent nearly five years, returning to find a city of strangers. Mr. Wentworth had been on the ground all that time, in active party exercise. The con- test, therefore, was as unequal as it was bitter; but Mr. Judd triumphed over his antagonist, the strongest that could have been put in the field against him, and carried the election over his Democratic competitor at the polls. We have, thus far, sketched only Mr. Judd's political career, because that has been the marked feature of his life. Before closing this sketch, we propose to briefly glance at his career as a lawyer and business man. In 1847, after his dissolution with Mr. Scammon, he formed a co-partnership with the Hon. John M. Wilson, which continued until the latter's elevation to the bench. About the close of the partnership, the railroad interests of the State were lieginning to assume importance, and the firm of Judd & Wilson was largely employed in that department of practice. From that time until he left for Europe, ]\Ir. Judd's attention was exclusively given to that branch of the law. The extent of his business in this direction is best shown by stating his connections. He Avas the Attorney of the Michigan Southern Railroad, and managed its litigation witli the Michigan Central at Chicago. He was Attorney and a Director of the Chicago and Rock Island Road; also of the Mississippi and ^Missouri Road, in Iowa. He was President of the Peoria and Bureau Valley Road, Attorney for the Pittsburgh and Fort "Wayne Road, a Director of the Chicago and Milwaukee Road, and President of the Railroad Bridge Company, at Rock Island. The existence of this bridge has been the cause of constant litigation in all the various forms that legal ingenuity can suggest. The first litigation was a bill filed by the United States to restrain the construction of the bridge. The application 670 BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. for the injunction was heard before Judge McLean, and the control and preparation of the defense was in the hands of Mr. Judd. Since that date, the Bridge Company has been on the defensive in nearly all the courts, both State and national, of Illinois and Iowa. The defense, in all these suits, was controlled and managed by Mr. Judd, up to the time of his departure for Europe ; and the bridge still stands, in spite of all the legal assaults upon it. Mr. Judd's election to Congress closes his career as far as the purposes of this volume are concerned ; but it is fair to presume that in the future, as in the past, he will continue to exercise a strong controlling political influence. As a politician, he has been almost invariably successful, chiefly owing to his remarkable executive ability. As a public servant, from his first office of Attorney of a city in embryo, to that of repre- sentative of the Republic at the first court of Europe, he has always been faithful, conscientious in the discharge of duty, true to liberty, and with- out reproach. As a citizen, he has labored arduously for the interests of the city, and has lived to see the fruits of his labors. Mr. Judd was married, in 1844, to Miss Adeline Rossiter, of Chicago, a lady eminently qualified, both in intellectual accomplishments and domestic virtues, to fill her station. He has three children living — Frank R., aged twenty-two; Edward James, aged nine; and Minnie Mitchell, aged thirteen. JOHN WENTWORTH. John Wentworth is one of the verv few men now living who attended the meetings called in the -winter of 1836-7, to consider the expediency of api)lying to the Legislature, in session at Vandal ia, for a city charter. He was secretary of the first political meeting ever called in the First Ward to make nominations preliminary to the first municipal election, and at whidi meeting Hon. Francis C. Sherman was one of the nominees for Alderman. In August, 1837, he was secretary of a convention held at Brush Hill (now of Du Page County), to nominate officers for the then county of Cook, and at which Walter Kimball, the present City Comp- troller, was nominated for Judge of Probate. In 1838, he was appointed School Inspector; and he held the same office, under the new name of Member of the Board of Education, wiien he was last elected to Congress. He has met among the scholars, whilst making his official visits, the grandchildren of those he met as scholars in his first year of .service. He Avas the first corporation printer of Chicago, elected in 1837, and he held the position for about three-fourths of the period of the twenty-five years that he was sole editor, publisher and proprietor of the "Chicago Democrat." He commenced making public speeches at our first nniiii- cipal election, when Hon. W. B. Ogden was elected Maym-. He was in the then town of Chicago at the Presidential election of 1836, but was not a voter, as he had arrived only the 25th of October, of that year. He was born in Sandwich, Strafford County, New Hampshire, March 5, 1815. Taking his first lessons in life amid tlie hardy son-^ of the Switzerland of America, he was sent, in the winter of 1826-7, to the 672 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. academy at Gilmanton, New Hampshire; thence to Wolf borough, New- Hampshire; to New Hampton, New Hampshire; and to South Berwick. Maine. In 1832, he entered Dartmouth College, and graduated there in 1836. That institution has since conferred the degree of LL. I>. upon him. Senator Grimes, of Iowa, was a member of the same class with him, and James F. Joy, of Detroit, was one of their teachers. The winter previous to his entering college, he taught school at New Hampton, New Hampshire, and three of the winters he was in college, he taught at Hanover, Grafton, and East Lebanon. Whilst at the latter place, he was elected a delegate to the County Convention, and was made chairman of the committee upon resolutions, and his report, and remarks accom- panying it, were highly commended in the papers of the day^ as displaying the true "Jackson grit." He became of age whilst in college, and gave his first vote for Isaac Hill, the Jackson candidate for Governor. He had been a writer for Jackson newspapers before entering college; and whilst there, his contributions to tlieui were frequent. At his College Commencement, Governor Hill, Franklin Pierce, John P. Hale, and Edmund Burke were upon the stage, and publicly congratulated him upon his performance, the three latter little dreaming what relations to each other they were so soon to occupy. In seven years, he was the colleague of Messrs. Hale and Burke in Congress, and he was again in Congress when Mr. Pierce was President. Mr. Burke, as editor of the "Newport (N. H.) Spectator," speaking of the exercises at this commencement of Dartmouth College, said: " Some of them gave evidence of a high order of talent, among whom we would mention that of John Wentworth, of Sandwich." The " Vermont Chronicle" of August 31, 1836, the organ of the Congregational denomination of that State, congratulated young Wentworth " On the possession of a voice of uncommon strength, compass and melody," and said: "We hope that voice will do good in the world, and not evil; for either of which purposes it may be signally adapted." As his pen has written more than that of any other one man in Chicago, so his voice has spoken more; and there are two prominent subjects upon which it has given no uncertain sound, viz.: Liberty and Economy. On Monday, October 3, of the same year, he left his father's house, with one hundred dollars in his pocket, " bound West.' So undetermined was he as to his place of destination, that he did not know where to advise his friends to direct their letters. The Governor of his State gave JOHN T7ENTW0RTH. 673 him a letter to some one man in each of the new States and Territurie.s, but which he never had occasiou to use. Two of these letters we copy, the iirst addressed to Governor Henry Dodge, of Wisconsin, and tlie second to Hon. R. J. Walker, United States Senator ironi Mississippi: "OoNCORi), N. IL, September 29, 183C. "Sir: Permit lus to introduce to your friendly iittentious, Mr. John Wentworth, a graduate of Dartmouth College, of the present year. Mr. Wentworth possesses merit ai a scholar and a gentleman, and has already discovered talents as a politician which give him the first rank among our young men. lie goes to the West in pursuit of fortune and fame. Should he take a stand in your Territory, I cannot doubt that he will receive, as he will merit, the patronage and friendship of the pioneers of your flourishing country. "I am, with high respect, your obedient servant, " Isaac IIiu.." "Concord, N. II., September 29, 183G. "Dear Sir: This will introduce Mr. John Wentworth, of this State, of whose talents and worth I had occasion to speak to yourself during the last session of Congress. I cannot doubt he will be encouraged on his way by all such aids as you may conveniently give him. Believe me, "Your friend and obedient servant, "Isaac Hill.' His route was by stage over tlie Green Mountains to Schenectady; thence by the only railroad between Chicago and the East, as iar as Utioa; thence by canal to Buffalo; and by steamer to Detroit, where he arrived Thursday evening, the 13th. He advertised him.self as a school teacher, the day after his arrival, in the "Detroit Free Press," and walked into the country as far as Ann Arbor, going and returning by different routes. Meeting with no succe.s.s, he shipped his triuik for Chicago, by Oliver Newberry's new brig (Manhattan), and, his feet being sore from previous traveling, he took the stage across the country to j\Iiehigan City, where he arrived October 22. Thence he traveled on foot to Chicago, around the beach of the Lake, there being, at that time, no other road, where he arrived Tuesday, a. m., the 25th, and took his dinner at the United States Hotel, kept by Joiui Murphy (afterwards Alderman of the city), at tho corner of Lake and Market streets, on the site of the Wigwam, where Mr. Lincoln was iirst nominated for President. About this time, a New Hampshire actpjaintaiu'e purcha.scd tlie "Chicago Democrat," and made arrangements with Mr. Wentworth to conduct it while he returned Etist. The "Democrat" was established in 674 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 1834, having been the first paper in the city, and there was but one other. Tlie late Daniel Brainard, M. D., was his immediate predecessor in the editorial chair. As the paper was only published weekly, he devoted his leisure time to the study of law, at the office of Henry Moore, then a lawyer of great promise, but whom consumption carried to a premature grave, in his native Massachusetts. On the 23d of November, the first number, under his management, appeared. Although he labored under the disadvantages of youth and inexjierience, having been less than four months out of college, and less than thirty days in the State, he soon created a desire among the leading politicians of the Jackson school in the Northwest, that he should become sole proprietor of the establishment. And an opportunity was soon offered him, for misfortune attended the new proprietor at the East, and he was unable to meet his Western engagements. The liabilities for the Democrat were two thousand eight hundred dollars, and it was the wish of all the creditors that Mr. Wentworth should contrive in some way to liquidate them. But his total means when he arrived at Chicago were but thirty dollars, and he had received nothing since. He was unacquainted with business, and was not a printer. It was proposed by some of the creditors that he write to his father, who was a gentleman of respectable means for his locality, for assistance. But his reply was: "I am the oldest of a large family of children, and when my father has educated the others as well as he has me, it will be time for me to ask for further favors." They then assured him that it was the wish of all that he take the paper, but they wanted him to tell how he was to pay for it. His answer was characteristic of the future man. Although now surprising no one Avho knows Mr. Wentworth's peculiarities, yet it then created a great deal of surprise. He said, "I propose to pay for it out of my earnings and savings. Come in every Saturday night and get what I have left after paying the week's expenses. Determine among yourselves what debts shall be paid first, and I propose to own the fixtures, types and presses, as fast as I pay for them and no fiister. But I propose to OAvn the columns from the start. Although young, I have very settled convictions, origi- nating in inheritance, perhaps, Imt certainly confirmed l)y education, and I propose to make the 'Democrat' their organ." The result of this negotiation Avas, that in July of 1837, the words, "Agent for the Proprietor," Avhich had thus long been beneath his name, were dropped, and he continued sole editor, publisher and proprietor, until JOHN WENTWORTH. 675 1861, when his responsibilities growing \vith the rapid growth of our city and others outside, ineident, not only to his public life, but to the means which he had accumulated, required him to give it U[). He had become largely interested iu agriculture, having a farm of 2,500 acres, and he would have nothing to do with a newspaper unless he could have all to do with it. It must reflect his sentiments in every column. If public sentiment was wrong, instead of catering to it, he thought it his duty to correct it, and the earlier that correction was undertaken, the better. The war had begun, and new questions were suddenly springing out of it, which had to be promptly met, and he was unwilling to trust them in the hands of those who might happen to be in liis employ, when im})ortant midnight despatches might arrive, and, in particular, as he knew that whatever was written would be attributed solely to him. And it is a wonder how an independent editor like Mr. Wentwortli could ever have secured so many public positions as he has. For it is the fortune of independent editors to be treading upon the toes of influence. Mr. Went- wortli, whilst an editor, was ten years elected to Congress, and two years elected Mayor, with his paper in full blast upon every question that agitated the public. Call over the roll of fearless political writers, and see who have been more successful. Having made up his mind to pay oif the indebtedness of the " Chicago Democrat," and to own it, he brought to bear all those indomitable energies which have ever characterized the descendants of the earliest settlers of New England ; and although this had to be done in the midst of one of the severest financial crises through which the country ever passed, and although hLs views upon all the questions growing out of such a crisis were considered radical and extreme, his paper never lost that bold and defiant tone with which a conviction of right ever inspires a man. It ought before to have been stated, that he is a descendant on both sides from the old Puritan and revolutionary stock of New England, men who left their native land, over two and a quarter centuries ago, to enjoy free- dom of opinion, and whose descendants have all been members of the same church which they came to New England to establish. His maternal grand liither, Colonel Amos Cogswell, had served through tlie entire war of the llevolution. His paternal great-grandfather, Judge John AVentwortii, had presided at the first revolutionary convention in New Hampshire. His grandfather, John Wentwortli, Jr., at the age of thirty-three, was a member of the Continental Congress. And the pastor 676 BIOGEAPHICAX, SKETCHES. of the church of which his parents were members, and by whom he was christened, had been a soklier of the Revolution and had prayed in the camp of Washington. He brought his New Eugkmd habits and inspira- tions to bear upon tlie Avork he had undertaken. He made his bed among the types and presses, and became not only editor, but folder, pressman, clerk and mail boy. There was no industry that could have surpassed his. By continuous daily and nightly toil, by denying himself everything that the most pressing necessity did not demand, he had paid the last dollar by the summer of 1839, and was then enabled to visit his native New England, the sole proprietor of the leading administration paper in the Northwest. During that visit, he delivered his first literary address at the commencement of Norwich (Vt.) University, taking for his subject, '' All education should be practical," which was highly commended by the papers of the day as a literary production ; and he was the guest at the time of General Truman B. Eausom, one of the Professors, Avho fell on the battle fields of Mexico, and who was the father of our own General Ransom of the War of the Rebellion. The foresight of Mr. Wentworth, in early securing the entire control of the columns of the " Democrat," Avas apparent when the financial crisis of 1837 overtook the country, and which was attributed by many to the Jackson- Van Buren policy, but which he attributed to a redundant paper circulation and its natural consequences, speculation and extravagance; claiming, as he has so often done since, amid similar crises, that the specie redemption point should be the measure of paper circulation, and that all excesses of paper issues must result in a disastrous inflation of prices. An extra session of Congress was called, and the entire Democratic delegation from Illinois in the House Avent over to the opposition, for Avhich the "Democrat" A^ehemently denounced them, and took the most decided administration ground. Its articles Avere copied into the " Washington Globe," the " New York Evening Post," and all the leading administration papers. The business men of Chicago, and the speculators univ^ersally, Avere against President Van Buren, and so, of course, were against the "Democrat," and so became many of its old creditors, aa'Iio refused to have it left at their doors. It was then, as it many times afterAvards Avas, upon the agitation of similar questions, denounced in public meetings for creating an erroneous public sentiment, and threats AA'ere made of throAving it in the river.' But it kept up an unremitting fire, and defied all denr.n- eiatiou. The excitement Avas increased by the early call of a Congressional •liniN AVENTWORTH. 677 Convention at Peoria, the (Icimiiciatidn of tlic iiu'inlxr of Congress, and the nomination of8tq)lu'n A. Douglas in his pUiee. Mr. WVntworth \\:us pressed as a eandidate by many (k'K',«;ati's who were aei^uainted with him through his paper, but did not know that lie was under the required age. One of them would insist upon voting for him, and made the prediction in the Convention that he would some day be in C'ongnss, The friends of the incumbent made a personal matti-r of tlu' jtroccrd- ings of the Convention, and his son-in-law publicly shot n of their leader for a pardon. In that capacity, also, it was his duty to aid in the main- tenance of law and order while the great concourse was here which nominated General jNIcClellan for President. Fears were entertained that violence would ensue if ^Ir. Vallandigham, of Ohio, undertook to address our people in the open air; and upon the evening announced for his address, Mr. Wentworth went among.^t the most excited portion of the audience and successfully urged them to quietude. At the close of Mr, Vallandigham's address, he stepped upon tlie Court House stcjys and claimed for himself the same courtesy that had been extended to Mr. Vallandigham. He tlieii made a speech to the assembly, which wus 686 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. opposed to him in politics, in support of Mr. Lincoln's administration, which ranked among liis very best efforts, and was circulated through several States as a campaign document. He was elected to the Thirty-ninth Congress, in 1864, from a District which, under the census of 1860, was composed only of the County of Cook. He was upon the Committee of Roads and Canals, and upon the Committee of Ways and Means. As a member of the former, he labored successfully to get the Niagara Ship Canal bill through the House, but it failed in the Senate. The latter committee is a little Congress of itself. It is there where all financial bills are framed, and where representatives of all the trades and industries are in constant attendance. It sits most of the time while the House is in session, and moruings and evenings besides. Finance was the main question when he first wrote for the " Chicago Democrat," and when he first entered public life. The slavery question had overshadowed it for many years. Upon this subject, from first to last, he had made but one record. The war being over, and slavery abolished, reconstruction was the prevailing question, and upon it Mr, Wentworth signalized himself among the most radical of the radicals. As reconstruction began to be settled, finance loomed up as the next question. How to pay the debt, and resume specie payments with the least distress to the people, were questions of great interest to him ; and so, whenever he could leave the House without detriment to pending questions, he was always in the committee room, supporting every measure of retrenchment and economy, and listening to the suggestions of its numerous visitors. No measure looking to an increase of public, expenditures, the repudiation of the national debt, violation of contracts, or to a postponement of the resumption of specie payments, ever received any encouragement from him. Mr. WentM'orth, all through his editorial and official life, has shown himself not only a man of decided convictions, but has proved, on many notable occasions, that he had, under the most adverse circumstances, the courage to follow them. He has ever looked upon parties as only necessary organizations for the accomplishment of desirable ends, and has had no party attachments beyond his decided convictions of right, always having principles which he wished sustained by the legislation of his countr}^, and always seeking that political organization which would best promote this object. And, although he has been more highly honored that any other citizen of Chicago by official positions, he has in many instances fiung JOnX WENTWORTH. 687 away such honoi-s, af2:ain.st the rem on^^t ranees of highly vahied Irieiuls, Avlien their attainment rec^nired a compromise of well settled convictions. In 1854, the opposition to the Democratic party was not consolidated into a single organization, as it now is, and Mi-. WCntworth lich.n^cd to the "Free Soil Democratic Party," in eontradistiM<'ti(»n to that of the Ameri- cans, the Abolitionists, the Democrats, and the Mhigs. It wits the unanimous desire of the Free Soil Democrats that he should be returned to Congress, and the Abolitionists were willing to gratify tiiat desire. But these two organizations could not alone elect their candidate. It recpiired the concurrence of the Americans to enable these two organizations to outnumber the Whigs and Democrats, each of which party was determined to run a separate candidate. The Americans were desirous of fusing with the Free Soil Democrats and Abolitionists, but recpiired that the candidate should be pledged to their peculiar views as to the i-ights of foreign born residents. A committee of three leading citizens called upon Mr. Went- worth, inviting his private initiation into their order, with the assurance that they Mould support him for Congress. He ]>romptly declined the candidacy upon such terms. Again, in 1866, he had warm advocates; but the laboring classes required that he should sign a pledge of his honor as a man to introduce, advocate, and vote for the eight-hour law, but he preferred to stand by the rule from which he had never deviated, to make no pledges, except that which every honorable man gives when nominated for office, viz : to abide by tlie platform adopted by the convention at t!ie time of his nomination. He contended that it would be no honor to himself, and no triumph to the Republican party, if he had to be pledged to an outside organization to get his election. When he was Mayor, all the city patronage Avas in Jiis hands; and he, being bi'sought to make some pledges beforehand, said he would respond at the next public meeting; and in Metropolitan Hall, before an immense audience, he denounced all such attempts, and declared that under no circumstances would he appoint any man to office who ever even insinuated that he ever had the least encouragement from him that he was to have an office. When he was leaving for Congress, at one time, a clergyman said to him, "I j)ray God to give you courage !" Mr. Went worth responded : ''You need not do that ; but jiray God to give me light — to show me the right; I have the courage already to follow it." Mr. Wentworth is one of the most enterprising agriculturists in the Northwest, having a farm of two thousand live hundred acres, grazed by 688 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the clioicest selections from foreign herds, six miles from the city limits; and he was member of the Agricultural Board from the State at large at the time of his election to the Thirty-ninth Congress. At the time of the consolidation of the old Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company Avith the Xorthwestern, he had been for some years a Director in the former company, and won the admiration, not only of the stockholders, but of the people all along the line, by his unflagging zeal to avoid all unnecessary expenses, to correct all abuses, and to accom- modate the public — developing the same administrative ability in private as in official affiiirs. Mr. Weutworth has been remarkable for habits of untiring industry, and for keeping such control of his private business that lie has ever been independent of political results to himself personally ; and therefore he has always made his own time more valuable when devoted to his own private pursuits than when devoted to official positions, with even the highest emoluments. He has always stepped from public to private life with profit to himself. Xor has he ever been concerned in any means of legislation that would result in private benefit to himself or any of his friends; the volumes of private laws passed by the Illinois- Legislature will be searched in vain for his name; and the originators of the numerous indignation meetings in Chicago, against different schemes of private legislation, have never failed to call upon him for his immediate co-operation. He has always combated that system of morals Mhich would excuse a man for doing in his corporate capacity what would be unjust or dishonest in his individual capacity — that system which is con- tinually making individuals very rich, while the corporations which they manage become proportionately poor. After the disastrous explosion of the Illinois State General Banking System, Avhich Mr. Wentworth had opposed from the beginning, many of its supporters undertook to protect themselves from the consequences of their measures by deducting from the dues to their depositors the difference between good and the depre- ciated money; and a bank in which Mr. Wentworth had a small interest so far imitated this example as to make a comparatively small deduction in such cases. At the first meeting of the stockholders thereafter, Mr. Wentworth took the ground that this deduction should be refunded, and the measure was carried, although no other institution similarly situated has ever made such a restitution. Mr. Wentworth has also been remarkable, as a writer and speaker. JOHN WENTWORTH. G89 for conveyino; his itleus in tlie fewest possible wonls, mid for Iiis sueeess in coiiiMiaiulino; the closest attention of proniiscuons audiencrs. His portrait, painted hy Ilealy, in 1858, for (he ( '(iniiiion (Vmncil ( 'hanilxT, is pronouneed one of the best works of that distinguished artist. i INDEX. Page. ALLEX, J. A 437 ALLPORT, WALTER WEBB 107 ANDREWS, EDMUND 355 ARNOLD, ISAAC N 407 BLAIR, WILLIAM C 105 BLAKELEY, DAVID 547 BOONE, LEVI D 273 BOTSFORD, J. K 331 BOWEN, CHAUNCEV T ...59I BOWEN, JAMES II '.489 BOYINGTON, WILLIAM W 215 BROOKS, DATUS C 501 BROSS, WILLIAM 35 BRYAN, THOMAS B G5 BRYANT, HENRY B 503 BURROUGHS, JOHN C 583 BYFORD, WILLIAM HEATH -I7 CHESBROUGH, ELLIS SYLVESTER 1«^1 CHURCH, THOMAS 127 COBB, SILAS B 251 COLLYER, ROBERT 381 COOLBAUGH, WILLIAM F I77 CREWS, HOOPER 531 DAKE, JOSEPH M 553 DAVIS, NATHAN SMITH 81 DICKEY, HUGH T •. 429 DORE, JOHN C 485 DRUMMOND, THOMAS II7 DUCAT. ARTHUR CHARLES 347 692 INDEX. Page. DUNLAP, GEORGE L 467 DYER, CHARLES VOLNEY .,. 73 EDDY, THOMAS M 289 ELY, EDWARD 207 EVERTS, WILLIAM W 141 FARGO, JAMES C 463 FARWELL, JOHN V 97 FELSENTHAL, BERNHARD 397 FOX, HARRY 481 FULLER, OLIVER F 211 GARDNER, FREELAND B 495 GILES, WILLIAM A 511 GINDELE, JOHN G 619 GOODRICH, GRANT 239 GREENEBAUM, HENRY 257 GRIGGS, SAMUEL C 299 HANCOCK, JOHN L 157 HAYES, SAMUEL SNOWDEN 635 HEALY, GEORGE P. A 627 HESING, ANTHONY C 203 HIBBARD JOHN RANDOLPH 517 BILLIARD, LAURIN PALMER 545 HINSDALE, HENRY W 477 HOARD, SAMUEL 401 HOES, JAMES H 307 HOFFMANN, FRANCIS A 367 HOLDEN, CHARLES N 385 HONSINGER, EMANUEL 283 HOYNE, THOMAS 47 HUMPHREY, Z. M 445 INTRODUCTION 3 JOHNSON, HOSMER ALLEN 229 JONES, JOSEPH RUSSELL '. 121 JONES, WILLIAM 59 JUDD, NORMAN B 659 KERFOOT, SAMUEL H 313 LARNED, EDWIN CHANNING 537 LUDLAM, REUBEN 521 MANN, ORRIN L 373 McARTHUR, JOHN 223 McCLURG, ALEXANDER C 569 INDEX. 693 Page, MILLER, A. HALSEV 235 NIXON, WILSON K 293 OGDEN, WILLIAM B 11 OSBORNE, THOMAS 109 PALMER, POTTER Gil PATTERSON, R. W 569 PULLMAN, GEORGE M 471 RANDALL, GURDON P 327 RICE, JOHN B 01-3 ROOT, GEORGE FREDERICK 103 RYDER, WILLIAM HENRY 301 SALOMON, EDWARD S 391 SCAMMON, JONATHAN YOUNG 25 SCHUTTLER, PETER 24) SHEAHAN, JAMES W 435 SHERMAN, FRANCIS C 025 SHIPMAN, GEORGE E 005 SHUMAN, ANDREW 1B5 SKINNER, MARK 597 SMALL, ALVIN EDMOND 549 SMITH, CHARLES G 241 SMITH, DAVID SHEPPARD 505 SMITH, HENRY M 529 SMITH, PERRY H 343 STOREY, WILBUR F 133 TOBEY, CHARLES 417 TRUMBULL, LYMAN 457 TYLER, JAMES E 201 UPTON, GEORGE P 451 VAN OSDEL, JOHN M 91 VOLK, LEONARD W 335 WADSWORTH, ELISHA S 181 WADSWORTH, I'HILIP 207 WALLACE, M. R. M ; r, 441 WENTWORTH, JOHN 071 WHITE, HORACE 353 WILKIE, FRANC B 577 WILSON, CHARLES L Ill WILSON, JOHN M 423 WOODWORTH. JAMES H 149